This Mage Build Guide for Elden Ring is tailored for newcomers and veterans alike and is meant to help you get started with the game. The Astrologer Class is a powerful choice from the get-go, and comes suited with great equipment and spells for any aspiring mage

Ultimage Elden Ring Mage Build

A pure magic ranged Build that focuses on ranging enemies down from afar, without the need to ever engage in melee combat. This section will provide an overview of how to begin your journey as a mage, focusing on the initial steps to ensure a strong start.

• Class: Astrologer
• Flask Spread: Mostly FP, with 1 or 2 HP
• Weapon: Any Staff, any melee weapon
• Shield: Any 100% Physical Block
• Armor: Any Light Armor
• Primary Stats: Intelligence & Mind
• Secondary Stats: Vigor & Endurance
• Skills: Ash of War: Glintblade Phalanx
• Spells: Glintstone Pebble, Glintstone Arc, Loretta’s Greatbow, Great Glintstone Shard, Carian Slicer, Carian Piercer

We have over 110 Elden Ring Builds now, for all classes and playstyles. This Astrologer Build is recommended for beginners.

Beginner Builds	Level 50 Builds	Level 100 Builds	Level 150 Builds	Level 150-200 Builds
Mage	Sorcerer	Crystal Mage	Elementalist Meteor Mage	Death Mage

Introduction to the Astrologer Build

I like to begin the game in Elden Ring as an Astrologer when I’m trying to play as a mage. I feel like this gives you the best toolkit. You start with a staff, and you start with Glintstone Arc and Glintstone Pebble — two spells that will hold you in good stead throughout the whole course of the game and really give you what you need to play as a mage right out the gate. By comparison, the Prisoner just doesn’t have the same spell set, so it’ll be a little bit longer before you can get to the same place in terms of casting, although it has other advantages in other ways. But if you’re just trying to play as a primary mage, I feel like Astrologer is the way to go.

As far as keepsakes go, I always recommend the Golden Seed to new players. It gives you an extra flask which can be a huge advantage, particularly when you’re being a mage because you can allocate that into an FP flask, allowing you to get more spells off. It’s not super important what you pick, but again, if you’re a new player, Golden Seed is the way to go.

Beginner Mage Build Attribute Recomendations

Diving into the attributes of a mage, primarily, you’re going to want intelligence. This is what’s going to increase your damage with your spells and also any weapon that you use an Ash of War on that has like a magic-type Ash of War that makes it have scaling off the intelligence stat. So, you’re going to want to focus pretty heavily on intelligence. Keep in mind that spell casting also consumes stamina when you cast, so it may not be a bad idea to have some endurance as well. In my experience, you don’t need to go crazy with endurance; you can still do just fine with low endurance. But you probably want to, like, at least 15 or so, maybe 20. And the reason for that is because you want to be able to cast spells, and then you want to be able to dodge out of the way afterward. If you exhaust all your stamina casting and then don’t have any stamina to dodge, if an enemy is aggressive, you could be in a really tight spot. But you don’t want to spend a lot of points in endurance early on because you need to boost your damage rapidly in order to keep pace with the enemies.

Core Mage Attributes

• Focus on boosting your Intelligence for increased spell damage and effectiveness.
• Balance your Endurance to ensure sufficient stamina for both casting and evading.

Secondary Attributes for Survival and Efficiency

Beyond intelligence, the other two attributes you should probably have some points in are vigor, in order to take a hit or two. You don’t want to go crazy here, again, because your strategy is to not get hit. But putting a few points here will help you survive a potential one-shot. All you need to do is survive the one-shot attacks; as long as you have enough health to survive one-shots, you have enough health. And then the other attribute is mind. Mind will allow you to cast more spells before needing to chug pots. It makes your pots go further because every time you use one, if you use it at the end of, let’s say, you exhaust your whole FP bar, then you’re actually gaining more back with those pots. So you definitely want to spend points in mind as well, but you want to lean heavily into intelligence, and then have some points in endurance, vigor, and mind.

• Invest moderately in Vigor to survive potential critical hits.
• Enhance your Mind attribute to allow for more frequent spellcasting without depletion.

Unlike other Souls games, Elden Ring does not feature an attunement attribute that allows for more spell slots. Instead, your memory slots will naturally increase via specific items called Memory Stone that are found throughout the game. Therefore, it’s not necessary to overly concern yourself with how to expand your memory slots; they will enhance as you progress.

Elden Ring Mage Gameplay

In my view, playing as a mage in Elden Ring is easier than other Souls games. This is mostly because you’re able to sustain your resources, so you can play primarily as a spellcaster and barely ever need to melee. In order to accomplish that, you’re going to have to set your flasks in a way that’s mostly mana-based, meaning you’re going to need the blue flasks far more than the health ones. The strategy is obviously not to get hit, so you shouldn’t need to heal very often because you’re trying to stay out of harm’s way. So, you’re going to skew your flasks, you know, 90 percent to the mana side, and like 10 percent to the health side, when possible, except in certain scenarios. But that’s basically how you want to play so that you always have enough to kill the enemies with spells.

One really great thing in Elden Ring, too, is that when you kill difficult enemies or groups of enemies, you replenish a certain amount of flasks. And there are also scarabs around the landscape that you can kill that replenish flasks. So this gives you even more ways to get that resource back without resting, so that you always have enough FP in order to cast your spells.

Resource Management and Flask Allocation

• Prioritize mana (FP) flasks over health flasks to sustain spellcasting abilities.
• Avoid unnecessary combat to conserve resources and maintain a strategic advantage.

Maximizing Flask Efficiency

• Utilize environmental elements like defeating specific enemies and scarabs to replenish flasks without resting.

Elden Ring Mage Build Equipment

Moving on to early mage equipment, one of the most significant upgrades you can secure is a better staff. Notably, there’s a staff called the Demi-Human Queen Staff Staff available in the Weeping Peninsula. This area hosts a field boss, more akin to a mini-boss, which, interestingly, might not even display a health bar. Defeating this demi-human rewards you with a staff that has better stats than the starter equipment. Alternatively, the Meteorite Staff found in ruins within Caelid represents another viable option. Although it has S-scaling, it cannot be upgraded, making it a potent choice for early gameplay but less so as you advance. You can find the exact location of this staff on the wiki.

In addition to acquiring a more formidable staff, obtaining additional spells is crucial, given your role as a mage. A sorcerer trainer called Sellen is found not far into the game in Limgrave, specifically in the Waypoint Ruins, offers new spells. Defeating the boss near this trainer unlocks access to more sophisticated spells. Also, a scroll situated slightly south of the trainer’s location can be handed over to her, further expanding the spells available for purchase.

Concerning spell selection, Glintstone Pebble is a staple throughout your journey. Comparable to the Soul Arrow in previous Souls games, it offers low cost, decent damage output, and excellent range, making it exceptionally versatile. Despite the high damage output of some spells, their lengthy cast times or exorbitant FP costs can be prohibitive. However, spells like Glenstone Pebble, which can be cast rapidly in succession, often outperform stronger spells due to their efficiency.

Another important aspect to consider is the management of certain spells. Many spells have bonus effects when the cast button is held down, enabling a variety of strategic options during combat. For spells like the archetypes that create daggers above your head, while they are not the most mana-efficient, they prove highly effective against aggressive enemies, particularly bosses. An alternative strategy involves the Ashes of War: Glintblade Phalanx, which can be applied to a melee weapon. This approach yields comparable damage at a fraction of the mana cost, enhancing your efficiency in combat.

These initial strategies and items are pivotal for establishing a strong foundation as a mage. While more advanced mage equipment can be found in the Raya Lucaria Academy, these initial steps will set you on the right path.

Advanced Gameplay Tips for Mastery of Mage Build

Stamina and Dexterity in Spellcasting

Remember that casting spells consumes stamina, even when mounted on horseback. Managing your stamina is crucial, especially when needing to escape from tight situations. Additionally, dexterity influences cast speed, though the exact impact per point is not fully detailed here. Early in the game, focus on enhancing your intelligence to boost spell damage rather than worrying about casting speed. However, as you progress, incorporating dexterity can enhance the viability of spells with longer cast times.

• Monitor and manage your stamina, especially during mounted combat, to maintain defensive and offensive capabilities.
• Later in the game, improve your dexterity to reduce spellcasting times and enhance spell effectiveness.

The Role of Defensive Equipment

Acquiring a shield with 100% physical block can be invaluable in emergency situations. While avoiding damage is preferable, having a shield can prevent significant injury if an escape isn’t possible. Ensure you have a suitable shield for these scenarios.

• Consider acquiring a shield with 100% physical block for emergency situations to mitigate unexpected damage.

We have more builds coming for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree. If you need help finding items, make sure to check the Elden Ring Map.