In Elden Ring, reapers are a type of tool that doesn’t get nearly enough attention.
The Reapers, or what most people would call scythes, from Elden Ring are different in a number of ways. Not only do they look cool, but they also skip a lot of the damage that shields block. This can be useful in both PvE and PvP. Also, they all have natural Bleed buildup, which is always a nice bonus even if it’s not the main point of your build.
In Elden Ring, Reapers are a class of weapons that aren’t used enough. There are only four of them in the game. But you can get all of them pretty early in the game, so it’s easy to try them out and see which one you like best.
Halo Scythe
The Halo Scythe is a weapon that depends on Faith, but it doesn’t always act like one. It does some Holy damage, but most of the damage is Physical. It scales much better with Dexterity than with Faith. Normally, that would make you want to put most of your points into Dexterity while only achieving the minimum requirements for Faith.
But the main reason to use the Halo Scythe is for its exclusive Faith-scaled Weapon Skill, Miquella’s Ring of Light. It throws a ring of light a long way and can be thrown in a chain for only eleven FP.
Sacred Rings of Light is a similar Weapon Skill that can be used by other weapons, like a few Scythes. But Miquella’s version goes farther, does more damage, and fires bigger rings, and it only costs two more FP per cast. If you’re interested in this Weapon Skill, put most of your levels into Faith and get the Halo Scythe.
Unfortunately, the Halo Scythe is probably the hardest Reaper to get because you have to farm the Cleanrot Knights who carry it. You can find them all over Elden Ring, but one of the best places to farm them early on is in the Swamp of Aeonia, where you fight Commander O’Neil.
But even though you can get to this place right away in the game, the Cleanrot Knights are hard to fight when you’re low level.
Scythe
The normal Scythe looks like a simple tool, but it has more to it than meets the eye. It is the longest Reaper, though only by a small amount, and the only one with a unique moveset: its charged heavy attacks are fast double-strikes. And because you can give it Ashes of War, you can change its moves even more.
And while most other weapons in its class do more damage. The Scythe is the best choice for a straight Dexterity build because it scales well with Dexterity when given the Keen Affinity. It is also the best choice for a Bleed build. Both because it has a unique set of moves and because, with the Occult Affinity, it builds Bleed faster than any other Reaper.
The Scythe is in the Cliffbottom Catacombs, which, as the name suggests, are at the bottom of a cliff in Liurina of the Lakes, northeast of the Liurnia Highway South Site of Grace. At the start of the game. You can get to this place by going around Stormveil Castle on the secret path.
The Catacombs won’t be easy to fight through, though, because there are a lot of Omens there. Which aren’t common until you reach the Altus Plateau.
Winged Scythe
Yes, Elden Ring only has four Reapers, and half of them are Faith-based. It’s hard to say why From Software made that choice, but just because these two guns have the same stats doesn’t mean they are the same. First of all, the Winged Scythe does more damage than the Halo Scythe. In fact, it does the most damage of any Reaper. However, most of that damage comes from holy damage, which can become less effective later in Drive Mad game because many bosses are immune to it.
Angel’s Wings is the weapon skill for the Winged Scythe. It makes you jump into the air and cut down for a lot of damage. And, unlike the Halo Scythe, this Weapon Skill scales the same as normal attacks. So you don’t have to worry about splitting your levels.
Angel’s Wings can also stop enemies from using their HP and FP Flasks, which is a special ability. This, along with its high damage, makes it possibly the best Reaper in PvP, since you can stop your enemies from healing and, more importantly, stop those annoying mages from getting more FP.
On the Weeping Peninsula, you can find the Winged Scythe in a chest under the Tombsward Ruins. There is no boss in this area, but the Rats and Pages can do a lot of damage. Especially with their crossbows.
Grave Scythe
The Grave Scythe is by far the most flexible weapon in the Reaper class. It is the other weapon that can be equipped with unique Ashes of War. It’s a bit shorter than the Scythe and doesn’t have its special moves. But on most Affinities, it will do more damage than the Scythe. And because it doesn’t give Holy damage, it will do better against many bosses than both the Halo and the Winged Scythes, even though it does less damage overall.
It doesn’t have as many cool powers as the other Reapers on this list. But if you want to use a build that isn’t based on Faith, Dexterity, or Bleed, the Grave Scythe is the way to go. At the same level, the best choice is probably the Heavy Affinity, which is better than the Keen Scythe.
The Grave Scythe is another weapon that needs to be farmed, but the Skeletal Mages. That drop it are much easier to deal with than the Cleanrot Knights that use the Halo Scythe. You can find them all over the Lands Between. But a good place to start growing is in the graveyard near the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grave. Ưhich is the first Site of Grace you can find in Liurnia of the Lakes.
