As a passionate Elden Ring player with over 800 hours invested, I‘ve extensively tested builds centered around the Arcane attribute. After ample experimentation across both PvE and PvP, I‘ve crafted the supreme guide to building a proficient, hard-hitting Arcane character. Read on for bleeding-edge insights!
What Makes Arcane Builds So Powerful?
But first, let‘s examine why properly utilized Arcane builds are so lethal in Elden Ring. This attribute governs:
- Bleed Buildup: How quickly you fill enemy bleed meters to trigger hemorrhage
- Poison & Rot Buildup: Speed at applying deadly toxin effects
- Discovery: Improves odds of enemies dropping rare loot
- Resistances: Bolsters defense against status ailments
By heavily investing in Arcane, you amplify blood loss, poison, and your item discovery potential enormously. This allows weapons otherwise mediocre in base damage to become savage instruments of affliction.
Enemies succumb rapidly to gushing waves of sanguine punishment. Meanwhile, you locate precious upgrade materials more frequently. This facilitates strengthening your armory even further!
What Are The Core Principles?
Before detailing optimal stats, gear, and tactics, let‘s establish key principles for architecting a successful Arcane character:
Pressure With Blood Loss: Continuously assail enemies using blood infused attacks from weapons and spells. Prevent blood meters from draining. Swiftly trigger hemorrhage through sustained offense.
Vigor Is Vital: Robust health and physical defense ensures you can endure opponents long enough to activate blood procs. Don‘t skimp on Vigor.
Mind Over Matter: Ensure enough Mind to fuel weapon skills and blood spells. These tools are integral for augmenting blood loss. FP shortage severely dampens potential.
Now let‘s delve into finely tuning attributes, equipment, and upgrades…
Optimal Stats For An Arcane Build
Here are the ideal attribute targets:
| Attribute | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Vigor | 50-60 | Need ample health to withstand enemies until blood procs |
| Mind | 25-30 | Boosts FP to frequently cast spells and weapon skills |
| Endurance | 25-35 | Increased stamina for combos and evasion |
| Strength | 12-16 | Base reqs for desired melee weapons |
| Dexterity | 30-50 | Scales blood infused weapons alongside Arcane |
| Intelligence | 7-12 | Minor investment to use basic sorceries |
| Faith | 14-18 | Enables core dragon & bloodflame incants |
| Arcane | 70-80 | Maximize hemorrhage potential and bleed scaling |
I suggest starting as either Samurai or Prophet. Both provide excellent attributes and equipment to kickstart an Arcane playthrough.
In terms of progression, rush Vigor up to 40-50 early on. This keeps you alive while Arcane scales up. Next pour points into Mind and Arcane alongside your melee focus stat of Strength or Dexterity. Consider Endurance your 4th priority.
Best Talismans For Boosting Blood Loss Punishment
These accessories directly support the high Arcane approach:
| Talisman | Effect | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lord of Blood‘s Exultation | Raises attack power temporarily as blood loss occurs nearby | Excellent for stacking damage once hemorrhage is triggered |
| Clinging Bone | Gradually restores HP | Supplements health recovery; combats blood weapons‘ HP drain |
| Rotten Winged Sword Insignia | Successive attacks raise attack power | Rewards aggression; bolsters barrage attacks |
| Millicent‘s Prosthesis | Improves Dexterity scaling and attack power on successive hits | Again benefits multi-hit combos with blood weapons |
| Kindred of Rot‘s Exultation | Boosts attack power against poisoned or rotted enemies | Vulnerable targets take more damage |
I consider Lord of Blood‘s Exultation almost mandatory to capitalize on blood loss events. The others can be swapped to suit certain encounters or enemy types.
Essential Arcane Spells & Incantations
These bloodbound, dragon cult and fire spells add substantial hemorrhage potential:
| Spell | Effect | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Swarm of Flies | Summons bloodflies that rapidly cause blood loss | Spammable; high aggression highly pressures enemies |
| Bloodboon | Spews bloodflame in a wide arc for immense blood loss | Short cast & low FP cost; spammable |
| Dragon Communion Cult Spells | Breaths high damage dragonfire that lingers | Ekzykes‘s Decay (scarlet rot) and Agheel‘s Flame recommended |
| Bloodflame Blade | Temporarily ignites equipped weapons with bloodflame | Proactively enchant weapons to boost hemorrhage |
| Flame, Grant Me Strength | Significantly enhances fire attack power | Empowers bloodflame spells and weapons |
Swarm of Flies, Bloodboon and Bloodflame Blade should be actively maintained on your character as you engage adversaries. They bolster blood loss across your entire offense. Dragon Communion spells provide ranged pressure.
Top Weapons For Devastating Blood Proc Damage
These primal melee armaments scaled with Arcane unleash untold punishment once bleed procs:
Rivers of Blood
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Type | Katana |
| Skill | Corpse Piler |
| Effects | High damage & blood loss buildup |
| Pro | Long range skill decimates groups |
| Con | Less optimal in duels |
In my extensive testing, the Rivers of Blood katana emerges supreme as the leading weapon for Arcane builds. It combines lethal base damage with fearsome range and bloodletting capacity thanks to its windswept Corpse Piler skill.
Against mob groups or lesser foes, this weapon absolutely dominates through sheerfrontal offense. Quickstep or dodge incoming attacks while raining sanguine hell with Corpse Piler. I‘ve accrued over 50,000 runes in single Loyal Spirit ash summon bouts using this strategy. It shreds!
However in 1 on 1 duels, Rivers becomes more predictable. Skilled opponents will evade Corpse Piler and possibly parry your attacks. Use blood spells to apply pressure then punish over aggression.
Eleonora‘s Poleblade
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Type | Twinblade |
| Skill | Blood Blade Dance |
| Effects | Fire & blood loss buildup |
| Pro | Lengthy for range |
| Con | Slow recovery on skill |
For those favoring polearms, Eleonora‘s Poleblade proves savage choice. It boasts extended range thanks to its twinblade design and Blood Blade Dance skill. Activate this to perform an acrobatic combo that allows disengaging or repositioning mid-attack sequence.
Use running heavy attacks to close distance then proc Blood Blade Dance. The initial spin does heavy poise damage for a twinblade, so you can interrupt enemy actions. Eleonora‘s causes very high hemorrhage once the groove flows. It takes practice, but the payoff is gory glory.
Mohgwyn‘s Sacred Spear
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Type | Great Spear |
| Skill | Bloodboon Ritual |
| Effects | High damage & AOE hemorrhage |
| Pro | Destructive skill & combos |
| Con | Slow mobility during skill |
A personal favorite, the Mohgwyn‘s Sacred Spear‘s Bloodboon Ritual skill triggers a channeled sequence plummeting blood pikes into the earth for wide area carnage. It‘s FP intensive but against mobs or invading cooperators nothing compares.
The spear also naturally combos 3 hits on R1 and a lunging stab on R2. Mix delayed R1 sequences to catch opponents. Both Bloodboon Ritual and the basic moveset inflict heavy bleed. It‘s a versatile, high damage option available early that scales forever.
I suggest carrying a secondary armament to cover the spear‘s lackluster scaling. But alongside high Arcane, Mohgwyn‘s becomes an instrument of annihilation.
Bloody Helice
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Type | Thrusting Sword |
| Skill | Dynast‘s Finesse |
| Effects | Physical & magic damage |
| Pro | Fast moveset & S Arcane scaling |
| Con | Shorter range |
For those favoring lighter, quicker weapons, the Bloody Helice proves great choice. It combines graceful fencing sword flourishes with delayed thrust magic attacks from its blood soaked blades. Dexterity further amplifies the Helice‘s damage.
Buffing the Helice with scholar‘s armament sorcery adds magic damage as well. The flowing playstyle racks up blood loss quickly. Unleash the unique Dynast‘s Finesse skill to launch an acrobatic corkscrewing attack. This allows disengaging from the thick of melee when needed.
Supporting Arsenal & Gear for Victory
Besides your core melee options, arming yourself with supplemnetary equipment expands tactical options:
- Offhand Dagger – Bleed infused daggers like the Bandit‘s Knife allow swift hemorrhage combos
- Bow – Standard, short and serpent bows enable ranged poison & rot attacks
- Misericorde – Critical attacks cause colossal damage
- Madness Spells – Frenzy incants complement blood spells nicely
- Claws – Rapid strikes stack blood; pull them out when the bullets fly!
For armor, prioritize medium weight sets with strong elemental and status defenses. Enemies attacks often pack status effects – mitigate them. The Eccentric‘s armor from Enia boosts discovery nicely.
Mixing heavier pieces like the Brave‘s chest with lighter gloves, greaves and helms strikes an optimal balance of protection and maneuverability.
Flask Loadout
Since most Arcane weapons sap HP gradually, keep at least 3-4 Crimson Flasks equipped depending on Vigor investment. You can also add the Crimson Bubbletear or Kindred of Rot Exultation Tear to offset this further via restoration or bolstered attack.
For greater emphasis on weapon skills and spells, I suggest the infinite FP Cerulean Hidden Tear. Coupled with high Mind, this facilitates practically unlimited Corpse Piler and Bloodboon barrage attacks!
Talisman Pairings For Weapons
Based on your equipped armament, these are ideal pairings:
Rivers of Blood – Clinging Bone, Rotten Sword Insignia, Lord of Blood‘s Exultation + choice
Eleonora‘s Poleblade – Clinging Bone, Millicent‘s Prosthesis, Rotten Sword Insignia
Mohgwyn‘s Sacred Spear – Lord of Blood‘s Exultation, Rotten Sword Insignia, Kindred of Rot Exultation
Bloody Helice – Millicent‘s Prosthesis, Rotten Sword Insignia, Dagger Talisman
This provides effects that directly support combos, emphasize bloodletting, and sustain your offense. But don‘t hesitate to swap your 4th talisman to counter specific enemies.
Where To Upgrade Weapons & Spells
Now in terms of progressing equipment:
- Somber smithing stone mining locations in Altus Tunnel networks and Mohgwyn Palace offer ample stones to max unique weapons to +10
- Standard smithing stones up to +25 normal weapons are found everywhere above Leyndell – venture into Mountaintops and beyond
- Dragon hearts from Cathedral of Dragon Communion empower dragon incantations greatly
- Graven School and Graven Mass talisman boost all sorceries including bloodflame
- Golden Order Seal scales incantations with Arcane
Don‘t leave stones unturned – scour tunnels & catacombs thoroughly and even revisit old regions. And defeat dragon type enemies for hearts to enhance Ekzykes Decay and Agheel abilities. This significantly bolsters ranged pressure against annoying opponents.
Empower your whole repertoire whenever possible. Fully upgraded weapons, spells and the right talismans activate the build‘s complete destructive potential.
Now let‘s examine advanced tactics and synergies…
Advanced Combat Tactics & Strategy
With the build fully unleashed, leverage these advanced techniques:
Proc Rot Then Punish
Many enemies are naturally weak to rot buildup. This is caused by spells like Ekzykes Decay or items like rot grease. Swarm them with scarlet rot then push hard while their max HP rapidly depletes. The sapping damage softens them for your brutal hemorrhaging punishment!
Bloodflame Buffing
Proactively using Bloodboon Flame Bladesor Blood Grease keeps bloodflame constantly coating both melee weapons AND respective skills. This empowers the entire moveset to gush sanguine tides – don‘t wait to apply them reactively. Rotate buffs continuously.
Combo Chaining
Chaining weapon skill combos together rapidly fills blood meters for imminent detonation. For instance with Rivers of Blood:
Normal Attack > Corpse Piler > Normal Attack > Corpse Piler
The additional inputs between the devastating Corpse Piler massacres opponents before they can even react. Experiment with combo chains to unleash the Five Rivers that Flood the Great Bridge!
Parry & Riposte
Bait overly aggressive duelists in for parry and riposte critical attacks. These grant substantial damage and rapidly drain enemy blood meters. I prefer small shields and Misericorde dagger for this.
Time parries for the tail end of opponents lengthy combo strings then make them haemorrhage health! Savvy opponents may not always fall for this so use sparingly.
Variable Speed Attacks
Vary the timing between your consecutive attacks – don‘t just spam quick slashes predictably. Mix delayed swings, running attacks at odd angles and chained skills. This significantly improves hitting evasive enemies and catching players trying to parry your attack timing.
Throw your adversary‘s sense of range and tempo off with controlled unpredictability. Then let blood carnage fly!
Conquering PvP With ArcaneBuilds
While devastating against standard PvE enemies, Arcane builds unlock their peak potential facing other players. Let‘s review key tips:
- Equip taunter‘s tongue to enable 1v1 duels
- Spread blood loss across entire groups when outnumbered
- Pressure overly defensive opponents with spells & arrows
- Parry players overly reliant on Rivers of Blood
- Utilize terrain and mobs to your advantage
- Learn to counter popular builds like madness & frost
- Carry throwing knives to finish weak fleeing cowards!
The essential key is mastering both passive and aggressive approaches. Against timid challengers, attack relentlessly to apply blood, rot and frostbite. But counter heavy aggression with evasion, parrying and harassment tactics. Remain conscious of overextending and getting caught by backstabs or critical counters.
Adapt to each opponent‘s playstyle and punish inevitable mistakes with extreme prejudice! Accept nothing less than total domination!
Now go forth and let sanguine tides flow from all who oppose thee in seeking the coveted Crown of Blood Lord!
Conclusion
While challenging to master, Arcane builds offer some of the most unique and rewarding playstyles in Elden Ring once fully cultivated. My comprehensive guide above illuminates the path to unlocking untold afflictive punishment against all manner of foes.
Specializing in swift, ruthless hemorrhaging combos proves a thrilling experience and departure from common brute strength approaches. I hope these bleeding-edge insights serve you well. Now unleash rivers of glorious carnage!
Let me know which configurations prove most viable on your quest to become Elden Lord!
