Elden Ring - Torches

A torch fills an off-hand utility slot rather than a stat commitment, serving as a light, a status applicator or an enemy-reveal tool, and only Lamenting Visage works as a true weapon.

Combat

Pros

• Damage comes with no investment. The base Torch needs 5 Strength and 5 Dexterity and weighs 1.5, for 54 physical and 97 fire at +0, rising to 132 and 237 at max Standard.
• Steel-Wire Torch reaches 149 physical and 267 fire at max Standard on just 10 Strength and 8 Dexterity, a higher combined attack rating than any whip, perfume bottle or throwing blade.
• Status effects worth building around each appear on a single torch: 65 frostbite on Ghostflame Torch, 72 sleep on St. Trina's Torch and 65 madness on Nanaya's Torch.
• Sentry's Torch reveals normally invisible enemies. It needs neither its stat requirements nor any upgrades for that to work, and it keeps working while slung on the back during two-handing.

Cons

• The ceiling is hard. Torches cannot be powerstanced, greased, buffed with spells or given new affinities, Ashes of War do not apply, and only the Torch, Beast-Repellent Torch and Ghostflame Torch can even have their skill removed.
• Torches cannot block in the off-hand at all, except Lamenting Visage, so the guard boost on every other torch (19 to 22, highest on Sentry's Torch) is a dead stat.
• The Lantern does the lighting job without taking up a hand slot.
• Despite its description, the Steel-Wire Torch's heated filament does not boost fire damage dealt.

Builds

Almost no torch wants stats.

• Requirements run from 5 Strength and 5 Dexterity (base Torch) up to 15 Strength and 15 Faith (Sentry's Torch), and none of them is worth buying for the torch itself.
• The single exception is Lamenting Visage, a pure Strength weapon with a 9 Strength requirement and B scaling that becomes A at +6, and the only torch worth leveling for.
• A character already invested in Faith gets a little from Sentry's Torch (D Strength, D Faith, holy damage), and one invested in Intelligence gets C Intelligence at max from the Ghostflame Torch.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Image	Attack	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Lamenting Visage		71	2	9	-	-	-	-	Lamenting Visage is the only torch that can block, which also opens up guard counters with the main-hand weapon, though its weak defenses make that an emergency option. It reaches 173 physical with A Strength at max upgrade. Blindfold of Happiness makes the wielder harder to detect, which is useful for sneaking through the Abyssal Woods.
Steel-Wire Torch		61 + 109 fire	3	10	8	-	-	-	Steel-Wire Torch is the damage torch, with 61 physical plus 109 fire at base and 149 plus 267 at max upgrade, the highest combined attack of any torch, along with C Dexterity scaling. Firebreather sprays a wide frontal arc of flame for 8 FP and leaves the ground burning, and the torch is available within the first few hours.
Sentry's Torch		56 + 100 holy	5	15	8	-	15	-	Sentry's Torch is the torch most players actually carry. It reveals invisible enemies even when stowed on the back and without meeting its stat requirements, and it exposes players wearing the Concealing Veil, which solves the invisible boss in Sage's Cave and the assassins in the Ordina Liturgical Town Evergaol. It is also the only holy torch, with 100 holy at base.
St. Trina's Torch		51 + 91 fire	3	10	10	-	14	-	St. Trina's Torch has the highest sleep buildup among torches at 72, and sleep is the most useful status a torch can apply. Fires of Slumber lays a carpet of purple flame for 15 FP that puts enemies to sleep across an area at once, so a whole group can be taken out of the fight together. It deals 51 physical plus 91 fire at base.
Ghostflame Torch		50 + 90 magic	2.5	10	10	14	-	-	Ghostflame Torch is the only torch that deals magic damage, 90 at base and 220 at max upgrade, along with 65 frostbite buildup, which makes it the frost and magic option for an Intelligence build. Its C Intelligence scaling at max upgrade gives a sorcerer a light source that still hits back in the dark tunnels where a torch is needed most.

Notes

• Blocking with Lamenting Visage enables guard counters with the main-hand weapon.
• Stamina and poise damage at max Standard is 120 on Sentry's Torch, 104 on Lamenting Visage, Ghostflame Torch, St. Trina's Torch and Steel-Wire Torch, 102 on Nanaya's Torch, 94 on Beast-Repellent Torch and 84 on the base Torch.
• Beast-Repellent Torch pacifies wild beasts and has the strongest Strength scaling of the fire torches, C at +0 rising to B at max.
• A torch held in the left hand can be raised to widen the light radius, which is the reason to carry one at all in the Abyssal Woods, catacombs and Nokron.

All Torches

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Beast-Repellent Torch		58 23	0 17	104 28	0 17	0 17	100 19	2.5	C 12	E 8	0	0	0	100	Torch Attack
Ghostflame Torch		50 21	90 42	0 13	0 13	0 13	100 19	2.5	E 10	E 10	D 14	0	0	100	Torch Attack
Lamenting Visage		71 29	0 17	0 17	0 17	0 17	100 20	2	B 9	0	0	0	0	500	Blindfold of Happiness
Nanaya's Torch		55 25	0 18	99 30	0 18	0 18	100 20	3.5	E 10	E 10	E 14	E 16	0	500	Feeble Lord's Flame
Sentry's Torch		56 30	0 21	0 21	0 21	100 36	100 22	5	D 15	E 8	0	D 15	0	200	Torch Attack
St. Trina's Torch		51 25	0 15	91 40	0 15	0 15	100 20	3	E 10	D 10	0	D 14	0	100	Fires of Slumber
Steel-Wire Torch		61 25.0	0 18.0	109 30.0	0 18.0	0 18.0	100 19	3	D 10	C 8	0	0	0	100	Firebreather
Torch		54 21.0	0 15.0	97 25.0	0 15.0	0 15.0	100 19	1.5	D 5	D 5	0	0	0	10	Torch Attack