The Idus Sword is a Light Greatsword added with the Tarnished Pack content in Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition. It sits on a corpse in the swamp of southern Liurnia of the Lakes, and nothing guards it beyond a few roaming enemies. There is no boss to kill, no quest to advance, and no key item to collect first.
Quick answer: Rest at the Liurnia Lake Shore Site of Grace, run north-northwest through the shallow water past the stone ruins, and loot the glowing corpse at the base of the lone tree standing in the swamp.
Idus Sword stats and requirements
The weapon is built around a contradiction that its own description spells out. It has the reach of a greatsword but weighs 7.0, so it swings closer to a straight sword. Damage is purely physical with a Standard and Pierce split, and there is no elemental damage or status buildup attached.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Weapon type | Light Greatsword |
| Damage type | Standard / Pierce |
| Physical attack | 124 |
| Critical | 100 |
| Weight | 7.0 |
| Scaling | Str D, Dex D |
| Skill | Impaling Thrust (9 FP) |
| Upgrade path | Regular Smithing Stones |
Note: the requirement figures differ between the in-game menu and catalogued values. The equipment screen lists 18 Strength and 15 Dexterity, while the recorded requirement is 10 Strength and 15 Dexterity. Dexterity 15 is consistent either way, so check your own character sheet before committing levels to Strength.
Guarded damage negation sits at 65 physical and 33 across magic, fire, lightning, and holy, with a guard boost of 38. Because it takes regular Smithing Stones rather than Somber, you can push it to +25 on a standard upgrade path.
Where to find the Idus Sword in Liurnia of the Lakes
The pickup is in the southern stretch of Liurnia, in the shallow swamp water north of the Liurnia Lake Shore Site of Grace. It falls roughly between the Spiritspring: South Liurnia Lake Shore and the Map of Liurnia, East, both of which are also north of that grace. You can reach it as soon as you enter Liurnia, which makes it one of the earliest new weapons available.
You will know it worked when the item acquisition banner names the Idus Sword and the weapon appears under Light Greatswords in your equipment menu. If the corpse is not glowing, you are at the wrong tree — the correct one is out in the open water rather than inside the ruins.
Skipping the trip with the Idus Knight class
Starting a fresh character as the Idus Knight hands you the sword immediately. The class also begins with the Silver Grooved armor set and the Silver Grooved Shield, so the full loadout is available from the first Site of Grace.
Existing saves lose nothing by skipping the class. The world pickup in southern Liurnia is a separate instance of the weapon, so any character can collect it without rerolling. If you want the matching gear on an older character, the Silver Grooved pieces and shield are sold by the Nomadic Merchant north of Bellum Church in northern Liurnia.
| Method | What you need |
|---|---|
| Idus Knight starting class | A new character; sword included at level 1 |
| Southern Liurnia pickup | Access to Liurnia Lake Shore; no boss or quest |
| Silver Grooved armor and shield | Runes at the Nomadic Merchant near Bellum Church |
Impaling Thrust and how the sword plays
Impaling Thrust is the sword’s native weapon skill and costs 9 FP. You wind up, then lunge forward with a piercing attack that goes through a raised shield. That makes it a direct answer to shield-carrying soldiers and knights, where a normal swing would just bounce off the guard.
The Light Greatsword class itself allows light and heavy attacks to chain into one another, so the moveset supports longer strings than a standard greatsword. A charged heavy into two light attacks into another charged heavy keeps stance pressure up while letting you break off and roll when an enemy retaliates.
Scaling is quality-oriented at D in both Strength and Dexterity, so investment in either stat pays off rather than favoring one heavily. At 7.0 weight it also does not demand much Endurance to stay under a medium equip load.
The Idus Sword is part of the Tarnished Pack, which ships inside Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 and is sold separately for PC, PS5, and Xbox. On those platforms you need the DLC and the game updated to version 1.17 or later before the corpse in southern Liurnia will hold anything.
