Since the monumental launch of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion in 2024, the Lands Between have never been more alive. Tarnished from across the globe have flooded back, eager to uncover fresh secrets and test their mettle against terrifying new adversaries. Yet, amidst this glorious resurgence, a persistent and passionate debate has been reignited within the community: why do the legendary weapons and devastating spells wielded by the game's most formidable bosses feel so astonishingly underwhelming when we, the players, finally get our hands on them? After sifting through countless discussions, a clear consensus emerges—it's a nearly universal experience. The power fantasy of wielding a demigod's armament often crumbles into a reality of disappointing performance and questionable practicality.

🐉 The Grafted Dragon: From Inferno to Fizzle

One of the most iconic—and infamous—examples of this power disparity is the Grafted Dragon, the grotesque fist weapon obtained from the demigod Godrick the Grafted. When Godrick unleashes this monstrosity, it's a spectacle of terror: a torrent of searing flame erupts, engulfing a massive portion of the arena in a deadly conflagration.

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However, when a Tarnished equips it, the transformation is tragically comical. Community sentiment perfectly captures the letdown. One player famously described it as "a sock puppet that might be useful in lighting your BBQ burners." Another lamented the aesthetic downgrade, noting, "Godrick gets a whole ass dragon head for an arm, and we get this derpy knockoff perched on our arm." While it might score points in the fashion souls department, its practical combat application is often seen as a mere shadow of its boss-wielding glory, making it a trophy more than a tool.

🌙 Rellana's Twin Moons: Cosmic Power, Puddle-Sized Impact

The spell Rellana's Twin Moons serves as a spellcasting parallel to this phenomenon. When the formidable Rellana, Dual Moon Knight, casts it, the result is cataclysmic. Two ethereal moons descend, crashing to the ground and unleashing three massive, sequential shockwaves that can easily one-shot an unprepared Tarnished. Dodging this attack requires near-perfect timing.

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In the hands of a player, however, the spell undergoes a dramatic nerf. The area-of-effect shrinks dramatically, with one player estimating it spreads a mere "3m, give or take." The vulnerability during casting is another major point of contention. "When she uses it, she goes extremely high up. When you use it, even most humanoid enemies with weapons longer than a dagger can hit you and stagger you out of it," another player pointed out. This lack of hyper-armor or significant verticality makes the spell incredibly risky to use in many combat scenarios, a far cry from its boss-version's overwhelming dominance.

⚡ The Dragon Greatclaw's Missed Opportunity

Then there's the case of the Dragon Greatclaw, a colossal hammer dropped by the imposing Draconic Tree Sentinel. While its raw physical damage is respectable, the community's ire is firmly focused on its locked Ash of War: Endure. This skill simply allows the user to brace for an attack, reducing damage and increasing poise briefly. For a unique weapon sourced from a boss that commands the power of lightning, this feels like a profound thematic and mechanical mismatch.

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Players widely agree it should have inherited a lightning-based skill, perhaps a ground-slam that calls down a bolt or creates an electric explosion. The choice of a basic, replaceable Ash of War on a unique weapon struck a particular nerve. One incensed commenter declared, "FromSoft giving unique weapons non-unique Ashes should be classified as a war crime." It represents a lost opportunity to deliver a truly iconic and powerful gameplay experience that mirrors the enemy it came from.

🔍 A Pattern of Peculiar Parity

While these three are the most frequently debated, they are merely the tip of the iceberg. This sentiment of underwhelming performance extends to a vast catalog of boss remembrance items:

  • Bayle's Incantations: The earth-shattering roars of the dread dragon feel less potent in player hands.

  • Sword of Milos: Its life-draining capabilities often don't scale to match the terror it inspired when wielded by its original owner.

  • Hand of Malenia: The legendary Waterfowl Dance, while still powerful, lacks the relentless, tracking ferocity of Malenia's own execution.

The community isn't asking for a one-to-one power transfer; they understand the necessity for game balance. The core of the grievance lies in the perceived lack of equivalent scaling and thematic faithfulness. When a boss weapon's most defining, visually spectacular attack is reduced to a pale imitation, it diminishes the reward for overcoming some of the game's toughest challenges. Players seek weapons and spells that feel legendary, that capture even a fraction of the awe and danger they presented as boss moves. In 2026, as players continue to dissect every aspect of this masterpiece, the call for more impactful and faithful boss weapons remains a passionate topic in the halls of the Roundtable Hold and beyond.