Crushing the Competition: Maximizing Damage in Elden Ring

So, you want to become a true Elden Lord, a force to be reckoned with in the Lands Between? A key component of your ascension is understanding how to maximize your damage output. The short answer? Damage in Elden Ring is increased through a combination of character stats, weapon selection and upgrades, talismans, armor, and a strategic application of buffs. It’s about stacking bonuses from various sources and building a character that synergizes all these elements. Let’s dive into the specifics of each contributing element.

Unlocking Elden Ring’s Damage Potential

Character Stats and Scaling

The foundation of your damage lies in your character’s attributes. Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), and Faith (FTH) are the primary stats that directly influence weapon damage. Each weapon has scaling values for these attributes, indicated by letters (S, A, B, C, D, E) on the weapon’s stat sheet. Higher scaling means that weapon’s damage will increase more significantly as you level up the corresponding attribute.

• Strength: Influences the damage of heavy weapons, like colossal swords and greataxes. Two-handing a weapon increases your Strength by 50%, allowing you to wield weapons with higher Strength requirements and further boost damage.
• Dexterity: Primarily benefits lighter weapons, such as katanas, curved swords, and spears. It also reduces casting time for sorceries and incantations to a small degree.
• Intelligence: Governs the power of sorceries and some weapons that deal magic damage.
• Faith: Dictates the effectiveness of incantations, which provide healing, buffs, and offensive options, as well as weapons dealing holy or fire damage.
• Arcane: Primarily used to increase item discovery and influences the buildup of status effects like bleed, poison, and madness. Also affects some dragon communion incantations, as well as weapons with Arcane scaling.

Weapon scaling is crucial. Invest in the stats that complement your chosen weapon for the most significant damage gains. It’s not always about raw attack power; scaling efficiency often outweighs base damage, especially at higher character levels.

Weapon Selection and Upgrades

The weapon itself plays a massive role in your damage.

• Weapon Type: Different weapon types have unique attack patterns, speed, and poise damage. Experiment to find a weapon type that suits your playstyle.
• Base Damage: The raw attack power of the weapon. Higher base damage provides a solid foundation for scaling.
• Weapon Skills (Ashes of War): These special attacks can drastically increase damage output. Some skills provide powerful single hits, while others offer unique status effects or buffs.
• Weapon Upgrades: Upgrading your weapon at a blacksmith significantly increases its base damage and scaling. Use Smithing Stones (for standard weapons) or Somber Smithing Stones (for unique weapons) to upgrade your armaments.

Don’t underestimate the power of upgrading your weapon to its maximum level. The stat increases you get are significant. Pay attention to your weapon’s innate status effects, too, like bleed or frostbite, which can substantially boost your overall damage.

Talismans and Armor

Talismans offer a wide array of buffs, including direct damage increases.

• Daedicar’s Woe: Increases damage taken, but can be used to test damage output more easily.
• Marika’s Soreseal/Scarseal: Increases Intelligence, Faith, Arcane, but raises damage taken.
• Ritual Sword Talisman: Greatly boosts attack power when at full health.
• Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Raises attack power when blood loss occurs in the vicinity.

Armor can provide minor damage boosts through set effects or individual pieces. Focus on armor that boosts the stats relevant to your build or offers resistance to specific damage types.

Buffs: Stacking Your Way to Victory

Buffs are temporary effects that significantly increase your damage output. They come from various sources, including:

• Spells and Incantations: Flame, Grant Me Strength (physical attack), Golden Vow (attack and defense), Howl of Shabriri (attack and madness buildup).
• Consumables: Greases (add elemental damage to weapons), Drawstring Grease (increase damage even further), Bloodboil Aromatic (boost attack power and poise).
• Weapon Skills: Some weapon skills, such as Royal Knight’s Resolve, can significantly boost your next attack.
• Flask of Wondrous Physick: Can be customized with various effects, including temporary damage boosts or elemental infusions.

The key to maximizing damage is to stack buffs strategically. However, be mindful of buff categories, as some buffs of the same category don’t stack.

Elemental Damage and Enemy Weaknesses

Elden Ring features various elemental damage types, including fire, magic, lightning, holy, and physical (standard, strike, slash, and pierce). Enemies have different resistances and weaknesses to these damage types.

• Fire: Effective against beast-type enemies.
• Magic: Generally effective against armored enemies.
• Lightning: Strong against heavily armored enemies and those in water.
• Holy: Particularly effective against undead enemies.

Exploiting enemy weaknesses can drastically increase your damage output. Adapt your weapon and damage type to the enemy you’re facing for optimal results.

Critical Hits and Staggering

Critical hits and staggering enemies are crucial for maximizing burst damage.

• Guard Counters: Performing a guard counter after blocking an enemy attack deals significant poise damage, often leading to a stagger.
• Jump Attacks: Heavy jump attacks are effective at breaking enemy poise.
• Critical Hits (Ripostes): After staggering an enemy, you can perform a critical hit by approaching their front and pressing the attack button. This deals massive damage.

Poise is an invisible stat that determines an enemy’s resistance to being staggered. Weapons with high poise damage are excellent for breaking enemy defenses and opening them up for critical hits.

Status Effects: Bleed, Frostbite, and More

Status effects can drastically increase your overall damage.

• Bleed: Causes a percentage of the target’s health to be lost in an instant. Dual-wielding bleed weapons is considered one of the easiest and most powerful builds in Elden Ring.
• Frostbite: Reduces enemy damage absorption and deals a burst of damage.
• Poison and Scarlet Rot: Deal damage over time.

Builds focused on status effects can consistently deal high damage, especially against enemies with large health pools.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What’s more important: weapon level or weapon scaling?

Weapon level is generally more important early on because the added base damage and scaling stats are significant, but weapon scaling becomes increasingly vital as you level up your character stats. End-game, having both fully leveled and scaling weapons is ideal.

2. Do buffs from different sources stack?

Yes, buffs from different sources often stack. However, buffs within the same category generally don’t stack. For example, multiple incantations that increase attack power may not stack, but an incantation and a consumable item that boost attack power may.

3. What’s the best way to deal with heavily armored enemies?

Lightning damage and magic damage are effective against heavily armored enemies. Weapons with high poise damage can also help break their defenses.

4. How can I increase my critical hit damage?

Talismans like the Dagger Talisman boost critical hit damage. Also, upgrading your weapon increases its critical stat.

5. What is the easiest way to inflict bleed?

Dual-wielding weapons with innate bleed buildup is one of the easiest and most effective ways to inflict bleed. Leveling Arcane will also increase the amount of bleed buildup.

6. What starting class is best for a strength build?

The Vagabond is a solid choice for a strength build, with high Vigor and Strength.

7. Does dexterity affect casting speed in Elden Ring?

Yes, dexterity does affect casting speed, but only minimally.

8. Which talisman increases damage taken the most?

The Daedicar’s Woe talisman significantly increases damage taken.

9. What’s the best way to deal with the Elden Beast?

Spells and incantations that deal continuous damage, like Pest Threads and Meteorite of Astel, are effective against the Elden Beast, since the boss is large and can sustain persistent damage. Also, the Black Flame incantation is very effective because the lingering damage is percentage-based.

10. What’s the maximum level in Elden Ring?

The maximum level in Elden Ring is 713.

11. How does two-handing a weapon affect my strength?

Two-handing a weapon increases your Strength by 50%, allowing you to meet the Strength requirement for heavier weapons and boost their damage.

12. Which keepsake should I choose at the start of the game?

The Golden Seed is generally considered the best keepsake, as it provides an extra Flask of Crimson Tears early on.

13. Can I respec my stats in Elden Ring?

Yes, you can respec your stats by using a Larval Tear after defeating Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon.

14. Is a melee or magic build easier in Elden Ring?

While magic can feel easier due to its range and versatility, melee builds are often more forgiving in terms of resource management and enemy aggro.

15. How does poise work in Elden Ring?

Poise is a stat that determines your resistance to being staggered. Higher poise allows you to withstand more hits before being interrupted. Weapons and armor with high poise contribute to your overall poise stat. For further insights into the impact of gaming on learning and societal development, explore the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

Conclusion: A Symphony of Destruction

Maximizing damage in Elden Ring is not just about finding the “best” weapon or spell. It’s a complex and rewarding process of understanding the game’s mechanics and building a character that harmonizes stats, weapons, talismans, buffs, and strategic combat maneuvers. Experiment, adapt, and refine your approach, and you’ll become a true Elden Lord, capable of crushing any foe that stands in your path.