From the moment you step into the Shadow Realm, the Backhand Blade feels like a statement weapon. It’s fast, aggressive, and unapologetically designed for players who live on perfect timing, spacing, and relentless pressure. This isn’t a comfort pick or a safety net—it’s a blade that rewards confidence and punishes hesitation, which is exactly why it’s become one of the most talked-about early weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree.
The Backhand Blade sits in a unique space between traditional curved swords and fist-style weapons. Its animations are tight, its recovery frames are short, and its damage output ramps up quickly in the hands of anyone who understands Elden Ring’s stamina economy. If you like weaving in and out of enemy hitboxes while staying glued to your target, this weapon was built for you.
Weapon Type, Moveset, and Combat Identity
The Backhand Blade is a Dexterity-focused light blade that emphasizes rapid multi-hit strings and off-angle slashes. Its light attacks come out extremely fast, chaining into each other with minimal downtime, while its heavy attacks favor sudden forward movement that can clip enemies trying to backstep or strafe. This makes it especially lethal against humanoid enemies and NPC invaders who rely on reaction-based dodging.
What really sets the Backhand Blade apart is how well it maintains pressure after a dodge. The attack animations naturally reposition your character, letting you stay inside an enemy’s threat range without eating unnecessary counter-hits. In practical terms, it excels at forcing panic rolls and capitalizing on low poise targets.
Scaling, Builds, and Why It’s Meta-Relevant
The Backhand Blade primarily scales with Dexterity, with secondary scaling that benefits certain hybrid setups depending on infusion. It shines early and mid-game in Shadow of the Erdtree because it doesn’t demand heavy stat investment to feel strong. Even at modest upgrade levels, its DPS remains competitive thanks to speed and consistency rather than raw damage numbers.
For players running Dex-focused builds, bleed setups, or status-heavy loadouts, the Backhand Blade slots in effortlessly. Its attack speed procs status effects quickly, and its low stamina cost allows extended aggression without leaving you vulnerable. In PvE, it melts standard enemies, and in PvP-style encounters, it thrives on conditioning opponents into bad defensive habits.
How and Where You Get the Backhand Blade
You can obtain the Backhand Blade very early in Shadow of the Erdtree, making it an immediate power spike if you know where to look. It’s found in the Gravesite Plain region, not far from your initial entry point into the DLC, inside a small ruined structure guarded by aggressive Shadow Realm humanoid enemies. These enemies are fast and hit harder than they look, but they’re vulnerable to stagger and backstab setups.
No major boss progression is required to claim the weapon, which is why it’s such a big deal for early builds. Clear the enemies carefully, loot the corpse inside the ruin, and the Backhand Blade is yours. Grabbing it early lets you shape your entire Shadow of the Erdtree run around speed, pressure, and surgical combat instead of brute force.
Prerequisites: Required DLC Access, Progression, and Recommended Level
Before you sprint straight to the ruin and scoop up the Backhand Blade, there are a few non-negotiable boxes you need checked. Shadow of the Erdtree doesn’t hand out its best tools for free, but this weapon sits on the generous end of FromSoftware’s DLC curve. If you’ve unlocked the DLC properly, you’re already most of the way there.
Required DLC Access
First and foremost, you must own and have Shadow of the Erdtree installed and accessible from your save file. Entry into the DLC still hinges on base-game progression, meaning you need to have defeated Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. Without clearing Mohg and interacting with Miquella’s cocoon at Mohgwyn Palace, the DLC simply won’t trigger.
Once inside Shadow of the Erdtree, the Backhand Blade is located in Gravesite Plain, the very first open region you’ll explore. There’s no hidden trigger, NPC questline, or RNG drop involved. If you can freely explore Gravesite Plain, the weapon is already within reach.
Progression Requirements and Enemy Threats
The good news is that no major Shadow of the Erdtree bosses are required to obtain the Backhand Blade. You don’t need to clear legacy dungeons, unlock shortcuts, or push the main DLC narrative forward. This makes it one of the earliest and most reliable power spikes available.
That said, don’t confuse early access with low danger. The Shadow Realm humanoid enemies guarding the ruined structure are fast, aggressive, and tuned for DLC-level damage. They punish panic rolls, chain attacks aggressively, and can delete under-prepared builds in seconds if you pull too much aggro.
To secure the weapon cleanly, isolate enemies one at a time and abuse stealth where possible. Backstabs, jump attacks, and quick staggers are far safer than trading hits. If you rush in like it’s Limgrave, you’re going to get flattened.
Recommended Level and Build Preparation
While it’s technically possible to grab the Backhand Blade at lower levels, a Rune Level of 120 to 150 is the realistic sweet spot. This gives you enough Vigor to survive mistakes and enough stamina to deal with multiple fast enemies without getting caught mid-animation. Players entering the DLC at the minimum threshold will feel the difficulty spike immediately.
Light to medium equip load is strongly recommended. The enemies here demand clean I-frame usage and fast recovery, not shield turtling or heavy trades. If you’re already running a Dexterity or status-focused build, you’ll feel right at home, and the Backhand Blade will slot in seamlessly the moment you pick it up.
If your goal is efficiency, grab the weapon early, then build around it. Shadow of the Erdtree rewards adaptability, and few early weapons give you as much control over tempo and positioning as the Backhand Blade does right out of the gate.
Exact Location: Where to Find the Backhand Blade in the Land of Shadow
Once you’re properly prepped, it’s time to make a clean, efficient run for the Backhand Blade. The weapon sits in the open world of the Land of Shadow, not behind a fog wall or locked dungeon, which makes precise navigation far more important than raw combat power.
Starting Point: Gravesite Plain
From the moment you enter the DLC, you’ll find yourself in Gravesite Plain, the first major explorable zone of the Land of Shadow. This area acts as the DLC’s equivalent to Limgrave, but don’t let the wide sightlines fool you. Enemy density and aggression are tuned high, especially around points of interest.
Activate nearby Sites of Grace as you explore. You’ll want a safe respawn point before pushing toward the weapon’s location, as mistakes here can spiral fast.
Path to the Ruined Structure
From Gravesite Plain, head toward the crumbling stone ruins situated along the lower elevation paths, away from major roadways and patrol routes. The Backhand Blade is not hidden underground or behind an illusory wall. It’s located inside a partially collapsed ruin that’s clearly visible once you approach from the correct angle.
Stick to the outer edges of the terrain rather than cutting straight through open fields. This minimizes enemy aggro and lets you control encounters instead of being swarmed. If you’re crouch-walking and using line-of-sight, you can reach the structure with minimal combat.
Enemy Layout and Threat Assessment
Several Shadow Realm humanoid enemies guard the ruins, typically positioned to punish careless approaches. Expect fast melee pressure, delayed attack timings, and aggressive pursuit if they detect you. Pulling more than one at a time is where most players get wiped.
Use throwing knives, bows, or spells to lure enemies away from the structure one by one. If you’re confident in your timing, jump attacks and quick staggers will end fights fast, but overcommitting is a common mistake here.
Looting the Backhand Blade
Inside the ruined structure, the Backhand Blade is found as a guaranteed world pickup. There’s no chest puzzle, no ambush trigger, and no miniboss tied to the item itself. Once the surrounding enemies are cleared or safely avoided, you can loot it immediately.
The moment you pick it up, you can fast travel out if things start to go south. There’s no penalty for grabbing the weapon and disengaging, which makes this one of the safest high-impact weapons to acquire early in Shadow of the Erdtree.
If you’re efficient and deliberate, the entire run can be done in minutes. That’s a rare luxury in a DLC designed to punish impatience, and it’s exactly why the Backhand Blade is such a strong early pickup for players who know where to look.
Step-by-Step Route: How to Reach the Backhand Blade Safely and Efficiently
This route assumes you’ve already entered the Shadow Realm and gained access to the Gravesite Plain. You do not need to defeat a legacy dungeon boss or push deep into the DLC’s hardest zones to secure the Backhand Blade. With disciplined movement and smart aggro control, this is a low-risk, high-reward detour.
Starting Point: Gravesite Plain Approach
Begin from the Gravesite Plain Site of Grace and orient yourself away from the main roadways and obvious enemy formations. The goal is to stay along lower elevation terrain where sightlines are broken by rocks and debris. This naturally limits how many enemies can detect you at once.
Avoid sprinting unless you’re repositioning between cover. Sprinting here often pulls ranged aggro from enemies you never intended to fight, which can quickly spiral into a stamina-draining chase.
Navigating to the Ruined Structure
From the plain, angle toward the partially collapsed stone ruins nestled off the main path. The structure looks insignificant at first glance, which is why many players ride past it without realizing a powerful weapon is sitting in plain sight. You’ll know you’re in the right place when the terrain tightens and visibility drops.
Hug the outer edges of the ruins instead of entering head-on. This lets you isolate threats and prevents enemies from flanking you through broken walls or rubble gaps.
Managing Enemy Pressure Around the Ruins
Expect several Shadow Realm humanoids positioned to punish reckless movement. Their attack patterns favor delayed swings and quick follow-ups, making panic rolls especially dangerous. Fighting more than one at a time is the fastest way to lose control of the encounter.
Use throwing knives, bone darts, or light spells to pull enemies one by one. If you’re melee-focused, jump attacks and quick weapon skills can stagger them before they fully commit, but disengage immediately if a second enemy starts to path toward you.
Securing the Backhand Blade
The Backhand Blade itself is a guaranteed world pickup inside the ruined structure. There is no chest trigger, no illusionary wall, and no ambush tied to grabbing it. Once you step inside and interact with the item, it’s yours.
After looting the weapon, you’re free to fast travel out immediately. There’s no lock-in or forced encounter, making this one of the cleanest early power spikes available in Shadow of the Erdtree for players who value efficiency over brute force.
Enemy Encounters and Environmental Hazards Along the Way
Even if you’ve already mapped the approach, the stretch leading to the ruined structure is designed to punish autopilot movement. Shadow of the Erdtree leans heavily into layered aggro and environmental pressure, and this path is a textbook example of how quickly things can unravel if you rush.
Shadow Realm Humanoids and Ambush Placement
The most consistent threats along the route are Shadow Realm humanoids positioned just outside normal sightlines. They favor delayed wind-ups and fast recovery frames, which means panic rolling often gets clipped by follow-up hits. Their AI is also tuned to chain aggro, so pulling one carelessly can bring a second into the fight within seconds.
Treat every corner like an ambush trigger. Walk instead of sprinting, keep your camera wide, and listen for audio cues before committing to a fight. Backstabs are reliable if you approach slowly, but don’t linger after the kill since nearby enemies can path toward the sound.
Ranged Pressure and Vertical Sightlines
As you close in on the ruins, ranged enemies become the bigger problem. They’re positioned on broken stone and uneven elevation, creating overlapping fire zones that chip away at HP and flasks before you ever reach melee range. Their projectiles aren’t especially fast, but the tracking is aggressive enough to catch sloppy strafing.
Use terrain to break line of sight instead of rolling through shots. Duck behind collapsed walls, bait a projectile, then move while they’re in recovery. If you have a quick ranged option, removing even one sniper dramatically reduces the pressure in this area.
Terrain Hazards and Stamina Traps
The ground itself is part of the challenge. Loose rubble, uneven slopes, and narrow choke points make stamina management critical, especially if you’re forced into a retreat. Rolling uphill drains more stamina than you expect, and getting caught empty here often leads to a stun-lock death.
Avoid fighting on slopes whenever possible. Pull enemies onto flatter ground where your spacing and I-frames are consistent, and never sprint blindly through debris-filled corridors. A short walk is safer than a long panic run.
Status Effects and Environmental Punishment
Depending on your route, you may brush past areas that build up status effects through lingering environmental zones. These aren’t lethal on their own, but they create soft timers that push you into bad decisions. Healing too early or burning flasks to counter chip damage is exactly what these sections are designed to force.
If your build lacks natural resistance, preemptively slot a talisman or consumable to mitigate buildup. It’s a small adjustment that keeps your focus on positioning and enemy control rather than watching a meter fill during a fight.
Handled correctly, these encounters are less about raw combat skill and more about discipline. Respect the layout, control aggro, and the path to the Backhand Blade stays efficient instead of exhausting.
How to Obtain the Backhand Blade: Loot Method and Common Pitfalls
Once you’ve pushed through the environmental pressure and tightened up your approach, the payoff comes quickly. The Backhand Blade is not locked behind a boss or RNG drop, but it is placed in a spot that punishes impatience and sloppy pulls. Knowing exactly where to look — and how the game tries to trip you up — makes all the difference.
Exact Location: Belurat, Tower Settlement
The Backhand Blade is found inside Belurat, Tower Settlement, one of the earliest legacy dungeons in Shadow of the Erdtree. After entering Belurat from the Gravesite Plain and pushing past the opening enemy packs, you’ll reach a partially collapsed courtyard area with layered elevation and broken stonework.
The weapon is looted directly from a corpse resting against rubble along the side of the path, not inside a chest. It’s easy to miss if you sprint through or tunnel-vision on enemies ahead, especially since the corpse blends into the gray-brown debris of the ruins.
Enemy Placement and Why This Pickup Is Risky
The Backhand Blade’s corpse is positioned to bait overconfidence. Several enemies patrol nearby, including fast, aggressive melee units that punish greedy looting attempts. If you rush the pickup without clearing or managing aggro, you’re likely to get clipped mid-animation and combo’d before you can react.
Pull enemies back toward flatter ground before going for the loot. This avoids fighting on broken stairs or slopes where hitboxes and I-frames become unreliable, especially against quick attacks that chain into stamina pressure.
Progression Requirements and Missable Concerns
There are no quest flags or boss kills required to obtain the Backhand Blade. As soon as you can access Belurat, Tower Settlement, the weapon is available. That makes it one of the fastest high-impact weapons you can secure in the DLC if you know where to look.
However, it’s easy to walk past if you’re focused on pushing deeper into the dungeon. Many players miss it entirely on their first run and only realize later that they skipped a key side pickup. Slow your pace when you see corpses tucked against walls or rubble, especially in early DLC zones where FromSoftware loves hiding powerful tools in plain sight.
Common Pitfalls That Get Players Killed
The most common mistake is attempting to loot the Backhand Blade while enemies are still active nearby. The pickup animation locks you in place just long enough for a stagger or backstab, and Belurat’s tight spacing offers little room to recover once pressure starts.
Another frequent issue is stamina mismanagement right before the pickup. Sprinting through rubble or rolling uphill to reach the corpse often leaves players empty, turning a simple grab into a panic heal or death. Walk the last few steps, reset stamina, then loot cleanly.
Handled with patience, the Backhand Blade is one of the safest early power spikes in Shadow of the Erdtree. Treat the pickup like a micro-encounter instead of free loot, and you’ll walk away armed without burning flasks or risking a corpse run.
Early Build Synergy: Who Should Use the Backhand Blade Immediately
Once you’ve secured the Backhand Blade from Belurat, Tower Settlement, the next question is whether it deserves an immediate slot in your loadout. The answer depends heavily on your stat spread, preferred combat rhythm, and how aggressively you plan to engage early DLC enemies that punish slow windups and greedy commits.
This weapon isn’t a universal solution, but in the right hands, it’s one of the most efficient early-game power spikes Shadow of the Erdtree offers.
Dexterity-Focused Builds and Light Roll Players
Pure or heavy Dexterity builds should equip the Backhand Blade the moment it hits their inventory. Its moveset thrives on fast recovery frames, allowing you to weave in and out of enemy hitboxes without overcommitting, which is crucial against Belurat’s aggressive melee units and multi-hit combos.
Light roll setups benefit even more, as the weapon’s short reach is offset by superior positioning and stamina efficiency. You’re rewarded for clean spacing, not trading, making it ideal for players already comfortable managing I-frames instead of face-tanking hits.
Early DLC Builds Struggling With Stamina Pressure
Shadow of the Erdtree introduces enemies that apply constant stamina tax through relentless strings and delayed swings. The Backhand Blade’s low stamina cost per swing makes it a strong corrective tool for players who feel locked out of offense after one bad roll.
Instead of dumping endurance early, this weapon lets you stay offensive with minimal investment. That’s a huge advantage when your build is still coming online and every level matters.
Status-Oriented and Hybrid Setups
While not a bleed monster by default, the Backhand Blade pairs well with early status experimentation due to its attack speed and quick re-engage potential. Builds dabbling in Arcane or planning for later status scaling can use it as a reliable delivery system until more specialized weapons become available.
It’s especially effective against standard enemies clustered in tight corridors, where repeated light hits build pressure faster than slower, heavier arms ever could.
Players Who Should Skip It Early
Strength-first builds and players relying on hyperarmor trades will find the Backhand Blade underwhelming. It doesn’t stagger reliably, and its damage profile assumes precision, not brute force.
If your game plan revolves around guard breaks, charged heavies, or shield pokes, this weapon won’t suddenly change your fundamentals. In that case, it’s better treated as a situational backup rather than a main-hand commitment.
Used immediately after acquisition, the Backhand Blade rewards players who respect enemy spacing, manage stamina deliberately, and understand when not to swing. In the early hours of the DLC, that discipline often matters more than raw damage numbers.
Tips, Missables, and Faster Routes for Repeat or NG+ Runs
If you’ve already internalized how the Backhand Blade plays, the next concern is efficiency. Shadow of the Erdtree is dense, and on repeat or NG+ runs, shaving minutes off your early routing matters just as much as raw power. The good news is that the Backhand Blade is one of the fastest early DLC pickups if you know exactly what to skip.
Backhand Blade Is Easy to Miss if You Rush the Main Path
The Backhand Blade sits off the critical path in the opening stretch of the DLC area, tucked away from the most obvious forward momentum toward legacy content. Players who beeline toward major landmarks or bosses can pass it entirely without triggering the encounter that awards it.
If you’re following a memory-focused or boss-rush route, make a deliberate detour to the side area where the blade is obtained before committing to deeper progression. Once you’ve pushed past that early zone and triggered additional enemy density, backtracking becomes far more annoying than it needs to be.
Fastest Early Route to Secure the Weapon
On repeat runs, the optimal route is to grab Torrent immediately, ignore optional enemy packs, and head straight for the small combat pocket where the Backhand Blade is obtained. You do not need to clear the surrounding area or engage any nearby elites that aren’t directly blocking your path.
The enemy encounter tied to the weapon favors spacing and patience, which works in your favor even at low Scadutree Blessing. Bait single attacks, punish during recovery, and avoid greed; the goal is a clean kill, not style points.
Enemy and Combat Tips for Low-Level or NG+ Scaling
On NG+, the enemy guarding the Backhand Blade gains noticeably more health and damage, but its moveset doesn’t meaningfully change. This is a spacing check, not a DPS race, and rolling through delayed swings instead of panic-rolling is the difference between a quick pickup and a flask drain.
If you’re undergeared, consider two-handing a fast backup weapon to break poise faster, then swap once the blade is secured. Spirit Ashes aren’t required here, and using them can actually complicate aggro in the tight space.
Why You Should Always Grab It Early, Even If It’s Not Your Main
Even if the Backhand Blade isn’t part of your final build, it’s an exceptional early-game stabilizer. Its stamina efficiency and recovery speed make it a reliable fallback when DLC enemies start chaining attacks longer than your build can comfortably trade with.
For NG+ players, it’s also a perfect tool for early testing, letting you feel out new enemy timings without committing to heavy stamina or FP investment. Think of it as a diagnostic weapon as much as a damage option.
Missable Progression Triggers to Watch Out For
Certain DLC progression flags increase enemy density and aggression in early zones, which can complicate what is otherwise a clean weapon grab. If you want the Backhand Blade with minimal resistance, secure it before advancing major story beats or triggering large-scale world changes.
This is especially relevant if you’re stacking Scadutree fragments aggressively, as enemy scaling can outpace your comfort level faster than expected.
In short, the Backhand Blade rewards players who respect early routing as much as mechanical execution. Whether you’re optimizing a fresh DLC start or tightening an NG+ loop, grabbing it early keeps your options flexible and your stamina bar under control. In Shadow of the Erdtree, that kind of efficiency is often the real advantage.