Best Samurai Builds in Elden Ring -Weapons, Armor Sets, and More

Wondering how to get the most out of the Samurai class? Look no further as we have put together the best Samurai builds you can get in Elden Ring from early to end game!

When starting Elden Ring, the first big choice players have to encounter is selecting a character class to play as. Elden Ring offers ten different types of character classes, with each class having its own unique characteristics and strengths. Moreover, each of these ten classes offers a different combat experience in the early game, so players can choose the character class that best fits their playstyle.

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With that being said, every player wants to select a competent character class. And the Samurai class is a great starting choice, no matter if you’re a newcomer or a veteran. Samurai is not only strong and dexterous but also has high endurance. This makes them an extremely beginner-friendly class.

Not only that, but they also start off with both melee and ranged weapons! To make an already great character class even better, we have prepared this extensive guide to help you make the best Samurai builds, starting from the best weapons, armor sets, skills, and talismans you can get for this class.

Samurai Class Stats

The Samurai class starts off with high Dexterity, which makes them extremely proficient with melee weapons, most notably Katanas. Moreover, their high Endurance, Strength, and Vigor make them last longer in combat. With that being said, they also start off with moderate intelligence, so players can further work on improving it and change their combat style down the line if they prefer working with magic.

• Dexterity – 15
• Endurance – 13
• Strength – 12
• Vigor – 12
• Mind – 11
• Intelligence – 9
• Faith – 8
• Arcane – 8

Why Play as Samurai in Elden Ring

Samurai is one of the best classes in Elden Ring, given how versatile it is. By playing as a Samurai, players have access to ranged weapons and melee weapons from the very beginning. Both the Longbow and Uchigatana are powerful weapons that deal good physical damage.

Not to mention, players also have access to fire arrows from the get-go with this class! Although having high Dexterity makes Samurai an extremely proficient swordsman, there are plenty of scenarios where you have to rely on your ranged weapon. That’s why having these resources available to you makes the early game bosses quite easy to handle.

Moreover, the starting armor of the Samurai class also provides ample protection against physical and elemental damage. Furthermore, the armor set also provides some of the highest levels of immunity, robustness, vitality, and focus to players compared to other starting armors in the game. And if there is one thing that Elden Ring makes difficult for players, that is finding good gear in the early game. All of these make Samurai a great starting choice!

Best Builds for Samurai Class

Best Early Game Samurai Builds

• Primary Stats:
  • Dexterity: 25+
  • Vigor: 20+

• Secondary Stats:
  • Endurance: 20+
  • Strength: 15+

• Weapons:
  • Uchigatana – This is the starting Katana you get and will last you a very long time before you feel the need to swap it for a better weapon. This weapon scales with Dexterity and Strength and causes pierce and slash damage in enemies. Moreover, it also has a hemorrhage passive skill that causes blood loss buildup. You can also collect another one of the Uchigatana from Deathtouched catacombs and dual wield them.
  • Longbow – This is the starting ranged weapon you get for the Samurai class and it also happens to be one of the best long-ranged bows in the game. It comes with the Mighty Shot skill that can break through the enemy guard. You will find yourself relying on this weapon even in the late game.
  • Golem Great bow – This bow has the same range as the Longbow but deals more damage. Moreover, it also scales with strength and dexterity. Players can farm for the Golem great bow by killing Golem soldiers outside Castle Morne.
  • Dragonscale Blade – The Dragonscale katana is lethal, and deals a great deal of slash and pierce damage. It scales with strength and dexterity and comes with the unique skill called Ice Lightning Sword, which leaves enemies with an ice lightning status effect. Players can get this Katana in the Lake of Rot by defeating the Dragonkin Soldier there.

• Armor Sets:
  • Land of Reeds – This is a medium-weight armor set that is also the starting armor for the Samurai class. And just like the starting weapons, will work fine for a good deal of time.
  • Ronin’s Set – This is another medium-weight armor set that provides slightly better protection than the Lands of Reeds set. Moreover, it also provides higher Immunity and Vitality. Players can unlock Ronin’s set by completing the Bloody Finger Hunter Yura’s questline.
  • Bull-Goat Set – This is a heavy-weight armor meant to be donned by warriors, and will offer utmost protection against physical and elemental damage. In order to unlock the Bull-goat set, you need to kill the Great Horned Tragoth as part of Patches’ questline.

• Skills:
  • Ash of War: Unsheathe – This is a powerful skill that comes pre-equipped with your Uchigatana. While two-handing the katana, you can assume this stance to unleash a powerful slash that can devastate single enemies and multiple enemies alike.
  • Ash of War: Mighty Shot – This is a charged shot skill that comes pre-equipped with your Longbow, allowing you to pierce through an opponent’s defense.

• Talismans:
  • Arrow’s Reach – This talisman increases the range of your shots, so you can effectively hit enemies from a greater distance and deal more damage. The Arrow’s Reach talisman can be found in a tower southwest of Stormhill Evergaol. 
  • Axe Talisman – This talisman boosts the damage dealt from charged attacks, taking your Unsheathe skill to the next level. You can find the Axe Talisman in a cellar underneath Eastern Limgrave’s Mistwood ruins.
  • Erdtree’s Favor – A must-have talisman that increases your health, stamina, and equip load. A higher equip load eases your movements and allows you to perform successful dodge rolls even in heavy-weight armors. You can get the Erdtree’s Favor talisman in Fringefolk Hero’s grave.
  • Green Turtle Talisman – This talisman increases your stamina recovery speed, allowing you to perform skills more frequently with fewer time lags.

• Flask Spread: At this stage, most of your flasks should be leaning towards HP, with only one set aside for FP.

Best Late Game Samurai Builds

• Primary Stats:
  • Dexterity: 40+
  • Vigor: 40+
  • Strength: 30+

• Secondary Stats:
  • Intelligence: 20+
  • Arcane: 20+

• Weapons:
  • Nagakiba – This is the longest katana you will find in Elden Ring, with its blade being twice the size of the Uchigatana’s. With its incredibly long range, players can hit multiple enemies at once and larger bosses with ease. Moreover, the Nagakiba scales with dexterity and strength and deals a great amount of slash and pierce damage. Furthermore, it also has a hemorrhage passive skill that causes blood loss buildup in enemies. Players can obtain the Nagakiba from Bloody Finger Hunter Yura by either killing him or completing his questline.
  • Moonveil – This is considered one of the best katanas in the game, thanks to its incredibly powerful Transient Moonlight skill. It allows players to perform an instant slash attack that deals devastating damage to even great enemies, slicing away half or more of their health bar at once. Moreover, it also inflicts the highest level of blood loss buildup. The Moonveil is dropped by the Magma Wyrm in Caelid’s Gael Tunnel. You’ll need to have at least 23 Intelligence to wield it.
  • Rivers of Blood – This katana is also extremely powerful with an equal level of bleed buildup as the Moonveil. Moreover, it has a unique skill called the Corpse Piler, which is among the best skills you can have in your Samurai build. With it, players can make a chain of successive attacks at the cost of some FP. Players can acquire this weapon by defeating the Bloody Finger Okina in the Mountain tops of the Giants. You’ll need to have at least 20 Arcane to wield it.
  • Pulley Bow – This has the longest range among bows. It scales with Strength and Dexterity and deals a good amount of damage. Moreover, it also comes equipped with the Mighty Shot skill, allowing players to make incredibly powerful charged shots. Players can get the Pulley Bow in a siege tower close to the Mt. Gelmir campsite. 

• Armor Sets:
  • White Reed Set – This is a medium-weight armor set that provides a balanced level of protection between physical and elemental damage. Moreover, the immunity scale of this armor set is also pretty high. Players can find pieces of this armor set in the Spiritcaller Cave.
  • Beast Champion Set – This incredibly robust heavy-weight armor is engraved in metal and can withstand heavy physical and elemental damage alike. Players can loot this from Knight Bernahl after killing him. 
  • General Radahn Set – A heavy-weight armor that is incredibly robust and provides the highest degree of poise. The General Radahn set is possibly the best late-game armor you can get in Elden Ring. Once you defeat Starscourge Radahn, you can buy the armor set for 36,000 runes from Enia at the Roundtable hold.

• Skills:
  • Transient Moonlight – This is an extremely overpowered skill that is unique to the Moonveil katana. With it, players can either perform a normal or strong attack at an instant slashing speed that staggers the enemy and takes away a large chunk of their health.
  • Corpse Piler – This skill allows players to land a chain of successive slashes that can devastate the enemy. The corpse piler is unique to the Rivers of Blood katana.
  • Ash of War: Hoarfrost Stomp – This Ash of War skill allows you to inflict a frostbite status effect on multiple enemies by stomping the ground and creating an icy mist.
  • Ash of War: Thunderbolt – This Ash of War allows you to summon lightning with your sword and electrocute enemies from a distance. You can get the Thunderbolt skill in Leyndell, Royal Capital by killing a Teardrop Scarab.

• Talismans:
  • Winged Sword Insignia – This talisman scales the power of your attacks with the number of successive hits you land. If you can chain your attacks, especially with a skill like the Corpse Piler, the damage dealt from each hit will increase significantly. You can get this talisman by taking down the Cleanrot Knight mini-boss in Stillwater Cave.
  • Lord of Blood’s Exultation – This talisman increases the power of your attack when there is a blood spill nearby. You can find the Lord of Blood’s Exultation in Leyndell Catacombs by defeating Esgar, Priest of Blood.
  • Arrow’s Sting Talisman – This is a must-have talisman for archers as it raises the attack power and damage dealt from arrows and bolts. Players can loot this talisman from a chest in a tower above Caelid’s Impassable Greatbridge.
  • Ritual Sword Talisman – This talisman increases your attack power when you’re at your full health. You can find the Ritual Sword talisman in a chest after defeating the Demi-Human Queen Gilika in Lux Ruins.

• Flask Spread: At this stage, you’ll want to have up to four flasks for HP, and two for FP.

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