Elden Ring is a playground of choices and builds potential. There is so much to choose from that people like me are sometimes flabbergasted on what to pick and what kind of build to go for. Luckily for you guys, we are here with a bunch of different builds for you to go for, like we have done an Intelligence Melee build in the past.
In this article, we will be going for a Bleed-specific build. If you don’t know then Bleed or Hemorrhage is an insane status effect in Elden Ring and can be used to dish out massive damage to your enemies. So without further adieu let’s get down to it. And if you are confused with what build guide to go with in Elden Ring, we have a complete ranked tier list for the best builds and best weapons available.
Update: This build has been updated to include the new balance changes from Elden Ring Patch 1.05. You can see through the new updates below.
Bleed or Hemorrhage – Elden Ring
Bleed is a very powerful mechanic in Elden Ring and if you utilize the tools available to you in conjunction with this status effect then you will see unbelievable damage numbers. The best thing about bleed is that when the bleed build-up meter fills the damage bleed-explosion that occurs does percentage damage to the total HP of the enemy, there is a whole science and number game behind it which we won’t get into but it’s safe to say that it does insane damage.
Things to consider about Bleed or Hemorrhage in Elden Ring is that it scales with Arcane only. The number in the brackets you see at the bottom of the weapon screen for Bloodloss buildup is the amount of meter that will fill up with each hit. Different enemies are resistant or weak against this status effect so it’s effectiveness is subjective to the opponent. Bleed resistance is increased with higher Robustness value which can be increased with dumping points in Endurance. Also there are items like Staunching Boluses that can help prevent the bleed build.
Related: Elden Ring Staff Tier List | Best Weapons Ranked
Bleed Build – Weapons
Some special weapons like Eleanora Poleblade or Rivers of Blood have a better base bloodloss build-up number than most but the downside is that it won’t scale with the Arcane stat as others do. So for this build, we recommend using the Uchigatana or the Scavenger’s Curved Sword which has a 45 base buildup, but if you change its affinity to Bleed from Ash of War (more on this later), this weapon will be able to scale off Arcane and in turn, will have better Bloodloss numbers. In our example, we will focus on the Uchigatana.
In our research, a Blood Uchigatana upgraded to +25 had a bloodloss buildup of 115 which is insane, the Arcane level here was 80. A normal Uchigatana will not scale with arcane, only has Str and Dex so the build-up value can’t be further enhanced. You can see the difference in the side-by-side picture.
To have the best version of this build you need to dual wield the Uchigatana. You can do this by beginning the game off with a Samurai starting class that has this weapon as default or you can have a friend drop you one in an online session. You can also find one in the game as well in Deathtouched Catacombs in Limgrave. Or you can find it again in a new game+.
Blood Affinity – Whetblade
To change your weapon’s affinity to Blood you need to first find the Black Whetblade, which lets you choose the Poison, Blood, or Occult affinities, all of these are basically Arcane Scaling affinities.
Ash of War – Seppuku
This Ash of War allows the players to inflict self-harm in turn giving them 60 seconds of extra bleed potential. Equip this on both of your Uchigatana by duplicating the Ash or finding it again in a new game+.
You can find this Ash of War on an invisible scarab in the Freezing Lake area in the Mountaintops of the Giants region, the exact location of the scarab is marked by the player marker in the map below. Just time you attack with the pattern of the light on the ground and you can acquire this easily.
Related: What Happens if You Save Ranni the Witch in Elden Ring?
Bleed Complimentary – Armor Piece
The White Mask will give a boost to attack power each time a Bleed proc occurs near you. Perfect for this bleed build where the procs will happens constantly and you will get better damage output with each. For all the rest of the armor pieces on the chest and arms etc. use whatever your fashion sense wants.
If you are following the White-Faced Varre questline then this will be easier to find, otherwise, a hidden teleporter North-West of the Yelough Anix Tunnel can be used to make your way to the Mohgwyn’s palace. Here in the bloody swamp area, marked with a blue waypoint in the map below, you will be invaded by some NPCs and killing one of them will reward this mask.
Talismans
This Talisman will provide the same effect as the White Mask, which increases your attack power with a Bleed proc.
Location: Leyndell Catacombs / Subterranean Shunning Grounds. Defeat the boss here and get this talisman.
With two fast-paced weapons, this Talisman will increase the damage power after successive attack landings.
Location: Both this and the next talisman, Millicent’s Prosthesis, can be acquired by following Millicent’s questline. At the end of her quest, you will be given the option to help her or invade her. If you choose to help her you will be rewarded with this talisman.
This Talisman will boost your Dexterity stat with each successive attack, boosting the damage in turn.
Location: Just like the previous talisman you will get this for following Millicent’s quest. To get both of the talismans in a single playthrough first help her and get the prior talisman, once rewarded she will die if you exhaust her dialogue, so before she finishes her dialogue kill her and you will get this talisman.
This Talisman will give you a total of 20 levels equally distributed in Vigor, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity. An insane upgrade compared to the measly damage-received debuff you will get from this.
You can replace this talisman with your preferred choice as this is a filler slot for this build. You can use a defense-specific talisman as well.
Related: How to Respec in Elden Ring? (Detailed Guide)
Playing With Arcane Bleed Build
Before entering a fight the first thing you should do is Two-Hand wield your left hand Uchigatana then activate the Seppuku on that, once activated go back to dual wielding and activate the Ash on your primary Righthand Uchigatna. Doing so will have both the Sepukku on at the same time giving you higher bleed potential than just activating one. Just be careful not to sheath any weapon or else you will lose the buff. With both activated the Bleed proc can be achieved in just one or two hits, depending on the enemy’s resistances.
Both weapons buffing your bleed and the talismans working in tandem, your dual-wielded weapons will pull off quick slashes bumping your attack power up and the quick bleed procs will annihilate enemies very quickly before that buff even runs out.
For all this synergy to be maintained and the damage to rise, you need to keep Seppuku-buffing the weapon as it doesn’t last that long and keep spam-pressuring on your enemies to take advantage of the talismans.
Related: How to Beat Starscourge Radahn in Elden Ring
Though keep in mind some enemies and final bosses, in general, are very immune to bleed, that is where a normal or Keen Uchigatana will be better so change the affinity in certain circumstances. This build is the best till your Seppuku buff lasts and the enemy is weak to bleed, in situations opposite to this you have to very careful and move some things around.
Are you going to follow this build guide? What build are you rocking in Elden Ring? Let us know in the comments below and for more Elden Ring content visit our dedicated section to this amazing game.
