Elden Ring: What's The Most Powerful Glintstone Staff?
Since it was released on February 25, FromSoftware's "Elden Ring" has already become one of the most popular video games of 2022, selling 12 million copies in its first two weeks (via Statista). As with previous games from designer Hidetaka Miyazaki, like "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice," "Bloodborne," and the "Dark Souls" trilogy," "Elden Ring's" game mechanics can be opaque and difficult to grasp for both new and veteran players. Hopefully, guides like this can help.
If you're going for a mage-style build, there are many available Glintstone Sorceries, (i.e. magic spells), that belong to different groups, but all of them require a Glintstone Staff to use. For players who choose the Astrologer starting class, the game provides an Astrologer's Staff that's adequate for much of the early- to mid-game, especially if it's upgraded with Smithing Stones. However, "Elden Ring" also has many more powerful Glintstone Staffs available.
Ultimately, the "most powerful" staff comes down to a choice between two options, depending on your playstyle. Both staffs require high levels of intelligence to use. Both staffs also require Somber Smithing Stones to upgrade them. While some Somber Smithing Stones can be found in the early parts of the game, most higher-level ones are found in regions like the Mountaintops of the Giants or the Consecrated Snowfield, which can only be reached later in the game.
Whichever staff you choose, expect to spend several hours of prep time building it up to its most powerful version.
Lusat's Glintstone Staff: more damage, but a higher FP cost
In terms of overall damage per shot, Lusat's Glintstone Staff offers the most firepower. It requires base attributes of 52 Intelligence and 10 Strength just to use it. Lusat's Glintstone Staff's standout attribute is its level scaling. "Level scaling" refers to the amount of damage a weapon does relative to its corresponding attribute. With Lusat's Glintstone Staff, the higher your intelligence, the higher the damage output. With an Intelligence of 80, Lusat's staff doles out a base level of 412 damage–more or less depending the level of upgrade you've unlocked for the staff, and the specific spell you're using.
That's the highest Intelligence scaling in the game, meaning it has the highest damage per shot. The drawback is, Lusat's Glinstone Staff uses 50% more FP –"Elden Ring's" name for mana. So, you'll be forced to refill your FP more frequently.
To get Lusat's Glintatone Staff, first you'll need to defeat the twin bosses, Nox Swordstress & Nox Priest. They're located in Sellia, Town of Sorcery, which is located in the Caelid region. The staff can be found inside a treasure chest within the Swordstress & Priest's chamber, but only after defeating them.
It's a difficult boss fight, but it's actually a bit easier to obtain Lusat's Glinstone Staff than it is to get the other most powerful staff in the game.
Carian Regal Scepter: less damage, but a lower FP cost
The other option for high-level magic-users is the Carian Regal Scepter. It requires a whopping 60 Intelligence to use, as well as 8 Strength and 10 Dexterity. It scales slightly worse with Intelligence than Lusat's Glinstone Staff, offering just 373 base damage at 80 Intelligence. However, the Regal Scepter does come with a more affordable FP cost per shot, which means more shots before having to refill the FP meter. In a tense boss fight where every second counts, this can mean the difference between life and death.
Unfortunately, acquiring the Carian Regal Scepter requires defeating two of the game's more difficult bosses, both of whom are found in the Academy of Raya Lucaria magic school. The first is the ultra-fast Red Wolf of Radagon. Defeating him unlocks the area for the final Raya Lucaria boss fight, against the ultra-powerful Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon.
Once you've defeated Rennala, collect her Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen's power and give it to Enia within Roundtable Hold. She'll give you the option to choose either the scepter, Rennala's Full Moon spell, or 20,000 Runes.
So, Lusat's Glintstone Staff offers more damage per shot, but the Carian Regal Scepter has a higher overall damage output relative to your FP. In the end, the choice comes down to personal preference.