Magic is a powerful option inElden Ringand is as good as it has ever been in aSoulsgame. Intelligence fuels one ofElden Ring’sprimary 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 Intelligencehave near limitless options open to them when it comes to selecting a primary weapon.
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 fewpowerful colossal weaponsthat 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 August 03, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: In Elden Ring, Intelligence weapons vary from staffs to Magic swords and everything in between. In the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC several of the best Intelligence weapons Elden Ring players can get were introduced for the first time. The world of Elden Ring is extremely expansive and deep, though, and making sense the importance of each of these Elden Ring weapons that scale with Intelligence can become quite the task as you collect more and more equipment. This guide to the best Intellignece weapons in Elden Ring has been updated to provide the item description for each of these options, shedding light on the people who used them before the Tarnished, the cultures that produced each weapon, or other details that will surely add to your understanding of each weapons' place in the lore.
12Star-Lined Sword
An Elegant Weapon, From A More Civilized Age
Sword encrusted with a line of stars fashioned from small pieces of crude glintstone.
Weapon of the demi-human swordsmen.
When bestowed with this weapon by their queen, the swordsmen swear to find the truth that lies at the end of the procession of stars.
Unique Effect or Weapon Skill
STR: 10
DEX: 23
INT: 21
Somber Smithing Stone
Bleed effect, Onze’s Line of Stars weapon skill
TheStar-Lined Swordis one of thebest Intelligence build weaponsElden Ringplayers can get for two reasons: its Ash of War is surprisingly powerful in close quarters, and it makes youreally feellike a Jedi. It’s the same weapon that’s wielded by Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze, who many players believe is a reference to Yoda – especially when he starts his flurry of attacks.
This weapon has decent Intelligence scaling, but its better to use as a backup for your long-range spellcasts if anything gets too close. The Ash of War comes out fast for a lot of hits, and because the weapon procs Bleed buildup, there’s a good chance one or two uses of this skill will kill most enemies.
How To Get The Star-Lined Sword in Elden Ring
The Star-Lined Sword location is actually not fromDemi-Human Swordmaster Onze, but rather from a nearby Demi-Human Queen. From the Cerulean Coast West site of grace in the Realm of Shadow, head northwest until you come to an area filled with Demihumans. DefeatDemi-Human Queen Mariggain this area to get the Star-Lined Sword.
11Staff Of The Great Beyond
Casts Both Incantations And Sorceries
Staff fashioned from the tail-fingers of Metyr, the Mother of Fingers, and the microcosm raised aloft over the crux they form.
The Mother received signs from the Greater Will from the beyond of the microcosm.
Despite being broken and abandoned, she kept waiting for another message to come.
STR: 6
INT: 25
FAITH: 25
INT: D
FAITH: D
Finger Ruins of Miyr, drops from Metyr, Mother of Fingers' Remembrance
Can cast both Sorceries and Incantations
TheStaff of the Great Beyondis one of the best Intelligence weapons in theElden RingDLC, not necessarily because it boosts your Spells or scales particularly well with Intelligence, but because it unlocks the other half of spells inElden Ring. With this equipped, you can slot Sorceries and Incantations and cast both without swapping your weapon out.
Though players could always equip a Sacred Seal in their other hand to effectively achieve the same effect, this allows you to have a shield or a regular melee weapon equipped. Plus, you won’t have to worry about swapping to the right weapon slot – and its Incantation and Sorcery scaling values aren’t too bad at max upgrade level.
How To Get The Staff of the Great Beyond in Elden Ring
The Staff of the Great Beyond can be acquired after defeatingMetyr, Mother of Fingers, at the end of the Manus Metyr questline (which begins withCount Ymir, Mother of Fingers). After getting her remembrance, bring it to Enia at Roundtable Hold to trade it for the Staff of the Great Beyond.
10Meteorite Staff
Boosts Gravity Magic, But No Upgrades
Staff embedded with a dark purple glintstone, said to be the fragment of a meteorite.
Swamp of Aeonia in the Streets of Sages
Cannot Be Upgraded
Boosts the damage of Gravity-type Sorceries by 30%
TheMeteorite Staffis one of the most useful staffs inElden Ringfor a number of reasons. For starters, it only requires a paltry 18 Intelligence to be equipped, giving just about every starting class and build a chance to delve into Sorceries. And even though the staff cannot be upgraded, its Sorcery Scaling is nothing to sneer at, and even outclasses some fully-upgraded staffs.
The Meteorite Staff gives a 30% boost to Gravity-type spells, including the physical-damage-based, staggering, fan-favoriteRock Sling. Its low requirements and relatively high scaling mean it remains a powerful staff through most of the game, but it can be quite a pain to acquire it.
How To Get The Meterorite Staff in Elden Ring
Head south of the Caelem Ruins and into the Swamp of Aeonia to find this staff sitting inside a ruin. You will need to navigate the swamp while riding atop Torrent to avoid the Scarlet Rot buildup. The item should glow purple on the ground, and is tucked neatly into an alcove in these ruins,
DEX: 14
INT: 12
Smithing Stones
Mighty Shot (skill)
Mages inSoulsgames often have staffs and spells that offer fantastic ranged options in a fight.Elden Ringoffers players a different way of delivering magical punishment with the Horn Bow. TheHorn Bowis 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.
How To Get The Horn Bow in Elden Ring
Head to the Hallowhorn Grounds of the Siofra River, the large acropolis-like structure near the Siofra River Bank Site of Grace. Jump down onto a ledge beneath and head underneath the structure to find the Horn Bow on a corpse behind two pillars.
STR: 12
DEX: 18
INT: 23
Somber Stones
Transient Moonlight (skill)
Widely considered to be one of the best weapons in the game for both PvE and PvP,Moonveilis a great weapon to pick up early and level for Intelligence builds. It is primarily a Dexterity/Intelligence scaling katana. Moonveil is one ofthe best Dexterity weapons inElden Ring, and just so happens to be one of the best Intelligence weapons as well.
Moonveil also has one ofElden Ring’s best unique weapon skillsin 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.
How To Get The Moonveil Katana in Elden Ring
Get to the end of the Gael Tunnel, a cave that can be accessed from the bottom of the western Caelid cliffs, and beat the Magma Wyrm to get Moonveil. This tunnel also connects to Limgrave, though the door cannot be opened until you access it from the Caelid entrance.
Increases FP Cost & Damage of Spells
Staff of the primeval glintstone sorcerer Lusat.
Only those whohave glimpsed what lies beyond the wisdom of stone may wield it.
INT: 52
Increases FP cost of spells by 50%, grants damage bonus
There are many staves inElden Ring,butLusat’s Glintstone Staffoften 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.
Now, not all Intelligence builds necessarily need to cast sorcery, but it is certainly a helpful and powerful addition to an Intelligence build.
How To Get Lusat’s Glintstone Staff in Elden Ring
Lusat’s Glintstone Staff can be located inSelia, Town of Sorcery after defeating the hidden boss. Light all the braziers in Sellia, defeat the Nox Swordstress & Priest, and look in a chest outside the boss arena to find Lusat’s Glintstone Staff.
6Death Ritual Spear
Unique Weapon Skill & Melee Reach
Ritual spear used by priests of old who were permitted to come among the Deathbirds.
The priests became guardians of the birds through the rite of Death, which also serves as an oath sworn to their distant resurrection.
STR: 14
DEX: 20
Spearcall Ritual (skill)
Players looking to build a melee-focused mage should consider trying theDeath Ritual Spear. It is the best intelligence-based spear inElden Ringand 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 Ritual 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.
How To Get The Death Ritual Spear in Elden Ring
Defeat the Death Rite Bird open-world boss, which only spawns at night, just southwest of Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of the Giants. If you die while trying to fight this boss, the time may reset to day. Be sure to choose to spawn back at a Site of Grace to make sure the time is correct before making another attempt.
Scepter in the form of a hand grasping a pearl.
Signature weaponof Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing.
The pearl stands for theworld, the heavens, and an eye, representing the many forms ofknowledge, never fully attainable.
Knowledge Above All (skill)
When it comes to the best Intelligence weapons, theScepter of the All-Knowingisn’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’smany mine-dwelling foes.
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.
How To Get The Scepter of the All-Knowing in Elden Ring
The Scepter of the All-Knowing is rewarded to players after defeating Sir Gideon Ofnir in the Ashen Capital. Sie Gideon Ofnir is the third-to-last boss of the game, so it can take a while to get one of these without trading with other players.
4Rotten Crystal Sword
Scarlet Rot And Intelligence Scaling
Sword fashioned from pure crystal; a deed impossible for a human.
STR: 13
DEX: 10
INT: 15
Causes Scarlet Rot buildup, Spinning Slash (skill)
TheRotten Crystal Swordis 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 tostart 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.
How To Get The Rotten Crystal Sword in Elden Ring
Deep in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, players will find a group of three Crystalians guarding an item on the ground. From the Elphael Inner Wall Site of Lost Grace, head into the building and turn left to find the group just past a pile of rubble. You don’t need to defeat them - just run in, grab the Rotten Crystal Sword, and run back to the Site of Grace.
Increases FP and Reduces Cast Speed of Spells
Staff of the primeval glintstone sorcerer Azur.
Only those who have glimpsed what lies beyond the wisdom of stone may wield it.
Academy of Raya Lucaria
Increases FP cost of spells by 20%, grants cast speed bonus
Azur’s Glintstone Staffis one ofthe 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.
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.
How To Get Azur’s Glintstone Staff in Elden Ring
Azur’s Glintstone Staff is found in the Academy of Raya Lucaria. On the second floor of the Church of the Cuckoo, a hallway leads to an offshoot room, guarded by a Page with explosive crossbow bullets. Get past the Page to find Azur’s Glintstone Staff resting on a pile of crystals, next to a dead Graven School.
