As one of the most effective Reaper weapons in Elden Ring, the Grave Scythe is fantastic for Bleed builds. It’s not the easiest to get your hands on, but if you know where and how to get the Grave Scythe, you can add it to your collection early and build around it, if you like.
Where is the Grave Scythe in Elden Ring?
The Elden Ring Grave Scythe is found by farming the scythe-wielding skeletons in graveyards and ruins. These locations are spread around the Lands Between.
Which Skeletons Drop the Grave Scythe in Elden Ring?
The Grave Scythe only drops from skeletons that use it. If they’re using curved swords or other weaponry, they won’t drop a Grave Scythe. Remember that you must hit the glowing bone pile that appears after you defeat the skeleton the first time, or they’ll just keep getting up.
The Best Place to Find the Grave Scythe in Elden Ring
The best place to get the Grave Scythe by farming skeletons is in a graveyard near the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace just outside of Stormveil Castle after you defeat Godrick the Grafted (or take the way around the eastern castle wall). From the Grace, head down the hill to the west. The graveyard is hard to miss.
Each scythe-wielding skeleton you kill has a chance to drop the Grave Scythe. The trouble is, it’s a low drop rate even. That’s true even if you have high Item Discovery, a solid Arcane stat, and are using the Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot. I fought, killed, and respawned the entire graveyard’s worth of skeletons a dozen times before I got a single Grave Scythe to drop.
Grave Scythe Passives and Skill Abilities
The Grave Scythe has no special abilities when you first get it. But its base damage, reach, and moveset compensate for that “deficiency.” Buffing the Grave Scythe with Bloodflame Blade is an excellent way to increase its damage output. I do this to improve its blood loss buildup, as well. Equipping it with Blood or Cold infusions increases the damage potential even further, though it disables its ability to receive additional buffs.
The Grave Scythe defaults to the Spinning Slash Ash of War, which works. But if you use Double Slash or Sword Dance, you have a multi-hit combo that can cause blood loss or Frostbite buildup. Sword Dance is my preferred, as it makes your character move forward a considerable distance during the animation.
Remember that Reapers have sweet spot damage. Hit with the blade of the Grave Scythe itself rather than the haft. Having the Grave Scythe equipped also raises your Vitality and Immunity stats, increasing your resistance to Death and Poisons/Blights, respectively.
Grave Scythe Stats
Here are the Grave Scythe’s base stats.
- Damage type: Slash
- Ability: Spinning Slash (FP cost — 6, 12 for the full combo)
- Weight: 7.0
- Attack Power
- Physical: 114
- Magic: 0
- Fire: 0
- Lightning: 0
- Holy: 0
- Critical: 100
- Guarded Damage Negation
- Physical: 49
- Magic: 33
- Fire: 33
- Lightning: 33
- Holy: 33
- Guard Boost: 33
- Attribute Scaling
- STR: D
- DEX: D
- Attributes Required
- STR: 17
- DEX: 13
- Passive Effects
- Blood loss buildup (55)
You’ll pick up the Grave Scythe early in Elden Ring, but its power isn’t hampered by how easy it is to acquire. Now you know how to find and how to optimize its damage. Other weapons like the Uchigatana and Moonveil are also easy to come by early and work well together. Our Elden Ring guides hub covers even more weapons, abilities, and equipment.
