Elden Ring Flamberge Build Guide - Stormblade
May. 19, 2024Elden Ring Flamberge Build Guide – Stormblade
In this Elden Ring Flamberge Build Guide, I’ll be showing you my Stormblade build. This is a build that can be used all throughout the game. A lot of people have been asking me for a build that you can use at the beginning of the game, or a low level build in addition to the NG+ builds. You can use this build from the very beginning of the game all the way through NG and into NG+. I will be discussing how you play it from the very beginning of the game, and give you tips on how you can play it.
A Dexterity warrior that focuses on melee attacks and the liberal use of Storm Blade to annihilate foes at any distance.
We have over 110Elden Ring Buildsnow, for all classes and playstyles. This build is recommended for all levels.
TheAsh of Warwe’re using isStorm Blade, the namesake of this Elden Ring Flamberge build. This is an Ash of War that was buffed in patch 1.07. Its speed and projectile range has been increased, as well as the damage detection of the weapon part added. If you connect with the weapon and the projectile, both will deal damage. With these buffs, you can roll and use it faster, making it easier to use in general. The kicker here is the damage detection being added to the weapon itself.
When you play this Flamberge build, you’ll have a ranged option by using Storm Blade. However, this build really shines as it melts bosses at point blank range. You’ll deal a lot of damage when you’re connecting with both the projectile and the weapon at the same time.
The weapon I’m using for this build is theFlamberge. After a lot of testing, I decided to use this weapon for this build for a number of reasons.Storm Blade‘s damage doesn’t seem to change depending on what weapon you’re using. If you’re using a weapon with the same scaling at the same attributes, it doesn’t seem to matter because damage comes out to be about the same. It might be a few points, but it’s way too insignificant to matter. If you use a quick weapon, you’re going to get the same damage as a big weapon. However, when it comes to the damage of the weapon itself when it hits during Storm Blade, so agreatswordwill outperform other weapon types. This means that you can usetwinbladesorcolossal swordsfor this. These are weapon types you can use for this build, maybe evencurved greatswords.
Generally speaking, weapons with higher attack rating will outperform weapons that have a lower attack rating. Additionally, the attack speed ofStorm Bladeis the same no matter which weapon type you’re using. If you’re using a weapon that has a fast R1 attack, it’s probably not good to use for Storm Blade. Storm Blade excels with weapons that attack slower. With greatswords, you’re going to attack faster than you would with a regular attack.
Also, Flamberge has native bleed build-up. When you combine that withBloodflame Blade, you get a lot of bleed build-up on your swings. It’s not going to play a part when you’re out on the landscape, because you usually kill enemies in one swing. However, when fighting bosses and you’re up-close, you’re going to trigger bleeding. If you don’t have Bloodflame Blade, you’re better off going with another weapon. You could use the Nagakiba for that Bloodflame Blade combo, or you could just go for one of the greatswords.
Electrify Armamentis a good buff when you’re out on the landscape or if you’re against enemies that are immune to bleed. You’re going to get more damage out of it on enemies, as you will often do just one shot on enemies then they’ll die.
When it comes to the seal I’m using for this build, I’m using theFinger Sealbecause we have 25 Faith. We don’t have very high Faith, as it’s just enough to useGolden Vow. We don’t really need to increase Faith in our first playthrough, but you’re going to increase this eventually. Early on, you’ll want to get 15 Faith forFlame, Grant Me Strength, but generally, you don’t need a lot of it. It doesn’t matter which seal you should use, as long as it’s Faith-scaling for your buffs to be more effective.
For our back-up on our offhand, we’ll be using theSacrificial Axe. After you buff with whatever skill you have chosen, you’re going to switch to the Sacrificial Axe while two-handing the Flamberge. Then, you’re going to use Storm Blade to kill enemies, giving you 4 FP back per kill. You don’t really need to use the Sacrificial Axe, as long as it’s on your offhand. Also, if you’re using the Ancestral Spirit’s Horn, that becomes 7 FP back. With Carian Filigreed Crest, Storm Blade will reduce the cost to 8 FP, and its follow up to 5 FP. All of these items will make spamming Storm Blade much easier for you, making it essentially your primary attack. Once you have enough points in Mind, you can then change the equipment into something else if you want.
The armor set I’m using for this build is theKnight Set. This was patched in 1.07, giving you exactly 51 points in Poise. It’s a relatively light armor set for 51 Poise. This set is easy to get, and it will allow you to cast Storm Blade without being interrupted. It’s handy for boss fights or when you’re out on the landscape.
Shard of Alexanderfurther increases Storm Blade’s damage.Ritual Sword Talismangives you even more damage with it if you’re at full health. You shouldn’t be getting damaged as much with this build, as you tend to stay at ranged distance most of the time, unless you’re rushing a boss fight. You might be trading damage with bosses, but out on the landscape, you won’t be getting hit.
Another talisman I’m using for this build isMillicent’s Prosthesis. Aside from the +5 Dexterity it gives, it increases your damage as you attack enemies repeatedly. When your point-blank Storm Blade hits the enemy, it will build Millicent’s Prosthesis’s buff up, giving you more damage. Otherwise, you’re not going to get much out of this. We’ll be using this primarily for the Dexterity it gives.
Other talismans that I like to use for this Elden Ring Flamberge build are:Dragoncrest Greatshield Talismanfor boss fights when you’re not worried about regaining FP, andCarian Filigreed Crestwhich reduces the initial cost of Storm Blade from 10 FP to 8 FP, and successive strikes from 6 FP to 5 FP. You can also use the Ancestral Spirit’s Horn which will give you 3 FP per kill. You can replace Millicent’s Prosthesis and Carian Filigreed Crest with these talismans that helps reduce your FP consumption.
When it comes to the attributes for this Flamberge build, I have: 50Vigor, 25Mind, 28Endurance, 15Strength, 80Dexterity, 16Intelligence, 25Faith, and 10Arcane. You don’t need any Intelligence for this build. I started out as an Astrologer, so you could disregard the number. Your attribute spread will be a bit better if you’re using a different class. 15 Strength is just there meet the requirement of the Flamberge.
50 Vigor is a staple for any NG+ build. The amount of Vigor you have will vary depending on which part of the game you’re on. During the early game, you’re going to want somewhere between 20-25 Vigor. I feel like you don’t need too much more as the Knight Set has pretty good protection. Once you get Golden Vow, you’re going to have even more protection. It’s not super important to have as you have plenty of protection. However, in NG+, you want to take this up to 50-60.
25 Mind is extremely useful for this build because you’re going to spam Storm Blade. Unless you have the set-up I mentioned earlier with the offhand and talismans, you’re going to chew through your stamina fast. 25 Mind is the minimum for NG+. Early on in the game, you want at least 20, maybe 25 Mind. You should prioritize that over raw damage attributes because spamming Storm Blade will get you more damage out of it.
I have 80 Dexterity here in NG+. This is the last soft cap for Flamberge before we start to see diminishing returns. We’re getting really good damage with it at this point, so it’s not super important to increase this. In NG+, you’ll eventually increase Dexterity to 99.
Increasing Faith is an option to strengthen the buffs of your weapon. You’ll want it at 25 to useGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strength, and all of your other spells. This isn’t going to increase the damage of Storm Blade, but it will increase the damage you deal when you’re using Storm Blade point-blank, or when you do regular attacks.
Endurance is at 28 to allow us to do a medium roll with the exact gear set-up we have. We’ll also chew through stamina with Storm Blade, so having lots of stamina will be helpful for this. If you want to use armor with better protection, you’re going to want to increase Endurance, which isn’t a bad idea. You’ll eventually want to increase this in NG+ to have more stamina.
If you’re using theFlask of Wondrous Physick, the two I can recommend areGreenspill Crystal TearandGreenburst Crystal Tear. Greenspill Crystal Tear temporarily increases your maximum stamina while Greenburst Crystal Tear increases your stamina recovery. These two work pretty well with this build as you’re going to chew through your stamina with Storm Blade and dodge rolls.
You could also useStrength-knot Crystal TearorDexterity-knot Crystal Teardepending on which infusion you have set on your weapon, or which weapon you choose to use with this build. This will give you a little bit of extra damage, not a lot but pretty decent.
ForGreat Runes,Godrick’s Great Runeis fantastic as you need a lot of attribute points for this build. You need Vigor, Mind, Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, and Faith. This is going to ease up your attribute load, particularly early on in the game.
That’s it for our Stormblade Build Guide! As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming for Elden Ring andShadow of the Erdtreeso stay tuned for those. If you need help finding items, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check theElden Ring Map. Happy building!
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
