Short Sword belongs to the Straight Sword category in Elden Ring. While looking puny at first glance, this sword can inflict additional piercing damage to the enemies.
Finding a Short Sword can be a chore if you are not looking in the right direction. In this guide, we will help you acquire it and craft a build that revolves around Lightning Attacks.
Short Sword Location in Elden Ring
Short Sword can be obtained via multiple ways in Elden Ring.
The best way to obtain the Short Sword is to start the game with the Astrologer Class. It is the starting weapon for this class. You can always respec your class later with the help of our guide.
You can purchase the Short Sword from the Nomadic Merchant found in Northeastern Limgrave. He is sitting east of the bridge connecting Limgrave to Stormhill, where you first meet Roderika.
His location is marked on the map above.
Short Sword can also be obtained as a drop from Highway Men inside the Murkwater Cave. This cave is in central Limgrave, north of Dragon-Burnt Ruins. These enemies use wire bells as traps and protect Patches from intruders.
The drop rate of this sword is relatively low. It is around 4% for every 100 Discovery. You can increase your Discovery by increasing your Vigor stat beyond 30.
Short Sword Stats and Requirements
Short Sword is a Strength/Dexterity weapon that requires 8 Str and 10 Dex to wield. While it seems like a useless weapon due to its immense speed and varied combo, Short Sword is one of the best early-game weapons in the Elden Ring.
This sword scales with both Strength and Dexterity (D). You can upgrade it up to +25 with the help of Smithing Stones and it deals 218 Physical damage at its highest level.
The unique skill for the short sword is Kick, which can be replaced with other Ashes of War. You can infuse this weapon with grease and magic. It only weighs 3, making it an ideal sword for fast dual-wield builds.
Short Sword Best Build
For this build, we will focus on dual-wield Short Swords with a +25 Lightning upgrade path. Blaidd’s Armor Set to increase damage protection.
As this is a level 125 build, we recommend investing in the following stats.
- Vigor: 60
- Strength: 34
- Dexterity: 50
Apply Thunderbolt Ash of War to both swords. Use Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear and Opaline Hardtear for the Flask of Wondrous Physick. This will temporarily increase your sword attacks while decreasing the incoming damage.
For Talismans, use the following ones.
- Shard of Alexander
- Green Turtle Talisman
- Claw Talisman
- Erdtree’s Favor
This build can deal up to 800 damage per hit during PvP and against normal enemies. However, it is not recommended to use against Dragons due to their natural immunity to Lightning Attacks.
