Top 9 Exciting Builds to Try in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion

Jul-16-2024

 

 

With the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring, many exciting and effective builds have been discovered. Here are nine top builds that are fun to play in the DLC and worth trying.

 

List of the Nine Builds

1. Pure Strength Build

2. Dexterity Build

3. Strength Dexterity Build

4. Pure Sorcery Build

5. Pure Faith Build

6. Arcane Bleed Build

7. Strength Faith Paladin Build

8. Dexterity Faith Hybrid Build

9. Rellana's Twin Blades Build

 

Note that some builds may require a significant amount of Elden Ring Runes, and these builds are optional. Choose the best build that suits you best.

 

 

1. Pure Strength Build

This build focuses on maximizing your Strength stat, equipping the heaviest and most powerful weapons , and using armor and talismans that boost your physical damage and durability.

 

Primary Weapon: Greatsword or Colossal Weapons

Key Stats: Strength, Vigor, Endurance

Playstyle: High-damage, close-quarters combat using heavy weapons.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Opt for greatswords or other colossal weapons that scale well with Strength, providing massive damage output.

Armor: Use heavy armor to boost defense, but manage your Endurance to maintain mobility and stamina for attacks.

Combat Strategy: With high health and defense, withstand enemy blows and retaliate with powerful strikes, using jump attacks and heavy hits to maximize damage

 

 

2. Dexterity Build

The build emphasizes on agility, speed, and precision in combat.

 

Primary Weapon: Katanas, Curved Swords, or Spears

Key Stats: Dexterity, Endurance, Vigor

Playstyle: Fast, agile attacks with high mobility and quick dodges.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Select weapons that scale with Dexterity, such as katanas or curved swords, to deliver swift and precise strikes.

Armor: Equip lighter armor to maintain agility and quick roll capabilities, balancing protection with mobility.

Combat Strategy: Utilize rapid attack sequences, evading enemy strikes with quick dodges, and capitalize on openings for critical hits.

 

 

3. Strength Dexterity Build

This build combines power and speed for a versatile combat style.

 

Primary Weapon: Straight Swords, Greatswords, Halberds

Key Stats: Strength, Dexterity, Vigor

Playstyle: Balanced approach with a mix of powerful and fast attacks.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Use versatile weapons that scale with both Strength and Dexterity, allowing for a range of heavy and agile strikes.

Armor: Choose medium armor to balance defense and mobility, ensuring you can absorb hits while staying nimble.

Combat Strategy: Adapt to different combat scenarios by switching between strong, deliberate attacks and quick, precise strikes, leveraging both power and speed.

 

 

4. Pure Sorcery Build

Pure Sorcery Build focuses on dealing massive damage from a distance using powerful spells.

 

Primary Weapon: Staffs for casting Sorceries

Key Stats: Intelligence, Mind, Endurance

Playstyle: Long-range magic attacks with high spell damage and efficient mana management.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Equip staffs that scale with Intelligence to maximize the potency of your spells.

Armor: Wear lighter armor to maintain mobility and maximize mana regeneration, but ensure some protection.

Combat Strategy: Stay at a distance, casting powerful sorceries to decimate enemies before they can close in. Use terrain and mobility to avoid incoming attacks.

 

 

5. Pure Faith Build

Pure Faith Build focuses on utilizing divine magic for both offense and support.

 

Primary Weapon: Sacred Seals for casting Incantations

Key Stats: Faith, Mind, Vigor

Playstyle: Versatile use of offensive and supportive incantations, with strong healing and buffing capabilities.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Equip Sacred Seals that scale with Faith to maximize the power of your incantations.

Armor: Choose armor that balances protection and mobility, allowing you to cast spells and evade attacks effectively.

Combat Strategy: Use offensive incantations to deal damage and control the battlefield, while employing healing and buffs to sustain yourself and allies during combat.

 

 

6. Arcane Bleed Build

Arcane Bleed Build specializes in inflicting bleed damage, causing enemies to suffer massive health loss over time.

 

Primary Weapon: Weapons that inflict bleed, such as certain daggers, katanas, or curved swords

Key Stats: Arcane, Dexterity, Vigor

Playstyle: Quick attacks to build up and trigger bleed effects, maximizing damage over time.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Select weapons that scale with Arcane and have innate bleed effects to enhance bleed buildup.

Armor: Opt for lighter armor to maintain agility and quick dodge capabilities, enabling you to stay close and apply pressure.

Combat Strategy: Use rapid, successive attacks to quickly build up bleed damage on enemies. Once the bleed effect triggers, it will deal a significant portion of damage, allowing you to finish off foes efficiently.

 

 

7. Strength Faith Paladin Build

The Strength-Faith Paladin Build combines robust melee combat with powerful incantations, providing a balanced approach to both offense and defense.

 

Primary Weapon: Large weapons that scale with Strength and Faith, such as greatswords or warhammers.

Key Stats: Strength, Faith, Vigor

Playstyle: Heavy-hitting melee attacks supported by healing and offensive miracles, maximizing both physical and magical damage.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Select heavy weapons with high Strength scaling and the ability to be infused with Sacred or Lightning effects to complement Faith.

Armor: Opt for heavy armor to enhance defense and poise, allowing you to withstand enemy attacks while casting incantations.

Combat Strategy: Utilize powerful melee strikes to deal significant damage, while using Faith-based incantations for healing, buffs, and ranged attacks. The combination of physical and magical damage makes the build versatile in various combat scenarios.

 

 

8. Dexterity Faith Hybrid Build

The Dexterity-Faith Hybrid Build combines swift, precise melee attacks with powerful incantations, emphasizing agility and versatility.

 

Primary Weapon: Fast weapons that scale with Dexterity and Faith, such as katanas or rapiers.

Key Stats: Dexterity, Faith, Mind

Playstyle: Quick, agile attacks supported by offensive and healing miracles, maximizing both physical and magical damage.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Select weapons with high Dexterity scaling that can be infused with Sacred or Lightning effects to complement Faith.

Armor: Opt for lighter armor to maintain agility and quick dodge capabilities, enabling you to stay mobile and avoid damage.

Combat Strategy: Utilize rapid, precise strikes to deal continuous damage while using Faith-based incantations for healing, buffs, and ranged attacks. This combination allows for a dynamic and adaptive combat style, effective in both PvE and PvP scenarios.

 

 

9. Rellana's Twin Blades Build

Rellana's Twin Blades Build focuses on agile dual-wielding combat, delivering rapid strikes with dual blades.

 

Primary Weapon: Twinblades or paired weapons

Key Stats: Dexterity, Endurance, Vigor

Playstyle: Fast-paced, close-quarters combat with a focus on rapid, consecutive hits.

 

Key Elements

Weapon Choice: Equip twinblades or paired weapons that benefit from high Dexterity, allowing for swift and fluid attack combos.

Armor: Choose lighter armor to maximize mobility and sustain quick dodges, maintaining high agility in combat.

Combat Strategy: Utilize rapid attack sequences to overwhelm enemies, combining light and heavy attacks for relentless pressure. Focus on dodging and repositioning to avoid damage while staying on the offensive.

 

 

These builds can offer a wide range of playstyles suited to different preferences, whether you prefer heavy melee combat, agile and quick attacks, or powerful spellcasting. Each build can be further customized with specific gear and spells to match your personal strategy and play style.