Summary
Elden Ringevens out the playing field for men of the cloth by turning Faith into a weapon. Turns out their preaching is powerful enough to burn down heretics. But sometimes the words just slide off, so it certainly helps to be some kind of war priest inElden Ringwhen it comes to smiting enemies. Luckily, the game allows players to tailor its weapons for Faith builds using the Sacred prefix.
This makes the weapons scale off Faith and givesFaith builds the best of both worlds. Sadly, not all weapons have great scaling in Faith, even if they were converted with a Sacred prefix. The best ones just go up to a B-scaling, but with a high enough Faith in whoever the players' almighty is, it will smite hard. So, if the mouth is tired of preaching those Incantations, then these weapons ought to do the talking.
Updated on June 05, 2025, by Vlad Mazanko:With the upcoming launch of theShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion, players might like to revisit their old builds to examine all the balance changes and updates that Elden Ring has implemented over time. An Elden Ring Faith build centered around Holy or Sacred damage isn’t as powerful as other builds due to many enemies being immune to Holy damage, but it’s a good way to spice up combat. That said, players will need to be more careful with their choices, as there are some suboptimal weapons to infuse with a Sacred prefix. As such, this list was expanded to include more viable options that are among the best.
13.5
Min scaling
Max scaling
Default damage
134+87
Max damage
328+213
TheGolden Halberdhas an excellent base damage output, which only gets better when the weapon is upgraded. It is a great Faith weapon that scales with several attributes (including superb scaling in Strength) and deals a significant amount of Holy damage with each strike. It also offers long reach and wide swings that are capable ofdamaging multiple foes at once.
The Halberd’sAsh of War: Golden VowSkill might not be the best in its class, however, and it only slightly increases the player’s attack power and defense stats. What’s even more daunting is that the Halberd’s Strength requirement of 30, which makes the journey to effectively use this beautiful weapon take quite a while. Starting as a Vagabond might help, though.
12.0
131+0
250+250
Most of the Gargoyle weapons inElden Ringare impressive already, given how hard it is to defeat them. TheGargoyle’s Halberdis no exception. It’s one of the best weapons to infuse with something, and that includes the Sacred prefix. It’s only a bit weaker than theGiant-Crusherwhen it comes to output.
However, the range makes up for that, along with the faster swing. And besides,Halberds have powerful Ashes of Warthat are mostly designed as gap-closers and quick and safe ways to stagger and stun enemies and bosses. With all of this considered, players can’t go wrong with this halberd.
11.5
142+0
272+272
Most of the curved greatswords inElden Ringare overpowered already, and theOmen Cleaveris one of the best, right up there withBloodhound’s Fang. The only downside is that it might be harder to obtain and farm compared to the Dismounter.
But the Omen Cleaver is certainly worth it due to the high damage and the fast swing speed, which, for a two-handed weapon, is just borderline unfair. There are also some nifty andawesome Ashes of Warfor the curved greatswords, and since the Sacred prefix reduces the Strength and Dexterity scaling to just E, players can focus on Faith while wielding this.
10.0
126+0
244+244
For those looking to put pressure on their enemies both in PvE and PvP, theRotten Battle Hammeris a decent choice. It deals Scarlet Rot, and when paired withAsh of War: Wild Strikes, players can trigger Rot even quicker. Of course, that’s just a bonus; the main draw here is its good scaling with Faith using the Sacred Prefix.
It’s a good weapon for Strength/Faith hybrids looking to change up their playstyles by introducing Scarlet Rot into the mix. Sadly, the poise damage for Great Hammers has been reduced as of late, but that’s not this weapon’s best asset anyway.
11.0
118+76
289+186
Due to unlocking after players beat the game, theSacred Relic Swordcould shine only in subsequent runs, but it is probably worth sticking with. Most players use the Sacred Relic Sword as their rune farm tool to slaughter Albinaurics near Mohgwyn Palace, but it’s a very decent weapon beyond this common practice.
A very beautiful and elegant weapon, although its moveset might not satisfy everyone, it is mostly suited for Dexterity/Faith hybrid builds. If players are planning to rely on itsWave of Gold Skill, they might want to invest purely in Faith due to the skill’s scaling. After some fine-tuning, the Sacred Relic Sword can really make gamers feel like a god during a New Game+ run.
3.0
98+0
188+188
TheAntspur Rapierin a Sacred prefix is not exactly common or optimal, but it’s still one of the best weapons under that kind of scaling. The best part about it is that itinflicts Rot on enemies, so repeated and fast hits are rewarded here.
As far as damage based on Faith scaling, the Antspur Rapier does quite a lot for a fast weapon. The Thrusting Sword weapon class also ensures that players will almost never miscalculate the weapon range, but frankly, it’s still a bit short-ranged compared to the other melee weapons.
138+0
264+264
TheDismounteris an underrated early weapon. It’s one of thebest Curved Greatswordsin the game in terms of stats, superseded only by Omen Cleaver. Players can opt for that Omen weapon, but it will be a bit harder to obtain and farm during the early game. In any case, the Dismounter is a decent weapon with good range.
It has one of the longest ranges among the Curved Greatswords. When converted to a Sacred Prefix, the Dismounter is a good weapon that can deal shockingly high damage. Not accounting for player stats, it could go over 500 AR. Coupled with Faith Incantation buffs, it becomes even more viable.
98+98
240+240
Great for purely Faith builds, theInseparable Swordis not only a weapon of great beauty, but it also boasts an alternate Greatsword two-handed moveset, which will likely be familiar to fans oftheDark Soulsseries. The high initial stat requirements are somewhat limiting for some builds, but players should remember that it’s also the most Holy-damaging weapon in its class and one of the best Greatswords inElden Ringoverall.
Its Weapon Skill is simple but effective, covering the entire blade in a Sacred glow. It literally takes Holiness to the next level, dealing extra damage to Undead foes and preventing Skeletons from reviving.
8.0
122+0
234+234
TheCross-Naginatahas always been one of the strongest yet underratedBleed weapons inElden Ring. It’s a spear, so it already has a good range advantage over the other choices. But of course, what makes it superior compared to the others is the Bleed buildup with each hit.
It just so happens that there are plenty of Ashes of War that allow players to deal strikes in quick succession. The Cross-Naginata also has respectable scaling after being converted to Sacred. None of the player’s stat points on Faith will go to waste, and as an added bonus, they get to be a Faith build with Bleed damage.
7.0
127+0
242+242
TheGodskin Stitcheris the weapon of choice for the notorious Godskin Apostles, and it’s easy to see why. This is one of the best weapons in the game when it comes to dealing poise damage. A few hits are enough to stance-breaka lot of enemies - bosses included. If players putAsh of War: Giant Huntin it, then it becomes even more powerful for the late-game.
Sadly, it won’t do as much damage as a version of the weapon that scales off physical damage stats such as Strength. The split damage will still go through two different resistances. Still, Faith builds who want something heavy and can deal lots of poise damage will do well toacquire this weapon.
