Elden Ring: The Best Bleed Build

One of the best options when creating a specific build in Elden Ring is to consider its main characteristic when it comes to combat. This guide will guide you through the process of crafting the optimal bleed build in the game, ensuring that the hemorrhage effect is well worth the investment.

This particular feature can be very useful in combat, as it passively deals a significant amount of damage to the enemy over time by applying a bleed to the target.

Some of the best builds with this feature can make you almost invincible in combat. These are the most popular choices regarding weapons and objects to have the best bleed build in Elden Ring.

Understanding How Bleed Works in Elden Ring Is Important

The bleed status in Elden Ring is a highly effective and lethal feature, provided the enemy possesses a weakness or lacks resistance to the consequences the bleed inflicts. How this status works will specifically depend on how much resistance the enemy has.

For instance, if the enemy possesses 100 resistance and your attack deals 40 bleed damage, it will require three hits to initiate the bleed effect.

The bleed status will trigger a hemorrhage, a passive state that endures throughout the battle, amplifying the damage with each subsequent hit. This particular aspect of the build is why you need quick weapons and light armor to strike as many times as you possibly can.

Because bleed is lethal to many extremely powerful enemies, some of the most powerful builds in this game focus on it. Beyond weapons, spells, items, and other hemorrhage-causing items, a robust bleed build can prove to be highly effective. Additionally, you can use ashes of war to inflict hemorrhage on your opponents.

When using bleed as the core of your build, the most effective strategies involve having fast weapons that enable you to land multiple hits in quick succession. This is primarily because the more hits you land, the faster you can trigger hemorrhage and deal more passive damage to your enemy.

Among the few disadvantages of this type of build is the lack of heavy armor and overall defense. It’s a constant risk to be hit, and it’s necessary to be close to the enemy to land all these hits.

Even so, despite these disadvantages, it is one of the best builds to deal rapid damage and take down any boss with just a few strikes.

Best Bleed Stats in Elden Ring

• Vigor: 50
• Mind: 25
• Endurance: 30
• Strength: 18
• Dexterity: 50
• Intelligence: 9
• Faith: 15
• Arcane: 45

While these stats can vary, Dexterity and Vigor are the main focus. Therefore, you should strive to enhance these attributes to create a well-balanced bleed build in Elden Ring. Arcane will also be useful as it helps apply hemorrhage more effectively.

Endurance is also a stat to consider, though it doesn’t need to be as high as the others for this build to work correctly. Should all this fail to convince you, you have the option to reset your character and concentrate on a different build type. The given stat example assumes a relatively high level in the game, approximately 150 or even slightly lower.

You can also check our guide on how to beat Vyke, Knight of the Roundtable in Elden Ring.

Best Weapons for a Bleed Build in Elden Ring

First, we have the Uchigatana. With its base stats, this weapon can inflict significant damage and bleeding. You can find it in the Stormhill region of Limgrave. However, its true strength emerges when combined with the Ash of War Bloody Slash, which can inflict a profound bleeding effect on the enemy. To use this weapon, you’ll need 11 strength and 15 dexterity.

You will receive Eleonora’s poleblade as a reward for defeating Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger, at the Second Church of Marika. This twinblade is considered one of the most effective weapons for a bleeding build. Beyond the ashes of war, its own attacks inflict bleeds and burns, making it an extremely reliable weapon. To wield it, you’ll need 12 Strength, 19 Arcane, and 21 Dexterity.

Next, the Rivers of Blood katana is a must-have for an ideal bleed build. You can find this katana at the Mountaintops of the Giants, specifically in the Church of Repose area. It is the reward for defeating Bloody Finger Okina. Its unique ability is ideal for inflicting damage on adversaries. To use it, you’ll need 18 Dexterity, 20 Arcane, and 12 Strength.

One of the most useful seals you can use is the Dragon Communion Seal. The unique feature of this item is that it enhances all dragon-related incantations by 15%. It also boosts status effects caused by incantations and seals. Therefore, it’s highly effective for anything bleed-related. You can find this seal early in the game at Fringefolk Hero’s Grave. To use it, you’ll need 10 Arcane and 10 Faith.

At Mt. Gelmir, you can find the Scavenger’s Curved Sword. This is one of the most accessible weapons in terms of stats and also offers a passive bleed effect. It’s a perfect weapon to utilize early in the game to enhance your bleed build. You can combine it with an Ash of War to enhance its special ability.

Finally, one of the best and most effective weapons is the Godskin Peeler. Only after defeating the Godskin Apostle in Windmill Village, Altus Plateau, can you obtain this weapon.

Its most intriguing feature is the Black Flame Tornado ability, which, when infused with a blood-related Ash of War, makes its bleed damage extraordinary. You’ll need 17 strength and 22 dexterity to use this weapon effectively.

Best Ashes of War for the Bleed Build

To get the Ash of War Blood Blade, you’ll need to defeat the Teardrop Scarab in Altus Plateau. One of the greatest advantages of this item is that it can store a large amount of bleed effect on the enemy. While it may consume some of your health, it inflicts significant damage, making it one of the best combat ashes for this build.

In a small cave in Mohgwyn Palace, you can find Blood Tax. This Ash of War allows you to gradually regenerate your health while damaging your opponent. Remember, your maximum health determines this regeneration, not the damage you deal. Another feature of this item is that it’s quite fast when it hits.

Early in the game, Bloody Slash is a useful war ash. You can obtain it by defeating the Godrick Knight in Fort Haight. This item has a medium-to-long range, but after a certain point in the game, it’s not as recommended. Unfortunately, it doesn’t store blood to improve the effect further.

Lastly, you have Seppuku, which may be the most effective Ash of War for a bleed build. By sacrificing a bit of your health, you’ll accumulate bleed and hemorrhage effects for 60 seconds, while also boosting all your attack stats. To find this Ash of War, head east of the Freezing Lake Site of Grace.

Best Incantations for a Bleed Build

Obtained after defeating the Teardrop Scarab in Liurnia of the Lakes, Bloodflame Blade is one of the best incantations to use for a bleed build in Elden Ring.

If the weapon in your right hand is compatible, the Bloodflame Blade will imbue it with blood flame, gradually accumulating bleed damage. You will need 12 Faith and 10 Arcane to use this incantation effectively.

Bloodboon is a very useful spell as it creates flames on the ground while dealing concentrated bleed damage. Anyone standing in the flames will take damage.

To obtain this incantation, you’ll need to trade the Remembrance of the Blood Lord with Enia at the Roundtable Hold. To use this talisman, you’ll need 14 Faith and 17 Arcane.

This incantation is ideal for dealing with bleed damage. The Swarm of Flies incantation releases a swarm of blood flies that gradually accumulate bleed damage on the opponent.

This incantation effectively deals continuous damage and eliminates the enemy. You can find this incantation in Mohgwyn Palace. You’ll need 11 Faith and 16 Arcane to use it in combat.

Best Talismans for Your Bleed Build in Elden Ring

While there are numerous talismans suitable for a bleed build, this guide will concentrate solely on those that significantly improve this feature during combat. First, you can opt to use the Shard of Alexander.

You’ll receive this talisman once you complete all the quests for Iron Fist Alexander. Its primary function is to enhance the abilities of weapons like the Rivers of Blood katana, which makes it perfect for a build that maximizes all these skills.

Another option is the Lord of Blood’s Exultation. You can obtain this item in Leyndell Catacombs after defeating Esgar, Priest of Blood.

This talisman is perfect for a bleed build, as it increases your attack power by 20% whenever an enemy nearby is bleeding. Therefore, it becomes extremely lethal, as you will constantly be causing bleed in your opponents.

To close out the talismans for this build in Elden Ring, another option is the Claw Talisman. You can find this item on a corpse inside Stormveil Castle. This talisman focuses more on agility, as it increases jump attacks by 15%.

If you have a fast weapon that causes bleed, this item will be ideal for landing and accumulating bleed effects such as hemorrhaging.

Here Are Some Armor Pieces You Can Use to Complete Your Bleed Build

Although armor is not one of the most important parts of this build, which focuses more on damage and bleed status, there are some pieces of armor that can be quite useful and complement a bleed build in Elden Ring.

You can start by using the Mask of Confidence, located in the secret area of the Carian Study Hall. The only advantage of this item is that it significantly boosts your Arcane stat, which aligns well with everything you’re building for this bleed-focused build that relies heavily on Arcane.

Another piece of armor you can use is the Raptor’s Black Feathers, found behind an illusory wall in Sage’s Cave. The only benefit of this item is that it boosts your jump attacks, and in combination with the Claw Talisman, it can be ideal for creating a strong bleed build.

Finally, if you’re looking for armor options, you might want to consider the White Mask. You can obtain this item by defeating the Nameless White Mask NPCs in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.

This mask increases your power whenever there’s any blood loss around you, making it perfect for your bleed build, as it will be common to see blood loss in your surroundings.

What’s your favorite build in Elden Ring? Let us know in the comments!