Elden Ring was developed by FromSoftware, the makers behind games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Several spells, weapons, and armor from Elden Ring are reminiscent of the earlier games, some have been carried over. One of the most well-known weapons must, of course, be the Moonlight Sword. However, the weapon has existed for much longer, for about 27 years. MeinMMO presents its long history.
Update, April 15: The article was published on February 6, prior to the release of Elden Ring, and has now been brought back to the site for Easter. Among other things, we will introduce you to the new sword in detail.
What genre is referred to? Here we are talking about the so-called “Soulslike” genre. Its origins lie in Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, which established a huge trend with similar games. These come from FromSoftware and serve as a foundation for numerous subsequent games.
However, these two now-celebrated classics are not the first steps that the studio took in this genre, which did not exist at the time. The Moonlight Sword is a witness from the early days and can be found in almost every game from FromSoftware to this day.
What kind of weapon is this? The Moonlight Sword is typically a great sword with a green, ornate blade and a golden hilt. Depending on the variant, it sometimes has a green, faint glow, or it is rather dark.
One thing that almost all versions have in common is: The weapon has magical properties, and most variations can utilize magical ranged attacks.
So far, the Moonlight Sword has made appearances in almost every game that FromSoftware has developed since 1994:
- King’s Field (1994 – 2001)
- Armored Core (1997 – Present)
- Otogi: Myth of Dragons (2002)
- Demon’s Souls & Demon’s Souls Remake
- Ninja Blade
- Dark Souls 1-3
- Bloodborne
- And now in 2022 in Elden Ring
Here you can see some different variants in the gallery:
In Ninja Blade and Otogi, the blade of the sword is transparent and slimmer than many other versions. In Bloodborne, it is a trick weapon, meaning it can take on two forms. In Dark Souls 3, the Moonlight Sword is not found as a proper weapon but rather as a spell.
In FromSoftware’s latest game, Sekiro, there is no proper Moonlight Sword, but the weapon of the dragon boss resembles its look and abilities. The dragon’s sword utilizes the same magical ranged attacks as most variations of the weapon.
The Moonlight Sword has made an appearance in almost every game that FromSoftware has developed since 1994:
Legendary Moonlight Sword symbolizes the beginnings of FromSoftware 27 years ago
Why does the sword play such a big role? The Moonlight Sword first appeared in King’s Field. This is the first game that FromSoftware released in 1994, about 27 years ago. The release was on December 16, 1994, two weeks after the launch of the first PlayStation.
King’s Field laid the foundation for what would later become Demon’s Souls as an underdog and later the Dark Souls franchise. With Dark Souls, an entire genre was ultimately established, which inspired numerous other games besides the FromSoftware titles.
An entire genre was born, often described as “Soulslike,” which many today consider to be one of their favorite genres in video games.
What exactly is King’s Field? It is an action RPG, like Dark Souls, with one major difference: It is played from the first-person perspective.
However, there are many parallels. It relies on a challenging real-time combat system, tells its story through exploration of the game world and reading descriptions. In King’s Field, you also fight with magic in addition to weapons and consume stamina with each attack and dodge.
The story revolves around the character Jean Alfred Forester, who is searching for his missing father. In the process, you learn about the background of the kingdom of Verdite. The kingdom suffered heavily from dark magic in the past and is full of dangers.
The game was initially only released in Japan and came to the West as a fan adaptation much later. Many of the elements we know today from Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Co. have their origins here. But what role did the Moonlight Sword play in King’s Field?
That’s why it’s so important: The Moonlight Sword played a central role in the story of the King’s Field games. In all installments, the player must find the sword to defeat the antagonist and restore peace. The description even mentions “Seath the White Dragon.” This dragon appears in the story of King’s Field.
Experienced Dark Souls players are likely to perk up at the mention of the name since Seath the Scaleless is one of the major bosses in Dark Souls 1. Due to this backstory, the Moonlight Sword is considered particularly important by fans, even though it isn’t necessarily among the most powerful swords in later games.
Here you can also watch some versions in gameplay:
Elden Ring also has its version – The Dark Moon Greatsword
This is what the new variant can do: In Elden Ring, the iconic weapon received a particularly powerful variant. This is the Dark Moon Greatsword. It is considered one of the legendary weapons.
How do you get it? (Spoiler warning)
You will receive the Dark Moon Greatsword as a reward from the Ranni quest. You can find all the information about it in our guide.
The sword relies mainly on the attribute Intelligence, and thus is again one of the weapons used in magic builds. It belongs to the greatsword category, which is also standard for the Moonlight Sword.
In our tier list of all weapons in Elden Ring, the weapon received an S-rating. This is because the weapon deals high physical and magical damage. But that’s not all.
Moreover, the weapon inflicts frost status, which brings an extra portion of damage. Additionally, the weapon art can create a buff that increases magic and frost damage.
When the weapon is in this buffed state, heavy attacks additionally fire frost spell projectiles that can deal high damage.
Thus, the sword is a package of physical damage, frost, and magic that can be used in both melee and ranged combat. While the weapon is somewhat predictable in PvP, it is one of the best options for magic builds in PvE.
RageGamingVideos demonstrates what potential the weapon has and how the buffs can be maximized:
A comparison is difficult, but FromSoftware probably created one of the strongest variants of the Moonlight Sword with this version. The new abilities and the additional frost effect make the weapon even more versatile.
For such an important weapon, it also seems fitting that the Moonlight Sword is at least powerful in Elden Ring. However, whether it is “cooler” than, for example, the transformable sword from Bloodborne is something each person must decide for themselves.
So what do you think of the story and the Moonlight Sword? What do you think of the latest version of the weapon? Do you perhaps even use it yourself?
By the way: We also use the Dark Moonlight Sword in our build: Elden Ring: The best mage build – Here’s how you build your own easy mode
