Does Scholar’s Armament Work with Moonveil? Unraveling the Elden Ring Enigma
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The short and direct answer is no, Scholar’s Armament does not work with Moonveil. This frustrating limitation stems from how Elden Ring handles weapon buffs and damage types. While Scholar’s Armament is a powerful sorcery, its functionality is restricted. Moonveil, being a katana with innate magic damage, is ineligible for the additional magic buff provided by Scholar’s Armament. Let’s delve deeper into why this is the case and explore the intricacies of weapon buffing in Elden Ring.
Understanding Scholar’s Armament and its Limitations
How Scholar’s Armament Functions
Scholar’s Armament is a sorcery that, when cast, imbues a physical weapon with additional magic damage. This buff lasts for 90 seconds and significantly increases the weapon’s offensive capabilities. The spell requires 12 Intelligence to cast and applies a visible magical sheen to the affected weapon. However, there are strict limitations on its use.
Key Restrictions
The primary reason Scholar’s Armament cannot be used with Moonveil is that it cannot be applied to weapons with pre-existing damage types other than physical. This includes weapons that deal fire, lightning, holy, or, most importantly, magic damage. Since Moonveil has innate magic damage, it is inherently incompatible with this buff. Furthermore, Scholar’s Armament is removed if you switch weapons. These restrictions force players to consider their weapon choices carefully when utilizing sorceries like Scholar’s Armament.
Moonveil: An Exceptional, But Ineligible Katana
Moonveil’s Unique Properties
The Moonveil katana is renowned for its powerful unique skill, Transient Moonlight. This weapon skill allows for fast, ranged magic attacks and powerful close-quarters slashes, making it an extremely versatile choice. Moonveil is a weapon that scales primarily with Intelligence and Dexterity and secondarily with Strength. It deals both slash and pierce damage with a moderate amount of Bleed buildup, making it dangerous in both PVE and PVP scenarios.
Why Moonveil Can’t Be Buffed
The inherent magic damage of Moonveil is the very reason why it cannot benefit from Scholar’s Armament. This limitation is intentional by the developers to create a balance in the game. Allowing a powerful weapon like Moonveil to receive an additional damage buff would likely be overpowered. Instead, the game incentivizes players to use the unique attributes of the weapon rather than trying to stack additional buffs on it.
Alternatives and Strategies for Moonveil
While Scholar’s Armament doesn’t work with Moonveil, there are other ways to maximize its damage output. Focusing on stat allocation and build optimization is crucial:
Stat Prioritization
Since Moonveil scales primarily with Intelligence, prioritize increasing this stat. Following that, focus on Dexterity. Strength is less important. A build with 60 Intelligence and 50 Dexterity is a good target for optimal performance. Also do not neglect Vigor, which should be around 40-50 for good survivability.
Gear and Talismans
Various talismans can further boost Moonveil’s damage. Talismans that increase spellcasting damage, increase dexterity or intelligence, and talismans that increase melee damage after using weapon skills can prove useful. Choosing the right gear is as important as choosing the right stats.
Other Buffs
Instead of weapon buffs like Scholar’s Armament, consider other types of buffs that can still enhance Moonveil. Spell buffs that increase overall damage or buffs that boost Bleed buildup could still be useful. Also, be sure to consider using summons to help manage mobs during PVE gameplay.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What Weapons Can Be Buffed With Scholar’s Armament?
Scholar’s Armament can only be used on weapons that deal pure physical damage. This includes most standard weapons without any innate elemental or magic damage. Certain exceptions, such as the Great Club (Holy) and Troll’s Hammer (Fire), are allowed despite having secondary damage types, but these are very rare.
2. Does Terra Magica Affect Scholar’s Armament?
Terra Magica does NOT directly affect Scholar’s Armament. This spell creates a field that boosts the power of magic attacks while the user is standing inside the area of effect. While a spell like Glintstone Pebble will be buffed, Terra Magica does not amplify weapon buffs like Scholar’s Armament. However, if your spell or attack does damage the target inside of your Terra Magica circle, it will get boosted.
3. Does Dexterity Increase Moonveil’s Damage?
Yes, Dexterity increases Moonveil’s damage, albeit less significantly than Intelligence. Moonveil primarily scales with Intelligence, but Dexterity is also crucial to maximizing its damage output. Investing in both stats is essential.
4. Can Moonveil be Upgraded Past +10?
No, Moonveil cannot be upgraded past +10. Moonveil, like most unique weapons, uses Somber Smithing Stones for upgrades. These weapons have a lower maximum upgrade level but gain a higher increase in power per upgrade compared to regular Smithing Stone weapons.
5. Is Moonveil Good For PVE (Player Versus Environment)?
Yes, Moonveil is excellent for PVE. Its combination of ranged attacks, strong melee capabilities, and Bleed buildup makes it one of the best weapons in Elden Ring for handling a wide variety of enemies and bosses.
6. Is Moonveil The Best Weapon In The Game?
While it’s subjective, Moonveil is considered one of the best weapons in Elden Ring. It’s powerful, versatile, and fun to use. However, other weapons also have their own unique strengths, so the best weapon is often dependent on the player’s preferred playstyle.
7. What Is Transient Moonlight?
Transient Moonlight is the unique weapon skill of the Moonveil katana. It allows for quick, ranged magic slashes and powerful melee attacks. It is a versatile skill that makes Moonveil particularly effective in different combat scenarios.
8. Does Moonveil Scale Better with DEX or INT?
Moonveil scales better with Intelligence than Dexterity. Therefore, focus on leveling Intelligence first, followed by Dexterity, to maximize your damage potential.
9. How Do I Maximize Moonveil Damage?
To maximize Moonveil’s damage, prioritize Intelligence and Dexterity, enhance your weapon with Somber Smithing Stones to its maximum +10, and equip talismans that increase magic damage, weapon skill damage, or bleed buildup.
10. Is Moonveil Better Than Rivers of Blood?
Both are excellent weapons, but Moonveil is often preferred for its versatility and unique attacks. While Rivers of Blood excels at Bleed buildup, Moonveil has more flexibility thanks to its magical attacks. Which weapon is “better” often comes down to personal preference and playstyle.
11. Why Is Moonveil Considered Powerful?
Moonveil is powerful because of its combination of high damage output, unique ranged magic attacks, Bleed buildup, and good scaling with Intelligence and Dexterity. Its Transient Moonlight weapon skill is also incredibly effective.
12. What is the Missable Legendary Armament in Elden Ring?
The Bolt of Gransax is the missable legendary armament. This weapon needs to be collected before you defeat Maliketh and turn Leyndell into Ashen Leyndell.
13. What Does Scholar’s Shield Do?
Scholar’s Shield is a sorcery that enhances the defensive capabilities of the equipped shield on the player’s left hand. This can reduce both physical and magic damage taken.
14. Is Glintstone Stars Good in Elden Ring?
Yes, Glintstone Stars is considered a good spell. While it costs a bit more FP than standard Glintstone Pebble, its speed and ability to chain casts effectively makes it a solid tracking spell against mobile targets.
15. Does Arcane Scale with Moonveil Damage?
No, Arcane does not directly scale with Moonveil’s damage. While Bleed is enhanced with the arcane stat, the moonveil itself does not scale with the Arcane stat.
In conclusion, while the Moonveil katana is a fantastic weapon for any Intelligence-focused build, it sadly remains incompatible with the Scholar’s Armament spell, due to its innate magic damage type. By understanding the rules of Elden Ring and carefully choosing stats, other buffs, and gear, you can maximize the potential of Moonveil and take on the Lands Between with confidence.