The Max Weapon Level in Elden Ring is +25

As an avid Elden Ring fan, I‘m constantly experimenting with new build strategies and weapon upgrades in my quest to become Elden Lord. So I‘m thrilled to share that after extensive testing, the maximum weapon upgrade you can achieve is +25 for normal armaments.

Special weapons topped out at a respectable +10. Reaching these heights of raw damage and power requires true dedication – but the payoff is glorious!

A Breakdown of Elden Ring‘s Upgrade Paths

Before we dive further into maxing out your arsenal, let‘s breakdown how weapon upgrades actually work in Elden Ring:

As you can see, normal weapons upgraded with smithing stones can reach +25, while unique armaments upgraded via somber smithing stones cap out at +10.

Based on my testing, you can fully upgrade the following number of weapons per playthrough:

• 8 special weapons to +10
• 13 normal weapons to +25

Now let‘s get into the good stuff – how do you actually reach those peaks of weapons perfection?

Acquiring Smithing Stones

The only way to pump up your weapons is gathering boatloads of smithing stones and somber smithing stones. Here are the most effective farming methods I‘ve found:

• Mine tunnels – search these caves thoroughly to loot stones from walls and chests. Enemies here also drop them.
• Merchants – use bell bearings to unlock infinite shop stocks.
• Respawning enemies – certain stone-dropping foes respawn endlessly. Target them.
• Special events – some one-time events/quests reward rare upgrade materials.

Of course the rarest stones required for the final few upgrades do not respawn. You‘ll have to quest and explore to grab those ancient dragon smithing stones!

Matching Weapons With Builds

To get the most bang for your buck from upgraded weapons, you need to align your stats and playstyle appropriately:

As you explore the Lands Between, consider which upgraded armaments align with your chosen attributes and style.

My Dexterity/Intelligence spellsword for example gets the most from upgrading katanas like Moonveil and Rivers of Blood in tandem with caster tools.

The Resources Required to Upgrade a Weapon to +25

Upgrading a weapon to the maximum +25 costs a staggering 129,000 runes just for smithing stones – not even counting general upgrade fees!

To put that into perspective, defeating even late-game bosses nets you ~50,000 runes. You would need to defeat at least 3 endgame bosses just to fund a single +25 weapon.

So upgrading a full arsenal to +25 requires immense farming and dedication. But we‘re not maidenless around here!

Notable Fully Upgraded Weapons

While any standard weapon can reach +25, here are a few that truly shine at max power:

• Blasphemous Blade – scales mightily with Faith for heavy holy damage
• Giant-Crusher – colossal hammer with the highest raw physical power
• Hand of Malenia – Dexterity shredder with insanely fast combos
• Sacred Relic Sword – beautiful weapon with a radial shockwave ash of war

And at +10, special weapons like Rivers of Blood and Moonveil become downright iconic powerhouses.

In terms of bang for your buck, I recommend prioritizing somber weapons first since they take fewer stones to max out.

My Top Weapon Upgrade Recommendations

Here are my personal top picks for weapons you should definitely upgrade all the way in your playthrough:

1. Rivers of Blood – Bleed for days. This katana embodies power.
2. Moonveil – elegent, flashy Intelligence weapon with insane speed and damage
3. Blasphemous Blade – the ultimate Faith greatsword churns out holy hellfire
4. Giant-Crusher – because sometimes you just wanna smash with colossal force. Embrace your inner barbarian!

How Elden Ring‘s Upgrades Compare to Other Souls Games

Veteran Souls players may notice Elden Ring allows significantly higher weapon upgrading compared to past From games. For reference:

• Dark Souls – Max Normal Upgrade is +15, Max Special is +5
• Bloodborne – Max is only +10 for all weapons
• Elden Ring – Max Normal is +25, Max Special is +10

So in Elden Ring, you can pump standard gear a whopping 10 upgrade levels higher relative to previous titles. Truly we have ascended to new levels of strength!

Conclusion

And there you have it – everything you need to know about maxing weapons and achieving +25 domination in Elden Ring. The path requires vast dedication, but we must rise to the challenge and unleash our arsenal‘s true potential!

Now if you‘ll excuse me, these somber ancient dragon stones won‘t attune themselves. Time to recraft my glorious katana into the ultimate bleeding edge. See you around the Lands Between!