Elden Ring Dragonscale Blade Build Guide - Dragonscale Daimyo
Apr. 26, 2024Elden Ring Dragonscale Blade Build Guide – Dragonscale Daimyo
In this Elden RingDragonscale BladeBuild Guide, I’m showcasing theDragonscale Daimyobuild. This build is designed forNG+and centers on using theDragonscale Bladeand its weapon skill,Ice Lightning Sword, which is incredibly cool. This skill received a significant boost in patch 1.07, making it more potent and viable than before. The duration of the weapon’s buff was increased from 20 seconds to 45 seconds, and the added lightning damage rose from 130 to 160. These changes make theDragonscale Bladea powerful and versatile option for players delving intoNG+content.
The patch reduced the time between activating the Ice Lightning Sword skill and performing other actions, cutting the animation lock and speeding up the skill’s use. This change boosts theDragonscale Blade, raising our build’s attack rating from just under 600 to 760 with the buff active.
This is impressive for a weapon weighing just 5.5 units, offering damage levels comparable to greatswords or even some colossal weapons. TheIce Lightning Sword’s45-second buff also appliesFrostbitebuildup, adding extra damage potential. This makes theDragonscale Bladea versatile, high-damage, lightweight weapon—a great choice for your build.
A melee build that focuses on the use of Dragonscale Blade and its weapon skill: Ice Lightning Sword.
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In this Elden Ring Dragonscale Blade Build, I’ve set it up to give you different gameplay options. I’ve equipped aFireUchigatanain the left hand and theJellyfish Shield. What I like to do is useFlaming Striketo buff theUchigatana, giving it extra fire damage. Meanwhile, with theDragonscale Bladein the right hand, I can use theIce Lightning Swordskill for additional lightning damage. This setup creates a visually striking effect, with a flaming sword in one hand and a lightning-infused weapon in the other. It also allows you to dual-wield and get extra damage from both fire and lightning, making it both effective and stylish.
It allows you to get bleed buildup with the off-hand. It allows you to getFrostbitebuildup with the right hand. And if you do triggerFrostbite, and for some reason by that point the enemy’s not dead, because you have fire in the left hand, then you can re-triggerFrostbiteagain. It doesn’t happen that often, but it’s just really a deadly combo.
You don’t have to stick with fire for your left hand; you could choose other elements. For example, you might opt for lightning and useLightning Slash, which has a similar animation toIce Lightning Sword. This setup would give you lightning on both weapons—golden lightning on the left hand and blue lightning on the right. The stat distribution would vary slightly, but it’s a viable alternative. This setup offers flexibility to customize the build to your preferred visual aesthetic or elemental damage type while still providing strong damage potential.
TheJellyfish Shieldprovides not only the ability to perform block counters but also the uniqueContagious Furyskill. When you activateContagious Furyafter buffing withIce Lightning Sword, your attack rating jumps to 908 with our current stats. That’s an incredible boost for a one-handed weapon that strikes quickly and is lightweight. TheJellyfish Shieldallows you to block and counter when needed while still maintaining high damage output.
If you need to rebuff, simply two-hand theDragonscale Blade, useIce Lightning Swordto reapply the buff, and then switch back to your shield to useContagious Fury. This setup creates a dynamic combat flow, allowing you to maintain high offensive pressure while also benefiting from the defensive capabilities of the shield. It’s a powerful combination that allows you to dish out substantial damage without sacrificing versatility.
TheJellyfish Shieldis agreatshield, which helps deflect enemies, giving you more opportunities for block counters. While its guard boost isn’t exceptionally high, you can still perform block counters on individual enemies with relative ease. It’s a useful way to get extra damage while adding versatility to your combat approach.
It also allows you to choose different combat styles based on your preference and the situation. You can wield theDragonscale Bladeone-handed with the shield, dual-wield with theFire Uchigatana, or two-hand theDragonscale Bladefor a stronger buff. This flexibility is a significant advantage of the build, letting you switch between offensive and defensive tactics depending on the encounter.
In this Elden Ring Dragonscale Blade Build, I’m using theOkina Maskfor its samurai-inspired look and its bonus of three extraDexteritypoints, which is always useful. For the rest of the armor, I’m using theBlaidd’s Armor Set. I’ve customized the chest piece, so it doesn’t have the large flowing cloak, giving it a sleeker appearance that feels like a blend between a knight and a samurai. This unique aesthetic sets it apart, and I personally like the style.
A significant benefit of this setup is that it provides 56 poise, allowing you to withstand most attacks without getting knocked down. This is crucial for this dual-wielding build since you often have to trade hits while building up your attack power through repeated strikes. When using theIce Lightning Swordskill, there’s no hyper armor during the animation, so if you take a hit, you can be interrupted. With a poise level above 51, you’re more likely to remain standing, making it easier to useIce Lightning Swordwithout being staggered. This level of poise helps maintain your offensive momentum and is critical for the build’s success.
When it comes to my talismans, I haveShard of Alexanderto increase the damage ofFlaming StrikeandIce Lightning Sword.
I haveMillicent’s Prosthesisto give me five moreDexteritybecause this is a quality build, and also to increase our damage as we attack repeatedly. This doesn’t matter whether you’re single-handing or dual-wielding. It’s effective either way.
Then I haveRotten Winged Sword insigniato further increase the damage as we attack rapidly. If you don’t have this one, you can useWinged Sword insignia. Both are very good.
And then your fourth spot is kind of your flex spot. Here, I like to use theDragoncrest Greatshield Talismanto give me extra protection, but sometimes you can put theClaw Talismanon if you’re doing jump attacks, or you can put on theCurved Sword Talismanif you find yourself doing block counters.
You can put theRitual Sword Talismanon if you want more damage and you’re not getting hit, depending on your play style. I tend to be hyper-aggressive, so my health’s always going down and up and stuff from potioning and getting hit. Especially with high poise, you can tank through a lot of hits, so I just want to kill things quickly. But depending on how you play, there are a lot of things you can use there.
I recommend using theDragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, but there are a lot of options you could use. I don’t recommend using theLightning Scorpion Charmhere, even if you’re using like a lightning offhand weapon with theUchigatana, because you simply don’t do that much lightning damage. Most of your damage is physical, so taking that increased damage for like a 5% increase in damage, or like 40 to 50 more lightning damage, or not even that much probably, like 30, isn’t even worth it in my opinion. So I wouldn’t recommend using those for this build.
The playstyle for this Elden Ring Dragonscale Blade Build offers a lot of flexibility in terms of how you approach combat. I prefer dual-wielding against larger bosses that aren’t prone to quick movements, allowing you to unleash rapid attacks without worrying about missing. Depending on the enemy you’re facing, block counters with theJellyfish Shieldcan also be very effective, especially when you useContagious Furyto boost your attack rating. This buff can bring your attack rating up to 908, which is incredibly strong and nearly as effective as dual-wielding with a one-handed weapon.
Katanas don’t always have the best dual-wield movesets compared to other weapon types like curved swords or straight swords, where the attacks align more often. Despite this, dual-wielding with katanas can be a lot of fun, especially when you add contrasting buffs to each weapon. You also have the option to two-hand a katana for extra damage, but I find thatDragonscale Bladeis relatively short. For two-handed play, a longer katana like theHand of MaleniaorNagakibacan be more effective due to their extended reach, allowing you to hit targets more reliably.
With dual-wielding katanas, you can “blender” smaller enemies up close, which is effective, but the shorter reach of some katanas might require you to get in tight. Overall, the build provides various ways to adapt your combat approach, whether you prefer dual-wielding, single-handing, or two-handing, depending on the scenario and your personal playstyle.
This build doesn’t incorporate any spells. While some people have asked if I would use dragon incantations, I don’t think they fit with this weapon. TheDragonscale Bladehas its own built-in buff, and you can’t apply other buffs to it. Plus, it’s effectively a quality weapon, with bothDexterityandStrengthscaling. However, after reaching 50 points inDexterity, the scaling becomes quite poor; you’d gain only about 13 points of damage by increasingDexterityfrom 50 to 80. In fact, after a certain point,Strengthprovides better scaling for this weapon.
That’s why I also use theFire Uchigatanain this build, as it pairs well withStrength. Fire-based weapons typically scale better withStrength, which complements theDragonscale Blade, creating a good balance between fire and lightning damage. The setup with theFire UchigatanaandDragonscale Bladegives you versatility, allowing you to capitalize on bothDexterityandStrengthscaling without over-investing inDexterityfor diminishing returns.
However, I do want to mention that if at the end ofNG+, or even moving intoNG+Plus, you could addFaithto this build and swap the fire weapon to likeFlame Art, and give yourselfGolden VowandFlame, Grant me Strengthto further boost your damage. Again, most of your damage is physical. And that would give you increased defenses and a way to boost your damage further because you’re kind of starting to cap out a little bit at your damage attributes.
Speaking of attributes, we have 50Vigor, 20Mind, 30Endurance, 60Strength, 60Dexterity, 16Intelligence, 7Faith, and 9Arcane. Note that you don’t need those last three (Intelligence,Faith, andArcane) for this build—I started as anAstrologer, so these stats were carried over from that starting class.
Vigorat 50 provides a solid base for health, giving you about 40% physical resistance, which is adequate for mid-to-high-level play. If you’re in NG+, consider raisingVigorto 60 for more survivability during tougher encounters.
Mindat 20 offers enough FP for skills likeIce Lightning Sword, which costs only 25 FP for a 45-second buff. This should be sufficient, but if you use more FP-heavy skills or want more flexibility, aim for 25 or 30 Mind to avoid running out during combat.
Enduranceat 30 supports a medium roll with your current armor, talismans, dual-wielded swords, and a shield. This level ofEndurancealso ensures you have enough stamina for frequent dodging or heavy attack sequences. If you reduce your equipment load by dropping the shield or one of the katanas, you could decreaseEndurance. However, extra stamina is always useful.
StrengthandDexterityare both set at 60. This balances the scaling between theDragonscale Bladeand theFire Uchigatana. TheDragonscale Blade’sDexterityscaling diminishes after 50, with a minimal gain from 50 to 80. In contrast,Strengthscaling provides better returns, particularly for theFire Uchigatana, which benefits from moreStrength. If you’re leveling in NG+, aim to increaseStrengthto 80 first, as it could yield higher damage for both weapons. The 60/60 setup provides a balanced approach with more reliable damage than a pure Dexterity build.
Looking ahead, focus on increasingStrengthandDexterityto 80, withStrengthlikely to offer the best scaling. As you progress, consider boostingVigorto 60 andMindto around 25-30 for more FP. Once you hit those targets, consider investing inFaithto accessGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strengthto further boost your damage. However, Faith-based skills are typically for NG++.
A notable aspect of this build is that it doesn’t need to be NG++ focused. While theDragonscale Bladeworks well in NG+, it can also be acquired early in the game, providing strong damage due to its 160 Lightning damage bonus. Even if you don’t have high stats, Ice Lightning Sword gives you a solid buff.
This makes theDragonscale Bladean excellent choice for low-level play, invasions, or co-op, allowing you to deal substantial damage with minimal stat investment. While it excels in the early game, it’s versatile enough to remain effective through NG++ and beyond, making it a great all-around weapon choice.
Here are a couple of tips to enhance this Dragonscale Blade build. If you’re using theFlask of Wondrous Physick, choose theTear that increases your attack power with successive strikes. Since you attack quickly with this build—whether dual-wielding or single-handing—the boost to your damage can be significant over time. It complements the rapid attack pace of theDragonscale Blade.
For yourGreat Rune,Radahn’s Great Runeis a strong choice for this build. It provides bonuses to FP, stamina, and health, which are valuable for sustaining combat. Given that this build isn’t particularly stat-hungry, you don’t need to focus on extensive leveling. The extra FP helps with buffing and skill usage, the additional stamina allows for more attacks and dodges, and the health boost increases survivability.
This build likely reaches its optimal point by NG++ or thereabouts, especially if you follow the suggestedFaithroute for extra buffs likeGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strength. Beyond that, the build may become less effective, as further stat increases offer diminishing returns. The additional resources fromRadahn’s Great Runewill be more beneficial than raw stat boosts in the long run.
That wraps up ourDragonscale Daimyobuild. 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.
