In this Elden Ring Dexterity Build guide, I’m sharing my Noble Swordsman build. This versatile setup is designed for playthroughs at any stage, emphasizing the use of a single straight sword without any additional weapons or shields. It excels in breaking enemy guards with precision and efficiency.

Elden Ring Straight Sword Build – Noble Swordsman Guide

The Noble Swordsman Build is Dexterity build and an essential “all-game” build that players can use throughout the entirety of the game. This build uses a single straight sword, it does not come equipped with any other weapon or shield, and it is phenomenal for stance-breaking and critical attacks.

• Class: Any
• Flask Spread: Equal Charges
• Weapon: Noble’s Slender Sword or Lordsworn’s Straight Sword
• Shield: N/A
• Armor: Aristocrat Hat, Page Garb, Perfumer Gloves, Page Trousers
• Talismans: Blue Dancer Charm, Shard of Alexander or Warrior Jar Shard, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
• Alternate Talismans: Ritual Sword Talisman, Dagger Talisman, Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger
• Primary Stats: Dexterity, Vigor, Mind
• Secondary Stats: Strength, Endurance
• Skills: Square Off
• Seal: N/A
• Spells: N/A
• Great Runes: 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.

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Elden Ring Straight Sword Build – Equipment & Gameplay

Let’s dive into how this Elden Ring Straight Sword build operates. First, I’m using the Noble’s Slender Sword, a straight sword that can be obtained from the Wandering Nobles in various locations throughout the game. Limgrave is an accessible farming spot for this, though acquiring it might take some time. If you don’t feel like farming for this weapon, there are alternative options.

A solid alternative is the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword, which is easier to obtain and still offers great performance. Both the Noble’s Slender Sword and the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword have a critical rating of 110, allowing them to deal more damage on critical hits compared to other straight swords with lower critical ratings. The Lordsworn’s Straight Sword can be farmed at the Gatefront Ruins, making it a quicker acquisition compared to the Noble’s Slender Sword. Any soldier wielding this sword can drop it, so farming is straightforward.

The advantage of the Noble’s Slender Sword lies in its length, providing greater reach in combat. The damage output between the two swords is similar, with the Noble’s Slender Sword having a slight edge, but it’s not significant enough to be a game-changer. However, the increased reach could be crucial in certain situations. If you don’t mind the longer farming time, the Noble’s Slender Sword is a solid choice.

Both of these swords come equipped with the Ash of War: Square Off, which influences their initial scaling. This is suitable for early game when you’re less concerned about weapon infusions. As you progress, you can acquire various Ashes of War to adjust scaling. For example, in Siofra River, you can get the ability to add Dexterity scaling to the Noble’s Slender Sword, making it ideal for this build.

If you choose the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword, you’ll find that its Strength and Dexterity scaling are quite balanced, allowing for flexibility. This could be useful if you prefer a Strength-based build or plan to use a shield with the build. It’s one more reason to consider the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword, especially if you’re not solely focused on Dexterity. However, in my setup, I stick with the Noble’s Slender Sword, as I prioritize Dexterity and do not use a shield.

The Square Off Ash of War is absolutely fantastic—arguably one of the best in Elden Ring. I wish I had built around it sooner, but I’m glad to highlight it here. This Ash of War has a unique mechanic: when you hold L2, your character adopts a stance with the sword, allowing you to follow up with either an R1 or R2 attack, each with its own unique animation. The R1 is a quick slash, while the R2 is a charging thrust.

One of the best aspects of Square Off is its low FP cost. The R1 attack only consumes 6 FP, and the R2 consumes just 8 FP, which is far less than many other Ashes of War in the game. Despite the low cost, these attacks pack a punch. In the early stages of the game, you can often one-shot enemies with a well-timed R1 attack. This makes it incredibly efficient for FP management. If you invest in Mind or carry a couple of blue flasks, you can use Square Off frequently without running out of FP.

With this build, my advice is to minimize the use of standard R1 and R2 attacks. The Square Off R1 attack is simply superior to a regular slash, providing better damage at a lower cost. As long as you have enough FP, stick to holding L2 and pressing R1 to engage with enemies, as it’s often more effective.

However, the true star of this Ash of War is the charging thrust that you get by holding L2 and pressing R2. Although the damage isn’t significantly higher than the R1 slash, the stance damage is quite impressive. This charging thrust deals 40 stance damage, which is a critical number in Elden Ring. Many bosses in the game have 80 stance points, so two of these thrusts are enough to break their stance and open them up for a critical hit. In contrast, the R1 slash typically requires three hits to achieve the same effect, making the charging thrust much more effective for breaking stance and gaining a tactical advantage against tougher foes.

Some bosses have more than 80 stance, and in those cases, the strategy might vary slightly. However, for bosses with exactly 80 stance, like the Tree Sentinel, Margit the Fell Omen, Knight’s Cavalry, and Crucible Knight, you can break their stance with just two of the L2, R2 thrusts from Square Off, allowing you to follow up with a critical attack. For bosses with higher stance, like Agheel, who has 120, you’ll need three of these thrusts to break their guard, which still divides evenly thanks to the 40 stance damage of the L2, R2 attack.

The downside of the L2, R2 thrust is its longer animation, making it riskier compared to the quicker L2, R1 slash. You might prefer the R1 in situations where speed is essential to avoid taking damage. However, against bosses, the R2 is your best bet for breaking their stance and opening them up for critical hits. For regular enemies, especially those with shields, the L2, R1 slash is highly effective as it often drains their stamina completely, leading to an easy critical strike opportunity.

In summary, use the L2, R1 slash against smaller enemies and those with shields, while saving the L2, R2 thrust for bosses and larger foes. The R1 attack’s speed makes it versatile for general combat, while the R2’s stance-breaking ability is key against tougher opponents.

Beyond the primary weapon choice, whether it’s the Noble’s Slender Sword or the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword, this build does not incorporate any other weapons or significant items. If you’re using the Noble’s Slender Sword, set it to Keen for better Dexterity scaling. With the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword, you have the flexibility to choose either Heavy or Keen scaling depending on whether you want to focus on Strength or Dexterity, respectively. This versatility allows you to tailor the build to your preferred playstyle while maintaining Square Off‘s effectiveness.

For the armor used in this build, I opted for a combination of the Page Garb and Trousers, the Perfumer Gloves, and the Aristocrat Hat. This setup has a classic “old-school swordsman” vibe, a fitting aesthetic considering the Aristocrat Hat‘s design. The main advantage of this outfit is its light weight, which pairs well with the Blue Dancer Charm, an item that boosts your attack power when carrying lighter equipment. This setup offers about a 5% damage increase due to its lightness.

You could lighten the Elden Ring Straight Sword build further by removing additional armor pieces, boosting the effect of the Blue Dancer Charm. However, if you’re aiming to min-max this build for optimal performance, you might consider dropping the Blue Dancer Charm and opting for heavier armor with at least 51 poise. This poise level ensures greater resistance to stagger, allowing you to maintain your attack flow and get stance breaks more consistently. This shift toward heavier armor can make the build more robust, especially against enemies with high stagger potential.

Despite this, my intent with this build was to create a light and agile setup—one that embraces the “floaty swordsman” aesthetic, enabling quick rolls and agile combat. In my opinion, with proper timing and positioning, you don’t need high poise for this build to be effective. I’ve had no trouble achieving stance breaks with this setup, and I find the aesthetic quite appealing. But if you want the best possible setup for min-maxing, you might replace the Blue Dancer Charm with a different talisman and switch to armor with at least 51 poise for added resilience.

Elden Ring Straight Sword Build – Talismans

The talismans I recommend for this build include the Warrior Jar Shard or Shard of Alexander. The Shard of Alexander is perfect for New Game Plus or later-game scenarios due to its stronger boost to Ash of War damage. However, the Warrior Jar Shard is a great early-game alternative, providing a significant boost to your Square Off attacks throughout the game.

To address the lightweight armor of this build, I use the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, which significantly boosts your physical defense. Since you’re wearing light armor, the extra protection helps offset the lack of durability. Even if you choose heavier armor, this talisman remains useful, especially when fighting tough enemies later in the game. Trading blows is common when playing aggressively, and this talisman mitigates some of the damage from those trades.

Other talismans worth considering include the Ritual Sword Talisman, which increases your damage when you’re at full health. If you’re confident in your dodging skills and can avoid getting hit, this talisman can be beneficial, providing a damage boost to both regular and critical strikes. It’s especially useful for boss fights where you plan to quickly stance break and avoid damage.

The Dagger Talisman is another option, enhancing your critical strike damage. This talisman is useful when you’re breaking the stance of bosses or tough enemies, allowing you to deal significant critical damage. Although many weaker enemies might fall to regular Square Off attacks, this talisman shines in boss fights where you may achieve one or two critical strikes.

For early playthroughs, the Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger can be a game-changer, as it replenishes FP when you perform a critical strike. This can be invaluable in maintaining your FP pool during extended fights, reducing reliance on flasks. As you progress through the game, you might need it less, thanks to increased flask counts and improved skill, but it remains a solid choice for early-game use.

For additional versatility, you can buff your weapon with various greases, depending on the enemies you’re facing. Use Lightning Grease against enemies weak to lightning, Fire Grease for those vulnerable to fire, or even Blood Grease if you’re aiming to trigger Bleed effects. This flexibility allows you to adapt your strategy to different foes.

If you want to boost physical damage, Exalted Flesh is an excellent consumable that provides a damage increase. Alternatively, if you have 15 Faith, you can use Flame, Grant Me Strength for a temporary physical damage boost. This is helpful since your build primarily deals physical damage, and these enhancements can significantly increase your output.

Finally, while this build doesn’t rely on shields, you can incorporate one if desired. If you use a shield with the Ash of War: No Skill, it won’t interfere with your Square Off attacks, allowing you to block and counter when needed. If you prefer a shield, the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword might be a better fit, as its Heavy infusion matches well with higher Strength shields. Although my build doesn’t use shields, it’s a viable option for those who prefer a more defensive playstyle.

Elden Ring Straight Sword Build – Recommended Attributes

In terms of attributes for this build, the optimal distribution should be approximately 50 Vigor, 30 Mind, around 26–27 Endurance, 8 Strength (ideally), and 80 Dexterity. There’s no need for Intelligence, Faith, or Arcane in this build, though you can consider adding Faith if you’re interested in using buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength (requiring 15 Faith) or Golden Vow (requiring 25 Faith), especially in a New Game Plus playthrough. However, for a first playthrough, these additional Faith requirements aren’t typically needed.

The main objective with these stats is to ensure you have a large enough health pool to absorb hits, especially given the light armor used in this build, despite having the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman for extra physical defense. With 50 Vigor, you’ll have enough health to withstand some damage without instantly dying, providing a good balance for survivability.

For Mind, the goal is to have enough FP to use Square Off without worrying about running out too quickly. In a first playthrough, you can get away with 20 Mind, but as you progress into New Game Plus or the later stages of a playthrough, taking it up to 30 or more can ensure you have enough FP for frequent use of Ashes of War and other abilities.

Regarding Endurance, 26–27 should be sufficient to maintain a light roll, especially with lighter armor. If you prefer heavier armor with higher poise (like the 51 poise level for better stagger resistance), aim for enough Endurance to achieve a medium roll. If you go for the lighter build with light rolls, the 26–27 range should be adequate.

The Straight Sword build requires at least 8 Strength, which is enough to use the Noble’s Slender Sword, as in my build. If you’re experimenting with the Lordsworn’s Straight Sword, which requires 10 Strength, make sure you meet that requirement. As for Dexterity, 80 is ideal for maximizing damage with the Keen Infusion on the Noble’s Slender Sword. This level of Dexterity offers a significant boost in damage output, though the returns diminish beyond 80. In a New Game Plus playthrough, further Dexterity increases will yield only incremental gains, typically about one additional point of damage per point of Dexterity, which is not particularly efficient.

Ultimately, this attribute distribution balances survivability, FP for skill use, and damage output through Dexterity, with room for minor adjustments based on personal preference or New Game Plus considerations.

Elden Ring Dexterity Build – Final Tips

Here are some final tips for this Elden Ring Straight Sword build. For the Flask of Wondrous Physick, the options are somewhat limited since this build relies heavily on using Square Off and critical attacks. A useful combination is one that boosts Dexterity or Strength, depending on your scaling. This can be beneficial early on or later in the game to increase damage output. Another helpful option is the Leaden Hardtear, which provides increased poise, allowing you to maintain hyper armor during boss fights and get those critical L2, R2 thrusts off even if you’re hit. Keep in mind, though, that this effect is brief, so timing is crucial.

Regarding Great Runes, I recommend Radahn’s Great Rune. It boosts Health, FP, and Stamina, all of which are valuable for this build’s playstyle. Godrick’s Great Rune is less effective because it provides a bonus to all attributes, but this build only uses a few stats, so the benefit is not as substantial as with Radahn’s.

That wraps up my Noble Swordsman build guide. It’s a solid build that you can create early in the game, and it’ll serve you well throughout the entire playthrough, including into New Game Plus. The weapons are obtainable relatively quickly, and the armor is flexible—you can use the recommended light armor or choose heavier armor for more poise.

A key benefit is that the stance resistance for bosses remains constant through NG and NG+, meaning you can stance break them just as effectively in NG+ as you did in NG. This consistency makes it easier to maintain the strategy of breaking stances and landing critical attacks. Although you might not deal as much damage as I did in my NG+ gameplay, the stagger and stance break mechanics are still reliable and can lead to fast and efficient boss fights.

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.