There are almost no limits to the number of ways to play Elden Ring, but if you need a helping hand, or a little guidance to progress and enjoy the game, there is have no shame in that. Here we offer a viable Samurai Build in high level PvE as well as PvP, although this will not exempt you from having to learn how to play it well, as well as learning how to face the most difficult bosses.
The Samurai is one of the most popular starting classes, and one of the best equipped, it is possible to use it as a base for dozens of different builds both at range and melee. But we’re going to focus on a Dexterity build that will leverage the dreaded Katana in melee, as well as the bow for situations where ranged combat is preferable.
Gameplay: The Art of Bleeding
There are several ways to play the Samurai, you can either engage in bow combat, with the powerful shot, which also allows you to eliminate archers or spellcasters from above before jumping into the fray while unleashing the katana. Otherwise you can use the conventional openings, whether it’s the back critical hit, the back charge hit, or just a sprint followed by a powerful jump shot.
Once in combat, quick swings from a two-handed katana will often be enough to kill weaker enemies, and after a few dodges, bigger ones will bleed to death. You can also make use of the Uchigatana’s weapon skill, “Draw”, which doesn’t cost much and allows you to quickly unleash a powerful melee attack from several meters away. You can trigger it quickly after a roll too. Thereafter, it will depend on your choice of katana, their special skills are often fixed. In any case, the bleeding should not be underestimated, since the damage is based on a percentage of the enemy’s life, the bosses will really bite. But for this to be really effective, it is necessary to maintain the pressure and to attack often, since their invisible affliction bar will be emptied little by little.
Important Note : This build is preferably played with two hands, remember to press Y/Triangle + RB/R1. But you can also equip a shield, in this case it will either have to have no skill, or use “No Skill” Ashes of War, so as not to interfere with that of your weapon, and without having to switch from two-handed operation each time.
The bow will also help you kill some open world bosses from a safe position, like the Tree Sentinel and others. With Crafting, it’s easy to craft hundreds of arrows, preferably of the type suited to the weakness of the enemy at the time.
Build Samurai
- Starting class advised : Samurai (surprise), but you can also convert a Wanderer into a Warrior or a Bandit, for example.
- Starting legacy advised : Golden seed
Attributes
- Vigor : As much as possible, aim for at least 30 points, do not be afraid to go up to 50 or even 60 depending on the needs.
- Esprit : Enough to use any summon you want and use your favorite weapon skill on bosses.
- Endurance : If you want to keep the Samurai armor, you won’t need to add a lot of points, as for the spirit, adapt according to the needs of the moment.
- Force : Just enough to wield your new katana or bow of choice, 18-20 points is normally enough. It can also be an attribute to be raised to a very high level.
- Dexterity : As much as possible, going up to 50 and above is normal.
- Intelligence : If you want to use a weapon boost spell, investing a bit in it can be worth it. Some katanas also require intelligence.
- Was : Having 10-12 Faith grants some useful support spells like heal over time, as well as some weapon upgrade bonuses, again.
- Esotericism : 10 maximum by default to unlock weapon improvement spells too. One of the popular late-game katanas requires having 20 Arcane.
In summary: Invest as much as possible in Dexterity and Stamina, and to a lesser extent in Stamina and Spirit. Adapt the other attributes to meet the requirements of the equipment you want to use.
Equipment
- Distribution of vials : Almost all alive, with one or two for PC.
- Armed : Your starting Uchigatana is already an excellent weapon that can accompany you throughout the campaign if you wish. The other katanas available mostly offer alternatives with exotic skills. The same goes for your longbow. You may wish to transition to a high arc eventually if you have invested heavily in the Force.
- Ashes of War: Unsheathing Uchigatana and Powerful Longbow Shot are solid choices.
- Shield : None by default, you can use any light shield with 100% physical reduction to protect yourself from projectiles and fast enemies (damn catacomb golems). Turtle Shell with its passive stamina regeneration is a great choice too, if you tolerate its weight and the fact that you’ll look like Awesome Turtle.
- Armor : The heaviest and most protective you can equip your weapon while maintaining the average gear load. Adapt your gear and Stamina to always be just under heavy gear load. You can also play the light fighter by keeping your Samurai armor while increasing Stamina, in an attempt to reach a light loadout.
- Suggested Talismans: Armory Talisman (weight bonus), World Tree’s Blessing (life, stamina, and weight bonus), Dual Blade Talisman (chain attack damage bonus), Bloodlord’s Exultation which increases attack power when bleeding is also a good choice. The Green Turtle Talisman will help you keep up the pressure with your attacks, and therefore make enemies bleed faster. For Archery, the arrow range talisman, and the one that increases their damage will help you a lot, especially if you’re trying to kill a boss from afar. Finally, the Fragment of Alexander will boost your skills, which is fantastic in case of abuse of these.
- Spells: None by default, but if you put some points into Faith, beastly Vitality and weapon buffs are nice.
- Summoning Ash: What you prefer, we have a soft spot for the Ancestral Disciple obtained on Sage Corne, in La Siofra, for its versatility.
- Rune majeure : Godrick
