After 800+ hours in Elden Ring across 5 hardcore playthroughs, I‘ve honed countless builds in the fires of battle. In this definitive guide, I‘ll share the 10 best builds for PvE and PvP domination along with detailed breakdowns of their strengths, weaknesses and ideal tactics. Whether you crave magic, melee or a stylish hybrid, these builds will carry you to Elden Lord glory!
Best Beginner Builds
I recommend new Tarnished go with the Vagabond, Samurai or Prisoner when first embarking on their adventure. These classes offer balanced stats allowing you to experiment with weapons and spells while relying on strong armor and vigor. Once you settle on a playstyle, you can respec your stats accordingly.
Early game, focus on Vigor for survivability along with either Strength, Dexterity or Intelligence depending on your weapon preferences. Stay under 70% equip load to retain dodging mobility. Many newcomer friendly weapons include Bloodhound‘s Fang, Moonveil, Winged Scythe and Carian Slicer.
Now let‘s get into builds that will turn you into a powerhouse!
1. Rivers of Blood – Bleed Build
Best for: Quick takedowns
This build unleashes a bloody storm of slashes by dual wielding the Rivers of Blood and Uchigatana katanas. The weapons‘ Corpse Piler and Bloody Slash Ashes of War can shred even end game bosses with extreme bleed procs. With high arcane and dexterity, smaller foes will melt in seconds.
- Vigor: 60
- Mind: 15
- Endurance: 25
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 80
- Intelligence: 15
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 45
The strategy relies on relentless attacks through jumping L1s, dash attacks and the aforementioned weapon arts. You can down even robust enemies rapidly but being caught in a long animation can mean death. I recommend the Bloodhound Step or Quickstep ashes to safely reposition yourself. Offensively, Lord of Blood‘s Exultation and Rotten Winged Sword Insignia offer excellent synergy. For talismans, focus on successive attack boosts over physical damage negation as you shouldn‘t be trading hits.
This build leaves you quite fragile so mastering movement and reading opponents is key. But once perfected, few foes can weather the bloody hurricane.
2. Blasphemous Tank Crusher
Best for: Trading blows
This build adorns you in the heaviest, most devout armor while wielding weapons infused with your Faith‘s might. Even legendary foes will recoil from your colossal attacks. And if they dare strike back, their worldly weapons will scarcely pierce your zealous defenses.
- Vigor: 60
- Mind: 25
- Endurance: 60
- Strength: 55
- Dexterity: 12
- Faith: 80
- Arcane: 8
With massive poise, armor and vitality, you can relentlessly crush enemies through repeated strikes. Buff key weapons like Blasphemous Blade, Sacred Relic Sword or Golden Order Greatsword with Golden Vow and Flame Grant Me Strength to bolster holy damage. Bring a Brass Shield for passive regen too. Talismans should raise your equip load, holy attack rating and protection against your weakness element.
The playstyle rewards an aggressive mid-range approach rather than passivity. With poise intact, withstand enemy combos and counter with your own including weapon skills. This build laughs in the face of mortal trepidation!
3. Death Sorcerer – Staff Reaper
Best for: Ranged magic annihilation
This build represents the pinnacle of sorcery‘s lethality, allowing you to scythe through areas while enemies struggle to come within 100 feet. With maxed intelligence and endless FP, you‘ll rain all manner of potent and flashy magics upon hapless marks.
- Vigor: 35
- Mind: 50
- Endurance: 18
- Strength: 16
- Intelligence: 99
- Faith: 6
- Arcane: 8
Your bread and butter lies in glintstone sorceries like Comet Azur, Stars of Ruin and Adula‘s Moonblade supplemented by the Carian Regal, Lusat‘s and Prince of Death staffs. You can wipe groups in seconds with Azur‘s beam. While squishy in close quarters, you excel at range – so position smartly and keep distance! For top efficiency, use the infinite FP Physick along with Cerulean Hidden Tear. Mix Terra Magicus, Magic Scorpion Charm and Graven Mass Talismans to push damage to its limits!
This build rewards slick play and mastery of sorceries in PvE and PvP. And once you erase an Invasion squad in 8 seconds flat with Azur, you‘ll understand why.
4. Spectral Lance Fighter
Best for: Rapid assassinations
Embodying subterfuge and lethality, this build turns you into a phantom, weaving between sightlines to impale targets on your enchanted lance before vanishing without a trace. You‘ll terrify hosts and invaders alike as their allies drop dead to an invisible force.
- Vigor: 35
- Mind: 25
- Endurance: 20
- Strength: 20
- Dexterity: 23
- Intelligence: 45
- Faith: 33
- Arcane: 9
Your spirit ashes like the Mimic Tear also gain the invisibility buffs, doubling your terror potential. With high crit damage, Misericorde backstabs fill any gaps. Sorceries like Ambush Shard and Glintstone Arc are perfectly suited. The Erdtree +2 Talisman extends your invisibility duration. And the quickstep or bloodhound step ashes provide needed evasion when visible. You‘ll be disappearing and slaying in the blink of an eye!
5. Mage Knight spellsword
Best for: Adaptable magic and melee
This Battlemage build fuses potent Intelligence sorceries with a keen enchanted blade for adaptive combat across ranged and close quarters battle. Few enemies can withstand your magical steel tempest.
- Vigor: 45
- Mind: 35
- Endurance: 25
- Strength: 17
- Dexterity: 23
- Intelligence: 60
- Faith: 6
- Arcane: 9
The Moonveil Katana empowers your swordplay with ranged Cross Slash waves while Carian Slicer, Glintstone Icecrag and Adula‘s Moonblade complement melee with impactful spellcasting. Use staff and sword in harmony, seizing any opening to unleash your skills. The cerulean hidden tear mixed physick ensures steady FP sustainability along with higher armor. Prioritize lift over damage negation however for better dodging. Swift shard, graven mass and magic scorpion charms boost sorcery devastation. Play reactively, striking the moment an enemy overextends!
6. Dex/Faith Skirmisher
Best for: Mobile holy warfare
If you wish to play an elusive holy warrior applying sacred weapon buffs, lightning strikes and restorative prayers amidst daring skirmishes, this Dexterity/Faith build is your ticket.
- Vigor: 35
- Mind: 25
- Endurance: 25
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 50
- Faith: 50
- Arcane: 9
Arm yourself with a keen Dex weapon like the Winged Scythe, infusion of your choice and a parrying dagger. Use Ashes like Blood Tax, Repeating Thrust or Sword Dance to stack blood loss & augment counter damage. For incantations take Aspects of the Crucible: Horn, Electrify Armament, Golden Vow and Flame Cleanse Me. Use ranged lightning spells to soften enemies before going in for rapid maneuvers and critical strikes. The Claw Talisman boosts jump attacks. Radagon‘s Icon speeds cast time. And Holy Scorpion Charm empowers incantations. Combine mobile aggression with healing and buffing to overcome incredible odds!
7. Rigor Mortis Ritualist
Best for: Necromantic armies
If commanding legions of undead thralls in death sorcery rituals sounds appealing, this Necromancer build is the perfect evil pathway.
- Vigor: 25
- Mind: 60
- Endurance: 25
- Strength: 20
- Intelligence: 50
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 45
Your goal is raising dead servants like skeleton militia, grave wardens and Tibia Mariners to overwhelm groups. Death sorceries like Unseen Form, Prince of Death‘s Flame and Ancient Death Rancor wipe out resilient foes. Boost undead capacity with Grave-Glovewort, the Erdtree favor +2 and ritual pots. Staff of the Guilty, Graven Mass Talisman and Magic Scorpion Charm empower necromancies further alongside damage buffs like Terra Magicus and Comet Azur‘s mighty beam. This build brings the forces of death to your command!
8. Coded Sword Saint
Best for: Holy swordsmanship
If you crave partaking in elegant, dexterous holy swordplay, the Coded Sword offers flowing chained movesets with a spectacular blade beam Skill. This build fully unlocks the weapon‘s potential.
- Vigor: 35
- Mind: 25
- Endurance: 20
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 45
- Faith: 50
- Arcane: 9
With 50 faith and Coded Sword +10, each riposte or critical will nearly one shot players even eclipsing most Strength weapons. Pair with Misericorde dagger for visceral follow ups. The Golden Vow and Flame Grant Me Strength incantation combo will boost holy by a whopping 50% on top of your innate buffs. Opt for successive attack boosting, holy and physical damage reduction talismans to offset the weapon class‘s average guard. Maintain constant aggression while watching for parry opportunities for biggest reward.
9. Powerstanced Colossal Weapon Warrior
Best for: Trading devastating blows
For pure STR builds, dual wielding colossal weapons like giant crushers, guts greatswords or iron ball fists will produce the biggest individual attacks in the game. If you crave experiencing attacks that stagger whole groups – this build delivers.
- Vigor: 60
- Endurance: 60
- Strength: 80
- Dexterity: 16 (base reqs)
With even 80 strength and heavy affinity, your jump and crouch attacks will frequently one shot players in PvP. Talismans should raise poise, equip load and attack along with physical damage reduction. Even trading is heavily in your favor. For big enemies and bosses, charged heavy attacks will tear away massive chunks of health. Colossal weapons leave you vulnerable after slow swings so make each strike count! This playstyle epitomizes what it means to embrace your inner berserker barbarian. Charge in and start crushing!
10. Bloodflame Dancer
Best for: Stylish bleeding warfare
For those who wish to perform an elegant dance of death enhanced by bloodflame magic, the twinblades offer perhaps the most visually spectacular moveset to stack hemorrhage with style.
- Vigor: 35
- Mind: 25
- Endurance: 25
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 50
- Arcane: 45
Imbue twinblades like the Twinned Knight Swords with Occult for pure bleed or Bloodflame Blade sorcery for additional burn damage. Use Quickstep or Bloodhound Step ashes to swiftly reposition your dance amidst heated battles. Jump attacks build status rapidly. Talismans should raise attack power, successive hits and optional blood loss boosts if available. While low poise, proper positioning allows you to artfully rend enemies before vanishing. This build brings vicious elegance and applicability against the vast majority of foes in a visually arresting manner. Slice in style!
With the overview of these dominant damage-dealing builds complete, here are key factors I consider when recommending builds to excel in both PvE and PvP:
Offense vs Defense – Many construct overly defensive builds failing to grasp that killing enemies quicker is superior to withstanding more attacks before dying. Prioritize damage talents first.
Passives Over Actives – Talismans and weapon skills that continually boost you passively far outweigh brief consumable buffs. Constant offense > temporary defense.
Damage Types – Every enemy has varied damage negations and weaknesses. I favor holy as it‘s rarely resisted outright in end game. Every build should incorporate a secondary damage type like magic, fire or lightning for adapting.
Weight Considerations – Heavy armor has major diminishing returns past 56 poise alongside massive stat investments. Prioritize medium sets with strong elemental negation instead.
Status Effects – Bleed and frost remain extremely effective against final bosses unlike sorceries that hit severe damage caps later on. Make these a priority.
There are certainly many other powerful and fun builds, but these 10 stand at the apex of my extensive first-hand testing. Hopefully this guide has provided keen insights into mastering your inner Elden Lord. Now go unleash destruction upon the realm! Let none stand against your march to conquest!!
