Idus Sword vs Milady in Elden Ring: Which Light Greatsword Is Actually Better?

If you've been searching "idus sword vs milady" since the Tarnished Pack launched on August 28, you're not alone — it's one of the fastest-growing Elden Ring queries right now. And the confusion is completely understandable, because most of the pre-launch coverage (including some of it on this very site) told you the Idus Knight starts with the Milady.

It doesn't. Let's clear this up properly, then answer the question you actually came here for: which of Elden Ring's two standard light greatswords deserves your Smithing Stones.

The Short Answer: They Are Two Different Weapons

The Idus Knight's starting weapon is the Idus Sword — a brand-new light greatsword introduced with the Tarnished Pack. The Milady is a separate weapon from Shadow of the Erdtree, and it has been in the game since June 2024.

The confusion traces back to the pre-launch window. Bandai Namco's early promotional material and most major outlets reported that the Idus Knight comes equipped with the Milady, and that version of reality got copied everywhere. Then the actual stat sheets dropped, and the numbers quietly contradicted the narrative:

• The Milady requires 12 Strength / 17 Dexterity.
• The Idus Knight starts with 13 Strength / 15 Dexterity.

Do the math. The class was, according to the early reports, supposed to ship with a weapon it couldn't actually wield — two Dexterity points short. That was the first red flag that something was off, and when the pack went live, players confirmed it: the class starts with the Idus Sword, the second standard light greatsword in the entire game, alongside the Idus Knight Shield. Eurogamer's item-location guide documents both weapons separately, and Fextralife's wiki lists the Idus Sword in the starting kit.

We ran our pre-launch class guide on the old information, and we've corrected it — consider this article the definitive version.

Milady vs Idus Sword: The Data

Here's what we know for certain, side by side:

| | Milady | Idus Sword | |---|---|---| | Introduced | Shadow of the Erdtree (June 2024) | Tarnished Pack (August 2026) | | Base attack | 116 physical | Community-measured as comparable, slightly higher base / lower scaling* | | Requirements | Str 12 / Dex 17 | Slightly lower than Milady* | | Default scaling | Str D / Dex D (Dex C at +25) | Slightly weaker than Milady's* | | Default skill | Impaling Thrust (9 FP) | Impaling Thrust* | | Ash of War slot | Yes — the first infusable light greatsword | Yes — the second infusable light greatsword | | Location | Castle Ensis, west tower chest (SotE) | Liurnia Lake Shore, northwest, body beneath a tree | | Max upgrade | +25 (Smithing Stones) | +25 (Smithing Stones) |

The structural facts are the ones that matter for your build: both are standard light greatswords, both take Ashes of War and infusions, both upgrade on the regular Smithing Stone path, and both can be buffed with greases and spells. If you've already built around one, switching to the other will not require a respec — the requirements are close enough that any Dex-leaning build can swing both.

Where to Get Each One

This is where the Tarnished Pack quietly does something interesting: you don't need to buy the pack, or roll an Idus Knight, to use the Idus Sword. Per the official 1.17 patch notes, all of the pack's new weapons are placed in the base game's open world, obtainable by any existing character:

• Milady: Shadow of the Erdtree's Castle Ensis — climb the west tower and open the chest at the top. You'll pass the Castle-Lord's Chamber Site of Grace on the way, and the Wing Stance Ash of War sits in a separate tower chest in the same fortress. If you're doing a fresh light-greatsword run, Castle Ensis is a two-for-one.
• Idus Sword: Base-game Liurnia — from the Liurnia Lake Shore Site of Grace, head northwest to the tree line and loot the body underneath the tree. No combat required. You can grab this within a couple of hours of a new character, or five minutes on an existing one.

That Liurnia placement is deliberate, by the way: the Idus Sword is a base-game-tier acquisition, which tells you exactly how FromSoftware values it relative to the DLC's power curve. It's an early-to-mid game light greatsword, not a capstone weapon.

The Wing Stance Question

Here's the question every Milady fan is actually asking: can you put Wing Stance on the Idus Sword?

For two years, the Milady was the only standard light greatsword in the game — which made it the only home for the Wing Stance Ash of War. The Idus Sword changes that on paper: it's an infusable light greatsword, and Ash of War compatibility follows weapon class, not individual weapon.

I want to be straight with you here: I have not yet confirmed this in-game myself, and neither have the major wikis at the time of writing. The theory is sound — Wing Stance should slot into the Idus Sword exactly like any other light greatsword Ash of War — but "should" and "confirmed" are different words, and FromSoftware has occasionally gated specific skills to specific weapons (Wing Stance's own exclusivity to the Milady was the rule everyone learned). If you're reading this in the first week after launch and it's a dealbreaker, check the wiki before you spend the Runes.

What I can confirm from my own SotE runs: Wing Stance is still the single best reason to pick up a light greatsword, and it hasn't changed.

How Wing Stance Actually Works

The skill has two branches, and neither costs FP to enter the stance itself:

• Light attack follow-up: a flowing three-hit slash chain — 8 FP per use, ~16.5 poise damage total. Fast, stylish, catches rollers in PvP.
• Heavy attack follow-up: a leaping thrust — 10 FP, ~30.25 poise damage, and crucially it's a Pierce-type hit, which means it eats counter-hit bonuses against enemies mid-attack. This is your boss-melter.
• The stance can be held and re-triggered, but the follow-ups cannot be charged — so Godfrey's Icon does nothing for this skill. Don't waste the talisman slot.
• Wing Stance's native affinity is Quality, making it a natural fit for an even Str/Dex split. With the Red-Hot Whetblade you can also run it as Fire or Flame Art — and Flame Art Milady is secretly one of the best Faith hybrid weapons in the game, since the infusion converts scaling to Faith and stacks with Golden Vow.

The Moveset That Makes Both Worth It

Before you commit Smithing Stones to either weapon, understand what you're buying into: the light greatsword class has, in my honest opinion, the best-designed moveset FromSoftware has shipped since the DLC wave began. This is a class where the normal attacks — not just the skill — earn their keep.

The R1 chain is a two-hit flow with unusually generous forward movement on each swing, which means the class tracks retreating enemies better than straight swords in practice, not just on paper. The running attack is a quick horizontal swipe that catches lateral movement. The jump attack — a plunging vertical — inherits the greatsword-class poise damage, so it both breaks stance and sets up criticals. And the guard counter comes out faster than any other greatsword-class weapon I've tested, which makes sword-and-shield play genuinely viable with the Idus Knight's starting kit instead of a compromise.

Where the class historically struggled was raw poise damage on normal attacks, and patch 1.13 addressed exactly that — the buff made light greatsword R1 chains stagger most basic enemies within a full two-hit combo, where previously you needed three or four. It's a small change on the stat sheet that completely changes how aggressive you can afford to be.

One practical tip from running both weapons through the same content: the moveset is identical between the Idus Sword and the Milady in normal attacks. The differences live in the stat sheet and the default skill (both ship with Impaling Thrust, and you'll replace it immediately either way). So choose based on your build's stats and your DLC ownership — not on any fear that one "feels" different to swing. It doesn't.

Which One Should You Actually Upgrade?

Honest verdict time, after running light greatsword builds through both the base game and the DLC:

Pick the Milady if...

• You have Shadow of the Erdtree — this is the DLC weapon, full stop. Higher scaling ceiling at +25, a proven track record across two years of PvP meta, and Wing Stance is native to its identity.
• You want the Faith hybrid route. The Flame Art infusion on Milady scales with Faith and pairs beautifully with buff incantations. This is the smoothest "elegant sword knight who also prays" build in the game, and I've found it carries through the entire base-game campaign without ever feeling underpowered.
• You care about weapon art flexibility. Two years of patches have been kind to this weapon class — light greatswords got their normal-attack poise damage buffed in patch 1.13, and the moveset (fast R1 chains with actual reach) is the best-feeling greatsword class FromSoftware has ever shipped.

Pick the Idus Sword if...

• You don't own Shadow of the Erdtree. This is the obvious use case: the Idus Sword is the only standard light greatsword available in the base game, obtainable in Liurnia in the first act. For a base-game-only character, it's not competing with the Milady — it is the light greatsword.
• You're running the Idus Knight. Starting with the weapon in hand at level 7, with 13/15 Str/Dex meeting its (slightly lower) requirements out of the gate, means zero friction. Just add levels.
• You're a collector or a fashion-souls player. Second standard light greatsword means a second moveset flavor in the class, and the Silver Grooved armor set it ships alongside is one of the better light-armor looks FromSoftware has designed.

The Build Around Either Sword

Whichever you pick, the surrounding build is nearly identical, and it's one of the friendliest in the game to gear:

Stats — Vigor to 40 first, no exceptions, then push your damage stats. For a Quality Wing Stance build, aim for roughly even Str/Dex. For the Flame Art route: Dex 17 (minimum to wield), then Faith to 80 with Vigor 60 — Faith scaling carries the damage. Mind 20 is plenty; the stance itself is free and follow-ups are cheap.

Talismans — the core three for any Wing Stance build:

• Shard of Alexander — +15% skill damage, applies to both Wing Stance follow-ups. Non-negotiable.
• Rellana's Cameo — attacks after holding a stance for one second deal +45%. You are literally standing in a stance by design; this talisman was made for this weapon.
• Rotten Winged Sword Insignia or Millicent's Prosthesis — consecutive-attack bonuses that stack with the three-hit light chain.

Buffs — Golden Vow (Corpse-Stench Shack, Caelid) plus Flame, Grant Me Strength (Fort Gael, Caelid) stack with each other and with the Flame Art infusion. Two casts before a boss is roughly a 25-30% effective damage swing, and it takes four seconds.

PvP note: the Wing Stance heavy thrust can be parried. Good duelists know this. Mix up your follow-ups — the light chain rolls in behind spaced attacks, the heavy punishes panic rolls — and never let the stance become a tell. I've been parried out of enough of them to have learned this the hard way.

FAQ

Is the Idus Sword just a reskinned Milady?

No. They're two separate weapons in the same class with different base stats, scaling, and acquisition points. The community's early numbers suggest the Idus Sword trades slightly higher base damage for slightly weaker scaling than the Milady — meaning the Milady wins at high upgrade levels, but the gap is small enough that neither is a wrong answer.

Can the Idus Knight use the Milady?

Not at character creation — the class starts at 15 Dexterity and the Milady needs 17. Two levels later, yes. Whether you want to is a different question: since the Idus Sword is free and the Milady lives in the DLC, base-game-only Idus Knights should stick with their starter sword.

Do I need the Tarnished Pack to get the Idus Sword?

Here's the twist: the weapon itself is placed in the open world at Liurnia Lake Shore, and the official patch notes list the new weapons as obtainable by all players. What the pack gates is the class (starting with the sword at level 7 plus the Silver Grooved armor set). If all you want is the weapon, walk to the tree in Liurnia.

Is Wing Stance still good in 2026?

Yes — it's the entire reason the light greatsword class has a PvP meta presence. Two years of patches have only buffed the class (patch 1.13 increased normal-attack poise damage), and the stance's mix-up potential between the fast light chain and the piercing heavy remains one of the best pressure tools on any greatsword-class weapon.

Which does more damage at +25?

On current community data, the Milady — its Dexterity scaling reaches C at +25 while the Idus Sword's scaling reportedly stays a step behind. But "more damage" in Elden Ring is rarely more than a 5-8% question, and build investment, buffs, and talismans matter far more than the weapon's raw stat sheet.

---

For the full picture of what the pack adds, see our Tarnished Pack classes guide comparing the Idus Knight and Heavy Knight stat-for-stat, the patch 1.17 buff/nerf breakdown that shipped alongside it, and our best builds tier list for where a light greatsword build lands in the current meta. New character? Our best early-game weapons guide covers everything worth grabbing before Liurnia.

May the Erdtree guide your blade — whichever greatsword it happens to be.