Elden Ring Barrage Bow Build Guide - Black Arrow
May. 11, 2024Elden Ring Barrage Bow Build Guide – Black Arrow
In this Elden Ring Barrage Bow Build Guide, I’ll be introducing you to myBlack Arrowbuild. This build is designed specifically forNew Game Plusand revolves entirely around using abowto defeat enemies. If you’ve been wondering whether it’s possible to complete New Game Plus with a bow-focused build, this guide will show you that it’s not only possible, but it’s also a viable and effective playstyle.
I designed this New Game Plus build as a sort of progression from theBloody Bowmanbuild. It shares a similar stat allocation and uses much of the same equipment, but it’s been refined to remain competitive in New Game Plus. One key adjustment is the increasedFaith, allowing the use of buffs likeGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strengthto enhance attack power.
Several enhancements in this build might be difficult to achieve in a standard playthrough, especially early on or even near the game’s end. However, once you transition to New Game Plus, these changes become necessary to stay competitive. This build incorporates attributes and strategies that are designed to meet the higher difficulty and more robust enemies you’ll face in New Game Plus, providing you with the power and versatility needed to succeed.
A Bow Build that focuses on the use of the Black Bow to take down enemies and bosses at range.
We have over 110 Elden Ring builds. Each one is meticulously crafted to offer unique playstyles, strategies, and experiences, ensuring there’s something for every adventurer in the Lands Between. Whether you seek the raw power of heavy weapons, the finesse of spellcasting, or the versatility of hybrid builds, our collection has you covered. Explore the depths of the game’s mechanics and unleash your full potential with our diverse array of builds.
Let’s talk about the weapon we’re using: theBlack Bow. It’s the same bow used in theBloody Bowmanbuild, and it’s a great choice because it offers high damage and functions like a short bow despite technically being a long bow. This versatility allows you to perform key moves like jumping and shooting, rolling and shooting, or shooting upon landing. These rapid movements are essential for a bow build inElden Ring, where agility is key, and standing still can be dangerous.
TheBarrageskill on theBlack Bowis also invaluable for dealing damage quickly at medium to short range. Even at close range,Barragecan be devastating, allowing you to unleash a flurry of arrows in rapid succession.
One challenge with bow builds inElden Ringis their typically poor scaling, which becomes more apparent later in the game. Bows tend to perform better in earlier stages when weapon upgrades play a larger role, but as the game progresses, the lack of effective scaling can make it difficult to deal substantial damage, especially against tougher enemies.
To overcome this scaling issue, this build incorporates buffs likeGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strength. These incantations boost your physical damage, ensuring you can still deal reliable damage as you progress through New Game Plus. While you might not be one-shotting enemies, these buffs help ensure you can defeat foes consistently with a few well-placed arrows.
In addition to these buffs, using theBlue Dancer Charmtalisman further enhances your attack power, especially when you’re carrying a light equipment load. This combination of factors helps mitigate the inherent scaling issues with bows, making this build effective and fun to play in the later stages of the game.
For yourSacred Seal, you’ll want something as light as possible. Ideally, you’d use a zero-weight seal like theFrenzied Flame Seal. If you don’t have that, theClawmark Sealis a workable option, though it weighs 1.5 units. The lighter yourSacred Seal, the better it complements theBlue Dancer Charm, which boosts attack power as your equip weight decreases.
For armor, go with something extremely lightweight to get the most from theBlue Dancer Charm. The charm has soft cap breakpoints at 8, 16, and 24; once you go past 30, there’s no additional benefit. It’s a sliding scale—the lower your equip weight, the more attack power you gain. Aim for a total equip weight of about 8 or 16 to maximize the bonus.
To achieve an 8-point weight, you could use theBlack Bowwith a zero-weightSacred Sealand no armor. Alternatively, you can add a light armor piece to approach the 16-point mark for a balance between attack power and protection. I opted for the 16-weight approach to avoid being completely unarmored.
The key is to keep your equipment light enough to benefit from theBlue Dancer Charm. The closer you stay to 0 equip weight, the more attack power you’ll have. If you go over 16, the charm’s benefit diminishes, so it’s best to keep it under that threshold.
The talismans used in this Elden Ring Barrage Bow build include theOld Lord’s Talisman, which increases the duration of your spells. This is crucial because it extends the effects ofGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strength, reducing the need for frequent rebuffing during combat. These buffs can take a while to cast, so prolonging their duration is helpful, especially in longer boss fights.
TheArrow’s Sting Talismanprovides a 10% boost to arrow damage, while theShard of Alexanderincreases the damage ofBarrageby 15%. You can swapShard of Alexanderwith theRitual Sword Talismanif you prefer an overall boost to damage, but this requires keeping your health at 100%, which can be tricky with a bow build. TheSpear Talismanis another option—it boosts your damage when you hit enemies during their forward attack animations, which is common in this build due to its mobility and baiting strategy.
The combination ofGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strengthboosts both your defense and attack power. With theOld Lord’s Talisman, these spells last longer—about 40 seconds forFlame, Grant Me Strength, and longer forGolden Vow—providing a sustained boost throughout most of your fights.
For the arrows, although theBloody Bowmanbuild focuses onBloodbone Arrowsto inflicthemorrhageon high-health enemies, this build relies more on standard arrows and focuses on raw damage output. You can use Bleeding Arrows for specific situations, but thanks toGolden Vow,Flame, Grant Me Strength, and theBlue Dancer Charm, regular arrows can be effective too. This allows you to reserve theBloodbone Arrowsfor tough enemies while using common arrows for regular combat.
Bow builds require a lot of arrows, so managing your supply is key. Fortunately, in New Game Plus, you can afford to buy arrows in bulk, which is easier with regular arrows. Before entering New Game Plus, it’s helpful to stock up on various arrow types (likeMagicbone Arrows,Haligbone Arrows, andFirebone Arrows) since they work well against specific enemies. Also, make sure you’ve defeated theBell-Bearing Hunterand turned in his bell at theRoundtable Holdto buy crafting materials likeThin Beast Bones. You can also stock up onBloodrosesfrom the Imprisoned Merchant to makeBloodbone Arrowswithout having to farm them later.
If you plan to makeFeathered Arrows, you’ll need to farmFlight Pinionssince there’s no bulk-buy option. It’s worth stocking up before New Game Plus, so you can dive right into the content without having to farm materials immediately. By preparing these resources beforehand, you’ll be ready for whatever New Game Plus throws your way, allowing you to focus on combat and exploration rather than farming for arrow materials.
The recommended stats for this Elden Ring Barrage Bow build are50 Vigor,18 Mind,25 Endurance,45 Strength,45 Dexterity,16 Intelligence,25 Faith, and9 Arcane.
You don’t needIntelligenceorArcanefor this build; they’re simply a carryover from my starting class as anAstrologer. If you began with a different class, your stat distribution would be more focused.
Once you’ve achieved25 Faith, you don’t need to increase it anymore for this build, as it’s primarily forGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strength. The recommended progression would be to getVigorto60,Mindto25, andEnduranceto30-35. Afterward, you can focus on increasingStrengthandDexterityto further boost your damage output.
Here are a couple of tips before I wrap up this guide. For theFlask of Wondrous Physick, I recommend using theGreenburst Crystal Tear(for increased Stamina recovery) and theGreenspill Crystal Tear(for increased Stamina). These are helpful during boss fights where you’re usingBarragefrequently. The extra Stamina allows you to maintain continuousBarrage, and the faster Stamina recovery ensures you can quickly regain energy for dodging and shooting.
Adding points toDexterityorStrengthfor damage won’t yield significant results, so focusing on Stamina-related benefits is more useful for this build. If you’re choosing whichGreat Runeto use,Radahn’s Great Runeis a solid option. It provides additional FP, Stamina, and Health—all of which are valuable for this build. The extra FP supportsGolden VowandBarrage, while the additional Health and Stamina boost your survivability and sustained attacks. Given these bonuses,Radahn’s Great Runeis a strong choice to help you stay alive and maintain a steady damage output.
That’s it for this build. As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming forElden RingandShadow of the Erdtreeso stay tuned for those. If you need help finding the spells, items, or equipment in this build, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check theElden Ring Map.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
