Elden Ring: The 11 Best Frostbite Weapons (2024)

There are a lot of ways to kill your enemies in Elden Ring. Most of them amount to some variant of “hit it very hard,” but there are other, more creative methods as well. A rather interesting option is Frostbite, one of the rarer status effects in the game.

Once you’ve hit the enemy often enough to trigger the effect, Frostbite deals a percentage of your enemy’s max health as damage. It also lowers their damage absorption and decreases their stamina regeneration for 30 seconds. If you are looking for weapons with native Frostbite buildup, here are some great options, ranked by their power level.

Updated on July 1, 2024, by Lucas Ellinas: With the launch of Shadow of the Erdtree, we thought it was a good time to go over this list and update a few details. Also, we have included a new and powerful Frostbite Weapon.

11 Ghostflame Torch

The Ghostflame Torch is technically a weapon, but you really shouldn’t use it as one. Like Elden Ring’s other torches, it would be more accurately described as a tool. That said, if you manage to hit enemies with it, you will cause 65 Frost buildup.

The Torch does have a unique, pale lighting effect, though, making it a cool item to have, even if it isn’t really practical to use in combat. To get it, head down the crater in Mistwood to Nokron, the Eternal City. You should see it on your right, shortly after the text announcing your arrival in the city appears on your screen. But be careful; if you skip past it, there’s no way back up. You’ll have to start back at the top of the crater.

10 Icerind Hatchet

The Icerind Hatchet is an unusual Dexterity-focused axe that causes Frost buildup on its own. However, the real draw of this weapon is the Weapon Skill, Hoarfrost Stomp. It got nerfed, but that only changed it from “completely broken” to “pretty good.”

It can hit multiple enemies at once with Frost buildup or guarantee hits on larger enemies, like bosses. You can also get the Icerind Hatchet extremely early, finding it in Liurnia of the Lakes. Head to the Temple Quarter, then look inside a chest in a ruined tower.

9 Frozen Needle

You might overlook the Frozen Needle due to its relatively low damage, being outclassed significantly by some of the other thrusting swords. However, heavy attacks with the weapon will launch a projectile, as does the unique feint attack you can do with thrusting swords. This can give melee builds a ranged option when they would otherwise be forced to rely on consumables or invest levels into Intelligence or Faith.

It also helps that the Frozen Needle is one of the earliest Frostbite weapons you can find. It’s located in the Kingsrealm Ruins, just south of where you meet Ijii for the first time. Unfortunately, it’s guarded by one of Elden Ring’s most rage-inducing enemies, a Royal Revenant. So, maybe bring an area-of-effect healing spell with you, just in case.

8 Dragonscale Blade

While it might seem like another boring katana with a cool name, the Dragonscale Blade has one of the more unique Weapon Skills: Ice Lightning Sword. It causes a unique sequence of attacks that ends with calling a lightning bolt down from the sky.

Afterward, the effect lingers, granting your weapon Frost buildup and lightning damage. Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult weapons on this list to get, as you have to head down to the Lake of Rot and kill the Dragonkin Soldier residing there.

7 Helphen’s Steeple

In a game filled with bizarre and disturbing weapons, Helphen's Steeple — dropped by a Tibia Mariner south of Castle Sol — has one of the more unusual-looking designs. The Steeple deals an even split between Physical and Magic damage and has decent scaling in both, allowing you to play as a true Strength/Intelligence mix.

However, the Steeple doesn’t have Frost buildup without activating the Weapon Skill, Ruinous Ghostflame. Those who have played FromSoftware’s previous games might recognize it as being visually similar to Elfriede’s Blackflame, the Weapon Art of the Onyx Blade from the Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel DLC. In Elden Ring, the buff Ghostflame provides is massive, adding 110 Magic damage and 80 Frost buildup.

6 Royal Greatsword

As a Colossal Sword with scaling in multiple stats, the Royal Greatsword can deal massive damage at high levels. And its Weapon Skill only makes it better, launching you through the air before landing with an explosion of Frost and Magic damage.

For much of the game, the weapon is wielded by Elden Ring’s best boy, Blaidd, the Half-Wolf. Which is unfortunate, because it means you’ll have to kill him to get it. You can’t do it the first time you see him, though. Wait until he moves to Ranni’s Rise at the end of her questline, then put him out of his misery.

5 Zamor Curved Sword

The Zamor Curved Sword is mostly a normal curved greatsword with Frost buildup added, although it does have fun unique attack animations where you spin in circles. But, like many other weapons on this list, the weapons skill is what makes it special.

Zamor Ice Storm creates (as the name would suggest) a swirling storm of ice around you, causing Frostbite extremely quickly. There is also a spell with the same name, but using the sword means you don’t need to invest 36 points into Intelligence. Unlike some Elden Ring weapons, the Zamor Curved Sword is exactly where you would expect it to be. It's dropped by the Ancient Hero of Zamor you find at the end of the Giant-Conquering Hero’s grave in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

4 Chilling Perfume Bottle

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC introduced many unique new weapon types, perhaps the most interesting of them being the Perfume Bottles, which spray perfumed powder around you. One of them, the Chilling Perfume Bottle , enhances these attacks with Frostbite.

It can also be dual-wielded with one of the Perfume Bottles that deal Fire Damage, allowing you to reset Frostbite over and over again. You can find the Chilling Perfume Bottle in the Lamenter’s Gaol. This cave is technically right next to the starting area, though you’ll need to take the long way through the Land of Shadows to actually get there.

3 Dragon Halberd

The Dragon Halberd doesn’t cause Frost buildup normally. On the surface, it seems like an ordinary halberd with a fairly common Weapon Skill in Spinning Slash. However, despite the description not indicating as such, the Dragon Halberd’s version of Spinning Slash is unique.

In addition to being faster than the normal version, it also grants the weapon the same effect as the Dragonscale Blade, allowing it to cause lightning damage and Frost buildup. Also like the Blade, this weapon drops from a Dragonkin Soldier, although this one is in the Sofria River, so it’s much easier to get to.

2 Death’s Poker

The Death's Poker is an unusual weapon in many ways. Despite looking like a walking stick, it’s apparently a Greatsword, and one that scales primarily with Dexterity. However, its Weapon Skill, Ghostflame Ignition, scales exclusively with Intelligence and deals pure Magic damage. As such, you could use this weapon either in a Dexterity-focused melee build or in a build focused on Sorceries and the Weapon Skill.

You are arguably better off with the second option, since Ghostflame Ignition is a stellar Weapon skill, dealing immense damage while building Frostbite at range. Either way, if you want this weapon, you can pick it up early in the game, although you’ll have to brave some serious danger to do so. If you head southeast of the Swamp of Aeonia at night, you’ll find a Death Rite Bird. Kill it, and the Death’s Poker will be yours.

1 Dark Moon Greatsword

Great news everyone; the Moonlight Greatsword is back! After not making an appearance in Sekiro, FromSoftware’s most iconic weapon makes its return in Elden Ring. You have to finish Ranni’s questline to get it, but the reward is definitely worth it.

Its high Intelligence Scaling when fully upgraded, combined with high Magic damage and 55 Frostbite buildup, ranks it as among the best options for an Intelligence build. And its Weapon Skill, Dark Moon Greatsword , adds Magic damage and Frost buildup to your attacks, in addition to allowing your charged attacks to fire a projectile that deals pure magic damage and can stagger enemies relatively easily. It's one of the strongest weapons in Elden Ring, period.