Elden Ring: Best Mage Build

Elden Ring is such a vast game in which you can create a build on almost anything. For instance, there are eight main character attributes, and your build can be based on six of them. The other two are Vigor and Endurance, which govern your HP, and Stamina, which are critical factors for all players.

Similarly, you can also base your build on a specific class of weapons or magic. Speaking of magic, Elden Ring is the first FromSoftware Inc. game to allow you to rely completely on it throughout the playthrough. 

However, every build has its pros and cons. For example, the Mage build in Elden Ring is based on Faith and Mind stats. You can use these stats to cast some of the most powerful magic spells in the Lands Between.

The drawback of this play style is that you must figure out your enemy’s strengths and weaknesses to use the appropriate spell. In any case, if you are wondering how to make the best Mage build in Elden Ring, then you are in the right place. This Elden Ring Mage Build article will guide you through every step of creating your ultimate Mage build.

Note: This was made for non-DLC players. Those who are looking for a mage build for Shadows of the Erdtree should look out for our future article on that.

Elden Ring Mage Build Basics

The Mage build in Elden Ring mainly focuses on Intelligence and Mind, and all the weapons and spells are based on them. The Intelligence stat will be your main focus as most of your powers will scale with it. However, you should also invest some points in other attributes to support you in battles. In this regard, you should either start with the Astrologer Class or the Prophet Class.

Both of these classes offer helpful material that can aid you in your build. After choosing your origin, the next step is to form a stat upgrading strategy. Finally, depending on the game section, you must gather the best weapons, spells, talismans, and armor. Furthermore, you can build on any item that you find useful. Still, there are a few basic items that every Mage player must consider.

Stats for Mage Build:

Stats play the most important role in any build in Elden Ring. So, you must upgrade various stats by distributing the Rune points based on your strategy. For this purpose, you must prioritize the stats according to your goals. For instance, the Mage build is based on Intelligence and Mind.

Therefore, they are your first priority, followed by Vigor and Endurance.

Finally, you should upgrade the remaining stats whenever you have some spare points. Here is a proven stats strategy that will help you upgrade your character:

Character Level 30

Character Level 60

Character Level 90

These high character stats may seem impossible at first glance. However, upgrading the Souls Level is a time consuming process. The game will offer you plenty of chances to grind and earn Rune points. So, you should only aim for these stats as your goal and play the game at your own pace.

You will notice that you will achieve these goals over time. The main aim is intelligence, as it will be the most used stat in your build. So, if you get a chance, you should aim for 80 Intelligence before you face the Elden Beast. After achieving these goals, you can distribute the Rune points to match your play style. 

Important Items for Mage Build

Mage or any other build is usually based on one or two major weapons or spells. However, the game is based on a complex formula that utilizes the powers of various supporting items in any build. For instance, you must learn healing spells to fill up your HP.

Similarly, you need staff and seals to cast spells and incantations. Lastly, talismans can boost your stats, grant you favors, increase the damage output of your attacks, and much more. Therefore, these items are a must-have for every Mage build. Once you acquire them, only then your Mage build in Elden Ring will function as planned. 

• Meteorite Staff: The Meteorite Staff is a worthy contender for the best primary weapon for any Mage build. The fact that you can find this item right after stepping into the Lands Between makes it an important entry. Moreover, this staff boosts the effect of all Gravity Sorceries by 30%. You can find the Meteorite Staff in Swamp near Sellen Crystal Tunnel at the Street of Sages Ruins.
• Rock Sling: Rock Sling is a major spell in most Mage attacks. This ranged attack quickly drains your opponent’s HP bar. Moreover, it is a Gravity Sorcery, so you can expect even more damage when used with the Meteorite Staff. The Rock Sling sorcery is found close to the Meteorite Staff but is guarded by Servants of Rot. You can find this item inside a chest in the underground cellar north of the Street of Sages Ruins.
• Demi-Human Queen’s Staff: The Demi-Human Queen’s Staff is the lower alternate of the Meteorite Staff. It scales primarily with Intelligence and has low minimum stat requirements. Moreover, it also boosts the Glintstone and Gravitational spells for players with 10-30 Intelligence. So, it is a useful weapon for new players with little to no Intelligence. You can acquire the Demi-Human Queen’s Staff killing the Demi-Human Queen in Weeping Peninsula.
• Loretta’s Greatbow: Loretta’s Greatbow may be the only ranged weapon that you use in any battle. This powerful magical bow fire arrows out of thin air without eating up your FP. You can think of it as the magical bow from Conan the Barbarian. This spell only requires 26 Intelligence and costs 30 Stamina for charged attacks. You can acquire Loretta’s Greatbow by defeating the Royal Knight Loretta in Caria Manor.
• Graven Mass Talisman: The Graven Mass Talisman is optional, but it can greatly boost your magic damage. This talisman boosts the effect of all sorceries by 8%. Furthermore, you can use it with the Graven School Talisman to get a damage boost of 12%. You can get this talisman by solving the Albinauric Rise puzzle after the Imps fight each other.

Top 5 Mage Builds in Elden Ring:

Elden Ring is one of the first FromSoftware Inc. games to support a full-magic build. For this purpose, the game includes several starting Classes to train your character on incantations and sorceries. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t mix it up with your ideas. In other words, you can use the items and stats to create hundreds of Mage builds in the game. Here are the top 5 Mage builds to get you started:

1. Gravity Sorcerer:

• Staff: Meteorite Staff
• Weapon: Meteoric Ore Blade
• Armor: Any Sorcerer robe and Glintstone Crown.
• Spells: Rock Sling, Collapsing Stars, Meteor of Astel
• Stats: Intelligence, Mind, and Dexterity
• Talismans: Graven Mass Talisman, Primal Glintstone Blade, Radagon Icon, Moon of Nokstella

Gravity Sorceries are mainly responsible for physical damage. It would be unwise to underestimate the power of such magic spells. This build mainly focuses on using these spells and incantations to deal the same damage as any melee weapon. The Meteorite Staff is the best choice for this build, as you can get it early on in the game, and it buffs all Gravity spells. Furthermore, the Meteoric Ore Blade will come in handy in both melee and ranged combat. 

You can also infuse it with the Gravitas Ash of War from the Onyx Lord on the beach. All these items scale primarily with Intelligence, so you will get more powerful as you polish your character. Lastly, the Graven Mas and Radagon Icon are the primary talismans for this build.

The benefit of the Radagon Icon is that it reduces the spell-casting time while adding several points to Dexterity. However, you should pay a little extra attention to Dexterity if you truly want to feel invincible. Overall, this build is perfect for players looking for a hybrid Mage build. 

2. Mage Sorcerer:

• Staff: Lusat’s Glintstone Staff.
• Weapon: Wing of Astel.
• Armor: Alberich’s Armor Set.
• Spells: Rock Sling, Golden Vow, Terra Magica, Comet Azur, Adula’s Moonblade.
• Stats: Intelligence, Mind, and Dexterity
• Talismans: Graven-School Talisman, Green Turtle Talisman, Radagon Icon, Ritual Sword Talisman

The Mage Sorcerer is a pure magic build that doesn’t depend on any physical weapon. However, all the gear for this build goes so well together that you won’t miss your Strength build days. Over time, this build will grow more powerful as you invest Rune points in the key stats. For instance, all of the sorceries and incantations are buffed with the Lusat’s Glintstone Staff. 

Similarly, talismans will not only increase your damage output but also reduce the resource cost (FP). As a result, you will never run out of tricks to surprise your opponents. However, you should only go for this build if you have previous experience with magic in Elden Ring. Otherwise, it would be best to start with a hybrid build till you are comfortable with magic attacks.

3. Night Sorcerer:

• Staff: Staff of Loss
• Weapon: Wing of Astel or Moonveil.
• Armor: Night Maiden set and any Glintstone Crown.
• Spells: Night Comet, Night Maiden’s Mist, Unseen Form, Glintstone Pebble.
• Stats: Intelligence, Mind, and Dexterity
• Talismans: Graven Mass Talisman, Magic Scorpion Charm, Radagon Icon, Concealing Veil

The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors, and so is the Invisibility Sorceries. This type of magic is fairly famous in the Elden Ring community. Among the various benefits, the best one is that you can fire invisible projectiles that can pass through walls. So, this build is unstoppable in the PvP mode. Moreover, the spells are powerful enough to kill any enemy in PvE mode. 

However, you must acquire the Staff of Loss from Sellia in Caelid to buff all your spell attacks. Similarly, the melee weapons will come in handy when you are up against a real threat. Otherwise, you can completely rely on your magic abilities to clear any dungeon in the Lands Between. Lastly, if you prefer melee combat, you should focus on Dexterity as well to boost your magic and melee skills. Overall, this build is perfect if stealth is your preferred style.

4. Primeval Sorcerer:

• Staff: Azur’s Glintstone Staff
• Weapon: Lazuli Glintstone Sword or Carian Knight’s Sword
• Armor: Azur or Lusat’s Glintstone Crown
• Spells: Comet Azur, Terra Magica, Stars of Ruin
• Stats: Intelligence and Mind
• Talismans: Graven Mass Talisman, Primal Glintstone Blade, Radagon Icon, Magic Scorpion Charm

The 4. Primeval Sorcerer Build is the most powerful magic build in the game. All the elements of this build are focused on boosting the impact of your attacks. Furthermore, it is a purely magical build, with only one melee weapon for the worst. Furthermore, the weapons require minimum Dexterity and scale massively with Intelligence. So, it is a balanced build if you manage to acquire all the important items.

Similarly, the talismans will boost the damage, reduce FP cost, and charge your spells. The only flaw with this build is that it doesn’t offer much resistance against enemy attacks. So, you can only rely on dodging or picking up a few defensive incantations. In short, you should go with this one-hit build when you play NG+1 or more.

5. Snow Witch:

• Staff: Carian Regal Scepter
• Weapon: Darkmoon Greatsword
• Armor: Snow Witch Hat
• Stats: Intelligence, Mind, and Strength
• Talismans: Graven Mass Talisman, Radagon Icon, Magic Scorpion Charm, Primal Glintstone Blade
• Spells: Ranni’s Dark Moon, Adula’s Moonblade, Freezing Mist

The Snow Witch Build primarily focuses on Frost damage. Almost all enemies in the game are weak against such builds (with a few exceptions). So, you will have no trouble in your playthrough. Furthermore, this build goes well with the cold magic theme; that’s another reason to wear the cool Snow Witch Hat.

There are only two flaws with the Snow Witch Build. Firstly, the main weapons are not available for the first phase of the game. So, you must go with any Strength weapon and infuse it with Hoarfrost Stomp Ashes of War. Secondly, no staff in the game boosts frost damage. So, you must rely on active upgrades to power up your abilities. Overall, the Snow Witch can be a powerful one if you know how to use it.

Conclusion

Magic can be as deadly as any Strength build in Elden Ring. However, you must learn how to use it for maximum efficiency. In this regard, Mages are the masters of sorcery in the Lands Between, and you must be Intelligent if you want to become one. Therefore, this Elden Ring Mage Build article explains how to create some of the most powerful Mage Builds in Elden Ring.