The Idus Sword is a light greatsword added with Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, and it sits in the open world early enough that almost any character can grab it. It is the signature armament of the new Idus Knight starting class, but you do not need a fresh save to hold one.
Quick answer: Fast travel to the Liurnia Lake Shore Site of Grace in southern Liurnia of the Lakes, ride north-northwest through the shallow water past the stone ruins, and loot the glowing corpse propped against a large tree near the water’s edge.
Idus Sword location in Liurnia of the Lakes
The pickup is a plain corpse loot with no boss, no dungeon, and no quest gate. If you have already opened the southern stretch of Liurnia, the whole trip takes a couple of minutes on Torrent.
If you want a tighter reference point, the corpse lies roughly between the Spiritspring: South Liurnia Lake Shore and the Map of Liurnia, East pillar. Both of those landmarks sit north of the Liurnia Lake Shore grace, so if you pass either one you have gone too far.
How to confirm you picked up the right weapon
Interacting with the corpse produces the standard item pickup message. Open your inventory and check the weapon entry: it should read Idus Sword, be listed as a Light Greatsword, and carry the Impaling Thrust skill.
The item description is the other tell. It calls the weapon a light greatsword with a blade as long as a greatsword but a far lower weight, and names it a signature armament of the land of Idus.
A light greatsword; that is, a sword whose blade matches the length of a greatsword, while only possessing a very light weight due to its remarkable manufacture. A signature weapon of the land of Idus. With cultivated form, one can wield this weapon as swiftly as one might a straight sword.
Idus Sword stats, requirements, and skill
At base, the sword deals physical damage only, with no elemental damage and no status buildup. It uses regular Smithing Stones for reinforcement rather than Somber Smithing Stones, so upgrading it will not eat your limited unique-weapon materials.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Weapon type | Light Greatsword |
| Damage type | Standard / Pierce |
| Physical attack | 124 |
| Critical | 100 |
| Weight | 7.0 |
| Skill | Impaling Thrust (9 FP) |
| Scaling | Strength D, Dexterity D |
| Guard (physical) | 65 |
| Upgrade material | Regular Smithing Stones |
Requirements are where the numbers diverge slightly. The in-game equipment screen shows 18 Strength and 15 Dexterity, while a lower Strength requirement of 10 has also circulated. Dexterity 15 is consistent either way, so plan around at least 15 Dex and check the weapon’s own requirement text against your stat sheet before committing points.
Note: The sword takes affinities, so Keen or Cold changes its scaling if the default quality spread does not suit your build.
What Impaling Thrust does
Impaling Thrust is the sword’s native weapon skill and costs 9 FP. You wind up, then lunge forward with a heavy piercing stab that pushes through an enemy’s raised shield. That makes it a direct answer to the shield-carrying soldiers and knights scattered across the Lands Between, since you can damage them without first breaking their guard.
The rest of the moveset behaves like the light greatsword class introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree. Light and heavy attacks chain into each other, so you can mix quick swings with charged hits instead of committing to a fixed combo string.
Getting the Idus Sword without the world pickup
Selecting Idus Knight during character creation hands you the sword immediately, along with the Silver Grooved armor set and the Silver Grooved Shield. That is the fastest route on a new save.
The two methods are not exclusive, and neither one locks out the other. If you started as a different class and still want the matching kit, the Silver Grooved armor pieces and shield are sold by the Nomadic Merchant just north of Bellum Church in northern Liurnia of the Lakes.
Why the sword may not appear
Only one thing reliably blocks this pickup, and it has nothing to do with where you stand in Liurnia. The Idus Sword is part of the Tarnished Pack content bundled with Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition.
- On PC, PS5, and Xbox with an existing save, you need the Tarnished Pack DLC installed and the game updated to version 1.17 or later.
- On Nintendo Switch 2, the content ships as part of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition itself.
- If the corpse is not there, confirm the update applied before retracing the route.
With 7.0 weight and modest stat requirements, the Idus Sword lands in a comfortable spot for early and mid-game characters who want greatsword reach without greatsword sluggishness. It is not a build-defining weapon, but it is one of the cheapest new pieces of Tarnished Edition gear to reach, and the shield-piercing skill gives it a specific job that stays useful long after Liurnia.
