How to Get a Crossbow in Elden Ring

When you think of ranged weaponry in swords and sorcery settings like the one Elden Ring is set in, you probably think primarily of bows and arrows, right? Indeed, Elden Ring has no shortage of bows, greatbows, and shortbows for your ranged combat needs, but perhaps you prefer something a smidge more modern? Something relatively lightweight that you can fire off with just one hand? Well then, it sounds like you’re in the market for a crossbow, and while there aren’t as many of those in the Lands Between as regular bows, you’ve still got some options. Here’s how to get a Crossbow in Elden Ring.

Unlike the three kinds of regular bows, which require both hands to operate, a crossbow can be used in just one hand, so you can still keep a melee weapon in your other hand just in case. If you use a crossbow with two hands, you can aim down the sights for additional accuracy. Crossbows also deal more damage on average, and there are different bolt types for different status effects and damage types just like arrows, so you have no shortage of options. 

Crossbows strike a good balance of attack strength versus weight and usability. The only downsides to crossbows are that you have to manually load bolts, they tend to be a bit harder to aim than bows, you can’t apply Ashes of War to them, and they have a shorter effective range. Crossbows are best suited to players who want an easy, no-frills option for ranged combat.

How to Get a Crossbow in Elden Ring

So where can you get yourself one of these mechanical marvels? There are a few different crossbows you can obtain in Elden Ring, but if you make a concentrated effort at it, the first one you’ll get will probably be the Soldier’s Crossbow. This is a basic crossbow used by the various Foot Soldiers stationed around Limgrave. Whenever you kill one, they’ll have a chance to drop it. Foot Soldiers with crossbows can spawn pretty much anywhere, but if you’d like a suggestion, try the cliffs over Saintsbridge. The Soldier’s Crossbow has an effective range of 42, a base damage of 54 Phys, and a Crit Damage of 100. You need 10 STR and 8 DEX to use it.

While the Soldier’s Crossbow is a good starting point, you can actually get one of the game’s better crossbows fairly early on. When you gain access to the Roundtable Hold, take the right door and go down the stairs past Hewg to find a Gargoyle Gate requiring one Stonesword Key. Crack that gate, and you’ll find a chest containing Crepus’s Black-Key Crossbow, plus a stack of Black-Key Bolts, which cause Scarlet Rot buildup. Crepus’s Black-Key Crossbow has an effective range of 47, a base damage of 68, and a critical damage of 100. You need 14 STR and 16 DEX to use it.