Elden Ringhas a nice variety of starting classes, including some FromSoftware series staples as well as some entirely new ones. This guide will go over thesamuraistarting class and how to create the perfect build for mastering the blade and becoming a true katana-wielding master. Samurai starts at level 9, and the stat distribution is more suited towards physical stats as it lacks in Faith, Arcane, and Intelligence.
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The samurai starting class is good at most stages of the game–the starting weapon is reliable throughout the whole game, and theLongbowis a good ranged option that can be flexible with craftable arrows. The shield is pretty useless for anything but parries since two-handing the katana for more damage is better than blocking in most instances.
Updated by Chad Thesen on March 20th, 2024:This article has a lot of work done to bring it up to a more modern means of being presented. This includes how articles use their introductions, image placement, and how sections are structured.
Elden Ring
Why Play A Samurai Class
Being surrounded by death all the time, it is important to also respect life, and it is the nature of the samurai to revere art as well as the finer things in life existing around them. This can be done through haiku, appreciating art around the game world, or even crafting a delicious meal of boiled crab.
A samurai should be deadly on the battlefield, yet appreciative of the finer things in life like art and culture. The next step is weapon choice and stat distribution. The samurai’s starting weapon,Uchigatana–like most katanas–scales off Dexterity, but the brutal early game of Elden Ring will require points in Vigor to avoid a swift death. The weapon’s natural Bleed can make up for not putting points into a damage stat early on, so it is safe to prioritize Vigor. Not dying in one hit is more important. Other stats will be determined by your choice of katana.
Best Weapons For A Samurai Build
Best Armor For A Samurai Build
Elden Ring has many sets of armor with a variety of stats, but what’s most important is how you look. The starting samurai armor is perfect, but it lacks the appeal of being unique. TheRonin armor setis a good substitute and depicts more of a wanderer samurai. A samurai must express themselves artistically, and armor is a great way to strike fear into one’s enemies. These are just suggestions–use whatever looks cool and doesn’t hinder fast rolling.
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Best Talismans For A Samurai Build
Best Bleed Samurai
Bleed is all about rewarding aggressive play with huge chunks of damage. White Mask and the Lord of Blood’s Exultation talisman each provide a stacking buff on bleed in the vicinity, granting more damage after the proc.
Rivers of Blood is one of the most infamous weapons in all of Elden Ring, and this can be credited to its once completely OP Ash of War known as Corpse Piler. This Ash of War single-handedly melted bosses at incredible speeds thanks to how the Bleed mechanics of the game work. Even after plenty of balance changes, this weapon is still considered an S-tier choice for any player to seek out and fall in love with.
Best Spellblade Samurai
The Spellblade specializes in fighting up close and zoning with mid-range spells. This build has a heavy Intelligence commitment, so starting as the Prisoner starting class might be closer to the mark with stats, but it lacks a katana which can be a dealbreaker. A talisman that buffs magic could replace one of these if you’re interested in adding some spells to your repertoire due to the Intelligence investment.
The Moonveil katana weapon has the unique Ash of War known as Transient Moonlight. This perfectly plays into this build as it involves the player moving around at rapid speeds to close distance, but each attack unleashes a blast away from the player. This can allow them to close the gap and get in their opponent’s faces, or keep their distance by hitting their foes with enough room to roll to safety.
Best Traditional Samurai
The traditionalist samurai prefers just a katana and bow, relying on basic tools to fell demi-gods and gods alike. This playstyle is focused on the versatility having a bow provides. Level up Mind as needed to use weapon skills more often without sacrificing health flasks.
The samurai class is the optimal choice when you want to makethe best Quality Build in the game. A Quality Build is a build that makes use of both Strength and Dexterity to capitalize on the maximum damage and speed the two stats bring to players. A traditional samurai does not have to be a Quality Build, and can instead allocate points to Mind so that they can attack more relentlessly when engaging foes.
If you really enjoy the Spellblade and Bleed builds shown here, you may be interested in checking out this guide for making thebest Strength & Intelligence build, and this list forwhich weapons scale best with the Arcane stat.
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