Summary
Elden Ringhas plenty of playstyles that are bound to keep you entertained for hundreds of hours, across many playthroughs, and through countless deaths. The game has plenty of room for creativity when it comes to making a fun build you want when searching for something outside your usual go-to build.
The classics are always fun to return to, but it’s always nice to spice things up with the viable, the objectively bad, and the straight-up weird. Whether you want to use brute force or stealth tactics to slay foes, the lands between are full of weapons and armor to help make even the most strange builds something to be feared.
Updated on Aug 04, 2025, by Zackary Wiggs:Elden Ring has plenty when it comes to the various ways to make your Tarnished unique. Customizing your character is one thing, but the weapons and armor you use are the thing that makes all the difference.
Even in this facet, there are a wealth of different builds to take on The Lands Between, and the Land Of Shadow to boot. But, here are some suggestions to help make that choice a little easier.
15Dual Shield
Impenetrable Defense
An assassin may choose two daggers while a ranger favors the bow. But what about someone who wants a purely defensive approach? That’s where the Dual Shielder build comes in.Equip a shieldin both weapon slots and get used to having an impenetrable defense with absolutely zero offensive capabilities.
Greatshields with 100 physical negation work best since you’ll be immune to physical attacks while blocking and also have good damage potential with their weapon arts. To obtain the shield, head to the Cathedral of the Forsaken after defeating Morgott. You’ll have to visit the area once more in NG+ to obtain a second shield, but the payout is well worth it since you’ll have a large increase to Poise.
14Pure Strength
The Heavy-Hitter
Each of the base stats can be focused on, and each of them will lead to a different build. But, one that has drawn plenty of players since the release of Elden Ring has been a build focusing solely on Strength.
This is also easily one of the more open-ended builds out there. For it, you should focus a lot of your runes and effects towards Vigor and Strength. The goal is to not mind getting hit, because you’ll hit harder. Usually the heaviest armor works perfectly, in addition to weapons like theRusted Anchor, orAxe of Godfrey.
Upgrading Poise will also help, as you won’t get knocked down or stunned as often, leaving you more available to attack.
13Assassin
Silence Your Footsteps
Thanks to the addition of a good sneaking system, you can sneak around the Lands Between and slay your foes in silent precision. Arm yourself with your favorite dagger or short sword and make quick work of some of the more difficult enemies you’ve encountered on previous runs.
The recommended armor set for this build will be theBlack Knife Setdue to its great aesthetic and bonus attribute that stems from the Black Knife chest piece. The set can be located on a corpse behind Orina in the Consecrated Snowfield. The chest muffles all footsteps produced by the player, and it also applies to jumps and rolls, so it can really come through in a pinch.
12Black Flame Wielder
Defend Against The Non-Believers
It’s no secret that some of the coolest-looking spells in Elden Ring are the Black Flame spells. Not only are they nice to look at, but they’re also immensely powerful and can decimate in both PvP and PvE with the right build.
It’s recommended that you use theRaging Wolf Setdue to its stats being tailored to general defense rather than being very effective against one type and less so against others.
The Raging Wolf set is found by accompanying Recusant Bernahlon a hunt to kill Vargram, the Raging Wolf. Being that this build requires high amounts of faith, your starting class should be the Prophet for good starting stats and also since you have instant access to the Catch Flame spell.
11Patches
Sneaky, Yet Simple
An NPC like no other, Patches is one of the first characters many players meet on their Elden Ring journey. You can steal this man’s style (and entire wardrobe) if you see fit. It’s rather simple to do so as well.
Once you defeat Patches, you will receive the various leather pieces of his armor, and his mighty weapon, simply namedSpear. It’s not as flashy as some of the armor you get from Remembrances or anything, but its simplicity means more of a challenge.
This is by far an un-optimized build. Even by putting plenty of levels in Dexterity and Vigor, it’s more a fun challenge build than anything.
10Holy Knight
Superior Faith Scaling
Why be a boring regular Knight when you can fight the forces of evil with holy magic and save the Lands Between from its dark denizens? This build has a plethora of weapons to choose from, but theGolden Order Greatsword(found by defeating the Misbegotten Crusader in the Cave of the Forlorn) shines above the other options thanks to its great faith scaling.
TheWinged Scytheis also a great option if you’re a fan of looking like a holy harbinger of light. For spells, you can use any of the ones that deal holy damage. This weapon can be found inside the Tombsward Ruins in the Southern Peninsula below Limgrave.
9Pure Bleed
When In Doubt, Bleed Them Out
It’s no secret that, at launch, bleed was the most overpowered status effect in the game. Even after multiple tweaks, it’s still extremely powerful and fun to use. In terms of armor, you’ll want to use the sinister-looking White Mask due to its innate ability to raise bleed damage done to enemies.
You’ll receive the White Mask after killing the Nameless White Mask near Mohgwyn Palace. For the rest of your armor, you’re able to use whatever you’d like. The only weapon you’ll need for this build is the Rivers of Blood katana due to its high bleed buildup and great damage stats.
TheRivers of Bloodis obtained from Bloody Finger Okina, a hostile NPC that invades when you approach the Church of Repose at the Mountaintops Of The Giants.
8Dryleaf Fighter
Knuckle Sandwiches For All
One of the weapons that was added by the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC, theDryleaf Artsare a deceivingly simple-looking weapon with some amazing abilities. Simply a pair of hand wraps, they allow you to have many of the same attacks as Dryleaf Dane.
These are various dynamic punches and kicks that do a surprising amount of damage for being simple hand-to-hand attacks. A Strength and Dexterity focus is best to improve your attack damage and keep your stamina high. Dane’s armor works well, but any light armor is ideal here.
The Palm Strike Ash Of War that this weapon comes with is fair for doing some extra damage and staggering enemies, but there are a couple extra ones that the Dryleaf Arts can attune to.
7Spellsword
The Perfect Battle Mage
Unleash a barrage of spells on your enemies before they can get close and finish off the stragglers with swift melee attacks. The spellsword build is a great choice for those who always struggle to decide on what playstyle they want no matter the game.
For armor, choose anything you like, but bear in mind that you’ll be spreading your levels across more stats than normal builds since you’re a mage and melee fighter. Weapons are also viable across the board for the melee portion.
TheCarian Regal Scepteris ideal for endgame due to its high damage potential, but a standardGlintstone Staffwill do just fine for beginners. The Scepter is obtained by trading theRemembrance of the Full Moon Queen’s power to Enia at Roundtable Hold.
6Hunter Of The Dead
The Ultimate Faith Gear
D is undoubtedly one of the coolest NPCs in-game, so it’s no surprise he landed a spot on the list. You’ll need to progress through Fia’s quest to be able to grab his armor. For the weapon, we’ll be using the Inseparable Twins sword, which is also acquired by advancing Fia’s quest.
It’s a long process, but the outcome is worth it since you leave with some of the best faith-based gear available. After you obtain both the armor and the sword, you can unleash your holy fury on those pesky undead enemies around the Lands Between.
