The Wretch is the weakest of all the classes in Elden Ring, starting at Level 1 and only providing a Club as a weapon. It doesn’t come with any of the armor that the other classes have, or even a shield like the Vagabond or the Hero.
What the Wretch does come with is a 10 in every stat, which gives them more flexibility to become the type of fighter you want them to be. You could build them to fight like a Samurai or you might consider turning them into a magical character like an Astrologer. The level of control that you have is perfect for players who have already been through the game and know what they want out of their character.
If you are looking for a challenge or want the precision stat allotment that comes with the Wretch, here are some ideas you can use to start out.
What build works best for the Wretch?
As the Wretch starts at Level 1 with a solid 10 in every stat, there is no real “best” build in the sense that one is going to be more optimal than the other. The freedom that you get with the Wretch means that you can slowly build them to be whatever type of fighter you want them to be.
If you are looking for classes that rely a lot on heavy weaponry (ie. Greatswords/Greatspears), you want to make a Strength-based character that can wield those weapons. If you are looking to make Keen weapons, you can put your focus on Dexterity. If you are looking for a magic-based character, you will put more points towards Intelligence.
Whatever build you would like to pursue is the best one to go with, as long as you focus on the right stats. Let’s take a look at one of the popular builds using the Sword of Night and Flame, which isn’t too difficult for the Wretch to fit into.
Sword of Night and Flame (Wretch) Build
While no longer the powerful weapon it used to be, the Sword of Night and Flame is still useful with the right stat investments.
To wield it, you need:
- 12 Strength
- 12 Dexterity
- 24 Intelligence
- 24 Faith
While the Wretch isn’t as close as other classes, there are only 2 points needed in Strength and Dexterity to make it work, while the rest can go into Intelligence and Faith (as well as Vigor, Mind, and Endurance). You will also have more opportunities to invest in Intelligence and Faith without cutting into Vigor and Endurance as you would if you picked the Astrologer or Prophet classes.
This is particularly effective with the Prince of Death’s Staff as your offhand weapon while getting the Rancorcall and Ancient Death Rancor spells for extra effectiveness. When starting out, you will probably start with the Astrologer’s Staff and work your way up to a Meteorite Staff while you are on your way to the Prince of Death’s Staff.
- Primary stats to invest in: Intelligence & Faith
- Secondary stats that help: Vigor & Mind
If you are looking for a melee Wretch fighter, you can always take a look at starting with a Greatsword build, since you can pick up a Lordsworn’s Greatsword in the Gatefront Ruins, close to where you first begin the game. You can then take that into a Strength-based build if you find different weapons that scale to Strength (i.e. a Colossal Sword).
Greatsword-to-Strength (Wretch) Build
Not too different from what you would see on a Hero or a Vagabond, but you can easily start with the Lordsworn’s Greatsword and then work your way up when you have a better Greatsword or similar Strength-scaling weapon.
Paired with the Ash of War: War Cry along with the Axe Talisman and Roar Medallion, you have a class that can continually use the R2/RT and take care of most enemies. Having good armor that doesn’t slow down your roll (a normal paced roll/medium roll) will protect you in case the fight gets too close for comfort.
- Primary stats to invest in: Strength
- Secondary stats that help: Vigor & Endurance
But you might not be looking for a Strength-based melee fighter and you want to lean towards a fighter closer to the Samurai class, or you still want the joy of ranged combat without magic. You can use Katanas with a Bow while you are starting out, which you can stick with as you go through the game.
Katana-and-Bow (Wretch) Build
This isn’t too different from building a Samurai, though you will have to get weapons like the Uchigatana and the Longbow to start. You can get the Uchigatana from the Deathtouch Catacombs in Stormhill, Limgrave while picking up the Longbow from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold for 1,200 runes.
As you get better Katanas (like the Nagakiba or eventually the Rivers of Blood), you can start to invest some of your stat points into Strength as well. You can also stick with medium armor of any kind as long as you can still roll effectively during combat. Paired with skills such as Ash of War: Unsheathe or Ash of War: Rain of Arrows, you should be able to handle both ranged and melee combat should the need arise.
- Primary stats to invest in: Dexterity (and Strength as you get better Katanas)
- Secondary stats that help: Vigor & Mind
The Wretch is versatile and is open to all styles of gameplay. Any build can work as long as you know what you are building towards. Stats tend to cap differently and you want to stick to your builds without spreading them out too much, but with some inspiration from the above builds, you have a good place to begin building your Wretch to be the best they can be.
