Magic is a powerful option in Elden Ring and is as good as it has ever been in a Souls game. Intelligence fuels one of Elden Ring's primary forms of magic: sorcery. It also builds a lot more than just spell casting, and it directly scales with the magic damage to many weapons throughout the game. Players building Intelligence have near limitless options open to them when it comes to selecting a primary weapon.
RELATED: Elden Ring: The Best Bows, Ranked
There are all sorts of weapons that scale well with Intelligence. There are plenty of quick-hitting swords and daggers open to Intelligence builds and there are even a few powerful colossal weapons that scale well with Intelligence. While an Intelligence build will typically want a Glintstone Staff of some sort, their main weapon all comes down to personal choice, and there are a few that stand above the rest for the best Intelligence builds.
Updated July 8, 2022, by Joe Barbieri: Elden Ring was released just over four months ago. In that time, the community has discovered all sorts of cool builds and experimented with nearly every weapon in the game. Some players are eagerly awaiting DLC announcements for new weapons, enemies, and bosses. Still, some are just embarking on their epic journey throughout the Lands Between. Players looking for the best intelligence weapons in Elden Ring will find that there are plenty of weapons to choose from, and with some new builds, even more weapons are viable for mages and int builds. The best intelligence weapons in Elden Ring can scale alongside strength and dexterity too, making flexible builds very easy to achieve.
10 Horn Bow
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 10 Dex - 14 Int - 12
- Maximum Int Sclaing: E
- Maximum Damages Values (+25): Physical - 159 Magical - 73
- Location: Siofra River
- Smithing Stones: Regular
Mages in Souls games often have staffs and spells that offer fantastic ranged options in a fight. Elden Ring offers players a different way of delivering magical punishment with the Horn Bow. The Horn Bow is by far the best bow for intelligence builds that the game has to offer.
Because it isn't a boss weapon, it can be upgraded 25 times with regular smithing stones, which are often easier to come across than the somber smithing stones used for boss weapons. Players curious about playing around with the Horn Bow should check out this handy guide by Fextralife.
9 Moonveil
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 12 Dex - 18 Int - 23
- Maximum Int Scaling: B
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Physical - 178 Magical - 213
- Location: Gael Tunnel (Defeat Magma Wyrm)
- Smithing Stones: Somber
Widely considered to be one of the best weapons in the game for both PvE and PvP, Moonveil is a great weapon to pick up early and level for Intelligence builds. It is primarily a Dexterity/Intelligence scaling katana. Moonveil is one of the best Dexterity weapons in Elden Ring, and just so happens to be one of the best Intelligence weapons as well.
Moonveil also has one of Elden Ring's best unique weapon skills in Transient Moonlight. This high-damage beam of magical energy is sure to easily slice through even the heartiest foes, and it's a fantastic option for staggering bosses. It's not too shabby in PvP either, though Tarnished should be wary, as many players are learning how to easily dodge Moonveil's special attacks thanks to its overwhelming prevalence in PvP.
8 Lusat's Glintstone Staff
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 10 Int - 52
- Maximum Int Scaling: S
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Sorcery Scaling: 284 - 413
- Location: Selia, Town of Sorcery (Defeat Hidden Boss)
- Smithing Stones: Somber
There are many staves in Elden Ring, but Lusat's Glintstone Staff often ranks among the best to most Intelligence builds. It has some of the best sorcery scaling in the game and can transform already powerful magic into boss-slaying material.
Lusat's Glintstone Staff can be located in Selia, Town of Sorcery after defeating the hidden boss there. Now, not all Intelligence builds necessarily need to cast sorcery, but it is certainly a helpful and powerful addition to an Intelligence build.
7 Death Ritual Spear
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 14 Dex - 20 Int - 18
- Maximum Int Scaling: D
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Physical - 242 Magical - 156
- Location: Mountaintop of Giants (Defeat Death Rite Bird)
- Smithing Stones: Somber
Players looking to build a melee-focused mage should consider trying the Death Ritual Spear. It is the best intelligence-based spear in Elden Ring and offers high physical and magical damage once upgraded. Spears might not be as fast as other weapons in the game, but they can offer good melee damage from a semi-safe distance against most enemies.
The Death Rite Spear also comes with a powerful Ash of War called Spearcall Ritual that is unique to the weapon. This ability causes multiple spirit spears to fall from the sky on foes, making it a nice addition to spells that are possibly being used already.
6 Scepter Of The All-Knowing
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 12 Dex - 18 Int - 21
- Maximum Int Scaling: C
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Physical - 242 Magical - 156
- Location: Leyndell, Capital of Ash (Defeat Gideon)
- Smithing Stones: Somber
When it comes to the best Intelligence weapons, the Scepter of the All-Knowing isn't the most physically damaging. This is mostly because it is classified as a hammer in-game, and while hammers might be a little slower and weaker physically, they are fantastic for staggering foes and dealing lots of damage via heavy attacks. Blunt damage is also particularly powerful against the game's many mine-dwelling foes.
RELATED:Elden Ring: The Best Strength Weapons, Ranked
This hammer scales well with Dexterity and Intelligence. It can be found in the mid to late game, but players should still have plenty of time to upgrade it. As it is an Intelligence-based weapon, it will deal heavy amounts of magic damage alongside its physical damage. It attacks faster than a colossal weapon but be sure to still keep an eye on the stamina gauge when wielding this mighty weapon.
5 Rosus Axe
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str-18 Dex-10 Int-18
- Maximum Int Scaling: C
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Physical - 259 Magical - 166
- Location: Black Knife Catacombs (Hidden Behind Stonesword Key door)
- Smithing Stones: Somber
The Rosus Axe is one of the best intelligence axes in Elden Ring. This weapon is perfect for players who want to deal high amounts of damage with a single weapon in one hand and a shield in the other.
While not as powerful as some mage swords in the game, the Rosus Axe is still a solid choice for a magical melee weapon. The axe is located fairly on early in the game as well, so players will have plenty of time to upgrade it.
4 Rotten Crystal Sword
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 13 Dex - 10 Int - 15
- Maximum Int Scaling: D
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Physical - 249 Magical - 161
- Location: Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree (Consecrated Snowfields)
- Smithing Stones: Somber
The Rotten Crystal Sword is one of the most powerful intelligence weapons in the game. Unfortunately, it is found quite late in the game, so players won't get as much use out of it as other weapons in the same category. As a result, this weapon is a great option for players looking to start a new game plus run, as weapons and armor from the previous playthrough will carry over to new game plus.
The Rotten Crystal Sword builds scarlet rot on top of its other damage values. The damage over time from the scarlet rot will be great against tanky foes and once completely upgraded, the Rotten Crystal Sword is truly a force to be reckoned with.
3 Azur's Glintstone Staff
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 10 Int - 52
- Maximum Int Scaling: S
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Sorcery Scaling: 242 - 362
- Location: Raya Lucaria Academy
- Smithing Stones: Somber
Azur's Glintstone Staff is one of the best staffs in the game, and is a must-try for Intelligence builds also looking into sorcery. This staff can be found in the Raya Lucaria Academy in the upper section of the Church of Cuckoo, but it is quite difficult to reach. Players will have to go through a series of jumping puzzles and hidden areas to reach it, but Azur's Glintstone Staff is absolutely worth the time.
RELATED:Elden Ring: The Best Sorceries, Ranked
What sets this staff apart from the other staves in the game is the fact that it reduces the casting times for all sorceries. This, combined with its fantastic sorcery scaling, makes it one of the best staves for sorcerers in the entire game. It doesn't achieve the same scaling as Lusat's Glintstone Staff, but the reduced casting time means that more spells will be coming out and enemies will be under a lot more pressure.
2 Dark Moon Greatsword
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 16 Dex - 11 Int - 38
- Maximum Int Scaling: B
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Physical - 200 Magical - 240
- Location: Cathedral of Manus Celes
- Smithing Stones: Somber
One of the coolest weapons in From Software's lineup is the Moonlit Greatsword. In Elden Ring, the Dark Moon Greatsword is the iteration of the Moonlit Greatsword. It has appeared in every Souls title in some way, and is often a powerful option for players to wield. The Dark Moon Greatsword proves that Intelligence builds are truly spoiled with options, as it is a Greatsword that scales well with Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence.
The Dark Moon Greatsword is given to the playerupon finishing Ranni's storyline under the Cathedral of Manus Celes. It deals massive damage which makes up for its slower attacks. It also causes frost buildup in foes eventually leading to frostbite.Frostbitten foes suffer more damage from every source, which just means that the Dark Moon Greatsword is going to hurt even more.
1 Fallingstar Beast Jaw
At a Glance:
- Stat Requirements: Str - 34 Dex - 12 Int - 20
- Maximum Int Scaling: D
- Maximum Damage Values (+10): Physical - 320 Magical - 208
- Location: Mt. Gelmir (Defeat Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast)
- Smithing Stones: Somber
The Fallingstar Beast Jaw does incredibly high physical damage and magic damage at the cost of attack speed, weight, and stamina cost. As with the colossal weapons in the game, it takes a different play style to effectively wield this mighty weapon.
The Fallingstar Beast Jaw can be found atop Mt. Gelmir after defeating the Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast. This might be the second time players encounter this tough world boss, but this boss arena is a lot easier to fight in than the first time around. Upon its defeat, the Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast will drop this powerful weapon which can be upgraded and used to the very end of Elden Ring's story.
MORE:Elden Ring: The Best Armor Sets For Melee Builds