Elden Ring Build Tier List 2025 - Top 30 Most OP & Fun Builds in SOTE DLC
As Elden Ring enters its third year, the community remains deeply engaged with the game's expansive build possibilities. With the impending release of the Night Rain DLC, now is the perfect time to revisit and rank some of the most powerful and enjoyable builds for 2025. From devastating melee builds to overpowered spellcasting setups, this tier list ranks the best builds based on effectiveness, versatility, and fun.
Elden Ring Best Build Tier List 2025
Here we've compiled 30 unique and exciting builds, ranging from DPS powerhouses to stylish, thematic setups. So, grab your controller, and let's jump in!
30. Firelord Build (Flame Incantations)
The Firelord Build revolves around fire-based weapons and incantations, making it incredibly versatile and powerful. With the addition of DLC weapons like the Fire Knight’s Greatsword and the Magma Blade, this build has become even stronger. The Magma Blade’s Ash of War and curved sword moveset are excellent for DPS and poise damage. Combine it with incantations like Flame of the Fell God for devastating AOE fire damage.
Weapons: Fire Knight’s Greatsword, Magma Blade, Flame of the Fell God (incantation).
Talismans: Shard of Alexander, Talisman of Dread, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Faith, Strength, Dexterity.
Playstyle: Focuses on fire weapons and incantations for versatile AOE and single-target damage. Use Magma Blade for close-range and Fire Knight’s Greatsword for charged attacks.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Players who enjoy fire-based combat with high versatility.
29. Bloody Finesse Build (Obsidian Lamina & Bloody Helis)
This build focuses on the Bloody Helice and other finesse-based weapons like the Obsidian Lamina. Their weapon skills provide unique movement and thrusting attacks that evade incoming damage while delivering powerful counters. With innate bleed buildup, this build excels in dealing consistent damage and staggering enemies like Malenia.
Weapons: Bloody Helice, Obsidian Lamina.
Talismans: Millicent’s Prosthesis, Rotten Winged Insignia.
Stats: High Dexterity, Arcane for bleed scaling.
Playstyle: Stylish and mobile with dodge-heavy attacks and thrusts. Builds bleed while staggering enemies.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, Dexterity Knot Tear.
Best For: Players who want a bleed-focused, evasive combat style.
28. Holy Knight 2.0 (Faith Incantation Build)
The Holy Knight 2.0 build is a refined version of the original, incorporating the Uporia Twinblade from the DLC. This build combines weapons like the Halo Scythe and Ordovis’s Greatsword with Faith-based incantations for massive holy damage and excellent range. The Uporia adds versatility with its charged attacks and holy scaling.
Weapons: Halo Scythe, Uporia Twinblade, Ordovis’s Greatsword.
Talismans: Godfrey’s Icon, Old Lord’s Talisman, Millicent’s Prosthesis.
Stats: High Faith, Strength, and Dexterity.
Playstyle: Combines heavy holy damage, stance-breaking, and excellent range with incantations.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Holy Cracked Tear.
Best For: Faith builds that emphasize holy damage and versatility.
27. Sekiro Guard Counter Build
Inspired by Sekiro’s deflection mechanics, this build uses the Deflecting Hard Tear in the Wondrous Physick to boost guard counters. Weapons like the Nagakiba pair well with this mechanic, allowing you to perfect-block incoming attacks and punish enemies with massive damage using skills like Royal Knight’s Resolve.
Weapons: Nagakiba, Heavy Infused Sword Lance.
Talismans: Greatshield Talisman, Spear Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: Strength and Dexterity for guard counter scaling.
Playstyle: Perfectly timed blocks with the Deflecting Hard Tear to boost damage from guard counters.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, Deflecting Hard Tear.
Best For: Players who enjoy timing-based defensive mechanics.
26. Starsbreaker Build
The Starsbreaker Build revolves around the Blood Fiend’s Arm, a colossal weapon from the DLC that excels in dealing stance damage. With over 50 stance damage per charged heavy attack, this weapon breaks through enemy defenses with ease. Adding bleed scaling makes it even deadlier, as it complements its raw power with blood loss procs.
Weapons: Blood Fiend’s Arm (Colossal Weapon).
Talismans: Axe Talisman, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Strength and Arcane.
Playstyle: Uses charged heavy attacks to deal massive stance and bleed damage.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Cragblade Ash of War.
Best For: Strength builds focused on breaking enemy stances.
25. Karate Kit Build
Centered around fist weapons like the Dryleaf Arts or Dan’s Footwork, this build delivers fast, flowing combos with kicks and punches. Charged heavy attacks and jumping attacks provide excellent stance damage, while infusions like bleed, poison, or cold add versatility.
Weapons: Dryleaf Arts or Dan’s Footwork (Fist Weapons).
Talismans: Rotten Winged Insignia, Thorny Cracked Tear, Lord of Blood’s Exultation.
Stats: Strength and Dexterity split for balanced scaling.
Playstyle: Fast-paced melee combat with quick combos and status effects like bleed or frost.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Thorny Cracked Tear, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Players who enjoy unarmed-style martial combat.
24. Elemental Fury Build
Using dual Venomous Fangs, this build combines bleed, frost, and poison to deal consistent damage over time. The Venomous Fangs’ quick attacks ensure multiple procs happen almost instantly, making it one of the most efficient status effect builds.
Weapons: Dual Venomous Fangs (Bleed and Frost Affinity).
Talismans: Dragoncrest Greatshield, Ritual Sword Talisman, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia.
Stats: Dexterity and Arcane for status effects.
Playstyle: Combines poison, bleed, and frost for quick successive proc damage.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Players who enjoy stacking multiple status effects.
23. Hand Cannon Build
The Hand Cannon Build uses the Glintstone Kris, a dagger with a powerful ranged Ash of War. The Glintstone Dart skill deals high magic damage while providing mobility. Paired with intelligence-based spells like Night Comet, this build excels at keeping enemies at a distance while dealing consistent magic damage.
Weapons: Glintstone Kris.
Talismans: Magic Scorpion Charm, Graven-Mass Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Intelligence, Mind.
Playstyle: Ranged magic damage using Glintstone Dart Ash of War combined with spells like Night Comet.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Terra Magicka, Magic Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Intelligence builds wanting a dagger playstyle.
22. Ranni's Revenge Build
This build revolves around Ranni’s Twinblades and the Sword of Night and Flame, allowing you to deal both magic and fire damage. Ranni’s Twinblades provide a stylish moveset with fire and magic scaling, while the Sword of Night and Flame’s stance attacks add versatility.
Weapons: Ranni’s Twinblades, Sword of Night and Flame.
Talismans: Shard of Alexander, Ritual Sword Talisman, Magic/Fire Scorpion Charm.
Stats: Balanced Intelligence and Faith.
Playstyle: Hybrid magic and fire build with stylish attacks and strong ranged damage options.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Terra Magicka, Magic/Fire Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Players who want versatility in hybrid elemental damage.
21. Marked for Death Build
This build focuses on destined death mechanics using the Black Knife and Maliketh’s Black Blade. These weapons deal damage over time while reducing enemy max HP. Black Flame incantations further amplify the damage with their lingering fire effects.
Weapons: Black Knife, Maliketh’s Black Blade.
Talismans: Sacred Scorpion Charm, Ritual Sword Talisman, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman.
Stats: Strength and Faith.
Playstyle: Focus on Destined Death mechanics to reduce enemy max HP and deal holy damage over time.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Blessing of the Erdtree.
Best For: Faith builds that want style and consistent damage over time.
20. Dark Knight Build
The Dark Knight Build utilizes the Claws of Night, a weapon with fast moves and innate bleed buildup. Charged heavy attacks throw the claws for added range, making it a versatile option for both melee and mid-range combat.
Weapons: Claws of Night.
Talismans: Millicent’s Prosthesis, Rotten Winged Insignia, Lord of Blood’s Exultation.
Stats: High Dexterity and Arcane.
Playstyle: Fast, aggressive attacks with bleed buildup and ranged claw throws.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Dexterity players who want a bleed-focused, fast-paced setup.
19. Ice Spear Guardian's Sword Build
This build uses the Guardian’s Sword Spear with the Ice Spear Ash of War, combining frost buildup with piercing damage. The Ice Spear skill breaks enemy stances quickly, making it excellent for dexterity builds that prioritize precision and control.
Weapons: Guardian’s Sword Spear (Ice Spear Ash of War).
Talismans: Spear Talisman, Shard of Alexander, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Dexterity and Intelligence.
Playstyle: Frost buildup and stance-breaking with strong pierce damage.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Dexterity builds with frost synergy.
18. Holy Scythe Build
The Holy Scythe Build uses the Halo Scythe for strong holy damage and ranged attacks. The weapon’s unique skill sends out holy blades, making it ideal for crowd control.
Weapons: Halo Scythe.
Talismans: Sacred Scorpion Charm, Old Lord’s Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Faith.
Playstyle: Uses holy damage and ranged attacks for crowd control and single-target damage.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Blessing of the Erdtree.
Best For: Faith-focused players with holy damage preferences.
17. Night Comet Sorcery Build (The Arcane Sniper)
The Night Comet Sorcery Build is one of the most overpowered caster setups in Elden Ring, focusing on the Night Comet, a partially invisible sorcery that excels at bypassing enemy defenses. This sorcery is highly effective against bosses that dodge projectiles, such as Malenia or Radagon, and can shred through health bars with ease. The build revolves around stacking magic buffs to amplify damage, making it a simple but devastatingly effective playstyle.
Weapons: Staff of Loss (x2, one upgraded to +25, the other for passive boost). Backup Weapon: Any weapon infused with Magic Affinity for emergencies, such as the Clayman’s Harpoon or Dark Moon Greatsword.
Talismans: Graven-Mass Talisman, Graven-School Talisman, Magic Scorpion Charm, Lord of Blood’s Exultation (optional for Madness-based buffs).
Stats: 50 Vigor, 35 Mind, 14 Endurance, 12 Strength/Dexterity, 93 Intelligence, 33 Faith
Playstyle: Spam Night Comet from a safe distance while using buffs and the dual Staff of Loss setup to maximize magic damage.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Terra Magicka, Magic Shrouding Cracked Tear, Howl of Shabriri (optional).
Best For: Ranged magic builds, boss fights, and enemies resistant to traditional projectiles.
16. Lightning Claymore Build
This build uses the Claymore in Lightning Affinity with the Lightning Slash Ash of War, dealing high damage through charged attacks. The build focuses on boosting lightning damage while taking advantage of the Claymore’s balanced moveset.
Weapons: Blasphemous Blade.
Talismans: Shard of Alexander, Fire Scorpion Charm, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Faith and Strength.
Playstyle: Fire-heavy attacks with healing from Taker’s Flame Ash of War.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Players who want damage and healing in one build.
15. Warped Axe Build (The Heavy Hitter)
The Warped Axe is one of the strongest Strength-based weapons in the game, offering incredibly high DPS with its two-handed light attack combos. Infused with bleed, it retains its A-scaling in Strength while adding bleed buildup, making it effective for stagger and status procs. Pairing it with the Cragblade Ash of War provides bonus damage and stance-breaking capabilities.
Weapons: Warped Axe (Bleed Infusion with Cragblade Ash of War).
Talismans: Two-Handed Sword Talisman, Thorny Cracked Tear, Lord of Blood’s Exultation.
Stats: High Strength, moderate Faith for buffs.
Playstyle: Focuses on high DPS through light attack combos and bleed procs. Uses Cragblade for increased damage and stance breaks.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Strength builds seeking high DPS and bleed synergy.
14. Sword of Night and Flame Build (The Dual Element Queen)
This iconic weapon remains one of the most versatile choices in Elden Ring. Its dual stance attacks allow you to obliterate enemies with a devastating magic beam or incinerate them with a sweeping fire wave. With split scaling in Intelligence and Faith, the build excels at hybrid damage, allowing you to adapt to various scenarios.
Weapons: Sword of Night and Flame.
Talismans: Shard of Alexander, Magic Scorpion Charm, Fire Scorpion Charm, Old Lord’s Talisman.
Stats: Balanced Intelligence and Faith with moderate Strength and Dexterity.
Playstyle: Uses the weapon’s dual stance attacks for devastating magic beams or fire waves. Can adapt to ranged and close combat.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Terra Magicka, Magic or Fire Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Hybrid builds that want versatility and massive elemental damage.
13. Twinblade Talisman Spear Build (The Bleeding Lancer)
This build revolves around the Cross Naginata and Blood Affinity, utilizing the Twinblade Talisman to boost the final hit of its light attack combo by 50%. Combining pierce damage, bleed procs, and successive attack buffs, this build dominates both single-target and mob encounters.
Weapons: Dual Cross Naginatas (Bleed Affinity with Seppuku Ash of War).
Talismans: Twinblade Talisman, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Lord of Blood’s Exultation.
Stats: High Dexterity and Arcane for bleed scaling.
Playstyle: Focuses on light attack combos to maximize DPS with the Twinblade Talisman’s bonus on the final hit. Builds bleed quickly for massive damage.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, Thorny Cracked Tear.
Best For: Bleed builds with high DPS potential.
12. Ancient Dragon Lightning Build (The Stormcaller)
This Faith-focused build centers around Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike, one of the most powerful incantations in the game. With the Priestess Heart, you boost Dragon Cult incantation damage by 20%. Combined with spells like Lightning Spear for ranged damage, this build is perfect for glass cannon gameplay.
Weapons: Gravel Stone Seal (Faith scaling).
Talismans: Lightning Scorpion Charm, Flock’s Canvas Talisman, Old Lord’s Talisman.
Stats: High Faith with moderate Mind and Dexterity.
Playstyle: Uses Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike for massive AOE and single-target damage. Knight’s Lightning Spear provides versatility.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Lightning Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Faith-based builds focused on lightning damage.
11. Clayman's Harpoon Frost Build (The Iceman)
This build combines frost damage with Intelligence scaling weapons like the Clayman’s Harpoon (Ice Spear Ash of War), Dark Moon Greatsword, and Death’s Poker. Each weapon provides unique abilities for applying frostbite while dealing heavy stance damage.
Weapons: Clayman’s Harpoon (Ice Spear Ash of War), Dark Moon Greatsword, Death’s Poker.
Talismans: Shard of Alexander, Ritual Sword Talisman, Magic Scorpion Charm.
Stats: High Intelligence with moderate Strength and Dexterity.
Playstyle: Builds frostbite quickly while dealing significant stance damage with unique weapon skills.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Terra Magicka, Magic Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Intelligence builds with a focus on frost and magic damage.
10. Dragon Priestess Build (The Lightning Queen)
This build transforms you into the Dragon Priestess, focusing on Dragon Cult incantations like Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike and Knight’s Lightning Spear. With the Priestess Heart and the Gravel Stone Seal, you gain incredible boosts to lightning damage, allowing you to decimate enemies with charged attacks.
Weapons: Gravel Stone Seal (dual-wielded for passive boost).
Talismans: Lightning Scorpion Charm, Godfrey’s Icon, Flock’s Canvas Talisman.
Stats: Max Faith with moderate Dexterity and Mind.
Playstyle: Glass cannon build focused on Dragon Cult incantations like Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike and Knight’s Lightning Spear.
Buffs: Priestess Heart, Golden Vow, Lightning Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Lightning-based incantation builds with high burst potential.
9. Blasphemous Blade Build (The Burning Lifestealer)
The Blasphemous Blade remains a top-tier weapon for its healing utility and fire damage. Its Ash of War, Taker’s Flame, deals massive AOE damage while restoring HP equal to a portion of the damage dealt. This build is perfect for players who want both damage and sustain.
Weapons: Blasphemous Blade.
Talismans: Shard of Alexander, Fire Scorpion Charm, Ritual Sword Talisman, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman.
Stats: High Faith and Strength.
Playstyle: Deals AOE fire damage with Taker’s Flame while healing on hit. Excellent for sustain during prolonged fights.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, Fire Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Players seeking a balanced build with high damage and healing.
8. Maliketh’s Black Blade Build (Marked for Death)
This build leverages Maliketh’s Black Blade and its ability to reduce enemy max HP with Destined Death. The weapon’s Ash of War hits with massive holy damage while applying a damage-over-time effect. Paired with Black Flame incantations, this build excels at weakening enemies before delivering the finishing blow.
Weapons: Maliketh’s Black Blade.
Talismans: Sacred Scorpion Charm, Ritual Sword Talisman, Shard of Alexander, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman.
Stats: High Strength and Faith.
Playstyle: Uses Destined Death mechanics to reduce enemy max HP and deal holy damage over time. Combines melee and ranged options.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Blessing of the Erdtree, Holy Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Faith builds with a focus on debuffing enemies.
7. Marais Executioner Build (The Spinning Destroyer)
The Marais Executioner Sword shines with its unique Ash of War, Eochaid’s Dancing Blade, which sends the sword spinning forward to drill into enemies. With successive attack buffs, this build can deal incredible burst damage, making it ideal for bosses and tanky foes.
Weapons: Marais Executioner Sword.
Talismans: Shard of Alexander, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: Strength and Arcane for weapon scaling.
Playstyle: Uses Eochaid’s Dancing Blade to deal successive hits with massive burst damage.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, Thorny Cracked Tear.
Best For: Arcane builds focused on burst damage.
6. Halo Scythe Build (The Holy Reaper)
The Halo Scythe combines holy damage with long-range attacks, making it excellent for crowd control and dealing with undead enemies. Its weapon skill sends out spinning holy blades, giving the build strong offensive and defensive capabilities.
Weapons: Halo Scythe.
Talismans: Sacred Scorpion Charm, Old Lord’s Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Faith with moderate Strength and Dexterity.
Playstyle: Combines holy damage with ranged attacks for crowd control and single-target burst.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Blessing of the Erdtree.
Best For: Faith builds focused on holy damage.
5. Dark Knight Build (The Shadow Claw)
The Claws of Night, with their fast and aggressive moveset, make this build perfect for Dexterity-focused players. Their charged heavy attack adds range, while their innate bleed buildup ensures consistent damage.
Weapons: Claws of Night.
Talismans: Millicent’s Prosthesis, Rotten Winged Insignia, Lord of Blood’s Exultation.
Stats: High Dexterity and Arcane.
Playstyle: Fast-paced melee combat with bleed buildup and ranged claw throws.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Dexterity builds with bleed synergy and aggressive combat.
4. Starscourge Build (The Gravity Overlord)
The Starscourge Greatswords are the ultimate choice for Strength builds, combining high damage with gravity-based attacks. Their weapon skill, Starcaller Cry, pulls enemies in and creates a massive AOE explosion. This build excels at both crowd control and single-target damage.
Weapons: Starscourge Greatswords.
Talismans: Radagon’s Scarseal, Shard of Alexander, Ritual Sword Talisman.
Stats: High Strength.
Playstyle: Uses Starcaller Cry to deal AOE gravity damage and control crowds.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Strength builds using colossal weapons.
3. Ranni's Magic Build (The Frost Witch)
This build utilizes Ranni’s Twinblades and the Sword of Night and Flame for dual-elemental damage. With split scaling in Intelligence and Faith, it provides both magic and fire options, allowing you to adapt to any encounter.
Weapons: Ranni’s Twinblades, Sword of Night and Flame.
Talismans: Magic Scorpion Charm, Fire Scorpion Charm, Old Lord’s Talisman.
Stats: Balanced Intelligence and Faith.
Playstyle: Combines magic and fire damage with strong ranged and melee options.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Terra Magicka, Magic/Fire Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Best For: Hybrid builds with versatile elemental damage.
2. Venomous Fang Elemental Build (The Toxic Trio)
This build uses dual Venomous Fangs to combine three status effects: bleed, frost, and poison. The fast attack speed ensures multiple procs happen quickly, overwhelming enemies with damage over time.
Weapons: Dual Venomous Fangs (Bleed and Frost Affinity).
Talismans: Dragoncrest Greatshield, Ritual Sword Talisman, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia.
Stats: Dexterity and Arcane for status buildup.
Playstyle: Combines bleed, frost, and poison for constant damage over time.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength.
Best For: Status-heavy builds with quick attack speed.
1. Cross Naginata Bleed Build (The Bleed God)
The Cross Naginata reigns supreme for its incredible bleed potential and pierce damage. Power-stancing two of these spears with Seppuku Ash of War creates a build that shreds enemies with successive attacks. The Twinblade Talisman amplifies the final hit of light combos, ensuring massive DPS.
Weapons: Dual Cross Naginatas (Bleed Affinity with Seppuku Ash of War).
Talismans: Twinblade Talisman, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Lord of Blood’s Exultation.
Stats: High Dexterity and Arcane for bleed scaling.
Playstyle: Maximizes light attack combos for high DPS and bleed procs.
Buffs: Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, Thorny Cracked Tear.
Best For: Bleed builds with overwhelming DPS potential.
