Backhand Blades are a new class of weapon added in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. They are a small, fast twinned weapons which are used to rapidly strike foes at close range. There are currently 3 weapons within this class, the Backhand Blade, Smithscript Cirque and Curseblade Cirque.
You can obtain the Backhand Blade almost immediately after entering the Realm of Shadow but the others take a bit more work to find. These physical weapons primarily scale off of Dexterity but their secondary scaling stats include Strength, Intelligence and Faith. Backhand Blades are a powerful class of weapon, fully capable of taking down all the content Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree has to offer.
Because all 3 Backhand Blades strike rapidly they're excellent weapons to use when proccing statuses like Bleed or Frostbite. Generally these weapons are close range, but the Smithscript Cirque's heavy attacks involve throwing the weapon at your foes to deal damage from a medium distance. Don't worry, as a Smithscript weapon they promptly return after being thrown! The Blind Spot Ash of War from the Backhand Blade and Smithscript Cirque provides additional mobility and hits hard enough to interrupt many enemies. On the other hand, the Curseblade Cirque's Deadly Dance unleashes a flurry of blows on your enemies.
Backhand Blade
The Backhand Blade is a reverse-grip curved sword from Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. This Dexterity/Strength weapon is found shortly after you enter the DLC and comes with the Ash of War Blind Spot. The combination of rapid blows and mobility offered by the Backhand Blade makes it exceptionally formidable in both PVP and PVE.
Backhand Blade Location
As soon as you enter the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC you can easily obtain the Backhand Blade. Find your weapon near a Mausoleum guarded by several Inquisitors. You don't need to defeat any enemies to collect the weapon as it's on the ground, directly in front of the coffin.
- Start from the Scorched Ruins Site of Grace.
- Look almost due north to find a Mausoleum in the distance, head there.
- You find the Backhand Blade on the ground in front of the Mausoleum coffin.
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Backhand Blade Scaling
The Backhand Blade is a Slash/Pierce weapon with 257 base physical damage at +25. It requires 10 Str and 13 Dex meaning the damage scales more heavily off of Dex than Str when enhanced despite both ending up at C rank.
This is a regular weapon so it can be infused to change the element or use a different Ash of War. However, the default Ash of War Blind Spot is incredibly powerful! Hit L2 to dash to the side and strike at your foe. This not only hits hard enough to interrupt or stagger many enemies but also gives you a secondary means to avoid incoming attacks.
These weapons scale well with Quality, if you have very high Dex and Str, or Keen if you have high Dex but low Str. For example, +25 Keen Backhand Blade has 220 base damage, D rank Str scaling and S rank Dex scaling. Backhand Blades reach B rank Faith or Intelligence scaling making them an excellent choice for Elemental infusions as well.
Your light attack is a series of flowing strikes which effortlessly blend into each other. On the other hand, your heavy attack is a short charge before striking with the blade. The jump attack results in you slamming the blade directly down on your enemy. When two-handing the Backhand Blade you instead dual wield them, leading to a similar move set executed with both hands. Two-handing is much more stamina intensive but frighteningly effective at proccing Statuses.
Tenkiei's Experience
After starting Shadow of the Erdtree the Backhand Blade rapidly became one of my favorite weapons. My Bloody Backhand Blade cut a path of destruction through the Realm of Shadows, took down Messmer and even dispatched the Godskin Duo (in a single try no less!) So why the blood infusion? Mostly because I'm too lazy to cast Bloodflame Blade constantly and too bad to do it while avoiding attacks from the hyper-aggressive bosses found in the DLC. Blood infusion gives the weapon an innate blood loss buildup which scales incredibly well with your Arcane Stat. Furthermore, it changes the scaling to Str C, Dex B, and Arc D in exchange for slightly lowering the base damage.
Dual wielding Backhand Blades means I hit twice with every attack so my goal is to get enough Arcane (~40) to trigger blood loss after 4 hits. Pair this with a Spirit Ash like Black Knife Tiche or Mimic Tear (who of course also uses Bloody Backhand Blades) and bosses absolutely melt, sometimes skipping entire phases. I've been using the Lord of Blood's Exultation for extra damage and Two-Headed Turtle Talisman for Stamina restoration.
The Blind Spot Ash of War has been extremely helpful against bosses and regular enemies alike. It allows me to interurpt attacks or quickly reposition, such as to get around the Greatshields held by many of Messmer's Knights. I've also used it a lot in boss fights, dashing to the side to avoid a strike I was a bit too slow (or truthfully, a bit too greedy) to dodge. Blind Spot isn't perfect, there's definitely a few times I accidentally hurled myself off a cliff with it but on the whole, it's a great Ash of War.
Smithscript Cirque
The Smithscript Cirque is a chakram like weapon with a combination of melee and throwing attacks obtained in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. This Dexterity/Strength/Intelligence/Faith weapon is found in the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past and comes with the Ash of War Blind Spot.
Smithscript Cirque Location
The Smithscript Cirque is a Backhand Blade located in the side dungeon, Ruined Forge of Starfall Past. This area contains several Smithscript weapons so after you obtain the Cirque spend a bit of extra time looking around. Be prepared to kill some Misbegotten and Lava Slimes.
- Start by entering the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past in the fields to the southeast of Castle Ensis.
- Use Levers to open the large doors and access later portions of the dungeon. You need to open 2 doors to enter the room where the Smithscript Cirque is located.
- Several Misbegotten and Lava Slimes block your way, dispatch them.
- The dungeon also contains damage resistant Golems, we recommend you run past these without fighting them.
- Walk down the corridor then turn right to find yourself at the entrance of a room with 2 Golems, some corpses and a waterfall.
- The Smithscript Cirque is on the corpse by the waterfall, grab it and run away, die or fight your way out.
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Smithscript Cirque Scaling
The Smithscript Cirque is a Slash weapon with 245 base physical damage at +25. It requires 9 Str, 14 Dex, 11 Int and 11 Fai meaning the damage scales more heavily off of Dex than any other stat.
This is a regular weapon so it can be infused to change the element or use a different Ash of War. However, the default Ash of War Blind Spot is incredibly powerful! Hit L2 to dash to the side and strike at your foe. This not only hits hard enough to interrupt or stagger many enemies but also gives you a secondary means to avoid incoming attacks.
These weapons scale well with Quality, if you have very high Dex and Str, or Keen if you have high Dex but low Str. A +25 Keen Smithscript Cirque has 198 base damage, D rank Str scaling and S rank Dex scaling. Smithscript Cirques reach B rank Faith or Intelligence scaling making them an excellent choice for Elemental infusions as well.
The light attack is a series of rapid slashes which deal damage at very close range. If you need to strike from a medium distance, instead use the heavy attack with R2. This throws a seeking version of the Smithscript Cirque at nearby enemies. The jump attack is also a throwing attack and can be boosted by the Smithing Talisman. When two-handing the Smithscript Cirque you instead dual wield them, leading to a similar move set executed with both hands. This weapon is quite efficient with its Stamina use even when wielded with two hands.
Curseblade Cirque
The Curseblade Cirque is a chakram like weapon built to execute a series of rapid slashes and obtained in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. This Dexterity/Strength weapon is found in by killing Curseblade enemies through the Realm of Shadow and comes with the Ash of War Deadly Dance.
Curseblade Cirque Location
Farm the Curseblade Cirque backhand blade by killing Curseblade enemies throughout the Realm of Shadow. Luckily, one of these Curseblades spawns to the northeast of the Gravesite Plain Site of Grace. You can quickly run to it, kill it and then jump back to the Site of Grace to reset the fight. Curseblades drop the Ascetics set and their signature weapon, the Curseblade Cirque. To maximize your chances of getting the drop use Talismans which boost your arcane or pop temporary drop increasing buffs like a Silver Horn Tender.
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Curseblade Cirque Scaling
The Curseblade Cirque is a Slash weapon with 264 base physical damage at +10. It requires 9 Str, 22 Dex meaning the damage scales more heavily off of Dex than any other stat. The weapon has a natural blood loss buildup of 45 but no innate Arcane scaling which makes it difficult to reliably proc the blood loss.
This is a Somber weapon so it cannot be infused with a different Ash of War. The Ash of War it comes with is Deadly Dance. Press L2 to execute a rapid series of strikes. At the end of the attack sequence press L2 again to jump into the air executing a vicious downward kick to finish off your unfortunate foe. The full combo is quite FP intensive costing a total of 23 but deals significant damage and has a high chance to interrupt or poise break the target.
The light attack is a series of rapid slashes identical to that of the Smithscript Cirque. Your heavy attack is a short range dash into a slashing strike similar to the Backhand Blade. The jump attack involves leaping in the air and then slashing in a diagonal line (or X pattern when dual wielding). When two-handing the Curseblade Cirque you instead dual wield them, leading to a similar move set executed with both hands. This weapon is quite efficient with its Stamina use even when wielded with two hands.
Video
Learn where to find all 3 backhand blades with some of Tenkiei's experiences using them through this video.
Summary
The Backhand Blades is a new weapon class in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, there are currently 3 weapons in this class. These Dexterity weapons strike rapidly and scale well with your stats with some of them achieving S rank scaling through the Keen infusion.
- Find the Backhand Blade near a Mausoleum shortly after entering the Realm of Shadow.
- Explore the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past to find the Smithscript Cirque.
- Farm Curseblade enemies throughout the Realm of Shadow to obtain the Curseblade Cirque.
Written by: Tenkiei
Reviewed by: Brozime, Dredscythe
