There is a myriad of ways to play Elden Ring. Players can become powerful mages, prestigious heroes, or even thieves or samurai. Even though there are so many options to choose from, some people just want to wield a huge weapon and destroy any boss that makes the mistake of approaching them. If you are one of those players, this is the build for you.
Even though your protagonist does a huge amount of damage and you can destroy bosses in seconds, remember: This is still Elden Ring. The bosses are still indisputably stronger than you and can still kill you in seconds. With this build, you can make your protagonist fearsome berserk, but you will still have to learn how to play it to get the most out of it.
The Vagabond is undoubtedly the best equipped and most flexible starting class, as it is possible to use it as a base for dozens of different builds. But here we are going to focus on the basics, with a mostly Strength build, with a colossal sword and great armor.
Table of Contents
Pros
- Massive damage that kills many enemies in one or two hits.
- Breaks enemies’ stance.
- Visually impressive and satisfying.
- Devastating on horseback as well
- Lots of stamina.
Cons
- Slow attacks that leave you vulnerable to hits.
- No shield equipped by default
- Fast-moving enemies are difficult to hit.
How to play?
This build offers to use a huge two-handed weapon and use it to demolish your opponents with powerful attacks. Ideally, start the fight with a sprint, a jump, and either R1 for flying enemies or R2 for sturdier or smaller enemies like rats. If they don’t die immediately, they are exposed to attacks with R1, or a charged overpowered attack while holding R2. Very few enemies in the game are able to resist this combo, and you can often hit them critically afterward.
The big difficulty with this setup is that you don’t usually play with a shield in hand. Also, the slowness of your attacks exposes you to counterattacks, especially from bosses. So you have to know where and when to attack. You’ll rely on your massive health bar and heavy armor to survive when you miss turns. This has the merit of being reliable and staying alive where other builds would already be back to the point of grace.
Important note: this build is played two-handed, remember to press Y/Triangle + RB/R1.
Berserk build
– Suggested starting class: Vagabond, Hero, Samurai, Confessor
– Suggested starting gift: Golden Seed
Attributes
- Vigor: As much as possible, aim for at least 30 but don’t be afraid to go up to 50 or even 60.
- Spirit: Enough to use any summon you to want and use your Ashes of War.
- Stamina: As much as possible, going up to 25, 30, and above will allow you to equip very heavy equipment and wield your weapon. Stats should be adapted accordingly.
- Strength: As far as possible, you can go up to 66 in the long run (the maximum useful). In the meantime, you need enough to wield the weapon of your choice.
- Dexterity: Optional, you can invest in it if you decide to have an improved weapon with a Quality type of ash. Or if you want to use a bow from time to time.
- Intellect: maximum 10
- Faith: having 10-12 faith provides some useful support spells, such as healing, it’s up to you.
- Arcane: 10 maximum, to unlock weapon enhancement spells.
Equipment
- Vial distribution: all life, possibly one to restore mana after summoning a spirit.
- Weapon: The Sword of the Lord in the chest in the Ruins Camp is a good start. The two-handed sword is a very affordable excellent choice then. You can use the Lion Chimera’s fused mandible once your strength is high enough, although we prefer two-handed sword attacks. Of course, nothing forces you to play with a sword, you can also use a Colossal Hammer or a Giant Halberd for example.
- Ashes of War: Quick-Step provides an excellent survival and mobility tool by helping you dodge attacks and pass behind your back. An alternative is Stone Sword to deal more damage and further break the enemy’s stance. If you have trouble with fast enemies, use Lightning. For the weapon damage bonus, choose Heavy if you have invested everything in Strength, or Quality, if you have also invested a lot in Dexterity. Compare the expected damage.
- Shield: None by default, you can use any light shield with 100% physical reduction to protect you from projectiles and fast enemies (damn catacomb golems). The turtle shell with its passive stamina regeneration is an excellent choice if you can tolerate its weight and the fact that you’ll look like an awesome turtle.
- Armor: the heaviest and most protective armor you can equip with your weapon and maintain the average equipment load. Tailor your equipment and stamina to always be just under the heavy equipment load.
- Suggested Talismans: Talisman of the Claw (jump attack damage bonus), Arsenal (weight bonus), Blessing of the Tree (life, stamina, and weight bonus), Crimson Amber (life bonus).
- Spells: None by default, but if you put some points in Faith, Beastly Vitality and weapon perks are important.
- Summoning Ashes: Whatever you prefer.
- Great Rune: Godrick
This is our top choice for the Elden Ring Berserk Build. What do you think? Are you ready to destroy the Elden Ring bosses? Tell us in the comments how it went!
