New DLC for Elden Ring(Shadow of the Erdtree) will be released soon, in this Elden Ring post, I'm going to show you why daggers are the best weapons in the game. We will analyzing their pros and cons, and helping you make informed decisions about which weapons to use in your build. Before diving into the specific daggers, let’s talk about the pros and cons of the dagger weapon group and the typical play styles for dagger users.

Pros of Daggers

1.Fast Attack Speed: Daggers have a very fast attack speed compared to most other weapons in Elden Ring. This allows you to hit enemies rapidly, particularly when dual-wielding. Their dual-wield move set is incredibly fast, making them perfect for triggering effects that require rapid hits, such as the Rotten Wing Sword Insignia or Millicent’s Prosthesis.

2.High Critical Rating: Most daggers have a higher critical rating than other weapons in the game. While many weapons have a critical rating of 100, several daggers exceed this, which enhances their critical damage output. This is especially useful for backstabs and parry ripostes, although stance-breaking with daggers is less effective.

3.Lightweight: Daggers are extremely lightweight, with the heaviest dagger weighing only 3 units. This makes it easy to carry multiple daggers or incorporate them into builds without worrying about equip load. Their light weight also allows for greater mobility and easier equip weight management.

Cons of Daggers

1.Low Attack Rating: Daggers generally have lower attack ratings compared to other weapon types. While their rapid attack speed compensates somewhat, you won't deal as much damage per hit.

2.Nerfed Status Effect Buildup: The effectiveness of dual-wielding daggers to apply status effects like bleed or poison has been reduced in recent patches. This means it takes longer to build up these effects compared to other weapons.

3.Short Reach: Daggers have the shortest reach of any weapon type in Elden Ring. This can result in missed attacks, especially when dual-wielding or facing enemies with unusual shapes or attack patterns.

Dagger Play Styles

The primary play styles for daggers in Elden Ring are:

1.Dual-Wielding: To maximize rapid attacks and status effect buildup, many players dual-wield daggers. This play style focuses on agility and quick, successive hits to increase attack power with talismans like Millicent’s Prosthesis.

2.Critical Builds: Daggers are also used in critical builds, where players switch to a dagger for critical hits after breaking an enemy's stance with a longer-reaching weapon. This method maximizes the high critical damage potential of daggers.

Unique Daggers

Scorpion’s Stinger

Requirements: 6 Strength, 12 Dexterity

Weight: 2.5

Special Attribute: Scarlet Rot buildup

Unique R2 Attack: Shared with the Misericorde and Glintstone Kris

Play Style: Used to set Scarlet Rot on enemies. Effective with Repeating Thrust weapon skill for quick buildup of the rot effect.

Cinquedea

Requirements: 10 Strength, 10 Dexterity

Weight: 3.5

Special Attribute: Buffs Beastial Incantations by 10%

Play Style: Used primarily in builds that cast Beastial Incantations. Can also be dual-wielded for high physical damage output.

Glintstone Kris

Requirements: 5 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence

Weight: 1.5

Special Attribute: Deals physical and magic damage

Unique R2 Attack: Shared with the Misericorde and Scorpion’s Stinger

Play Style: Utilizes Glintstone Dart weapon skill for a powerful ranged magic attack. Ideal for hybrid melee-magic builds.

Reduvia

Requirements: 5 Strength, 13 Dexterity, 13 Arcane

Weight: 2.5

Special Attribute: Hemorrhage buildup

Play Style: Focuses on bleed builds with Reduvia Blood Blade weapon skill. Excellent for close-range bleed application.

Blade of Calling

Requirements: 6 Strength, 13 Dexterity, 15 Faith

Weight: 1.5

Special Attribute: Deals physical and holy damage

Unique R2 Attack: Shared with the Earthsteel Dagger and Black Knife

Play Style: Used in high Faith builds with Blade of Gold weapon skill for ranged holy damage. Effective against enemies weak to holy damage.

Black Knife

Requirements: 8 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 18 Faith

Weight: 2

Special Attribute: Deals physical and holy damage

Unique R2 Attack: Shared with the Earthsteel Dagger and Blade of Calling

Play Style: Utilizes Blade of Death weapon skill to reduce enemy max HP. Popular in builds focused on debuffing bosses.

Regular Daggers (Infusible)

Dagger

Requirements: 5 Strength, 9 Dexterity

Weight: 1.5

Special Attribute: High critical rating (110)

Play Style: Used in critical builds, especially effective with critical-boosting talismans.

Parrying Dagger

Requirements: 5 Strength, 14 Dexterity

Weight: 1.5

Special Attribute: Provides better parry frames than a small shield

Play Style: Ideal for parry-focused builds that still want to dual-wield daggers.

Misericorde

Requirements: 7 Strength, 12 Dexterity

Weight: 2

Special Attribute: Highest critical rating (140)

Play Style: Best for critical-focused builds. Can be infused for various damage types, maintaining its critical advantage.

Great Knife

Requirements: 6 Strength, 12 Dexterity

Weight: 1.5

Special Attribute: Bleed buildup

Play Style: Effective in bleed builds, although outclassed by Reduvia for pure bleed damage.

Bloodstained Dagger

Requirements: 9 Strength, 12 Dexterity

Weight: 2

Special Attribute: High strength scaling

Play Style: Used in strength builds that want to incorporate bleed buildup. Can be dual-wielded with other strength-based weapons.

Earthsteel Dagger

Requirements: 7 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 15 Faith

Weight: 2

Special Attribute: Faith scaling with 100% physical damage

Play Style: Effective in dual-wield setups with another unique dagger. Buffed with incantations for high damage output.

Wakizashi

Requirements: 9 Strength, 13 Dexterity

Weight: 3

Special Attribute: Can be power-stanced with katanas

Play Style: Functions as a hybrid dagger/katana. Best used with katanas in power stance for bleed builds.

Celebrant’s Sickle

Requirements: 6 Strength, 11 Dexterity

Weight: 1.5

Special Attribute: Grants 10 runes per hit

Play Style: Used for farming runes. Dual-wield for maximum rune gain per hit, though its damage is lower than other daggers.

Ivory Sickle

Requirements: 6 Strength, 11 Dexterity, 13 Intelligence

Weight: 2

Special Attribute: Deals physical and magic damage

Play Style: Used as a backup weapon in intelligence builds. Can be used in the offhand for magic-infused melee combat.

Conclusion

Daggers in Elden Ring offer a unique blend of speed, critical damage, and versatility. Whether you prefer dual-wielding for rapid attacks, building critical-focused setups, or integrating magic and status effects into your play style, daggers can be a powerful choice. Despite their short reach and lower attack rating, their fast attack speed and high critical potential make them a favorite for many players. Experiment with different daggers and find the build that best suits your play style to fully unleash their potential in the Lands Between. Buy Elden Ring Items and Elden Ring Runes at mmoexp.com, to build your best Daggers and conquering the new Elden Ring DLC.

MMOexp Elden Ring Team