In this Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree guide, I’ll walk you through 19 weapons you can acquire without defeating a single boss. These weapons are available very early in the game, making them perfect for anyone looking for new gear to use in the DLC. Whether you’ve just created a low-level character and are sneaking into the DLC to snag some weapons for the base game, or simply want to try out new equipment, this guide will show you how to get these weapons, along with their movesets, weapon skills, and scaling.

19 New Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Weapons You Can Easily Get

The order of these weapons follows how they appear in my inventory, rather than any specific sequence. Remember, all these weapons are obtainable without defeating a single boss. While there are some bosses you can reach quickly in the game, you don’t need to defeat any of them to acquire these weapons.

Smithscript Dagger

• Weapon Type: Throwing Blade
• Location: Ruined Forge Lava Intake
• Weapon Skill: Piercing Throw
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 5, DEX 11, INT 11, FTH 11

The first weapon is the Smithscript Dagger, a new weapon type in Elden Ring. It’s a throwing blade, designed to be hurled at enemies. You can find it at the Ruined Forge Lava Intake, located just southeast of Castle Ensis. Simply ride in that direction for about a minute, and you’ll come across it inside the forge. No boss fight is required to obtain this weapon. Its weapon skill, Piercing Throw, allows you to throw it farther and pierce through enemies. This dagger has unusual requirements, needing Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith to wield.

Milady

• Weapon Type: Light Greatsword
• Location: Castle Ensis
• Weapon Skill: Impaling Thrust
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 12, DEX 17

The next weapon is Milady, a new Greatsword type. This weapon was showcased extensively during preview events, and players love its move set, which allows for quick, fluid swings in rapid succession, resembling a dancer’s movements. You can find Milady just inside Castle Ensis. It takes about 30 seconds to a minute to reach it; climb a tower by ladder, and you’ll find it guarded by a couple of enemies, but no bosses. It’s very quick to acquire, taking only a few minutes. Its weapon skill, Impaling Thrust, should be familiar if you’ve played the base game, but you can infuse it to change this skill if desired. I featured this weapon in my Dark Paladin build, so check out that video to learn how to maximize its potential.

Moonrithyll’s Knight Sword

• Weapon Type: Colossal Sword
• Location: Castle Ensis
• Weapon Skill: Tremendous Phalanx
• Damage Type: Physical & Magic
• Infusable: No
• Requirements: STR 20, DEX 14, INT 18

The next weapon is Moonrithyll’s Knight Sword, a colossal sword. You can find several colossal swords early on, and this one is also located in Castle Ensis. To obtain it, you must defeat Moonrithyll, a hostile NPC in the castle. This weapon deals both physical and magic damage and has the weapon skill Tremendous Phalanx, which resembles Glintblade Phalanx but with larger swords, potentially dealing more damage. I haven’t tested it thoroughly yet, but it requires Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence to wield. If you enjoy the Glintblade Phalanx playstyle and want to use a colossal weapon, this could be an intriguing option for you.

Horned Warrior’s Sword

• Weapon Type: Curved Sword
• Location: Drops from Horned Warriors found in Belurat Tower Settlement
• Weapon Skill: Horn Calling: Storm
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: No
• Requirements: STR 11, DEX 14

The next weapon is the Horned Warrior’s Sword. This is a curved sword that drops from Horned Warriors wielding them. You can find two of these in the Belurat Tower Settlement. What’s really cool about these curved swords is that they’re paired, so you only need to equip one to use both. The moveset is absolutely fantastic. Its weapon skill, Horn Calling, shoots out an AoE at a distant location and hits enemies in that area, which is really nice. This weapon can take a little time to farm, but there is a site of grace right next to one of these enemies, making it relatively easy to obtain.

Backhand Blade

• Weapon Type: Backhand Blade
• Location: Gravesite Plains
• Weapon Skill: Blind Spot
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 10, DEX 13

Next, we have the Backhand Blade. This is actually one of the new weapon types as well, which is Backhand Blade. It’s the namesake of the weapon. You can find this in the Gravesite Plains very early on in the game. You can literally just ride over to this weapon on your horse and pick it up within 30 seconds. So, if you want to do a Backhand Blade build, you could grab this really quickly. Its weapon skill, Blind Spot, dashes forward and hits behind you with the sword, which makes me think that it might do backstab damage or extra damage. The Backhand Blade is a weapon that, instead of being two-handed, allows you to use two at the same time, giving you a much faster moveset akin to Curved Swords but with different attack animations. It attacks very rapidly, and I imagine these would be a good weapon type for status effects.

Curseblade’s Cirque

• Weapon Type: Backhand Blade
• Location: Drops From Curseblades in Belurat, Tower Settlement
• Weapon Skill: Deadly Dance
• Damage Type: Physical
• Auxiliary: 45 Blood Loss Build Up
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 9, DEX 22

The Curseblade’s Cirque is obtainable right from the start. You’ll find a Curseblade enemy atop pillars just 10 seconds away as you enter the DLC. Defeating this enemy gives a chance to drop this weapon, though it’s rare—I spent about 40 minutes farming it with high arcane. Despite potentially taking longer to acquire than other weapons, it doesn’t require defeating a boss. What sets it apart is its native blood loss buildup, making it a solid choice for bleed builds. Its weapon skill, Deadly Dance, strikes rapidly and finishes with a downward kick, mirroring the enemy’s moves.

Great Katana

• Weapon Type: Great Katana
• Location: Gravesite Plains
• Weapon Skill: Overhead Stance
• Damage Type: Physical
• Auxiliary: 55 Blood Loss Build Up
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 14, DEX 18

Next, we have the Great Katana. This is a new weapon type introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree. It’s located just a minute’s ride away, next to a Sleeping Dragon. Simply pick it up without needing to defeat any enemies. I’ve developed the Savage Slasher build around it, showcased in my video. What stands out about this weapon is its enhanced stance damage compared to regular Katanas, along with its impressive range. The Overhead Slash move is reminiscent of Ichimonji from Sekiro—it delivers a chop with a light attack and three chops with a heavy attack while in the overhead stance. Additionally, like other Katana-type weapons, it features native bloodlust buildup.

Messmer Soldier’s Axe

• Weapon Type: Axe
• Location: Drops from Messmer Soldiers that wield it
• Weapon Skill: War Cry
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 14, DEX 10

Next, let’s talk about the Messmer Soldier’s Axe. This axe is dropped by Messmer Soldiers who wield it, known for their devastating attacks that can easily catch players off guard early in the game. One of its notable features is a unique Charged R2 follow-up. Executing Charged R2 twice performs a sweeping motion upwards and then downwards, mimicking the enemies’ own formidable strikes. Interestingly, this axe also comes equipped with Warcry, which can potentially override its distinctive R2 move. Consider infusing it with a different Ash of War to avoid this problem.

Bloodfiend’s Arm

• Weapon Type: Colossal Weapon
• Location: Drops from Bloodfiend’s who wield it
• Weapon Skill: Endure
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 28, DEX 11, ARC 16

Next up is the Bloodfiend’s Arm, a colossal weapon obtained from Bloodfiends who surprisingly wield it. Interestingly, I’ve found this weapon frequently in Prospect Town, suggesting a specific Bloodfiend there may drop it frequently. Alternatively, you can farm Bloodfiends known to wield it elsewhere. Its weapon skill is Endure, but what makes this weapon truly intriguing is its heavy attack. This attack slams the weapon into the ground, creating a splatter of blood. Additionally, the weapon boasts native arcane scaling, enhancing the effects of arcane-enhancing items like blood grease, poison grease, or soporific grease. This unique property makes it a versatile choice for strategic builds in Elden Ring.

Anvil Hammer

• Weapon Type: Colossal Weapon
• Location: Ruined Forge Lava Intake
• Weapon Skill: Smithing Art Spears
• Damage Type: Physical & Fire
• Infusable: No
• Requirements: STR 39, DEX 10, INT 11, FTH 20

Next up is the Anvil Hammer, another colossal weapon you can find in the Ruined Forge Lava Intake, just like the Smithscript Dagger. This weapon has many requirements: 39 strength, 10 DEX, 11 INT, and 20 Faith, making it quite the investment. It deals both physical and fire damage. Its unique weapon skill, Smithing Art Spears, unleashes spikes around you upon activation. You can obtain this powerful hammer in the Ruined Forge Lava Intake, not far southeast from Castle Ensis.

Swift Spear

• Weapon Type: Spear
• Location: On the road southeast of Castle Ensis
• Weapon Skill: Impaling Thrust
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: 10 STR, 26 DEX

Next up is the Swift Spear, a spear-type weapon found just southeast of Castle Ensis, guarded by a few enemies along the road. You can grab it from an enemy corpse, and its special move is the impaling thrust. What’s really cool about this weapon is how fast its R1 combo is—it’s seriously quick. If you’re into rapid-fire attacks, this could be a top pick for you.

Bloodfiend’s Fork

• Weapon Type: Spear
• Location: Drops from Bloodfiends who wield it
• Weapon Skill: Barbaric Roar
• Damage Type: Physical
• Auxiliary: 51 Blood Loss Build Up
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 14, DEX 8, ARC 13

The Bloodfiend’s Fork is another spear-type weapon that drops from Bloodfiends wielding it. Keep an eye out for these specific Bloodfiends carrying a spear instead of the Bloodfiend’s Arm. Its weapon skill is Barbaric Roar, which is decent—inflicts physical damage. What sets this spear apart is its inherent blood loss buildup, a trait shared by only a few spears. If you’re into bleeding effects with your spear, this could be your go-to choice. Moreover, it boasts native arcane scaling, enhancing its blood loss capabilities—a rarity among weapons.

Messmer Soldier’s Spear

• Weapon Type: Great Spear
• Location: Drops from Messmer Soldiers wielding it
• Weapon Skill: Impaling Thrust
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 19, DEX 16

Next up is the Messmer Soldier’s Spear. It’s not your average spear; it’s a formidable one that drops from Messmer Soldiers who wield it. Known for its exceptionally long reach, this spear surprises with its heavy attack, which extends further than expected—something you’ve likely noticed if you’ve battled these enemies. It features Impaling Thrust as its skill, making it a solid choice if you appreciate its powerful heavy attack and extensive reach.

Pata

• Weapon Type: Fist
• Location: Church of Benediction
• Weapon Skill: Impaling Thrust
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 11, DEX 15

Next up is the Pata. It’s a sleek fist weapon with integrated blades that just looks awesome. You’ll find it at the Church of Benediction, southwest of your starting point. Head north, pass through the giant doorway, hug the cliff, and you’ll arrive at the church where you can grab both this weapon and an armor set. Its weapon skill is Impaling Thrust, which adds versatility to your combat style. You can tweak its Ash of War to tailor it to your preferences. Overall, the Pata stands out not only for its impressive appearance but also for its smooth and effective combat mechanics.

Poisoned Hand

• Weapon Type: Fist
• Location: Belurat, Tower Settlement
• Weapon Skill: Poison Spear-Hand Strike
• Damage Type: Physical
• Auxiliary: 105 Poison Build Up
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 8, DEX 8, ARC 28

The Poisoned Hand is another fist weapon you can discover in the Belurat, Tower Settlement, amidst the area where those fly creatures swarm. Despite its rather repulsive surroundings, this weapon boasts an impressive fist moveset akin to other fist weapons. It inflicts deadly poison, enhancing its effectiveness against enemies. Its weapon skill, Poison Spear-Hand Strike, reaches out to strike enemies, significantly increasing their deadly poison buildup. Moreover, the Poisoned Hand benefits from native arcane scaling, which further boosts its poison capabilities. For those looking to combine the power of fists with poison tactics, this weapon proves to be a formidable choice.

Firespark Perfume Bottle

• Weapon Type: Perfume Bottle
• Location: In front of Castle Ensis
• Weapon Skill: Kick
• Damage Type: Fire
• Infusable: Yes
• Requirements: STR 3, DEX 14

Next up is the Firespark Perfume Bottle, a newly introduced weapon type called Perfume Bottles, included in the latest DLC. You can locate this weapon just in front of Castle Ensis near the castle’s Site of Grace, slightly southeast of that location. This unique weapon deals exclusively fire damage, offering intriguing possibilities when paired with items that enhance fire damage, such as the Fire Scorpion Charm or Fire-Shrouding Cracked Tear. Notably, it primarily scales with dexterity, adding an interesting twist to its usage. The Firespark Perfume Bottle is also infusible, allowing for further customization. Its current weapon skill, kick, is a bit lackluster, so replacing it with a more effective skill is advisable. I’m particularly interested in seeing the results of infusing this weapon with other fire-enhancing elements, like fire and holy or fire and magic, which could lead to some unconventional but potentially powerful combinations.

Deadly Poison Perfume Bottle

• Weapon Type: Perfume Bottle
• Location: Purchased from Thiollier for 9000 Runes
• Weapon Skill: Deadly Poison Spray
• Damage Type:
• Auxiliary: 68 Poison Build Up
• Infusable: No
• Requirements: STR 3, DEX 13. 18 ARC

Next up is the Deadly Poison Perfume Bottle, another addition to the new weapon category, Perfume Bottles. This particular bottle can be purchased from Theolier for 9000 runes, conveniently located just east of Castle Ensis. Head towards the direction of the lava intake, and you’ll find him nearby. Acquiring this weapon is straightforward as you can simply buy it from him. Surprisingly, it deals physical damage and features poison buildup as part of its effects. It also benefits from arcane scaling. The weapon’s skill, Deadly Poison Spray, releases a cloud of poison in the surrounding area, quickly inflicting poison on enemies and potentially triggering beneficial effects like those from the Mushroom Crown or Kindred of Rot’s Exultation. This combination could prove highly effective for those keen on leveraging poison tactics.

Bone Bow

• Weapon Type: Light Bow
• Location: Belurat, Tower Settlement
• Weapon Skill: Rancor Shot
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: No
• Requirements: STR 8, DEX 11

Next up, we have a couple of ranged weapons to discuss. First off is the Bone bow, a lightbow obtainable in the Belurat, Tower Settlement. What stands out about this bow is its Rancor Shot feature. Similar to Barrage, but with homing arrows, it significantly reduces the chances of missing targets, which proves advantageous against swift, agile enemies prevalent throughout the DLC. If you enjoy using Barrage but find it frustrating to miss shots, this bow could be a worthwhile addition to your arsenal.

Spread Crossbow

• Weapon Type: Crossbow
• Location: Southeast of Castle Ensis
• Weapon Skill: Kick
• Damage Type: Physical
• Infusable: No
• Requirements: STR 11, DEX 17

Lastly, let’s talk about the Spread Crossbow. Located southeast of Castle Ensis, you’ll find it on a corpse. Its weapon skill is Kick, but what makes this crossbow special is its ability to shoot 10 bolts simultaneously in a shotgun-like spread. This feature allows for potentially massive damage, particularly effective when fired at close range against larger boss targets. If you’re looking to deal significant burst damage and aren’t concerned about consuming ammo quickly, this weapon might be right up your alley.

So that wraps up our guide on some early game weapons. While there are other weapons available early on in the game, acquiring them often requires more time and effort. The ones we’ve covered here can all be obtained within the first 10 minutes of gameplay without defeating any bosses. There are additional early weapons accessible by defeating early bosses, but these don’t necessitate facing significant challenges to acquire.

I put this guide together to offer you quick weapon options, their locations, and potential for building strategies in the DLC or even for a speedy New Game Plus run in the base game. It eliminates the need to search extensively for weapons.

If there are any weapons I missed or didn’t include that you can obtain before defeating the main bosses of Castle Ensis or Belurat, Tower Settlement, feel free to let me know in the comments below. How are you finding the DLC so far? What aspects do you enjoy the most? Have you taken time off work to dive into it? Share your thoughts below. Bye for now!

The post 19 New Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Weapons You Can Get Without Defeating a Single Boss appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Beginner Guide, we’ll give you the best tips and tricks for getting started with the DLC and having a smooth first approach to the expansion content. This guide contains only minor mechanic, equipment and early location name spoilers, and we don’t go into specifics of NPCs, characters or bosses. We have limited the footage of locations to the map so that you can be surprised when you get there.

Shadow of the Erdtree Beginner guide

Your first hours in the DLC are crucial to set a good tempo, and they can be very frustrating if you don’t understand the expansion mechanics and progression objectives. With this guide, you should be able to tackle the DLC with ease and be fully ready to enjoy all it has to offer.

Make Sure You Have a Good Build and are around level 150

This may sound obvious but it is not as simple. You should aim to go into the DLC with a 150+ Build that has its weapons and spirit ashes at max upgrades, and with a good amount of health to carry you through the initial toughness of enemies. I have several builds that I can recommend you use. Note that there are more Larval Tears in the DLC so you can use them to change Builds if you desire.

1. Knightblade
2. Dark Paladin
3. Sniper Samurai
4. Scarlet Spear
5. Ghostblade

Get these Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes Without Beating Any Bosses

All enemies in the Realm of Shadow are incredibly tough when compared to the base game. The way to become more powerful is not necessarily via character levels and upgrades, but through special items called Scadutree Fragments that improve your damage dealt and reduce your damage taken. Revered Spirit Ashes does the same thing for your spirit summons. You will want to obtain these items and consume them at a bonfire to enhance your “blessing” and receive a permanent upgrade that makes everything in the DLC a lot easier. You can find all of these items in our Shadow of the Erdtree Map, however there are 10 Scadutree Fragments you acquire before facing a single Boss. Get these Fragments by simply running to these locations and picking them up!

• 2x Fragments at Church of Consolation
• 1x by the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace
• 1x by the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace
• 1x dropped from a shining Pot Shadow found in a graveyard West from Prospect Town
• 2x in Castle Ensis before any boss
• 1x Scaduview Cross Site of Grace
• 1x Pillar Path Cross Site of Grace
• 1x Belurat, Tower Settlement before boss

Get these Revered Spirit Ashes by simply running to these locations:

• 1x by a cliff found east from Scorched Ruins (just west across the gap from Church of Consolation)
• 1x in the pond north-east from Prospect Town
• 1x looted in the Abandoned Ailing Village altar
• 2x looted by the Spider Scorpions shortly after entering Belurat Tower Settlement
• 2x looted from places inside Belurat Tower Settlement

These should set you up quite nicely to tackle the first bosses without much frustration. You can get as many or as few as you feel you need, then progress the game. How you progress the game is rather important in this DLC, however!

Try out these DLC Weapons

If you want to try new weapons from the DLC, this is a simple list of what you can find very early in the game. We have some build guides for them as well publishing right after launch.

• Backhand Blade (New weapon type) 30 second right from the first grace by a coffin
• Smithscript Dagger (New Weapon Type) Ruined Lava Forge Intake
• Great Katana (New Weapon Type) 1 minute ride from first grace in the lake by the dragon
• Milady (New Weapon Type) just inside Castle Ensis in a tower chest
• Swift Spear – on the road east of castle Ensis
• Firespark Perfume Bottle (New Weapon Type) in the camps in front of Castle Ensis in a chest
• Bone Bow in Belurat, Tower Settlement

Early DLC Progression Tips

It is very easy to mess up NPC quests and miss out on a lot of interest content, lore and equipment. I strongly suggest that you talk thoroughly to every NPC you meet, read the notes they give you, and visit their locations everytime after you enter a castle, talk to another npc, or defeat a boss.

Most NPCs will hang out around Miquella’s crosses and graces, but they can also move inside locations as their quests advance. It would seem most NPC quests are linked to each other, so if you’re aiming to do as much as possible you should spend the time talking to each whenever possible.

It is very easy to follow the game’s recommendation and accidentally miss out on a lot of content and NPC questlines. Try and stay away from the north-west side of the map until you want to progress the main story. Your game path should look something like this:

• Explore south plains from the entry point
• Explore west plains from the entry point
• Talk to all NPCs you find
• Explore North plains from the entry point
• Cross the bridge and explore eastern plains south from Castle Ensis without going inside it
• Find Pillar Path Cross here and talk to any nearby NPCs
• If you feel adventurous, find the loop on the bottom area of that road that takes you down to Ellec River, then follow the river south and explore the south-western area lightly
• Return to progress Belurat Tower Settlement
• More detailed tips and progress past this point on the wiki

Finding Secrets in Shadow of the Erdtree

The DLC is full of secret paths, diverging questlines, and very hard-to-reach locations. You can use guides if you want, we have most of the information on the wiki already, but if you want to explore and discover yourself here are some tips on what mentality to have:

Explore EVERY corner of each location. A lot of items are cleverly hidden behind awkward point of views. Additionally, hidden walls usually have a very subtle, faint “tell”. It can be some enemies nearby, or a weirdly colored floor, or a slight disruption on the walls around them. Be on the lookout for these signs

The DLC is VERY vertical and most hard-to-reach places have to be accessed through long elevators, spiritspring jumps, or by using coffin steps on the sides of cliffs. Look at the map very closely and you will find clues on where to go and what to do.

Look around for items in hard to reach places as they help to signal that you are missing something important. You should always look up and down from bridges, cliffs, ladders and such to try and determine if there are nearby destinations you may be misssing.

There are a lot of new and powerful talismans and consumables added with the DLC, including new pot types. Make sure to equip the more powerful versions of talismans, and gather cookbooks to give the new items a try when in combat.

Read all the notes you find, maybe several times. It really helps with NPC questlines and with tackling some enemy mechanics such as the giant Furnace Golems.

Don’t forget about the base game mechanics like Teardrop Scarabs. The DLC has a similar type of Shadow Pot enemy that drops loot as well. You should also be on the lookout for invisible pathways, emote-triggered doors, and well-hidden switches.

You cannot get everything on the DLC in one playthrough as NPC questlines diverge and you must chose A or B. If you want to avoid having to do an entire NG+ all the way to Mogh again, we recommend you backup your save now before starting the DLC. Details on how to do this for all platforms can be found on the save management page on the wiki.

Getting Help for Shadow of the Erdtree

Our community will continue to use the password “Fextra” to play together, and you can also get help on our discord on a dedicated help and trade channel. You should also remember to upgrade new spirit ashes and weapons with the abundant upgrade materials found everywhere in the DLC, and if you progress npc questlines you will have NPC assistance for many of the hard bosses of the game.

Visiting the wiki is an option but it’s very easy to be spoiled on the names of enemies or bosses that drop equipment, so we made videos showcasing the new spells, incantations and ashes without showing their locations so you can pinpoint the one you want to try and check only that page if you want to have it.

You can also make good use of many guides that we are working on that will be going live on Youtube soon after DLC launches. Right now we have a video showing 20 weapons you can get without beating any boss, and several DLC-weapon builds releasing now. We also have prepared full video 100% walkthroughs of Legacy Dungeons and smaller dungeon areas, and videos with tips for all bosses without using spirit ashes or summons.

I want to keep this video short as I’m sure everyone wants to get to playing, but I hope these simple tips turn out useful. Please share your own tips in the comments so others can benefit from your wisdom!

The post Shadow of the Erdrtee Beginner Guide: Things I Wish I Knew Before Playing appeared first on Fextralife.

With just one week left until the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s time to ask yourself: are you ready? Is your character prepared? Is your save file set? Are you ready to dive into the DLC? In this article, we’ll discuss how to ensure you’re fully prepared and what steps you should take in the coming week.

How to Prepare for the Elden Ring DLC

This article is meant to help you get ready to tackle on the challenging content coming with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring. You should already be familiar with these tools, but make sure to use our Elden Ring Map and Elden Ring Builds to find everything you need for your run!

Optimize Your Character

First, let’s discuss character level and the recommended level for your character. During the recent play sessions, characters were set at level 150 to play the demo, suggesting that the developers recommend this level for the area. The DLC’s difficulty is comparable to the end game of Elden Ring, similar to areas like the Mountaintops of the Giants or Miquella’s Haligtree. These beginning areas of the DLC will likely match this difficulty and become more challenging as you progress. Therefore, your character should be around level 150.

Additionally, enemies in the DLC hit significantly harder than those in the base game. The Scadutree Fragments, which increase both your damage protection and output, will gradually reduce the damage you take from enemies. However, initially, without these fragments, you will take substantial damage from even regular foes. Hence, having a good health pool is crucial at the beginning. Aim for at least 50 or 60 vigor or consider using a talisman that boosts your HP. Do not neglect your vigor; ensure it is sufficient and that your character level is high enough to manage end game content effectively.

Stock Up On Flasks

Next, ensure you have a substantial number of Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears, and that you’ve used them at Sites of Grace to upgrade both the number and effectiveness of your flasks. Entering the DLC with too few flasks puts you at a significant disadvantage, regardless of your character level. Even at levels 200 or 250, having only five flasks will make the experience much more difficult. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a good number of flasks that are significantly upgraded, though they don’t need to be maxed out. Personally, I have mine upgraded to about 90-95%, which is sufficient for an average player like me.

To ensure you’re well-prepared, check our Elden Ring map for the locations of Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears. If you need a few more before starting the DLC, use the map to easily find and collect them, saving you a lot of time and effort.

Unlock Talisman Pouches

Next, you’ll want to obtain Talisman Pouches. You start the game with only one Talisman Slot and unlock more as you progress. Here’s how you get them:

1. Defeat Margit, the Fell Omen: This gives you a second Talisman Slot.
2. Obtain two Great Runes and speak to Finger Reader Enia: Defeating bosses like Godrick the Grafted and Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, and then talking to Enia, will grant you a third Talisman Slot.
3. Defeat Godfrey, First Elden Lord: Located at the end of the Leyndell, Royal Capital, this boss gives you the fourth Talisman Slot.

These steps mean you’ll need to be well into the game to have all four Talisman Slots. While you can enter the DLC with fewer slots, having all of them helps, especially if you’re a bit under-leveled or have fewer flasks. Ensure you have all Talisman Slots for the best experience.

If you’re using an existing character that has already completed the game, this won’t be an issue.

Upgrade Your Arsenal

Now, consider upgrade materials and Bell Bearings. Ensure your primary weapon, whether it’s a melee weapon or talisman, is maxed out to maximize your damage output. Additionally, have a stockpile of upgrade materials ready for any new equipment you find, such as weapons or shields.

Make sure you have collected the necessary Bell Bearings to purchase upgrade materials. If you can’t remember their locations, check our wiki for details. It’s a good idea to farm and purchase a surplus of these materials in advance. This way, if you discover a new weapon you want to upgrade quickly, you’ll be prepared.

Being ready with upgrade materials will save you the frustration of having to farm them later. Prepare ahead of time so you can immediately enhance any new gear you find in the DLC.

Conquer Key Bosses

Next is defeating Starscourge Radahn and Mogh, Lord of Blood, to access the DLC through Mohgwyn Palace. If you haven’t done this yet, you’ll need to before entering the DLC. If your character is near endgame or has already completed the game, you’ve likely already defeated these bosses.

Mogh can be particularly challenging to reach if you don’t follow the invasion route via White Mask Varre’s quest line. The details of this quest are on the wiki, so you can refer to it to expedite the process for a new character.

Both Radahn and Mogh are among the tougher bosses in Elden Ring. If you can defeat them, your build is likely strong enough for the DLC. If you struggle significantly against these bosses, you might also struggle in the DLC. Use these battles as a litmus test to evaluate your build. If you can barely defeat Mogh and Radahn, you might need to make adjustments. While learning the movesets of bosses can improve your performance, the ability to handle these fights indicates whether your build is ready for the DLC.

Build Your Build

This leads to the next point: ensuring your build is fully prepared. Make sure you have all the talismans, spells, or incantations you need. Essentially, have everything ready for your build. One crucial recommendation for the DLC is to include a ranged option. Whether you usually play melee or ranged, having at least one ranged attack method is highly advisable.

Many experienced players, myself included, can anticipate enemy positions and easily handle them after hundreds or even thousands of hours of gameplay. However, when exploring a new area, you might encounter enemies in elevated positions or at a distance who can attack you from afar. Without a ranged option, you won’t be able to retaliate effectively. Ensure you have a ranged attack in your arsenal, whether it’s spells, a bow, or throwing items, so you can deal with distant enemies even if your primary build is melee-focused.

Consider Stance Damage

Another important point is that builds focusing on stance damage might not be as effective early in the DLC. In New Game Plus and subsequent cycles, enemies have larger health pools and deal more damage, making it feel like starting the game anew. Initially, I theorized that stance damage would be a good strategy, but its effectiveness heavily relies on knowing the stance values of bosses.

These stance values (e.g., 80, 90, 110) allow you to calculate how many hits are needed to stagger a boss using specific Ash of War or weapon skills. However, this information won’t be available immediately and could take a week or two to gather and update on the wiki. Without this data, stance damage builds might not be fully optimized at the start of the DLC. Bosses may have higher stance values, potentially making this strategy less effective.

This doesn’t mean stance damage builds are bad or won’t work, but you might need to adjust your build once you have more information about the enemies. Be prepared to tweak your approach as you learn how many hits it takes to stagger different enemies.

Be Respec Ready

Another important preparation step is stocking up on Larval Tears before entering the DLC. Larval Tears allow you to respec your character at Rennala. As you encounter new and intriguing weapons in the DLC, you might want to try them out. However, you may not meet the stat requirements or your current build might not be optimized for them. For example, if your points are mainly in intelligence but the new weapon scales with strength, you’ll need to respec to use it effectively.

Ensure you have a good supply of Larval Tears. You can find their locations on our map or wiki. Having plenty of Larval Tears on hand will allow you to respec and experiment with new weapons as you find them, ensuring you can adapt your build to take full advantage of the DLC’s offerings. This will help you enjoy the game more and make the most of the new content.

Save Your Saves

Finally, once you’ve prepared your character for the DLC—reached level 150, collected all Golden Seeds, Sacred Tears, Talismans, upgrade materials, defeated the necessary bosses, and optimized your build—consider backing up your save. Regardless of the platform, having a backup is beneficial. On PC, you can manually copy your save file to a folder on your desktop. For PlayStation, use a USB drive, and for Xbox, follow the console’s backup process.

Backing up your save allows you to replay the DLC without going through the entire game again. Whether you missed something, messed up an NPC quest line, or simply want to experience the DLC with a different build, a save backup lets you start from your prepared point. This saves time and effort, making it easier to enjoy the DLC multiple times.

That concludes our guide on preparing for the Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree. By now, hopefully, most of you have completed or are nearing completion of these preparations, with just a week remaining or final tasks to wrap up. It would be disappointing to eagerly await the DLC’s release only to realize your character hasn’t defeated Mogh or Radahn, preventing you from diving in right away. Ensure you complete these steps ahead of time so that when Shadow of the Erdtree launches, you’re ready to jump straight into the action.

If there are any tips I missed or aspects I overlooked, please share them in the comments. Feel free to ask any questions as well; I’ll do my best to answer them. We have more Elden Ring content planned leading up to the DLC’s release on the 21st, so stay tuned. I’m considering various ideas for Shadow of the Erdtree DLC content, but if you have suggestions, please share them below. Your feedback is appreciated!

The post Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – Are You Prepared? appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elden Ring Samurai Bow Build guide, I will be showcasing my Samurai Sniper build. This versatile build is effective throughout the entire game and centers around the Nagakiba, one of my favorite weapons in Elden Ring, paired with the Albinauric Bow. We recently covered the Albinauric Bow in our bows video, and I will explain why it is integral to this build and why it excels in Elden Ring.

Elden Ring Samurai Bow Build – Samurai Sniper

In this Elden Ring Samurai Build Guide, I’ll be showing you my Albinauric Bow and Nagakiba build. This is an All-Game build that takes place after level 150. If you’ve been looking for a Dex build that works great for the entire game then you might want to check this build-out.

• Class: Any
• Flask Spread: Equal Charges
• Main Weapon/s: Albinauric Bow, Nagakiba, Erdtree Seal
• Shield: N/A
• Armor: Okina Mask, Ronin’s Armor, Redmane Knight Gauntlets, Ronin’s Greaves
• Talismans: Arrow’s Sting Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman, Shard of Alexander or Warrior Jar Shard
• Primary Stats: Dexterity, Vigor
• Secondary Stats: Mind, Endurance, Faith
• Skills: Lightning Slash, Mighty Shot
• Spells: Golden Vow
• Crystal Tear: Greenburst Crystal Tear, Dexterity-knot Crystal Tear or Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear
• Great Runes: Godrick’s Great Rune or Radahn’s Great Rune

We have over 110 Elden Ring builds. Each one is meticulously crafted to offer unique playstyles, strategies, and experiences, ensuring there’s something for every adventurer in the Lands Between. Whether you seek the raw power of heavy weapons, the finesse of spellcasting, or the versatility of hybrid builds, our collection has you covered. Explore the depths of the game’s mechanics and unleash your full potential with our diverse array of builds.

Elden Ring Samurai Bow Build – Equipment

The concept for this build emerged while I was testing bows for the bows video. I discovered that when using Barrage to hit enemy heads, it actually outperformed Mighty Shot, despite having a lower damage multiplier. Headshots inherently deal more damage, leading me to ponder how to utilize Barrage effectively to replace Mighty Shot for one-shot kills. During this process, I realized you can aim and use Mighty Shot simultaneously. When you hit an enemy’s head while aiming with Mighty Shot, you benefit from both the headshot damage and the Mighty Shot multiplier, allowing you to decimate enemies with minimal arrows.

Thus, Mighty Shot became a key component of our Albinauric Bow. The Albinauric Bow is ideal for this build due to its superior dexterity scaling, and in Elden Ring, lightning arrows also increase in damage with higher dexterity. Consequently, higher dexterity significantly boosts lightning arrow damage, making this bow a perfect match. Even with a lower attack rating, focusing on dexterity yields higher overall damage with lightning arrows compared to strength.

The Albinauric Bow’s dexterity scaling complements the lightning arrows and the lightning Nagakiba, creating a cohesive and powerful dexterity and lightning-themed build. The Ash of War on the Nagakiba is Lightning Slash, which enhances the weapon with lightning damage, further boosting its attack power. This synergy results in substantial damage output with each strike, optimizing both melee and ranged combat.

What I particularly appreciate about this build, and why it’s an excellent choice for exploring Shadow of the Erdtree, is its balance between combat and exploration. The bow allows you to eliminate enemies from a distance, facilitating safer exploration. Although exploration in Elden Ring is now second nature to me, having a ranged option that can one-shot enemies will be invaluable when navigating the unknown territories of Shadow of the Erdtree. This makes exploration more manageable, even if the build is slightly less efficient in boss fights compared to others I’ve created.

Additionally, I use the Erdtree Seal for its Golden Vow buff, which further enhances our damage. While I don’t frequently rely on this, it’s useful for boosting arrow damage and general attack power in challenging encounters. Initially, you won’t focus on faith; this aspect is more relevant towards the end of your first playthrough or the beginning of New Game Plus to maximize damage potential.

At 80 dexterity, there’s limited room for growth in damage due to diminishing returns on lightning scaling. Since strength scaling is inadequate and the bow’s effectiveness plateaus after 80 dexterity, the natural progression is to invest in faith. This allows access to Golden Vow, further increasing both arrow and weapon damage, enhancing the overall build’s efficiency.

For armor, I use the Okina Mask to boost dexterity. As a result, my dexterity stat is at 83, but I recommend setting your base dexterity to 77, so it totals 80 with the mask.

My armor setup includes the Ronin’s Armor chest piece, Redmane Gauntlets, and Ronin’s Greaves. This combination, along with the Bull-Goat Talisman, provides sufficient poise to withstand a hit.

While this specific armor is chosen for its aesthetics, fitting the samurai theme perfectly and earning 10 out of 10 style points, it’s not mandatory. If you’re aiming to min-max the build, you could opt for armor that naturally provides 51 poise. This would allow you to use a different talisman, optimizing the build further.

Elden Ring Samurai Bow Build – Talismans

Other talismans I use for this build include the Arrow’s Sting Talisman to further boost arrow damage,

the Ritual Sword Talisman to increase damage when at full health,

and either the Shard of Alexander or Warrior Jar Shard, depending on your progress in the game, to enhance the damage of Mighty Shot and Lightning Slash.

I don’t use the Arrow’s Reach Talisman because the default range of 50 on my bow, coupled with the added range from Mighty Shot, is sufficient. However, if you’re not crafting arrows with Flight Pinions, you might want to consider it. I highly recommend farming Flight Pinions to craft lightning arrows with extended range, as arrows without them won’t travel as far.

A notable aspect of this build is the absence of purchasable lightning arrows. This is likely because lightning arrows scale with dexterity, and since every bow in Elden Ring scales with dexterity, these arrows potentially offer the highest damage per shot. While status effect arrows are a different consideration, for raw damage, dexterity-scaling lightning arrows are superior. Strength-scaling arrows are rare or nonexistent, giving dexterity-based builds a significant advantage in terms of arrow damage.

Elden Ring Samurai Bow Build – Recommended Attribute Distribution

• Vigor: Aim for at least 50 vigor to withstand damage without dying. Since you’ll be attacking from range, you might be tempted to lower this, but for the DLC, 50 vigor is advisable.
• Mind: Set at 25 to effectively use Golden Vow, Mighty Shot, and Lightning Slash. Golden Vow is resource-intensive, so if you frequently use it to boost your damage, consider increasing your mind. For early game, 15-20 mind is sufficient, with a gradual increase as you start using Golden Vow more frequently.
• Endurance: 25 is adequate. You won’t deplete stamina rapidly with this build, as Mighty Shot and Lightning Slash are not stamina-heavy. Ensure you can medium roll with your chosen armor.
• Strength: Set at 12, which is enough to two-hand the Nagakiba. If you prefer one-handing it, increase strength to 18. This adjustment depends on your playstyle and comfort.
• Dexterity: Set at 77, and with the Okina Mask, it becomes 80. This maximizes damage for your bow and lightning Nagakiba. Further dexterity points yield minimal returns, so consider investing in faith.
• Faith: Set at 25 to gain Golden Vow which enhances damage in the late game or New Game Plus.
• Intelligence and Arcane: No investment needed. Any points in intelligence are likely from starting as an astrologer. If you began with a different class, your overall level might be lower, improving your stat distribution.

This attribute setup ensures a balance between survivability, stamina management, and maximizing damage output for both ranged and melee attacks.

Elden Ring Samurai Bow Build – Final Tips

When choosing a Flask of Wondrous Physick, consider your priorities. I personally favor stamina recovery, which aids in sustained combat. Alternatively, early in the game, you might opt for dexterity to increase damage output, or the Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear for enhanced lightning damage if you’ve focused on lightning setups. Combining both options to maximize damage is also a viable strategy. Stamina recovery is generally a safe choice that complements many builds and is often my default selection.

For great runes, your choices will likely center around Godrick’s or Radahn’s. The decision hinges on whether you require six stats, including strength for one-handing or two-handing weapons. Opting for Godrick’s becomes more compelling if you need 18 strength for one-handing. Otherwise, Radahn’s offers strong benefits with its boosts to FP, HP, and stamina, aligning well with builds focusing on faith, dexterity, strength, endurance, mind, and vigor.

That concludes our Samurai Sniper build. I hope you find it appealing. This build blends aspects of both bow-focused and samurai-themed gameplay, making it a natural evolution from my earlier samurai build introduced in Elden Ring. With its emphasis on dexterity and lightning, it proves effective. If you lack the late-game Albinauric Bow, the Longbow serves as a solid alternative early on, transitioning seamlessly once you acquire the Albinauric Bow later in your journey. As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree so stay tuned for those. If you need help finding the spells, items, or equipment in this build, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check the Elden Ring Map.

The post Elden Ring Samurai Bow Build – Samurai Sniper appeared first on Fextralife.

In this comprehensive Elder Scrolls Online guide, I’ll show you how to Scribe. Scribing is a new system, introduced in the recently released Gold Road expansion that allows you to customize your skills. Though it’s not comparable to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’s intricate Spellcrafting system, acting more like a precursor to it, it offers a very promising glimpse into upcoming updates on the system

How to Access Scribing

To gain access, you’ll first need to:

• Have the Gold Road expansion
• Be at least level 30 to begin the questline to unlock Scribing
• Alternatively, you can also begin the questline to unlock Scribing if you have access to the Champion System

To begin Scribing, you must first complete the quest “The Second Era of Scribing,” which grants access to the Scribing Altar, along with the initial Grimoire and Scripts needed to create your first skill. Afterward, to unlock full access to scribing and additional Grimoires, have one of your characters complete the quest “The Wing of the Indrik.”

Components of Scribing

Before you get into Scribing, you’ll first need to know about the basic components required for Scribing.

Grimoires

Grimoires are essential for creating scribed skills. After purchasing a Grimoire, you can use it to permanently unlock a new skill for that character in the relevant skill line. Grimoires can be bought with gold from Chronicler Firandil in the Scholarium once you’ve completed the quest “The Wing of the Indrik.” Additionally, you must complete specific achievements related to the skill line associated with the Grimoire to purchase them.

Once a Grimoire has been acquired by a character, other characters on your account can purchase it from Chronicler Firandil in the Scholarium at a reduced price. It usually costs 50,000 gold to purchase them initially, with it being 10,000 when purchased by another character from your account.

Scripts

Each Script contains a unique effect that you can apply to create a scribed skill. Scripts can be obtained through various methods, including the Scribing questline, daily quest rewards, or purchasing from the Scholarium and Infinite Archive Vendors. Once you have a Script in your inventory, you can consume it to permanently unlock its effect at the Scribing Altar for that character.

There are three different types of Scripts which are unlocked by doing the Luminary Wings questlines that serve different roles and effects on the skills you are scribing.

• Focus Scripts define the main function of a scribed skill. They can alter the type of damage the skill inflicts and determine whether the ability targets enemies or allies. Additionally, Focus Scripts specify the resource cost of the ability, whether it requires Magicka or Stamina. These can be unlocked by completing the “Wing of the Gryphon” quest in the Scholarium
• Signature Scripts enhance the effects of Focus Scripts, trigger unique interactions with existing mechanics, or add secondary attributes to the scribed skill. These can be unlocked by completing the “Wing of the Dragon” quest in the Scholarium.
• Affix Scripts add buffs or debuffs to the scribed skill, depending on the targets affected by the resulting skill. These can be unlocked by completing the “Wing of the Netch” quest in the Scholarium.

Keep in mind that not all Scripts can be applied to every Grimoire, and even compatible Scripts may not work well together. You’ll need to experiment to achieve the desired effects for your scribed skills.

As for where you can get these scripts,

• For Focus Scripts, you can get them after completing the “Wing of the Gryphon” in your daily Delve quests, Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy.
• For Signature Scripts, you can get them after completing the “Wing of the Dragon” by tackling daily World Boss quests, Cyrodiil quests, and Fighters Guild quests.
• For Affix Scripts you can get them after completing the “Wing of the Netch” through daily World Event quests, Imperial City quests, and Undaunted quests.

After completing the quest “The Wing of the Dragon,” Archmagister Vanus Galerion will make several useful Scripts called “Subsidized Scripts” available in Mages Guild halls.

You can find these Scripts at Mages Guild Halls in these cities:

• Vulkhel Guard
• Davon’s Watch
• Daggerfall
• Wayrest
• Elden Root
• Mournhold
• Riften
• Evermore
• Rawl’kha

You can also get Scripts by purchasing them from Chronicler Firandil in the Scholarium and Filer Ool in the Infinite Archive, they both rotate their stock each week, so make sure to check them for new Scripts weekly. Once you unlock a Script on a character, other characters on your account can purchase that script at a discounted price.

Luminous Ink

To complete the Scribing process and infuse magic into your chosen Grimoire and Scripts, you’ll need Luminous Ink. Each adjustment or addition to a Scribed Skill consumes one Luminous Ink. Think of it as some form of currency needed for Scribing.

Once you’ve finished the quest “The Wing of the Indrik,” Luminous Ink will rarely drop from defeated enemies. Similarly, upon completing the quest “The Wing of the Netch,” Luminous Ink will rarely appear while harvesting crafting materials.

You can also get three Luminous Inks when you complete a quest from the Luminary Wings questline (Indrik, Gryphon, Dragon, and Netch) for a total of 12. After completing the questline, your other characters can start farming Luminous Inks from defeated enemies and harvested materials.

A good way to farm these is by grinding XP spots and harvesting in areas that spawn many resource nodes. You can use the Master Gatherer (Reduces the time it takes to harvest by 10% per stage.) and Plentiful Harvest (You have a 10% chance to gain double the yield from normal resource nodes per stage.) class points to farm them faster.

Class Scripts

Each class has the opportunity to develop mastery skills through scribing. Achieving class mastery allows you to incorporate a unique scribing effect into a scribing skill, making it feel more customized and personalized. For instance, adding the ability to generate cruxes to your arcanist skill can further enhance the base mechanics of the class.

Once you complete “The Wing of the Dragon” quest, you’re ready to start collecting Class Script Scraps. These scraps make up a potent Script known as the Class Mastery Signature Script. Collect 50 of these Scraps to unlock the Class Mastery Signature Script and level up your journey automatically.

Class Script Scraps can be found in rewards by:

• Completing normal and veteran Trials
• Opening normal and veteran Trial weekly coffers
• Appearing on Trial leaderboards
• Completing normal and veteran Arenas
• Appearing on an Arena leaderboard
• Completing the Infinite Archive
• Opening rewards for completing daily normal and veteran Dungeons
• Opening daily Battleground reward boxes
• Completing Master Writs
• Opening reward boxes granted from completing Elder Scrolls capture quests in Cyrodiil
• Becoming Emperor in Cyrodiil

Once your final Class Script Scrap is acquired and consumed, you’ll earn the Class Mastery Signature Script for the character you are currently on and an achievement for your account. Other characters of yours will then be able to purchase this Signature Script from Chronicler Firandil without needing to collect more Scraps.

List of All Grimoires And Scripts

Here is a list of All Grimoires and Scripts along with their descriptions

Grimoires

Focus Scripts

Signature Scripts

Affix Scripts

Grimoires and Scripts Compatibility

Since not all Scripts are compatible with every Grimoire, here is a list of Scripts that can be used with these specific Grimoires.

Peak Performance: The Best Scribe Skills for Every Role

The Best Scribe Skills For Tanks

Warding Contingency

• Grimoire: Wield Soul
• Focus Script: Pull
• Signature Script: Druid’s Resurgence
• Affix Script: Cowardice

Imbue yourself with the magical runes of Ulfsild for 20 seconds. When you cast an ability with a cost, these runes trigger a burst of magic around you, granting you and your allies a damage shield that absorbs 3960 damage for 6 seconds. The shield’s strength scales with the higher of your Max Health or Magicka. Also, it reduces damage taken by 8% for 6 seconds. Additionally, you gain Minor Protection for 20 seconds, reducing damage taken by 5%.

Heroic Torch

• Grimoire: Torchbearer
• Focus Script: Generate Ultimate
• Signature Script: Gladiator’s Tenacity
• Affix Script: Heroism

Conjure an imbued torch and sweep the area in front of you three times with its power, generating Ultimate for you and your allies. This ability also reduces damage taken and grants the Heroism buff, increasing Ultimate generation.

Leashing Burst

• Grimoire: Soul Burst
• Focus Script: Pull
• Signature Script: Hunter’s Snare
• Affix Script: Interrupt

Unleash a powerful burst of soul magic around you, pulling enemies within 8 meters to you after 2 seconds. This ability reduces the movement speed of enemies by 30% for 6 seconds and interrupts casting enemies. Perfect for setting up combos

The Best Scribe Skills For DPS

Venomous Knife

• Grimoire: Traveling Knife
• Focus Script: Poison Damage
• Signature Script: Warrior’s Opportunity
• Affix Script: Berserk

Hurl an enchanted dagger at a foe, swiftly returning to you after 0.5 seconds, striking additional enemies in its path. This attack inflicts Physical Damage upon a single target and to any enemies caught between you and your initial target upon its return. Moreover, affected foes suffer a 8% increase in Martial damage for 5 seconds. This also grants you Minor Berserk for 20 seconds, heightening your damage output by 5%.

Shocking Soul

• Grimoire: Wield Soul
• Focus Script: Shock Damage
• Signature Script :Lingering Torment
• Affix Script: Empower

Unleash a blast of soul magic upon your target, delivering Magic Damage. Additionally, it inflicts Magic Damage upon the enemy over a duration of 10 seconds. Furthermore, it bestows Empower upon you for 10 seconds, amplifying the damage of Heavy Attacks against monsters by an impressive 70%.

Fiery Explosion

• Grimoire: Elemental Explosion
• Focus Script: Flame Damage
• Signature Script: Lingering Torment
• Affix Script: Lifesteal

Focus the energy within your staff to hurl a bolt of unstable magic, triggering an elemental explosion upon reaching the targeted destination. This potent spell inflicts 5106 Magic Damage upon enemies within its range and continues to afflict them with 3690 Magic Damage over 20 seconds. Additionally, it inflicts enemies with Minor Lifesteal for 20 seconds, granting attackers a healing effect of 600 Health every second.

The Best Scribe Skill For Healers

Mender’s Bond

• Grimoire: Mender’s Bond
• Focus Script: Damage Shield
• Signature Script: Sage’s Remedy
• Affix Script: Empower

Tether yourself to an ally, creating a lifeline between you. This connection grants a protective shield to the linked ally and others, absorbing 1028 damage every second. When they depart the link, they receive healing, restoring 12654 Health over 5 seconds. Moreover, Grant Empower to the tethered ally and linked allies for 10 seconds, boosting the damage of Heavy Attacks against monsters by 70%.

Healing Soul

• Grimoire: Wield Soul
• Focus Script: Healing
• Signature Script: Druid’s Resurgance
• Affix Script: Brutality and Sorcery

Launch a blast of soul magic upon yourself or a comrade. This spell promptly heals for 4440 Health and replenishes 1000 Magicka and 1000 Stamina. Additionally, it bestows Major Brutality and Major Sorcery for 10 seconds, amplifying Weapon and Spell Damage by 20%.

And that concludes our Scribing guide. While it may seem a bit overwhelming initially, exploring all the options might leave you feeling overwhelmed—but it’s the kind of challenge that’s worth it. In my opinion, it’s one of the most innovative systems the game has seen so far, revolutionizing how you build your character and team dynamics during Trials and other events. Remember, these Scribe Skills are merely suggestions to inspire your own creations. Don’t hesitate to tweak the Scripts to match your preferences. And surely, future updates to the Scribing System will likely introduce additional Grimoires and Scripts, offering even more opportunities for customization to fit your unique playstyle.

The post Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road – Introduction to Scribing appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elden Ring Best Light Bows and Ranking Guide, we’ll be taking a look at the 7 Light Bows in Elden Ring and discuss why you might use them in combat. We’ll take a look at attack power, damage type, length, Weapon Skills, and other factors such as how long it takes you to acquire them, to determine if they are best suited for you. We are doing a guide for all Weapon types in Elden Ring, and these will be updated to reflect those added with Shadow of the Erdtree as well.

Light Bows in Elden Ring

1. Misbegotten Shortbow
2. Composite Bow
3. Red Branch Shortbow
4. Shortbow
5. Harp Bow

Elden Ring Light Bows Ranked

Light Bows are one of the 31 Weapon types in Elden Ring, soon to be 39 when Shadow of the Erdtree releases on June 21st. Light Bows have a slightly faster draw speed than Bows. You can jump and shoot, land and shoot, sprint and shoot, and roll and shoot very quickly with Light Bows. Most Light Bows can be found extremely early in the game, which is great if you want to play a Light Bow build. True to its name, it is very light weight. Lastly, it has the highest versatility when it comes to using Ashes of War for all Bow-type weapons.

Light Bows, however, have lower damage per shot than the two other Bow-type weapons. It also has a relatively short range compared to the other two Bow types, and it has poor scaling.

PROS

• Slightly faster draw speed than Bows
• Can jump and shoot, land and shoot, sprint and shoot and roll and shoot very quickly, while Bows and Greatbows cannot
• Most Light Bows can be found extremely early in the game
• Very light weight
• Highest versatility of Ashes of War of all Bow-type weapons

CONS

• Lower damage per shot than all other Bow type weapons
• Shortest range of all Bow type weapons
• Poor scaling

Harp Bow – #5 Best Light Bow in Elden Ring

The Harp Bow does Physical Damage, and is the lightest Light Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 2. It requires 9 Strength and 9 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Lightest Light Bow
• Very low requirements to use

CONS

• Cannot be acquired until pretty far into the game in The Shaded Castle
• Cannot change Ash of War
• Lowest Attack Rating of all Light Bows

Attack Rating with 40 STR & 60 DEX: 151 Base + 55 Scaling (206)

Conclusion: The Harp Bow is the lightest Light Bow and has very low stat requirements, but you won’t get it until a ways into the game in The Shaded Castle, you cannot change its weapon skill: Barrage, and it has the lowest damage of all Light Bows by a lot.

This weapon scales slightly better with DEX than STR, but not by a lot, and has poor scaling in general, so I would avoid worrying about adding damage through scaling with this weapon.

The only real reason to use this weapon is because it makes a harp sound when firing arrows, allowing you to live out your Bardic Archer fantasy.

Shortbow – #4 Best Light Bow in Elden Ring

The Shortbow does Physical Damage, and has an average weight for a Light Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 2.5. It requires 8 Strength and 10 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be acquired very early in Limgrave
• Can change Ash of War

CONS

• Second lowest Attack Rating of all Light Bows

Attack Rating with 50 STR & 50 DEX: 159 Base + 61 Scaling (220)

Conclusion: The Shortbow has the second lowest damage of all Light Bows and has terrible scaling, but can be acquired at the very beginning of the game, it has very low requirements, and you can change its Ash of War.

This weapon scales identically with either STR or DEX, meaning you can use it in either a STR or DEX build until you find a better weapon, but has poor scaling in general.

The best reason to use this weapon is its ease of acquisition at the very beginning of the game and the fact that anyone can use it with little stat investment, but you will definitely want to swap this out for a stronger Light Bow when you find one.

Red Branch Shortbow – #3 Best Light Bow in Elden Ring

The Red Branch Shortbow does Physical Damage and has an average weight for a Light Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 2.5. It requires 8 Strength and 16 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be acquired early on in Weeping Peninsula in Tombsward Ruins
• Can change Ash of War
• Low STR requirements for a Light Bow

CONS

• –

Attack Rating with 30 STR & 70 DEX: 159 Base + 71 Scaling (230)

Conclusion: The Red Branch Shortbow can be acquired in Tombsward Ruins early on, you can change its Ash of War, and it has almost no Strength requirements, making it a good choice if you are going for a pure DEX build. However, it is outclassed by the Black Bow, both damage and range wise, making it a better choice if you don’t mind the extra 1.5 weight.

The Red Branch Shortbow scales slightly better with the DEX than STR making it better on DEX builds than STR, but not by a lot. However, since it has a 16 DEX requirement, it’s a natural choice for early game DEX builds.

Composite Bow – #2 Best Light Bow in Elden Ring

The Composite Bow does Physical Damage, and is tied for the heaviest Light Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 3. It requires 15 Strength and 15 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be acquired early on in Luirnia of the Lakes
• Can change Ash of War
• Second highest Attack Rating of all Light Bows

CONS

• Heaviest Light Bow
• Highest requirements of all Light Bows

Attack Rating with 30 STR & 70 DEX: 159 Base + 77 Scaling (236)

Conclusion: The Composite Bow can be acquired from a merchant in Liurnia of the Lakes, you can change its Ash of War, and it has the second highest Attack Rating of all Light Bows. However, it is the heaviest Light Bow at 3, and has the highest requirements of all Light Bows, though again this is slightly misleading because you really only need 2/3 the listed STR to use any Bow weapon.

The Composite Bow scales slightly better with DEX than STR, making it another good choice for DEX builds, despite its higher STR requirement. However, if you’ve already been upgrading the Red Branch Shortbow, you might want to wait in order to get the Black Bow that is better than both these Light Bows.

Misbegotten Shortbow – #1 Best Light Bow in Elden Ring

The Misbegotten Shortbow does Physical Damage, and is tied for the heaviest Light Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 3. It requires 16 Strength and 8 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be acquired early on in Weeping Peninsula
• Highest Base Attack Rating of all Light Bows
• Best scaling of all Light Bows
• Can change its Ash of War

CONS

• Heaviest Light Bow
• Shortest Range of all Light Bows (25)

Attack Rating with 55 STR & 45 DEX: 166 Base + 80 Scaling (246)

Conclusion: The Misbegotten Shortbow has the highest damage of all Light Bows, it has better scaling than all Light Bows, you can change its Ash of War, and you can farm it easily in Weeping Peninsula. However, it is tied for the heaviest Light Bow at 3, and it has shorter Range than all other Light Bows.

The Misbegotten Shortbow scales very slightly better with STR than Dex, making it a good choice for STR builds that want a ranged option, at least until you can upgrade to the Black Bow.

Bow Weapon Skills in Elden Ring

• Barrage – 33% Damage penalty per arrow and reduced Status Effect build up, in exchange for a 50% increased fire rate vs. normal arrows (2 FP cost)
• Mighty Shot – 75% more Damage and 75% more Status Effect build up per arrow, as well as adding Range to arrows fired and dealing some damage through Blocks (6 FP)
• Enchanted Shot – Increases Damage by 50% of arrows fired as well as 50% increased Status Effect build up, and homes onto the target, curving to hit them (8 FP)
• Sky Shot – Does 33% more Damage than a regular arrow and arcs very high into the sky coming down on the head of the target, though this cannot be used in places with a ceiling as it blocks the arrow. Head shots typically deal more damage than body shots, depending on the enemy, which can make this skill outperform Mighty Shot in terms of overall damage for less FP. However, hitting the enemy’s head is not guaranteed, and it often hits their upper back, so positioning to the side or front of the enemy is important when using this skill.
• Through and Through – Does +30% Damage with Great Arrows, piercing the target and hitting enemies behind the target (9 FP)
• Rain of Arrows – 50% less damage and Status Effect build up per arrow but can hit with multiple arrows in one use allowing for more overall damage than other Bow Weapon Skills and decent Status Effect build up (20 FP)

Bow Talismans in Elden Ring

• Arrow’s Sting – Increases Arrow damage
• Arrow’s Reach Talisman – Increases Arrow Range. Arrows fired outside their listed Range deal reduced damage the further from the target they go. I find that only Light Bows need this Talisman in general, as Mighty Shot increases the Range for that Arrow. Note that status effect build up is unaffected by Range, and does NOT suffer a penalty from firing outside the weapon’s Range.
• Ritual Sword Talisman – Increases damage when at max HP. This is a good way to boost damage if you can keep from getting hit.
• Shard of Alexander/Warrior Jar Shard – These Talismans boos the damage of your Weapon Skills, which helps a lot.
• Blue Dancer Charm – Increases the damage you deal the lighter equip load you have on a sliding scale. The lighter the better. Good for Bow Builds that sacrifice protection for damage.
• Spear Talisman – Increases the damage of Arrows that hit enemies that are mid attack animation. Great for Light Bows that can bait attacks and then jump or roll and shoot. Keep in mind it only boosts Physical Damage, so make sure to use Arrows that deal Physical Damage when using it.

If you enjoyed this Light Bows Ranked Guide, be sure to check out our other Weapon Guides, and also our article on how to Prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree!

The post Best Light Bow in Elden Ring – Ranking All Light Bows appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elden Ring Best Greatbows and Ranking Guide, we’ll be taking a look at the 4 Greatbows in Elden Ring and discuss why you might use them in combat. We’ll take a look at attack power, damage type, length, Weapon Skills, and other factors such as how long it takes you to acquire them, to determine if they are best suited for you. We are doing a guide for all Weapon types in Elden Ring, and these will be updated to reflect those added with Shadow of the Erdtree as well.

Best Greatbows in Elden Ring

1. Lion Greatbow
2. Golem Greatbow
3. Greatbow
4. Erdtree Greatbow

Bow Talismans in Elden Ring

• Arrow’s Sting – Increases Arrow damage
• Arrow’s Reach Talisman – Increases Arrow Range. Arrows fired outside their listed Range deal reduced damage the further from the target they go. I find that only Light Bows need this Talisman in general, as Mighty Shot increases the Range for that Arrow. Note that status effect build up is unaffected by Range, and does NOT suffer a penalty from firing outside the weapon’s Range.
• Ritual Sword Talisman – Increases damage when at max HP. This is a good way to boost damage if you can keep from getting hit.
• Shard of Alexander/Warrior Jar Shard – These Talismans boos the damage of your Weapon Skills, which helps a lot.
• Blue Dancer Charm – Increases the damage you deal the lighter equip load you have on a sliding scale. The lighter the better. Good for Bow Builds that sacrifice protection for damage.
• Spear Talisman – Increases the damage of Arrows that hit enemies that are mid attack animation. Great for Light Bows that can bait attacks and then jump or roll and shoot. Keep in mind it only boosts Physical Damage, so make sure to use Arrows that deal Physical Damage when using it.

Bow Weapon Skills in Elden Ring

• Barrage – 33% Damage penalty per arrow and reduced Status Effect build up, in exchange for a 50% increased fire rate vs. normal arrows (2 FP cost)
• Mighty Shot – 75% more Damage and 75% more Status Effect build up per arrow, as well as adding Range to arrows fired and dealing some damage through Blocks (6 FP)
• Enchanted Shot – Increases Damage by 50% of arrows fired as well as 50% increased Status Effect build up, and homes onto the target, curving to hit them (8 FP)
• Sky Shot – Does 33% more Damage than a regular arrow and arcs very high into the sky coming down on the head of the target, though this cannot be used in places with a ceiling as it blocks the arrow. Head shots typically deal more damage than body shots, depending on the enemy, which can make this skill outperform Mighty Shot in terms of overall damage for less FP. However, hitting the enemy’s head is not guaranteed, and it often hits their upper back, so positioning to the side or front of the enemy is important when using this skill.
• Through and Through – Does +30% Damage with Great Arrows, piercing the target and hitting enemies behind the target (9 FP)
• Rain of Arrows – 50% less damage and Status Effect build up per arrow but can hit with multiple arrows in one use allowing for more overall damage than other Bow Weapon Skills and decent Status Effect build up (20 FP)

Best Greatbows in Elden Ring – Ranked

Greatbows are one of the 31 Weapon types in Elden Ring, soon to be 39 when Shadow of the Erdtree releases on June 21st. They have the highest attack rating of all bow-type weapons. Greatbows are the only weapon that can use the Ash of War Through and Through. Also, every Greatbow in the game can be found in the first half of the game, and it is tied with Bows for the longest range.

However, Greatbows are the heaviest Bow-type weapons. They also have a longer time to draw, and their weapon skills are pretty much limited. Lastly, their ammo capacity is considerably less than the other Bow-type weapons.

PROS

• Highest Attack Rating of all Bow type weapons
• Only weapon that can use Through and Through Ash of War
• All can be found in the first half of the game
• Tied with Bows for longest Range

CONS

• Much heavier than other Bow type weapons
• Longest draw speed of all Bow type weapons
• Very limited weapon skill selection
• Less ammo capacity than other Bow type weapons

Erdtree Greatbow – #4 Best Greatbow in Elden Ring

The Erdtree Greatbow does Physical and Holy Damage, and is the second heaviest Greatbow in Elden Ring, weighing 11. It requires 20 Strength, 14 Dexterity, & 14 Faith in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be acquired in Fringefolk Hero’s Grave right at the beginning of the game
• +20% damage with Golden Great Arrows
• Lowest stat requirements of all Greatbows
• Sacred Scorpion Charm and Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear can really help the damage of this weapon
• Boosting Faith will allow you to use Golden Vow more easily.

CONS

• Holy Damage is resisted by tough bosses
• Worst scaling of all Greatbows
• Lowest damage of all Greatbows when not using Golden Great Arrows

Attack Rating with 36 STR, 15 DEX & 50 FTH: 306 Base + 100 Scaling (406)

• Through and Through Damage (with Golden Great Arrow): 1085
• Through and Through Damage (with Golden Great Arrow, Sacred Scorpion Charm & Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear): 1332

Conclusion: The Erdtree Greatbow is by far the worst of the Greatbows except when using Golden Great Arrows, and when using the Sacred Scorpion Charm and Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear. This combo allows it to catch up to the Greatbow and Lion Greatbow in per arrow damage, but you have to have these things to pull this off. However, you can get this Greatbow earlier than any other Greatbow in the game, has the lowest requirements of all Greatbows, and native Faith scaling allows you to buff with Golden Vow easily, pushing your damage up to the Golem Greatbow when using it.

Through and Through is not likely to benefit you as much with this weapon as the damage is much lower than other Greatbows, particularly since 9 FP is not a small amount early game. I don’t recommend using it if you’ve grabbed this bow early on, but if you’re later in the game and have more FP and the proper spacing you definitely should when needed.

This weapon scales better with FTH up to 50, and then STR, and then DEX, making this a good pairing with STR/FTH builds, and Golden Great Arrows scale with FTH so you should prioritize this before STR. Additionally, the scaling of this weapon is poor in general compared to other Greatbows, so you shouldn’t focus on increasing your stats to maximize its damage, but rather whatever other weapon you are using.

Greatbow – #3 Best Greatbow in Elden Ring

The Greatbow does Physical Damage, and is the second lightest Greatbow in Elden Ring, weighing 10. It requires 20 Strength and 20 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be infused with Rain of Arrows
• Rain of Arrows deals more damage than Radahn’s Rain when not fully buffed
• Second lightest Greatbow

CONS

• Can take a while to get this weapon

Attack Rating with 50 STR & 50 DEX: 306 Base + 209 Scaling (515)

• Through and Through Damage: 1332
• Rain of Arrows Damage: 2592

Conclusion: The Greatbow is not the worst Greatbow, even though it deals less damage than all but the Erdtree Greatbow. However, it can be infused with Rain of Arrows if you don’t like Through and Through and does slightly less damage than Radahn’s Rain when fully buffed, but slightly more damage when not buffed with Exalted Flesh or Flame, Grant Me Strength.

Through and Through does about 30% more damage for 9 FP, which is not a terrible trade if you have the time and FP to use it, as it takes a bit longer to setup than a normal shot on a Greatbow. The damage Through and Through deals on the Greatbow is about 15% less than the Golem Greatbow, and about the same as the Erdtree Greatbow when using the Sacred Scorpion Charm, Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear and Golden Great Arrows on that weapon.

The Greatbow has the same scaling for both STR and DEX allowing you to use it in either type of build effectively, but getting the most damage out of it requires a Quality build.

Golem Greatbow – #2 Best Greatbow in Elden Ring

The Golem Greatbow does Physical Damage, and is the heaviest Greatbow in Elden Ring, weighing 14.5. It requires 24 Strength and 18 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be acquired in Limgrave which is very early in the game
• Highest Attack Rating of Greatbows, best Base Damage and best scaling.

CONS

• Heaviest Greatbow by a lot
• Through and Through is not as good as Radahn’s Rain or Rain of Arrows

Attack Rating with 55 STR & 45 DEX: 318 Base + 302 Scaling (620)

• Through and Through Damage: 1589

Conclusion: The Golem Greatbow is the pound-for-pound king of Greatbows if you’re talking about per shot damage, or Through and Through Damage, and you can also get it rather early on in the game by farming Golems that use Bows in Limgrave. However, it is the heaviest Greatbow by a good margin making it hard to use early on when trying to manage your weight.

Through and Through does more damage with this weapon than any other Greatbow, but the downside is that you cannot change to Rain of Arrows when you may want it for certain bosses or enemies. This means if you like Rain of Arrows you should either use the Greatbow or Lion Greatbow, despite their lower per shot damage.

This weapon scales very slightly better with STR than DEX, making it viable for both type of Builds. However, to get the most from this weapon you will need to go the Quality route, so keep that in mind when using it. Since it has the best scaling of all Bow type weapons in Elden Ring, you definitely should consider doing this when using this weapon.

Lion Greatbow – #1 Best Greatbow in Elden Ring

The Lion Greatbow does Physical Damage, and is the lightest Greatbow in Elden Ring, weighing 9.5. It requires 22 Strength and 18 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• +20% Damage with Radahn’s Spears
• Lightest Greatbow in Elden Ring
• Radahn’s Rain hits harder than Rain of Arrows when fully buffed by a small amount

CONS

• Must defeat Radahn in order to acquire it
• Slightly less damage than the Greatbow, and a lot less than the Golem Greatbow on regular shots

Attack Rating with 50 STR & 50 DEX: 294 Base + 224 Scaling (518)

• Rain of Arrows Damage: 2592

Conclusion: The Lion Greatbow is solid. It has excellent Base Damage and scaling considering it is the lightest Greatbow, and it visually looks better than the other 3 Greatbows. It also natively increases Radahn’s Spear damage by 20%, and if you hold a second Lion Greatbow in your offhand you can double this bonus.

Radahn’s Rain is a solid weapon skill and can hit over 3k damage when fully buffed and using Radahn’s Spears as ammo. It’s great for co-op when someone has a boss distracted, or for leading off a fight against a difficult enemy that hasn’t seen you yet. It’s easily the best Weapon Skill of Greatbows, typically being slightly better than Rain of Arrows when fully buffed.

The Lion Greatbow has nearly identical scaling with STR and DEX making it viable for both types of Builds. But, just like the Golem Greatbow, you will need to build for Quality if you want to get the most damage from it, and it does have relatively good scaling so putting points for damage is worth it.

If you enjoyed this Greatbows Ranked Guide, be sure to check out our other Weapon Guides, and also our article on how to Prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree!

The post Best Greatbow in Elden Ring – Ranking All Greatbows appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elden Ring Best Bows and Ranking Guide, we’ll be taking a look at the 7 Bows in Elden Ring and discuss why you might use them in combat. We’ll take a look at attack power, damage type, length, Weapon Skills, and other factors such as how long it takes you to acquire them, to determine if they are best suited for you. We are doing a guide for all Weapon types in Elden Ring, and these will be updated to reflect those added with Shadow of the Erdtree as well.

Best Bows in Elden Ring

1. Albinauric Bow
2. Erdtree Bow
3. Pulley Bow
4. Black Bow
5. Longbow
6. Serpent Bow
7. Horn Bow

Best Bows in Elden Ring – Ranked

Bows are one of the 31 Weapon types in Elden Ring, soon to be 39 when Shadow of the Erdtree releases on June 21st. Bows have a higher attack rating than Light Bows. They are more versatile when it comes to Ashes of War compared to Greatbows, and they’re only slightly heavier than Light Bows, which can be an insignificant number. They are tied with Greatbows for the longest range.

However, you can not move and shoot with Bows, making them more difficult to use in tight quarters vs. Light Bows. It has a slightly longer draw speed than Light Bows. You also can’t find the good Bows early on in Elden Ring, so you will get to use them much later on in the game.

PROS

• Higher Attack Rating than Light Bows
• More versatility of Ashes of War compared to Greatbows
• Only slightly heavier than Light Bows
• Tied with Greatbows for longest Range
• Can be used from horseback

CONS

• Cannot land and shoot, sprint and shoot and roll and shoot like Light Bows
• Slightly longer draw speed than Light Bows
• Very few early game choices

Horn Bow – #7 Best Bow in Elden Ring

The Horn Bow does Physical and Magic Damage, and is tied for second heaviest Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 4.5. It requires 10 Strength, 14 Dexterity, and 12 Intelligence in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can change Ash of War
• Improved ratio of Magic Damage to Physical Damage when using Dwelling Arrows vs. other Bows
• Can be found pretty early in Siofra River

CONS

• Second lowest damage of all Bows when not using Magic Damage arrows

Attack Rating with 35 STR, 49 DEX & 16 INT: 232 Base + 76 Scaling (308)

Conclusion: The Horn Bow is arguably the worst Bow in Elden Ring as it does terrible damage compared to most other Bows in just about every instance. However, you can change its Ash of War, you can find it pretty early on in Siofra River, and it increases the damage ratio of Dwelling Arrows to more Magic Damage, allowing you to boost their damage more easily with things like Magic Scorpion Charm, Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear and Terra Magica.

This weapon scales the best with DEX up to 50, then STR. INT scales horribly with this weapon, which is a shame as this can help boost magic damage.

If you’re going to use this weapon you pretty much must use Dwelling Arrows exclusively or you might as well use another Bow. However, since the scaling is mostly DEX, you could use a second Bow with regular Arrows and swap to this one when you want to deal Magic Damage with Dwelling Arrows without sacrificing damage on the other Bow.

Serpent Bow – #6 Best Bow in Elden Ring

The Serpent Bow does Physical Damage, and is the lightest Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 3.5. It requires 8 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 11 Arcane in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Adds 15 Poison Build Up to any Arrow fired
• Arcane Scaling improves the Poison, Bleed and Sleep Arrow build up of these Arrow types.
• Lightest Bow in Elden Ring

CONS

• Arcane Scaling adds ZERO damage to arrows

Attack Rating with 34 STR, 55 DEX & 11 ARC: 183 Base + 103 Scaling (286)

Conclusion: The Serpent Bow is a strange weapon. It adds 15 Poison build up to any Arrow it fires, it’s the lightest Bow in Elden Ring, and its native Arcane Scaling means that arrows fired from it like Blood, Poison or Sleep will have more build up than other Bows.

However, and this is a big HOWEVER: placing points into Arcane does not increase arrow damage, and only increases these Status Effect build ups. This means you must choose between more damage, or more Status Effects with your arrows, and since even when optimized for the most damage possible the Serpent Bow still has lower damage than other Bows, you should really only be using this weapon if you plan to go this route.

Mighty Shot does not make this easy in close quarter boss fights though, and you cannot roll and shoot or land and shoot like a Light Bow, making this a tricky Bow to use.

Longbow – #5 Best Bow in Elden Ring

The Longbow does Physical Damage, and is tied for the second lightest Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 4. It requires 9 Strength and 14 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can be acquired very early in Roundtable Hold
• Can change Ash of War

CONS

• –

Attack Rating with 40 STR & 60 DEX: 196 Base + 101 Scaling (297)

Conclusion: The Longbow is a solid all-around Bow. It does decent damage, you can acquire it very early in Roundtable Hold, and it’s one of three Bows that can change Ashes of War.

The scaling on it is very slightly better with DEX than STR, making it viable for either type of Build. It’s the best Bow you can use early on in the game if you want to swap out Mighty Shot for Rain of Arrows, but eventually you’ll likely want to replace it with the Albinauric Bow.

Black Bow – #4 Best Bow in Elden Ring

The Black Bow does Physical Damage, and is tied for the second lightest Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 4. It requires 9 Strength and 20 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Operates like a Light Bow, in that you can jump and shoot and land and shoot or roll and shoot or sprint and shoot.

CONS

• Not found until Leyndell Royal Capital
• Very low damage for a Bow

Attack Rating with 40 STR & 60 DEX: 171 Base + 101 Scaling (276)

Conclusion: The Black Bow is unique for a Bow, since it operates identically to a Light Bow except that it’s a bit heavier and has much better range. It also has very low damage for a Bow which is better than all Light Bows, but worse than nearly every other Bow, and has Barrage as its weapon skill, just like a Light Bow.

The weapon scales slightly better with DEX than STR, but not by much, making it suited for either type of build. The scaling of this weapon is better than Light Bows and some Bows, but is not great in general.

Pulley Bow – #3 Best Bow in Elden Ring

The Pulley Bow does Physical Damage, and is the heaviest Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 5. It requires 11 Strength and 11 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Best Range of all Bows by 5
• Lowest requirements of all Bows
• Highest damage of all Bows in Elden Ring

CONS

• Not found until Mount Gelmir, which is a ways into the game
• Heaviest Bow in Elden Ring

Attack Rating with 45 STR & 55 DEX: 188 Base + 139 Scaling (327)

Conclusion: The Pulley Bow is fantastic. It has the best range of all Bow weapons in Elden Ring, it has the lowest requirements of all Bows and has the highest damage on average of all Bows. However, you don’t get it until the Mount Gelmir area of the game, and it is the heaviest Bow in Elden Ring.

Scaling-wise, DEX is just ever so slightly ahead of STR making it perfectly viable for both types of Builds, and it does have the best scaling of all Bows, so investing points is definitely worth it.

Erdtree Bow – #2 Best Bow in Elden Ring

The Erdtree Bow does Physical and Holy Damage, and is tied for the second lightest Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 4. It requires 8 Strength, 12 Dexterity, and 14 Faith in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Increased damage with Fire and Holy Arrows

CONS

• Not found until near the end of Leyndell Royal Capital.
• Holy Damage is resisted by many tough Bosses
• Lowest damage of all Bows when not using Fire or Holy Arrows

Attack Rating with 8 STR, 12 DEX & 80 FTH: 220 Base + 66 Scaling (286)

Conclusion: The Erdtree Bow is interesting because it does increased damage with both Fire and Golden Arrows due to Faith scaling, though performs much better with Golden Arrows than Fire. And this damage is higher than any other Bow in Elden Ring, but only when using Golden Arrows.

The downside is that you cannot find this weapon until the Leyndell Royal Capital, Holy Damage is resisted by bosses, and when you don’t use Fire or Golden Arrows it deals the lowest per shot damage with any other Arrow type.

Scaling-wise, it scales best up to 80 FTH with minimum points in STR and DEX, making it perfect for FTH builds that spell cast wanting a long-range way of picking off enemies. This also allows you to use Golden Vow, Flame, Grant Me Strength or Howl of Shabriri easily, further increasing your damage.

Albinauric Bow – #1 Best Bow in Elden Ring

The Albinauric Bow does Physical Damage and is tied for the second heaviest Bow in Elden Ring, weighing 4.5. It requires 7 Strength and 18 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

PROS

• Can change Ash of War
• Highest base damage of all Bows
• Has ok DEX scaling, making it ideal for DEX builds
• Lighting Arrows scale off of DEX making it the perfect bow for them

CONS

• Cannot be acquired until Consecrated Snowfields, and can take a while to farm

Attack Rating with 20 STR & 80 DEX: 200 Base + 114 Scaling (314)

Conclusion: The Albinauric Bow is often overlooked by many would-be Bow users, and that’s probably because you cannot get it until Consecrated Snowfields, and it can take some time to farm. However, it has the highest damage of any Bow that can use Rain of Arrows, and it has the highest Base Damage of all Bows so it doesn’t rely as much on scaling as the Pulley Bow.

The scaling of the weapon is mostly DEX making this arguably the best choice of Bow when playing a DEX build if you don’t want to use Mighty Shot or Barrage.

Bow Talismans in Elden Ring

• Arrow’s Sting – Increases Arrow damage
• Arrow’s Reach Talisman – Increases Arrow Range. Arrows fired outside their listed Range deal reduced damage the further from the target they go. I find that only Light Bows need this Talisman in general, as Mighty Shot increases the Range for that Arrow. Note that status effect build up is unaffected by Range, and does NOT suffer a penalty from firing outside the weapon’s Range.
• Ritual Sword Talisman – Increases damage when at max HP. This is a good way to boost damage if you can keep from getting hit.
• Shard of Alexander/Warrior Jar Shard – These Talismans boos the damage of your Weapon Skills, which helps a lot.
• Blue Dancer Charm – Increases the damage you deal the lighter equip load you have on a sliding scale. The lighter the better. Good for Bow Builds that sacrifice protection for damage.
• Spear Talisman – Increases the damage of Arrows that hit enemies that are mid attack animation. Great for Light Bows that can bait attacks and then jump or roll and shoot. Keep in mind it only boosts Physical Damage, so make sure to use Arrows that deal Physical Damage when using it.

Bow Weapon Skills in Elden Ring

• Barrage – 33% Damage penalty per arrow and reduced Status Effect build up, in exchange for a 50% increased fire rate vs. normal arrows (2 FP cost)
• Mighty Shot – 75% more Damage and 75% more Status Effect build up per arrow, as well as adding Range to arrows fired and dealing some damage through Blocks (6 FP)
• Enchanted Shot – Increases Damage by 50% of arrows fired as well as 50% increased Status Effect build up, and homes onto the target, curving to hit them (8 FP)
• Sky Shot – Does 33% more Damage than a regular arrow and arcs very high into the sky coming down on the head of the target, though this cannot be used in places with a ceiling as it blocks the arrow. Head shots typically deal more damage than body shots, depending on the enemy, which can make this skill outperform Mighty Shot in terms of overall damage for less FP. However, hitting the enemy’s head is not guaranteed, and it often hits their upper back, so positioning to the side or front of the enemy is important when using this skill.
• Through and Through – Does +30% Damage with Great Arrows, piercing the target and hitting enemies behind the target (9 FP)
• Rain of Arrows – 50% less damage and Status Effect build up per arrow but can hit with multiple arrows in one use allowing for more overall damage than other Bow Weapon Skills and decent Status Effect build up (20 FP)

If you enjoyed this Bows Ranked Guide, be sure to check out our other Weapon Guides, and also our article on how to Prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree!

The post Best Bow in Elden Ring – Ranking All Bows appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build Guide we’re going to be covering a support build, for Sanhua. This build focuses on buffing the normal attack of main damage dealers, and dealing damage on her own.

Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build Guide

Sanhua is a free, four star character, all players get at launch from logging to Wuthering Waves for five days. She’s a Glacio (Ice) character, that uses Sword as a weapon. Sharing a weapon is possible with other Sword-wielding supports, such as Yangyang. You can build one Sword with Energy Recharge, and swap between them; Since you will not be using both Yangyang and Sanhua in same team.

Top Reasons to Use Sanhua

Sanhua support capabilities starts with her Outro skill, that buff the normal attack of next character. But extends a bit by using Energy set, and Impermanenance Heron Echo skill. Sanhua however, can deal good damage in her short time on-field, and may build as sub-dps.

The damage she deal is relatively higher than most other support characters, and go even higher with unlocking Sequences. S3, and S4 sees the highest jump in Sanhua damage. While S6 allow her to give team wide ATK buff that stacks two times.

Her short time on field allow dps characters to take more field time, increasing team overall damage. But in some scenarios, Sanhua can take the field and fill in as a dps role. This is a nice fail safe when something occur to your main dps, such as losing so much HP and being unable to swap in during enemy rampage of attacks. Sanhua can bridge this gap, without dropping team dps. She’s overall, the best support character in second slot for any team that uses normal attack main carry.

Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build – Active Skills

Frigid Light – Basic Attack

Basic Attack skill level of Sanhua scales the Heavy Attack portion of her kit. However, the damage numbers she deals with Heavy Attack is not solely Heavy Attack damage. It also include the detonate burst effect from her Forte, which is the majority of her damage.

Sanhua Normal Attacks is nothing we focus on, but note that her normal attack 5 have higher damage multiplier. Also at S1, it gives Sanhua Crit Rate buff for ten seconds. So if you ever get stuck with Sanhua on field, make sure she reach Normal attack 5.

It’s her special Heavy Attack that’s more important. A pointer in her Forte bar moves back and forth when you hold Heavy Attack button. If released while pointer on “Frostbite Area” of the bar, she unleash her Forte procs. Player need to use this heavy attack twice or thrice while charging Concerto Energy, to use Sanhua Outro.

At S2, Stamina cost of Heavy Attack Detonate is reduced by 10. When Sanhua casts Resonance Skill Eternal Frost, her Anti-interruption is enhanced for 10s.

Eternal Frost – Resonance Skill

Sanhua skill deals decent damage, and creates an “Ice Prism” , a construct left the ground. This is one of three constructs Sanhua can create and detonate. She detonate the prism with Heavy Attacks, if she hit Frostbite area on the Forte bar. The detonation deals more damage, that scales with Forte skill, not Resonance Skill.

Resonance Skill of Sanhua has relatively short cooldown of ten seconds. This enable Sanhua flexibility on when she uses her skill in rotation. In all scenarios, Sanhua will find her skill ready to use in next rotation, so it’s flexible.

Glacial Gaze – Resonance Liberation

Sanhua has one of the cheapest Resonance Liberation to cast in Wuthering Waves, it cost only 100 Resonance. This mean with some energy Recharge, Sanhua can cast Resonance Liberation on every rotation, without staying on field for long. This smooth entire team rotation, and is very helpful against bosses that move around very much.

The Resonance Liberation is similar to her Resonance Skill, an AOE Ice skill, that leaves a construct. The damage modifier of Resonance Liberation is higher than skill. And the construct it leaves “Glacier” deals more damage when detonated.

It has 16 seconds cooldown, so in certain quick-swap teams, you can get very high dps (Damage per Second) by shortening the entire rotation duration. You keep swapping back and Forth with Intro and Outro between characters, and keep dealing peak damage.

At S4, Casting Resonance Liberation buffs the damage of next detonate with heavy Attack.

Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build – Passive Skills

Clarity of Mind – Forte Circuit

Sanhua Forte mechanic modifies the Forte bar, adding “Frostbite” area. The area size increase with the stacks of “Clarity”, up to two stacks. These stacks help us perform heavy attacks with more speed and precision. The bar without stacks have only ~ 10% of its size as Frostbite area. With one stack it reached ~25%, and with two stacks ~50%.

The stacks are tied with the constructs Sanhua left on the ground. So a bigger Frostbite area (more Clarity stacks) is an indication there are enough constructs to detonate. It’s also easier to detonate with a bigger area. We gain 1 Clarity stack on the following: Normal attack 5, Intro, and Resonance skill. And we gain two stacks with Resonance Liberation.

So a good combo for detonating the most constructs in easiest way is:

• Intro -> Resonance Skill -> Heavy Attack (Detonate with two stacks) -> Resonance Liberation -> Heavy Attack (Detonate with two stacks)

Note that detonating any stacks with a heavy attack deals a burst damage on top of the detonation damage. So splitting the detonation into two times is indeed a dps gain. You may also reverse the order if you have full Resonance Energy, and doesn’t have high Energy Recharge for next rotation.

• Intro -> Resonance Liberation -> Heavy Attack (Detonate with two stacks) -> Resonance Skill -> Heavy Attack (Detonate with one stack)

In terms of damage, it deals the exact same damage. However, it spend Resonance Energy first, to allow skill and heavy attacks to generate energy for next rotation. At the cost of having a smaller Frostbite bar in second heavy attack, which need player to be more precise in timing.

At S5, all of the constructs detonate even if not hit by heavy attacks. And the burst gain a massive 100% crit damage bonus.

Inherent Skill 1 – Condensation

A simple and useful passive, that gives Sanhua a Resonance Skill damage bonus for 8 seconds after using Intro. It emphasize on her role as a burst sub-dps. Enter the field, deal quick buffed damage, and switch out.

Inherent Skill 2 – Avalanche

Contrary to previous passive, this one buffs the sustained damage of Sanhua, in case you use her that way. The Burst damage that Sanhua deals alongside with detonations is increased, after casting Normal Attack 5.

If Sanhua plan to not switch out, and stay on field for long time for any reason, reaching Normal 5 will add a lot of buffs to herself. This passive is one of them, along with S1 Crit Rate bonus, and Normal 5 own high damage modifier.

Doing five whole normal attacks uninterrupted though is a bit of a hassle. As aggressive enemies forces you to dodge and parry and move out of the way. So keep this in mind, and play smart.

Sanhua – Concerto Skills

Intro and Outro skills needs fully charged Concerto energy to cast. They are important to trigger certain Echo Sets bonuses and weapons, And in case of our Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build, she give potent damage normal attack damage multiplier to next character with her Outro skill.

Freezing Thorns – Intro Skill

Unlike a lot of support character, Sanhua’s Intro is very important. It deals some damage, but create a construct no other skill creates. That is “Ice Thorn”, which deal extra damage when Sanhua detonate with heavy attack. It also give a Clarity stack, to ease up using Heavy attack on Frostbite area.

Intro is also tied with her Inherent 1 passive, to buff Resonance Skill damage. So it’s important part of her kit to use, but not as important to level up. The utility it provide is 100% there even at level 1 Intro skill.

Silversnow – Outro Skill

The main buffing ability of Sanhua, that makes her one of best support characters in Wuthering Waves. Switching out with an Outro, buffs the next character with 38% Normal Attack Deepen Multiplier.

This is not an damage bonus that stacks additively with % damage modifiers. This is a sperate ‘multiplicative’ multiplier that modify the final damage of the character. So if your Havoc Rover deal 2000 final damage with normal attack, after adding Sanhua this become 2760 damage. And a full string normal combo of 10000 damage become 13800 damage.

It’s very high damage bonus, with characters that deal mostly normal attack damage. And a decent damage bonus with characters that have their damage split between normal attack and other archetypes.

Always, and I mean every single time, switch from Sanhua into main dps with an Outro skill. This is not hard, since Sanhua generate full Concerto energy rapidly. If you fall short, just do another heavy attack, especially if you can time them correctly even without Clarity stacks. You will fill Concerto energy in no time.

Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build – Weapons

For this Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build, gear is a crucial part, and Weapon is a major part of gearing. Sanhua dps scales with standard Crit, Attack, and Glacio damage stats. However, building enough Energy Recharge comes as first priority, as well as getting Concerto energy fast enough.

If she gets enough energy from Echoes, Sanhua is free to use proper dps weapon. However, I prefer using Energy weapon from early to endgame, since weapons are easier to max than echoes. Sanhua uses Sword, which has some Energy options easily accessible.

Sword of Voyager – Three star

The get go support sword, with Energy Regen sub stat, and more flat energy refund when using Resonance Skill. It’s straight forward weapon to shorten rotation and ensure Sanhua always has a Resonance Liberation ready in each rotation. The effect allow Sanhua to skip taking Energy Recharge main stat of Echoes, ad use proper Glacio dmg bonus. So it’s in-direct damage increase.

As a three star weapon, you may get easily to S5, and have the passive effect grow from refunding 8 energy to refunding 12 energy per rotation! Doesn’t fit with rotations shorter than 20 seconds though. So beware when building quick-swap teams.

Scale: Slasher – Four Star

This is the most suitable weapon for this Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build. It has high Energy recharge, and regain Concerto Energy upon using Resonance Skill. This shorten Sanhua rotation and on-field time, and help more uptime for dps characters. Also enable some special rotations that involve switching to Sanhua more than one time.

I use this as the ultimate weapon for Sanhua, short of Five star options.

Emerald of Genesis – Five Star

Unlike most support characters, Sanhua does proper good damage in her short time on-field. So upgrading her with a five star weapon is fitting, especially with the fact that she’s a sword user. The standard banner Sword weapon has Crit, Energy, and % ATK stat. As well as high base attack. This make it a good support and dps weapon at same time.

It can be picked from Weapon Selector at Union level 45, or get from standard weapon banner as a guarantee within 80 standard wishes. So it’s really accessible for free.

If you use this sword on a main dps such as Havoc Rover, you can’t swap the weapon between Rover and Sanhua if they are used on the same team (In Tower of Adversity). However, if you separate Rover and Sanhua, you can swap the weapon between them, and have peak performance on both characters.

Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build – Stats & Echoes

Similar to Relics from Honkai Star Rail, and Artifacts from Genshin Impact, Echoes in Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build works as gear. We have five slots to equip echoes, but the difference is, we are not strict to use certain echoes in certain slots.

In total, character have 12 points to distribute among Echoes. Meanwhile, Echoes has three grades, Common (1 cost), Elite (3 cost), Boss/Overlord (4 cost). So the ideal distribution in endgame is (4,3,3,1,1). However, in certain situations, some other setup is possible. Such as getting more Crit stats from (4,4,1,1,1) setup.

This is possible with Energy Set, as it has two boss Echoes in the set. It however deny Sanhua access to Energy Recharge main stats. So you have to be smart about building enough ER from sub stats. Experiment at your own discretion

Sanhua Top Stats

In this Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build we aim to get these dps main stats:

• Cost 1: ATK %
• Cost 3: Glacio DMG / Energy Recharge
• Cost 4: Crit Rate / Crit Damage

Sanhua doesn’t needs a massive Energy Recharge to refund her 100 cost Resonance Liberation. So for fully optimized Echoes setup, we better fill our Energy Recharge requirements from sub stats instead of main stats.

Crit Rate and Crit Damage better follow a 1:2 ratio. Sanhua has a Crit rate bonus (From S1) that’s not accessible in short burst rotation. And at S5, she gets massive Crit DMG bonus on her Forte. So it’s always more suitable to get Crit Rate main stat than Crit DMG. This way, we close the gap and get the ratio close to 1:2

For sub stats, Sanhua need Energy Recharge, Crit, ATK, Heavy Attack DMG, and Resonance Liberation DMG. Resonance Skill DMG is not bad as well.

Sanhua Echo Skill

On top of providing main and sub stats, each Echo provide a skill that can be used in battle. Only one skill can be acquired this way, and it comes from the top Echo on the Echoes page. Sanhua highly prefer Energy Recharge set, so we are restricted to an Echo skill from that set.

The best is Impermanenance Heron, which deal damage, and provide Damage bonus for next character after swap. We use the press version of this skill, and swap cancel the animation towards the end of the skill. So the skill still hits, but we are not locked into animation. Allowing team to perform faster rotation.

Sanhua Echo set

Echoes split into certain sets, and some echoes capable of rolling into one of two sets. So it adds another layer of complexity to our Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build.

The best set for most buffer supports is Energy Set, and Sanhua is no exception. It allow shorter rotation, as well as ATK buff to next character upon using Outro. It also has buffer Echo skill, and enable using two Echoes with 4 cost (the set has two bosses).

Sanhua Team Composition

Teams in Wuthering Waves consist of three characters, and to build Sanhua right, we have to pair two suitable companions. Sanhua buffs normal attack, so we must build around this aspect of her kit.

She can take either two dps characters, or one dps and one healer. But the latter is more common and easier to play.

A DPS with focus on Normal Attacks (Encore/Havoc MC/Lingyang)

Some characters who get modifiers from Forte skill such as Havoc MC has their damage still count as Normal Attacks. So modifiers and buffs to Normal Attacks help them a lot. Encore is a character that get all her modifiers from Resonance Liberation, but also her attacks considered normal. Unlike Calcharo whos Enchanted Normal Attacks are considered Resonance Liberation. So Sanhua synergy with him is somewhat limited.

The buff from Sanhua lasts for 14 seconds, which is enough for damage dealer to do most of their rotation. Even with Havoc Rover who may stay on-field longer, most of their damage is front-loaded near the start, while the buff still up.

Make sure to Switch from Sanhua to your dps character with an Outro skill.

A suitable Healer (Baizhi/Verina)

There are only two straight up healers in Wuthering Waves suitable for Sanhua team, Baizhi and Verina. With the other defensive characters not having great synergy. Taoqi for example buffs Resonance Skill damage, while Jianxin buffing Resonance Liberation damage.

Among these, Verina is the ultimate best healer and buffer who fit third slot on any team. I’ve went through all details of why Verina is the best choice in her own guide, so check it out. But long story short, Verina give several team-wide buffs. They are generic, benefit all characters, and last long.

If your Verina is busy in another team, use Baizhi instead, she’s next best pick, with some caveats.

Final Tips

As a four star character, it’s much easier to get Sequences (dupes) for Sanhua over time. All players also start with a Sanhua from day five, so they can get and build from early on.

Most Sequences of Sanhua improve her damage, but some also give additional buffs to the team. So the performance of Sanhua will keep improving as accounts grow older, and more Sequences acquired.

An ideal rotation for Sanhua need speed and precision, and knowing how to animation cancel skills into skills. However, playing sub-optimally because you are on phone or just lazy, Sanhua still perform well. As long as you switch her out with an Outro, she does most of what she need to do for your team. So you can ease up if you want.

As a heavy Attack spammer, Sanhua can auto parry some bosses attacks without even trying. This help shredding the shields of enemies, making them enter vulnerability phase. So when you switch to your main dps who use normal attacks, it’s easier for them to focus on dealing damage, not dodging and parying.

Stay tuned for more Wuthering Waves Character Guides. and check out our Calcharo, Yangyang, Havoc Rover, and Verina build guides. And Check our YouTube channel for news & guides on other games.

The post Wuthering Waves Sanhua Build Guide appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elden Ring Iron Ball Build guide, I’ll be showcasing my Blue Baller build. This versatile build utilizes the Iron Ball, a Fist weapon that I explored in our Fist Weapons video. I thoroughly enjoyed using this weapon, and in this guide, I’ll walk you through how to effectively assemble and optimize this build.

Elden Ring Iron Ball Build – Blue Baller

Elden Ring Iron Ball Build – Blue Baller: Equipment

Now, I can almost hear you asking, “Cas, why use the Iron Ball instead of the Star Fist?” The answer is simple: fashion. The Blue Baller build just wouldn’t have the same appeal with Star Fists. Besides, we’ve already done a build with the Star Fist, so I wanted to try something new. Hence, we’re using the Iron Ball, or more specifically, the Heavy Iron Balls.

There are some great things about this weapon, even though it’s not the Star Fist. First of all, it does incredible damage. It’s probably second in terms of attack rating among Fist weapons, just behind the Star Fist. While it doesn’t have the bleed buildup of the Star Fist, which would be ideal for min-maxing, we’re not focused on that for this build.

You can also acquire the Iron Ball early in the game. It can be found in Liurnia of the Lakes by defeating Blackguard Big Boggart there, allowing you to pick these up quickly. What I love about these Fists is their boxing-like nature and the significant stance damage from their charged heavy attacks. You can often stance break tough enemies with just two charged heavy attacks.

When you use the Stonebarb Cracked Tear to further increase your stance damage, you can stance break bosses with two charged heavy attacks, which is incredibly fast. Once they’re down, you can either go to town on them while they’re on the ground or follow up with a critical strike. I also love the running R2 attack chain combo of this weapon. The running heavy attack followed by heavy attacks is surprisingly fast and deals a lot of damage, so I highly recommend incorporating the running R2 into your playstyle with this weapon type.

In addition to the Iron Ball, I’m using the Academy Glintstone Staff to buff our Heavy Iron Balls with magic. Using Scholar’s Armament adds more magic damage to your attacks, giving you a higher total attack rating than a purely physical infusion. While it’s split damage, I enjoy the aesthetic—something about blue balls has a nice appeal. So, you’ll buff your Iron Balls with this staff.

We’re using the Academy Glintstone Staff because our Intelligence is around 50 for this build. If you go higher, you might want to consider a different staff. But at this point in the game, since we’re primarily focused on using Scholar’s Armament, this is the best staff for that purpose. However, if you decide to use other spells and find a particular set you like, you might be better off with a different staff. But if you’re following this build exactly, the Academy Glintstone Staff is the optimal choice.

The general strategy for this build involves buffing with Scholar’s Armament, then using the running R2 attack on regular enemies or attempting to stance break an enemy for a critical strike. For bosses or tougher enemies, you can run up to them, execute a combo, and then use Endure just before they counterattack. This allows you to poise through their attacks and continue striking. You can either use another charged heavy attack to stance break them or maintain your assault with regular R2s or R1s.

Endure is particularly useful because it not only prevents interruptions but also significantly reduces the damage you take. With this build, you can tank through hits due to your high poise. Even if you wouldn’t be staggered, using Endure allows you to mitigate damage and continue your attacks. It takes some practice, but once mastered, it’s incredibly effective.

Endure is an Ash of War you can acquire early from the Warmaster’s Shack in Stormhill. This means you can obtain both the Iron Ball weapon and this Ash of War early in the game. All you need is a staff to get started, which you likely already have if you started as an Astrologer or a similar class.

For armor, you can use any set that provides at least 51 poise to avoid being interrupted during attacks. While Endure is helpful, there are times when you might not want to break your attack flow by using it, especially against regular enemies or bosses. Having sufficient poise allows you to keep attacking without interruptions. I chose an armor set that offers poise and has a knightly appearance. However, you can use any armor you prefer. I opted for a chest piece with a touch of blue to match the theme of the build.

Elden Ring Iron Ball Build – Blue Baller: Talismans

For talismans, I’ve selected a combination tailored for this build’s playstyle. Firstly, the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia is a must-have, as your rapid fist attacks quickly build up attack power, both in regular combat and against bosses.

If you opt for the Keen infusion instead of Heavy Iron Balls, consider using Millicent’s Prosthesis for its dexterity boost and additional attack power buildup.

Next, the Axe Talisman enhances the already potent charged heavy attack of the Iron Ball, useful for breaking enemy stances, including bosses. Alternatively, you could use the Dagger Talisman for increased critical strike damage if you find yourself frequently breaking stances.

The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman offers added protection, complementing the build’s emphasis on durability through thick armor and Endure.

Lastly, while the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger isn’t essential, it provides healing after trading damage, particularly useful against tougher enemies. Alternatively, you could swap it for the Green Turtle Talisman for more stamina recovery or the Ritual Sword Talisman for increased damage output during aggressive play.

Elden Ring Iron Ball Build – Blue Baller: Recommended Attributes Distribution

Attribute wise for this build, we have 50 vigor, 25 mind, 25 endurance, 50 strength, 12 dexterity, 50 intelligence, 7 faith and 9 arcane.

• Vigor: Set at 50, Vigor provides ample health to engage in combat and trade blows without risking death. While 50 is sufficient for most situations, increasing it to 60 can enhance survivability, especially during prolonged battles where endurance is key.
• Mind: With 25 points allocated, Mind ensures a steady supply of FP for frequent use of Endure, allowing uninterrupted combat flow. Adjustments may be made based on the player’s preference for spellcasting, with higher Mind recommended for hybrid builds incorporating magic.
• Endurance: At 25, Endurance strikes a balance between mobility and defense, facilitating medium rolling and offering protection with heavy armor. Additional points may be invested if heavier armor sets are desired, ensuring stamina reserves for sustained combat.
• Strength: With a hefty investment of 50 points, Strength maximizes the damage output of the Iron Ball, making each strike formidable and impactful.
• Dexterity: Set at 12, Dexterity meets the minimum requirements for wielding the Iron Ball effectively, ensuring smooth handling without penalties.
• Intelligence: With a significant allocation of 50 points, Intelligence boosts the damage dealt with Scholar’s Armament, enhancing the magical properties of the Heavy Iron Balls. Additionally, higher Intelligence strengthens spellcasting abilities for players incorporating magic into their combat strategy.
• Faith and Arcane: With minimal investments of 7 and 9 points, respectively, Faith and Arcane are not prioritized in this build, as they are not central to its focus or effectiveness.

For the Flask of Wondrous Physick, you could use the Stonebarb Cracked Tear for stance breaking bosses quickly and follow with a combo for massive damage. The Thorny Cracked Tear increases damage with successive hits, or you can use the Strength-knot Crystal Tear to boost Strength for charged heavy attacks. Stamina recovery options are also good.

For Great Runes, use Radahn’s for more health and stamina. Godrick’s Great Rune is also an option early on but Radahn’s is generally better as the game progresses.

So that wraps up our Blue Baller build. I hope you guys enjoyed this one. It’s a really fun build with a unique style. As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree so stay tuned for those. If you need help finding the spells, items, or equipment in this build, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check the Elden Ring Map.

The post Elden Ring Iron Ball Build – Blue Baller Guide (All Game Build) appeared first on Fextralife.