How do you unlock Elden Ring hand-to-hand arts? There are a range of weapons to be found exclusively in the game’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but perhaps the most interesting are the hand-to-hand arts that allow for a pretty cool melee combat choice.
So far, we know of two hand-to-hand Elden Ring weapons: Dryleaf Arts and Dane’s Footwork, but there may be more to uncover in the vast Elden Ring expansion. With them, you can punch and kick your way through countless foes, and they can even be buffed with their own Elden Ring Ashes of War. Here’s where to find these Elden Ring hand-to-hand arts, and be warned that there are some spoilers in the second half of this guide.
All Elden Ring hand-to-hand arts
We know of two Elden Ring hand-to-hand arts so far. They include:
- Dryleaf Arts
- Dane’s Footwork
Dryleaf Arts (Dryleaf Dane) location
You can acquire the Dryleaf Arts hand-to-hand weapon by defeating the optional boss Dryleaf Dane. Find the NPC standing by the Miquella’s Cross in the Moorth Ruins, then perform the May the Best Win emote in front of them, antagonizing them into a mini boss fight.
This NPC, in case you hadn’t realized, is Dane himself, and upon defeat drops the Dryleaf Arts hand-to-hand weapon, along with his hat. The Dryleaf Arts allow you to deal both powerful kicks and punches to enemies, plus it comes with a heavy kick attack.
If you haven’t discovered the Moorth Ruins yet, our map above shows you Dane’s location. To get there, head north from the Castle Front Site of Grace in Gravesite Plain and follow the path southeast to the fork. Take the left path, then activate and use the Spiritsprings in front of the rock face on your left. Follow the path to your north to reach the Moorth Ruins, where there’s also a Scadutree fragment to collect.
Dane’s Footwork Elden Ring location
You can unlock Dane’s Footwork by defeating Dryleaf Dane in the Needle Knight Leda boss battle. This fight is close to the end of the DLC questline and shortly before the final boss battle. Simply follow Leda’s questline until you reach Enir-Ilim and summon her to fight, during which time Leda summons Dane to aid her.
After defeating Dryleaf Dane, you’ll net yourself the Dryleaf Robe, Dryleaf Arm Wraps (not the same as Dryleaf Arts), Dryleaf Cuissardes, and Dane’s Footwork.
Dane’s Footwork is an alternative hand-to-hand combat weapon, but as it’s a bit harder to get and not as good as the Dryleaf Arts as it focuses solely on kick attacks, we’d still recommend going for Dryleaf Arts first.
With these Elden Ring hand-to-hand arts you can take down enemies with the most style possible. Of course it’s not enough on its own, so make sure you check out the best Elden Ring builds and consider whether the Dryleaf Arts are the top weapon type for your gameplay style. You may also find our Elden Ring DLC map helpful for the sprawling RPG game, which shows you all the key locations and Sites of Grace.