I was Planning on Going for a Fist only run, but I got this drop and couldn't resist just going full on Duelist kek

Hi all, someone by the name of "Lvl160 NG+8" or something close to me has kindly gifted me a couple of swords, including a DLC item despite me not owning the dlc.

He dropped me the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword, and after using it, I really want to respec myself as it has the Zweihander (my favorite) moveset and a really cool ash of war which charges in and could really help me in a stagger build.

For context, I use a strength build and have lots of STR, END, AND VIG. I tend to focus on tanking and staggering bosses then healing and trading hits with my shield

If you have time, please help me respec my character as I have never gotten in the DLC and would love to try this weapon out, thanks all!

Good yard,

-Snuggle Bug

First time posting here folks but I have a genuine question in regards to the Carian Sorcery Sword. I understand that the way the stats and the scaling on the weapon work is intended to make it middle of the road; it’s a less effective weapon than other rapiers in terms of damage and scaling, and similarly is less effective that staves in spell scaling.
Bearing all this in mind… I have heard that the sorcery potential on it tends to scale the absolute best it possibly can at precisely 41 INT.

My question for yall is… what recommendations you would make for a build that uses the rapier itself to cast the Carian sorceries (slicer, piercer, phalanx, etc) while utilizing a Carian Retaliation shield in the offhand? Armor, stats, etc? Thanks in advance

Sorry if this is a strange question but I was just wondering because I just got Carian Piercer, and combined with Carian Slicer and Carian Greatsword and Hammer of Haima it feels like I have a ton of melee options without a weapon that tend to do more damage than the weapon I am using (I am using Rogiers Rapier at +8 rn) so is it even worth using Melee weapons?

I am currently on my second playthrough. I wanted to make an Arcane character, but I couldn't decide between Arc/Dex, Arc/Str, or Arc/Faith... so I ended up doing all three.

Surprisingly, it works really well.

This build probably isn't fully optimized, but after comparing damage values using weapon calculators, I found that specializing in either Strength or Dexterity usually doesn't make a huge difference for most Arcane weapons. In return, this hybrid build lets me use almost every Arcane weapon effectively.

Some of the main weapons I've used are Eleonora's Poleblade, Morgott's Cursed Sword, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, Marais Executioner's Sword, Venomous Fang, and Rivers of Blood, along with Occult- and Blood-infused weapons. On top of that, I also get access to Dragon Communion incantations.

The setup shown in the screenshots is what I used to beat Malenia.

I just wanted to share this for anyone who's struggling to choose between Arc/Dex, Arc/Str, or Arc/Faith. You don't necessarily have to pick just one—you can build around all of them and still have a character that's fun, versatile, and very effective.

Hi, there.

Context: I'm not new to the game. I have around 400 hours in Elden Ring, but I've never actually finished it. Every playthrough reaches a point where I lose interest, then a few weeks later I start over from scratch. The farthest I've ever gotten was defeating the Black Blade Kindred in the Forbidden Lands.

Current build: I'm level 65. I'm taking things very slowly this time around. I farmed quite a few weapons, which explains the relatively high level. I don't play PvP.

I started as a Samurai. My stats are currently 41 DEX, 31 VIG, around 11 ARC (at one point I thought I'd make this a bleed build), and 23 END.

I'm using the Uchigatana as my main weapon. I keep the Great Turtle Shell on my back—not because I meet the Strength requirement, but simply for the stamina regeneration bonus. I've recently started experimenting with greases, although I still forget to apply them sometimes before boss fights. I also carry a Nightrider Flail for armored enemies, and I make frequent use of pots. As for armor, I'm wearing the Guardian set because I really like its aesthetic and theme.

My question:

I'm happy with my build because it challenges me to play "cleanly," in the sense that I don't rely on ranged cheese or overly powerful mechanics. This is my fifth attempt at the game, so while it's not intended as a challenge run, it's definitely a bit more restrictive than a typical playthrough.

What I enjoy most is feeling like I've controlled a boss fight rather than simply overwhelmed it. For example, I defeated Margit solo for the first time in this run—no summons, no Rogier, just me. It was incredibly satisfying. Even more satisfying was realizing during the fight that if I kept a certain distance, I could consistently bait two specific attacks—the jumping slam and the long rushing thrust—which both leave long, reliable punish windows.

The problem is that if I had to describe my build mechanically, I'd basically say:

That's... pretty much it.

There's no clever moveset, no interesting combo, no distinctive game plan at the core of the build. I don't build around critical hits, bleed, frost, health regeneration, self-inflicted madness, or anything like that. I'm simply using one of the game's best weapons in the most straightforward way possible.

I do use a bow as well, but only to pull enemies one at a time or kill something that's annoying to reach.

I hope I've explained what I mean.

I'd love to hear from people who enjoy build crafting or have spent a lot of time playing Samurai or katana builds. Do you have any ideas for making this build more interesting, stylish, or memorable? Not necessarily stronger—I mean giving it some kind of identity or signature playstyle that goes beyond "jump attack with Uchigatana."

Playing in an ERSC world with 2 friends. Just beat Elden Beast and Rellana in the DLC. After some discussion, they both wanted me to run a boring mage build so I obliged. Blue bar go down, Comet Azur, Night Comet, the works. One friend has been enjoying the Mohg Spear and its blood loss skill. The third player was playing a Zwei build, but he felt like he wasn’t doing much between the bazillywonkers damage already being dealt by the mage and blood builds. Any suggestions for him? He’s trying out a perfumer build rn, but doesn’t like the slow poison ticks (figured I’d mention it as well). Thanks!

Guys i downloaded convergence mod,tell me which class is best for whole game

A few days ago I made a post asking for help on my strength build. I’ve made some decent progress and wanted to make a 2nd post to see how much it’s improved. Currently fighting the Beast Clergyman/Maliketh.
For context this is a Strength+Vigor+Endurance build, two handing weapons.

Character Status:

Rune Level: 109
Vigor: 41
Mind: 10
Endurance: 42
Strength: 55
Dexterity: 15
Intelligence: 9
Faith: 9
Arcane: 7

Weapons:

Heavy Nightrider Glaive +25 (Braggart’s Roar)
Heavy Giant Crusher +24 (Braggart’s Roar)
Banished Knight’s Fire Great-sword +24 (Flaming Strike)
Dragon Halberd +9
I two hand all my weapons. I have this little assortment depending on the damage resistances a boss might have. (Slash, pierce, strike, fire)

Armor:

Banished Knight Helm
Hoslow’s Armor
Banished Knight Gauntlets
Banished Knight Greaves
I usually run the full Banished Knight set, but since the Giant Crusher is so heavy, I switched the armor piece to a secondary option that is still pretty good

Talisman Set Up:

Axe Talisman
Starscourge Heirloom (+5 strength so i have 60)
Green Turtle Talisman
Dragoncrest Shield Talisman +2
I switched the second two out from the Viridian Amber Medallion and the Curved Sword Talisman. A lot of critique was lobbied at my talismans.

It’s a real deadly build in PvP and PvE as long as u roll good, anything bout this build that can be better?

SO I beated mohg and i cant get this mask, can somebody give it to me please??

So, I wanna do a monk style build that starts off with fist/claw weapons then eventually martial art wep once I get to the dlc + utility, buffs, heal faith incantations; but no offensive spells + bows for long range support. Max level 120-150 range. What would be the easiest way to go about stats? pure faith, faith/dex hybrid, pure dex with faith reqs for buffs? I can't decide.

Looking for a good poison build with poison moth flight. What affinity/stats should I go with?

Looking at either coil shield or poison perfume bottle for poison buildup then hitting with poison moth flight.

What would be a good weapon for the ash on? Using the serpent god's curved sword + coil shield sounds fun thematically, or should I find a weapon with good reach?

(ignore the name)

Hey everyone, new player here. I hit a wall with my spellblade build, Sir Pothead. I can’t get past Maliketh (or the draconic knight) and I know I’m probably doing something wrong with my stats. Right now just going back and killing all the dragons I can find. I wanted to get vigor and int up to 70 before spreading to other areas. I know I need to get endurance up.

Using moonveil and carian regal scepter.

I’ve never played a fromsoft game before so this is the furthest I’ve ever gone. I know int is easy mode but again this is my first run and I just wanted to experience the game first before going back and making another build.

Edit - Thank you so much for the feedback! This was super helpful and will help Sir Pothead become an elden lord and avenge all those poor, cracked warrior jars.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10j-JrtCUBYqVZa3aGoM9UgVOO0DBPcUBM7VC2jq9Cfc/edit?usp=sharing

The doc above me contains a small passion project I've been doing, just randomly making builds that might be viable. I just wanted to post it here so I could get general feedback and improve my later builds. Everybody has commentator access, so you can put whatever you want in there and I can take a look at it. Maybe give some of them a ranking idrk.

Thank you in advance for your comments🫶

I'm thinking about making a co-op character around RL 50–80, although I'm not sure if that's the busiest summon range. If there's a more active level bracket, please let me know.

My goal is to build a character with maximum damage and good survivability while keeping stat investment as efficient as possible.

I'm also torn between two playstyles:

A support-focused build with healing and buffs to help newer players survive.

A high-DPS build that melts tough enemies and bosses so the host has more breathing room.

Which do you think is more valuable for random co-op?

Since this is a low-level build, I think starting class actually matters because I don't have many points to waste on stats I won't use.

Classes:

Wretch (Level 1)

All the other classes (Level 9–10)

Bandit, which could potentially work for an Arcane build if that's strong at this level.

I've also been trying to figure out whether Wretch is actually worth starting with. Since it begins at level 1 with every stat at 10, I'm trying to calculate how many levels it takes to match the base stats of the other starting classes. Is the flexibility of Wretch worth it, or are the level 9–10 classes simply a better value because of their optimized stat distribution?

I also have access to every weapon, armor set, talisman, and item, so gear availability isn't a limitation.

Given all that, what would you recommend for:

Best rune level for active co-op

Best starting class

Best weapon(s)

Best armor

Stat spread

Talismans

Ashes of War

Incantations or Sorceries (if any)

I'm looking for the strongest overall co-op build for helping random hosts, so I'm open to any suggestions. Thank yall 👏

So this is my build, and I’ve been thinking on changing it for a strength based build. Or is there a way to improve it?

And if I end up with a Str. Build, what should I level up? Do I change my specs?
(For strength weapons I have the rusted anchor and the greatsword, maybe this info is useful)

Guess how many bosses I took down with this move

I’m here to ask because I’m a bit curious - I’m playing a Millicent cosplay and currently have the Shamshir equipped, but it doesn’t feel optimal. Currently, the plan was to go for a pure dex build, but I’m open to working in another direction.

So I guess my questions are:

1: Would the build still be thematic if I traded for another weapon like Milady (or muled over a NSS)? Would there be a more thematic but stronger option than the Shamshir?

2: is pure dex the way to go, or would faith fit? Quality?

i can get radagon but then my mimic tear will die and ill get destroyed by the elden beast i use the blasphemous blade and this is my build any recommendations what i should level up or do

I've already played and completed Elden Ring a few years ago, back when it was just the base game, and recently I got the hankering to return to it, and actually do the DLC (outside of single very chaotic speedrun, not seen it at all). Started out as Vagabond with idea of getting Greatswords and Colossals, then pivoting as friend instead suggested going double Reaper (Winged + normal Scythes), but I kinda feel a lot like what I played all those years ago and not vibing with it well. Then I remembered that I did start a second run back then, where the idea was to have a more caster focused run (though iirc back then I more of did a golden order based guy). But other games and life took my attention, and I forever shelved that run.

So, now I'm sitting in middle of Liurnia, clearing through that and getting ready to sturm the Academy, imagine maybe 10-15 hours till I get to Rennala. Gonna stick through with reapers and not pivot for now, but I am thinking to do a respec once I beat Rennala. Last time I just mostly went with whatever, but this time I figure I plan up a little better, see how it's best to arrange stats and such. The ideas of what I want from the build:

• Versatility: I'm trying to go as completionist as possible with both collecting and fighting everything, so I would like to vary it up every now and so. Maybe even a good spell randomizer? I understand that getting all of Int/Fth/Arc can be tough business, so I'm okay to compromise on one of the stats if need be or give it less focus, but if endgoal could be "someone who can competently cast all there is on Lands Between" and be the ultimate Mystic Theurge, if to take DnD terms - that's perfect

• Some sort of magic that could act as a way of basic attack or at least as close as possible. Preferably, I would pull out a melee weapon never and just use catalysts 24/7, but the only FP regen talisman is deep in DLC and I'm not planning to rush there. Do know of Sacrificial Axe (and Sword of Milos and Ancestral Spirit's Horn eventually) though, so that obviously would be sheathed for at least some recovery. Weapon Arts that feel like magic are cool enough too. Good emergency weapons that feel like I'm caster that has to bonk in empty FP situations or to preserve a bit - likewise.

Any tips, ideas, stat progression, etc. - all very much welcome, and thank you in advice

(If that matters - play fully offline, so purely for PvE)