Elden Ring Leda's Sword Build Guide - Piercing Paladin (Shadow of the Erdtree)
Jul. 23, 2024Elden Ring Leda’s Sword Build Guide – Piercing Paladin (Shadow of the Erdtree)
In thisShadow of the Erdtreeguide, I’m going to show you myPiercing Paladinbuild. This build usesLeta’s Sword, a light greatsword that is one of the new weapon types in the DLC, and also incorporates her armor to create a unique playstyle different from the other builds I’ve showcased so far.
In this Elden Ring Build Guide, I’ll be showing you my Piercing Paladin build. This is aShadow of the Erdtreebuild that takes place after level 160. If you’ve been wanting a unique playstyle different from the other builds I’ve showcased so far then you might want to check this build-out.
We have over 110 Elden Ringbuilds. 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 first focus onLeda’s Sword. This is a light greatsword that predominantly deals physical damage and scales primarily withDexterity, though it also has someStrengthandFaithscaling and does a bit of Holy damage. To maximize the damage output of this weapon, you should focus on increasingDexterity.
The weapon skill,Needle Piercer, deals a mix of physical and Holy damage, with the vast majority being physical. By increasing Dexterity, you’ll get more damage out ofNeedle Piercer. Since the weapon requires 19Faith, it’s advisable to go up to 25 Faith to castGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strength, both of which synergize well with this weapon and weapon skill, particularly due to its predominantly physical damage nature.
Leda’s Swordhas a great moveset that allows for repeated attacks, which is a core aspect of this build. While the Dark Paladin build focused on block counters and shield usage, this build emphasizes timing attacks, chaining them together, and increasing attack power through successive hits.
Regarding the weapon skill,Needle Piercer, it deals piercing damage, which benefits from theSpear Talisman. This means if you hit an enemy during their attack animation with this skill, you’ll deal counter damage, and theSpear Talismanwill boost this further. However, this is not always reliable. Another point to note is thatNeedle Pierceris not boosted byShard of AlexanderorWarrior Jar Shard, likely due to a bug. Other weapon skills are boosted by these talismans, so this might be patched in the future.
Needle Piercer‘s FP cost is high at 19 FP, and its damage can vary based on range. If you’re too close, it may go over the target; if too far, it deals less damage. Optimal range is crucial and may require practice. This skill is effective in boss fights where bosses keep their distance before charging, allowing you to deal consistent damage and build up stance damage.
TheBlue Dancer Charmcan significantly increaseNeedle Piercer‘s damage if you have a very light equip load, though this build isn’t optimized for maximumNeedle Piercerdamage. Using transformations likeRock HeartorPriestess Heartcan help achieve a lighter load for this purpose, but the build focuses more on the overall versatility ofLeda’s Sword.
For theSacred Seal, I’m using theGolden Order Seal. Even without meeting the full requirements, it’s used forGolden VowandFlame, Grant Me Strengthand weighs nothing, keeping the equip load light. This build isn’t heavily focused on casting incantations, so a lightweight seal that can cast these two spells is ideal.
For armor, I’m using theOathseeker Knight Helm,Leda’s Armor, andBlack Knight GauntletsandBlack Knight Greaves. This combination gives exactly 51 poise. Although I like theOathseeker Knight GauntletsandOathseeker Knight Greavesfor their aesthetic with this build, but they don’t provide the necessary poise. If you’re set on using them, you could equip theBull-Goat’s Talismanto reach 51 poise, but I prefer to save the talisman slot for other beneficial talismans.
One great aspect ofLeda’s Armoris that it increases the damage of dash attacks after rolling or backstepping by 10%. This build involves many rushing attacks, particularly when running forward and using the R2 attack. Following up with R1 combos and rolling attacks is a common strategy, so the extra damage from the armor is a significant boost.Leda’s Armoris among the best in the game for non-spellcasting builds, as rolling, backstepping, or dash attacking is frequent in both general gameplay and boss fights.
When it comes toTalismanchoices, I vary them based on the situation. There are numerous setups you can use, but the ones I generally keep equipped are theGreen Turtle Talismanor theTwo-Headed Turtle Talismanfor stamina recovery. This build relies heavily on stamina, not only because we attack rapidly but also because we engage inblock counters, which I’ll explain shortly.
Additionally, we useMillicent’s Prosthesis, as it boosts ourDexterity—which is the primary scaling attribute for our weapon—and enhances attack power with successive hits. Both of these effects are beneficial for this build.
Beyond these, there are a few other options. You might consider theBlade of Mercyto increase your attack power oncritical strikes, which is useful since you’ll be performingblock countersthat can be followed up with critical hits. This talisman provides a temporary boost to your attack power, making it effective in both open-world exploration and certain boss fights.
If you prefer an alternative, you could use theCrusade Insigniain the open world. It’s easier to activate, as it boosts attack power with each enemy you kill. However, it has a lower attack power boost and is less effective in boss fights, where there are fewer enemies to kill.
Another useful option is theCurved Sword Talisman, which increases damage fromblock counters. As previously mentioned, this build focuses heavily onblock counters, so this talisman can further enhance the damage dealt.
If you find it challenging to perform block counters in a particular boss fight, or if you’re killing enemies too quickly and don’t need the block counter boost, you might replace it with theRitual Sword Talisman. This talisman increases the damage ofNeedle Piercer, which is useful for picking off enemies from a distance and boosts overall damage while at full health. Given thatblock countersdon’t typically provide additional damage, maintaining full health is manageable, and you can top yourself off as needed.
Another good talisman to consider is theLacerating Crossed-Treetalisman. This talisman enhances damage fromdash attacksin bothPvEandPvP, with a 15% boost inPvEand a 7.5% boost inPvP. This synergizes well with this build, especially if you favor the runningR2 attack. The bonus damage from this talisman can be further amplified by stacking it with the damage increase from your armor chest piece.
Finally, theSpear Talismanis worth mentioning. It boosts the damage ofNeedle Piercerwhen cast into a boss or enemy that is moving forward with its attack animation. Additionally, anythrusting attacksperformed with your weapon will receive a damage boost if the enemy is also advancing with an attack animation.
Before diving into attributes, I want to cover theFlask of Wondrous Physickbecause it’s crucial for this build. I’m using theDeflecting Hardtear, a new addition from the DLC, and theGreenburst Crystal Tear. Stamina recovery is vital for this build due to the frequentblock countersand rapid attacks. TheDeflecting Hardtearis essential and not really optional for this setup.
TheDeflecting Hardtearessentially allows you to negate physical damage entirely if you block at the exact moment an attack hits you. For elemental attacks, it provides 75% resistance, minimizing damage from those as well. This makes it possible to use your weapon like a shield or adopt a playstyle similar toSekiro. Additionally, it increases the damage of your nextblock counterand can stack up to four or five times. Thus, if you block multiple times and then perform ablock counter, you will deal significantly more damage compared to just blocking and countering once.
TheCurved Sword Talismanfurther enhances this damage output. This combination results in exceptionally high damage, allowing you to block effectively with a build that usually wouldn’t be able to block. It also increases stance damage fromblock counters, making it possible to stand toe-to-toe with bosses or enemies you normally couldn’t block. Without theDeflecting Hardtear, you would quickly become guard broken and take substantial damage. Proper block timing with theDeflecting Hardtearis crucial; otherwise, you’ll likely end up defeated.
This playstyle is advanced but highly enjoyable. TheDeflecting Hardtearpairs well with the newpiercing shieldsandthrusting shieldsdue to their higher guard boost. Using them as a primary weapon enhances the damage and allows for stylish gameplay, combiningblock counterswith combos and additional deflects. It adds a lot of flair and fun to the build.
Another advantage of this tear is its five-minute duration, making it useful for extended periods during exploration. It’s more effective when you’re familiar with your route, such as when farming or navigating a dungeon you’ve already explored. It will last throughout a boss fight, so make sure to use it during these encounters.
However, theDeflecting Hardtearisn’t ideal for every boss. It’s particularly challenging against bosses likeMessmer, unless you know the fight well, andDivine Beast, due to its erratic attacks and tendency to push you backward. In such cases, consider replacing theDeflecting Hardtearwith theWinged Crystal Tear, which reduces your equip load and allows for lighter rolling. This alternative can make difficult fights more manageable if deflecting proves too challenging.
So for attributes for this build, at level 161 I have 55Vigor, 34Mind, 30Endurance, 11Strength, 65Dexterity, 16Intelligence, 25Faith, and 9Arcane. You don’t need anyIntelligenceorArcanefor this build.
55Vigoris probably the minimum I’d have with this build. You do mess up on yourDeflectsometimes and you will take chip damage, so having highVigoris good. You probably want to take this up to 60 eventually.
34Mindis there because you will buff withGolden Vowperiodically, even on the landscape, andNeedle Pierceris quite expensive at 19FP. We’re not using anything to reduce that Talisman-wise. You could put aSacrificial Axein your offhand if you want, but I just don’t like it with this style. You’re going to go throughFPwhen you useNeedle Piercerand when you’re in a boss fight, you want to be able to cast that as much as you need without having to use a blue flask too often, or you’re going to find yourself in a bad spot.
We also have 30Endurance.Enduranceis there to give you moreStaminato attack and block counter with andDeflect. You would want even moreEndurance, so taking this up to 35 or 40 wouldn’t be bad at some point either.
11Strengthis just to meet the minimum requirements for the weapon. 65Dexterityis 5 forMillicent’s Prosthesis, but otherwise 60.Dexterityscales the best with this weapon and it does increase the weapon skill, so you’re going to want to focus onDexterityuntil you’re around 80.
And then lastly, you need 19Faithto use this weapon anyway, so taking it up to 25 makes sense for the buffs I mentioned already.
If you’re talking aboutGreat Runesfor this build,Radahn’s Great Runeis the easy choice. It’s going to give you Health,FPfor moreNeedle Piercers, andStaminafor moreDeflectsand block counters and attacks. All those are really good for this build.
You could potentially useMalenia’s Great Runeas well if you find that you are trading damage, but ideally, yourDeflectswould be on point and that wouldn’t happen.
So that wraps up ourPiercing Paladinbuild. I hope you guys enjoyed this one. It’s a bit different. It’s a ton of fun to play. It’s more of an advanced playstyle, but once you get theDeflectdown, it is so much fun to play. Again, it’s just so stylish while you’re playing. It’s like theMessmer Fire Knightbuild with theMessmer’s Orbspell and theFire Knight’s Greatswordthat looks awesome while you’re running around throttling enemies.
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.
