5 Best PvP Builds in Elden Ring

Elden Ring PvP Builds
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In the vast realm of the Lands Between, where the Elden Ring lies shattered and the demigods wage an endless war, PvP combat has emerged as a thrilling and strategic aspect of Elden Ring. Amidst the diverse and formidable builds that players can craft, a select few have risen to the forefront as the undisputed meta-defining choices for PvP dominance. Whether you seek to unleash devastating sorceries, wield colossal weapons with unmatched strength, or manipulate the battlefield with enigmatic incantations, this guide will delve into the depths of Elden Ring’s PvP meta, showcasing the most effective builds that will grant you an edge in the arenas of combat.

However, the path to PvP mastery in Elden Ring is not without its complexities. Each build demands a meticulous allocation of stats, a keen understanding of weapon arts and incantations, and an unwavering commitment to mastering its unique mechanics. From the swift and deadly katana Duelist to the enigmatic and elusive Bloodhound Knight, the choices are vast and the strategies endless. In this comprehensive guide, we will navigate the labyrinthine depths of Elden Ring’s PvP meta, unraveling the secrets of the most potent builds and empowering you with the knowledge to conquer your opponents in the arenas of combat.

The Elden Lord’s Arsenal: Optimal Weapon Choices for PvP Dominance

The Art of the Sword: Choosing the Right Blade for the Battle Ahead

In the unforgiving realm of PvP combat, the weapon you wield is an integral part of your strategy. Each weapon possesses unique strengths and weaknesses, catering to different playstyles and countering various opponents. From the swift katanas to the heavy, hard-hitting colossal swords, choosing the right blade can make all the difference between victory and defeat.

Katana:

Katanas are prized for their speed, reach, and bleed buildup. With their lightning-fast attacks, they can overwhelm opponents with a flurry of strikes, while their long range allows them to keep a safe distance. Additionally, their inherent bleed damage can inflict devastating status effects, particularly against enemies with high poise.

Greatsword:

For those who prefer raw power, greatswords offer significant damage and poise damage. Their slow, sweeping attacks may not be as swift as katanas, but they can break through defenses with ease. Their weight also provides stability, enabling them to trade blows more effectively.

Type	Attributes	Pros	Cons
Katana	Dexterity, Arcane	Fast, reach, bleed buildup	Low poise damage
Greatsword	Strength, Endurance	High damage, poise damage	Slow, vulnerable to quick attacks

Ashes of War: Enhancing Weapons and Strategies for PvP Success

Ashes of War are a crucial aspect of Elden Ring’s PvP gameplay, offering a wide range of customizable abilities that can enhance weapons and provide strategic advantages in combat. They can be obtained by defeating enemies, exploring various locations, and interacting with NPCs.

Ashes of War serve two primary purposes: they can alter a weapon’s combat arts, and they can imbue weapons with special effects or status buffs. Combat arts are powerful special attacks that consume a portion of FP (Focus Points) to execute. By equipping different Ashes of War, players can change the effects and damage types of their combat arts, giving them greater flexibility and customization options in combat.

Strategies for PvP Success with Ashes of War

In PvP combat, Ashes of War can be utilized to gain a significant edge over opponents. Here are some effective strategies to consider:

Pairing Ashes of War with Specific Weapons: Different Ashes of War are better suited to different weapon types. Experiment with various combinations to find the most effective pairing for your playstyle and weapon of choice.
Utilizing Weapon Arts for Timing and Damage: Weapon arts are not only powerful damage dealers, but they also offer unique timing opportunities. Learn the timing for different weapon arts to execute them at the right moment for maximum impact.
Status Effects and Buffs: Ashes of War can also imbue weapons with status effects, such as bleed, frostbite, or poison. These effects can greatly hinder opponents and provide strategic advantages in combat. Additionally, some Ashes of War grant buffs, such as increased defense or attack power, which can give you an edge in duels.
Countering Opponents’ Ashes of War: Be aware of your opponents’ Ashes of War and develop strategies to counter them. For example, if an opponent is using an Ash of War that grants them poise, you may want to use a weapon art that staggers or breaks their poise.

Here are some specific Ashes of War that are highly effective in PvP combat:

Ash of War	Effect
Bloodhound’s Step	Grants a quick dash that can be used to dodge attacks and reposition
Flame of Redmanes	Powerful fire attack that deals heavy damage and knocks down opponents
Hoarfrost Stomp	Creates a frostbite aura that deals damage and reduces opponents’ stamina regeneration
Sword Dance	Increases attack power and grants a chance to deal additional damage on subsequent attacks
Sacred Relic Sword	Grants a powerful ranged attack that can deal massive damage

By incorporating Ashes of War into your PvP strategies, you can greatly enhance your combat effectiveness and gain a significant advantage over opponents.

Enhancing Incantations and Sorceries: PvP-Focused Spell Optimization

In the unforgiving realm of Elden Ring’s PvP combat, spells reign supreme. To dominate your adversaries, it’s essential to optimize your incantations and sorceries for maximum effectiveness. This guide will delve into the intricacies of spell optimization, empowering you to cast spells that unleash devastation on the battlefield.

Tailoring Spells to Your Stats

The potency of your spells is directly influenced by your character’s attributes. Faith governs incantations, while Intelligence governs sorceries. By strategically leveling these attributes, you can significantly amplify your spell damage. Additionally, consider investing in Mind to increase your FP pool, ensuring you have sufficient mana to unleash multiple spells in quick succession.

Optimizing Spell Catalysts

The catalyst you wield plays a pivotal role in enhancing your spells. For incantations, sacred seals offer substantial boosts to spell damage. Similarly, staffs elevate the power of sorceries. Carefully consider the scaling of your chosen catalyst and match it with your primary spellcasting attribute. By doing so, you will unleash the full potential of your spells.

Unleashing Devastating Combinations

In the chaotic realm of PvP combat, chaining multiple spells together can create devastating combos. Strategically combining incantations and sorceries allows you to control the battlefield, stun your opponents, and unleash a torrent of damage. For instance, casting Golden Vow to empower your attacks, followed by a swift Stars of Ruin barrage, can decimate unsuspecting foes.

Talismans: Unlocking the Secrets of Defensive and Offensive Buffs

Mastering the art of PvP combat in Elden Ring requires not only skill and strategy but also the judicious use of Talismans. These mystical trinkets offer a wide range of defensive and offensive buffs that can significantly enhance your combat prowess.

Defensive Talismans for Enhanced Protection

When the battle is raging and every hit counts, defensive Talismans can provide a vital edge. The Greatshield Talisman, for instance, provides a hefty boost to your physical damage negation, making it ideal for withstanding the relentless assault of heavy hitters. The Crimson Amber Medallion, on the other hand, boosts your maximum health pool, increasing your overall survivability.

Offensive Talismans for Unrelenting Attacks

If offense is your game, then offensive Talismans are your arsenal. The Shard of Alexander Talisman grants a massive bonus to physical attack power, making every swing a potential game-changer. For those who rely on critical strikes, the Ritual Sword Talisman significantly increases your critical damage output, turning your precision strikes into devastating blows.

Marika’s Soreseal: The Ultimate Trade-Off

One of the most potent Talismans in the game is Marika’s Soreseal. It provides a substantial boost to your stats, including strength, dexterity, intelligence, and faith. However, this power comes at a cost: it also increases the damage you take. For those who are confident in their combat skills and are willing to take calculated risks, Marika’s Soreseal can be an unparalleled force multiplier.

Talismans	Effects	Ideal for
Greatshield Talisman	Increased physical damage negation	Melee fighters, tank builds
Crimson Amber Medallion	Increased maximum health	All builds
Shard of Alexander Talisman	Increased physical attack power	Strength-based builds
Ritual Sword Talisman	Increased critical damage	Builds with high critical strike chance
Marika’s Soreseal	Increased stats (at the cost of increased damage taken)	Experienced players, high-risk builds

Armor Selection: Balancing Protection and Mobility in PvP Combat

In the unforgiving world of Elden Ring’s PvP, selecting the right armor is crucial for survival. It’s all about finding a delicate balance between protection and mobility. Heavy armor provides unwavering defense but slows your movement, while light armor allows for swift dodging but sacrifices survivability.

When selecting armor, consider the playstyle you intend to adopt. Melee fighters benefit from heavier armor’s ability to absorb damage, while casters or ranged combatants may prefer the agility provided by lighter armor to enhance their mobility and casting capabilities.

Additionally, consider the resistances offered by different armor sets. Some provide protection against specific damage types, such as magic or fire. Selecting armor with resistances tailored to your anticipated opponents can grant a significant advantage in battle.

Armor Weight Categories

Armor in Elden Ring is categorized based on weight:

Category	Weight
Light	Less than 10% of equip load
Medium	10% to 29.9% of equip load
Heavy	30% or more of equip load

The heavier the armor, the less mobile you’ll be. However, it also provides greater protection against physical damage and status effects. Light armor, on the other hand, makes you more agile but less resilient to attacks.

The key is to find an armor set that strikes a harmonious balance between protection and mobility, allowing you to withstand attacks while maintaining the agility necessary to dodge and maneuver effectively in battle.

Exploiting Spirit Ashes: Summoning Allies for a PvP Advantage

Spirit Ashes are a powerful tool in Elden Ring that can drastically increase your chances of victory in PvP battles. They can provide various benefits, such as overwhelming your opponents with numbers, providing strategic distractions, or offering specialized buffs and abilities. Here are some tips for exploiting Spirit Ashes effectively in PvP:

The Lhutel the Headless Spirit Ash

The Lhutel the Headless Spirit Ash is a powerful late-game summon that can quickly turn the tide of a battle. With its high health and damage output, it can easily overwhelm multiple opponents. Moreover, it can chain-attack downed enemies, making it particularly effective against unsuspecting invaders.

Stats

Stat	Value
Health	2,084
Damage	328
FP Cost	120

Strengths

High health and damage
Can chain-attack downed enemies
Resistant to physical attacks

Weaknesses

Slow and telegraphed attacks
Weak to holy damage
Can be easily staggered

PvP Playstyles: A Guide to Different Approaches and Strategies

Melee-Focused Builds

These builds rely on close-quarters combat and excel in fast-paced encounters. They offer high damage output and maneuverability but can be vulnerable to ranged attacks.

Strength/Dexterity

A versatile build that combines raw strength with dexterity for quick attacks. This allows for powerful melee attacks while maintaining agility and critical hit potential.

Pure Strength

This build maximizes strength for overwhelming physical damage. However, it sacrifices speed and agility, making it more vulnerable to agile opponents.

Faith-based Melee

These builds combine melee combat with faith incantations. They provide healing abilities, damage buffs, and unique elemental attacks that can support team members or counter specific enemies.

Ranged-Focused Builds

These builds prioritize ranged combat to control the battlefield from a distance. They offer safety and versatility but can be vulnerable to close-quarters encounters.

Sorcery

A powerful ranged playstyle that uses magic spells to inflict elemental damage from afar. It allows for precision targeting and crowd control.

Incantations

Similar to sorcery, but incantations utilize faith-based magic that often heals allies, buffs them, or deals status effects to opponents.

Hybrid Builds

These builds combine elements of both melee and ranged combat for a balanced approach. They offer versatility and adaptability to different situations.

Spellblade

A hybrid that combines melee combat with sorcery, allowing for both close-quarters and ranged attacks. It sacrifices some specialization but provides flexibility.

Holy Warrior

This build combines melee combat with faith-based incantations, offering a mix of physical damage, healing, and status effects.

Blade of Carian

A hybrid that combines melee combat with Carian sorceries, specializing in close-to-mid-range combat. It offers powerful melee abilities enhanced by magic.

Magician Knight

This build combines ranged incantations with some melee capabilities. It allows for both damage dealing and support through healing and buffs.

Countering Invasions: Strategies for Defending Against Unwanted PvP Encounters

1. Stay Vigilant on Torrent

Riding Torrent makes you an agile target. Keep an eye on your surroundings and dismount in areas where you suspect invasions may occur.

2. Summon Cooperative Phantoms

Having allies at your side increases your defensive power. Summon cooperators or spirits to provide support and distract invaders.

3. Use the Barricade Shield Ash of War

This skill grants you a sturdy shield that can withstand multiple hits from invaders. It’s especially effective when combined with high stability shields.

4. Enhance Your Evasion

Equip items that boost your agility, such as the Raptor’s Black Feathers talisman. Dodging and rolling effectively can significantly reduce your chances of being hit.

5. Employ Stealth Tactics

Use the Assassin’s Approach spell or the Carian Retaliation ash of war to reduce your detection radius. Hide behind cover and catch invaders off guard.

6. Bait and Punish

Lure invaders into traps by running around obstacles. Use terrain to your advantage and create opportunities for surprise attacks.

7. Use Status Effects

Spells and consumables that inflict status effects, such as frostbite or poison, can slow down invaders or deal damage over time.

8. Utilize Burst Damage

Focus on dealing high damage in short bursts. Use weapons with high critical hit modifiers or spells like Starscourge Greatsword to quickly overwhelm invaders. Consider equipping talismans that enhance your damage output, such as the Alexander’s Shard talisman or the Shard of Alexander.

Duels and Invasions: Understanding the Differences and Best Practices

In Elden Ring, PvP combat can take two primary forms: duels and invasions. Duels are consensual battles between two players who agree to fight one-on-one under a set of rules. Invasions, on the other hand, are non-consensual encounters where one player invades the world of another to challenge them to a fight.

Differences Between Duels and Invasions

The main differences between duels and invasions are:

**Consent:** Duels require both players to agree to fight, while invasions do not.
**Location:** Duels typically take place in designated duel areas, while invasions can occur anywhere in the game world where the host player is present.
**Rules:** Duels adhere to a set of established rules, such as no healing or using certain weapons. Invasions have no formal rules.
**Rewards:** Duels typically offer no rewards, while invasions can reward the invader with runes and other items.

Best Practices for Duels

To optimize your performance in duels, consider the following tips:

Choose a build that is strong in one-on-one combat.
Learn the movesets and weaknesses of various weapons and spells.
Master dodging, rolling, and parrying techniques.
Be patient and wait for an opening rather than rushing in.
Respect the rules of dueling and avoid using exploits.

Best Practices for Invasions

For successful invasions, adopt the following strategies:

Invade at an opportune time when the host player is isolated or has low health.
Use stealth and ambushes to gain an advantage.
Team up with other invaders to overwhelm the host player.
Don’t be afraid to retreat and heal if necessary.
Adapt your tactics to the environment and the host player’s build.

Duel Etiquette	Invasion Tactics
Bow or gesture before the duel begins.	Use stealth to ambush the host player.
Avoid healing or using unfair tactics.	Team up with other invaders to overwhelm the host.
Respect the opponent’s victory.	Don’t give up if the invasion is going poorly.

PvP Etiquette: Maintaining Respect and Sportsmanship in Online Encounters

Engaging in online PvP encounters in Elden Ring requires adhering to a set of unwritten rules and conventions known as PvP etiquette. Observing these guidelines ensures a respectful and enjoyable experience for all participants.

1. Bowing Before Duels

Before engaging in a duel, it is customary to bow as a sign of respect and acknowledgment. This gesture signifies your readiness to engage in combat and conveys a sense of fair play.

2. No Healing During Duels

During duels, it is generally frowned upon to use healing items. Healing mid-combat grants an unfair advantage and undermines the spirit of fair competition.

3. Respect Invasions

Invasions are an integral part of Elden Ring’s PvP gameplay. When invading another player’s world, show respect by not using cheap tactics or exploiting game mechanics.

4. Avoid Griefing

Griefing, or intentionally disrupting the gameplay of others, is considered highly unethical in the PvP community. Avoid engaging in behavior that ruins other players’ experiences.

5. Use Emotes to Communicate

Emotes are a useful way to convey messages and emotions during PvP encounters. Use them to show respect, acknowledge good plays, or have a bit of fun.

6. Don’t Teabag or Point Down

Teabagging or pointing down after defeating an opponent is considered disrespectful and seen as poor sportsmanship. Avoid these actions if you want to maintain a positive PvP environment.

7. Accept Defeat Graciously

If you lose a PvP encounter, accept the result graciously. Do not rage quit or send hateful messages to your opponent. Instead, recognize their skill and strive to improve.

8. Leave Time to Buff

Before engaging in duels, allow opponents a short amount of time to apply buffs and prepare for combat. This ensures a fair and balanced start.

9. Don’t Use Exploits or Glitches

Exploiting game mechanics or using glitches to gain an unfair advantage is considered unethical in PvP. Stick to legitimate strategies to ensure a fair and enjoyable experience.

10. Additional Tips for Invasions

When invading, keep the following tips in mind:

Tip
Avoid invading players who are clearly new to the game.
Don’t invade players who are engaged in PvE activities.
Be aware of your surroundings and potential ganks.
Consider using Taunters Tongue to lure players into invasions.
Don’t be afraid to retreat if the odds are against you.

Best PvP Builds in Elden Ring

Elden Ring offers a wide array of weapons, armor, and spells, allowing players to customize their characters for various playstyles. In PvP, however, certain builds stand out due to their effectiveness in combat. Here are some of the best PvP builds in Elden Ring:

**Bleed Build (Dexterity/Arcane)**

This build focuses on inflicting bleeding damage, which accumulates rapidly and deals massive damage when the bleed effect triggers. Dexterity improves the damage of weapons that cause bleed, while Arcane increases bleed buildup. Weapons like the Rivers of Blood Katana and Reduvia Dagger deal considerable bleeding damage.

**Mage Build (Intelligence/Mind)**

Mages specialize in casting devastating spells. By investing in Intelligence, players can increase the damage and duration of spells like Glintstone Pebble and Carian Piercer. Mind increases the FP pool, allowing for more spell casts. The Azure Comet is a powerful spell that deals substantial damage to opponents from afar.

**Strength Build (Strength/Endurance)**

Strength builds prioritize raw physical strength. Weapons like the Zweihander or Starscourge Greatsword deal immense damage with each swing. Endurance increases stamina, allowing for more attacks and dodges. The Lion’s Claw ability can greatly enhance heavy attacks.

**Faith Build (Faith/Dexterity)**

Faith builds utilize holy damage incantations. Incantations like Lightning Spear and Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike deal substantial damage. By investing in Dexterity, players can also wield Sacred Blades effectively. The Golden Order Greatsword is an excellent weapon for faith builds.