BEST Straight Sword Guide in depth breakdown and review Elden Ring

[@Chrightt]

Regarding a few extra things: #1 I typically don't find myself doing much of any straight sword (except warhawk's) heavy attack (even the poke ones). Straight sword isn't great at the spacing game, and I find myself defaulting to something better at spacing if I have to use the poke. I do more light attacks, powerstance, jump attacks, and weapon arts because for me straight sword is the kind of weapon I'd rather get close and swing with or use my weapon art to cover myself/punish my enemies. Therefore, the heavy attacks matter little to me. If it matters a lot for you, by all means swap to a sword that has the highest AR with that move set (I provided all the numbers). For most people, this would mean using the Longsword (which has numbers close to the broadsword). Or if you want a poke option you can technically just use something like the glintstone pebble on the broadsword. #2 In case you're wondering why I didn't mention the 100 vs 110 crit boost on some weapons (Lordsworn, Ornamental, Noble's Slender) it is because straight sword's have AR on the lower side of things without a stronger crit modifier for both backstab and riposte. ALL straight swords have a base 200 MV on backstab and 300 MV on riposte (110 boost means this MV is multiplied by 1.1 so 220MV and 330MV). They are not a weapon class that is good with crit hits and are light enough you can easily have a Misericorde equipped. Straight swords do not have an especially high stagger either. In the big picture, I think the additional crit matters little when combined with the fact that base AR also matters (which broadsword wins by). #3 Cold weapons also scale decently to their str/dex (whichever they're better scaled with). If your main purpose is to swing the sword around rather than mix it with magic, it'll yield better AR if you stop at 50 int and invest in str/dex. Didn't want to drag the section too long and re-arrange the swords as they scale differently (some better to str/some to dex).

[@lPuffalo]

Hey, where do you find the MV values for weapons?

[@viviennestone8851]

Have you done a greatsword video?

[@ianmcdonald3053]

Great video 👍🏻 very very useful, I’ve always loved short sword play but kind of underwhelmed buy what’s on offer, some fun weapon sets etc but the swords are a bit blah hoping the get some love in the future! I want a DS3 dark sword!

[@knightxiii9650]

awaiting Colossal Sword breakdown

[@barrykp]

Moveset-wise I think the main advantage of the Longsword (at least in PvE) is that it does a poke out of a roll. In a boss fight where you're doing a reasonable amount of rolling around you'll whiff some of those with a broadsword that you'll hit with a longsword. For this reason I find it hard to choose between the two. I did some math on broadsword vs lordsworn's and even if crits were 50% of your dmg the broadsword still wins. That weapon is just so so good.

[@GKoopa]

It's a small thing but i think it is worth mentioning that the short sword has only thrusts for its heavy attack, with no followup slashes. People (me included) always loved the swords with that moveset in the souls games. Having a consistent thrusting attack is surprisingly useful in lots of situations.

[@TheTraveler980]

Even to this day, I don't see the appeal with Broadsword. If AR is his only concern, he's doing it wrong.

[@freshgandalf8946]

I personally prefer the stab R2 of the Longsword. Good to see that it is almost as good as the Broadsword across the board in pvp range

[@asdergold1]

It went unmentioned in the video that it does have higher AR with a cold infusion.

[@Chrightt]

Sorry, messed up the cold infusion stat distribution as I mentioned in my pinned comment point #3. I forgot to provide the numbers for cold infusion with str/int and dex/int. For longsword/broadsword at 58 str/50 int (they both scale better to str) broadsword: 348/239 = 588 AR longsword: 320/247 = 568 AR Once again, if you prefer the poke, by all means use the longsword (I got the numbers there so you can compare them to see if the loss in AR is worth the utility)! I do not use it in ER because I find other spacing options better and straight swords work better for me up close powerstanced/jump attack/light atk rather than trying to space.

[@leftovernoise]

Yeah I can't bring myself to use any straight sword that doesn't have a poke. even if the AR is lower

[@deedumeday518]

@@leftovernoise yes moveset over damage

[@jooot_6850]

The venerable Longsword, trusty sidearm that can easily take you to the Elden Beast and beyond.

[@BrvtusVG]

The Ornamental Straight Swords are actually pretty good in PvP despite the lower damage, surprisingly because they have an L1 blocking animation. Blocking allows you to cancel recovery frames faster, allowing you to chain jumping attacks at timings that can catch your opponent. Combined with the fact that OSS has two sets of dual wielding jump attacks (dual SS and dual rapiers) and the mixup is generally worth the damage tradeoff.

[@Chrightt]

Interesting. I shall try Ornamental again. Do you use it as a paired weapon or just WA and offhand something else.

[@BrvtusVG]

@@Chrightt as a paired weapon! Gabri, one of the best players in the DS3 PvP scene, did a showcase: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmSudauBmZ2aqsU

[@williammclyr3330]

Also worth mentioning, that blocking prevents pivoting while running just like it did in ds3, and pivoting gets you killed, so it's neat.

[@Rubbly]

Not only is Coded Sword nice for shields, but since it's purely holy damage, it benefits from the full amount of stuff like Holy 20% Physick or Sacred Scorpion Charm

[@nxvh9062]

Yeah pure elemental damage is actually kinda better than physical when you think about it

[@graysaltine6035]

"...but since it's pure holy damage, it's literally useless outside of dungeons and PvP." There, I fixed it for you.

[@lionheart4424]

@@nxvh9062 not always the case, specially against many bosses that resist elements and are weaker to physical damage. In my experience the Coded Sword is plain bad in PvE (which is a shame because I love its design). Most dual damage weapons I have tested seem to outperform single damage weapons. And this surprises me since usually things like the Moonlight Greatsword are very powerful like in Demons Souls or pure arcane (bolt and fire included) damage weapons in Bloodborne.

[@Casketkrusher_]

@@graysaltine6035 But who care for PvP anyway?

[@graysaltine6035]

@@Casketkrusher_ Im literally saying it's GOOD in PvP - it's garbage everywhere else. Literally any weapon in standard/keen affinity with Electrify Armament cast on it is a much better melee solution for high FAI builds. EA gives 75% of incant scaling as flat lightning damage so on a Erdtree Seal +10 it's minimum 250 base added lightning damage (5x more than a lightning grease). Lightning is a way better damage type for PvE than holy is.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Some bonus information relevant to the Sword of Night and Flame, tied to certain armor pieces: -Azur's glintstone crown scales up the Intelligence half, as it is a Comet Azur at base. -Rogier's Spellblade armor boosts the comet as well, and I believe actually applies scaling bonuses to all Intelligence based Ashes of War. It applies to Nebula, so it's not limited to "glintstone" ashes. I haven't tested it on St. Trina as the mist damage is negligible, but the Night and Flame's Azur half absolutely benefits. As for SoNaF itself, the ashes serve different purposes. Night Comet is purely single target but the flame strike is superior for groups and very good at dealing with large quantities of elements. I would highly recommend investing in both stats if you want to main Night and Flame in general, because both magic attacks are exceptionally strong for their intended purposes.

[@Chrightt]

It does indeed benefit from Rogier's spellblade set. Azur's Glintstone Crown only boosts spells, not weapon art! Try testing the damage again.

[@Thatoneassclown]

Another note about SoNaF: Standing in Terra Magica increases the damage of the ashes, at least it did last time I checked, which was the previous patch...

[@Marx_D._Soul]

I've played Omnicaster since DS1, and straight swords have always been my favorite weapon class. I'm fuckin *living* dude.

[@viviennestone8851]

I have that set so this info is helpful thanks

[@bosonl2277]

Really glad you're making these videos for Elden Ring, I'm addicted to learning as much as I can about build optimization, and these videos are a fantastic resource in that regard, while also being fun to watch! Very much looking forward to the dual staff video. 👍

[@Chrightt]

Glad you like them! Dual staff coming up real soon. I promise, no more delays >.>

[@erickr199]

One thing to mention is that the default ash of war for regular straight swords "square-off" has a heavy attack that does 40 poise damage. With this you can break the stance of most bosses with 2 to 3 attacks if you do it fast enough

[@chuckchan4127]

It's amazing how good the Broadsword is for how early and easily you can get it.

[@Haddosan]

6:50 wow I knew I wanted to be a spellblade at the start and I spent most of early game dual wielding magic broadsword with carina grandeur and crystal sword instinctively. Feels gratifying

[@Silvermeow]

You are the BEST Elden Ring KZbinr bro. I stopped playing and couldnt find ur videos again now that I'm playing again and needed some REAL facts. Thank god I made a reddit post promoting one of your videos and found you again

[@Chrightt]

Thanks a lot! Glad the videos are helping you!

[@ducknorris661]

Miquellan Knight Sword's R2 more than makes up for its lower damage, at least in PVE. The lunge on the full charge lets you close distances easily, and if it staggers you can usually follow up with a 2nd fully charged R2 to break their stance. It's a great choice for anyone who finds the regular straightsword playstyle a bit boring or struggles with the short range of the weapon class

[@holyspear26]

I think this is actually the best str8 sword. I find it very reliable to win duels with. I don’t even use it with optimal stats, 30 dex, and 35/35 int/fth for golden order incantations. I bet it would slaughter if I went quality instead

[@mophead1666]

It's also one of the few weapons that can really abuse the axe talismen. Because you can charge the attack while out of range of an enemy and then shoot out. Works great with that, ritual sword talisman, it's ash of war (sacred blade), and buffs.

[@DemiDemiGlace]

I really like the format, pace, and an amount of details in your videos. I'll go upgrade the broad sword asap.

[@Troy211]

I used the katana for the majority of the game and just recently switched to the broadsword. As far as swords with no special abilities it’s king. And square up is an underrated amazing ash of war. I staggered more enemies in an hour with the broadsword than I did in over 100 hours of gameplay with the katana. It just feels more deadly and hits harder than the katana even though the katana has bleed and a higher AR when at the same level.

[@temushin]

I went back and forth between katanas and straight swords. The min/maxed in me wanted katanas, but I just LOVE the straight-sword moveset... despite the numbers, it just feels better, and I do better with it.

[@IanImperial19]

Omg, this isn't happening right!? Omg you did it

[@Chrightt]

Np! :D I saw a lot of requests for straight sword so decided to do it first.

[@Chaobreaker]

In all the Souls games I usually prefer the longsword over the broadsword for its thrusting moveset but ashes of war, powerstance & jumping moves completely negate this problem in ER.

[@brennonaflinglas1460]

Sad you didn't talk more about the Lordsworn's SS. It's 110 crit is amazing for builds oriented that way, and it's stats aren't that far off of any of the other swords, as well as having the r2 thrust, and the thrust rolling attack. Its moveset works well, and at +25 or +24 its AR on heavy with any poison, bleed, or ice scaling aows is really amazing. I personally use it at +25 with chilling or poison mist at heavy so it can have stat proc on top of my str build

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

TBF, I typically treat Carian Knight Sword more like a Raw weapon - I don't really make use of the scaling. When I use it, I typically will meet the minimum requirements and then rely on weapon upgrade, vig, and endurance to use it.

[@joearnold6881]

Noble straight sword absolutely has a noticeable reach advantage, but specially with its poke (the best straight sword move sets are the ones with pokes and swipes). The length differences are proportional to the weapon class. Might as well use fist weapons if you just like to run against an enemy and wail away. Ever since Dark souls you traded slightly more damage with the broadsword for having to use a less flexible (arguably worse) moveset that can’t thrust counter the way the long sword style can

[@FennecZephyr]

Yeah, the whole reason why I prefer the longsword is to have a second damage type available at any time with the trusting R2. Not to mention that attack makes it better for narrow corridors and small enemies anyway

[@Chrightt]

Once again, I have to say I mostly powerstance straight swords for raw DPS (has a particularly good jump attack double downwards slash). If I wanted better reach foro spacing there are a dozen better weapons to do it with. Perhaps I'm just playing it differently, but most of the PVP guys I know don't really use the straight sword's heavy attack either. And in PVE just going ham beats heavy attack anyways. I can see from the comments that there are quite a few people that care about the poke attack though. The numbers are still there, so you can decide for yourself if the utility is worth it.

[@Jackofallguns22]

Great video, basically confirmed most of my theories I had made after 10+ playthroughs with straight swords. The one thing I’m surprised you didn’t mention was the critical scaling on the lordsworn and noble’s slender swords

[@Chrightt]

It's because of straight sword's relatively low AR + base crit MV and it's low weight. It means that most other weapons beat it on crits and it isn't difficult to just swap into a misericorde for double the crit damage. That coupled with straight sword's not exceptionally high stagger means I believe a 1.1x modifier on straightsword's base crit (which is the same for lordsworn/noble/broad) matters little.

[@inpadin]

It doesn't really matter in the bigger picture but the Short Sword does technically have a unique attack with it's poke on the second r2. I personally like it a lot since the pokes just feel really great to use but with how much shorter it is you'd likely be better off using one of the longers straight swords with a poke on the first r2. On that note, while the Broadsword's AR is quite impressive it's worth noting that it has the moveset lacking any pokes, meaning that in practice you often have significantly shorter range than many alternatives. Sweep attacks on the heavies are nice sometimes though! If you really like the Broadsword you can also get it by starting as Confessor.

[@temporalmechanic3183]

If you're in NG+ or have a friend willing to donate one from their game, I'd highly recommend trying out dual-wielded St. Trina's swords in PvP. The dual-wield moveset for straight swords is really strong in terms of sheer dps, and you will build up sleep on opponents shockingly fast even without the weapon art active. It's fantastic for trading a few hits, proccing a sleep, and then deleting whatever remains of their health bar with a guaranteed two L1s out of the sleep stun.

[@DatRealTom]

The short sword actually has unique heavy attacks compared to other straight swords. The first R2 is a stab, like regular straight swords, but unlike regular straight swords the second R2 is also a stab. This even holds true when two-handing the weapon, making it the only straight sword that has a thrusting heavy attack when two-handing. Quite useless, but cool nonetheless. I really wish the Noble's Slender Sword shared this trait, since its narrow blade would make it more of a stabbing sword than a cutting sword.

[@TheSpectralForce]

The Blocking swords need a cool magic defense buff during the blocking part of their animation. Kind of like a temporary Barricade shield effect. Would make it more useful. Also I'm loving how much weapon variety has improved in this game over Ds3. Every time I see one of your videos I learn about some new unique property of the weapons, or a weapon I didn't even know existed.

[@Alex-gn6ii]

Same. However, I wish we had more combo utility when moving from light to heavy to power stance moveset. Like how DS3 let us go light att 1st hit > power stance 2nd hit

[@AARon11414]

This content is serious quality.

[@Toogzoog]

I've been using the Regalia of Eochaid on my arcane-centric build as a good non-bleed option for early game low-level combat. Some enemies tend to die before blood loss matters much, and since I chose to just all-in on arcane, Regalia turned out to be more useful than I expected as a general weapon even outside its art.

[@highqueenbastard]

i’ve been poise breaking stuff with the l2 on that thing, it’s actually super helpful to stunlock cleanrot knights on a dinky little straight sword.

[@grapenut6094]

The weapon art chews through bosses when optimized with multi hit talismans. The greatsword particularly does comparable damage to the comet azur setup.

[@Binmusu]

So broadsword + longsword(strength)duel weild can be obtained early nearly right off the game and can carry you in both duel and pve. Longsword is in the round table :)) so yes you need to sit down at 3 different grace but that is still super early

[@ErikWithBrain]

Dude...your approach is refreshing.

[@Chrightt]

ty :)

[@SoulSin]

Extra note on Coded sword: that weapon art deals some ludicrous amount of poise damage. For reference, to knock down one of the stone giants, you will need around 3 heavy charged swings from a Colossal Sword to take it down. Coded sword can do it on 2 weapon arts, faster and at safer range. (tested on NG, stone giants at mountain tops). At 2.5 weight, its a must-have for any faith build at least on reserve. A nice choice as well for dex/faith/int builds that can't use heavy weapons at all.

[@birbinabasket]

My very first character was a Confessor who spawns with a Broadsword. I was so confused why it outperformed just about every other sword I found lmao

[@lolimmune]

It makes me upset that we have so many straightswords that are just all inferior in nearly every category to broadsword.

[@cosmovult]

Your videos are so good. I've been a souls player since demons. Your format is my favorite so far.

[@Chrightt]

Ty ❤

[@graysaltine6035]

Just a small post scriptum on cane sword - it's obviously not meant to be used for attacking. It's the lowest weight + lowest stat-req sword in the game, which makes it a great choice for support ashes that can't go on a dagger. If you're using exultation talisman (bleed version) and white mask, you can have seppuku on your cane sword for more extra damage than golden vow, and switch back to your real weapons. You'll lose the extra bleed status build-up (it's tied to the weapon that cast it) but you'll keep the global body buff from proccing bleed on yourself. Then you can eat a raw meat dumpling to proc your other exultation and go to town. It would be fun though if it had like a gnarly boosted guard-counter move on it, to fit with the blind swordsman theme.

[@bearoyay]

great insight.

[@k-musicradio]

The cane sword is useful if you are doing a royal remains build and want to keep your weight "light".

[@AkantorCZ]

I'm currently playing strenght build powerstancing Blood Longsword and Blood Broadsword. I prefer Longsword in my right hand for better move set including heavy and roll trusting attacks which comes in handy every now and then and the damage difference isn't that big of a deal. Anyway it's quite powerful and the powerstancing move set is pretty good and fun to play with.

[@ivanlehmann9228]

Can't wait to see a greatswords and collosal swords video. For someone obsessed with optimizing builds like me these videos are the best

[@FrostPhoenix_]

This channel is a goldmine for quality and in-depth testing. Keep up the great job! 👍 Also, would appreciate if you work on a Colossal weapons video someday! I always have had used weapons thrice the size of of my character and there is very something satisfying about it.

[@Chrightt]

Thanks a ton! Will definitely do colossal weapons one day!

[@n8doggy733]

I paired the SoNF with a cold Broadsword and whenever I proc’d frost I would find an opportunity to hit the fire WA. The fire WA has decent range and hits for soooo much damage

[@mistressminerva3382]

Well turns out that the trusty old Broadsword we all know and love from the very beginning (Demon's Souls) is still one of the best and most versatile Straight Swords , who would have thought. Thanks Chrightt! 😄

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

I picked up the Lordsworn’s Sttaight Sword in the first 30 minutes of the game and I’m still using it 80 hours later.

[@Paper323]

Would argue the longsword is more versatile. The broadsword has a short reach and no thrusting heavy attacks.

[@dalehinkle8182]

Absolutely love the info bro.i just started elden ring a month ago and already on new game 4.mostly due to alot of your info and knowledge of what's gonna do the most damage to certain enemies.

[@marios.2975]

Best in-depth weapon breakdowns!! Highly appreciate your work.

[@charleswilliam8335]

ALways great videos Chrightt, you actually examine the numbers and are well thought out. Every time your videos pop up its like Christmas for me.

[@Chrightt]

Wow, thank you!

[@phil2024x]

Nice video. I will test the broadsword. Surprised me there was no mention to Lordsworn Straight Sword. I have a character power stancing them with +15 upgrade, flame infusion on a lv 60 faith character and I could shred pve and pvp duels. They combine well with golden vow, flame grant me strenght, raptor's cloak, claw talisman and fire scorpion charm. Jump attack deals massive damage with the buffs combined.

[@L0rd_0f_War]

Thank you. Excellent video and analysis. I will be watching all your videos going forward and looking forward to weapon classes not yet covered (Greatswords and Colossal Weapons). Keep up the good work.

[@joshsblee]

You make the best weapon analysis videos for Elden Ring. 1.04 kind puts a wrench in the works for many creators though! Looking forward to your future videos.

[@Chrightt]

Thanks! Colossal weapon buffs look interesting. Glad I didn't cover them yet.

[@redrum1096]

I like the warhawk's talon for its double slash r2s, really great on a bleed build for roll catching after an l1 with two of them.

[@RallBoyable]

I love straight swords, pref the noble's slender, because of the nice tracking

[@baylego]

Eh? They have the same moveset, what do you mean?

[@fanslayer7001]

@@baylego i think he means the higher range

[@xerathgaming1915]

i recently did a playthrough with the warhawks talon, its really good imo

[@Tubercollosal]

Amazing analysis, thank you for your massive effort and eloquently delivered guides. Hoping you will do halberd and warhammer comparison guides.

[@SaaScofagus]

I personally like the Miquellan SS. The charged heavy attack catches people off guard a surprising amount of times, and it looks very good. I love the lore around Miquella, so this sword is in a soft spot for me.

[@jon9828]

I'm gonna perform some necromancy because I'm curious. Do you still like the lore around Miquella now that the DLC is out? It did give him a big role in the story.

[@SaaScofagus]

@@jon9828 I can't afford the DLC yet, so I'm completely blind at the moment. The only things I know is that there is this Messmer guy, Miquella has a big role, and supposedly Mogh beat the Epstein allegations

[@terratheterribl]

I absolutely love Int/Fth builds and fancy swords. SoNaF is by far my favorite sword of any From game, even not considering the weapon art.

[@UltimateZephead]

These videos are greatly appreciated for their information and effort but I will always use the sword that looks the coolest

[@alies-]

Thank you, it was very useful video. However in my opinion Lordsworn straight sword deserves some credit for it's higher crit ratio combined with decent damage and attack range. When infused with good staggering ashes of war like Flame of the Redmanes or Square off, you can do some juicy crits. And it's also not that painful to farm, unlike noble's straight sword or Warhawk talon

[@Chrightt]

I think I answered the higher crit argument elsewhere (not sure if I did in pinned comment), but straight swords don't have great crit MVs in general and the 3x swords with 110 won't really get affected because of this since in PVE you would rather just slot a Misericorde if you find yourself needing to do crit hits a lot as swords are light.

[@alies-]

@@Chrightt yeah, i agree with all you say, but i mean not everyone would like to use a dagger or swap to it all the time for higher crit. So i consider LSS as decent choice for mixing swings, weapon arts and some crits. it also reminds me balder knight sword from ds/lothric knight sword a bit, so thats a + for me, lol

[@Dr_Donald_Duck]

Remember to take enemy resistances into consideration. E.g. most enemies have low piercing resistance while having high standard resistance. You might prefer to take the 3% damage loss on the longsword for landing the occasional R2 or 3rd L1 combo that duel 25% extra damage. Even if it wasn't so, I wouldn't recommend using the Broadsword because it doesn't have a poke.

[@shitaolin9439]

Bro, can’t wait for curved sword, they are another insane type of weapon, super information explained, love and support!

[@lukepoplawski3230]

Oh man. Easy sub. I love data points and spreadsheets on games almost as much as I like the actual game.

[@chasegreaser1166]

I've been powerstancing the Sonaf and the sleep sword. Been a very interesting combo. I've heard people say that is bad to power stance the sleep sword with anything other then itself. The reasoning is when someone is asleep and you hit them the sleep is deactivated but they get a violet fog over the face and they need to be in the animation for it to take effect so you have a couple frames where you can still hit them and they still remain sleep can the animation didn't kick in yet so I have no problem with the sword of night and flame. It won't kick enemies out of sleep (obviously they will wake up if you hit them, once the animation has completed and they're all fully the ground)

[@williammclyr3330]

Personally I much prefer Carian Knight sword moveset in two hands than regular straight swords. This heavies are very good at rollcatching for me and don't look as stupid as regular. But ash of war is garbage in pvp, so I just don't use it. And block can be used to trade with lighter weapons, people usually didn't expect this.

[@RuiNDieM1988]

Yeah the charging buff was substantial but it's still not enough for the roll spam of pvp

[@RuiNDieM1988]

It's worth noting for the Carian Knight Sword and Lazuli sword that both of them can deal high stagger damage. Whether or not this saves them is up to the user. Lazuli's weapon art follow up attack has fantastic range and you don't even care about the little pebble hit because your follow-up can drop most enemies to their knees in 1 or 2 hits if it doesn't kill them outright. The Carian Knight Sword can stance break most basic enemies in one WA hit and charges much faster now. Haven't played with this one as much though. I've heard that it can get a 3rd level of charge whereas the ash of war only gets a second level, but I've never found the ash to test this with.

[@Chrightt]

Regular glintstone pebble deals the same amount of stagger damage. This is already considered, so no. Carian Grandeur stagger is also the same as the ash of war. So, once again, no.

[@YikesMb]

Your content is so amazing, the wiki widely accepted by the community is so lack luster compared to other games I like to optimize (OSRS). Thanks for the indepth breakdowns they're highly appreciated!!

[@michaelbowman6684]

Came to this old video to sing the praises of the Lordsworn's Straight Sword, which functions very well on elemental infusions due to it having the highest split attack power of all the Straight Swords that have a 110 Critical modifier, making it the most damaging option when used for Critical attacks. Make it Sacred with Sacred Blade, buff yourself with Golden Vow, then go Backstab and Parry Fishing with the Dagger Talisman, your "Lothric Knight Sword" and an offhand Brass Shield with Carian Retaliation and Shield Grease. Note: If you have 15 Mind you can use Sacred Blade five times, or Golden Vow/Great Heal twice, before needing to drink any blue. You can also chuck out a Frenzyflame Stone to create a "mini arena" that you can circle people inside of in search for a Backstab, since people tend to gravitate towards the healing cloud either to heal or to try and get you out of it.

[@ducktape-3470]

A godly video with minimum amount of fluff. I bid this my favourite weapon guide channel now.

[@kuzster9610]

Great analysis vid, bro. Please do one on colossal swords

[@MimmyckChor]

I really can’t say how much I appreciate all the work you put into to delving and crunching all these numbers! I’m especially looking forward to you covering twinblades and whips someday. I saw in the patch notes that they tweaked the dragon seal and albinauric staff-do you know exactly how they changed?

[@fullmetalathlete]

Broadsword gang!!! I been saying it's the best straight sword nearly across the board! Only other thing I wanna try is getting a second rotten crystal sword and dual wielding them...I feel like the rot build up could be pretty awesome on longer boss fights where you have time to build the status and let it tick away...

[@Darkenixx]

I am surprised that you don't mention the critical modifier on the Lordsworn's Straight Sword. making it a solid choice for those who prefer a playstyle involving critical strikes.

[@Sljm8D]

Flame of the Redmanes!

[@___.51]

It’s also a pretty impactful difference for early game pve.

[@zerg-rush5797]

Not sure if you saw his pinned comment so I will reply to you He did not bring it up because A: Its lower damage makes the crit bonus less impactful, so it does similar damage to the other weapons on a crit And B: It is really easy to just have an offhand dagger, especially miserecorde, if your going for critical gaming. Miserecorde isn't even required as the daggers have such high MV for crits in general they will generally outperform most anything

[@Darkenixx]

@@zerg-rush5797 Fair Point.

[@DrChill22]

very informative videos man good job

[@AntiTheory]

Came here to see if the would eventually be a break in the scaling between Longsword or Lordsworns Straight Sword to make one or the other more viable in the late game so I don't waste upgrade material. Ended up buying a Broadsword. Cheers for that!

[@kevinlasher2812]

Love this content, it's really great for us math and analytical minded players.

[@medusa4454]

Im just furiusly waiting for the spears and great spears keep up the good work!

[@Wagi_the_humble]

You really did it, ahahah i'm grateful buddy! Thank you! Great video as always

[@wolvenedvard3049]

Waiting for an Axe video. And for a rant about how great axe moveset lacks variety in Its category

[@uvejota5451]

Good stuff! Turning obscure data into simple video we can all understand.

[@Rubbly]

Hey thanks for the vid Even though I agree that bleed is better than poison, one potential thing to consider is how poison can still apply in PvP when people are rolling through your attacks

[@asdfghjklgogs]

Worth mentioning the 110 crit modifier on the Lordsworn Straight Sword. It doesnt suffer that much of an AR penalty compared to the Broadsword, so you could consider this another option. Noble Slender Sword and Ornamental Straight Sword also have 110 critical modifiers. Thanks for the analysis, always insightful.

[@Lilybun]

Critical isnt all that useful of a stat as you can just swap to misericorde for crits. Even rapier with its 130 crit has a hard time justifying its existence as a primary weapon because it crits for less than the critericorde and hits for less than other thrusting swords. The only time 110 crit comes in handy is if youre running some expensive weapon buffs in pve and dont want to lose them by swapping your weapon. In pvp you are better off losing your buffs for the instant kill.

[@AshenDust_]

Just swap to a Misericorde for a Crit

[@williammclyr3330]

Funny how things turned out in pvp meta nowadays, carian knights sword is one of the best and broadsword is basically offmeta in meta weapon class

[@Dr_Donald_Duck]

That's the issue with trying to quantify something without taking all its complexities into account. Still an interesting video tho.

[@GamersOdyssey]

Thanks man i was waiting for this

[@benelemenope1625]

regalia of eochid is a pretty good altenative to use on enemys that can't bleed on an arcane build

[@Emberkip]

Or to dual wield with the talon sword with bleed

[@billgaluska9179]

You are awesome, keep doing what you're doing, love your videos

[@Chrightt]

Thank you so much!

[@ALaz502]

You get a sub from me sir. For being thorough and informative. Cheers!

[@dopi3220]

I used the chaged havy attack of the broad sword often poise break and the normal heavy attack sometimes for spaceing, more damage or more aoe It sometimes has its niches

[@Dingrats]

Awesome videos. Thanks! You might want to edit out the fart at 16:30 however lol

[@bolson42]

It sucks that the broadsword is so much better damage wise compared to the other unique swords in the game when it has literally the worst moveset. I just hate using it, it doesn’t feel fun to play at all. But i guess a moveset you enjoy is much more important than raw damage so it’s not that big of a deal. i just wished they made the other weapons like carian knights sword more balanced to match it.

[@kevinsingh2815]

you're doing gods work bro

[@Chaos_Murakumo]

love your vids man!

[@Clockdrive]

Gdi, I started a spellblade and beelined for the carian sword. Hopefully they buff its ash and guard a little. One thing I noticed was its ability to guard isnt too bad when two handed.

[@davisdawson5047]

While weak, I think it should worth mention the top 1 or 2 weapon that could theoretically apply poison the fastest with infusing (or the slowest one to avoid) due to their move set and status motion value. So people who want can have a side arm to apply poison before switching back into their main weapon with bleed or whatever.

[@Chrightt]

The motion values, aside from warhawk, are pretty much identical. I do not suggest using straight sword as a poison sidearm either. It has short range (made shorter by off-handing) and not an exceptionally high status effect application. You might as well swap to a poison colossal sword and do a poke. More range and faster application.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Couldn't you swap to a Serpentbone Blade or a poison claw? Deadly Poison is far stronger and comparable to Rot. But then, you have the Rotten Crystal Sword actually being a decent weapon...

[@everettdaly5621]

for the carian/lazuli, you might have more strength if you're carrying the stats for royal gs

[@Ignawesome]

Your Elden Ring content is amazing and very informative. I always find it hard to understand how the numbers really work in FromSoft games and just wing it.

[@danielnolan8848]

Longsword is good if you like the heavy trusting, you'll always be doing less damage then broad except for magic and cold, but not by much

[@LoudMouth_]

One thing to note about the Golden Epitaph's AoW is that the whole thing counts as an aura buff INCLUDING the ability to permanently kill undead, so you can use the AoW and switch to a different weapon.

[@scrubzero1735]

Quality content. Worth a sub

[@Liteyears11]

Excellent video, has pretty much all the relevant info I could want when picking a straight sword for a build. Personal I feel like the Carian/Lazuli heavies do have their uses beyond a gimmick to sneak in hits on fast and disruptive enemies, sort like a substitute for poise on light armor builds. But that's just my opinion and there are certainly better tools available to deal with those types of enemies. Like perhaps shield poking with a thrusting sword. Speaking of which, if you plan on making more videos like this for other weapon types I would love it if thrusting swords were your next focus. I'm currently doing a Prisoner class playthrough and I'm curious if I should stay on the Estoc if I want a versatile and effective main weapon.

[@shonnyboyy5284]

Great content. Subbed.

[@SoapChill]

LMAO! I legit did that on my first play through and everytime I ran a new character. THAT broadsword saved me from going insane when I did my first playthrough as a wretch and had no idea what i was doing! XD I LOVE that weapon, i've used it on so many of my early runs, that I just go to the cave. Kill the farum soldier, grab torrent, and go buy the sword from the merchant, then kill tree sentinel. like clockwork

[@7raziel7]

Thanks I knew this was coming from discord convos and I'm glad it did I wanted to use SS and it came at perfect time

[@Chrightt]

impeccable timing :o

[@johncrow5072]

Thanks! Subscribed! I hope you do whips :)

[@Chrightt]

Thanks for the sub. It might just be whip next after the staff video :P

[@matthewconnolly3896]

Great video as always! What's the eta on that pure sorcery build video, wanted to make it my next playthrough, and start it up this weekend. Looking forward to it!

[@Chrightt]

Likely within 68hrs from your post if I don't have any delays. It'll be dual wield staff and then the build vid right after.

[@matthewconnolly3896]

@@Chrightt you're a legend! Cannot wait! Thanks again for all your hard work

[@styxkeeper]

Sleeping on the Lordsworn Sword I see. Best moveset, longer reach than the longsword, only slightly less AR, but with 110 crit, and it doesnt look like a kids styrofoam playsword (noble slender)

[@seanmcgrady8688]

I use it on my pure faith build. It's amazing. I have it on sacred, but I might try flame. I personally love the R2s on it since they're quick R2s, and I can build stagger quickly with it with a quick recovery time, letting me dodge if necessary. I have some extra points in endurance for flexibility & nice armor, but I could easily see myself dropping some for more mind. Very flexible stat costs.

[@felipdn3329]

Miquellan Knights sword has the best moveset. 110 crit is meaningless but it IS the best choice for viability and fashion.

[@PoukoiToi]

@@seanmcgrady8688 speaking about staggering: 1 heavy square off + 1 heavy attack are enought to stagger the ogre like monster in leyndell sewers... I was shocked, the staggering potential is underrated for such a "small" weapon. Also, straight are best used with shield and counters imo.

[@jooot_6850]

@@PoukoiToi stagger, as in enough to get a crit?

[@swordre5805]

@@jooot_6850 Yes, even morgot/margrit can get stagger for crit with just 2 square off stab. It is one of the best staggering weapon if you don't mind getting close .

[@JUDPT]

Excellent work

[@samfish2550]

EH MY HAWK BABY GETTING SOME LOVE LESS GOO!!! Also I am very excited to see the colossal weapons list cause they I think all have unique heavy attacks, the argument of weight especially because of how good (at least in pve) and even stuff like how the one handed heavy is different on ghyza's wheel and may be better if you want to maximize the grind damage you get since the 2 handed attack puts it behind your back. Then you also have the factor of justifying the weapon arts potency based on other stats, like the great club being very light by colossal weapon standards and thus very stat efficient for duel wielding, but also has a non unique, fixed ash of war attached to it meaning it can't be heavy infused. Not a massive category but super diverse. Also the golems halberd has sound on its heavy attacks now. Not power relevant but wielding it sure feels better.