Elden Ring - Hammers

One-handed Strike damage on a light frame: 16 weapons, 2-7 weight, Str 8-20, that you take for the damage type and the Ash of War slot rather than for the numbers.

Combat

Pros

• Every weapon in the class deals Strike damage except three (Warpick and Flowerstone Gavel are Pierce, Scepter of the All-Knowing is Strike/Pierce), 's class summary says Hammers are renowned for effectiveness against heavily armoured enemies and for destroying shields and breaking guards.
• Cheapest entry of any class covered here: Club needs 10 Str and no Dex at all, Varre's Bouquet needs 8 Str, and Warpick weighs 2.5.
• Six of the sixteen ship with Kick or no real skill (Mace, Morning Star, Warpick, Hammer, Stone Club, Monk's Flamemace), so they take any Ash of War cleanly with nothing worth preserving.
• Best Str scaling in the class reaches C at +0 (Club, Iron-tier weapons, Stone Club, Nox Flowing Hammer) and has Curved Club hitting S Str on max heavy, unusual for a one-handed class.

Cons

• Damage is genuinely low: highest base physical in the class is Monk's Flamemace at 126, against 133 for Axes, 145 for Great Hammers and 151 for Greataxes.
• 's Patch 1.08 note is the class's defining problem: Hammer poise damage was reduced, with only two-handed poise damage increased in compensation. One-handing a Hammer is the weakest version of the class.
• Sta band is uneven and mostly poor: max standard runs 84 (Scepter of the All-Knowing) and 94 (Ringed Finger) at the bottom to 130 (Stone Club) at the top, the Scepter's 84 is the lowest figure of any weapon in the five classes here.
• Guard boost tops out at 36 (Stone Club, Hammer), so this is not a shield-substitute class.

Builds

12-16 Str / 7-9 Dex covers almost the entire class: Mace, Morning Star, Spiked Club, Curved Club, Hammer, Stone Club, Ringed Finger and Flowerstone Gavel all sit inside that.

• There is no reason to go past 20 Str for the class itself; Marika's Hammer at 20 Str is the highest requirement and it is a remembrance weapon.
• Two-hand by default: 's Patch 1.08 note says two-handed Hammer poise damage was increased and two-handed Hammers now have identical hyperarmour to halberds.
• If you are pure Str and want stance damage, take Stone Club on Heavy, has its Sta going 130 to 143 while its attack rating (AR) drops 298 to 257, which is the trade the class actually offers.
• Dex builds want Monk's Flamemace (13/13, D/B at max standard, 308 AR).
• Int builds want 21 Int for the Scepter of the All-Knowing but should know it carries the class's worst Sta figure.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Image	Attack	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Monk's Flamemace		126	6	13	13	-	-	-	Highest base physical in the class at 126, and highest max-standard attack rating (AR) on at 308 with D Str / B Dex. Only 13 Str / 13 Dex and 6.0 weight. This is the Dex answer in a class that is otherwise Str-flavoured. 4% drop from Fire Monks.
Hammer		124	6.5	14	7	-	-	-	The generalist: 124 base physical, 303 max standard attack rating (AR) with B Str on, 116 Sta (127 on heavy), 14 Str / 7 Dex. It ships with Kick, so there is no skill worth preserving and any Ash of War slots in free. Found on the upper floor of the Fortified Manor in Leyndell, right next to the Sanctified Whetblade, you can pick it up and change its affinity in the same room.
Stone Club		122	7	16	8	-	-	-	The stance-damage pick: highest Sta in the class on at 130 max standard, rising to 143 on max heavy, plus the class's joint-best guard boost at 36. C Str at +0, 16 Str / 8 Dex, 7.0 weight, the heaviest Hammer. 4% drop from Battlemages.
Curved Club		114	5	11	7	-	-	-	The only Hammer lists reaching S Strength scaling (max heavy, 239 attack rating (AR), 116 Sta), and it only asks 11 Str / 7 Dex, the cheapest route to top-grade Str scaling anywhere in these five classes. 114 base physical at 5.0 weight, and it ships with Barbaric Roar rather than a skill you would want to keep. 2% drop from Second-Generation Albinaurics.
Varré's Bouquet		46	2	8	16	-	-	24	C Arcane at +0 with 65 blood loss buildup at 2.0 weight, the lightest weapon in the class. But 46 base physical against the class's 126 ceiling, and has it at only 112 physical at max standard, it is a bleed proc and an off-hand, not a damage weapon. Requires 8 Str / 16 Dex / 24 Arc. Drops from White Mask Varre at the end of his questline.

Notes

• Class summary: Hammers deal powerful but slow attacks and are renowned for effectiveness against heavily armoured enemies as well as destroying shields and breaking guards. This is consensus framing, not a measured number.
• Patch 1.08: Hammer poise damage was reduced, but poise damage when attacking two-handed was increased, and two-handed Hammers now have identical hyperarmour to Halberds. Two-handing is the intended way to use the class post-patch.
• Patch 1.09: running attack speed increased and attack recovery time reduced.
• Sta at max standard: 84 Scepter of the All-Knowing, 94 Ringed Finger, 100 Varre's Bouquet, 102 Club, 106 Curved Club / Spiked Club / Envoy's Horn / Warpick, 112 Mace / Monk's Flamemace, 116 Hammer / Morning Star / Marika's Hammer / Nox Flowing Hammer / Flowerstone Gavel, 130 Stone Club.
• Heavy affinity trades attack rating (AR) for stance damage on this class: has Stone Club going 298 AR / 130 Sta on max standard to 257 AR / 143 Sta on max heavy, and Hammer going 303 / 116 to 261 / 127.

All Hammers

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Club		103 41	0 27	0 27	0 27	0 27	100 27	3.5	C 10	0	0	0	0	100	Barbaric Roar
Curved Club		114 45	0 30	0 30	0 30	0 30	100 30	5	D 11	E 7	0	0	0	100	Barbaric Roar
Envoy's Horn		96 38	0 26	0 26	0 26	62 38	100 28	4	D 10	D 12	0	D 16	0	100	Oracular Bubble
Flowerstone Gavel		121 49.0	0 33.0	0 33.0	0 33.0	0 33.0	100	6.0	D 14	D 8	0	0	D 15	0	Flower Dragonbolt
Hammer		124 51	0 34	0 34	0 34	0 34	100 36	6.5	D 14	D 7	0	0	0	100	Kick
Mace		115 45	0 30	0 30	0 30	0 30	100 30	4.5	D 12	D 7	0	0	0	100	Kick
Marika's Hammer		101 44	0 30	0 30	0 30	65 44	100 33	6	D 20	D 12	0	D 19	0	100	Gold Breaker
Monk's Flamemace		126 49	0 33	0 33	0 33	0 33	100 33	6	E 13	D 13	0	0	0	100	Kick
Morning Star		118 47	0 31	0 31	0 31	0 31	100 31	5	D 12	D 8	0	0	0	100	Kick
Nox Flowing Hammer		122 51	0 34	0 34	0 34	0 34	100 34	6.5	C 17	E 7	0	0	0	200	Flowing Form
Ringed Finger		121 38	0 26	0 26	0 26	0 26	100 28	4.5	D 15	D 9	0	0	0	500	Claw Flick
Scepter of the All-Knowing		99 36	64 36	0 25	0 25	0 25	100 27	4.5	E 12	D 18	D 21	0	0	100	Knowledge Above All
Spiked Club		114 45	0 30	0 30	0 30	0 30	100 30	5	D 12	D 7	0	0	0	100	Barbaric Roar
Stone Club		122 52	0 35	0 35	0 35	0 35	100 36	7	C 16	E 8	0	0	0	200	Kick
Varré's Bouquet		46 38	0 25	0 25	0 25	0 25	100 25	2	E 8	D 16	0	0	C 24	200	Blood Tax
Warpick		108 40	0 27	0 27	0 27	0 27	100 27	2.5	D 11	D 9	0	0	0	100	Kick