One of the most popular games of the moment, Elden Ring, an open-world RPG that has taken the gaming community by storm. It’s been referred to by most people as a mix between Skyrim, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Demon Souls.
If you’re a fan of these types of games, you will love Elden Ring.
When playing RPG types of games such as Elden Ring, my preference is to go for a ranged attacking class such as an archer or spell caster. That’s why when playing, I got curious and wondered which arrows and bolts were the best.
So I decided to do some research, and I came up with this article and this list. Here you will find the best arrows and bolts in Elden Ring.
What are the Best Arrows and Bolts in Elden Ring? Here’s a list of Elden Ring’s best arrows and bolts: Ballista Bolt, Bone Ballista Bolt, Golem’s Magic Arrow, Explosive Greatbolt, Lightning Greatbolt, Golden Great Arrow, Radahn’s Spear, Dwelling Arrow, Lightningbone Arrow, and Fire Arrow.
The best Arrows and Bolts in Elden Ring
In this list, you’ll find the best arrows and bolts that will make your ranger build better and stronger. Nothing will stop you if you use the best equipment and you’re a fairly decent gamer. Without wasting any more time, let’s continue with the list.
Ballista Bolt
First off, we have the Ballista Bolt, which is hands down the most potent bolt in the game dealing a base 160 physical damage. This bolt is as long as a spear, and it’s used with the Hand Ballista or the Jar Cannon weapons.
The Ballista Bolt cannot be crafted; you can only craft the Bone Ballista Bolt, which is less powerful. You can find this bolt in these locations where various sellers will have this item in their shop:
- Murkwater Cave
- Roundtable Hold
- Weeping Peninsula
- Mt. Gelmir
- Hermit Merchant’s Shack
- Mountaintops of the Giants
Golem’s Magic Arrow
This is an arrow that’s going to deal more than just physical damage; it’s special. The Guardian Golems use the Golem’s Magic Arrow, and they deal 40 physical damage and 125 magical damage.
You can find these arrows alongside the Golem’s Great bow at the Limgrave Tower Bridge. Another cool feature that this arrow has it’s that it pierces the enemies that it hits. This is definitely one of the most potent ammunition that you can use as a range build.
Explosive Greatbolt
Most people would consider this as one of the best arrows in the game since it does explosive damage, and I’d say they’re not wrong. This great bolt does 50 physical damage and 150 fire damage which makes it a solid choice.
You can purchase the Explosive Greatbolt from the Nomadic Merchant located in Mt. Gelmir. This bolt also pierces the enemies.
Bone Ballista Bolt
Next on the list, we have the Bone Ballista Bolt, which is not entirely the same as the Ballista Bolt. One of the major differences between the two is the damage that it does, which is 150 Physical damage. It’s made to be used with the Hand Ballista.
On top of the fact that it does ten less damage than Ballista Bolt, this bolt drops to the floor a lot quicker, which makes it a poor choice for long-range combat. However, you can quickly obtain this item after defeating the Bell Bearing Hunter. Then you have to get the recipe from the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook 13 at the Bellum Church.
Since you get Hefty Beast Bones after defeating the Bell Bearing Hunter, that means that you can easily craft the bolts as well. One Hefty Beast Bone will make you 5 Bone Ballista Bolts. This means that you can easily have an infinite amount of ammunition at an early stage of the game.
Lightning Greatbolt
Similar to the Explosive Greatbolt, this one is considered one of the best bolts in the game since inflicts elemental damage. When it comes in contact with an enemy, this great bolt does powerful lightning damage. It does 50 physical damage and 150 lightning damage.
It’s said that this great bolt has a tip made of Gravel Stone shards, and that’s what gives its special abilities. If you think that you’re missing a bit of a unique element in your ranger build, then this great bolt will work perfectly for you.
Golden Great Arrow
This is another special arrow type as it deals with Holy damage when it hits the enemies. This great arrow does 40 physical damage and 110 Holy damage, which makes it an overall great choice.
You can find this ammunition type in the Hermit Merchant’s Shack for 500 runes, making it a bit expensive. However, considering the stats and the fact that it pierces the enemies’ armor, it’s worth it.
Radahn’s Spear
This is one of the best arrows in the game, and it’s imbued with Radhan’s gravitational power. It does 100 physical damage and has 100 crit, but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t go hand to hand with some of the more powerful arrows we’ve listed here.
This item, unfortunately, can not be crafted, but you can search for it. You’ll find it in the Roundtable Hold, and you can purchase it for 800 runes from Enia. The thing is that you need to have defeated the Starsourge Radahn before you can buy it.
This arrow will pierce and damage enemies from long range. You can hold up to 30 spears in your hand, and also you can store up to 600 of them on your inventory.
Dwelling Arrow
The Dwelling Arrow is powerful ammunition that you can use with bows and crossbows to fight enemies. It does 15 physical damage and 95 magical damage. All of that while it also pierces the enemies’ armor.
You can find these arrows in these locations:
- Siofra River
- Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum
In the locations mentioned above, you can buy 30 arrows for only 160 runes. Or you can find them as drops by killing Ancestral Followers.
Fire Arrow
The Fire Arrow, as the name suggests, is an arrow that also does fire damage to enemies. It comes as default if you choose the Samurai Class, and it’s going to be really useful early on. This arrow does 15 physical damage and 95 fire damage.
You can purchase these arrows at the east of the Astray from Caelid Highway North Site of Grace. There will be a Nomadic Merchant, and he will sell you them for 120 runes each. On top of the piercing damage, this arrow does also inflicts fire damage which is great.
Lightningbone Arrow
This is an arrow crafted with animal bones and infused with a lightning tip, which deals damage when coming in contact with enemies. This arrow does 10 physical damage and 90 lightning damage, which makes it a perfect choice for a range class.
You can hold up to 99 lightning bone arrows and store up to 600. These arrows can be crafted once you obtain the Ancient Dragon Apostle’s Cookbook.
Why should you be using arrows and bolts?
If you’re a person like me that enjoys playing these types of games from range and keeping a distance from the enemies, then I guess you’re bound to use arrows and bolts. However, it’s not only a matter of preferences; there are some benefits of playing this way.
Playing with arrows and bolts gives you the benefit of being a safe distance away from the enemies. In a relatively hard game like Elden Ring, it’s important to keep your distance, or enemies can one-shot you with health-bar destroying melee attacks.
The case may be that you’re not comfortable playing with classes that are in closer contact with enemies, such as warrior class. Or you don’t want to do a magic build either. That’s when the ranger build comes into play, and that’s why arrows and bolts are so important.
Closing Thoughts
If you decide to go with a ranger build in Elden Ring, you’re going to love using these arrows and bolts. I hope that you’ve managed to upgrade your build and that the information provided has helped you in your gameplay.
And once again, I think the best arrows and bolts in the game are:
- The Ballista Bolt
- Golem’s Magic Arrow
- The Explosive Great Bolt
- Bone Ballista Bolt
- Lightning Greatbolt
- Golden Great Arrow
- Radahn’s Spear
- Dwelling Arrow
- Fire Arrow
- Lightningbone Arrow