The Ultimate Guide to Black Flame Weapons in Elden Ring
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The best weapon for a Black Flame build in Elden Ring isn’t a single, definitive answer but rather a combination of weapon choice and strategic application of its unique properties. The most versatile approach centers on leveraging weapons that can utilize the Black Flame Tornado Ash of War, combined with the Godslayer’s Seal to boost all Godslayer Incantations, including Black Flame spells. The optimal choice will often revolve around whether you prefer a weapon with inherent speed and the ability to utilize the powerful Black Flame Tornado, a slow powerful weapon that hits hard on physical attacks, or a strategic combination of both.
Understanding the Black Flame Build
Before diving into specific weapon choices, let’s establish what makes a Black Flame build effective. At its core, it revolves around dealing both fire and percentage-based damage that scales with Faith and to a lesser extent Strength. Key components include:
- Godslayer’s Seal: Essential for boosting the damage of all Godslayer Incantations, which are your main source of Black Flame damage.
- Black Flame Tornado Ash of War: A potent weapon art that can be applied to various weapons, unleashing a powerful AoE attack that scales with faith and the weapon’s infusion.
- Black Flame Incantations: These spells deal fire damage and a scaling percentage-based damage over time, making them extremely effective against high-HP enemies.
- Weapon Infusion: Weapons can be infused to scale with different stats, Flame and Fire are best for the Black Flame build because they will scale with Faith.
- Talisman Synergies: Certain talismans, like the Fire Scorpion Charm, significantly boost Black Flame’s damage output.
The Cornerstone: Godskin Peeler and Black Flame Tornado
The Godskin Peeler, a twinblade weapon, is a popular choice for Black Flame builds due to its native ability to use Black Flame Tornado. This makes it an incredibly useful option, providing the potential for high damage output and very quick and continuous application of Black Flame Tornado. Its attack pattern also makes it excellent at applying Black Flame Blade. However, for more versatility, we will apply the Black Flame Tornado Ash of War to another weapon.
Best Weapons for the Black Flame Tornado Ash of War
When applying the Ash of War: Black Flame Tornado, a few weapon types stand out as exceptionally beneficial:
- Twinblades: Such as Eleonora’s Poleblade or the Godskin Peeler. Their fast attack speed benefits the Black Flame Tornado’s multi-hit nature, allowing for consistent damage. Infusing Twinblades with Fire or Flame can increase the tornado damage
- Greatswords: Greatswords provide a good balance of speed, range, and damage. They allow for consistent damage while maintaining the ability to stagger enemies. Infusing with fire or flame will further amplify damage.
- Colossal Swords: While slower than other options, Colossal Swords deliver immense physical damage, especially when combined with the final melee hit from the Ash of War. Their incredible physical damage can make them more viable against low fire damage resistance foes. Infusing with Flame or Fire provides an excellent all rounder choice.
Beyond Black Flame Tornado: Other Viable Weapon Choices
While Black Flame Tornado is incredibly strong, other weapons provide solid options for Black Flame builds:
- Godslayer’s Greatsword: This Greatsword already possesses Godslayer Incantation scaling, making it a good match for the build. However, it doesn’t natively utilize Black Flame Tornado, so it’s often used alongside the Godskin Peeler for different situations.
- Blasphemous Blade: A popular and powerful choice due to its high fire damage output, and natural synergy with the Fire Scorpion Charm, it’s a good option for a Black Flame build. It can’t equip Black Flame Tornado but still benefits from incantations.
Optimal Stat Allocation
The primary stat for this build is Faith, as it is crucial for increasing damage of Incantations like Black Flame. Strength is also beneficial for increasing physical damage of weapons. A good balance between faith and strength will maximize damage output, along with a decent amount of Mind to allow consistent usage of the Ash of War and Incantations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What stats does Black Flame Tornado scale with?
The flame portion of Black Flame Tornado scales primarily with Faith and the weapon’s infusion affinity. The final melee swing component scales with the weapon’s Attack Rating (AR). Infusing the weapon with fire or flame will further increase the flame damage.
2. Is Black Flame effective against all bosses?
While Black Flame’s percentage-based damage makes it effective against high-HP bosses like the Elden Beast, it’s not as effective against those with fire resistance.
3. Is the Fire Scorpion Charm essential for a Black Flame Build?
The Fire Scorpion Charm provides a significant damage boost to fire-related attacks, including Black Flame, making it highly recommended for maximizing damage potential.
4. Can Black Flame Blade stack?
The damage over time effect of Black Flame Blade does not stack, but it refreshes with each hit, ensuring continuous damage.
5. How do I obtain the Black Flame Tornado Ash of War?
The Black Flame Tornado Ash of War is obtained by defeating the Godskin Duo Boss in Crumbling Farum Azula, specifically the Noble variant.
6. Which infusions should I use for weapons with Black Flame?
The ideal infusion affinities are Fire or Flame, as these scale with faith and boost the flame damage component. Infusing with standard will give greater flexibility of damage type.
7. Does Black Flame damage count as fire damage?
Yes, Black Flame deals fire damage, and benefits from buffs that increase fire damage.
8. Is Black Flame the strongest fire damage type?
Black Flame is strong due to its percentage-based damage over time, rather than raw fire damage. It is particularly effective against high-HP targets.
9. Does status effect scale with Faith?
No, Status effects do not scale with Faith. Black Flame’s percentage-based damage is not a status effect.
10. What talismans work best with a Black Flame build?
The Fire Scorpion Charm, Godskin Swaddling Cloth, Marika’s Soreseal, and Radagon’s Soreseal are all highly effective options for this build.
11. Can Black Flame Blade be applied to weapons with other infusions?
Yes, Black Flame Blade can be applied to weapons with any infusion, however it may lose effectiveness if the weapon infusion doesn’t scale well with faith.
12. How does Black Flame interact with enemy weaknesses?
Black Flame benefits greatly from fire vulnerabilities on enemies, dealing significantly increased damage.
13. Is there any armor that increases Black Flame damage?
There is no specific armor that directly increases Black Flame damage. However, the Godskin Noble set synergizes with the overall theme and can contribute to build consistency.
14. What is the best way to deal with Elden Beast using Black Flame?
The Elden Beast is weak to Black Flame damage. Use Black Flame Tornado and Black Flame incantations repeatedly for high damage output. Use weapons infused with Fire and Flame for further increases.
15. Should I use Black Flame Blade alongside Black Flame incantations?
Yes, Black Flame Blade is beneficial for adding consistent damage over time to weapons, especially if using a weapon that can be infused with flame or fire.
Conclusion
The best weapon for a Black Flame build ultimately depends on your playstyle. However, a strategy using the Black Flame Tornado skill with the Godslayer’s Seal, coupled with strong faith and strength stats and the use of talismans that boost fire damage, will offer the most effective and versatile application of the build. Whether you prefer the speed of a twinblade or the power of a colossal sword, the Black Flame build provides a potent and rewarding experience. Understanding the interplay of weapon choice, Ash of War, incantations, and talisman synergies will help you dominate the Lands Between with the might of the Godslayer.