As a Soulsborne veteran with over 800 hours across multiple FromSoftware games, I‘ve tested countless builds to overcome the monumental challenges these titles provide. And throughout my journeys, one of my all-time favorite playstyles is the "Battlemage" – a lethal half-sorcerer, half-fighter hybrid that combines ranged magics and melee weapons masterfully.
After defeating every demigod and legendary boss in Elden Ring‘s vast Lands Between – including the notorious Blade of Miquella Malenia solo – I‘m excited to share the deepest dive possible into crafting the ultimate battlemage. This comprehensive guide contains all my knowledge as a dedicated fan around optimal stats, gear synergies, combat tactics, and early-game progression to start obliterating enemies as an unstoppable mystical warrior right away.
Defining The Battlemage Playstyle
Unlike pure sorcerers who rely completely on spells, a battlemage is a magic-wielding fighter who charges into the fray right beside traditional melee builds. This versatile blend of ranged and close-quarters combat allows unprecedented adaptability to any battle scenario.
Against hordes of smaller foes, a battlemage can maintain distance piercing enemies down with powerful sorceries. But as soon as agile combatants flank or swiftly close gaps, he can unsheathe his enchanted sword to slash away. Mixing up spell-casting and melee attacks like this keeps battlemages highly unpredictable in combat.
Moreover, they tend to wear lighter armor for additional maneuverability and endurance compared to bulkier brute builds. So while resilience takes a slight hit, improved mobility maximizes repositioning potential – crucial for any magic caster. As long as you remain vigilant and learn intricate attack patterns, a battlemage can conquer any threat including the title‘s most notorious bosses.
Now let‘s break down exactly how to craft this build step-by-step:
Optimal Battlemage Stats
Carefully distributing stats is crucial for maximizing a battlemage‘s damage output and survival. This is the ideal spread I‘ve theorycrafted over my experience:
As you can see, the cornerstone is Intelligence – this exponentially scales sorcery damage so it warrants the heaviest investment. Secondarily Mind gives you a deep FP pool to enable constant spell-casting pressure. Next is 40-50 Vigor; you‘ll be mid-range so can‘t be as squishy as a pure caster.
Endurance receives enough points so your equipped armor doesn‘t fat roll. You need just 16 Strength to wield the iconic Moonveil katana, but 20-25 Dexterity to hit the casting speed soft-cap. Lastly, base your Faith and Arcane around whatever secondary incantations/sorceries you want access to.
Let‘s analyze crucial breakpoints across the major Level metas:
Level 125 Battlemage
- Vigor: 40
- Mind: 25
- Endurance: 18
- Strength: 18
- Dexterity: 20
- Intelligence: 70
- Faith: 7
- Arcane: 9
Level 150 Battlemage
- Vigor: 50
- Mind: 35
- Endurance: 25
- Strength: 20
- Dexterity: 25
- Intelligence: 80
- Faith: 12
- Arcane: 12
At 125 you have powerful damage with 60 INT, decent mid-roll capability, and good survivability. I‘d run Sorcerer as the starting class here. 150 maxes out most stats to peak battlemage performance. Veterans armor pieces become usable here too while maintaining Medium roll.
Best Catalysts For Spell Damage
Catalysts directly influence sorcery potency in Elden Ring. Luckily as a battlemage, you have access to two of the strongest magic-boosting staves:
Lusat‘s Glintstone Staff: Highest sorcery scaling but costs 50% more FP per cast which can be mitigated by an equipped talisman.
Carian Regal Scepter: Second-best scaling with no drawbacks, but requires much higher intelligence.
I prefer Lusat‘s even with the added FP tax. Combined with Graven-Mass and Magic Scorpion talismans, the sheer damage output is worth the extra mind investment. However Carian Regal is still phenomenal if you don‘t meet Lusat‘s demands.
As a side note, Azur‘s Glintstone Staff provides a virtual 40 Dexterity boost for spell casting speed. This can help you reallocate points from Dexterity into Intelligence instead.
Best Weapons For Battlemage Build
While spells inflict devastating damage from range, melee proficiency is equally vital to master as a battlemage. These are my top weapons specifically for Intelligence-focused hybrids:
Moonveil Katana:
- Iconic magically-imbued katana with ranged Transient Moonlight skill
- Innate Magic damage scaling with Intelligence
- Balanced base AR and great moveset
- High critical damage and posture breaking
Darkmoon Greatsword:
- Enchanted ultra greatsword from Rennala‘s remembrance
- Frost accumulation on strikes plus ranged heavy skill
- Fantastic AR even on basic attacks
- High poise damage and stagger potential
Wing of Astel:
- Ethereal curved sword enveloped in arcane magic
- R2 sends out Nebula slice projectiles that track targets
- Pure Magic damage scaling with solid base
- Extremely low weight at 5.5 units
And here is a breakdown comparison of the top weapons:
As you can see, together they cover close-quarters combat, crowd control, shield pressure, passive effects, special skills and more to handle any scenario. I recommend carrying your staff of choice plus 1-2 of these weapons to dominate both PvE and PvP.
Armor For Battlemage Build
Since wielding spells and weapons simultaneously weighs you down substantially, optimizing armor balance is key. Prioritize lighter pieces with efficient protection against common damage types:
Head: Twinsage Glintstone Crown (boosts sorceries by 12%)
Chest: Battlemage Robe
Hands: Radahn‘s Gauntlets
Legs: Radahn‘s Greaves
This setup perfectly encapsulates a battlemage‘s identity with the iconic crown and robe. Radahn‘s limbs are medium weight but offer excellent physical and magic absorption. Together they provide a 57 poise rating for hyperarmor too.
If you plan on heavy investing into Endurance with higher equip load to work with, the Veteran‘s armor set is ideal. Heavier pieces bolster defensive stats noticeably while looking badass.
Best Talismans
These four talismans form the perfect skill-boosting package:
- Radagon Icon – Reduces sorcery casting time
- Graven-Mass Talisman – Raises sorcery attack potency
- Magic Scorpion Charm – Further enchances magic attack power
- Carian Filigreed Crest – Lessens FP consumption on skills
Quickened casting speeds allow safer openings for ranged magics. Then the multiplicative 12-20% buffs to sorcery damage from Graven-Mass and Magic Scorpion push your spells into nuclear territory. Lastly having FP costs cut by 25% ensures you can barrage enemies with spells for longer durations.
If you plan on off-handing melee skills often, I‘d also substitute the Magic Shrouding Cracked Tear in your physick. This eliminates FP consumption on weapon skills for 30 seconds – perfect for unleashing deadly combos like Transient Moonlight.
Best Sorceries
Now let‘s discuss the bread and butter of this build – your lethal arsenal of equipped sorceries. I wouldn‘t leave home without these essentials always attuned:
Glintstone Pebble – Your spammable workhorse spell for consistent ranged damage
Carian Slicer – Channels magic into swift sword slashes to conserve FP up close
Swift Glintstone Shard – Faster moving projectile for ranged pressure
Scholar‘s Armament – Enchant your weapon with magic damage temporarily
Terra Magica – Creates zone boosting magic attacks, great before big spells
Collapsing Stars – Barrages enemies with homing heavy magic missiles
This base covers multiple combat ranges and scenarios. You have quick spells to pepper targets, close-quarters options when out of FP, enchanting weapon buffs, zone control, even high-powered nukes via Collapsing Stars thanks to terrain.
Some bonus top-tier choices ideal for Battlemage include: Stars of Ruin, Adula‘s Moonblade, Dark Moon, Shard Spiral, and the mighty Comet Azur which just deletes bosses.
Attune based on remaining memory slots and whether you want full aggressive spells or a few tactical options like dispelling enemy sorceries.
Early Game Progression And Gear Routing
As a seasoned veteran on multiple characters, here is the most efficient way I‘ve found to kickstart a new battlemage, collect all essential gear as possible, and set up successive respecs for late-game builds:
- Samurai Class – Decent Mind/Intelligence starting stats
- Redmane Castle – Kill Radahn for his armor set
- Raya Lucaria Academy – Learn sorceres like Carian Slicer and Glintstone Pebble
- Altus Plateau – Obtain Moonveil Katana behind imp statue with Stonesword Key
- Leyndell – Collect Memory Stones to raise Mind for more FP
- Giant Mountains – Defeat Fire Giant and journey onwards to collect talismans
- Respec after defeating Rennala to focus on Intelligence primary
This gets you established with our core weapons, spells, some starter gear and nicely sets you up for a full respec to pump intelligence with Rennala‘s Rebirth. Afterwards collect whichever armor pieces or advanced sorceries you desire from late-game zones like Mountaintops of the Giants or Haligtree.
An ideal bare minimum stat line pre-respec I‘d recommend is 30 Vigor, 18 Mind (4 slots), 16 Strength (Moonveil requirement), and whatever base Intelligence to wield Glintstone Sorceries like Pebble. Rush Moonveil while pumping up Intelligence as high as possible to quickly gain proficiency until that respec opportunity.
Battlemage Combat Fundamentals
Wielding both spells and steel in heated combat can be highly complex. But adhering to these core principles will set you on the path to mastering FromSoftware‘s intense challenge:
- Seamlessly switch between ranged sorceries and melee combos to keep opponents guessing
*punish enemies recovering from lengthy animations with heavy nuke spells from safety
Manipulate fight dynamics with terrain – elevation, obstacles, bottlenecks are your friends
Only expend FP if an enemy is animation locked, stationary, or moving predictably in a straight line
Memorize weapon skill lengths thoroughly – their openings if mistimed can be severely punished
Retreat and create space the instant you run low on FP to replenish safely with cerulean flask
If you ingrain those vital tactics, no foe stands a chance no matter their build or skill level. Many formidable Elden Ring bosses including Maliketh, Godfrey and the dreaded Malenia fell before my battlemage once I perfected balancing these core techniques during their complex movesets.
And that sums up everything you need to know about constructing the ultimate intelligence battlemage for tackling the entire game with magic steel in hand! Let me know down below if you have any other questions – I‘m happy to provide additional tips and discussion being an avid fan. Thanks for reading, and may the good blood guide your way!
