In Elden Ring, weapons play a pivotal role in shaping your playstyle and overcoming the game's challenging enemies. As you explore the Lands Between, you'll come across a wide variety of weapons, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. However, not all weapons are created equal when it comes to upgrading. Some stand out due to their potential for scaling, their unique abilities, or the synergy they offer with specific builds. In this guide, we’ll cover 14 weapons that are definitely worth your time and resources when it comes to upgrading.

1. Claymore

The Claymore is a fan-favorite and a staple for many Elden Ring players. Its balanced stats and strong scaling with both Strength and Dexterity make it an excellent choice for hybrid builds. The weapon has a reliable moveset that is effective for both PvE and PvP. Upgrading the Claymore enhances its already impressive damage output, making it a powerful option in the late game.

2. Moonveil

Moonveil is one of the most coveted Elden Ring items for a reason. This katana scales well with Intelligence, making it perfect for sorcery-focused builds. Its unique weapon skill, Transient Moonlight, lets you unleash a powerful wave of magic, making it ideal for both close and ranged combat. Upgrading Moonveil boosts its magical damage potential significantly, making it a must-have for magic users.

3. Rivers of Blood

If you're looking for a weapon that deals both bleeding damage and high overall damage, Rivers of Blood is an excellent pick. This katana scales well with Dexterity and Arcane, making it a great choice for bleed-based builds. The weapon's special skill, Corpse Piler, lets you deal quick successive slashes that inflict massive blood loss. Upgrading Rivers of Blood enhances both its physical and bleed damage, making it an essential weapon in the right hands.

4. Greatsword

The Greatsword offers exceptional range and stagger potential. It’s a top-tier choice for players who prefer slow but devastating attacks. Its scaling with Strength ensures that it remains a powerful option as you level up. Upgrading this weapon increases its ability to deal heavy damage to bosses and groups of enemies, making it a go-to for many endgame encounters.

5. Godslayer’s Greatsword

For those who favor Faith-based builds, Godslayer’s Greatsword is a stellar option. It has a unique weapon skill, the Flaming Strike, that adds both fire and physical damage to your attacks. As a Faith weapon, it scales with the stat, and upgrading it boosts both its base and elemental damage. Its impressive reach and versatility make it worth the upgrade.

6. Eclipse Shotel

The Eclipse Shotel is a solid choice for players looking to deal damage while bypassing shields. It can hit through enemy shields and still inflict damage, making it incredibly valuable in PvP. It scales with Dexterity, and upgrading it increases its potential for shield-breaking and its overall damage output.

7. Blasphemous Blade

This Faith-based weapon has a strong synergy with the player's ability to heal through damage. The Blasphemous Blade's special ability, “The Flame of Ruin,” allows you to unleash a fiery wave of destruction, while its passive healing effect grants you health whenever you defeat enemies. Upgrading this weapon increases its damage and healing efficiency, making it a fantastic choice for Faith builds.

8. Giant-Crusher

The Giant-Crusher is a behemoth of a weapon, ideal for those who want to deal massive damage with each swing. It scales exceptionally well with Strength, and its heavy weight makes it a great option for players who want to break through enemy defenses with ease. Upgrading the Giant-Crusher boosts its staggering ability and overall damage, making it a powerful tool in the late game.

9. Dark Moon Greatsword

A classic weapon from the Souls series, the Dark Moon Greatsword is a powerful weapon for Intelligence builds. This sword’s weapon skill, “Moonlight,” deals both magic and physical damage, giving it an edge against certain types of enemies. Upgrading the Dark Moon Greatsword boosts its magic scaling, allowing you to dish out high amounts of damage with each hit.

10. Bloodhound’s Fang

This curved greatsword is well-known for its ability to deal fast, successive slashes that build up bleed damage. The Bloodhound's Fang has a fantastic weapon skill, Bloodhound’s Finesse, which lets you dash quickly and follow up with devastating attacks. Upgrading it increases its scaling, making it a formidable weapon against tougher enemies and bosses.

11. Dragonslayer

For those who want to take down the toughest enemies in Elden Ring, the Dragonslayer is a weapon that will serve you well. Its large reach, combined with its ability to scale with Strength and Dexterity, makes it an excellent choice for almost any build. Upgrading the Dragonslayer increases its damage output significantly, especially against large foes.

12. Twinblade

If you’re a fan of fast, fluid combat, the Twinblade is an excellent weapon to upgrade. It scales well with Dexterity and has a special ability called “Spinning Slash,” which allows you to deal multiple hits in quick succession. Upgrading the Twinblade increases its damage potential and enables you to dominate in both PvE and PvP encounters.

13. Elden Lord’s Greatsword

The Elden Lord’s Greatsword is a powerful Strength-based weapon that deals incredible damage in a wide area. Its weapon skill, “Elden Roar,” creates an explosion that can stagger enemies, making it useful for crowd control. Upgrading this weapon boosts its damage output and increases its stagger potential, making it ideal for players focused on Strength builds.

14. Butcher’s Knife

This weapon is one of the more unique choices in Elden Ring, as it not only deals high physical damage but also offers a lifesteal effect with each hit. The Butcher's Knife is ideal for tanky builds that want to outlast their opponents. Upgrading the knife improves its damage and healing effects, making it an essential weapon for sustained fights.

Upgrading weapons in Elden Ring can be a game-changer, offering you the edge needed to take down the toughest bosses and foes. While the game is filled with a plethora of weapon choices, these 14 weapons stand out as the ones that truly shine when fully upgraded. Whether you're focusing on scaling with Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence, there’s a weapon in this list that will fit your build. And don’t forget, as you acquire more Elden Ring runes, you’ll be able to upgrade these weapons to their full potential, allowing you to maximize your effectiveness in combat.

Always keep an eye out for these weapons, and don’t hesitate to invest your Elden Ring items and runes into them—they’ll serve you well throughout your journey.