5 Elden Ring PvP Builds that Dominate the Battlefield

Elden Ring was released on February 25th and has taken the world by storm. Over two weeks since launch, Elden Ring is still topping the Steam charts, overtaken only by massive games such as Counter-Strike and Dota 2. Not a bad showing for FromSoftware.

As players continue to explore and discover Elden Ring’s vast open world, the prospect of PvP might be an enticing venture. Bosses are fun, but how much more fun would it be to see how you stack up against real players? For all the duelists and Bloody Fingers lurking around Volcano Manor, here are 5 PvP builds for Elden Ring that dominate the battlefield.

5 Elden Ring PvP Builds

1. The Sith Lord - Faith Build
2. The Master of the Blade - Dex Build
3. The Berserk One-Shot - Strength Build
4. The Snow Witch - Int Build
5. The Blood Dragon - Arcane Build

1. The Sith Lord - Faith Build

How would you like to cosplay as Darth Maul and invade poor, unassuming players simply trying to make it to the next boss fight? If the life of a sith lord is for you, then check out this Star Wars-inspired build. It is super cool.

This build, created by Havok, is tuned to the Faith stat and utilizes a twinblade covered in red lightning for the most authentic Darth Maul cosplay in the game.

Stats:

Level 130

• Vigor - 44
• Mind - 30
• Endurance - 25
• Strength - 25
• Dex - 35
• Int - 10
• Faith - 50
• Arc - 10

Weapons & Armor:

• Twinblade
• Finger Seal
• Confessor Hood
• Night’s Cavalry Armor
• Preceptor’s Gloves
• Preceptor’s Boots

Key Spells:

• Vyke’s Dragonbolt
• Ancient Dragons’ Lightning Strike
• Ancient Dragons’ Lightning Spear
• Lansseax’s Glaive
  

Talismans:

• Any will suffice; however, I recommend Erdtree’s Favor and any Faith boosting talismans.

What makes this build so powerful are the heavy-hitting lightning spells at your disposal, fitting for a sith lord. The Ancient Dragon lightning spear is great at catching players from a distance if they are playing it too safe. Meanwhile, the Lightning Strike is excellent at getting players off your back, thanks to its AOE nature. Additionally, Vyke’s Dragonbolt will be responsible for imbuing your twinblade with red lightning for a boost in damage and adding authenticity to your Darth Maul cosplay.

2. The Master of the Blade - Dex Build

While you were out repeatedly dying to bosses, I was off studying the blade and also repeatedly dying to bosses. But hopefully, we’ll all die a little bit less thanks to this flashy dex-based build with katanas as the centerpiece.

This build from FightinCowboy is meant to come together in the late game stages of Elden Ring and requires multiple pieces of gear that are inaccessible until players reach later bosses. However, the damage output potential for Master of the Blade makes the long wait worth it.

Stats:

Level 150

• Vigor - 60
• Mind - 20
• Endurance - 27
• Strength - 18
• Dex - 80
• Int - 9
• Faith - 14
• Arc - 9

Weapons:

• Hand of Malenia
• Keen Nagakiba x2 (One with Hoarfrost Stomp, one with Seppuku)
• Scavenger’s Curved Sword x2 (One with Hoarfrost Stomp, one with Seppuku)
• Ice Crest shield
• Pulley Crossbow

Key Spells:

• Bloodhound Step Ash of War

Talismans:

• Dragoncrest Greatsheild Talisman
• Green Turtle Talisman
• Rotten Winged Sword Insignia
• Millicent’s Prosthesis

Dex builds have always been all about the PvP, and this one tops the charts at slaying Bloody Fingers. As far as weapons go, the Master of the Blade has a vast arsenal to choose from depending on what players feel most comfortable with. Katanas are extra powerful in Elden Ring, as they can inflict the “Bleed” status effect, which will instantly deplete a portion of an enemy’s health bar. However, the best part of this build all comes from the talismans.

Combining the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia and Millilcent’s Prosthesis grants an unbelievable amount of damage as players inflict damage with successive hits. This combination is so potent that a katana with a base damage of 600 dmg can inflict over 1,200 dmg per hit in roughly 4-5 successful attacks. Needless to say, any invader caught between a pair of katanas in this build will be dealt with swiftly. 

3. The Berserk One-Shot - Strength Build

Every anime fan wishes they could be as cool as Guts from Berserk. Thankfully Elden Ring allows players to chase their dreams featuring a Greatsword modeled directly after the anime’s iconic weapon as a tribute to the late Kentaro Miura. But let’s take it a step further and dual-wield these colossal Greatswords to create a monstrous build that we can use in Elden Ring’s PvP.

Arrekz Gaming breaks down this mid-to-late game build for us, and I can’t help but agree that it is overpowered.

Stats:

Level 131

• Vigor - 38
• Mind - 14
• Endurance - 38
• Strength - 78
• Dex - 18
• Int - 19
• Faith - 18
• Arc - 11

Weapons & Armor:

• Heavy Greatsword x2
• Clawmark Seal

Key Spells:

• Ash of War: Royal Knight’s Resolve
• Flame, Grant Me Strength
• Golden Vow

Talismans:

• Any talismans with attack power buffs.

This is the build for Berserk fans or anyone looking to take down an invader or boss in one or two hits. A single jumping heavy attack is enough to bring a dragon to half health at the proper level. Potential invaders should tremble if they see you dual-wielding these colossal greatswords.

Royal Knight's Resolve is at the center of this build, which will boost your attack power immensely, and if you can duplicate this Ash of War for both of your greatswords, then it is game over for anyone in your way. Flame, Grant Me Strength, and Golden Vow will increase your attack strength and bolster defenses. A simple yet wildly effective build.

4. The Snow Witch - Int Build

One of Elden Ring’s most interesting characters is Ranni the witch, a powerful being at the story's center. In another build from Souls master FightinCowboy, this sorcery-centric build takes inspiration from Ranni and adds in some wickedly powerful spells. Given the incredible tracking spells at this build's disposal, the Snow Witch build will surely be the bane of anyone in Elden Ring’s PvP scene.

Stats:

Level 150

• Vigor - 40
• Mind - 36
• Endurance - 20 
• Strength - 12
• Dex - 18
• Int - 80
• Faith - 14
• Arc - 9
  

Weapons & Armor:

• Moonveil Katana
• Wing of Astel
• Carian Regal Scepter

Key Spells:

• Ranni’s Dark Moon
• Comet Azur
• Adula’s Moonblade
• Stars of Ruin
• Cannon of Hama

Talismans:

• Erdtree’s Favor
• Green Turtle Talisman
• Graven-Mass Talisman
• Prothesis-Wearer Heirloom

This might be the most OP build you can find in Elden Ring as far as magic builds go. The Snow Witch build contains the Moonveil Katana weapon and the Comet Azur spell. This combination is not even fair. 

Moonveil is a magic katana that has all the speed of a standard katana with the armor-breaking capabilities that come with magic. The Comet Azur spell is practically a Dragon Ball Z Kamehameha wave that obliterates any enemy in the game. With this build, magic users will surely have the upper hand in PvP while also clearing content like there is no tomorrow.

5. The Blood Dragon - Arcane Build

A build that looks as cool as it sounds. Arcane users look no further for a viable Elden Ring PvP build; the blood dragon is the one for you. This neat build comes from Fextralife and is a lower-level build than the rest of the list. Great for players who want to start PvP early.

Stats:

Level 50

• Vigor - 20
• Mind - 15
• Endurance - 17 
• Strength - 10
• Dex - 16
• Int - 13
• Faith - 17
• Arc - 33

Weapons & Armor:

• Dragon Communion Seal
• Bloody Scimitar x2

Key Spells:

• Dragonclaw
• Rotten Breath
• Bloody Slash Ash of War

Talismans:

• Blessed Dew Talisman
• Winged Sword Insignia
• Marika’s Scarseal

At only level 50, I love this build because it has plenty of room to grow. Personally, some additions I would add as players continue to level up are Placcidux’s Ruin, one of the best Dragon incantations in Elden Ring, and the Reduvia dagger, which is one of the best bleed build up weapons in the game.

What makes the Blood Dragon great for PvP are the status effects that players can inflict on their foes. The Rotten Breath dragon incantation causes a quick build-up of Scarlet Rot which is one of the most potent status effects in Elden Ring.

Final Thoughts on Elden Ring PvP Builds

These were just a handful of the amazing builds possible for Elden Ring PvP. One of this game’s greatest strengths is how much you can mix and match magic, weapons, armor, and stats to create a perfect build for your playstyle. New features and builds are constantly being discovered in this game, and new patches will rebalance many mechanics, ensuring that build diversity will likely remain high. 

With a rumored PvP arena DLC for Elden Ring on the way, fans of the FromSoftware game will likely have plenty to keep them returning to The Lands Between far into the future.

More in Gaming:

1. Elden Ring is Not Fast-Food Entertainment
2. How to End the Draft Combine in NBA 2K22
3. Go Fast When You Play the 5 Best Racing Games of All Time