Elden Ring Leontiel's Greatsword Guide

The Tarnished Edition DLC adds six new weapons to Elden Ring, but few have attracted as much attention as Leontiel's Greatsword. Combining a matador-inspired design with a unique dodge-and-counter stance, this Greatsword offers something that is still relatively rare in the Lands Between: strong Dexterity scaling paired with exceptional mobility.

Rather than simply adding another heavy sword with familiar attacks, Leontiel's Greatsword revolves around Muleta, its signature Ash of War. The skill allows you to bait attacks, dodge through incoming damage, and immediately answer with a powerful piercing strike.

For players who enjoy aggressive melee combat and precise timing, this weapon can be an excellent choice for both PvE exploration and challenging boss encounters.

In this guide, we'll cover Leontiel's Greatsword stats, requirements, scaling, Muleta, location, farming route, upgrade materials, recommended build, talismans, buffs, and combat strategies.

Leontiel's Greatsword Overview

Leontiel's Greatsword belongs to the Greatsword weapon class and deals Standard/Pierce physical damage. The Pierce component is particularly valuable because it opens up counterattack mechanics and makes certain talismans more effective.

Unlike many Greatswords that focus primarily on broad slashing attacks, this weapon rewards players who can control spacing and punish an enemy immediately after avoiding an attack.

The weapon is especially attractive for Dexterity-focused builds because its scaling becomes B in Dexterity at +10, while Strength remains at D scaling.

Leontiel's Greatsword Stats and Requirements

The minimum requirements are relatively manageable, making the weapon accessible considerably earlier than some specialized endgame weapons.

Attribute Requirements

The key requirement is Dexterity. A character with 26 Dexterity can equip the weapon, but you'll want considerably more Dexterity if your goal is to maximize its physical damage.

+10 Attack Power and Scaling

At maximum upgrade level, the Greatsword has the following reported offensive profile:

This is a straightforward physical-damage weapon. There is no innate elemental damage or passive status buildup to manage, allowing you to focus on physical attack power and counterattack bonuses.

Defense and Weight

At 9.5 weight, Leontiel's Greatsword isn't exceptionally heavy for its class. This gives Dexterity builds more flexibility when balancing armor, endurance, and equip load.

Muleta: Leontiel's Greatsword's Unique Ash of War

The weapon's real selling point isn't its base damage. It's Ash of War: Muleta.

Muleta functions as a stance-like skill built around evasion and retaliation. When activated, the Tarnished presents a red matador-style flag while performing a maneuver around the opponent. The movement provides roughly 20 frames of invulnerability, allowing you to avoid an incoming attack before immediately counterattacking.

The concept is simple: invite the attack, dodge it, then punish the opening.

How Muleta Works

The skill essentially consists of two stages:

1. Activate Muleta and enter the evasive stance.

2. Dodge around the opponent.

3. Follow up with either a light or heavy attack.

4. Use the piercing counterattack to capitalize on the enemy's recovery window.

The light and heavy follow-ups serve different purposes.

The heavy version is particularly powerful when you correctly time Muleta against a slow incoming attack.

Why Muleta Is So Powerful

Muleta gives Leontiel's Greatsword something that many Greatswords lack: built-in defensive utility without completely sacrificing offensive momentum.

The dodge portion lets you avoid an incoming attack, while the follow-up converts that successful dodge into damage.

The Pierce damage type also makes the weapon particularly interesting for counterattack-focused setups.

Several effects can further amplify its performance:

· Rellana's Cameo can substantially increase stance-skill damage after maintaining the stance.

· Shard of Alexander boosts Ash of War damage.

· Spear Talisman complements the weapon's piercing counterattacks.

· Stonebarb Cracked Tear improves stance-breaking potential.

· Charged Muleta attacks can generate significant poise damage.

This combination makes the weapon particularly effective against enemies that telegraph their attacks.

Where to Get Leontiel's Greatsword

Unlike many Tarnished Edition weapons that require extensive exploration, Leontiel's Greatsword can be obtained relatively early.

The weapon comes from an NPC invasion associated with Caelid's Redmane Castle.

Leontiel's Greatsword Location

Follow this general route:

1. Travel to Redmane Castle in Caelid.

2. Make your way toward the large arena area associated with Radahn's festival.

3. Explore the large pillars and surrounding arena section.

4. Trigger Leontiel's invasion.

5. Defeat Leontiel.

6. Collect the rewards after the encounter.

The encounter is worth completing even if you're primarily interested in fashion because the rewards reportedly include both the weapon and Leontiel's armor set.

Leontiel Invasion Rewards

The invasion itself isn't necessarily an easy fight. Leontiel uses evasive movement, which can make the encounter frustrating if you attempt to trade hits constantly.

A patient approach is generally more effective.

How to Defeat Leontiel

Leontiel's evasiveness is the primary challenge. Rather than chasing him around the arena and repeatedly swinging, wait for a clear attack opportunity.

High Vigor makes mistakes less punishing, while ranged attacks can provide another way to deal damage when the NPC refuses to stay within melee range.

A few practical approaches include:

· Let Leontiel commit to an attack before counterattacking.

· Avoid wasting stamina on long attack chains.

· Use ranged attacks when he repeatedly disengages.

· Maintain enough stamina for an emergency roll.

· Don't become overly aggressive after landing a single hit.

· Punish recovery animations rather than chasing his movement.

The fight itself is also useful preparation for using Muleta because both encounters reward patience and attack timing.

Leontiel's Greatsword Upgrade Path

The Greatsword uses Somber Smithing Stones, meaning it follows the special-weapon upgrade system rather than the standard Smithing Stone progression.

You'll need Somber Smithing Stones from the lower tiers through Somber Smithing Stone 9, followed by an Ancient Somber Smithing Stone for the final upgrade.

You don't necessarily need to rush directly to +10. Taking the weapon to around +6 can already give you a good opportunity to determine whether its moveset fits your playstyle.

Best Leontiel's Greatsword Build

Leontiel's Greatsword is primarily a Dexterity weapon, so your build should prioritize Dexterity while maintaining enough Vigor, Endurance, and Mind to support aggressive melee combat.

A level-150 setup can look like this:

Dexterity is the primary offensive investment. At higher character levels, pushing Dexterity toward 70 or beyond can be preferable before putting substantial additional points into Strength.

The Faith investment provides access to useful buffs such as Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength, while Mind gives you enough FP to use Muleta regularly.

Best Talismans

Talismans are where this setup can become significantly more powerful.

Shard of Alexander is one of the strongest general choices because Muleta is central to the build.

Rellana's Cameo is particularly interesting because Muleta naturally encourages you to maintain the stance before committing to its follow-up. According to the supplied build data, holding the stance for one second activates a 45% stance-skill damage increase, making timing especially important.

The Spear Talisman further reinforces the counterattack theme because Muleta's follow-up can deal Pierce damage.

Early-Game Talisman Alternatives

If you haven't obtained the endgame talismans yet, you can use:

· Warrior Jar Shard for additional skill damage.

· Godfrey Icon when building around charged attacks.

These alternatives allow the weapon to remain effective while you're still progressing toward the complete setup.

Best Physick Tears

The Wondrous Physick can further increase the weapon's burst potential.

Two particularly useful choices are:

Bloodsucking Cracked Tear

This increases damage substantially but continuously drains HP. It is therefore best suited to players who are confident in avoiding attacks and can finish encounters quickly.

Stonebarb Cracked Tear

Stonebarb is particularly well matched to Muleta because the build already emphasizes stance damage.

The increased stance-breaking potential can help you stagger powerful enemies after successfully landing charged Muleta attacks.

Recommended Buff Rotation

For maximum burst damage, use your buffs before committing to a major Muleta attack.

A typical sequence is:

1. Cast Golden Vow.

2. Keep an off-hand weapon available for Sacred Order, if using that setup.

3. Cast Flame, Grant Me Strength.

4. Activate your Wondrous Physick.

5. Approach the target and activate Muleta.

6. Maintain the stance long enough to trigger Rellana's Cameo.

7. Execute the appropriate follow-up.

Bloodboil Aromatic can also be considered when you want a stronger physical-damage-focused buff, although its trade-offs should be considered when choosing your overall setup.

One important detail: if you're relying on an off-hand Sacred Order buff, don't two-hand Leontiel's Greatsword immediately afterward, because doing so removes access to the off-hand weapon.

How to Play Leontiel's Greatsword

This weapon is strongest when you stop treating it like a conventional Greatsword. Instead of simply rolling backward and waiting for another opening, Muleta encourages you to stay engaged with the enemy.

Use Light Muleta Against Fast Enemies

Fast enemies can recover before the slower heavy follow-up connects. The light version provides a quicker attack and is therefore more reliable when the opening is short.

Save Heavy Muleta for Large Openings

Against slow attacks, the heavy follow-up becomes much more attractive.

Look for attacks with:

· Long wind-up animations

· Large recovery windows

· Predictable tracking

· Significant recovery after impact

These situations give you enough time to activate Muleta, dodge, and land the heavy counterattack.

Use Charged Attacks to Break Stance

When you have enough time, combine the heavy Muleta follow-up with Stonebarb Cracked Tear. The combination is particularly useful against bosses with large poise bars because the build isn't simply trying to maximize raw HP damage—it is also attempting to force stance breaks.

Recommended Armor

Armor is relatively flexible for this build. The priority should be maintaining a medium equip load so you retain reliable rolls while carrying a Greatsword and enough defensive equipment to survive mistakes.

The Rakshasa armor set is an aggressive option if you're comfortable trading defense for additional damage. According to the supplied setup, the complete approach can provide around 8% additional damage, while also causing you to take more damage.

For difficult bosses, however, simply wearing heavier armor may be more practical if it allows you to survive mistakes without exceeding the medium-load threshold.

Leontiel's Greatsword Build at a Glance

Players who are still building their characters can also prioritize useful Elden Ring Items while gathering the materials and equipment needed for this setup.

Conclusion: Master the Matador Playstyle

Leontiel's Greatsword stands out because it changes the rhythm of Greatsword combat. Instead of relying exclusively on rolls and conventional attack windows, Muleta lets you remain directly in the fight and turn an enemy's attack into your own opening.

With 60+ Dexterity, skill-enhancing talismans, Pierce-focused counterattacks, and stance-damage boosts, the weapon can deliver impressive burst damage while maintaining excellent mobility.

The key is timing. Use the light Muleta follow-up when you need speed, save the heavy version for predictable openings, and take advantage of charged attacks when you want to force a stance break.

For Tarnished who want a Greatsword that combines style, mobility, and high physical damage, Leontiel's Greatsword is one of the most interesting weapons to add to the arsenal.

The U4GM Team