With more than 1,000 hours playing Elden Ring, you can trust that I know what I’m talking about when I share things, especially when it comes to the Elden Ring Builds!
Elden Ring offers ten starting classes with unique abilities and stats. These classes won’t lock you into a specific build; you can freely distribute points as you wish. Starting classes provide gear and stat boosts for specific playstyles, but min-maxing is essential for optimal PvP builds.
Choosing a class that aligns with your goals is crucial. Melee-focused classes might leave a pure magic build with misplaced points. While minor, these differences matter in close battles.
Key Takeaways
There are 9 starting classes offering unique abilities and stats, allowing for customization without limiting your build.
- Caster Astrologer class is ideal for a Pure Caster (Intelligence Build), but Prisoner and Vagabond can work too.
- Vagabond class is a Quality Build with well-rounded stats, suitable for hybrid builds.
- Hybrid Builds are powerful but may be challenging early in the game, depending on weapon choices.
- Prophet class is great for Strength and Faith Hybrid Build, while Astrologer suits Pure Caster and Hybrid Builds.
- Hero class excels as a Strength Build, focusing on Strength, Vigor, and Endurance.
- Paladin class is best for a Strength and Faith Hybrid Build, with Prophet as another option.
- Knight class is a straightforward Strength Build, focusing on Strength, Vigor, and Endurance.
- Thief class is the top choice for a Dexterity Build, emphasizing Dexterity, Vigor, and Endurance.
- A Speedrun Build requires the Thief class with an emphasis on Dexterity, Vigor, Endurance, and a secondary focus on Intelligence.
My Best Builds Comparison
Here is a comparison table of my best Builds in Elden Ring. Each stat can be sorted to view the highest and lowest values, which has been done for your convenience:
No. Name Award Vigor Mind Endurance Dexterity Intelligence Strength Faith Arcane
1 Pure Casters – Intelligence Build Best Intelligence Build. 40 35 27 18 60 - - -
2 Vagabond – Quality Build Best Quality Build. 40 15 40 40 - 40 - -
3 Hybrid Build Best Hybrid Build. 40 25 30 - - 40 40 -
4 Hero – Strength Build Best Strength Build. 40 10 45 - - 66 - -
5 Samurai – Dexterity Build Best Dexterity Build. 40 - 44 65 - - - -
6 Dual Katana Bleed Build Best Bleed Build. 40 30 30 50 9 12 18 45
7 Faith-Melee Hybrid Best Faith-Melee Build - - - 40 - 20 40 -
8 Melee Sorcerer Build Best Melee Sorcerer Build. 35 35 9 18 60 12 7 9
9 High Strength Tank Build Best Tank Build. - - 60 - - 60 15 -
Comparison Table.
Please note that this guide is subjective, so my views on the best builds may differ from your first-hand experiences with the game. However, I have ensured that my personal experience is extensive.
So, players can pick whichever class they want and build whatever they want later on down the line. Of course, you’re going to level up, and you can also allocate whatever you want into your stats lines however you please and change up your entire build.
Pure Casters – Intelligence Build
Best Intelligence Build.
Why do I Choose Intelligence Build?
Intelligence Builds mostly deals with powerful spells that have versatile damage types and ranges. It has the potential to destroy some of the strongest enemies quite easily.
Starting with Caster Astrologer will be best if the weapon requirements aren’t too high otherwise, Prisoner and Vagabond become competitive. For you guys, damage stat is the most important, especially since the world is much more significant; you’ll be able to space yourself and backpedal when fighting to not likely get hit much at all.
For these, you will want ash of war that scales your weapon into Intelligence or Faith on your weapon.
I believe that raw scaling does not exist as it did in Dark Souls 3, so early on, pure caster’s melee will be relatively weak, and spells do cost stamina to cost as well as fp. So, you do want some endurance to cast and have enough stamina to dodge an attack.
While Dexterity increases casting speed, there is usually a ring or talisman that can achieve the same thing, and you save many points. The essential stats for the intelligence build are:
- Vigor-40
- Mind-35
- Endurance-27
- Dexterity-18
- Intelligence-60
- Access to Powerful Spells.
- Ranged attacks keep you away from the enemy.
- A versatile build allows different spells for various scenarios.
- High weapon scaling for Int weapons.
- Most weapons and spells have high Int and Faith requirements.
- Requires good knowledge of game mechanics, scaling, and spells.
- Less focus on other attributes.
- Allows weak armor only.
- Not good in the early game.
Vagabond – Quality Build
Best Quality Build.
Why do I Choose Quality Build?
Quality Builds are well-balanced, giving decent weapon scaling for Str and Dex stats to use many heavy-hitting weapons and heavy armor.
The Quality build class is Vagabond, offering the following stats with six flexible points, including faith. This build is versatile for both Strength and Dexterity weapons, excluding magic. It’s also suitable for Hybrid builds depending on your Strength or Dexterity needs.
Vagabond allows immense flexibility, making it ideal for Melee, Hybrid, or Pure Caster playstyles. Stats typically cap at 40, as further points have diminishing returns. Focus on:
- Vigor: 40
- Mind: 15
- Endurance: 40
- Strength: 40
- Dexterity: 40
Use Strength-scaling weapons for extra damage. Prioritize leveling Strength, Endurance, and Vigor for increased health and stamina. Two-handed weapons grant a 50% Strength boost, but you can also opt for single-handed weapons and a shield for versatility in damage and defense.
- Versatile builds with lots of weapon options.
- Adaptable for most situations.
- Utilizes Heavy Armor for extra defense.
- Able to use Long-range weapons.
- Mainly focuses on Str and Dex.
- Not investment on Mind, or Int.
- Less damage than pure Str or pure Dex builds.
- Effective at higher levels only.
- Lack of Spells and Incantation usage.
Hybrid Build
Best Hybrid Build.
Why do I choose Hybrid Build?
Hybrid Build allows you to combine the perks of two or more stats, leveraging their key features to make a stronger build rather than maxing out a single stat and offering a more versatile and adaptive gameplay.
In my experience, Hybrid builds can be challenging to develop early on but offer significant strength, especially with Dexed out spells and incantations. These builds leverage the posture system, unlike Pure Casters.
You may need varying levels of Mind, Endurance, or Strength/Dexterity based on weapon preferences, but generally aim for your highest stat to reach 40 or 41.
I suggest the Prophet class is ideal for a Strength and Faith hybrid, while Astrologer works well for Dexterity and Intelligence. Prisoner is an option if you need minimal Strength.
Choose Astrologer if you want to create both a Pure Caster and a Hybrid in one character. For Paladin, the level difference between Prophet and Vagabond depends on whether you need Dexterity. Key stats are:
- Vigor: 40
- Mind: 25
- Endurance: 30
- Strength: 40
- Faith: 40
This offers the power of a Strength build along with useful buffs and damage options. As a hybrid, you won’t wear heavy armor, focusing on leveling Faith and Strength.
- Versatile and Adaptive.
- Able to use Spells and Incantations.
- Many weapon options.
- Access to numerous spells.
- Better weapon buffs.
- Better resistance against enemies.
- Unable to use heavy armor.
- Less investment in specific stats.
- Scaling damage is divided between stats.
- Complex in nature and requires decent game knowledge.
Hero – Strength Build
Best Strength Build.
Why do I choose Strength Build?
Strength build allows you to wield heavy weapons and heavy armor to deal massive raw damage while tanking any damage coming towards you.
Hero is the best Elden Ring strength build if you neglect every other stat, but Strength, Vigor, and Endurance are the only three you need. It is much simpler to build than the other classes; however, since you will be weak at the start, you won’t have access to those big or ultra weapons yet, nor will you have super chunky armor.
But that likely means you can pump Vigor higher early on than other classes. So, there’s that to counter that negative. The important stats that you want to keep are as follows;
- Vigor-40
- Mind-10
- Endurance-45
- Strength-66
Having 66 Strength will readily give you an additional 99 Strength when you use two-handed weapons. In short, this method will straight-up flatten your enemies with incredible damage output.
- Massive damage output.
- Scales Str weapons immensely.
- Heavy armor improves defense.
- Easy playstyle.
- Two-hand weapon bonus.
- Stagger enemies easily.
- Lacks spells and incantations.
- Weak in other attributes.
- High stamina usage.
- Only good for close-range combat.
- Attack speed is slow.
Related: Best Strength Weapons in Elden Ring
Samurai – Dexterity Build
Best Dexterity Build.
Why do I choose Dexterity Build?
Samurai is ideal for Dex builds, having the Uchigatana as the primary weapon with a bow for close and long range. It can easily take on any level of enemies but requires skill to time attacks perfectly.
The Samurai class is an excellent choice for new players in Elden Ring. It offers a well-rounded character with strong melee attacks, decent range, good armor, and excellent mobility. Samurai is ideal for leveling Dexterity for this build, allowing you to use Strength or Dexterity-scaling weapons.
Choosing the Golden Seed during character creation is highly recommended, providing an extra mana or healing potion that can give you an advantage in fights.
Since Samurai starts with few or no arrows, crafting some along the way is essential. The primary weapons are the Bow and Uchigatana, so it’s crucial to know when to use each. Key stats to focus on are:
- Vigor: 40
- Endurance: 44
- Dexterity: 65
Leveling Vigor is essential for close-range combat, where you won’t have much time to escape. To deal additional damage, focus on Dexterity for Strength-based attacks, ensuring you can survive encounters effectively.
- Decent DPS.
- Fast attack speed.
- Weapons scales great with Dex.
- Weapons are precise.
- Able to wield several weapons.
- Samurai begins with Uchigatana, one of the best weapons.
- Low HP and defense at the start.
- Requires skill to evade attacks and counter.
- Mostly melee combat makes it risky.
- No Magic spells or incantations.
Dual Katana Bleed Build
Best Bleed Build.
Why do I choose Dual Katana Bleed Build?
The Dual Katana Bleed Build inflicts high Bleed damage and quick attacks, staggering and killing enemies quickly with Blood Loss.
The dual-wield bleed Katana build prioritizes Dexterity and Arcane, focusing on katanas to maximize weapon arts and bleed damage, inflicting significant blood loss.
My recommended weapons are the Uchigatana and Rivers of Blood Katanas, with the Uchigatana in your right hand. High Arcane allows you to add bleed affinity to your Uchigatana, or you can use a blood flame.
Aim for Dexterity and Arcane levels of 30 and above once you reach around level 90, along with high Vigor and Endurance for durability.
For Ashes of War, I prefer “bloody slash” on your Uchigatana for its power. This build emphasizes dealing massive damage by inflicting blood loss on enemies. Stay close, execute perfect dodges, and use L1 dual combos or L2 for Ashes of War. When the opportunity arises, dual-wield your Uchigatana and unleash “bloody slash.”
This build is effective for both PvE and PvP, offering high speed and massive damage output. It excels in close-quarters combat, making it one of the best builds for taking down foes quickly.
- Inflicts Bleed damage and Blood loss.
- High DPS and quick attack speed.
- Focuses on Katanas, with Dex and Arcane scaling.
- Effective in PvP and PvE.
- Weak against enemies immune to Bleed status.
- Requires specific weapons and Ashes of War.
- Mostly favorable in close combat.
- Requires skill due to time attacks and dodges.
Faith-Melee Hybrid
Best Faith-Melee Build
Why did I Choose Faith-Melee Hybrid Build?
It utilizes weapons that scale with Faith and Magic Incantations and use incantations to buff your melee damage. It works excellent against most enemies in close as well as ranged battles.
Elden Ring has more faith weapons than ever seen before in a Fromsoft game. This allows for an abundance of Faith builds in Elden Ring. One such build is a Faith-Melee Hybrid build. These builds have high casting speeds and high damage through incantations while also having a decent weapon and having most combats be close quarters.
I recommend the tree spear, with the Coded Sword being a close second. You should also go with Talismans that increase FP and casting speeds alongside incantation damage. It is also best for searching for and acquiring as many memory stones as you can.
For incantations, my favorites are fire orb, lightning spear, healing incantations, poison curing incantations, flame, grant me strength, and the like. I recommend a late-game faith level of around 50 with a high strength of dex level. Read Dex Build.
The way you will be using this build is to use your incantations to lure enemies away and clear ads from afar, then go in for the kill. You will be using your healing incantations to avoid wasting your flasks.
You will be using buffing incantations before fights to ensure you deal tons of damage. All in all, this build is very viable and one of the best builds.
- Highly versatile.
- Buffs weapons with different stats.
- Best for close and ranged combat.
- Allows to cast Incantations.
- Flexible and versatile.
- Not good in early game.
- Requires decent game mechanics knowledge.
- Low HP and armor.
- High FP cost.
Melee Sorcerer Build
Best Melee Sorcerer Build.
Why did I Choose Melee Sorcerer Build?
Melee Sorcerer is a balanced build having access to powerful spells for ranged damage along with Int scaled melee weapons for close combat.
To make this build effective, you’ll need powerful sorceries along with a weapon that preferably scales with Intelligence. Consider sorceries like Glintstone Shard, Azure Comet, Glintstone Comet Release, Great Blade Phalanx, and similar options.
For weapons, the Darkmoon Blade or the Moonveil Katana are recommended, allowing you to focus on maximizing your Intelligence rather than investing in other stats like Strength or Dexterity.
This hybrid build is versatile and performs well in both PvE and PvP. The potent spells alone can carry you through the game, while the addition of melee weapons makes it even more formidable, especially in close-quarters combat. Overall, the melee sorcerer build stands as one of the best builds.
- Able to use powerful spells.
- Adaptive gameplay.
- Good in ranged and melee combat.
- Can inflict Frostbite easily.
- Effective in PvP and PvE.
- High FP cost.
- Low HP.
- Effective in mid-late game only.
- Complex gameplay.
High Strength Tank Build
Best Tank Build.
Why did I choose Strength Tank Build?
It utilizes heavy weapons like Greatswords and Greatsheilds for high damage output and tanky stats. It absorbs most of the incoming damage while dealing stance-breaking damage in return.
Similar to the strength build mentioned above, this build leaves all else for a very high strength level and high equip load. The goal of this build is to have the absolute maximum equip load and the biggest Greatsword and Great shield the game has to offer.
For this build, I recommend Endurance of around 45 and above, with strength being just as high (yes, this is a very late-game build). I’ll also advise you to go with a weapon similar to the Grafted Blade or Golden Halberd alongside the Dragon Claw great shield.
On top of all this, you want armor with the highest resistance and poise, something like the Bull Goat’s armor or Lionel’s armor.
This build aims to tank attacks while dealing high damage. Use talismans for defense and attack boosts, and consider incantations that buff you. While not the most viable, it can be fun and effective in PvP, allowing you to absorb enemy attacks while dealing significant damage. Tank builds can be enjoyable and effective in Elden Ring.
- High Damage Output.
- High survivability.
- Heavy Armor to tank most of the attacks.
- High Poise to avoid stance breaking.
- Breaks the enemy’s stance easily for critical hits.
- Good for PvE and PvP battles.
- Cannot use Magic Spells.
- Not good for ranged combat.
- Low mobility and low attack speed.
- Weak against magic attacks.
Additional Stats Tips
In Elden Ring, focus on optimizing your stats for effective gameplay. Three key stats to prioritize are Vigor, Endurance, and Mind, which are universal for all builds. Strength, Dexterity, Faith, Intelligence, and Arcane are damage stats with hidden bonuses tailored to enhance your chosen damage output. Avoid leveling any attribute above 60, as the benefits diminish significantly. A well-balanced build will make the game more manageable.
Vigor
Vigor increases your health and provides fire resistance and poison immunity. Higher levels grant more health and stronger resistance. Avoid exceeding level 60 for Vigor. Many effective builds utilize Vigor.
Mana
Mana influences focus-related resistance, crucial for using weapon skills and spells. Effective mana management is vital, as skills and spells deplete it quickly. Specific stats can help reduce mana consumption.
Endurance
Endurance boosts stamina, physical defense, and equipment load capacity. Stamina is vital for running and attacking without fatigue.
Strength
Strength allows you to wield heavy weapons and boosts attack power for standard weapons. It also increases maximum equipment load. Leveling Strength is essential for using heavy weapons effectively.
Dexterity
Dexterity enhances damage with Dex Weapons and affects magic, decreasing casting time for massive spells but making you vulnerable to minor “full damage.” Dexterity is crucial for many builds, but not ideal for Sorcerers due to the trade-off between casting speed and damage.
Intelligence
Intelligence boosts damage with sorcery spells and unlocks specific spells that require a minimum Intelligence level. It also increases your magic resistance. If you aim to be a primary sorcerer, prioritize leveling Intelligence.
Faith
Faith enhances damage with incantations and unlocks specific incantations as it’s leveled up. Unlike Intelligence, it doesn’t affect resistance and is solely focused on incantations.
Arcane
Arcane is generally considered less valuable, mainly affecting discovery and luck in finding loot, death resistance, and some sorceries and incantations. It’s not a high-priority stat for most builds.
Why Others Were Not Choosen?
- Lightning Build: High lightning damage but weak against enemies resistant to lightning.
- Holy Build: Ineffective in late-game especially against bosses.
- Flame/Pyromancer Build: Only available in late-game and weak against fire-resistance enemies.
- Death Blight Build: Only effective in PvP.
- Night and Flame Buid: Can be made in late-game only.
My Recommendations For Best Build
Elden Ring gives several build options that allow players to make their’s according to their taste. In my opinion, the Int-Melee or Faith-Melee are the most balanced and suitable builds for anyone as they give a decent gameplay experience.
For a more challenging and fun experience, I prefer using Pure builds, like Pure Dex, Pure Str, etc. However, my favourite is the Bleed Build as it’s aggressive and I like to use Katanas with Bleed damage a lot.
Due to my personal experience within the game, I jotted down a few best builds to help you work your way through the game without figuring out things your way. If you loved my guide, you should check out other guides related to Elden Ring:
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