Elden Ring Scarlet Rot Build Guide - Scarlet Spear
May. 19, 2024Elden Ring Scarlet Rot Build Guide – Scarlet Spear
In this Elden Ring Scarlet Rot Build Guide, I’m showcasing my Scarlet Spear build. This is a New Game Plus build focused on inflicting deadly poison and Scarlet Rot while dealing substantial damage with spears. Many players have requested a Scarlet Rot build, and after extensive testing with various Scarlet Rot weapons, this is the result.
It’s important to note that the core of this build lies in its playstyle, with Scarlet Rot serving as an enhancement rather than the primary focus. As you progress deeper into New Game Plus, Scarlet Rot becomes more influential in boss fights, but early on, you’ll find that enemies and bosses are defeated too quickly for it to have a significant impact.
You can adapt this build to function similarly without relying heavily on Scarlet Rot, using some of the strategies I’ll cover in this guide.
A Dexterity Build that focuses on the use of dual spears and the Scarlet Rot and Poison status effects.
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Let’s dive into the weapons and their roles in this Elden Ring Scarlet Rot build. We’re dual-wieldingRotten Crystal Spears. The reason this is a New Game Plus build is that these spears are only obtainable in theHaligtree areaby farmingCrystalianenemies, which is near the very end of the game. Having twoRotten Crystal Spearsallows for fasterScarlet Rotbuildup by hitting twice with both weapons using L1, and spears are inherently fast weapons.
If you prefer, you can use just oneRotten Crystal Spearand pair it with another spear that can be infused withRot Grease, such as theCross-Naginata. This setup would let you achieve a similar effect by applyingRot Greaseduring boss fights. Regular enemies don’t often triggerScarlet Rot, so you can rely on theRotten Crystal Spearfor the main hand during most encounters and switch to the infused spear for tougher foes.
This build is designed to avoid the hassle of farming materials for craftingRot Grease. TheRotten Crystal Spearis almost identical to theCrystal Spear, with the primary difference being theAsh of War. TheCrystal Speardoes slightly more damage, about 30 points, but unless you’re usingImpaling Thrust, theAsh of Warspecific to theCrystal Spear, theRotten Crystal Spearis preferable for itsScarlet Roteffect, which can be beneficial against tough bosses.
Beyond the dualRotten Crystal Spears, theCoil Shieldis an integral part of this build. TheCoil Shield‘s weapon skill,Viper Bite, appliesdeadly poison, a more potent version of regularpoison.Viper Bitecan usuallypoisonmost bosses in one hit, and tougher ones in two hits, which is crucial for activating buffs likeKindred of Rot’s Exultationand theMushroom Crown’sdamage increase.
This setup allows you to boost your damage almost instantly at the start of a fight. By settingdeadly poisonright away, you maximize the time for the poison to damage the boss or tough enemy, boosting your attack power as you follow up with dual-wield attacks to inflictScarlet Rot.
TheCoil Shieldis exceptional because it only weighs 1.5, costs 8 FP per use, and has minimal stat requirements. You don’t need to build specifically for poison; just usingViper Bitewill set poison quickly, even without upgrading the shield. This efficiency makes theCoil Shieldan invaluable tool for enhancing your damage output and applying deadly poison effectively.
Moving on to the armor for this Scarlet Rot build, I’m using theRedmane Knight Set. There are a few reasons for this choice. Firstly, the set offers 51 poise, which is the minimum you want for this build since you’ll be trading damage often. I’ll explain more about that shortly. Additionally, theRedmane Knight Setis scarlet-colored, fitting theScarlet Speartheme.Redmanesare also associated withScarlet Rot, enhancing the thematic cohesion of the build.
It’s worth noting that an armor set with higher poise and better protection would be ideal for min-maxing. With this build, you have plenty of equip load to spare, so opting for more protective gear could be beneficial. However, I chose this set for its style and thematic elements.
For optimal performance, you want as much poise and protection as possible. This is because spears deal thrust damage, which allows for counter damage—extra damage dealt when you attack an enemy as they are attacking. Since spears excel at this, you’ll often be trading blows to maximize counter damage. Higher protection reduces the damage you take, and higher poise prevents your attacks from being interrupted, allowing you to consistently apply counter damage.
Moving on to the talismans for this build, we start with theSpear Talisman, which increases your counter damage. Since counter damage is a focal point of this build, this talisman is essential.
Next, we haveMillicent’s Prosthesis, which grants five dexterity—beneficial for a dexterity-focused spear build—and boosts damage with repeated L1 attacks. Each L1 press activates this talisman, and the same goes for theRotten Winged Sword Insignia. If you don’t have theRotten Winged Sword Insignia, you can use the regularWinged Sword Insigniato achieve similar effects. Both talismans ramp up your damage quickly with each L1 attack.
We also use theKindred of Rot’s Exultation, which boosts attack power by 20% when you or something near you is poisoned. Using theCoil Shieldto inflictDeadly Poisonon a boss will trigger this buff, as will causing Scarlet Rot with your spears. TheCoil Shieldmakes it easy to trigger this buff early in most fights. Additionally, you can equip theMushroom Crownfor an extra 10% attack power. Although theMushroom Crownisn’t the most stylish, it’s ideal for maximizing damage when combined with tanky armor pieces on the rest of your body.
The general strategy for this build involves using theCoil Shieldto setDeadly Poisonon tough enemies. For regular enemies, simply spam the L1 attack with your spears. The dual-wield L1 attack with spears is incredibly fast, possibly faster than most R1 attacks in the game. With high poise and protection, you can tank through hits while your attack power continuously increases. For difficult enemies, lead with theCoil Shieldto boost your attack power and then switch to spamming L1 with your spears. This approach will help you quickly ramp up damage and dominate your foes.
For the attributes of this Elden Ring Scarlet Rot build, the allocation is as follows: 60Vigor, 20Mind, 36Endurance, 21Strength, 80Dexterity, 16Intelligence, 7Faith, and 9Arcane.Intelligence,Faith, andArcaneare not necessary for this build’s functionality; they are residual attributes from the starting class. However, in subsequent playthroughs, increasingFaithto 15 could enhance physical damage by enabling the use ofFlame, Grant Me Strength, although it’s not crucial for the build’s core functionality.
This build is tailored for New Game++ and beyond, where attributes likeScarlet Rotbecome increasingly valuable as progression advances.
For theFlask of Wondrous Physick, opt for the version thatenhances damage with consecutive attacks, particularly beneficial for the rapid L1 pokes with spears. When combined withMillicent’s ProsthesisandWinged Sword insignia, this setup yields significant damage output, especially effective when paired with Poison from theCoil Shield.
Regarding the choice ofGreat Rune, options are somewhat limited due to the Scarlet Rot build’s emphasis onDexterity,Vigor, andEndurance. WhileGodrick’smay seem suitable, prioritizing FP isn’t necessary.Radahn’scould be a viable alternative, offering bonuses to Stamina and Health. However,Melania’s Great Runestands out as the best choice, providing health restoration during rapid attacks. It’s worth noting that obtainingMelania’s Runetypically occurs towards the end of a NG++ playthrough, limiting its immediate utility for most of the game.
That wraps up theScarlet Rotbuild. 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.
