Summary
- Leda's Sword has a unique Ash of War that can negate buffs in PvP, providing a significant advantage.
- The Needle Piercer skill is fast and tracks foes, removing buffs to reset enemies to their default state.
- Leda's Sword can remove practically any buff or status effect, making it a powerful and versatile weapon in both PvP and PvE.
In general, the PvP experience of Soulsborne games is either loved or hated, and with all the new weapons added by Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the dynamics of PvP seem to be constantly shifting. Some weapons are completely overtuned for PvP, like the 
Backhand Blade and the 
Ash of War: Swift Slash outrageous hit boxes, but are a lot less useful in PvE situations. Others are great for PvE, because of high damage, but are easy for an actual person to dodge, such as the heavily telegraphed Carian Grandeur.
Usually, what makes a PvP weapon strong is an Ash of War that is not heavily telegraphed and attacks that can stagger an opponent long enough to land a true combo, which is when an opponent is physically unable to dodge a follow-up attack after the first has landed. The 
Messmer Soldier's Spear with its double hitting charged strong attack is a good example of a DLC weapon that is traditionally good for PvP. Leda's Sword, however, is perfect for PvP situations thanks to a unique and specific ability.
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Leda's Sword Is Perfect For Elden Ring PvP
Needle Piercer Ash Of War Negates Buffs
To understand why 
Leda's Sword is so good for PvP, one needs to understand the prep stage of duels. Invasions tend to have less of this, but in the Colosseums of the Lands Between, there is a little bit of time before a duel officially starts. In this time frame, many players buff themselves to be at their strongest for the coming duel. This can be from Elden Ring's Wondrous Physick and the Crystal Tears or Incantations like Flame Grant Me Strength, and sometimes these are pivotal to determining the outcome of a fight.
Flame Grant Me Strength can be found behind Fort Gael, on a body between two Flame Chariots.
This is where Leda's Sword's unique Ash of War comes in. While it cannot be exchanged for other Ashes of War, the Skill, Needle Piercer, is perfect for PvP thanks to its ability to negate buffs. It summons needles that surround an enemy before they all collide in the middle, dealing decent but not spectacular damage, and if these needles hit a foe enough times, it will negate many of the buffs that they have put on their character, making them as weak as they were prior to the duel.
Because the Ash of War doesn't do amazing damage, the duel will still need to be won in a traditional fight, and Leda's Sword has the benefit of being a Light Greatsword. This relatively new weapon type has a great moveset for pretty much any circ*mstance, has elegant animations, and is quick to catch foes out, especially if paired with blocking and guard countering. The sword requires high dexterity and faith, and scales well off of both stats.
How Does Leda's Sword Work?
It Is More Complicated Than It Looks
Although using Needle Knight Leda's Sword is relatively self-explanatory, since the Ash of War isn't complex in its execution, the hidden mechanics behind it are anything but simple. The best way to think about how it works is by imagining an invisible status bar for this effect that builds up every time a foe is struck by one of the summoned needles. Once enough needles have struck a foe, they no longer have all of their buffs, and if the wielder has buffed themselves before the fight as well, they now hold a massive advantage in the duel.
A good thing about the Needle Piercer that helps make up for its damage is its speed and tracking. It is quite quick, although its speed alone is probably not enough to catch most experienced foes out; however, the point of the Ash of War isn't its damage. Only a few of these needles need to hit a foe to remove buffs, since there isn't a resistance to this effect, and those that manage to leave the circle formed by the surrounding needles will find that a few needles will track them as they run, requiring some precise dodging.
Most of Needle Piercer's damage is physical. A minor amount of the damage comes from Holy.
If a player is pairing this weapon with something that afflicts an enemy with ailments, then they need to be careful when using Leda's Sword. Although the Ash of War will purge buffs, it also purges aliments too. It essentially resets an enemy to its default state, their HP aside, and if players want to use ailments, they should attempt to afflict foes with them after removing their buffs. This could help lower their resistance to these ailments too, although it is a lot to track during a quick battle.
Leda's Sword Is An Underrated Weapon For PvP
Not Even Crystal Tears Are Safe
Very few things will not be removed by the Needle Piercer Ash of War. It removes invisibility, weapons buffs (except Royal Knight's Resolve), shield buffs (except Barricade Shield), Crystal Tears (except the Ruptured Tear), and much more. Practically anything that an enemy player will use can be removed by Leda's Sword, and since it is the only weapon that can do this, players that find their buffs suddenly gone might panic, as this is a situation that they haven't been put in before.
Players that have been buffed will usually have particle effects around them to look out for. If Leda's Sword has removed these buffs, these particle effects will vanish.
Since it is a faith weapon, Elden Ring faith builds that use buffing Incantations can be paired with this, giving a player an advantage by keeping their buffs while an enemy loses theirs. It should be noted that theAsh of War does not benefit from the use of the Shard of Alexander. Only the sword attacks will, and when the skill is used on an unsuspecting enemy, only the first of the ten needles will gain the extra surprise damage bonus, although PvP players will not normally find themselves in a situation to benefit from this.
Leda's Sword works well for PvP because of its Ash of War and is a great option in a PvE playthrough too, because of the Light Greatsword moveset. Players will need to defeat Needle Knight Leda and her posse, which is one of the more annoying fights in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, to get the sword, but if faith and dexterity players want the perfect weapon for PvP, it is well worth the effort. When paired with Leda's armor too, it combines to make quite a striking figure.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of "The Shattering." "The Shattering" occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
RPG
Action
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer
- Engine
- Proprietary
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
