Ultimate Elden Ring Strength Build: The Sword Lance

Welcome, fellow Tarnished! In this guide, we're diving deep into a powerful Strength build centered around the Sword Lance, a heavy thrusting sword that excels in close combat. This weapon shines with its exceptional heavy attack combo, allowing you to deal massive damage while capitalizing on enemy aggression. If you find yourself needing an extra edge in your battles, consider buy Elden Ring Runes to enhance your build and gear up for success. Whether you’re invading or defending, this build is tailored for dealing devastating blows while still maintaining a sturdy defense.

Build Overview

Weapon of Choice: Sword Lance

The Sword Lance is a unique weapon in the heavy thrusting sword category known for its impressive heavy attack and follow-up light attack combination. The primary strategy here is to intentionally trade hits with enemies. When you land a heavy attack, especially during their attack, you deal bonus damage due to the pierce damage type.

Key Benefits:

· High Damage Output: The Sword Lance has an impressive AR (Attack Rating) of 777 in this build.

· Combination Potential: The interaction between heavy and light attacks can lead to one-shots against lower-health enemies.

Talismans to Equip

1. Spear Talisman: This talisman boosts your damage by 15% when performing pierce attacks, which is perfect for this build as it focuses on trading hits with heavy attacks.

2. Two-Handed Sword Talisman: Provides a 10% damage boost when two-handing the weapon, which aligns perfectly with our strategy.

Buffs for Maximum Damage

Utilize these consumables for even greater effectiveness:

· Exalted Flesh: Increases physical damage for a short time.

· Uplifting Aromatic: Raises your attack power even further.

When using these buffs, your attack rating can soar past 1,026, enhancing the lethality of your attacks.

Ash of War: Royal Knight’s Resolve

Equipping Royal Knight's Resolve grants you a significant damage boost right before a trade. When executed effectively during the trade, the damage output is staggering, often resulting in one-shots against phantoms.

Stats Allocation

For this build, focus on the following stats:

· Strength: Maximize this stat. The Sword Lance benefits immensely from raw strength.

· Endurance: Invest in this for better poise and stamina, allowing you to trade hits more effectively.

· Vigor: A high vigor stat will ensure you can sustain longer battles without being easily taken down.

Example Stat Distribution:

· Strength: Focus heavily (e.g., 60+)

· Endurance: Moderate to high (e.g., 30+)

· Vigor: Enough to survive trades (e.g., 30+)

Armor Set

For this build, wearing a heavy armor set is beneficial for poise and damage mitigation. The Solitude Set offers great protection while complementing the style of a tanky melee fighter.

Recommended Armor

· Head: Solitude Helm

· Chest: Solitude Armor

· Hands: Solitude Gauntlets

· Legs: Solitude Trousers

Combat Strategy

Trading Hits

The core strategy of this build revolves around intentionally trading hits with your enemies. Here’s how to do it effectively:

1. Positioning: Get inside your enemy's attack range. Timing your heavy attack just as they initiate their strike will maximize your damage.

2. Timing Heavy and Light Attacks: After landing a heavy attack, immediately follow it up with a light attack for maximum effectiveness.

3. Using Talismans Wisely: With both the spear and two-handed sword talismans active, you can inflict devastating damage while remaining aggressive.

4. Countering with Ash of War: Pre-buffing with Royal Knight's Resolve allows for incredible burst damage during trade situations.

Example Duel Scenarios

· Against Aggressive Phantoms: When facing aggressive close-range builds (e.g., katanas, greatswords), utilize your heavy attacks and trade them as they commit to their swings.

· Against Ranged Attackers: Keep an eye on incoming projectiles. If you can bait them into close combat, that's where your Sword Lance excels.

Conclusion

This Strength build centered around the Sword Lance is both fun and rewarding, providing incredible damage potential while maintaining a robust defense. Perfecting the timing of your attacks and utilizing your buffs will allow you to dominate in both invasions and cooperative play. To further enhance your experience, consider seeking out cheap Elden Ring Items from MMOEXP, which can help you find the best gear for your build. Feel free to experiment with the allocations and talismans to suit your personal playstyle. Until next time, Tarnished, keep honing your skills and enjoy your adventures in the Lands Between!