In Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, besides providing players with a new area, some new bosses, and some new armor, some ranged weapons have been added, including bows, crossbows, and Repeating Crossbow, which allow you to defeat enemies without getting in close contact in combat.

Among the new ranged weapons in DLC, there are bows with high damage and great scaling, and some of them can fire multiple arrows after a single reload. In addition, there are some Talismans that are more effective when used with some of them. Here are the new ranged weapons added to Shadow of the Erdtree.

Repeating Crossbow

• Status Requirements: 13 Strength & 15 Dexterity
• Max Damage (+10): 259 For Physical

Repeating Crossbow does exactly what it says, firing multiple arrows in rapid succession when using Repeating Fire skill, which means it can deal continuous damage to enemies.

Like the other Crossbows in Elden Ring, it doesn’t follow any of your stats, but if you feed it enough Somber Smith Stone, it can go from a backup weapon to your major weapon.

Want to know where this powerful weapon is? You need to go to Site of Grace south of Moorth Highway and then walk north. Here you can find Repeating Crossbow next to Ghostflame Dragon and some Elden Ring Runes.

Igon’s Greatbow

• Status Requirements: 23 Strength & 16 Dexterity
• Max Scaling (+25): C Strength & E Dexterity
• Max Damage (+10): 294 For Physical

If you want to use your Strength build to fight the enemy, Igon’s Greatbow will be your best choice. Not only because of its excellent scaling and high base damage but also because it has Igon’s Drake Hunt, a wonderful skill in the game.

In this weapon, because it is an advanced version of Through and Through, you can twist the bowstring to increase its power. In addition, you can also match it with Igon’s Harpoons to get the maximum damage to the enemy.

Unlike Repeating Crossbow, Igon’s Greatbow only needs Smith Stones to upgrade, so the upgrade conditions of this weapon are simpler.

Since it is Igon’s Greatbow, you must summon Igon. However, you don’t summon it to fight it, but to let it help you defeat Bayle The Dread, a dragon entrenched in Jagged Peak. After you win, Igon will leave its bow and armor to you.

Spread Crossbow

• Status Requirements: 11 Strength & 17 Dexterity
• Max Damage (+25): 272 For Physical

Spread Crossbow provides you with the easiest way to counter the various status effects generated by the boss. This is because the most basic attack of Tarnished is to fire multiple arrows at once, and can make the boss suffer sleep or blood loss effects depending on the type of arrows.

Its skill, Kick is not surprising, but fortunately its upgrade material is also Smith Stones that can be found everywhere, which can make it slightly more useful. However, you still need to be careful that you need to have enough arrows equipped, because Spread Crossbow will consume arrows very quickly.

Spread Crossbow is guarded by Messmer Soldiers on the right side of Ellac Greatbridge. You need to cross the bridge (or river) and defeat them to obtain this weapon.

Ansbach’s Longbow

• Status Requirements: 9 Strength & 43 Dexterity
• Max Scaling (+10): D Strength & D Dexterity
• Max Damage (+10): 181 For Physical

Thanks to its ability, Fan Shot, Ansbach’s Longbow is one of the best Longbows in the game. It can fire 8 arrows at once, and with some stats, even the biggest bosses will be affected by bleeding or rot.

Although it may seem that this weapon requires very little Strength, don’t forget that you need to reach 43 Dexterity to use it. Check your Dexterity now!

Like Repeating Crossbow, as long as you use enough Somber Smith Stones, you can get a better chance of winning in battle.

Before you can get Ansbach’s Longbow, you need to make sure you have completed Ansbach’s quest in Shadow Keep. Completion here means that it is possible to kill him directly or help him fight invaders.

Bone Bow

• Status Requirements: 8 Strength & 11 Dexterity
• Max Scaling (+10): D Strength & D Dexterity
• Max Damage (+10): 161 For Physical

Although Bone Bow is not as outstanding in terms of damage compared to other weapons, it can stand out in Light Bow category with its own skill Rancor Shot. Light Bow allows players to fire a series of energy-infused arrows and is difficult to miss. In addition, its long range and lightweight are also plus points for it.

Somber Smith Stones mentioned above are also its upgrade materials. Remember to pick up more Somber Smith Stones during the exploration process.

The location of Bone Bow is in Belurat Tower Settlement you will see when you first enter DLC, or more specifically, in a tower with a broken spiral staircase. The process of taking it is not smooth sailing, but don’t worry, Spider-Scorpions inside are no match for you.

Hopefully, these ranged weapons will play an important role in your battles. Have fun playing Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree and exploring more stories!

Thiollier is a key NPC in Elden Ring, and he has an important questline that runs throughout Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Here, we’ll cover the entire Thiollier Questline and the many unique rewards that can be obtained along the way. Let’s get straight into it!

Finding Thiollier

The first thing we need to do is find Thiollier. From Gravesite Plain Sites of Grace, we’ll move northeast, across Ellac Greatbridge, and to Castle Front.

We can then move southeast along the main path, which will eventually branch off into a side path that will take us to Pillar Path Cross. We can find Thiollier nearby.

After speaking all of Thiollier’s dialogue, we’ll be able to obtain poison-related items from him.

Obtaining Thiollier’s Concoction

Next, we can head to Main Gate Cross, where we’re going to talk to another NPC, Moore. If we choose “Talk to Moore” option, he should give us Black Syrup Key Item.

Then, on the way back to Thiollier, we can choose “Give Black Syrup”, then “Ask about Black Syrup”, and finally “I’m weary of life”. This will give us Thiollier’s Concoction. Of course, we can also get more of this consumable from Thiollier for 30,000 Elden Ring Runes each. However, I only know of one legitimate use for it.

At some point during Dragon Communion Priestess Quest, before fighting Bayle, it is possible to give Thiollier’s Concoction to her in order to use her as Spirit Summons after defeating Bayle, instead of her Priestess Heart and Flowerstone Gavel weapon. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this myself yet.

Talking To Needle Knight Leda

Anyway, to progress further on Thiollier’s quest, we need to approach Shadow Keep and talk to Thiollier. He should say that Miquella’s charm for him is gone, and that he is haunted by the memory of St. Trina.

If we want, we can do something completely optional. We can go to Highroad Cross Site of Grace and talk to Needle Knight Leda. She will ask for our help in finding those who betrayed Miquella. We should be able to advise Thiollier, but we don’t actually have to.

From my testing, doing so will not prevent us from completing Thiollier’s quest, but if we want to play it safe, we can just not make any suggestions or talk to her at all.

Instead, to advance Thiollier’s quest line, all we have to do is rest twice at Site of Grace. After doing that, we can talk to Thiollier again and he will tell us that he is heading south.

Get Southern Shore Map

Next, we need to head south to Cerulean Coast, which is located in Southern Shore region. Let’s move on to how to get the corresponding map for the region.

We will start at Castle Front Site of Grace and move southeast, this time along the east side of the main road. Behind a few Soldiers of Messmer, there is a series of steep but climbable descents that lead to Ellac River.

Once down the hill, we can enter a cave system to the south, near an enormous pink Miranda Flower. We will then head southwest through the caves, free to explore along the way.

We can pick up a Revered Spirit Ash before discovering Ellac River Cave Site of Grace. From there, we will continue south through the cave system.

Note that there are several platforming sections here that need to be handled with caution to avoid death from fall damage. Another enormous threat is the lines of Gravebirds along the way.

Despite the dangers, we should eventually reach Ellac River Downstream Site of Grace. From here, it’s a little further south to exit this cave.

That being said, we still need to continue moving south, passing a few Lightning Sheep and a Furnace Golem. We can then turn west and walk through a forest to reach Cerulean Coast. We still need to continue moving south to find a map of this area.

Be careful of Ghostflame Dragon here, though, which will swoop down near the center of the field. It’s much more powerful than the one found in Gravesite Plains. Not far from the dragon, we’ll find Southern Shore Map, and further ahead, one of Miquella’s Crosses, as well as Cerulean Coast Cross Site of Grace.

Heading To Stone Coffin Fissure

From here, we’ll continue moving south. Near the southern end of this area, we’ll find a large fissure with a series of drop-offs that will require careful climbing to reach the bottom and discover Site of Grace.

Next, we’ll head south from Stone Coffin Fissure Site of Grace and head into the lower reaches of this area. There’s a loose rock here that will break off when we step on it, and we’ll somehow land safely on the ground below.

Before descending further, we can move northwest from Fissure Cross and descend into a secluded area. Watch out for falling putrescent oozes. We can then move a short distance east to find Velvet Sword of St. Trina.

We can then return to the last Grace and begin our descent in earnest. This time, we’ll head north, making our way from coffin to coffin.

There are a few Gravebirds guarding the path here, as well as a nasty Lookout Stone enemy that periodically fires lasers with pinpoint accuracy. If you want to play it safe, just take your time through this section, dealing with Lookout Stones as you go.

Eventually, we should reach Fissure Waypoint Site of Grace. From here, we’ll move northeast and jump onto a natural stone path. There’s a Shade form of a Lionel Misbegotten up ahead, so we might want to deal with Skeleton Warriors before moving on.

Anyway, Lionel Misbegotten shade drops a Multilayered Ring of Light incantation when defeated, and from there it’s a short distance southeast to reach Fissure Depths Site of Grace.

Defeat Putrescent Knight Boss

Next, we’ll head southwest along Coffin and jump off the end to reach the boss chamber. Note that there’s a summon sign for Thiollier near where we land, so be prepared for a fight.

Putrescent Knight Boss isn’t particularly powerful, but it’s also capable of dealing a lot of damage quickly. One of its blue flame moves is particularly dangerous, but can be avoided if timed correctly. After we’ve won, we’ll gain Remembrance of Putrescence, and Garden of Deep Purple Site of Grace will appear nearby.

Main Quest

Next, we can rest for a while at Site of Grace, then head west along the tunnel. We should find Thiollier talking to himself, and we can pick up St. Trina Disciple’s Cookbook [3] nearby.

We’ll need to talk to Thiollier a few more times until he doesn’t have anything new to say. Next, we’ll need to return to Site of Grace and rest there a total of three times. Once we’ve done that, we can return to Thiollier, who will once again be talking to himself. We can talk to him again, but he won’t have much to say.

For the next part, we will die a few times. We need to approach St. Trina and Imbibe Nectar, which will lead to our death. Then we need to repeat this step, Imbibe Nectar 4 times in total.

After the fourth Imbibe Nectar, a new event should be triggered, and we can then be resurrected at Site of Grace. We can then go and talk to Thiollier once more and convey the words of St. Trina. He will tell us to stop, but despite this, we should try to do it again.

After talking to Thiollier until his dialogue runs out, we can return to Site of Grace and rest there. Trying to return to St. Trina will trigger another battle, which is fairly easy. After we win, we will obtain St. Trina’s Smile Talisman, which increases attack power when sleep is triggered nearby.

If we return to the cave and talk to Thiollier, he will ask us a question, but we can’t answer it yet. Instead, we need to Imbibe Nectar 2 more times from St. Trina, or until she has nothing new to say.

Then we can return to Thiollier and deliver St. Trina’s last words, talking to him until there is no new dialogue. If we go to Site of Grace to rest and return to Thiollier, he will not do much except sighing when talking to him.

The last steps of Thiollier Questline take place at the same time as the last part of the major story of DLC. We need to reach a place called Enir-Ilim. Reaching this location requires defeating the ultimate boss in Shadow Keep, as well as the last boss in Ancient Ruins of Rauh area. After that, burn Sealing Tree in Church of the Bud, which will bring us to Enir-Ilim.

Given that the end of this questline is completed after defeating the last boss of DLC, which is extremely difficult, I recommend exploring Shadow Realm and collecting as many Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes as possible before continuing.

Summon Thiollier For Final Boss Fight

If you have completed all the steps in this guide, you should be able to summon Thiollier to assist you in the next boss fight. This is the second to last boss fight, and there are many rewards for completing it.

Heading to Divine Gate Front Staircase, and following the stairs up, we will find a summoning sign for Thiollier, as well as a summoning sign for Ansbach, assuming we have not betrayed him at any point.

I am not sure if summoning Thiollier is necessary to complete his quest, but I did summon him for the fight. If you want to take the risk and not summon him for the fight to see if you can still complete the quest, then that is your choice.

As mentioned before, the ultimate boss is very difficult. For myself, I am level 225, using Heavy Armor and Fingerprint Shield to block his worst attacks, as well as top-level Talismans, focusing on improving my defense, stamina regen, and casting speed.

Even so, it took me a few hours to finally defeat both Promised Consort Radahn and Radahn Consort of Miquella. If anyone has found a strategy that works particularly well against Radahn, I’m sure many others would be very grateful to you for sharing it.

Rewards

Anyway, once the last boss is defeated, we can move on to touching the memories left behind. We can find Thiollier’s body near the entrance to the arena and pick up Thiollier’s Hidden Needle Weapon and his Armor set.

Finally, we can return to St. Trina near Garden of Deep Purple and pick up Legendary St. Trina’s Blossom Head Armor, which will slightly increase your max FP. It also emits a faint glow, so that’s great.

That’s it for my complete guide for this Thiollier Questline. Have a great day!

The arrival of Shadow of The Erdtree DLC has dropped a lot of new gear, especially some Samurai-related weapons. If you enjoy destroying anything with wild swings and inflicting bleeding on your enemies, then this Raging Rakshasa Samurai Build is definitely what you are looking for.

In this guide, we will cover the play style of this build, what gear to use, the best amulets, useful gameplay tips, and more. So that eventually you will master the enormous power of the newest weapons in DLC and delete everything that stands in your way.

Gameplay

Raging Rakshasa relies heavily on the power of Rakshasa’s Great Katana, hence the name. Swinging this Great Katana violently is able to deal a lot of raw damage and apply additional bleeding effects, making it even more deadly.

In addition, when making said swings, players will also gain a huge Hyper-armor to focus more on destroying enemies, especially bosses.

Raging Rakshasa also has high Strength and Dexterity, and a little Faith Stat that grants attack and defense boosting buffs. Its overall gameplay is simple but very effective.

Weapons

Now that the basic gameplay is out of the way, let’s move on to the gear you need to complete Raging Rakshasa.

Main Weapon: Rakshasa’s Great Katana

Let’s start with the major weapon of the build, which is Rakshasa’s Great Katana, one of the newest weapons added in DLC. This Great Katana requires 12 Strength, 27 Dexterity, and no Arcane Scaling, which is really weird in my opinion, and it’s D scaling for Strength and B for Dexterity.

Not only does Rakshasa’s Great Katana look really exceptional, but it also offers a devastating skill, Weed Cutter. This skill cuts the target horizontally and removes it like a weed, so its name matches its ability. As long as they have Stamina, the user can extend the use time of Weed Cutter, and it only costs 8 FP per use, which is crazy.

This skill hits like a truck every time it swings, and since it has an additional bleed effect on top of the original damage, you’ll be dealing a ton of damage in a matter of seconds.

Additionally, the user will gain Hyper-armor in the middle of the animation, allowing them to defend against or face normal attacks.

While it sounds OP, it has its downsides. While having Hyper-armor is good, the user will also take more damage in the process. And I think the animation of Weed Cutter is very slow, and if you don’t use it correctly, you’ll be vulnerable.

Secondary Weapon: Finger Seal

Moving on to the secondary weapon for this build, I recommend using Finger Seal. While any Seal will work, Finger Seal is the easiest one for us to get. And by equipping Seal, we can get the buff later.

Finger Seal is the starting equipment for Confessor and Prophet classes. If you don’t choose either of these classes, you can also choose to get it directly from Twin Maiden Husks for 800 Elden Ring Runes.

Spells

With the weapons out of the way, let’s move on to the suggested spells.

Flame Grant Me Strength

I mentioned that we’ll be getting buffs when using this build, so the first one on the list is Flame Grant me Strength, which provides an additional 20% Physical Attack Boost and Stamina Recovery Buff.

Golden Vow

The second buff on the list is, of course, Golden Vow. This buff increases overall damage by 15% and adds 10% Damage Negation, which is very helpful for us to offset the negative effects of Weed Cutter.

Related: The Best Route To Quickly Complete Ymir And Jolan Questline In Elden Ring!

Talismans

Next, let’s get to the best Talismans for this build.

Shard of Alexander

The first Talisman on the list is our major hit, Shard of Alexander, which increases skill damage by 15%, especially when performing Weed Cutter. So be sure to slot this one.

Lord Of Blood’s Exultation

Since we deal with Bleed procs a lot with this build, I recommend slotting Lord of Blood’s Exultation. This Talisman will provide another 20% attack damage if blood loss procs occur near the user, which happens all the time when using this build.

Two-Headed Turtle Talisman

Next on the list is Two-Headed Turtle Talisman, which greatly increases Stamina Recovery. This is an upgrade from Green Turtle Talisman, and it will become the main Talisman I use in my build.

My gameplay and strategy always revolves around super aggressive gameplay and strategy, so most of the time, I’m completely running out of stamina. Therefore, the faster my stamina recovers, the more damage I can do to the enemy. What’s more, there are a lot of times you’ll find yourself with no stamina, especially after using Weed Cutter skill.

Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman

For the next Talisman, I recommend slotting Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman for an extra 20% Physical Damage Negation. There’s a good chance you’ll be taking a ton of damage, especially when using Weed Cutter skill, so the damage reduction this Talisman provides will greatly help you survive. Not to mention that almost every enemy in DLC can take 1 or 2 shots and die, so you need this talisman.

Stats

Let’s move on to the stats for Raging Rakshasa.

Starting with Vigor, 50 points have been assigned to it. Since I’m used to Glass Cannon Builds, I rarely assign a lot of points to Vigor, however, since this build is more likely to go head-to-head with enemies, I think 50 points are best.

If you’re really good at the game, you can lower it. But if you’re still tuning in, make sure to assign 50 points, otherwise you’ll have trouble resisting the impact of all the enemies in DLC.

Next up is Mind, which has 25 points assigned to it. You can at least bump it up to 20 if you want and add it to your other stats since this build doesn’t require that much FP and Weed Cutter is very cheap to use.

Talking about Endurance next, we have allocated 30 points to it since the intended gameplay for this build is super aggressive. You will be facing off against bosses most of the time and will continue to use Weed Cutter skill, so I feel 30 points is enough for now. Of course, Endurance being an offensive stat, the more you have, the more damage you will be able to do.

In addition, you will also want to have at least 50 Strength and 79 Dexterity so that you can match up well with Rakshasa’s Great Katana. These two are the key attributes of this build, so pay attention to them. 

Next is Faith. We allocated 25 points so that you can use the aforementioned Golden Vow and Flame Grant me Strength.

Finally, since we don’t need Intelligence and Arcane, no points were allocated to them, they remain at 10 points.

How To Optimize This Build?

Now that stats are out of the way, let’s move on to Raging Rakshasa’s gameplay and optimization tips.

Prepare Wakizashi

The first tip I have for you is to prepare Wakizashi and fuse it with Ash of War: Golden Vow. Now, this tip is only for when you don’t want to invest up to 25 points into Faith.

While it’s relatively weak, with it you can still increase your damage by 11.5% and increase damage negation by 7.5% across the board. Of course, feel free to use any dagger, I just used Wakizashi to match the theme of the build.

Improve Your Opener

Secondly, optimizing your opener is also crucial. When the fight starts, I usually use Flask of Wondrous Physick first to make my continuous attacks more powerful. And, to get more damage negation, I will choose to cast Golden Vow to deal more damage and damage reduction. Finally, pop Flame Grant me Strength for more attack boosts, then rush the boss and start executing Weed Cutter skill.

Use Weed Cutter Wisely

The third tip is to manage Weed Cutter skill wisely. You can still die if you use this skill carelessly, so use it intentionally and leave time to use the skill.

Gear Up Properly

For the last tip, if you are playing well and don’t need damage reduction, you can swap out Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman for something like Rotten Winged Sword Insignia to get more damage.

You can also remove Opaline Hardtear and choose something like Strength-knot Crystal Tear, or get more stamina regeneration by equipping Greenburst Crystal Tear.

That’s all about Raging Rakshasa Samurai Build. More top builds are coming soon as more new gear emerges. Try to choose the one you like best and start your adventure!

Do you feel like you’re a complete mess in Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree DLC? You keep dying, you don’t see any progress, and it feels like you’re stuck in an endless loop. Don’t worry, we have some tips that will help you conquer those brutal bosses and greatly improve your Elden Ring experience. So buckle up, grab your controller, and let’s dive into the chaos together.

Why Should You Learn About It?

I’ve seen many people who have tried this game say that their controllers didn’t respond when they tried to dodge attacks, and they died again and again, which was really frustrating. Of course, if they really don’t understand how Dodge mechanic works, they can also come to this conclusion because the game doesn’t really explain this step, but leaves it up to you to discover it.

In fact, the main reason why you encounter these problems is that you simply don’t understand the combat system, especially Dodge mechanic. Once you master it, you’ll be dodging attacks like a pro and turning those frustrating deaths into glorious victories.

Let’s break down how to master Dodge Rolls and finally make some actual progress in Elden Ring.

How Dodge Mechanic Works?

First, one solution is to play defensively and use a shield. A shield will block all attacks, but you will still take some damage, and it will cost you a lot of stamina, which means you have to invest a lot of Elden Ring Runes in upgrading your stamina.

If you want to play in any other way, in any other classes, then you have to learn the most used mechanic in the entire game, Dodge mechanic.

Let’s first familiarize yourself with how Dodge mechanic works. When you press Dodge button, you move backwards. Please note that this is a small step and is not an effective way to avoid damage.

However, if you press Dodge button while pressing the button to move in any direction, your character will start rolling on the ground in that direction, avoiding damage. This triggers an iframe or a second invincibility state.

Now the problem is that I haven’t seen anyone else explain how this mechanic actually works. This is probably because most people find it intuitive and natural to do so.

When you dodge, you are supposed to be invincible and you shouldn’t take any damage, or at least you think it should be that way. But you usually get hit again and again. This is because when you dodge, the character does a specific animation where it rolls on the ground and backs up. In that animation, the moment of invincibility is in the middle of it.

When you dodge rolls, you will see an animation where your character jumps up on the ground during the first and last phases of the animation. At this point, you are not invincible, so you will definitely get hit in those seconds.

That’s why you will hear everyone saying that you have to learn the boss’s moves so that you can press Dodge button one second before the boss starts to attack you. When he swings his weapon, your Dodge animation should happen exactly when the attack should hit you.

Note that the animation should happen in the middle of that second for you to become invincible, one second earlier or later, and you will get hit.

Players who understand this mechanic and learn how to read and remember the boss’s moves can easily win the game, and in some cases, they are so good at it that they can go the entire game without getting hit once.

Other Factors Affecting Dodge Rolls

There are some other factors that affect Dodge Rolls, and that is the weight of your character. If you have heavy armor and weapons equipped, your weight will increase, making you heavier, so your Dodge Rolls will be slower. The lighter you are, the faster your Dodge Rolls will be.

You can find this stat in the character menu, increase Endurance points until you can sustain a certain weight capacity. This is why you often see a lot of players playing naked, because taking off the armor makes them lighter and faster.

Another thing that can affect your Dodge Rolls and the combat itself is the attack animation. For example, if you swing your sword, the swing will also have an animation, and if you press Dodge button in the middle of the swing, you will not dodge until you complete the attack animation.

This is why a lot of players, even excellent players, if they get hit, others will say that they were too greedy and attacked too many times before dodging.

So the key to mastering this mechanic is that you have to be familiar with and read the enemy’s movements in order to stop your attack in time so you can dodge.

Watch Out For Delayed Attacks

Some enemies are designed to intentionally delay attacks and trick you into pressing Dodge Rolls button too early. So keep an eye out for those movements. Don’t get frustrated every time you die, but instead stay calm and learn from every encounter. The sooner you start paying attention to his body movements, the sooner you’ll get used to his attacks and defeat him with ease.

Now there are a lot of things that could be added to the mechanic, but if you can understand this as a new player, you’ll have a good chance of making progress throughout the game. Don’t get me wrong, the difficulty of these games is no joke. You’ll need patience and perseverance, but once you get the hang of it, the sense of accomplishment is unmatched.

There are over 10 new bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree DLC, but they are often hidden deep in Realm of Shadow and can be missed if you're not careful. Some of them are so hidden that you need your Tarnished to solve puzzles. There are supreme bosses and optional bosses, but the optional bosses are the easiest to miss.

These mysterious bosses usually have their own exclusive dungeons, and the paths to these dungeons are also very secret. This guide will introduce two representative bosses - Bayle The Dread and Putrescent Knight. These two bosses are located close to each other.

Let's start with the easiest one!

Bayle The Dread

Bayle The Dread is technically the first optional boss you encounter in new DLC, but it's also one of the hardest bosses to defeat. But fortunately, his location is very easy to find, so we'll start with him. If you want to find him, you need to enter Jagged Peaks region in the southeast of the map.

If you haven't explored anywhere in DLC yet, you can follow the steps below to get here. First, you need to go to Ellac Greatbridge in the north of Gravesite Plains. After crossing this bridge, you will reach one of the most important locations in DLC - Castle Ensis. In addition, you will find Castle Front Site of Grace.

From here, you need to go up the southeast fork, and eventually you will reach Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace on the top of the mountain. Finally, in the south of this plateau, you will find a hidden dungeon - Dragon's Pit. In it, you can defeat Ancient Dragon-Man and obtain many Elden Ring Runes and Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana.

After completing this battle, you need to continue forward and you will find Castle Front Site of Grace. At this time, you have entered the southern map. In the jagged rock area where the dragon spawns in the pool, there are two paths for you to choose - one leads to Grand Altar of Dragon Communion. The other leads to Jagged Peak. If you still want to fight Bayle, you need to take the left path.

Following this path, you will not only bypass the mountain but also jump over the dragon in front and directly reach Bayle's arena. As I just said, Bayle is very difficult to deal with. Although he is also the easiest to find, you can still choose to find him last and fight him when you are better equipped.

Putrescent Knight

Putrescent Knight is located on the southernmost part of the map, on Cerulean Coast. If you have already explored Dragon's Pit mentioned above, you can access Cerulean Coast more easily.

From Dragon's Pit Terminus Site of Grace, follow the pool of water where the drake field boss appears to the right (south) to find Grand Altar of Dragon Communion. There is a very large dead dragon here, and you can't go wrong.

After crossing the dead dragon, you will find an area called Charo, which is a hidden tomb, which can be identified by the unique red leaves here. From this area, you can use Torrent to descend directly to Cerulean Coast mentioned above.

Once you reach Cerulean Coast, you still need to continue to walk south until you see a land bridge leading to an enormous crater. Here you need Torrent, and carefully jump down from the hole to minimize the threat of falling. Finally, you will reach Stone Coffin Fissure underground. At this time, you need to get out of the car and walk to it.

Stone Coffin Fissure is a very difficult dungeon because there is a group of stone creatures that will attack you with beams. You need to pass quickly through this dungeon while dodging the beams they emit. Here is a tip for you: stand directly under them to keep you safe.

After passing the last barrier, there is a Site of Grace where you can take a breath. After resting, continue forward until you enter the end of Fissure Depths Site of Grace. You need to be mentally prepared - because the next is a very difficult boss station.

On the huge stone coffin, you need to touch two objects to enter Putrescent Knight's arena - the statue head at the front hanging over the gigantic pit and the curved horns of the statue.

This strange boss will jump directly from the horse to attack you, and the horse that looks like it has melted will also attack you. So you need to be prepared to defend from two different angles. If you are not prepared in DLC, this will be a tough battle, but fortunately, the rewards are relatively rich.

Putrescent Knight is actually very important in your later stages of the game, as you can complete Thiollier's quest by defeating him, so you will gain a very useful ally who can help you share some of the burden when you encounter a boss in the later stages.

After learning about these two hidden bosses, are you less afraid of bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree DLC? These bosses are not as difficult to fight as you might think. I hope you will have fun in the subsequent games!

For a Samurai build who wants to level up quickly in the latest expansion, I prefer to prioritize finding one of the newest weapons that fits our play style, Great Katana. Many players are also looking forward to getting this weapon. If you want to get Great Katana as early as possible in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree without being spoiled, then don’t miss this guide.

In this guide, I tell you the best way to get the earliest Great Katana in the game, as spoiler-free as possible so that you can get a fresh experience before venturing into the core of DLC. At the same time, here I also provide my first impressions of Great Katana. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Great Katana Breakdown

Great Katana is a new weapon in Shadow of the Erdtree. This Heavy weapon is a sound choice for those who like to use Katana but want to stance-break more effectively and deal more damage at the same time.

Great Katana scales primarily with Strength and Dexterity, making it one of the best weapon choices for Dexterity and Arcane Builds.

In addition, this weapon comes with Ash of War: Overhead Stance. When using Ash of War, you can enter a stance that holds Katana high above your head. Normal attacks will push you forward for a downward slash, while heavy attacks will do a series of overhead slashes.

Location

To get this super cool weapon, we still need to access DLC. You need to first defeat Starscourge Radahn, then go to Mohgwyn Palace and defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood.

Once you’ve completed both of these steps, you can interact with Miquella’s Cocoon, which is located in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, where you’ll fight Mohg, thus entering Land of Shadow and starting DLC.

Although we need to enter DLC to get this weapon, luckily, we don’t have to fight any bosses in Land of Shadow.

Once you enter DLC area, we just need to head straight to it. This is a real Godsend, as it’s not far from your first Site of Grace, Gravesite Plain.

From Gravesite Plain Site of Grace in DLC, we need to head north. To speed things up, you can ignore all the enemies you may encounter along the way. Of course, if you’re not in a hurry, you can just hack and slash around to collect some Elden Ring Runes.

Our goal is to reach a lake located just north of our current location. Now, if you look at the map, you’ll see that there are three large lakes around this area, but the one we need to go to is the middle one.

Once you reach the location, you’ll notice a sleeping dragon. You don’t need to fight this mini-boss, as you can get around it by crouching down. Note that there is a corpse near the dragon, and that’s the corpse we need to loot. Slowly crouch down close to the corpse and loot it to get Great Katana. It’s totally simple and easy.

Personal Impressions

Great Katana looks and feels great when wielded. I knew this weapon would resonate with me the first time I saw it, and it didn’t disappoint. All of its current moves are really refreshing.

Its normal attack reminds me of Monster Hunter’s Longswords, especially when performing an upward swing. Its basic skill Overhead Stance is definitely familiar and Sekiro players will notice it immediately because it is similar to Ichimonji Combat Arts. There is no doubt that this skill hits like a truck.

However, because of its long preparation time, doing this stance may be intimidating to some people. But since I go for skill, I am happy with it. Of course, if you don’t like this skill, you can always change it.

Not to mention that we will see a lot of new Ashes of War in DLC area, which makes this weapon have a longer range, so I think it will be a deadly tool when playing PVP.

As for damage, Great Katana hits hard at the maximum upgrade, but its slow attack speed is very obvious. When dealing with fast-moving targets or bosses, such as Maliketh, the Black Blade and others, the safest attack we can perform per opening is two or three hits.

Conclusion

Overall, Great Katana feels really good so far and it hasn’t been disappointed. I can’t wait to build around it, and just thinking about the different Samurai theme setups we can get from it makes me excited.

So, expect me to provide an early Samurai Build in case you want to use such a build for your first play with this weapon in DLC. My major goal is to get you to master this weapon, so stay tuned.

Anyway, I hope you found this quick guide useful. Of course, this is not a be-all and end-all guide for Great Katana, as we’re sure to discover more potential for this legendary weapon as time goes on. Do you think this DLC is worth trying so far? If you already own this weapon, please share your experience with us!

There are a lot of craftable items in Elden Ring, such as Glowstone and Sleep Pot, that can help you provide useful effects in various situations and give you a great gaming experience.

With the release of Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC, FromSoftware has also rebalanced the weapons and enemies in the game, and many craftable items can help you survive some encounters, even those that have become more difficult in the update.

But there are so many craftable items in Elden Ring that you need to know which ones to equip - some crafting materials can even save your life in a life-or-death situation.

Glowstone

• Effect: Emits a weak light from the place of installation
• Crafting Materials: Ruin Fragment (x1) Dewkissed Herba (x1)

Although you can use Lantern or Torch to illuminate dark areas in the game, neither can match the light emitted by Glowstone. This simple item can emit a powerful light anywhere, covering most of the map with you as the center. Unless you leave the area or exit the game.

It should be noted that you can carry 99 Glowstones with you, and you can store more than 600 in Storage, so you can use the above two crafting materials to make more in case of backup. In addition, Glowstone can also be used to create a “breadcrumb” trail, which can make it easier for you to pass through some dark tunnels or caves.

Sleep Pot

• Effect: Shooting causes sleep
• Crafting Materials: Mushroom (x1) Trina’s Lily (x1) Empty Cracked Pot (x1)

When you face some of the toughest bosses, especially those in underground regions, it is very useful to use some “cheesy” strategies. Sleep is one of the best status effects against bosses, allowing you to hit it a few more times before it wakes up and causes more damage.

Therefore, in many combat tips of Elden Ring, you will be reminded to bring more Sleep Pots. Most importantly, enemies inflicted with Sleep will receive more critical hits.

While you are happy, I still want to tell you that the game has a limited number of Cracked Pots, so Sleep Pot is very valuable. Therefore, you have to choose carefully in which battle you want to use it.

Bewitching Branch

• Effect: Uses FP to charm enemies that are pierced.
• Crafting Materials: Sacramental Bud (x1) Miquella’s Lily (x1)

Bewitching Branch is one of the most underrated crafting items in Elden Ring, because most players don’t realize its true power - it can charm most enemies to cooperate with you, except for bosses.

Once you use Bewitching Branch, a small pink cloud will surround the enemy, and the enemy after the spell will become your ally within 3 minutes.

However, it is not without disadvantages. The only disadvantage is that the charmed enemies will still attack you, even if they don’t mean to. You can also damage the charmed enemies, so if you still want to cooperate with them, refrain from using more AOE attacks.

Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot

• Effect: Temporarily extend the search for an item
• Crafting Materials: Rowa Fruit (x3) Four-Toed Fowl Foot (x1) Silver Firefly (x1)

In most open-world RPGs, loot collection is all about finding the best armor or weapons in the game, especially when the best armor or weapons in the game are hidden behind certain enemies. Luckily, with Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, you can increase the chance of armor, weapons dropping after defeating a boss.

You can also use this item if you just want to shorten the farming time, as it increases the discovery rate by 50 for 3 minutes. However, don’t expect too much from Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, as it is not guaranteed to be good stuff if Demigod or Boss armor drops from the corresponding boss.

Uplifting Aromatic

• Effect: Increases ally’s attack power and reduces damage
• Crafting Materials: Altus Bloom (x1) Budding Cave Moss (x1) Silver Tear Husk (x1) Arteria Leaf (x1)

Elden Ring is considered by many players to have the largest number of challenging world bosses in the entire FromSoftware universe. Fortunately, you can seek out other Tarnished to help you defeat most of the bad guys, which is why Uplifting Aromatic exists.

This craftable item can enhance the attack power of the entire team and increase damage for a short period, which is very important in some very difficult boss battles, and can even turn the tide. Not only in the team, Uplifting Aromatic is also very friendly to the player as Mimic Tear, the best Spirit Ash Summon, will also use it in boss battles.

Rejuvenating Boluses

• Effect: Reduces accumulation of deadly diseases
• Crafting Materials: Dewkissed Herba (x2) Crystal Cave Moss (x1) Golden Centipede (x1)

Rejuvenating Boluses are absolutely essential when you want to explore areas such as Volcano Manor, Deeproot Depths, Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, Lake of Rot. Because these locations have many enemies that cause Death Blight, especially Basilisk or Wormface.

In addition, Death Rite Bird or Lichdragon Fortissax, which only appears at night, can also cause Death Blight. In order to craft Rejuvenating Boluses, you need to collect Missionary’s Cookbook 7 to unlock this recipe.

Read More: How To Find Missionary’s Cookbook In Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC?

Neutralizing Boluses

• Effect: Reduce the accumulation of poison and heal the poison
• Crafting Materials: Herba (x1) Cave Moss (x1) Great Dragonfly Head (x1)

FromSoftware’s enemies and bosses have a tradition of not only dealing damage but also inflicting numerous status effects. These effects slowly drain the player’s health. The most annoying thing in Elden Ring is the poison, which will slowly drain your health over a minute if you don’t do anything about it.

Fortunately, Neutralizing Boluses can help you solve this problem. You need to use Armorer’s Cookbook 2 to craft it, and you need to trade with Nomadic Merchant to get it for 600 Elden Ring Runes.

Poisonbone Dart

• Effect: Something that can be thrown away can damage and accumulate poison.
• Crafting Materials: Thin Beast Bones (x2) Poisonbloom (x1)

Most players often overlook Poisonbone Dart when crafting items. Because they think it can do almost no damage, it is the perfect tool to trap enemies, especially those that are in groups.

In addition, you can use Poisonbone Dart to kill annoying enemies such as Giant Bats or Rats. Their health is very low, and only one Poisonbone Dart is needed to kill them. In addition, Poisonbone Dart will help you inflict Poison Build Up in boss battles - much like the unique Coil Shield.

Preserving Boluses

• Effect: Reduces scarlet rot buildup and cures decay
• Crafting Materials: Dewkissed Herba (x2) Crystal Cave Moss (x1) Sacramental Bud (x1)

The most common status effect in Elden Ring is Scarlet Rot, especially in Caelid region of Lands Between. But what’s worse is that many hidden areas that players haven’t discovered, such as Lake of Rot, are covered in Scarlet Rot.

Fortunately, you can craft Preserving Boluses to eliminate this annoying status effect. The only problem with crafting Preserving Boluses is that Sacramental Bud is hard to find, so you need to think twice about how to use Preserving Boluses. They are rare, but necessary.

Immunizing Cured Meat

• Effect: Boosts immunity temporarily
• Crafting Materials: Rowa Fruit (x5) Sliver of Meat (x1) Great Dragonfly Head (x1) Smoldering Butterfly (x1)

As mentioned earlier, Elden Ring is full of enemies that cause status effects. Immunizing Cured Meat can solve this problem very well. It can increase your immunity by 100 points in 60 seconds! But you need to be aware that it can only increase immunity, not cure status effects.

You can get it from Nomadic Merchant in Liurnia of Lakes using Elden Ring Runes, or go directly to Redmane Castle to find Armorer’s Cookbook 5, which has the recipe for Immunizing Cured Meat.

Soft Cotton

• Effect: Temporarily reduces fall damage and noise
• Crafting Materials: Rowa Fruit (x3) Smoldering Butterfly (x1)

Although Falling is not an enemy in the game, it is a common occurrence for many players. Falling from a hillside or ledge will usually result in your immediate death, especially if you have only invested a few points in Vigor.

However, Soft Cotton can provide a sense of comfort and security when climbing up and down. For example, it can protect you from falling when exploring Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel. It should be noted that it only increases your chances of surviving a fall, and does not increase your immunity, so you need to work hard on your attributes.

Hopefully, these craftable items can help you get through those battles comfortably during your exploration, and I wish you have a happy game in Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC!

If you want to become the most powerful Samurai in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, then do not miss this guide.

Here we will bring you Moonlight Katana Samurai Build. We will cover its play style, gear to use, best Talismans for this build, tips for using the game, and more. With this guide, you will eventually master the great power of Moonlight and have fun in the new DLC.

Gameplay

With Transient Moonlight, Moonlight Samurai can deal tremendous damage from both melee and ranged. The skill of releasing shockwaves, which is great for ranged attacks, however, in melee range you will deal even more damage because Katana will also hit the enemy.

Moonlight Samurai has high Intelligence and Dexterity, allowing the user to perform all the most powerful magic to their liking. With this build, you will cast a lot of Stance damage and tear bosses to pieces with ease.

Gear

Now that the basic play style is out of the way, let’s move on to the best weapons for Moonlight Samurai.

Main Weapon: Moonveil Katana

Let’s start with the main weapon for Moonlight Samurai, which is without a doubt Moonveil Katana. To use it effectively, the user needs 12 Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 23 Intelligence, and it scales primarily with Intelligence and Dexterity.

But its best feature is the aforementioned Transient Moonlight skill, which gives the user versatility in combat. This weapon can deal with regular Unsheathe attacks with a special arching shockwave when L2+R1 is pressed.

R1 Transient Moonlight is often used to deal with large groups of enemies, while pressing L2+R2 allows for an overhead Unsheathe attack with a vertical projectile, similar to Ash of War: Unsheathe. This will become your go-to skill, especially when dealing with bosses. Many times, enemies’ stances will be broken because of the massive Stance damage of this skill.

Secondary Weapon: Carian Glintblade Staff

Next, I decided to go with Carian Glintblade Staff as a secondary weapon, since this build is centered on Intelligence, anyway. This Staff requires 6 Strength, 22 Intelligence, and 12 Dexterity to use effectively.

I chose this Staff because it boosts the strength of Glintblade Sorceries by 15%, and we’ll be using either Glintblade or Greatblade Phalanx Sorceries in this build.

Of course, if you have more Elden Ring Runes budget, you can also use Azur’s Glintstone Staff, which will give you more casting time.

Sorceries

Speaking of Sorceries, I chose Phalanx Sorceries for more Stance damage, and it also matches up well with Moonlight Sumarai.

Glintblade Phalanx Or Greatblade Phalanx

Also, I recommend using either Glintblade Phalanx or Greatblade Phalanx as a secondary damage source. Both of these Sorcery will help you deal extra raw and Stance damage, which will complement your Moonveil Katana while not disrupting your attack rotation too much.

Glintblade Phalanx only costs 18 FP to use, while Greatblade costs 30 FP, so this is something you’ll want to consider as well. You can use either one, it all depends on your preference. But personally, I use Glintblade Phalanx for lower FP costs, and I tend to focus on using Moonveil instead of casting Glintblade Phalanx.

Terra Magica

The next Sorcery on the list is Terra Magica, which casts a magic puddle or a sigil that increases magic damage by 35% for 30 seconds. All of our damage sources are magic based, so this will improve the overall damage of the build.

Talismans

Next, let’s get into the best Talismans for this build.

Shard Of Alexander

The first Talisman on the list is our Shard of Alexander. This provides a 15% increase in skill damage, especially when performing a Transient Moonlight.

Magic Scorpion Charm

Next up is Magic Scorpion Charm. Since we’re dealing primarily magic damage with this build, the 12% extra magic damage this amulet provides will be beneficial in exchange for the 10% increase in physical damage taken.

Green Turtle Talisman

The next Talisman on the list is Green Turtle Talisman, which increases Stamina recovery and is one of the go-to Talismans I use because my gameplay and strategy always revolves around ultra-aggressive gameplay and strategy, so most of the time, my Stamina is running low. So, the faster my Stamina recovers, the more damage I can do to the enemy.

Carian Filigreed Crest

Finally, for general use, I recommend Carian Filigreed Crest. This Talisman reduces FP cost of skills by 25%, allowing you to deal more Transient Moonlights before popping a Cerulean Tear.

Stats

Let’s move on to Moonlight Samurai’s stats.

Starting with Vigor, it has 40 points assigned to it. If you feel like you need more HP to survive, feel free to bump it up to 45-50 since we’ll be using Godrick’s Great Rune later on, anyway. And since I’m used to Glass Cannon builds, I don’t usually invest a lot of points in Vigor.

Next up is Mind, which has 30 points assigned to it since this is a build that requires FP. Constantly using Transient Moonlight while setting up buffs will deplete your FP, so I highly recommend having at least 30 points in Mind.

Moving on to Endurance, it has 40 points assigned to it since the intended gameplay of Moonveil Samurai is super aggressive. You’ll be spending most of your time face-to-face with bosses, or pulling out Transient Moonlight from a distance.

Personally, I deplete Endurance faster than anything when optimizing for combat, so I highly recommend having at least 40 points in Endurance. I consider Endurance to be the offensive stat in any Souls game I play, because the more stamina you have, the more damage you can do.

Next Strength is at least 18, so you will use Nagakiba. Also, I recommend at least Dexterity at 60 and Mind at 75, so you can maximize the damage of Moonveil Katana and Glintblade Phalanx or any magic you want to use later.

For Faith and Arcane, 0 points have been assigned to them since we don’t need these stats in this build.

How To Optimize This Build?

Now that stats are out of the way, let’s move on to Moonlight Samurai gameplay tips and optimization techniques. Learn 5 useful tips that will help you master this build.

Utilizing Wakizashi

The first tip I have for you is to prepare Wakizashi and fuse it with Ash of War: Golden Vow. Having the ability to cast Golden Vow will increase your damage by 11.5% and increase damage negation by 7.5% across the board.

Optimize Your Opener

The second tip on the list is to optimize your Opener. At the start of a fight, I usually cast Flask of Wondrous Physick first, get more magic and stance, then cast Golden Vow, and have my Glintblade Phalanx ready. Finally, rush the boss and start casting Transient Moonlight.

During this time, try to deal as many attacks as you can, as the stance buff from physics doesn’t last. If you manage to fight off the boss, you will have a huge upper hand.

Use Terra Magica Effectively

The third tip on the list is to make sure you cast Terra Magica and stand on Sigil first, then use Transient Moonlight in succession. You can also do this at the melee range to deal as much damage as possible.

Prepare A Katana

We never know how many magic-resistant enemies DLC will throw at us, so preparing at least another Katana, such as Nagakiba, will still give you an advantage.

Customize The Build

The last tip on the list is to customize the build to your liking. As mentioned before, this build has access to the most powerful Sorceries in the game, so if you don’t like my personal setup, feel free to get creative.

You can be a full mage with this build, as you will have high Dexterity anyway, so your cast times will be much faster. Utilizing spells such as Comet Azur or other destruction spells in the game may give you more options or variety in combat. Consider changing Staff to Azur’s Glintstone Staff if you choose to go this route.

That’s it for the complete guide to building this Moonlight Katana Samurai Build. Hopefully, it helps you get off to a better start as you enter Shadow of the Erdtree!

Richter Belmont is one of the most iconic Castlevania characters ever to appear in Elden Ring. If you want to get a better start playing as him in Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which releases on June 21, then this guide is for you.

Here we’ll go over Richter Belmont’s play style, gear to use, and the best Talismans to complete this build, as well as tips for using the game and more. Let’s get straight into it!

Basics Of The Build

Richter Belmont is a descendant of the powerful Belmont Clan, and he wields the legendary Vampire Killer, one of the deadliest weapons in the cleansing of Dracula’s legion.

For this build, Richter relies heavily on hard-hitting incantations to deal as much damage as possible, while also having the ability to be agile in combat. If the enemy is resistant to Holy damage, Richter will use whips to make the enemy bleed, making him a well-rounded fighter.

Richter Belmont has high Faith and Dexterity. You will be using spell combinations to deal a lot of damage to your enemies, especially when fighting humanoid-type enemies.

Weapons

Now that the basic play style is covered, let’s move on to Richter Belmont’s equipment.

But before we dive in, I will not include all of his possible original movesets, such as his Throwing Axe, Holy Water, so that the build still flows well. Having so many spells and weapons on a build would make it unwieldy to use, so I limited it while trying to maintain the identity of the build.

Hoslow’s Petal Whip

With that said, let’s start with Richter’s major weapon, which is without a doubt Hoslow’s Petal Whip. We are trying to mimic his Vampire Killer Whip, so Hoslow’s Petal Whip, Giant’s Red Braid, and Regular Whip are the best Whips for the job.

If you want to use it effectively, you need 10 Strength, 20 Dexterity, and it scales mostly based on the above stats.

Bloodhound’s Step

Besides that, it’s a natural Bloodloss Build, which is a huge plus for this build. Hoslow’s Whip is incorporated into Bloodhound’s Step to mimic his quick dash from Castlevania Symphony of Night, allowing him to gracefully dodge enemy attacks and counterattack with his whip with ease. I recommend setting it to Keen Hoslow Whip, though, as we’ll be buffing it later.

Erdtree Seal

Moving on to his secondary weapon. Since we’ll be using spells, I decided to go with Erdtree Seal. It scales well overall, and it looks like Richter is carrying a cross that fits the theme.

This Seal requires 40 Faith to use effectively, which isn’t a problem for Richter. Of course, you can also choose some better Seals, but that’s also more demanding on your Elden Ring Runes budget.

Incantations

Next, let’s look at Incantations required for this build.

Golden Vow

The first Incantation in the list is Golden Vow, which increases your damage by 15% and adds 10% damage negation across the board. Since Whip usually needs a damage boost and also increases the damage of spells, Golden Vow is highly recommended for this build. And the cross-like graphic provided by Golden Vow matches Richter’s identity very well.

Bloodflame Blade

Next is Bloodflame Blade spell. Vampire Killer emits light, and most of the time it applies burning and explosion to enemies, so Bloodflame Blade is the best choice for this job. Not only will it grant whip fire damage and make the whip glow, but it will also help Richter trigger Hemorrhage faster.

Discus Of Light

One of Belmont’s signature sub-weapons is the cross, which they throw like Boomerangs, and it returns to the user’s hand after throwing. With this idea in mind, I decided to use Discus of Light because it is the closest spell when it comes to emulating Cross Sub-weapon.

Discus of Light may seem weak at first glance, but just like Cross Sub-weapon, when Discus returns, it will deal damage to the target twice. If the user is experienced enough, consecutive casts of Discus of Light will deal considerable damage.

Aspects Of The Crucible: Horns

Moving on to the next spell, which is Aspects of the Crucible: Horns. Richter will perform a charge attack using a whip or kicking enemies. Since Martial Arts are not yet available in the game, I decided to slot in Aspects of the Crucible: Horns. This spell will mimic the mentioned charge attack, and can deal stance damage to the target or even send the target flying, especially against humanoid type ones.

I tend to use this spell when closing the distance to the target, and it can be a deadly spell when paired with Wrath of Gold, as stun locks can be inflicted.

Wrath Of Gold

The next spell is Wrath of Gold, which is Richter’s strongest damage spell. Note that both Aspects of the Crucible: Horns and Wrath of Gold can be charged to deal more damage.

Compared to the previous spell, Wrath of Gold is easier to use because of its close-range AOE. We usually use it when dealing with a large group of enemies, or use it as a counterspell in boss fights.

Talismans

With weapons and spells out of the way, it’s time to look at Richter’s Talismans.

The first Talisman on the list is Sacred Scorpion Charm. Since Richter relies on Wrath of Gold for damage, the extra 12% Holy damage provided by this Talisman will be beneficial to this build. In exchange, physical damage taken is increased by 10%.

Next up is Godfrey Icon, which increases the charged attack of spells and abilities by 15%. The extra charge attack damage provided by this Talisman applies to your Aspects of the Crucible: Horns and Wrath of Gold, making them very effective in combat.

Next up is Flock’s Canvas Talisman. This Talisman further increases the damage of our offensive spells by 8%, and it stacks with your other buffs, so I highly recommend slotting this one.

The last one is Green Turtle Talisman, which increases stamina recovery. This is one of the main Talismans we use, because my gameplay and strategy always revolves around ultra-aggressive strategies, so most of the time, my stamina is completely depleted. Therefore, the faster my stamina recovers, the more damage we can do to the enemy.

For Richter, he will benefit greatly from this, because you will find yourself always needing stamina, and continuously launching his most deadly combos will usually consume 70% to 80% of his stamina.

Stats

Moving on to Richter Belmont’s stats. Note that I will standardize all of my builds at around level 200. It is up to you if you want to upgrade your build above 200.

Starting with Vigor, 40 points have been allocated to it, feel free to increase it to 45 to 50 if you feel you need more HP to survive. Since we’ll be using Godrick’s Great Rune later anyway, I rarely invest a lot of points into Vigor.

Next up is Mind, which has 35 points assigned to it. Since this is FP-hungry build, setting up buffs while constantly using spells will definitely deplete your FP in a short period of time.

Talking about Endurance next, we’ve assigned 33 points to it since a lot of stamina is needed when dealing with continuous spells or a lot of whip attacks. 33 points of Endurance can sometimes feel insufficient, so feel free to adjust it to 40 if you feel it’s necessary.

At least 10 points in Strength so that you can use Hoslow’s Petal Whip.

The next stats on the list are Dexterity and Faith, which are the main stats in this build. I recommend setting Dexterity to at least 61 and Faith to 75 to help you deal a decent amount of damage in whip attacks and spells.

If you’re really good at the game, you can sacrifice your Vigor points and allocate them to Endurance and more Faith to get a more ideal result.

Finally, make sure you have at least 10 Arcane to use Bloodflame Blade and 13 Intelligence to meet Discus of Light requirement.

Gameplay

Now that stats are out of the way, let’s move on to Richter Belmont’s gameplay and optimization tips.

Optimize Your Opener Burst

The first tip on the list is to optimize your Opener Burst. When the fight starts, I usually start by casting Flask of Wondrous Physick, which can deal more holy and physical damage if you have Thorny Cracked Tear slotted in.

Next is to cast Golden Vow to deal more damage, then cast Bloodflame Blade. Depending on the boss, I’ll either prepare a spell combo or keep whipping attacks until I bleed. During this time, do your best to counter as many attacks as possible to take advantage of the stacking holy damage buff.

Incantation Combo

The next tip is to take advantage of Richter’s incantation combo, especially when against humanoid types of enemies.

To start the above combo, you can use Discus of Light multiple times to disrupt and lure the enemy, even dealing damage in the process, and follow up with a fully charged Aspects of the Crucible: Horns.

If the enemy is hit, it will fly into the air and hit the ground, giving you enough time to perform your next killer move, which is a fully charged Wrath of Gold. It will knock the target back further, and then you can finish it off with a whip jump attack and follow up with a normal whip combo. If this move is used correctly, not only will the enemy take a lot of damage, but it will also allow you to build up blood loss in the process.

Mastering Whip Line

For some people, using the whip can be a challenging task. Two attacks are usually safe in most cases, while three attacks will get you into trouble most of the time. Therefore, I strongly recommend intentionally using whip attacks to master Whip line.

Are you a fan of Richter like me? Do you like this character build? Regardless, with this guide, you will eventually master the power of Belmont family and have fun in the upcoming DLC.

What are the two most important things in Elden Ring? Builds and Talismans. You can create the best builds, but you still need the most effective talismans to make them even better.

The most popular build among players right now is the bleed build, and many players have even said they will continue to use it in the upcoming Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree DLC, which will be released on June 21st. It is also one of the most powerful builds in the game.

Therefore, if you want to make a bleed build, you will definitely want to know which are the best bleed build talismans. This guide will introduce 8 talismans that can play a big role in bleed builds. This way you can not only experience the thrill of battle, but also accumulate more Elden Ring Runes faster.

Lord Of Blood’s Exultation

If you are going to make a blee build, you have to have Penultimate Medallion to increase the expected damage of this build. Lord of Blood’s Exultation is a very useful talisman that increases your attack power by 20% for 20 seconds.

Getting a medallion for bleed build in Elden Ring is not a straightforward task. You’ll need to explore Leyndell as you progress through the game. First, you’ll need to head to the bottom of Subterranean Shunning Ground and reach Leyndell Catacombs. The medallion is at the bottom of this area, but you’ll need to defeat Priest of Blood Esgar before you can get it.

Shard Of Alexander

Iron Fist Alexander is one of the cutest NPCs you’ll find in Elden Ring, and it looks a lot like a jar. You’ll first encounter it in the northern part of Stormhill, and after you help it crawl out of the ground, it’ll reward you with Shard of Alexander.

Shard of Alexander Medallion increases the attack power of your skills by 15%, and if you’re using Rivers of Blood Katana, you can use this talisman to deal more damage to your opponents.

Erdtree’s Favor

Erdtree’s Favor talisman can help you increase your HP by 3%, stamina by 7%, and Equip Load by 5%. When you’re using a dagger or Uchigatana to bleed build, you can focus on dex builds to bleed build faster. This talisman has three different variants in three locations.

Those aforementioned ability boosts are found in Fringefolk Hero’s Grave and make up the first variant. The second variant is found in Subterranean Shunning-Grounds and gives you 3.5% more HP, 7% more stamina, and 5% more Equip Load. The third variant is found in Leyndell and gives you 4% more HP, 10% more stamina, and 8% more Equip Load.

Regardless of which variant you get, it’s a very good talisman.

Read More: Elden Ring: Choose The Ten Best Incantations To Do More Damage In Endgame!

Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

Rotten Winged Sword Insignia is one talisman that players consider essential to making a great bleed build in Elden Ring. This talisman increases the power of each attack by three times, depending on the number of attacks you make, so the power of each attack increases by 6%, 8%, and 13% respectively.

Therefore, when you wear Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, you can cause continuous bleed damage to enemies.

To get Winged Sword Insignia, you need to talk to Millicent and complete the quest she gives you - to help her defeat her sisters. This side quest is a lengthy experience that takes you through various locations on the map and pits you against the most powerful optional boss in the game: Blade of Miquella Melinia.

Claw

In Elden Ring, most bleed builds include daggers and Katanas, so it is very necessary to have a talisman to enhance your jump attacks. Claw is such a talisman, which increases your jump attacks by 15%.

Claw is probably one of the first talismans you can get while exploring Stormhill Castle. It spawns in Rampart Tower site of grace. You need to go up from the room with the elevator, go outside, and parkour on the ledges until you find a roof with a corpse.

Be aware that there is a ruthless Pichone following you at all times, so it is best to kill it before you do anything else.

Millicent’s Prosthesis

Millicent’s Prosthesis talisman increases your Dexterity by 5 points and has the same properties as Rotten Winged Sword Prosthesis. This means that each of your consecutive attacks will increase your attack damage by 4%, 6%, and 11%.

So where can you find this talisman? You need to continue Millicent’s questline and go to Windmill Village to kill Godskin Apostle as she asks. After completing this, she will give you the talisman.

If you don’t want to listen to her control, you can challenge her. After defeating her, you will also get Millicent’s Prosthesis talisman. However, in this way, you will miss Rotten Winged Sword Insignia you wanted before.

Great Turtle Talisman

To stack bleed damage in Elden Ring, you have to move fast and deal damage to enemies. This also requires fast stamina regeneration, which Great Turtle Talisman can help you with. It increases your stamina regeneration by 8 points per second, about 17%, so you can fight enemies for a long time.

You need to go to Summonwater Village and find an underground area full of turtles to find Great Turtle Talisman. It is located east of Summonwater Outskirts site of grace, and you need to use two stone shard keys to open the fog gates.

Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman

The last Elden Ring talisman is Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman. As the name suggests, it is a defensive talisman. Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman can help you reduce the physical damage you take in combat by 20%, even the general damage.

Want Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman? You’ll need to head to Miquella’s Haligtree, then to the second half of Elphael in Brace of Haligtree. This Talisman is in a chest on an elevated platform inside a large building to the northeast. You’ll have to parkour as enemies will be attacking you.

These are the 8 best Elden Ring talismans for bleed builds. But these talismans can be used individually or in a mix and match. It’s up to you to figure this out! With all that in mind, hopefully you’ll be ready for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.