Elden Ring - Crossbows

With no stat scaling at all, a crossbow gives any build full value the moment it meets the requirement, and it is the only ranged class that fires without putting the main weapon away.

Combat

Pros

• Crossbows have no stat scaling, only requirements. A sorcerer with 60 Intelligence and a brute with 60 Strength do identical damage with the same Arbalest, so carrying one costs a pure caster or Faith build nothing.
• A crossbow works one-handed while the main weapon or shield stays out, the only ranged class that does not force two-handing, which is needed only for manual aim.
• The loaded state survives weapon swaps and is lost only on unequipping, so a preloaded crossbow fires instantly, faster to a first shot than any bow.
• Maximum physical damage is the highest of any handheld ranged weapon outside the ballistas, with the Arbalest at 308 and the Heavy Crossbow at 288.

Cons

• No scaling cuts both ways, since levels cannot make a crossbow hit harder and all growth comes from smithing stones, the bolt and talismans.
• Crossbows cannot take Ashes of War, greases, spell buffs or affinities, and every crossbow except the Repeating Crossbow carries the filler Kick skill.
• Each shot takes two presses, ready and then fire, so the raw fire rate is slower than a bow's once a fight is underway.
• Held in the off-hand, the left-hand attack inputs reload and fire instead of using a skill, so the left-hand weapon skill is lost entirely.

Builds

There is no crossbow build, and that is the point.

• Meeting 10 Strength and 8 Dexterity for a Soldier's Crossbow, 12 and 8 for a Light Crossbow, 14 and 10 for a Heavy Crossbow or 18 and 12 for the Arbalest gives every build identical performance.
• Bows and ballistas count Strength at two-thirds but crossbows do not, so the Arbalest's 18 Strength is a genuine 18.
• A character that already meets the requirements for a melee weapon gets the crossbow for free, and the only stat-gated one is the Full Moon Crossbow at 14 Intelligence.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Image	Attack	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Repeating Crossbow		74	6	13	15	-	-	-	Repeating Crossbow is the only crossbow with a unique skill. Repeating Fire readies a cranked mechanism that fires bolts in quick succession, a reliable way to build status at range, and it has the highest base physical in its class at 74. It comes with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
Arbalest		69	6	18	12	-	-	-	Arbalest has the highest base physical among the base game crossbows at 69, and it upgrades on ordinary Smithing Stones into the strongest crossbow at max upgrade, reaching 308. It weighs 6.0 and needs the most Strength of the common crossbows, but it is available early and stays the top handheld bolt-thrower for the whole run.
Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow		68	5	14	16	-	-	-	Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow has the longest reach among crossbows at 47 against 42 for the rest, which helps it pick off targets from safer ground. It pairs with Black-Key Bolts for scarlet rot buildup, and it can be collected before the first main boss, so it serves as an early sniping and rot tool.
Pulley Crossbow		65	4	16	16	-	-	-	Pulley Crossbow is the status crossbow. Each pull fires three bolts in a slight spread, tripling buildup with Bloodbone, Sleepbone or Rotbone bolts. The trade is lower damage per bolt, a steep upward pitch that means aiming low at mid range, and ammunition burned three times as fast.
Heavy Crossbow		64	5.5	14	10	-	-	-	Heavy Crossbow comes close to the Arbalest's damage at max upgrade, reaching 288, on much softer requirements, and it is half a point lighter at 5.5. Crossbow-wielding soldiers drop it, so it is the near-Arbalest that needs no detour and suits a light build that wants a strong bolt without extra Strength.

Notes

• While galloping, a crossbow can be fired mid-air without losing its load, allowing another shot immediately on landing, with the Pulley Crossbow the exception.
• The bolt is a large share of the total damage, with the Lordsworn's Bolt at 65 physical and craftable, the plain Bolt at 50 for 40 runes, the Bone Bolt at 40 and craftable, the Meteor Bolt at 25 plus 80 magic and the Lightning Bolt at 20 plus 80 lightning.
• The Poisonbone Bolt adds 66 poison and the Rotbone Bolt 55 scarlet rot to the status bolt list.
• The Arrow's Sting Talisman's 10% bonus applies to bolts as well as arrows.
• Stamina damage at maximum runs from 56 to 68 across the class, enough to chip guards but not to stance-break.

All Crossbows

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Range	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Arbalest		69 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	42	6	-18	-12	0	0	0	100	Kick
Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow		68 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	47	5	-14	-16	0	0	0	200	Kick
Full Moon Crossbow		50 -	50 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	42	4	-10	-10	-14	0	0	500	Kick
Heavy Crossbow		64 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	42	5.5	-14	-10	0	0	0	100	Kick
Light Crossbow		58 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	42	4	-12	-8	0	0	0	100	Kick
Pulley Crossbow		65 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	42	4	-16	-16	0	0	0	100	Kick
Soldier's Crossbow		54 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	42	3.5	-10	-8	0	0	0	100	Kick