Elden Ring: Best Strength Builds

Elden Ring is a unique game that gives you complete freedom to create your character. There are so many ways to kill the deadly foes of the Lands Between that mastering each could literally take years. So, almost all players prefer to choose a character build based on their play style and stick to it for the rest of the game. In this regard, Strength builds are widely popular among all Elden Ring Tarnished. 

Strength is a straightforward aspect of your character. It makes you strong enough to wield some of the largest weapons in the game. Moreover, it also increases your damage per hit, making it easy to kill the lesser enemies with just one blow. So, if you polish your Strength build wisely, you can easily become the most badass Elden Lord.

However, you must choose between the wide array of weapons, Talismans, spells, incantations, Great Runes, and much more. The problem is that all these options often make it hard to make a suitable decision. So, what are the best Elden Ring Strength Builds? This article explains everything you need to know to become Captain America or the Hulk of the Lands Between.

The Basics of a Strength Build

Elden Ring breaks down the weapon wielding formula to the most basic levels. For instance, you need buffed up muscles to carry the colossal weapons. So, you must invest a lot of Runes to upgrade your Strength. However, Strength alone won’t help you survive in the game. So, you must invest in other attributes to stand a chance in the Lands Between.

Other things to keep in mind are your weapon selection, battle strategies, magic spells, incantations, Sacred Seals, and Talisman. All these items will determine how efficiently you manage your character’s skills. Fortunately, managing all these aspects won’t be a problem if you have a clear roadmap in your mind. Therefore, here are the basic things you need to start developing your Strength Character Build:

Recommended Starter Stats

Stats and attributes play a major role in every aspect of the game. For instance, you need Strength to wield weapons, Vitality or Vigor for HP, Endurance for stamina, Intelligence for magic, and Mind for over smarting your opponents. Here are the starting stats that you should aim for by the time you reach character level 50:

In short, you will be mainly focusing on Strength to reach the hard cap at level 80, as it won’t be easy to do it later on. You can read about the strength soft cap here.

However, you will need HP and Stamina to earn these experience points or Runes. Therefore, it is extremely important to pay some attention to other attributes as well. In other words, if you precisely upgrade your stats with this goal in mind, you can accomplish the attributes even before level 50. 

As you progress further into the game, you can then take your mind off other attributes. In this regard, I suggest that you should focus on the Vigor first and then, later on, Mind and Faith. The secondary attributes are important for magic, and you won’t find yourself casting some spells.

However, what you don’t know is that you will need FP for Spirit Ashes and Weapon Arts. Therefore, you should have at least 25 points in Faith and Mind by the time you reach the endgame.

Important Items for a Strength Build

Elden Ring offers a huge variety of weapons and items to choose from for your build. Usually, the character builds are based on a unique combination of weapons, armors, skills, and talismans. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t replace or customize the build with something that you like.

As a matter of fact, most players polish their character by replacing one or several items from the prescription. In the end, it all depends on your play style and battle strategies. So, here are a few items that you can consider for your unique Strength build:

• Arsenal Charm +1: Arsenal Charm +1 is probably so underrated that you might not hear about it at all. However, it is one of the most unique items that you can add to your Strength build. As you know, most items that require Strength are heavy on the inventory. At some point, you will start wishing if there was some way to carry all your loot. Well, that’s where the Arsenal Charm +1 comes in handy. It allows you to carry more items by increasing your equipped load capacity. You can find this charm from a corpse in the Altus Tunnel Cave.
• Claw Talisman: Most of the time, Strength players will face their enemies from the front. So, you will be forced to use a lot of jump attacks as they break the defense and deal some damage. Moreover, a well-timed jump attack may even lay a critical strike on your opponent. Therefore, having the Claw Talisman in your build can help you out by boosting the power of your jump attacks. You can find the Claw Talisman on a corpse on the rooftops near the Rampart Tower Site of Grace in Stormveil Castle.
• Erdtree’s Favor +2: Erdtree’s Favor is the real life-savor for most players in Elden Ring. Equipping this talisman increases your total HP, equip load, and Stamina. In short, this talisman alone can enable you to dual-wield giant weapons and wear hefty armor sets. However, you can’t acquire this item unless you progress near the endgame sequence. Once you progress enough, you can find Erdtree’s Favor +2 in a courtyard to the North-East of the Queen’s Bedchamber Site of Grace in the Ashen Capital. Otherwise, you can find the basic version of this talisman from the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave in Limgrave.
• Great-Jar’s Arsenal: The Great-Jar’s Arsenal is yet another talisman that boosts your equip load capacity. It is the go-to talisman for most Strength builds, as you can acquire it fairly early into the game. The main benefit of increasing your load capacity is that you can equip all your favorite weapons and armors without losing your movement. You can find the Great Jar’s Arsenal talisman by killing the invaders for the Great Jar in the Siofra River well. However, you must still progress enough to unlock the Caelid region.
• Royal Knight’s Resolve: Have you ever heard about the One Punch man? The Royal Knight’s Resolve is an Ash of War that grants you his powers for a limited time. As soon as you activate this Ash of War, the damage output of your next attack will be increased by a whopping 80%. In short, this item guarantees a critical strike on one attack that can often kill your opponent. To acquire the Royal Knight’s Resolve Ash of War, you must go up the lift near the Temple of Eiglay Site of Grace in Volcano Manor and platform to the ground after taking the staircase.
• Strength-Knot Crystal Tear: The Strength-Knot Crystal Tear is a must-have item for all starter Strength Builds. You can find it fairly early on in your adventures. What this Tear does is it increases your Strength stats by +10. Say you start with 26; this Tear will raise it to 36. So, now you can wield even bigger weapons and deal greater damage. However, the stats will revert as soon as you remove this item from the equation. You can find the Strength-Knot Crystal Tear on the cliffs northeast of Stormhill Shack.
• Stonebarb Cracked Tear: The Stonebarb Cracked Tear is a Crystal Tear that increases your odds of staggering your enemies. You can even combine it with the Claw Talisman to double your chances with jump attacks. Once your enemy is staggered, you can easily defeat him with a few follow up attacks. Moreover, the fights will become even shorter if you are using a powerful weapon. You can acquire this Crystal Tear by defeating the Putrid Avatar at the base of the Minor Erdtree in Dragonbarrow.

Top 5 Strength Builds in Elden Ring

You can unlock numerous possibilities by focusing on the Strength stat in Elden Ring. However, it also makes things confusing as now you have more than enough options for your inventory. In this regard, it would be best to pick a build, collect all the items, and use it till you have enough experience to customize it.

Moreover, you can also rely on any of these builds to defeat the Elden Beast. The question remains, what are the best Strength builds for Elden Ring? So, here are the top 3 best Strength builds that go well with every play style:

1. Giant Crusher build

• Weapon: Giant Crusher (Dual-wielding also works).
• Armor: Raptor’s Black Feathers or anything else.
• Ash of War: Royal Knight’s Resolve.
• Talismans: Claw Talisman, Ritual Sword Talisman, Great Jar’s Arsenal.
• Stats: Strength, Endurance, Vigor.

Most players opt for a Strength build just because they have seen someone with a Giant Crusher. It is a colossal build in which everything you get will be bigger and better. Moreover, you can even polish your character to maximize your damage output. However, it doesn’t offer much help in the defense section. So, you should only consider this build if you are confident in your movement and dodging. 

Another benefit of this build is that it grants you ultimate power for jump attacks. The Claw Talisman will boost your jump attack damage, combine it with the Royal Knight’s Resolve to truly become invincible. Lastly, the final talisman slot is open for your selection.

You can choose something to aid your defense, maximize your equip load if you want to dual-wield or get something to boost your stats. Another notable thing is the Black Feathers armor. This armor buffs your heavy jump attacks so that you are always more powerful than any enemy in the game.

2. Bleed based strength build

• Weapon: Bloodhound’s Fang.
• Armor: Anything that you like.
• Ash of War: Royal Knight’s Resolve.
• Talismans: Lord of Blood’s Exultation, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Arsenal Charm, Shard of Alexander.
• Stats: Vigor, Strength, Dexterity, Arcane.

Bleeding is one of the most dreadful effects in the game. It can slowly drain the HP bar while you work on your fighting plan. However, most Katanas and other bleeding-oriented weapons require Dexterity. Fortunately, this particular powerful Greatsword is prescribed for pure Strength builds.

It offers a higher range of attack so that you can attack your opponent before he can strike. Moreover, the Bloodhound’s Fang also scales primarily with Strength. So, you will add more and more value to your damage as you upgrade your character stats.

As for the supporting items, you will never feel short of powerful buffs. For instance, the Lord of Blood’s Exultation combined with the Royal Knight’s Resolve Ash of War guarantees a critical strike with an enhanced bleeding effect.

So, even if your enemy has a massive HP bar, these items will slowly and painfully kill it. Unless the enemy has bleeding resistance, that’s where your secondary weapon will come into play. It is a highly customizable character build that offers plenty of room for your selections.

3. Sword and board build

• Weapon: Broadsword, Fingerprint Stone Shield (off-hand)
• Armor: Anything that you like.
• Ash of War: Barricade Shield (until you get Fingerprint Shield)
• Talismans: Curved Sword Talisman, Greatshield Talisman, Green Turtle Talisman, Ritual Shield Talisman
• Stats: Strength/ Endurance/ Vigor

The Sword and Board Strength build is one of the most suitable options for all players. All you need is a powerful yet small weapon, and the build will take care of the rest for you. There aren’t many Strength builds that offer the added protection of a shield or board. So, the goal is to timely guard with your shield and lay a critical blow when your enemy is off guard. 

The only problem with shields is that they consume stamina as you block enemy attacks. Fortunately, the talismans in this build offer more than one way to conserve your stamina. For instance, the Curved Sword increases your guard counters, and the Ritual Shield and the Green Turtle talismans increase your stamina regeneration. Finally, the Greatshield talisman reduces the stamina required to block an enemy attack. 

Lastly, you can replace the Broadsword with any single-handed weapon of your choice. So, you can even go for bigger and more powerful weapons when you have enough attributes. Your only concern will be that heavier weapons consume more stamina per attack, and there is nothing to aid that flaw. Apart from that, the Sword and Board is the best Strength build for newcomers and beginners.

4. Starscourge build

• Weapon: Starscourge Greatsword.
• Armor: Black Raptor Feathers, anything else.
• Ash of War: None.
• Talismans: Claw Talisman, Carian Filigreed Crest, Green Turtle Talisman, Great-Jar’s Arsenal.
• Stats: Strength/Endurance/Vigor/Intelligence (minimum sword requirements).

General Radahn is one of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring. He wields a massive sword that’s powerful enough to split anything into two. Now, imagine what if you carry this sword in your fight against any enemy in the game. Well, this Strength build is purely based on the idea of giving you most, if not all, the powers of Starscourge Radahn. However, it also means that you must rely on other weapons till you defeat the general himself. 

The Starscourge Greatsword is a fist weapon that you can hold in one or both hands. So, it also gives you the freedom to dual-wield the weapon without playing NG+1. However, you must have enough Endurance, and the equip load capacity to support your second weapon. In this regard, the Great-Jar’s Arsenal makes things more manageable. You can replace it with Erdtree’s Favor +2 as you progress further into the main story line. 

Lastly, all talismans in this character build are there to help you out. For instance, the Claw talisman will increase the power of your jump attacks, your common attack without a shield. Similarly, the Carian Filigreed Crest lowers the FP cost so that you can use the Starcaller Cry Weapon Art without draining your FP bar. In short, this Strength build is perfect for Souls veterans and other experienced players.

5. Flame, Grant Me Strength build

• Weapon: All Halberds, Colossal, and Greatswords can be infused with fire (Commander’s Standard for one).
• Armor: Blaidd’s armor, Crucible Knight set
• Incantations: Flame, Grant Me Strength.
• Talismans: Claw Talisman, Fire Scorpion Charm, Shard of Alexander, Great-Jar’s Arsenal, or Erdtree’s Favor +2.
• Stats: Strength/Endurance/Vigor/Faith (minimum sword requirements).

According to various forums, Elden Ring is more easy if you play as a Strength character. So, countless magic players have started to opt for a Strength build to explore that part of the game. Unfortunately, it takes time to transition from pure magic to a pure Strength build and vice versa.

The good news is that there is a hybrid build that offers the powers of a Strength build with a slight touch of magic. The Flame, Grant Me Strength build is a Strength build in which even the magic players will feel at home.

The beauty of this build is that it doesn’t have many requirements, and you can opt for it at any point in the game. Moreover, the already powerful Strength weapons yield even more damage when you light them on fire.

As for the Weapon Arts, you should go with either the Flaming Strike or the Flame of the Redmanes. Both these Weapon Arts will support you against most enemies in the game. Lastly, the supporting items of this build will help you out even when you are up against the Elden Beast. So, if you are looking for a Strength/Magic hybrid build, you should go with this one to gain some experience.

Some Tips for Your Strength Build

Strength is one of the most detailed stats in Elden Ring. It basically makes you a killing machine with a giant weapon. However, sometimes you must rely on other options or Plan B when the odds turn against you.

This is mostly the case when you have to deal with faraway enemies, stealth kill the opponents, or even create some space to heal. All these factors require special preparation on your end. So, here are some tips and tricks that will come in handy during your adventures in the Lands Between:

• Don’t underestimate Poise: Poise is a hidden attribute that determines how easily you can be knocked out of an attack. Basically, when the player’s attack is interrupted, it is a Poise deficiency. You will always find enemies interrupting your attacks. So, it would be best to choose an armor set that improves your Poise attack. This attribute is mostly useful for players who use a giant yet slow weapon.
• A bow and arrow go a long way: Having a Strength build doesn’t really mean that you can crush anything in your path. Sometimes, you must face faraway enemies or a large horde of foes charging toward you. In that case, it would be best if you could attack them while they are still trying to reach you. Secondly, you can even go into Robinhood mode to take down your opponent by surprise. In short, you will need a ranged weapon at some point in the game, and it would be best to carry the best you can find.
• Timing is everything: This principle has transformed many lives in the real world and is still valid in the game. Basically, you must memorize the time required for each attack so that you can lay out well-timed critical attacks. Moreover, you must also work on your rolling times so that you can survive without a shield in your hand. In short, timing is in everything in the game, and the quicker you learn, the better.
• Focus on secondary stats: Another misconception is that Strength builds don’t need any other stat. Here, stats like Vigor or Endurance don’t count as secondary stats. In other words, while upgrading your primary stats, you must also invest a few points in Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane. Some weapons require more than Strength, and you may also pick up some useful tricks along the way.
• Don’t forget to jump: Jumping is the main bread and butter for most Strength based players. For instance, you can easily stagger your enemy with a jump attack (and some useful talismans). So, if you want to master the art of fighting in Elden Ring, you should practice your jump attacks all the time. Similarly, jumping can be very useful in platforming and dodging enemy attacks.

Conclusion

Most weapons and armaments in Elden Ring require Strength as the main attribute. So, having a purely Strength build means that you can wield anything and crush anyone with it. It feels wonderful to become the Hulk of the Lands Between. Secondly, a Strength build gives you the power to face any opponent or boss without worrying about dying.

However, you can easily mess up your build without having a clear roadmap in your mind. Therefore, this article provides the top 5 Best Strength Builds in Elden Ring and how to polish them for maximum efficiency.