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One great playstyle comes to mind when you’re forging an elegant union between Dexterity and Faith: Dragon Lightning! It scales with both Dexterity and Faith; well, that depends on your combination of gear and Incantations in Elden Ring. And if you don’t want to mess up this sharp and sacred splicing of speed and sparks, here’s our Elden Ring Dexterity/Faith build guide.
Starting Class & Target Stat Allocation
Go with the Samurai. You can technically start with either the Prophet or the Confessor, but the Samurai gets better gear.
As a Samurai, you start with the Uchigatana and a light but stylish and protective armor set. Additionally, you get a bow. The Incantations and Faith-related Seals are easy enough to obtain anyway.
Related:
How To Parry in Elden RingAs for the stat spread, these are the ones that matter and what you should be after:
| Vigor | 50/60 – prioritize getting it to these thresholds. |
| Mind | At least 20 for Incantations and for spamming the weapon skill. |
| Endurance | As needed for Medium Weight with all the gear you have. |
| Strength | As needed for weapon requirements. |
| Dexterity | 40/60/80 – but only after you get Vigor to at least 50 |
| Faith | 40/60/80 – but only after you get Vigor to at least 50 |
One thing to note here is that Dexterity also increases the casting speed, so your Incantations will be quicker. This helps a lot in PvP and boss fights.
Dexterity/Faith Build Gear
Technically, you can get by with the Dexterity/Faith build fully naked and while grabbing thunder like a true Olympian. But that’s not fashionable.
Some of the gear we’ll be recommending can only be obtained in the mid-game, so feel free to use some of the alternatives we’ll be detailing.
Weapons
Find these weapons in Elden Ring for the build.
| Bolt of Gransax | Leyndell, Royal Capital after defeating Godfre, First Elden Lord (Golden Shade). Start at the Erdtree Sanctuary Grace, take the western door out, and down the elevator. Look for the spear lodged into a giant building. |
| Lightning/Sharp Uchigatana (low level alternative) | You can get the Uchigatana if you start as a Samurai; otherwise, look for it in the Deathtouched Catacombs in Stormhill, Limgrave. Sadly, you’re going to need the Sanctified Whetblade in Fortified Manor, Leyndell for the Lightning Infusion. |
| Gravel Seal | Leyndell Knight with a spear near the West Capital Rampart Grace in Leyndell. The Knight is guarded by several Leyndell Knight Archers. |
If you want something for heavy hitting, then you can also incorporate the Dragon King’s Cragblade in the build, but that’s a little too late-game, and at that point, there’s not much to do in the game. You can acquire it after killing Dragonlord Placidusax and bringing the Remembrance of the Dragonlord to Enia at Roundtable Hold.
In any case, you know the drill. The Bolt of Gransax is for spamming its cool weapon skill, which is essentially a .50 Cal anti-material bullet. It’s so fast that even bosses can’t dodge it. The range is surprisingly generous as well. Gravel Seal is there for your Incantations, which we’ll discuss later.
Armor
We don’t have any strict requirements for armor. Wear whatever you want. But if you want to cosplay as the Nameless King in Dark Souls 3, you can wear either of the following helms:
- Elden Lord Crown – Accessible at Enia after defeating Godfrey, First Elden Lord/Hoarah Loux, Warrior.
- Maliketh’s Helm – Accessible at Enia after defeating Beast Clergyman/Maliketh the Black Blade.
Both of them have plumes or scraggly manes that resemble the Nameless King’s headgear or hair.
Talismans
Some of these Talismans sadly require you to be at the endgame or late game in Elden Ring, but they’re worth the distance. They do have alternatives, so you don’t have to sulk all the way to the late game.
| Shard of Alexander | Dropped by Iron Fist Alexander upon the completion of his questline (it concludes in the Crumbling Farum Azula). Warrior Jar Shard is a low-level alternative that you can obtain from killing Iron Fist Alexander prematurely (who’d do that, though?) |
| Lightning Scorpion Charm | Wyndham Catacombs in Altus Plateau, but it requires a Stonesword Key. |
| Godfrey Icon | Godefroy the Grafted in Golden Lineage Evergaol, Altus Plateau (totally unrelated to Godrick the Grafted). |
| Ritual Sword Talisman | Chest in Lux Ruins after defeating Demi-Human Queen Gilika. |
All of them serve to increase your damage. Lightning Scorpion Charm will make you a bit of a glass cannon, but you’re mostly going to be sniping enemies with the Bolt of Gransax’s weapon skill.
Keep them at a distance. This way, you can also take advantage of Ritual Sword Talisman.
Wondrous Physick Flask
For your Physick Flask combo, slot these two in:
- Greenburst Crystal Tear – Putrid Avatar found at the Minor Erdtree in Caelid, near Smoldering Church.
- Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear – Erdtree Avatar patrolling the Minor Erdtree in Northeastern Liurnia of the Lakes.
Drink them before duels, invasions, boss fights, or major encounters.
Dexterity/Faith Build Incantations/Spells & Playstyle
To complete our Elden Ring Dexterity/Faith build, here are the Incantations you’ll use and where to find them.
| Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike | Miriel, Pastor of Vows after giving them the Ancient Prayer Dragon Book, found in Crambling Farum Azula near the Crumbling Beast Grave Depths Grace. |
| Fortissax’s Lightning Spear | From Enia after trading the Remembrance of the Lichdragon, a reward after defeating Lichdragon Fortissax. |
| Lansseax’s Glaive | Dropped by Ancient Dragon Lansseax in Altus Plateau, near the Abandoned Coffin Grace. |
| Golden Vow | Corpse-Stench Shack in Mt Gelmir. |
| Erdtree Protection | Dropped by an incantation scarab near on a stone platform east of the broken bridge in Road of Iniquity Side Path Grace, in Altus Plateau. |
| Placidusax’s Ruin | From Enia after trading the Remembrance of the Dragonlord, a reward after defeating Dragonlord Placidusax. |
| Lightning Spear | Miriel, Pastor of Vows, after giving them the Dragon Cult Prayerbook dropped by a Leyndell Knight south of Artist’s Shack, Limgrave. |
These spells will supplement your Bolt of Gransax playstyle. Make sure to apply Golden Vow before everything else. It’s a good damage buff. Meanwhile, Erdtree Protection can counteract the increased damage you get from Lightning Scorpion Charm.
Because Bolt of Gransax’s weapon skill only targets single enemies, Ancient Dragon Strike, Lansseasx’s Glaive, Placidusax’s Ruin, and Fortissax’s Lightning Spear can help deal with multiple targets.
Lightning Spear is there against softer targets that don’t necessarily warrant the use of Bolt of Gransax. On the off chance an enemy gets too close, you have your multitude of lightning nukes to keep them off your radiant presence.
