Elden Ring Best Beginner Build

FromSoftware.inc has always been notorious for its non-beginner friendly games. However, Elden Ring was expected to be such a popular game that the developers had to consider the millions of newcomers. As a result, the new Game of the Year, 2022, offers plenty of opportunities for the beginners to get a hold of the game.

For instance, the game features an easy to understand combat and character upgrade system that anyone can follow. Similarly, you can find numerous weapons, spells, and armaments to use for your build.

The only problem is that everyone must understand their playstyle, requirements, and skills when creating a character build. Otherwise, the unforgiving enemies of the Lands Between will eat you raw.

So, what are the best beginner builds in Elden Ring? This article covers all the basics to help you get started on your unforgettable adventures in the Lands Between.

The Basics of a Beginner Build

Before you can set out to create your build, there are some basics that you need to understand. For instance, you must understand what benefits you get from upgrading various stats and also how much Runes to invest in each stat. Similarly, your starting Class plays a major role in the build. Each Class comes with a default set of stats that give you a head start in any direction you want to go.

However, you can always shift your focus to other stats if you choose to transform your character build. Similarly, the weapons you choose for the build have a huge impact on how you should polish the character. 

Each weapon comes with a set of minimum requirements and scaling. When you upgrade the stats according to the weapon, you can get major boosts in the speed and damage output. Lastly, talismans are extremely important for gaining some synergy for the build.

You will need different talismans for each build, each supporting your character in some way. In short, you must consider many things before choosing a character build, giving you a clear picture of your upgrade and looting strategies.

Top 5 Best Beginner Builds in Elden Ring:

Builds in Elden Ring mainly depend on your playstyle and combat experience. You must carefully choose your build to comfortably thrive in the Lands Between. For instance, the most powerful builds for Souls Veterans can easily make the game unplayable for newcomers.

On the contrary, a build for magic players can be devastating even for the most experienced players. In any case, here are the top 5 Elden Ring builds for beginners that even experienced players can enjoy:

1. Banished Knight Build

The Banished Knight build is recommended for players with some experience in medieval RPGs. This build is inspired by the Knights, who were banished from the order due to some bizarre reasons. The major benefit of this build is that you can accomplish it early on in the game.

Moreover, the build offers shield protection till you get accustomed to the dodging mechanics. Lastly, it is a hybrid build, and you can cast spells and use incantations without any problems. 

• Starting Class: Vagabond, Hero.
• Weapons:
  • Banished Knight Halberd +8: You can acquire this weapon by defeating the Edger the Revenger. He will invade you after you activate the Site of Grace near Revenger’s Shack, north of the Minor Erdtree.
• Armor:
  • Banished Knight Set: The Banished Knight Armor Set can be farmed by killing Banished Knights. You must assemble the complete Set piece by piece, but it will be worth it in the end.
• Stats:
  • Strength: 80
  • Vigor: 60
  • Endurance: 37 
  • Mind: 17 
• Talismans:
  • Radagon’s Soreseal: The Radagon’s Soreseal is a talisman that increases your Vigor, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity by 5 points each. However, it also increases your damage taken by 15%. You can loot it from a corpse in Fort Faroth.
  • Claw talisman: The Claw talisman increases the damage output for all jump attacks by 15%. You can loot this item from a corpse in a watchtower in the Stormveil Castle.
  • Green Turtle talisman: The Green Turtle Talisman boosts the Stamina recovery by +8 per second. You can find this talisman in the Summonwater Village after using the Stonesword key.
  • Erdtree’s Favor +2:  The Erdtree’s Favor +2 talisman increases the HP by 4%, Equip Load by 8%, and Stamina by 10%. You can find this item in Leyndell, Ashen Capital, near the large courtyard guarded by three Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirits.
  • Opaline Bubbletear: This Crystal Tear increases all damage negation types by 90% for 3 minutes or until you get hit. Moreover, the bubble won’t pop if you use a shield.

2. Moonveil Build:

Katanas are extremely powerful in Elden Ring, and the Moonveil Katana is the queen of them all. It is an elegant weapon that not only looks cool but can be pretty deadly in the right hands. This dual-wield build is perfect if you want some Bloodborne cosplay in the game.

The two Katanas go very well together, as each covers the other’s flaws. Furthermore, it is extremely easy to use after you get a grasp of the fighting and dodging mechanics. Overall, this Katana build is perfect for everyone who has some taste in the art of fighting.

• Starting Class: Samurai, Astrologer
• Weapons:
  1. Moonveil Katana: The Moonveil is a powerful Katana that scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. You can acquire this weapon by defeating the Magma Wyrm Boss in Gael Tunnel, Caelid.
  2. Cold Nagakiba katana: The Cold Nagakiba is especially good with the frost/bleed buildup. You can acquire this weapon by completing Bloody Finger Hunter Yura’s questline at the Second Church of Marika. 
• Armor:
  1. Black Knife Armor Set: You can get the complete Black Knife Armor Set from the corpse under an archway behind Ordina, Liturgical Town in the Consecrated Snowfield. 
• Stats:
  1. Vigor: 60
  2. Dexterity: 57
  3. Intelligence: 50
  4. Endurance: 30
  5. Mind: 20
• Talismans:
  1. Shard of Alexander: The Shard of Alexander boosts the output of all skills by 15%. You can acquire the Shard of Alexander after completing the Iron Fist Alexander questline.
  2. Ritual Sword Talisman: The Ritual Sword talisman boosts the damage output of all attacks when you have 100% HP. You can get the Ritual Sword Talisman from the chest after Demi-Human Queen Gilika in Lux Ruins.
  3. Erdtree’s Favor.

3. Mage Build:

Mages are more powerful than ever before in any FromSoftware Inc. game. The fact that you can defeat any enemy using magic skills only adds to the excitement. This basic Mage build mainly focuses on killing your enemies with incantations like Comet. However, you can opt for your own options if you prefer to kill your enemies with frost or fire. In short, this magic build is suitable who want to try something new rather than going with a buffed Strength character. 

• Starting Class: Astrologer, Prophet
• Weapons:
  • Carian Regal Scepter: The Carian Regal Scepter is a Glintstone Staff that scales primarily with Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Overall, it is the most powerful primary weapon for mages with a main focus on Intelligence. The only way to acquire this weapon is by giving Remembrance of The Full Moon Queen to Enia.
  • Meteorite Staff: The Meteorite Staff is a worthy contender for the best primary weapon for any Mage build. However, for this build, you should only use it till you find the Carian Regal Scepter. You can find the Meteorite Staff in Swamp near Sellen Crystal Tunnel at the Street of Sages Ruins.
• Armor:
  • Azur Glintstone Set: You can acquire the complete Armor Set from the Primeval Sorcerer Azur’s location after siding with Sorceress Sellen at the end of her quest line.
• Stats:
  • Intelligence: 60
  • Mind: 30
  • Vigor: 24
  • Faith: 20
  • Endurance: 20
  • Mind: 16
• Talismans:
  • Radagon Icon
  • Magic Scorpion Charm
  • Old Lord’s Talisman
  • Graven-Mass talisman
• Spells: Ranni’s Dark Moon Cannon of Haima, Gavel of Haima, Comet “one shot” Azur. Great Glintstone Shard and Terra Magica

4. Night and Flame Build:

The Sword of Night and Flame has always been the most powerful weapon in Elden Ring. Even after getting nerfed, the sword is still powerful enough to deal with the toughest bosses. Moreover, this build is suitable for both melee and ranged attacks.

The magic part of the build mainly focuses on Scarlet Rot build up. However, you can opt for a strong shield if you are not a big fan of magic spells. Lastly, this build is suitable for players looking for more of a melee-magic hybrid build.

• Starting Class: Confessor, Bandit
• Weapons:
  • Sword of Night and Flame: The Sword of Night and Flame scales primarily with Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith. The sword comes with the Night and Flame Stance Weapon Art. You can find this sword in the locked room behind the gardens in Caria Manor.
  • Dragon Communion Seal: The Dragon Communion Seal scales primarily with Faith and Arcane and is a good Weapon for hybrid builds. You can find this Sacred Seal from the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave in Limgrave.
• Armor:
  • Raptor’s Black Feathers and Skeletal Mask: You can acquire both items from the chests behind the illusionary wall in Sage’s Cave.

• Stats:
  • Intelligence: 38
  • Vigor: 38
  • Mind: 33
  • Dexterity: 30
  • Endurance: 30
• Talismans:
  • Shard of Alexander
  • Radagon’s Soreseal
  • Magic Scorpion Charm
  • Carian Filigree Talisman
  • Godfrey Icon
• Spells: Rotten Breath Incantation 

5. Bloodhound Knight:

The Bloodhound Knight build is purely based on Dexterity. This build focuses on the Bloodhound Knight, which mainly focuses on bleeding build-up. So, all supporting items of this build increase the bleeding on your enemies to quickly drain their HP bar.

Furthermore, both Bloodhound weapons will offer equal damage output and bleeding. So, you will never find yourself in trouble if you learn the fighting mechanics of this build. Overall, it is the most famous build in the Elden Ring community, and you should definitely consider it if you want a Dexterity build.

• Weapons:
  • Bloodhound’s Fang: Bloodhound’s Fang is a Curved Greatsword that scales primarily with Strength and Dexterity. It comes with the Bloodhound’s Finesse, which is extremely effective against all enemies. You can acquire this sword by killing the Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in Limgrave.
  • Bloodhound’s Claws: The Bloodhound Claws scales primarily with Strength and Dexterity. It is a great secondary weapon for dealing with extra bleeding build up on your enemies. You can acquire the Bloodhound’s Claws by defeating the Lesser Bloodhound Knight in the basement of the Volcano Manor.
• Armor:
  • Bloodhound Knight Armor set: You can acquire the complete Armor Set by defeating the Bloodhound Knight in Gelmir Hero’s Grave, Mt. Gelmir.
• Stats:
  • Dexterity: 80
  • Vigor: 60
  • Endurance: 26
  • Mind: 20
  • Strength: 18
• Talismans:
  • Lord of Blood’s Exultation
  • Carian Filigreed Crest
  • Shard of Alexander
  • Godfrey Icon
• Spells: Golden Vow, Flame Grant me Strength.

Conclusion

Elden Ring is a huge game that offers plenty of room for creativity and exploration. The players are free to polish their character according to their playing style. However, the game can be pretty complicated, especially for beginners.

So, what is the best way to play Elden Ring for the first time? This article provides the top 5 Elden Ring best beginner build and how to find their important items.