How to Acquire the Splitleaf Greatsword in Dark Souls 3: A Complete Guide

Greatswords: Big Blades, Bigger Problems (For Your Enemies, Not You)

Greatswords, huh? Great choice. When it comes to destroying foes, a large blade stands out. Nothing else screams dominance like a massive blade. Let’s explore greatswords, especially in Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Get ready to dive into colossal weaponry.

Acquiring the Splitleaf Greatsword: A Dark Souls 3 Starter Pack

First up is Dark Souls 3’s Splitleaf Greatsword. It’s not just laying around. You must earn it. Visit the Ringed City DLC. Think of it as a vacation, filled with peril and dread.

• Stone-humped Hag: Head to the Stone-humped Hag near the Dreg Heap bonfire. She’s more a weapons dealer than a hag. Pay her some souls. The sword is yours.
• Shrine Handmaiden (Post-Hag): Missed her? No worries. Get the Old Woman’s Ashes from her and give them to the Shrine Handmaiden in Firelink Shrine. She’ll have the sword too. Convenience at a price!
• DLC Requirement: Remember, the Ringed City DLC is essential. Without it, no Splitleaf.

A Greatsword Compendium: From Guts to Gods

Greatswords vary widely. FromSoftware games have a vast collection. Let’s look at some notable ones and where to find them.

• Greatsword (Guts Greatsword): In Elden Ring, do you want to be Guts from Berserk? Grab the Greatsword, often called the “Guts Greatsword” by fans. Find it in a coffin carriage in Caelid, near the Rotview Balcony. Big sword, big impact.
• Claymore: Many say it’s the best greatsword in Dark Souls 3. It’s a classic weapon for a reason. Find one early in Irithyll by defeating enemies wielding it. Balanced, versatile and lightweight.
• Royal Greatsword: Elden Ring’s Royal Greatsword requires dedication. Finish Ranni’s questline and defeat Blaidd at Ranni’s Rise in Moonlight Altar. It’s a reward for commitment.
• Golden Order Greatsword: In Elden Ring, find the Golden Order Greatsword in the Cave of the Forlorn. Defeat the Misbegotten Crusader boss to claim it. Secret spot, serious blade.
• Gargoyle’s Greatsword: Defeat the Valiant Gargoyle Duo boss fight northeast of Nokron in Elden Ring. Winning grants you the Gargoyle’s Greatsword. Two gargoyles for one sword? Fair trade.
• Darkmoon Greatsword & Moonlight Greatsword: Confusing names but both are awesome. For Darkmoon Greatsword (Elden Ring) or Moonlight Greatsword (Dark Souls 3), go to the Cathedral of Manus Celes in the Moonlight Altar. Ranni will leave it for you.
• Trinity Greatsword: From outside FromSoftware, Salt and Sanctuary’s Trinity Greatsword is a divine blade. Transmute any Greatsword with materials like The Forgotten Knight’s Ear and 100,000 salt.
• Blasphemous Blade: Defeat Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy in Elden Ring. Trade his Remembrance with Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold for the Blasphemous Blade.
• Lothric Knight Greatsword: Farm this in Dark Souls 3 from Lothric Knights or buy it from Greirat after his thieving run. Support your local (virtual) thief!
• Abyss Greatsword: Dark Souls 1 fans, remember this? Ascend any +10 standard greatsword at the Giant Blacksmith with Soul of Artorias and 5,000 souls. Unique blade via soul-smithing.
• Godslayer Greatsword: Find the Godslayer Greatsword at the bottom of the Divine Tower of Caelid in a chest guarded by the Godskin Apostle. Godslaying is optional but recommended.
• BlueMoon Greatsword: Dark Souls 2 has two paths: complete Benhart of Jugo’s quest or kill him. The latter costs sin, but sometimes you just want a sword.
• Ludwig’s Holy Blade: In Bloodborne, this requires some work. Defeat the Blood-Starved Beast, then find the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge in the Healing Church Workshop.

Greatsword Face-Offs: When Size (and Stats) Matter

Gamers love comparing greatswords. Let’s pit a couple against each other.

• Greatsword vs. Giant-Crusher: In Elden Ring, the Giant-Crusher hits harder than the Greatsword. However, it’s slower and less stylish. It resembles “a cinderblock attached to a pipe.” If you’re about pure damage, choose Giant-Crusher. Prefer speed? Go for the Greatsword.
• Claymore vs. Zweihander: A Dark Souls 3 duel! The Claymore is versatile and beloved. The Zweihander requires more commitment – slower but better range and poise break. Choose nimble Claymore or brute Zweihander?

Zweihander: A History Lesson in Heavy Metal

Zweihanders have real historical significance. “Zweihänder,” “Schlachtschwert,” “Spadone,” and more refer to massive two-handed swords, usually 5 to 7 feet long. They were European sword giants from 1500–1600. Imagine carrying that.

Infusion Confusion: Powering Up Your Steel

Infusion adjusts your weapon’s stats. What about the Splitleaf Greatsword? The details don’t specify the best, but it’s a popular question. Elden Ring’s Uchigatana appears often, as it’s versatile for many infusions. Some greatswords aren’t infusible, like Dark Souls 3’s Executioner’s Greatsword.

• Dark Infusion: Adds Dark damage and scales with Intelligence and Faith. Reduces base physical damage but maintains scaling. Good for hybrid builds, bad for pure strength.
• Raw Infusion: Boosts base damage but removes Strength and Dexterity scaling. Great early on but less effective later.

Dark Souls 3 Weapon Wonders (and Oddities)

Explore more Dark Souls 3 weapon trivia.

• Frayed Blade: A soul-transposed katana from the Ringed City DLC, symbolizes Darkeater Midir. Once exquisite, now a black-stained blade.
• Great Club: Considered one of DS3’s best weapons due to reach and buffability. Simple blunt force often works best.
• Lothric Knight Sword: Many call it one of DS3’s best weapons overall. Balanced scaling, high damage, fast attacks, and good critical damage.
• Dragon King Greataxe: Potentially highest single-hit damage weapon in DS3 with 500 combined physical and lightning attack.
• Onyx Blade: Claims longest range of any greatsword in DS3. Range advantage always helps.
• Warden Twinblades: Farmable from Grave Wardens in Cathedral of the Deep or Untended Graves. Great bleed weapons post-nerfs.
• Drakeblood Greatsword: Unique with innate Magic and Lightning damage and buffable or infusable.
• Cursed Greatsword of Artorias: Born from Sif’s soul. Can damage ghosts due to a curse.
• Ringed Knight Straight Sword: The longest straight sword found in the Ringed City DLC.
• Exile Greatsword & Zweihander: Top two-handed weapon contenders for raw power or versatility.

Weapon Miscellany: Random

Facts and Curious Queries

Here are some quick weapon-related facts!

• Godslayer Greatsword: Yes, it’s legendary. Mentioned before, worth repeating.
• Thor’s Armor & Weapon: Some games need Thor’s armor to use his weapons. Fashion and function.
• Guts’ Sword Name: It’s the “Dragon Slayer.” Simple and terrifying.
• Guts’ Sword Type: Zweihander. No surprise there.
• Grafted Greatsword Ability: “Oath of Vengeance” boosts durability, HP, and Equip Load. Great for early-game.
• Galleus’ Royal Order’s Great Sword: Reward in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak for completing Admiral Galleus’ questline post MR 5 “Witness by Moonlight.” Crossover!
• Cleanrot Spear: Dropped by Cleanrot Knights near Commander O’Neil in the Swamp of Aeonia (Elden Ring). Spear trivia!
• Royal Claymore: Not rare in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom; sensor upgrade helps find it.
• Flamberge: Another name for greatsword in Dark Souls. Nomenclature fun.
• Drake Sword vs. Zweihander: Zweihander is better for Strength builds due to scaling. Drake Sword is good early but falls off.
• Radagon’s Weakness (Elden Ring): Strike and fire damage. Use those weaknesses!
• Best Greatsword for STR Build (Elden Ring): Debatable, Greatsword or Banished Knight’s Greatsword are favored. Damage is important.
• Warden Sword Rarity: Rare in some contexts, not in others. Game dependent.
• Warden Drops (Minecraft): Sculk catalyst and XP. Minecraft crossover!
• MoHG Weakness (Elden Ring): Blood loss, physical damage, and gravity magic. Gravity magic is fun.
• Best Weapon for Malenia (Elden Ring): Ordovis Greatsword for “cheesing.” Sometimes, cheese is the answer.
• Best Curved Sword (Elden Ring): Scavenger’s Curved Sword, especially for bleed builds. Dual-wield for slicing.
• Moonveil Katana Boss Drop (Elden Ring): Magma Wyrm. Katana appreciation moment.
• Flaming Sword Wielder (Mythology): Archangel Uriel, Dumah in some tales. Angels and flaming swords are classic.
• Hardest Boss (Elden Ring): Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Aggressive and deals high damage, known for Waterfowl Dance attack.
• Radagon Fight Level (Elden Ring): Level 60-80 is a good start. Leveling up helps.
• Best Gem for Lothric Sword (DS3): Lightning Gem for Faith builds, S scaling with Faith. Faith-based action.
• Quality vs. Heavy Infusion: Quality is good at high STR and DEX. Heavy or Keen is usually better below that.
• Hardest Weapon Type (Elden Ring): Colossal weapons. Slow and demanding, powerful when they hit.
• Most Critical Weapon (Elden Ring): Miséricorde. Dagger for crits? Yes.
• Dual-Wield Greatswords (Elden Ring): Yes! Endurance is key. Full Banished Knight for style points.
• Infuse Rapier?: Yes, elemental infusion with spell buff is strong. Rapier love.

Dark Souls 3 Deep Dive: More Game Facts

Quick facts for Dark Souls 3 fans.

• Dark Souls 3 Length: 34-35 hours for main story, 90-95 for 100% completion. Time spent in misery and triumph.
• Accessing Ringed City: Bonfire after Soul of Cinder, turn around for a new bonfire. A portal to pain and loot.
• Soul of Cinder & NG+: Defeating Soul of Cinder allows NG+. Ready for round two?
• Sister Friede Weakness: Sacred Flame pyromancy and poison. Fire and poison are classic weaknesses.
• Demon Prince Optional?: No for base game, yes for Ringed City DLC access. DLC bosses rarely optional.
• Lothric Knight Armor Good?: Yes. Good poise, bleed resistance, decent effect tolerance. Fashionable and functional.
• Pus of Man (DS3): Hollows corrupted by the Abyss. Nasty creatures exist.
• Farm Dark Gem: High Wall of Lothric, dropped by Pus of Man. Farm early, infuse later.
• Most Overpowered Weapon (DS3): Debatable, but contenders include Lothric Knight Sword, Crystal Sage’s Rapier, Millwood Greatbow. Check rankings!
• Shortest Dark Souls Game: Dark Souls 3. “Shortest” is still relative.
• Dark Souls 4 Coming?: Maybe Fall 2026? Hope springs eternal amid rumors.
• Lothric Weakness: Lightning, frost, magic. Resistant to dark, immune to poison/toxic. Exploit elemental vulnerabilities.

Historical & Mythical Blades: Real-World Inspiration

Greatswords draw from reality and legend.

• Greatsword Inspiration: Long swords from the Middle Ages. History inspires games.
• Guts’ Sword Name (Again!): Dragon Slayer. In case you forgot.
• Guts’ Sword Type (Again!): Zweihander. Double reminder for clarity.
• Guts’ Sword Weight: Enormous. In the manga/anime, it’s a beast.
• Skull Knight’s Name for Guts: “Struggler.” It fits well.
• World’s Largest Greatsword: Groot Pierre sword. Wielded by a giant in 16th century Netherlands.
• King Arthur’s Sword Location: Welsh lakes in Snowdonia National Park (legend). A tourism opportunity?
• Excalibur Sword Age: “Excalibur” in Spain is over 1,000 years old. Real swords inspire myths and games.
• Heaviest Sword Ever Made: Russian Damascus steel sword, 33 kg (73 lbs). Pure heft indeed.
• Royal Claymore Rarity (Zelda): Not too rare; sensor helps find it. Zelda-verse acknowledgment.
• Guts’ Race: Human. Just in case you wondered.
• Cypher’s Sword (Warhammer 40k): Lion Sword. For fans of the 40k universe.
• Sword that Killed King Arthur: Clarent Sword (in legend), used by Mordred. Betrayal by blade.
• Zweihander Cost (Real World): $500 – $2000 for a decent one. Real steel costs money.
• Black Knight Respawn (DS1): Generally no respawn, except in Kiln of the First Flame. Elite enemies are limited.
• Odin’s Spear Retrieval: Yes, return to the cave after the main story for it. Missable loot.
• Spear of Leonidas (Full Spear): From Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Isle of Skye questline. Crossover spears too!

Miscellaneous Greatsword Musings: Just Because

Final thoughts here.

• Raw Gem Effect (Again!): Boosts base damage, removes scaling. Repeating for emphasis, or we love Raw Gems.
• Godslayer Greatsword (Legendary, Yes!): Still legendary. Worth saying again for clarity.
• Zweihander Translation: “Two-hander” in English. Evolution of language!
• D’s Brother’s Weapon (Elden Ring): Inseparable Sword. Reward for D’s questline.
• Pulling King Arthur’s Sword: Proves you’re the rightful king. Sword-based monarchy.

Now you know a lot about greatswords, from pixels to (sort of) real steel. Choose your blade wisely, and may your swings be powerful!