Elden Ring - Halberds

The generalist polearm and the only one of these four classes with a genuine pure-Strength ceiling, sweeping and thrusting in one moveset, with the deepest infusible bench and the steepest stat bills.

Combat

Pros

• Only class of the four that reaches S scaling on an infusible weapon: Gargoyle's Halberd hits S Strength at max Heavy (275 physical) and Nightrider Glaive does too (270), per. No spear, great spear or reaper gets past A on Heavy.
• Best infusible attack rating (AR) ceiling in the group: Guardian's Swordspear 340 physical at max standard, then Dragon Halberd 330, Glaive 323, Gargoyle's Halberd 320, against 301 for the best spear and great spear.
• Ten of eighteen are infusible and buffable on ordinary Smithing Stones (Halberd, Banished Knight's Halberd, Lucerne, Glaive, Vulgar Militia Saw, Vulgar Militia Shotel, Guardian's Swordspear, Gargoyle's Halberd, Nightrider Glaive, Pest's Glaive), so almost any build has a home here.
• Real moveset variety inside the class rather than a single shared set: documents three light-attack families and two heavy-attack families, so you can choose poking or sweeping.

Cons

• Heaviest class of the four: Golden Halberd 13.5, Gargoyle's Halberd / Gargoyle's Black Halberd / Nightrider Glaive 12 each. Only Spirit Glaive (6.5), Lucerne and Pest's Glaive (7) are light.
• Steepest requirements: Golden Halberd 30 Str, the Gargoyle trio 26 Str, Commander's Standard 24 Str, Dragon Halberd 22 Str. Compare 8, 20 Str across the whole Spear class.
• Almost no innate status. 16 of 18 have none; only Vulgar Militia Saw (55 bleed) and Poleblade of the Bud (55 scarlet rot) carry any. If you want bleed or rot from a halberd you have to spend the infusion slot on it.
• Eight of the strongest entries cannot be infused: Commander's Standard, Dragon Halberd, Golden Halberd, Gargoyle's Black Halberd, Loretta's War Sickle, Ripple Crescent Halberd, Spirit Glaive, Poleblade of the Bud.

Builds

Strength is the class identity.

• Heavy infusion pushes Gargoyle's Halberd to S Str (275) and Nightrider Glaive to S Str from +20 upward (270), with Banished Knight's Halberd, Halberd, Glaive, Lucerne, Pest's Glaive and both Vulgar Militia weapons at A.
• Dex has a genuine answer: Guardian's Swordspear reaches A Dex at max Keen (312 physical), and a +25 Keen Swordspear has higher attack rating (AR) at 99 Str / 99 Dex than a +25 Quality one (813 vs 776).
• Arcane splits two ways, raw AR via max Occult (Banished Knight's Halberd and Halberd at A Arcane, 270; Guardian's Swordspear 299 at B), or status via Ripple Crescent Halberd at S Arcane.
• Int gets exactly one option, Loretta's War Sickle (20 Int, C/C/C at max standard, 269 physical / 173 magic).
• Faith gets Golden Halberd and Gargoyle's Black Halberd, both expensive in Strength.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Image	Attack	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Commander's Standard		138	11.5	24	14	-	-	-	Highest base physical among halberds in the local data at 138, and 338 at max standard; it the longest weapon in its class, with thrusting R1s that use that range. It cannot be infused or buffed and takes Somber stones, but the practical use: any build meeting 24 Str / 14 Dex can cast Rallying Standard as a buff and swap back to its real weapon. Commander O'Neil, Swamp of Aeonia.
Golden Halberd		134 + 87 holy	13.5	30	14	-	12	-	's page calls it 'a great early Faith weapon, along with the Winged Scythe', with the caveat that its stat bill is daunting outside the Vagabond class. 134 physical / 87 holy at +0 and 328 / 213 at max standard, with Golden Vow built in as its skill. The costs are the class's worst: 30 Str, 13.5 weight, Somber only. Dropped by the Tree Sentinel outside the Church of Elleh, so it is available at hour one if you can beat him.
Guardian's Swordspear		132	9	17	16	-	-	-	Highest max-standard physical in the class at 340 per, and the clearest Dex payoff in any of these four classes: A Dex at max Keen (312) with stating outright that a +25 Keen Swordspear beats a +25 Quality one at 99/99 (813 vs 776 attack rating (AR)). Its light attacks are upward slashes finishing in a horizontal slice, unlike the default halberd set. 2% drop from Erdtree Guardians near Minor Erdtrees.
Nightrider Glaive		129	12	26	10	-	-	-	It receives S scaling for Strength on Heavy infusion from +20 upward, and records a mounted motion value of 125, higher than other halberds, so it does proportionally more damage on horseback. Joint-highest guard boost in the class at 50, with 66 physical guard absorption at max. Dropped with Ash of War: Giant Hunt by the Night's Cavalry north of East Raya Lucaria Gate, night only.
Gargoyle's Black Halberd		103 + 123 holy	12	26	10	-	22	-	123 holy at +0 and 301 holy at max standard: the highest holy damage of any weapon across all four classes, per 's tables. Also the class's joint-best guard boost at 50 with 72 holy guard absorption. Costs 26 Str / 22 Fai, weighs 12, cannot be infused. Black Blade Kindred at the Bestial Sanctum.

Notes

• Damage types are not uniform: Glaives deal Slash where other halberds deal Standard, with Poleblade of the Bud and Loretta's War Sickle also Slash despite their names.
• Three light-attack families: poking (Halberd, Banished Knight's Halberd, Dragon Halberd, Commander's Standard), side-swiping uppercuts (Guardian's Swordspear, Loretta's War Sickle, Poleblade of the Bud), and the shared default for everything else.
• Two heavy-attack families: a unique slam-down on Lucerne, Nightrider Glaive and Golden Halberd, versus the shared spinning heavy on everything else.
• Patch 1.14 increased the attack speed of the uncharged first heavy attack across the class.
• Occult ceilings, for Arcane players who want attack rating (AR) rather than status: Guardian's Swordspear 299, Glaive 283, Gargoyle's Halberd 281, Nightrider Glaive 276, Banished Knight's Halberd / Halberd 270 with A Arcane.

All Halberds

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Banished Knight's Halberd		125 50	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 35	8	D 14	D 12	0	0	0	100	Charge Forth
Commander's Standard		138 64	0 41	0 41	0 41	0 41	100 49	11.5	D 24	D 14	0	0	0	500	Rallying Standard
Dragon Halberd		135 52	0 37	0 37	0 50	0 37	100 39	10.5	D 22	D 10	0	0	0	100	Spinning Slash
Gargoyle's Black Halberd		103 48	0 36	0 36	0 36	123 72	100 42	12	D 26	E 10	0	D 22	0	100	Spinning Slash
Gargoyle's Halberd		131 60	0 42	0 42	0 42	0 42	100 42	12	C 26	E 10	0	0	0	100	Spinning Slash
Glaive		132 60	0 38	0 38	0 38	0 38	100 46	10	D 18	D 15	0	0	0	100	Spinning Slash
Guardian's Swordspear		139 52	0 36	0 36	0 36	0 36	100 36	9	E 17	C 16	0	0	0	100	Charge Forth
Halberd		125 55	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 42	8	D 14	D 12	0	0	0	100	Charge Forth
Loretta's War Sickle		110 57	71 49	0 36	0 36	0 36	100 46	10	D 20	D 15	D 20	0	0	500	Loretta's Slash
Lucerne		121 52	0 33	0 33	0 33	0 33	100 39	7	D 15	C 12	0	0	0	100	Charge Forth
Nightrider Glaive		129 60	0 42	0 42	0 42	0 42	100 42	12	C 26	E 10	0	0	0	100	Spinning Slash
Pest's Glaive		120 47	0 33	0 33	0 33	0 33	100 33	7	D 13	D 13	0	0	0	100	Spinning Slash
Poleblade of the Bud		131 60	0 38	0 38	0 38	0 38	100	10.0	E 14	D 22	0	0	D 20	1000	Romina's Purification
Ripple Crescent Halberd		86 56	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 43	8.5	-12	-12	0	0	B 20	100	Spinning Slash
Spirit Glaive		121 47	36 38	0 33	0 33	0 33	100	6.5	D 14	D 17	D 16	0	0	500	Rancor Slash
Vulgar Militia Saw		126 55	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 42	8	D 15	D 13	0	0	0	100	Spinning Slash
Vulgar Militia Shotel		121 55	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 42	8	E 14	C 16	0	0	0	100	Spinning Slash