Elden Ring: Overpowered Intelligence Builds

Elden Ring is an RPG title, and as a result, there are numerous builds players can create for various playthroughs. Every main build has avenues that allow for high damage and quick defeats of opponents. Strength builds are able to kill bosses in just a few hits when buffed correctly, bleed builds can demolish the health of an enemy very quickly, and faith builds can stay alive almost indefinitely.

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However, no builds have quite as much notoriety as intelligence builds with the numerous powerful spells and magical weapons available. Intelligence builds have the ability to deal high damage with ranged attacks, but also with melee damage given the correct weapons are equipped. Some of the spells intelligence builds offer do fit the category of overpowered, as they are capable of destroying a boss before they’ve even taken a few steps.

Updated February 5, 2025, by Hamza Haq: Intelligence builds rely on Sorceries and Intelligence scaling weapons to do the heavy lifting in Elden Ring. Most Intelligence builds require a combination of Strength, Dexterity, or Faith to function properly. The article has been updated with new builds that utilize new weapons introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

11

Strength/Intelligence Hybrid

Utilizing The Ruins Greatsword

This build doesn’t scale off of intelligence as hard as some other builds will, but it is still worthwhile nonetheless. The weapon used will be the Ruins Greatsword, due to its extremely powerful Ash of War. The sword has a high strength requirement and mainly scales with that stat, but also needs intelligence to wield effectively.

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Other weapons can be used, such as the Starscourge Greatsword, but the Ruins Greatsword is the best. The Gavel of Haima sorcery can also be used for a more authentic strength and intelligence hybrid build due to its function as a giant hammer, as well as its high damage potential.

10

Carian Sorcery Sword Mage

Magic and Melee Combined

The Carian Sorcery Sword is a new Thrusting Sword introduced in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, with a unique twist: it doubles as a semi-decent Catalyst for casting Sorceries. Pressing R2 results in the Sword being used to cast whatever Sorcery players have equipped in the appropriate slot at that time, while the rest of the moveset matches the basic Thrusting Sword.

For players wanting to play as a Spellblade that uses something other than the Moonveil, the Carian Sorcery Sword is a great option. Despite dipping its toes into two aspects of combat at once, it is one of the most powerful Catalysts in the entire game, ensuring players do not feel like they’re a Jack-of-all-trades but master of none. Do note, however, that t here are other Catalysts that are better than this weapon at super high levels, like the Academy Glintstone Staff and the Carian Regal Scepter.

Players can even go full transmog by pairing it with the Carian Knight’s Shield and Carian Knight’s Armor set to complete the look. The best thing about this build is its versatility, as it’s possible to instantly switch between magic and melee without a moment’s pause or weapon swapping. Shields are huge for defenses as they give the ability to block, parry, and guard counter.

9

Wing Of Astel Mage

Using A Powerful Weapon To Tear Through Enemies

The Wing of Astel doesn’t get as much attention as some of the other intelligence weapons, but this curved sword can decimate enemies. The weapon cheats, essentially having two Ashes of War; one that throws ranged magic attacks, and one that puffs out a nebulous effect in front of the player, dealing AoE damage shortly after.

The Wing of Astel will be the main weapon used in this build, but staves and sorceries can be utilized as well. Given it is still a melee weapon regardless of its Ash of War, some ranged attacks can be useful, and there are plenty of sorceries that fit that bill.

8

Thrusting Shield Mage

Defensive Spellcasting With a Unique New Weapon Type

Among the most underappreciated weapons introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC are the Thrusting Shields. There are only two of them in the game: Dueling Shield and Carian Thrusting Shield, and either one can be used for this build.

What makes these weapons extremely powerful is the ability to hold guard during their light attacks, which lifts the Dueling Shield above the player’s head, blocking basically all attacks from the front while attacking simultaneously by using the Shield’s sharp tip to poke enemies in front. The blocking ability remains active during the attack animation, making this the only weapon that can block and attack at literally the same time. For the mage variant of the Dueling Shield build, the Carian Thrusting Shield is an easy choice, and it should be paired with any catalyst in the off-hand. Before a fight starts, buff the character and Shield with as many Sorceries as possible before dual-wielding the Shield and rushing in. Hold block, and attack. There is nothing else to do. Stamina is the most important stat for this build, as the more one has, the longer they can spam the block + attack combo without pausing and tanking hits without flinching.

Another possible variant of this build would use the Onyx Lord’s Greatsword in the main hand with the Dueling Shield in the off-hand. The thrusting attack of the Dueling Shield pairs with basically every type of attack from Curved Greatswords, and the Onyx Lord’s is the only Curved Greatsword that scales with Intelligence in addition to Strength.

7

Frost Mage

Sorceries And Weapons Combine To Devastate Opponents

Frostbite tends to get overshadowed in favor of bleed effects, but intelligence builds are able to prove that the two can be equals. Adula’s Moonblade, Glinstone Icecrag, and Ranni’s Dark Moon are the best frost spells available. For these sorceries, the Carian Regal Scepter should be used, as it is one of the staves in the game, but it also boosts Ranni’s Dark Moon.

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In terms of melee weapons, there are a good number that are effective here, such as the Dragonscale Blade, or the Royal Greatsword. However, the Dark Moon Greatsword is by far the best, being extremely powerful for intelligence builds, and with an Ash of War that can decimate enemies with ease.

6

Death Mage

Decent Sorceries, But An Incredible Weapon

This build focuses on using the sorceries associated with death, such as Ancient Death Rancor. This sorcery’s power can vary, sometimes defeating opponents extremely easily, but other times doing nothing. With death sorceries, the Prince of Death’s Staff should be used to bolster the strength of these spells.

The main aspectof this build is the Death’s Poker, an extremely powerful weapon. Its Ash of War can obliterate enemies and make short work of bosses. It has two functions; placing ghostflame around the player, or throwing it out in a line in front of the player. The Ash of War also scales with intelligence, making for an incredibly powerful weapon.

5

Spellblade Build

Using One Of The Best Weapons In The Game

Playing as a spellblade is entirely viable in Elden Ring due to the power of sorceries combined with very strong weapons. Players can use the most viable damaging sorceries available, such as any Glinstone Shard spell available, Carian Slicer, Carian Phalanx, Night Comet, or Stars of Ruin.

The strongest part of this build is the melee weapon, the Moonveil Katana. This weapon has a fast moveset, deals inherent bleed damage, and has a powerful Ash of War that will tear through enemies. Other weapons can be used, such as the Carian Knight’s Sword or the Meteoric Ore Blade, but Moonveil is by far the best.

4

Carian Sovereignty

Built Around One Of The New Ashes Of War From Shadow Of The Erdtree

Carian Sovereignty is one of the new Ashes of War from the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which can be obtained from a teardrop scarab near the Cathedral of Manus Metyr. This AoW costs 30 FP to cast, with a follow-up that costs 12 FP. When used, the Tarnished conjures a massive blue magic sword and swings it down in a horizontal slash. If pressed again, the skill transforms into a horizontal sweeping slash that does AoE damage.

Carian Sovereignty is one of the most powerful new spells in the DLC, and basing a build around it is very viable for an Intelligence build because its damaging scaling is based on the character’s Intelligence, the weapon’s level, and the Ash of War’s infusion, with cold or magic infusions being the best for pure damage. While Carian Sovereignty can be put on a lot of different weapons, the Ash of War is quite slow, and it is inevitable that the enemy will get a couple of hits on the player before the skill is triggered. To counteract this, players can equip Carian Sovereignty on a heavy weapon, which allows the skill to gain the protection of hyperarmor inherent to the weapon. Good weapon choices include the Great Katana, Claymore, or the Knight’s Greatsword, among others.

3

Cold Milady

Versatile Light Greatsword Build

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC brought with it a lot of cool new weapons for Elden Ring players to play around with. Milady is a Light Greatsword, a weapon that can be obtained fairly easily right at the start of the DLC from Castle Ensis, and is one of the most versatile options available in the game. As an infusible weapon, Milady is suitable for a lot of different builds, including Intelligence.

A Cold-infused Milady gains C scaling in Intelligence, which is worse than the B scaling it gets when Magic-infused, but the added frostbite build-up is too good to pass up. Stat-wise, Dexterity and Intelligence should be the priority, with some Vigor and Endurance sprinkled in. The Ash of War: Wing Stance pairs perfectly with this weapon, and it stacks with Rellana’s Cameo.

2

Gravity Mage

Capable Of Defeating Enemies In Seconds

While there are some melee weapons that utilize gravity in their attacks, this build primarily focuses on gravity sorceries. Some lesser sorceries, such as Rock Sling, are very strong against enemies, with Rock Sling in particular being able to stunlock some opponents. Staves can be a toss-up, as the Meteorite Staff boosts gravity magic but can’t be upgraded. Other high-tier staves, such as the Prince of Death’s Staff or the Carian Regal Scepter, can be used instead.

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The highlight of using gravity magic is the Meteorite of Astel spell, found before the Stars of Darkness Astel variant, not the Naturalborn of the Void. When buffed correctly and held down, this sorcery can defeat bosses in seconds. Lusat’s Glintstone Staff is the best choice here due to its scaling, but it increases FP cost. However, continually casting Meteorite of Astel can be helped with the Cerulean Hidden Tear as part of the Wondrous Physick, eliminating FP cost, which turns Lusat’s Glintstone Staff into the best staff in the game.

1

Comet Azur Glass Canon

The Most Notorious Build

To anyone who’s played Elden Ring, they know that Comet Azur is one of the most broken spells in the game, and as a result, is notorious in the PvP scene. Creating a build entirely dedicated to this sorcery is absolutely worthwhile due to its extreme damage potential.

Comet Azur can be continually cast until the player runs out of FP, which makes the Cerulean Hidden Tear in the Wondrous Physick invaluable, as it eliminates FP cost. Lusat’s Glintstone Staff and the Prince of Death’s Staff are the best staffs to use here due to their high scaling. Additionally, the Terra Magica sorcery is vital due to its ability to increase magic damage. When everything adds up, Comet Azur will melt bosses in an instant.

Systems

Released

February 25, 2022

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty