ELD.gg Whetblades Explained: Master Every Weapon Affinity in Elden Ring
Whetblades are unique items found throughout Elden Ring. Unlike typical upgrade materials, they don’t enhance your weapon’s base damage or improve its scaling directly. Instead, they expand your ability to modify weapons by changing their affinity—a system that determines how a weapon scales with Elden Ring Runes your stats (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, or Arcane) and, in some cases, what type of additional damage (Fire, Magic, Holy, etc.) it deals.
In practical terms, applying an affinity reshapes your weapon’s identity:
A Heavy affinity boosts Strength scaling, making your weapon hit harder as you invest in Strength.
A Keen affinity increases Dexterity scaling, favoring agile builds.
Other affinities, such as Flame Art or Magic, add elemental damage and scale with Intelligence or Faith.
With Whetblades, you unlock access to these affinities when applying Ashes of War at any Site of Grace. Without them, your options are limited. But with the right Whetblade in your possession, you can fine-tune your arsenal to fit your exact build and strategy.
How Weapon Affinities Work
Weapon affinities alter three key aspects of a weapon:
Stat Scaling: They dictate which character attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, Arcane) increase your weapon’s damage output.
Base Damage: Affinities often trade off raw physical damage for scaling bonuses or additional damage types.
Secondary Effects: Some affinities apply elemental effects (Fire, Magic, Lightning, Holy) or status buildup (Bleed, Poison, Frostbite).
For example, applying the Blood affinity to a weapon will:
Increase its Hemorrhage (Bleed) buildup, causing devastating blood loss damage when the gauge fills.
Modify its stat scaling, usually favoring Arcane for damage bonuses.
Each affinity can radically alter your weapon’s performance. The freedom to switch affinities thanks to Whetblades gives you the power to:
Adapt your weapon to your stat investment.
Tackle enemies with specific weaknesses.
Experiment with different builds on the fly.
Why Whetblades Are So Important
Without Whetblades, you’re restricted to default affinity options when applying Ashes of War. This limits your ability to customize your weapons, forcing you into certain playstyles or weapon choices that might not align with your preferred build.
Whetblades remove these limitations. By collecting all six Whetblades scattered across The Lands Between, you unlock every affinity option available for your weapons. Whether you’re experimenting with Elden Ring Items a Dexterity-Faith hybrid build or going all-in on Arcane status effects, Whetblades open the door to limitless possibilities.