Best Elden Ring builds for conquering the Lands Between

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Best builds

The best Elden Ring builds vary from player to player, but ultimately are about picking a direction and focusing on it to devastating effect. If you're out to conquer the toughest brutes and bosses in Elden Ring, a build focused around a great weapon, spell or even a single attribute can turn your troubled tarnished into a total terror. We've got a Bleed build, a Sorcery build, a Strength build and more besides - whatever you're looking for, we've got something to respec or aim for, with all the best builds in Elden Ring laid out clearly below.

Of course, if you're specifically out to conquer other players in the Colosseum or via Invasions, we recommend checking out out our dedicated page to Elden Ring PvP builds here!

We've been experimenting and testing out the best builds that people can currently try in Elden Ring to see how they compare. Some of these are based around stats, some of them around particular weapons that can be buffed to incredible levels. Here's how to power up to the level of a Lord.

Keep in mind that we're only mentioning the equipment and weapons we think are relevant - if we don't bring up armor or off-hand weapons, it's because they're not a meaningful part of the build. That being said, that's also your chance to experiment - put whatever you want in them and see how you can improve on what's here!

Dexterity/Arcane build: Rivers of Blood katana and Bleed damage

Elden Ring best builds — (Image credit: FromSoftware)

Arcane is one of those tricky stats that's not relevant until it's suddenly the most important thing in the world - as it is right now. The Rivers of Blood katana is one of the most powerful weapons in the game at the moment if used right, a slick red katana that can inflict the "Hemorrhage" status (or Bleed to most people) with every strike.

It's also got an incredibly powerful Skill called the Corpse Piler, a rapid sequence of slashes that do further bleed damage. You can put another katana in your off-hand to maximise the Bleed with dual-wielding, but frankly two-handing the Rivers of the Blood should be enough, especially considering it leaves you open to use the Corpse Piler attack. Meanwhile, the White Mask and Lord of Blood's Exultation both boost your attack power when you inflict Bleed - which you'll be doing all the time.

Primary Stat(s): Dexterity, Arcane
Secondary Stat(s): Vigor, Endurance, Mind
Primary Weapon(s): Rivers of Blood
Offhand Weapon(s): Uchigatana (Blood Affinity)
Armor: White Mask (helm) or Mask of Confidence (Helm)
Talisman(s): Lord of Blood's Exultation, Winged Sword Insignia, Carian Filigreed Crest

Intelligence build: Sorcery and high-damage Comet Azur

Sorcery is the kind of power that works well for those who want high-strength magics that can kill an enemy in a single blast of watery-blue cosmic energy. This is a build that excels at taking out bosses, effectively putting everything towards a single bolt of magical energy that does huge damage.

That bolt is the Comet Azur, a spell so powerful that it made it onto our list of Elden Ring best spells. Enter a boss fight, charge it up, and shred their health bar like lettuce. You might not kill on the first blast, but the Medallion and Glintstone Blade will make sure you have the FP to cast it a few more times. We've also only listed the Comet for your spells (it's the mandatory one), but we recommend filling the others with a range of options to help you through other situations.

We've also chosen Lusat's staff over the one you get off Rennala because at time of writing, it's slightly better if you max it out and boost your Intelligence. With both at +10 and with high intelligence, Lusat's staff edges out as the superior model - I guess Rennala wasn't as powerful a sorcerer as she claimed?

Primary Stat(s): Intelligence, Mind
Secondary Stat(s): Vigor, Endurance
Primary Weapon(s): Lusat's Glintstone Staff
Armor: Lusat's Glintstone Crown (helm) or Queen's Crescent Crown (helm)
Talisman(s): Graven School Talisman, Cerulean Amber Medallion +2, Primal Glintstone Blade, Graven Mass Talisman
Spell(s): Comet Azur

Faith build: Winged Scythe and aggro Godslayer Incantations

Want an alternative Faith build?

Elden Ring sacred relic sword how to get build — (Image credit: FromSoftware)

Aside from the Winged Scythe, the Elden Ring Sacred Relic Sword remains one of the most powerful Faith builds currently out there. Check out our guide on how to get it and create your own build around this mythical blade!

This is an aggressive build based around offensive tactics and magic, rather than the more passive or supportive powers that many might associate with clerics and holy paladins. Go in hard and use the Elden Ring Winged Scythe to cut through foes, backed up by powerful dark magic. The Scythe's Skill, Angel's Wings, also prevents targets hit from healing with Flasks, also making it pretty deadly against PVP opponents or other Tarnished (though they can still heal with spells and similar).

There's also a heavier Greatsword for those brawnier encounters, and for you to buff with the Black Flame Blade spell. We've also chosen Talismans that reward rapid combos with the Scythe, healing you and hurting the enemy more.

Primary Stat(s): Faith, Mind
Secondary Stat(s): Dexterity, Strength, Vigor, Endurance
Primary Weapon(s): Winged Scythe, Godslayer's Greatsword
Offhand Weapon(s): Godslayer Seal
Armor: Haligtree Knight Helm
Talisman(s): Faithful's Canvas Talisman, Godskin Swaddling Cloth, Winged Sword Insignia
Spell(s): Black Flame, Black Flame Blade

Strength build: Dual-wielding colossal weapons and Giant-Crushers

Similar to the Comet build, here we're putting everything towards a single deadly melee strike. For those who just want to carry half a ton of iron in each hand and hit enemies, a strength build like this will make you feel like the Hulk, using jump attacks to devastate enemies with massive overhead swings. The Giant-Crusher is the weapon to use here (use two if you've hit NG+), as it has the best Strength scaling overall.

But if you're still on your first game, you should pair it with the Greatsword (the Colossal Weapon variant), for the most power. Keep in mind you'll need to reach 60 Strength to use the Crusher, but this is a build that can later be turned towards Faith multiclassing so you can boost your attacks even more. We've also put the Royal Knight's Resolve Skill on them, which boosts the next attack you do by a massive amount. Set up the skill, do a jump heavy attack with both weapons at once, and watch the enemy's health vanish.

Primary Stat(s): Strength (in huge amounts)
Secondary Stat(s): Vigor, Endurance, Dexterity
Primary Weapon(s): Giant-Crusher (Royal Knight's Resolve Skill/Heavy Affinity)
Offhand Weapon(s): Giant-Crusher (Royal Knight's Resolve Skill/Heavy Affinity) or Greatsword (Royal Knight's Resolve Skill/Heavy Affinity)
Armor: Omensmirk Mask
Talisman(s): Ritual Sword Talisman, Starscourge Heirloom, Radagon's Scarseal, Great Jar's Arsenal

Dexterity/Intelligence build: Moonveil katana and sorcery slinging

Yes, it's another katana, and yes, it's another Dexterity build that depends on a secondary Attribute to reinforce it, but all the best Dex weapons and builds right now seem to have another kind of scaling to work on too. The Moonveil Katana was nerfed recently, but it still remains a very strong option for general play in Elden Ring, especially when paired with a good set of spells.

Aside from inflicting bleed damage, the Moonveil scales well to both Dexterity and Intelligence, as well as having a special Skill called Transient Moonlight, where the player unsheathes the blade to create a wave of high-level damage ahead. Use the Lusat's Glintstone Staff in your off-hand to battle at a distance, then two-hand the Moonveil when you get in close. In a way, this is a more versatile, elastic build than the Comet Azur model, working better on general enemies than specifically for bosses, especially considering the Talismans both recover FP for killing or critting enemies.

Primary Stat(s): Dexterity, Intelligence, Mind
Secondary Stat(s): Endurance, Vigor
Primary Weapon(s): Moonveil
Offhand Weapon(s): Lusat's Glintstone Staff
Armor: Queen's Crescent Crown (helm)
Talisman(s): Ancestral Spirit's Horn, Assassin's Cerulean Dagger
Spell(s): Glintstone Pebble, Carian Longsword, Comet Azur, Loretta's Greatbow