There are practically no limits to the number of ways to play Elden Ring, as we said in our list of the best starting classes. The Samurai is one of the best choices to start playing, but just choosing him is not enough. To help you a little more, we will also show you one of the best Samurai builds in both high-level PvE and PvP, although this will not exempt you from having to learn to play it well, as well as learning to face the most difficult bosses.
As we already mentioned, 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 ranged and melee. But let’s focus on a Dexterity build that will take advantage of the dreaded Katana in melee, as well as the bow for situations where ranged combat is preferable.
PROS
-Excellent equipment from the start
-Versatile
-Formidable in all types of confrontations
-Fast and agile
-Devastating bleeding
-Good affliction resistance
-Can take on much higher level content if you play well
CONS
-Some enemies and bosses are immune to bleeding.
-No shield equipped by default
-Samurai armor quickly shows its limits
Gameplay: The art of bleeding
There are several ways to play the samurai, you can engage in archery combat, with its powerful shot, which also allows you to eliminate archers or spell casters from above before jumping into the fray while unleashing the katana. Otherwise, you can use conventional openings, be it the backward critical strike, the backward charging strike, or simply a sprint followed by a powerful hanging shot.
Once in combat, the quick movements of a two-handed katana will often be enough to kill weaker enemies, and after a few dodges, larger ones will bleed to death. You can also make use of Uchigatana’s weapon skill, “Draw”, which doesn’t cost much and allows you to quickly unleash a powerful melee attack from several meters away.
Thereafter, it will depend on your choice of katana, their special abilities are usually fixed. In any case, bleeding should not be underestimated, since the damage is based on a percentage of the enemy’s life, the bosses will really do damage. But for this to be effective, you need to keep the pressure on and attack often, as your invisible affliction bar will gradually empty.
Important note: this setup 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 have to have no skill, or use Ashes of War “No skill”, so as not to interfere with that of your weapon, and without having to switch between two hands.
The bow will also help you kill some open-world bosses from a safe position. With crafting, it is easy to make hundreds of arrows, preferably of the right type for the enemy’s weakness at the time.
Samurai Build
– Recommended starting class: Samurai, but you can also become a Wanderer, Warrior, or Bandit, for example.
– Suggested starting amulet: Golden Seed
Attributes
– Vigor: As much as possible, aim for at least 30 points, don’t be afraid to go up to 50 or even 60 as needed.
– Spirit: Enough to use any summon you want and use your favorite weapon skill on bosses.
– Stamina: If you want to keep the Samurai armor, you won’t need to add many points. As for the spirit, adapt it according to the needs of the moment.
– Strength: Just enough to wield your new katana or bow of your choice, 18-20 points is usually enough. It can also be an attribute to be raised to a very high level.
– Dexterity: as far as possible, reaching 50 or more is normal.
– Intelligence: if you want to use a weapon-boosting spell, it may be worth investing a little in it. Some katanas also require intelligence.
– Faith: having 10-12 faith provides some useful support spells, such as heal over time, as well as some weapon enhancement bonuses, again.
– Arcane: 10 max by default to unlock weapon enhancement spells as well. One of the game’s popular katanas, appearing late in the game, requires you to have 20 points.
In summary: Invest as much as possible in Dexterity and Stamina, and to a lesser extent in Endurance and Spirit. Adapt the other attributes to meet the requirements of the equipment you wish to use.
Equipment
– Vial distribution: Almost all health vials, with one or two for magic points.
– Weapon: Your starting Uchigatana is already an excellent weapon that can accompany you throughout the campaign if you so desire. The other available katanas mostly offer alternatives with exotic abilities. The same goes for your longbow. You may want to transition to a high bow if you have invested heavily in the Force.
– Ashes of War: Draw Uchigatana and Powerful Bow Shot are solid choices.
– Shield: None by default, you can use any light shield with 100% physical reduction. That is to protect yourself from projectiles and fast enemies (damn catacomb golems). The turtle shell with its passive stamina regeneration is also an excellent choice if you can tolerate its weight and the fact that you’ll look like the Master Turtle.
– Armor: the heaviest and most protective armor you can equip with your weapon while maintaining the average equipment load. Adapt your equipment and stamina to always be just below the heavy equipment load. You can also play light fighter by keeping your samurai armor while increasing stamina, in an attempt to reach a light load.
– 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 the pressure on with your attacks and thus make enemies bleed faster. For the bow, the arrow range talisman and the one that increases its damage will help you a lot. That’s especially the case if you are trying to kill a boss from afar. Finally, Alexander’s Fragment will boost your skills, which is great in case you abuse them.
– Spells: None by default, but if you put some points in Faith, Beastly Vitality and weapon perks are nice.
– Summoning Ashes: Whatever you prefer, we’re partial to the Ancestral Disciple obtained in Siofra, for its versatility.
– Major Rune: Godrick
What do you think of our samurai build? Has it helped you to kill difficult bosses? Tell us how it went in the comments!
