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Elden Ring is indubitably one of the best souls-like experiences out there. While the game follows the general footnotes of FromSoftware's Dark Souls titles, it carves its own identity by delivering a fantastic open-world experience.
Build diversity in FromSoftware's Souls games is a driving force that encourages replayability. While Dark Souls Trilogy and Bloodborne featured a massive array of builds, it pales in comparison to the sheer number of options in Elden Ring. From weapons and armor to spells and even weapon art (Ashes of War), the game features the most expansive build choices.
While veterans of FromSoftware's titles may love to create different builds, newcomers might struggle to spend attribute points and choose the right weapons. Here's everything players should keep in mind while crafting a build in Elden Ring.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.
Everything players should keep in mind while crafting builds in Elden Ring
Elden Ring does not shy away from doling out new weapons, armor pieces, talismans, spirit summons, ashes of war, spells, incantations, and more within its first few hours. As such, players might feel a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options that te game gives for all the possible builds in the game.
However, one must stick to a single build type (preferably the starting class) since the resources required are quite scarce. Planning a build in Elden Ring should be based on three key aspects:
- The starting class
- Preferred playstyle
- Weapon(s) of choice
Starting classes in Elden Ring
Much like any other FromSoftware souls-like, Elden Ring features a good selection of starting classes that dictate the weapons and skills players can use for the first few hours.
Although Elden Ring allows one to "respec" their attribute points, the ability to do so unlocks quite late in the game. This means the starting class will essentially dictate the playstyle and weapon choices for the first half of the game.
The game features 10 starting classes:
- Vagabond
- Hero
- Bandit
- Samurai
- Astrologer
- Prophet
- Warrior
- Prisoner
- Confessor
- Wretch
Each class comes with its own attribute allocations, weapons, and armor sets, making them suitable for certain playstyles.
- For players who want to go for a pure-strength melee build, the best classes are Vagabond, Hero, and Warrior.
- For players who want high agility and dexterity, with a focus on melee, the best classes are Warrior, Samurai, Confessor, and Bandit.
- For those who prefer to keep their distance and use spells and incantations as their primary damage dealers, the best classes are Prophet, Astrologer, and Prisoner.
- For the ones seeking the ultimate challenge, the Wretch is the ideal option.
Preferred playstyle
The class players choose at the start of the game heavily dictates the early hours of the Elden Ring experience. However, it's not mandatory to stick to certain playstyles.
From the onset, players have ample opportunity to modify weapons, armor, and talisman configurations.
Within the first open area of the game, Limgrave, players will come across a plethora of new weapons in chests littered across the map, as well as enemy and boss drops.
Beginners can easily exhaust precious upgrade materials (Smithing Stones) on weapons that don't fit well with their playstyle or build. The same goes for the Ashes of War.
Although it is possible to duplicate any Ash of War in the roundtable hold, the resource (Lost Ashes of War) required is found quite late into the game. So players might waste a good Ash of War on a weapon that does not fit well with their playstyle or build.
Having an idea or preference for a weapon/ build type is a great way to work towards a certain structure.
Weapon(s) of choice
Weapons are the lifeblood of any build in FromSoftware's Souls games. From Ultra Greatswords to Incantation Seals, there are many weapons and corresponding types on offer.
While beginners might find it compelling to use melee weapons like swords, axes, and spears, the game also features other interesting options, such as bows, seals, sorcery staffs, and more. Each weapon also has its own stat requirements, which need to be met.
The game does not hinder players from experimenting, however, they should be mindful of their options. While the game allows one to reallocate attribute points after defeating Renalla, it is fairly late. Thus, shifting between too many weapon types can result in unnecessary wastage of rare resources.
This concludes everything players should be mindful of while crafting a build in Elden Ring. While FromSoftware's games are well equipped to support several playstyles and build combinations, planning and prudent usage of rare upgrade resources are paramount for successful build creation.
