Are you a fan of curved swords, katanas, or rapiers? If so, a dexterity build might just be for you. Like all the other Souls games, Elden Ring doesn’t tell you how to make a build. Instead, everything about your character is up to you from the armor you choose to the weapons you use. If you are struggling to create your dexterity build, here are some tips to make it great and some weapons that are worth finding.
A good dexterity build
There are a ton of different dexterity builds you can find online with some of them promising to one-shot bosses or make you invincible. One of the best dexterity builds uses katanas. Check the list below for all of the equipment you will need.
- Uchigatana: Found in the Deathtouched Catacombs in northern Limgrave to the northeast of the Warmaster’s Shack.
- Rivers of Blood: This is perhaps the best katana to use other than the Uchigatana but any other katana will do since they all apply bleed damage. Rivers of Blood can be retrieved from Okina when he invades near the Church of Repose in the Mountaintops of the Giants.
- Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Retrieved by defeating Esgar, Priest of Blood in the Leyndell Catacombs.
- White Mask: This one is optional but it also raises your attack power like the Lord of Blood’s Exultation. Can be retrieved from defeating the Nameless White Mask NPC invader in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum. Killing Mohg, Lord of blood will prevent you from being able to get this item.
- Seppuku: This weapon art can be found in the northern part of the frozen lake in the Mountaintops of the Giants. You need to kill an invisible scarab to get it.
With all of the items listed above, you have the makings of a great Dexterity build. Put the Seppuku weapon art on the Uchigatana and equip the rest of the gear. You can wear any armor you would like. Using the Seppuku weapon art will activate the Lord of Blood’s Exultation’s effect and increase your damage You can then use the two blades to deal massive bleed damage to enemies around you or even just use the River of Blood’s weapon art. While the arcane stat isn’t required to be over 20 for this build, it is recommended since River of Blood scales off arcane. You can avoid the need for arcane by using other katanas.
Weapons to look out for
There are a large number of good dexterity weapons. There is no denying that almost any weapon can be good as long as it is wielded by someone who is skilled enough to use it. Before we get into a list of different dexterity-based weapons, here are a few weapons that are good but don’t make the top of the list.
- Reduvia: Retrieved from the invader in the river north of Agheel Lake in Limgrave, Reduvia can throw blood at opponents that cause a lot of bleed damage.
- Bloodhound’s Fang: Dropped by Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in Limgrave, the Bloodhound’s Fang is a curved greatsword that causes blood loss. You can use the blade to perform a special weapon art that causes you to flip through the air making multiple attacks.
- Dragon King’s Cragblade: The Dragon King’s Cragblade is a powerful heavy thrusting sword that allows you to use a weapon art that shocks your opponents with a lot of lightning. The downside is that this weapon can only be obtained from Dragon Lord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula.
While each of the weapons above is great in its own way, they lack some of the capabilities of the ones listed below or are just hard to obtain.
Moonveil
Moonveil is one of the many katanas you can find throughout the game. While it may look like a basic katana, it has a unique skill that sets it apart from the rest called Transient Moonlight. Think of this sword as a more streamlined version of the Dark Moon Greatsword. When you activate its ability you can fire out waves of moonlight energy. Of course, this weapon also requires intelligence to use. You can obtain this weapon by defeating the Magma Wyrm in Gael Tunnel in Caelid.
Urumi
Urumi is an interesting blade but one of the few that is capable of achieving S-rank scaling in dexterity. This weapon can be infused with ashes of war so you can put whatever weapon art you want on it. Despite being a whip, this weapon is actually a flowing sword that is coiled up and acts like a whip. It is more than capable of stun-locking opponents and taking them down. If you want to find this weapon, you can do so in Caria Manor.
Morgott’s Cursed Sword
Morgott’s Cursed Sword is obtained from the Remembrance of the Omen King. This means that you need to defeat Morgott in the Capital City to retrieve this weapon. This weapon stands out amongst most of the other dexterity weapons thanks to its unique weapon art that leaves a blood-fire trail behind it as you attack. This weapon art is great for stacking bleed damage on your opponents.
