Whether you are new to the “Souls Like” genre or you are already used to the playstyle, there is one thing for sure here. You will always love the Samurai Build. In nearly every sword-style game, you will find a Katana and Samurai Armor representing that elite mastery of melee combat. If you are one of those people who don’t know what to make in the game or want to get the most out of their Bleed Effect, as well as Katana, then we have here the Best Elden Ring Samurai Build Guide to help you out.
Samurai Build will require you to invest some Runes in the game. Here at MMOPixel.com, you can Buy Cheap Elden Ring Runes to help you with that.
We are mentioning the Samurai Build here for beginners, therefore the gear you will see here will be representing the start of the game. You can catch up with similar stuff later on in the game.
In this Build, your main weapon will be a Katana, but which one? Your main Katana is going to be an Uchigatana which is an incredible weapon.
For the ranged play, you will be using a Longbow, specifically one with the Dexterity Scaling of D.
We will be mentioning Talisman which goes great with Arrows and Katana Style.
The Melee Armaments should be the one with primary scaling on Dexterity and Strength. You can go with any of these, if not both.
Never jump straight in combat. This build is made for 1 on 1 combat, meaning it’s not ideal for multiple enemies at once. Just use the Longbow to lure a single enemy at a time and use your Katana to fight them in melee combat.
The first thing that you need guidance on is the class. It’s essentially your first step to becoming the best Samurai in the game. It is quite obvious that you are going to pick the Samurai Class for the Samurai Build in Elden Ring.
The first weapon you need to get with that class is the Uchigatana and both of these are going to be with you in this build till the end. For the Ranged attacks, you will be needing the Longbow. The Armor set is going to be the Land of Reeds. The details on why we picked them will be mentioned below.
In case you missed the Samurai Class in the beginning, then there is no need to worry because you can switch this build-up a bit later on. Uchigatana can be found in the Deathtouched Catacombs which are further found in the Limgrave Region’s Northside.
You can purchase the ranged weapon from the Twin Maiden Husks, who is a shopkeeper in the Round Table Hold.
The Samurai Class is referred to as the best class in the game because of how well it works for the early as well as the late game. You can basically take the route you like in the game with your attributes and weapons.
It also has exceptional dexterity, strength, and endurance, making it the perfect fit for all types of players. If you are also looking for the Samurai Build, picking this class, you will be starting off from Level 9.
There are different weapons you will start off with including the Uchigatana which is a Katana, different Arrows, Longbow, and that Red Thorn Roundshield.
You will also further gain access to the Land of Reeds (Armor), making the early game as easy as it can get. All in one, you can then upgrade stuff, and attributes, and change things around to make the Best Late Game Samurai Build in Elden Ring.
There are a ton of benefits for choosing Samurai Class in Elden Ring for this build. Some of them are;
This class is very versatile. You can have both the Katana and the Longbow, covering two playstyles out of three, that being the Melee and the Ranged.
This Class comes with exceptional Stats from the very beginning in contrast to other classes. It has nearly double Dexterity, Vigor, Strength, Mind, and Endurance stats.
The starting level here is 9, making the initial journey in the game much easier.
We mentioned quite a few things beforehand, which makes the stuff confusing for most beginner players. Here in this section of our Best Elden Ring Samurai Build Guide, we will be going into the details of the Best Gear and why we picked it.
You don’t have to stick with this equipment for the whole game. We are mentioning the starting point and you can basically carry this build to the late game based on what you like.
Try changing things a bit and check which works great for your own play style.
D Scaling on Strength and Dexterity
Requires 15 on Strength and Dexterity
Slash and Pierce Katana
Bleed Effect
Unsheathe Special Costs 10 to 15 FP
155 Physical Damage
100 Critical Damage
45 Physical Resistance
30 Magical, Fire, Lightning, and Holy Resistance
30 Guard Boost
So, Uchigatana is a Katana weapon in the game that is included in the few ones with exceptional usability for both beginners and the eng-game players. In the beginning few hours, you can essentially use the non-upgraded version without suffering from anything whatsoever.
Uchigatana has that Blood Loss passive effect that will put up the Hemorrhage statue on the foes, and you can call it the Bleed Effect as well. When you use the weapon repeatedly on the enemies or use its skills, the Bleed Effect will further increase, becoming more deadly.
When the Bleed Effect bar fills to the end, it will take a huge portion of the enemy's health in return. In the PvP scenario, it will create pressure on the battlefield. Having an aggressive style with this weapon is always rewarded in return.
Talking about its skill “Unsheathe”, it is one of the best Skills in the game, making this Samurai Build in Elden Ring extremely favorable for beginners. In two hands, you can use the Skill to create a Samurai Stance. Using light attacks after that will create a powerful slash, hitting enemies in front of you.
When using this weapon in a single hand, you can create an overhead slash that isn’t as effective as the dual hand slash but will mostly stagger the enemies, giving you a chance to go aggressive on the enemies.
When you have this weapon with you, try to put the points mainly in the Dexterity and the Strength section because of its D scaling for those. After that, you can choose only a single stat amongst these two to carry on for the Best Late Game Samurai Build in Elden Ring.
Furthermore, butter on top, you can also use the Ashes of War with this weapon to change its Affinity to whatever you like in the future. Pretty impressive!
In simple wording, if you have all the points on Strength, you can put the Heavy Affinity on this weapon. The D Scaling will be changed to A Scaling on this weapon for Strength, making its damage skyrocket.
It goes the same way for Dexterity, as you can change the Affinity from D Scaling on Dexterity to A Scaling, enhancing its speed. In our recommendation, your main priority should be to stick with speed and not damage.
The whole concept of Elden Ring Samurai Build Guide is to make a bleed effect on the enemies and let it take away their health mostly. It is your choice in the end what you like the most, either the speed or the damage.
E Scaling on Strength and D Scaling on Dexterity
Requires 9 Strength and 14 Dexterity
Might Shot Special requires 6 FP
80 Physical Damage
100 Critical Damage
50 RNG
Everyone knows that Longbow is one of the most solid Ranged Weapons in the game. Due to its D Scaling on Dexterity, every early gamer can simply pick it up from enemies and use it in combat.
The Mighty Shot Special Skill also works flawlessly with the Ash of War and requires only a few FP points. In return, you can deal a ton of damage to the enemies from a distance.
The only issue with Ranged weapons like bows is their ammunition. But, here with the LongBow, you are using the regular arrows which are quite effortlessly found in the game if you have Runes.
Kale - Merchant in the Church of Elleh is selling those at the beginning of the game and that cost 20 runes for each unit. Yes, we know that they aren’t quite affordable, especially for the players who just got started, but with some experience in your hands, they will turn out to be easy.
In case you want to do things your style and get ammunition while you are traveling, you can simply craft Bone Arrows in Elden Ring. The only thing you will need to do so is the Deserter’s Cookbook.
You can invest 150 Runes and purchase this Cookbook in the game. Furthermore, you need to find the Thin Animal Bones to make the Bone Arrows in the game through the Crafting Menu.
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17.8 Physical Defense
19.1 Strike and Pierce Defense
24 Slash Defense
20.4 Magic Defense
22.6 Fire Defense
23.6 Lightning Defense
21.7 Holy Defense
143 Immunity
120 Robustness
98 Focus
130 Vitality
34 Poise
All the other things we mentioned in our Best Elden Ring Samurai Build Guide are quite important. But, when it comes to the Armor, it isn’t a vital part of this build. It’s all about aesthetics at this point and there is nothing that looks cooler than Land of Reeds.
Whether you are making this build for beginners or the Best Late Game Samurai Build, you will be always wearing the same outfit here. On top of these things, it also does provide you with a decent amount of defense and it’s really light to carry around.
Your best bet would be to stick with a Medium to Light Load to Fast Roll in the game. It will allow you to dodge effectively. You can further add some points to Endurance in order to enhance its gear weight.
If you aren’t so confident with the dodging, you can simply utilize the Defense of Samurai Armor or you can start using your sword to shield yourself from enemy attacks.
On the other hand, if you are feeling confident in your dodging skills, you can take the armor set off and become the best dodger in the game with your rolling skills. When you remove the armor, you are essentially at the maximum agility in the game with the best dodge distance and speed. But enemies will take you down with a single shot.
When it comes to Taliman, it greatly depends on your own choice. If you are asking us, then our recommendation would be to stick with the following;
Arrow’s Reach Talisman - It will enhance the Ranged Weapon Shot distance and you can hit the enemies from quite far off. With this, you can stay at a distance and snipe enemies from there, either to aggro them or take them down from that range.
Axe Talisman - It will enhance the Charged Attack power in the Elden Ring. You are always going to charge with your Uchigatana, which means it will now have better reach and a powerful two-hand attack. With all of this, you will have greater chances of staggering the enemies in the game as well.
Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Talisman - It is the best pick for the Samurai Playstyle where you are constantly hitting the enemies to build Bleed Effect on them.
Assassin’s Crimson Dagger - When you deal critical damage while wearing this Talisman, you will restore some health back. With the build, there is always one thing short, which is health. After using the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger you can fill in that spot easily.
From all the Gear we mentioned above, it is definitely clear that Samurai Build is best with either the Strength or the Dexterity Stat in the game. It is your choice which one is better for the occasion, either the damage or the speed. In our recommendation Speed would be a better pick because of the Bleed Status.
Initially, in the early game, you can pump both of those together for a balanced build, but after you reach the Mid Game, there should be only one choice here. If you don’t know which one to pick, just go with Dexterity.
Both the Longbow and the Uchigatana require some FP from your character in the game. This FP cost will increase for Best Late Game Samurai Build in Elden Ring. Therefore, you should focus on the FP Stats in the game as well.
The “Unsheathe '' skill from Uchigatana will be needing more FP out of your build than the LongBow special skill, so that’s something to keep in mind here as well.
After you focus on either the Dexterity or the Strength, you should be investing some points in the Mind Attribute here in Elden Ring. It will increase the FP meter, giving you more special skill use, which you will be doing more in the Samurai Build. Butter on top, you will also be using more Ash of War with more FP.
In case you don’t want to go with Mind or you somehow missed it completely, you can just get the Flask of Cerulean Tears, taking back some of the Healing Flasks in return.
If that’s the case, you can just start pumping points on Vigor here. It will enhance your Health in the game. In our recommendation, Vigor is an attribute that every build will be needed in the game irrespective of being a defensive build or an attacker build.
You will be Two Handing the weapons here in Elden Ring Samurai Build, which means, you will be much more open to getting hit by enemies. If you haven’t put any points in Vigor, it will only take you two to three hits maximum.
Make sure you train your dodging skills in the game as well because even if you have Vigor by your side, you won’t be able to tank many hits from powerful enemies. That’s all the details on Stats here.
Finally, we are at the end of this spectacular build and it all falls on how you are playing with this particular build in the game. In the first few hours of the game, you will be quite squishy, meaning you will be easy to kill.
In that case, you can just read on with the strategies we have here for you in our Best Elden Ring Samurai Build Guide.
Don’t be the foolish one to jump into combat first without thinking straight or counting the number of enemies that are there. Samurai don't have that much health nor an AOE attack ability that makes you squishy, especially in a group of multiple enemies. In that case, just take the enemies one by one with your Long Bow and keep your distance from them always.
In case you are fighting a weak enemy, just use the Mighty Shot from your Long Bow to finish them off. This Special Skill is quite powerful and can take down enemies from a distance. In case you can’t take them down with it, just use a second one.
After you use the LongBow, it is time to take that beautiful Katana out. When the enemies are closer to you, use the Melee Weapon to attack enemies, not the LongBow. If you are not used to Uchigatana, just learn from the beginning by using it mostly.
The best thing about Uchigatana is its amazing reach and powerful attacks. It will give you versatility and you can also stagger enemies with it. This is where your main play style is going to be, staggering and hitting them as much as you can.
If you want to have the Unsheathe Special Skill from early on, just use the Katana with your two hands instead of one. You will get more damage from the enemies and that’s where you will have to dodge.
Make sure your key binds are in such a way that when you use the Katana Special Skill, the Ash of War will be used with that together. Keep the Ash of War in your one hand, while Katana is in your other hand.
Samurai Build in Elden Ring is one of the best builds you can actually make. It is a combination of Best Class along with the Best Ranged and Melee Weapon altogether, making it a versatile package for both beginners and late gamers. Here’s the Best Elden Ring Samurai Build Guide to help you make the most out of your Samurai. Don’t forget to Buy Cheap Elden Ring Runes and Items when you need them the most.