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In the latest Elden Ring DLC, we've been introduced to eight new weapon classes. As an avid player and fan of the game, I've spent considerable time testing these Elden Ring Items weapons to provide a ranking from worst to best based on their performance in PvE. It's worth noting that weapon effectiveness can vary greatly depending on playstyles, builds, and specific situations. This ranking reflects my overall thoughts and opinions on each weapon class and how they perform in various PvE scenarios.

8. Throwing Blades

Starting off at the bottom, we have the Throwing Blades category, represented solely by the Smithscript Dagger. Despite recent buffs that extended its range, the Throwing Blades remain underwhelming in PvE. The Smithscript Dagger's damage output is lackluster, its stance damage is negligible, and its projectile attacks are easily dodged by agile enemies. The weapon's potential is further diminished by the lack of tracking on its projectiles and the slow speed at which they travel.

Even though the Smithscript Dagger can be infused with various skills, its performance is still subpar. Piercing Throw and Scatter Shot Throw, for example, are unique skills but do not significantly improve the weapon's viability. While Scatter Shot Throw can be effective with a blood infusion, it is still outclassed by other weapons like the Claws of the Knight, which offers better damage and bleeding potential.

Other Smithscript weapons share similar drawbacks, with poor elemental damage and stamina consumption. The Smithscript Hammer is a slight exception, offering respectable damage and stance damage, but it suffers from long animations and high stamina costs. Overall, the Throwing Blades need significant buffs to become competitive in PvE.

7. Perfume Bottles

Next, we have the Perfume Bottles, which also fall short in PvE. While they do offer viable damage, their slow movesets and limited range hinder their effectiveness. The Perfume Bottles' animations are long, making them susceptible to enemy attacks, and their stance damage is almost non-existent. Additionally, they lack critical attack options like backstabs, further reducing their utility.

The Ashes of War available in Perfume Bottles are also underwhelming. Wall of Sparks is outclassed by the heavy attack, and Rolling Sparks, although viable against larger bosses, was nerfed heavily. Status effect options such as the Chilling Perfume Bottle take too long to proc, and better alternatives exist for applying status effects.

While some Perfume Bottles offer unique features, such as the Lightning Bottle scaling with both faith and dexterity or the Deadly Poison Perfume Bottle's instant poison proc, these are situational at best. Overall, the Perfume Bottles need improvements in speed, damage, and stance damage to be more effective in PvE.

6. Beast Claws

The Beast Claws, though not terrible, are generally outclassed by regular claws. Regular claws offer higher DPS, faster attacks, and better weapon skill options. However, the Beast Claws do have some redeeming qualities. The Red Bear Claw, for instance, has a powerful skill, Red Bear Hunt, which deals significant damage, stunlock enemies, and procs bleed quickly.

The running attacks of the Beast Claws are also noteworthy, offering quick and effective stunlock potential. In terms of Ashes of War, Raging Beast and Savage Claws are decent options, though they fall short compared to other weapons. Raging Beast provides a quick dodge into an attack, while Savage Claws offers good stunlock capabilities against smaller enemies.

Despite these positives, the Beast Claws' light attacks are less fluid than regular claws, and their heavy attacks offer lower stance damage. Overall, while the Beast Claws are not useless, they are overshadowed by the superior performance of regular claws in PvE.

5. Thrusting Shields

Thrusting Shields offer a unique combination of offense and defense, making them versatile in PvE. These weapons allow you to block and attack simultaneously, providing decent stance damage and the best damage type in the game: piercing damage. They can also be paired with powerful poking Ashes of War like Impaling Thrust, Giant Hunt, and Flame Spear.

However, the heavy attacks of Thrusting Shields are disappointing, offering lower stance damage than regular medium shields. Additionally, infusing these shields with elemental damage reduces their guard boost and guarded damage negation, making them less effective as shields. This trade-off diminishes their overall utility and makes them less appealing compared to a standard shield and weapon combo.

Despite these drawbacks, Thrusting Shields remains a solid choice for players who prefer a versatile and defensive playstyle in PvE.

4. Hand-to-Hand Weapons

Hand-to-hand weapons, while outclassed by regular fist weapons in terms of DPS and stance damage, still offer unique advantages in PvE. These weapons have better synergy with multi-hit talismans, allowing for high damage output when stacked correctly. They also feature unique Ashes of War like Dry Leaf Arts and Palm Blast.

Dry Leaf Arts can stun lock smaller enemies effectively and deal decent stance damage, while Palm Blast offers infinite hyper armor and high damage, making it one of the best skills in the game. Another notable weapon is the Dan's Footwork, which features a variety of kicking attacks and has excellent synergy with talismans that boost kicking damage.

Despite their lower DPS and stance damage compared to fist weapons, hand-to-hand weapons are fun to use and offer unique playstyles, making them a viable choice for PvE with the right build.

3. Light Greatswords

The Light Greatswords are exceptional in PvE, offering one of the best two-handed movesets in the game. They combine quick, fluid attacks with impressive combo potential, making them highly effective in combat. The heavy attacks of Light Greatswords deal significant stance damage, comparable to Greatswords.

While their power stancing combos are less fluid and consume more stamina, Light Greatswords shine when two-handed or used with a single weapon. The versatility of infusions and a wide range of Ashes of War options make them adaptable to various builds. The unique Ash of War, Wing Stance, is particularly noteworthy, providing a powerful stance with a choice of triple swings or a quick lunging poke, both dealing substantial stance damage.

Despite their strengths, Light Greatswords are slightly outclassed by greatswords when it comes to Ashes of War effectiveness, as greatswords deliver harder-hitting attacks. Nevertheless, Light Greatswords remains a top-tier choice for PvE due to their versatility and fluid moveset.

2. Backhand Blades

Backhand Blades offer unique advantages that set them apart from other weapon classes. Their heavy attacks feature quick, lunging double swipes that deal impressive damage and stance damage. This makes them particularly effective for both offense and defense, as they can quickly close the distance and deliver powerful attacks.

The true strength of Backhand Blades lies in their unique Ashes of War: Blind Spot and Swift Slash. Blind Spot provides instant iframes and allows for quick punishing attacks, making it incredibly useful for avoiding damage and countering enemies. Swift Slash offers a flurry of rapid strikes, dealing significant damage and stance damage.

While Backhand Blades are generally outclassed by power-stancing curved swords in terms of DPS, their unique moveset and powerful Ashes of War make them a formidable choice in PvE.

1. Colossal Bows

At the top of our ranking, we have the Colossal Bows. These weapons offer unparalleled damage output and range, making them incredibly effective in PvE. Colossal Bows excel at dealing massive amounts of damage from a safe distance, allowing players to pick off enemies and bosses without getting too close.

The heavy attacks of Colossal Bows deal substantial stance damage, often staggering enemies and leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Their unique Ashes of War, such as Great Arrow Barrage and Piercing Shot, further enhance their effectiveness by providing powerful area-of-effect attacks and piercing capabilities.

While Colossal Bows have slower attack speeds and consume more stamina, their raw damage and range make them the best weapon class for PvE in the latest Elden Ring DLC.

In conclusion, the new weapon classes introduced in this Elden Ring DLC offer a variety of playstyles and options for players. From the underwhelming Throwing Blades to the powerful Colossal Bows, each weapon class has its strengths and weaknesses. Whether you prefer quick, fluid attacks or heavy-hitting ranged damage, there's a weapon class in this DLC that will suit your playstyle and help you conquer the challenges of Elden Ring's PvE content.

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