Elden Ring Bleed Build Arcane Guide - Blood Dragon
May. 4, 2024Elden Ring Bleed Build Arcane Guide – Blood Dragon
In this Elden Ring Bleed Build Arcane Guide, I introduce the Blood Dragon build. This build is a fusion of the Blood Blade and Dragon Priest builds, providing a balance between them. If you’re interested in an arcane-based build that emphasizes bleed effects, this guide will show you how to create and play a build that capitalizes on both arcane and bleed mechanics. Whether you’re new to arcane builds or seeking an effective combination of bleed and dragon-themed elements, the Blood Dragon build offers a unique approach that might suit your style.
A dual-wielding Arcane Build that uses Bleeding and Dragon Spells to obliterate enemies.
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For this build, you’ll need twoCurved Swordsor any pair of fast weapons. Faster weapons are preferred because they build up bleed much quicker, allowing you to triggerHemorrhagemore rapidly. I recommendScimitarssince the Warrior class starts with them, providing a convenient starting point.
To equipBloody Slashon both swords, you’ll needLost Ashes of War, available from theNomadic Merchantin the southwest part of theWeeping Peninsula. Take theLost Ashesto aSite of Graceand select“Ash of War Duplication”to copyBloody Slash. Apply it to bothCurved Swords, then select thebleedaffinity, ensuring each sword hasbleedbuildup.
With this setup, you can use L1 to attack with both swords simultaneously, causing rapidbleedbuildup. This increases your chances of triggering thebleedingstatus effect, leading to massive damage throughHemorrhage. If you’ve seen theBlood Baybuild before, this strategy should feel familiar. The doubleCurved Swordapproach, combined withBloody Slash, makes for a fast and deadly combo against enemies.
The next thing you’re going to want is theDragon Communion Sealthat’s found below the very start of the game there, that drops from theBanished Knightin theFringefolk Hero’s Gravearea, and the reason this is good for this build is that it usesSomber Smithing Stones. You’re going to need all theSmithing Stonesyou got to upgrade both your blades, and it also boostsDragon Communion IncantationsorDragon Incantations, which you’re going to use for this build.
TheDragon Communion Sealis especially valuable because it scales withArcane, offering excellent scaling. As you increase yourArcanestat, it boosts the damage of your spells while also accelerating blood buildup, which is crucial for bleed weapons like scimitars. This double benefit makes it a key item for this build.
By investing inArcane, you’ll not only increase your spell damage, but you’ll also enhance the bleed effect on yourscimitars, allowing them to triggerHemorrhagemore quickly. This dual advantage means you can maximize both your spell damage and your bleed potential with the same stat. TheDragon Communion Sealis a perfect fit for builds that rely on bleed and spellcasting, providing a versatile boost to both damage and blood buildup speed.
For armor in this build, you can choose almost anything that allows you to maintain a medium roll. The key is to use the heaviest armor you can while staying within the mid-roll range, ensuring you have decent protection without sacrificing too much mobility. Given that this build doesn’t have a highEndurancestat, you might not be able to use extremely heavy armor, but aim for something sturdy that doesn’t slow you down. This balance of defense and agility is crucial for this build’s playstyle, providing enough protection while allowing you to move freely in combat.
For talismans for this build, you’re going to want theBlessed Dew Talisman, theWinged Sword Insignia, andMarika’s Seal.
TheBlessed Dew Talismanis one of the best all-around talismans in the game, I feel like, and it’s really good for this build because you’re going to be usingBloody Slash, which is the weapon skill of theScimitar, and it takes health away when you use it. It consumes 60 HP per use so that talisman is going to help replenish that little chip damage you take when using it.
TheWinged Sword Insigniaboosts your attack power based on the number of consecutive attacks, making it ideal for dual-wielding or fast weapon builds. The faster you hit enemies, the more the bonus builds up. The talisman gives an increasing percentage of attack power with each stack, eventually reaching about 20-22% at max stacks, according to my testing.
The interesting part about this talisman is that it doesn’t lose all its stacks at once. If you pause between attacks, the bonus gradually decreases over time, so it’s not an instant reset. As long as you keep attacking within a reasonable time frame, you’ll retain some of the stacks, allowing you to maintain a portion of the attack power boost. This is beneficial for a bleed-focused build where you’re constantly engaging enemies to triggerHemorrhage. By staying active in combat, you can leverage this bonus to increase your overall damage output.
The last talisman we’re using in this build isMarika’s Scarseal. This talisman boosts yourMind,Intelligence,Faith, andArcane. Out of these four, three are crucial for our build:Mind,Faith, andArcane. This build requires a lot of different stats:Vigor,Mind,Endurance,Faith,Arcane, and evenDexterityfor increased damage.Marika’s Scarsealhelps reduce some of this stat pressure, providing a boost to key attributes, allowing you to meet requirements forFaithand have enoughMind(you need at least 15, which will be explained later).
This stat boost helps you balance the build more efficiently, especially early in the game, giving you more flexibility in how you allocate attribute points. Later on, as you accumulate more levels, you might replaceMarika’s Scarsealsince it increases the damage you take by about 5%. While that’s not a significant drawback, it could become less desirable as your stat needs change. However, during the early stages of the game,Marika’s Scarsealis a valuable asset for achieving the right attribute spread to make the build effective without taking on too much risk.
The two spells we use for this build areDragonclawandRotten Breath. Both areDragon Incantations, which you’ll need to obtain by defeatingdragons. The firstdragonis near the beginning of the game, and the second is inLiurnia, so you should be able to acquire them relatively early. However, to getRotten Breath, you must travel to theCathedral of Dragon CommunioninCaelid. You don’t need to defeat anything there; just ride over to theCathedralto exchange forRotten Breath.Dragonclawcan be obtained much earlier in the game.
This build offers a lot of flexibility, with several effective offensive options. Using L1, you can quickly build up bleed, devastating enemies that are vulnerable to it, like human types. This makes the build particularly effective against these types of foes.
Bloody Slashis another powerful tool, delivering high damage that scales with weapon upgrades and the Arcane stat. Regardless of your weapon’s affinity, each point inArcaneboostsBloody Slash’sdamage, making it ideal forArcane-focused builds. The skill is also cost-effective, requiring just 6 FP per use, and has a unique mechanic where your character ducks during the attack, allowing you to avoid some enemy swings.
For tougher enemies,Dragonclawprovides excellent poise and super armor, allowing you to tank through most attacks. It has a high cost of 42 FP, which is why this build aims for 84 FP—you can perform a two-hit combo with R1 before needing to restore FP. This provides an effective way to deal with stronger foes without interruption.
With these different offensive tools, this build is adaptable, letting you shift between fast bleed buildup, powerful slashes, and high-poise attacks withDragonclaw. It offers a range of strategies to tackle various enemies and bosses throughout the game.
It works well against enemies with large shields that are difficult to penetrate with yourScimitarsor that block your breath attacks. It’s particularly effective against these types of enemies, as well as larger foes that you want to take down quickly. For example, it can defeat atrollwith a well-timed combo, or even agolem, dealing significant damage.
You won’t use it often, but when you do, it’s incredibly effective.Rotten Breathis almost overpowered with this build—it’s effective to the point of feeling broken. ThisDragon Incantationis great for starting boss fights or using from horseback against large enemies in the open world. AlthoughRotten Breathitself doesn’t deal massive damage upfront, it can clear large groups of smaller enemies and is excellent for applying damage over time to bosses.
CastingRotten Breathat the start of a boss fight—like againstRennalaor similar bosses—can make a significant difference. It inflicts scarlet rot, which rapidly depletes the boss’s health, potentially reducing it by about half. This allows you to focus on other strategies while the rot does its work, making the fight easier to manage.
Rotten Breathis particularly useful against difficult enemies, especially those you don’t want to get close to due to their high damage output or unpredictable attack patterns. UsingRotten Breathfrom a distance to apply damage over time gives you the opportunity to observe and plan your approach.
Another advantage is that it’s not affected bybleedimmunity. If you encounter an enemy that is immune to bleeding, they may still be vulnerable to scarlet rot. This makesRotten Breatha valuable tool for a wider range of enemies, giving you flexibility in situations where bleed may not be effective.
Vigor: For this build, you need at least 20Vigorfor sufficient health, asBloody Slashconsumes 60 HP with each use. HigherVigoris also important forDragonclaw, which can leave you vulnerable to counterattacks, and because you’re playing a melee build, you’ll take hits.
Mind: You need at least 15Mindto get 84 FP. This allows you to useDragonclaw’sdouble swipe before needing a flask. Less than 15Mindmeans you can only use one swipe, which limits your combo potential.
Endurance: Aim for around 20Endurance. This provides enough stamina for the heavy use of dual-wield attacks and rolling. Higher Endurance also gives you more equip load, allowing for heavier armor and better protection.
DexterityandStrength: These aren’t a focus at this stage.Dexteritymainly comes from your class (Warrior), and you only need enough to meet weapon requirements. Later on, you’ll increaseDexterityfor weapon damage.
Faith: You need 17FaithforDragonclawand 15 forRotten Breath. This is your breakpoint, asFaithdoes boost spell damage through theDragon Communion Sealbut scales better withArcane. In later game stages, if you acquire spells with higher Faith requirements, you may need to increase it.
Arcane: The most critical stat for this build.ArcaneimprovesBloody Slash’sdamage, enhances weapon damage, boosts bleed buildup speed, and strengthens spell damage. It’s the primary stat to focus on, and you’ll continue increasing it as you progress through the game.
A couple of tips for this build before wrapping up the guide. Since patch 1.09, theRoar Medallionnow boosts allDragon Communion incantations, except forDragonmawandDragonclaw, which it previously did not.
Another point is to make the most ofBloody Slash. This skill is exceptionally strong, especially in boss fights, if you can time it well. You useBloody Slashprimarily for its high damage, not necessarily for its bleed buildup. It’s one of the best weapon skills in the game for boss fights, with a low HP cost relative to the damage it deals.
Marika’s Scarsealis another consideration, providing +3 toFaith,Arcane,Mind, andIntelligence(although we don’t needIntelligencefor this build). If you’re using it, adjust your stats accordingly. For instance, if you need 15Mind, havingMarika’s Scarsealmeans you only need to invest 12 in the attribute, as thetalismanwill boost it to 15. The same goes forFaith—14 withMarika’s Scarsealgetting you to the required 17 forDragonclaw.
Lastly, when deciding how to upgrade your weapons, prioritize your right-hand weapon. This will maximize the damage ofBloody Slash, which is tied to the right-hand weapon’s upgrade level. If you can either upgrade both weapons to +8 or upgrade one to +10 and the other to +7, opt for the latter, with the higher upgrade on the right hand. This will ensureBloody Slashhas the most impact, which is crucial for boss fights and high-damage scenarios.
That wraps up ourBlood Dragonbuild. 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.
