Elden Ring Samurai Build: Weapons, Armor & Talisman

The Samurai build surely is a class apart because it is not only the best for the newcomers of the game but also ensures that the veterans of the game stay hooked as well. The samurai is one of the most well-rounded characters in the game because it has a little bit of everything. Decent armor and mobility, good melee attack, and range and weapons that can prove to be very lethal if used correctly. What more can you ask for?

Samurai Build

No	Weapons	Physical Attack	Physical Defence	Magical Attack	Magical Defence	Fire Attack	Fire Defence	Light Attack	Light Defence	Holy Attack	Holy Defence	Critical Attack	Critical Defence	Weight	Focus Points
1	Longbow	80	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	100	-	4.0	6
2	Uchigatana	115	45	0	30	0	30	0	30	0	-	100	-	5.5	- (10 15)

By the end of this guide, you will be able to take care of bosses with the samurai-like they are a piece of cake.

If you have just started playing Elden ring I highly suggest going through our Elden Ring Starting Classes.

Below are the samurai’s starting attributes :

• Vigor-12
• Dexterity-15
• Mind-11
• Intelligence-9
• Endurance-13
• Faith-8
• Strength-12
• Arcane-8

The starting attributes speak volumes on how you should build your character and forge your gameplay in the samurai build. Your main focus should for sure be on strength and dexterity early on in the game. Some heed should also be paid to mind, vigor, and endurance later on in the game.

Starting Weapons In Samurai Build

The starting weapons in the samurai build include longbow, arrow, red thorn round shield, land of reeds armour, uchigatana, etc. You can choose any strength and dexterity-based weapons however longbow and the uchigatana are the most iconic with the samurai and that is why they will be the center of attention in this guide.

Related article: Elden Ring Best Weapons

Longbow

The longbow is one of the starting weapons in the samurai build. Some players prefer short bow as it takes a little less time to shoot however according to my experience the longbow is a better choice overall because it has greater range and can cause more damage.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit	Rng	Boost
Attack	80	0	0	0	0	100	50	-
Guard	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Str	Dex
Scaling	E	D
Requires	9	14
Bow	None
Mighty Shot	FP 6
Wgt. 4.0	Passive -

The samurai starts the game with a few arrows therefore you can start assailing starting targets right off the bat. However, you will need to buy or craft arrows as soon as possible. I highly recommend crafting them because it is not a hard task. All you need is three bones from animals which you will then use to make ten arrows.

How to craft arrows?

1. Start by heading to the Church Of Elleh to purchase the crafting book and the recipe for bone arrows.

2. To obtain the bones needed for crafting bone arrows, go to Limgrave after picking up your map shard.

3. In Limgrave, move down on the left side until you reach a place with a cluster of trees. There, you’ll find sheep that you can farm repeatedly to gather bones.

4. Farming sheep for bones is primarily necessary in the early hours of the game, as you’ll accumulate enough runes to buy arrows later.

5. The longbow is an excellent ranged weapon with good range, and it’s particularly effective for samurai. Utilizing the “mighty shot” skill with the longbow allows you to deal significant damage to enemies in exchange for a small amount of FP (Focus Points), making it useful, especially in boss fights.

These instructions should help players acquire bone arrows and make effective use of the longbow in the game.

Uchigatana

Uchigatana is one of the most detrimental katanas in the game and you would know about its fantastic moveset if you have played dark souls. It is really swift, inflicts a lot of damage on your enemy and that is exactly why it is one of the best weapons to have your ‘two hands’ on when in melee range. This weapon has a fabulous charging attack and the deadly ‘unsheathe’ skill.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Ligt	Holy	Crit	Boost
Attack	115	0	0	0	0	100
Guard	45	30	30	30	30	-	30
	Str	Dex
Scaling	D	D
Requires	11	15
Katana	Slash/Pierce
Unsheathe	FP - (10 15)
Wgt. 5.5	Passive (45)

The ‘unsheathe’ skill of the uchigatana, in which your samurai basically thrusts and slices towards the enemy, is a must-have. If you are able to master this skill, your gameplay will become impeccable. It is because you will be able to kill any boss. All you need to do is use ‘unsheathe’, roll away. You must two hand the uchigatana to make sure that you can use ‘unsheathe’.

Related article: Best Elden Ring Skills

In addition to that, the uchigatana also has an auxiliary effect or bleeding effect. This essentially means that it causes bleed buildup on the enemy. After continuous hits, you will be able to strike off a significant chunk of health from your enemy and hopefully their body.

Related article: Bleed Weapons In Elden Ring

Samurai Build Armor

Armor is surely a vital part of your build. It can even dictate the playstyle that one chooses to a certain extent. However, unlike many other builds, armor is not as important for samurai build as one imagines. My main focus for this particular build is to keep my load at a bare minimum. Therefore you can choose any armor that is light, provides sufficient damage negation, and obviously makes your character look like a true samurai.

The Lands of Reeds armor, which is part of the starting equipment for starting class, is a good enough choice. However, I will reiterate that if you have godly dodging skills then going in without it is not a bad idea either. It definitely is a lot riskier but totally worth it at the end of the day. The Lands of Reeds set also includes Lands of Reeds Helm, gauntlets, and greaves. This helps you get the ‘samurai’ look that you are in search of.

Talking about armors, you should definitely head over and check our guide on Elden Ring: Best Armor for Samurai [Top 4].

Samurai Build Talismans

Talismans can be the cherry on the cake as they can give you a slight edge you need against some bosses. There are a plethora of talismans that you can choose from but I will look at some that I think are the best. The first one is the Lord of blood’s exultation.

This talisman increases the attack power by twenty percent for twenty seconds if there is blood loss in the vicinity. This talisman is a great pick as there is going to be ample blood loss nearby because of the bleed effect of uchigatana and the fact that you will be in close range with enemies a lot of the time. You can get this talisman on defeating Esgar, Priest of Blood in Leyndell Catacombs.

Our next pick is the arrow’s reach, which increases the range of your bow. You already have a longbow that has a good range. With this equipped you will be able to take shots at the enemy from even further away and hence be able to take care of them before they even get a chance to lay hands on you. This talisman can be acquired from a chest in a tower north of Stormhill.

Our final suggestion is the Bull-goat’s talisman, which raises your stat of poise by thirty-three percent. Poise is the stat that determines how easily you get staggered by an enemy attack. This talisman can be obtained in the Dragonbarrow cave, which is just north of Caelid.

While on the subject of talismans, you should read our guide on Elden Ring Best Talismans & How To Get Them.

How To Play The Samurai

knowing how to play the samurai is what makes all the difference and most players eventually learn it after putting hours into the game, just like I did. But I am here to help you with my hands-on experience in this samurai build guide.

1. Balanced Weapon Use:

   • Utilize the uchigatana for melee combat when close to enemies.
   • Opt for the longbow when facing distant foes.

2. Efficient Bow Use:

   • Employ the ‘mighty shot’ ability of your longbow to eliminate distant enemies in groups.
   • Use this tactic during boss fights to weaken them before engaging in melee.

3. Single Out Enemies:

   • When facing multiple foes, use the longbow to isolate and defeat them one by one.
   • Prevent being overwhelmed and gain an advantage.

4. Horseback Combat:

   • The samurai build is effective on horseback.
   • Use the longbow against harder-to-reach enemies and the uchigatana for devastating melee strikes.

5. Versatile Playstyle:

   • The samurai build offers a versatile approach, combining ranged and melee combat.
   • Enjoy the flexibility of switching tactics as needed.

Samurai Attributes

I mentioned earlier that it does not matter a lot where you put your points early on in the game. However, as you proceed further and further into the game you will need to decide between the two. Dexterity is surely the superior choice here because it is better suited to uchigatana and the samurai’s moveset.

Another stat that you should pump some points into is vigor. You will be in the melee range a lot of the time even without a shield which means that you will be taking hits even if not frequently. Hence by pumping points into vigor, you will be able to live through the strikes that you take.

Final Tips

• I highly suggest taking a golden seed because it will give you one extra healing and mana potion, giving you a little bit of a better start.
• Crafting bloodbone arrows can also prove to be quite useful (even though they inflict lesser damage) because they also have the ‘bleeding effect’ like the uchigatana. All you need is Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook, 3 x thin beast bones, and a bloodrose.
• Make sure to upgrade your weapons at the smithing station because this will increase your damage. You can find these all over the map.

To end my samurai build guide, I am going to put major emphasis on the ‘unsheathe’ skill of the uchigatana. It is such a cold move that it can prove to be the difference that will make your build elite.