Best Elden Ring Staffs Ranked For Early And Late Game
Magic users will want to know about the best Elden Ring staffs, as they give powerful bonuses to your magic spells and have their own unique attacks. Elden Ring has more options for magic users than the previous soulslike games combined, giving you a plethora of damage, utility, and sustain spells for your adventure. So, if you want to know what the best Elden Ring staffs for the early and late game period are, we've got you covered.
- Need a staff to compliment your astrologer build? If so, read our Elden Ring Astrologer Build guide to get the most out of your build early on.
Best Elden Ring Staffs Ranked For Early Game
The Astrologer’s Staff
This is a viable option at the start of the game, if you start as the Astrologer class it will even be part of your starting equipment. It requires 16 intelligence (scales at a C rating) and 7 strength at a scale rating of E. It can be upgraded with Smithing Stones which are more commonly found in the early sections of Limgrave, although you’ll likely wish to conserve resources for a higher spec weapon as you progress.
The Demi-Human Queen’s Staff
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With an intelligence requirement of 10 and scale rating of C this staff only requires Smithing Stones to level up, as such it’s a valid option to upgrade for a mid-range sorcery build and can be taken to a +25. This Glintstone staff is dropped by the Demi-Human Queen in the Demi-Human Forest Ruins in the Weeping Peninsula.
The Staff of The Guilty
With the appearance of a grasping tree branch, this staff gives a unique buff to Thorn/Aberrant sorceries like Briars of Punishment and Briars of Sin, essentially causes slow blood-loss build-up. If these incantations are favourites of yours then the Staff of the Guilty is a must. Curiously, this staff primarily scales with faith at a rating of C and a requirement of 12, meaning you’ll likely trade it as you progress in the game. This staff can be equipped with the ‘Spinning Weapon’ Ash of War which is a bonus, and is able to be upgraded with Smithing Stones.
Albinauric Staff
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The Albinauric staff can cause slow Haemorrhage build-up when used alongside the Aberrant sorceries, Briars of Punishment and Briars of Sin. This is an effective perk when utilised, which you’ll be able to do from an early level as it only requires 10 intelligence, 12 arcane and six strength to wield. The staff scales at a rating of E for strength, D for intelligence and C for arcane, meaning that it benefits most from arcane builds. The staff can also be equipped with the ‘Spinning Weapon’ Ash of War which allows the staff to be spun in a circle with a chain of quick successive attacks. The staff can be found in Volcano Manor close to the Guest Hall site of grace, up the stairs and across the rooftop and into another room on the right.
- Now you’re in the Volcano Manor you’ll want to make sure you follow the questline here to its fullest. To do so, read our guide on the Elden Ring Volcano Manor Quest.
Meteorite Staff
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This is the best early-game staff you’ll be able to acquire due to the special passive ability it is imbued with. The staff boosts gravity type sorceries such as, Rock Sling, Collapsing Stars, Gravity Well, Meteorite and Meteorite of Astel by a substantial 30%. Despite its low wielding requirement of 18 intelligence, it creates quite an impact especially with its S scale rating. However, it isn’t available for upgrade meaning that even as a great early-game option, you will eventually want to replace it with something upgradable.
This staff can also be obtained early if you travel to the Dragon-Burnt Ruins in Limgrave, go past the chanting priests into the tunnel and open the chest there. It will spring a trap and transport you close to where the staff is located. You’ll be transported to the Sellia Crystal Tunnels in Caelid. If you progress through and reach the Street of the Sages ruins, the staff will be on a corpse in a room filled with scarlet rot flowers. This will likely be too much of a high-level area for your character, so it’s best to use Torrent here to bypass the enemies, and sprint through the cave if the miners give you too much trouble.
Best Elden Ring Staffs Ranked For Late Game
Carian Glintblade Staff
This staff has a decent scaling with intelligence at a C rank, and requires 22 intelligence, 12 dexterity and 6 strength to wield effectively. What makes this staff an extremely viable option is the 15% boost it attributes to Glintblade spells which are readily available from merchants like Sellen the Sorceress or Miriel at the Church of Vows in Liurnia. These sorceries include, Carian Phalanx, Carian Retaliation, Glintblade Phalanx, Greatblade Phalanx and Magic Glintblade, two of which make it on our list of the best Elden Ring Incantations.
Glintstone magic can be very versatile in its affects, which makes the Carian Glintblade Staff a great complimentary weapon if you’re looking to experiment with Glintstone sorcery. Unlike many staffs found littered in the world, you can also apply an Ash of War to the staff, lending it some versatility. Furthermore, it requires Smithing Stones to upgrade which are much more commonplace in the early stages of the game. If this sounds like the staff for you, you can grab yours at the Highway Lookout Tower in eastern Liurnia.
- Click here to get a full run down of the Carian Phalanx spell and why it made our list of the Best Elden Ring Sorceries.
The Rotten Crystal Staff
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This staff is special in the fact that it causes scarlet rot build-up when physical attacks are made with it. It also has a passive effect that boosts Crystalian Sorcery, this includes the Crystal Release, Crystal Torrent and Shattering Crystal sorceries. Although niche, if these spells are common load out options for you, then you can majorly benefit from this staff.
The Rotten Crystal Staff takes 48 intelligence to wield and scales at an intelligence rating of B hence why we're putting it in the more 'late game' category. The staff uses Somber Smithing Stones to upgrade and cannot be equipped with Ashes of War. To find the Rotten Crystal Staff you’ll have to venture to Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, where it will be dropped by the Crystalian mage in the first sector of the map there.
Azur’s Glintstone Staff
Azur’s Glintstone Staff has a passive effect of reducing casting times of both incantations and sorceries by 8% at the cost of an additional 20% FP. As this staff requires 52 intelligence (scales at intelligence B rating) chances are, you’ll only be able to cast it at high levels anyway, meaning you should be equipped with enough FP to benefit from this effect.
Azur’s Glintstone Staff cannot be equipped with an Ash of War, like many of the high-level staffs and requires Somber Smithing Stones to upgrade. To find this staff you’ll have to gain access to the upper levels of Raya Lucaria Academy, where it will be on the floor next to an immobile Arcane Sphere of Faces enemy.
Carian Regal Sceptre
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The Carian Regal Sceptre is available when trading in the Remembrance of The Full Moon Queen to Enia at the Roundtable Hold. This is received from beating the Rennala boss fight and has a unique boost ability to Full Moon sorceries, handy if you have the Ranni’s Dark Moon or Rennala’s Full Moon sorceries equipped. Along with this boost, the staff has the ‘Spinning Weapon’ skill attached which causes the staff to spin in circular attack motions and deals out successive attacks to enemies. Unlike the standard ‘Spinning Weapon’ Ash of War, this one creates a blue magic aura around the staff. As such, it cannot be equipped with an Ash of War, although this isn’t much of a loss when taking into account that it does the second largest damage out of all the staffs in the game, and only costs 20 FP to use.
To match the huge damage capabilities of the staff, it requires a hefty intelligence stat requirement of 60 to wield effectively. The weapon can be upgraded with Somber Smithing Stones, and scales at an impressive intelligence B rating.
- For a full rundown on how to beat Rennala to access this staff, check out or guide on the full Elden Ring Rennala Boss Fight.
Lusat's Glintstone Staff
This staff deals the largest damage out of all the others in the game, 11% more than the Carian Regal Sceptre but requires 50% more FP to do so. Due to this, it is best suited for late game playthroughs when you’ve invested enough into your mind stat to negate this. It doesn’t have a special skill attached and you can’t equip it with an Ash of War. The staff requires Somber Smithing stones to upgrade, and 52 intelligence to wield properly, with an intelligence scale rating of B. To claim this staff for yourself you’ll have to progress past the Nox Swordstress and Nox Priest boss fight in Sellia, Town of Sorcery.
- Now you’re equipped with the best staffs in the game, why not try our guide on how to find all of the Elden Ring Legendary Armaments to fully kit your character out.
