The Elden Ring Samurai class is a popular starting choice, offering a balanced blend of melee combat and ranged attacks. But to truly master this class and conquer the Lands Between, you need a strategic approach to leveling up. This guide will walk you through the best ways to boost your Samurai's stats and dominate the challenging world of Elden Ring.
Understanding Samurai Stats: What to Prioritize
The Samurai starts with a decent spread of stats, but maximizing their potential requires careful consideration of what to upgrade. Here's a breakdown of key stats and how they affect your Samurai:
-
Vigor (VIG): Crucial for increasing your health pool. Prioritize this early on for survivability, especially as you face tougher enemies. Don't neglect it throughout the game.
-
Mind (MIN): Determines your FP (Focus Points), essential for using spells and Ashes of War. While the Samurai doesn't rely heavily on magic, a decent Mind pool will allow you to utilize useful sorceries or incantations, opening up more tactical options.
-
Endurance (END): Affects your stamina, crucial for dodging, blocking, and performing attacks. A higher endurance allows for more aggressive playstyles and extended combat. High priority for a Samurai build.
-
Strength (STR): Influences your physical attack power. Essential for wielding heavier weapons and dealing significant damage. This is a key stat for a Samurai.
-
Dexterity (DEX): Impacts your attack speed, critical hit chance, and equip load. This is very important for a Samurai who relies on quick attacks and weapon arts. High priority alongside Strength.
-
Faith (FTH): Affects the potency of incantations. While not essential for a pure Samurai build, some powerful incantations can supplement your combat abilities.
-
Intelligence (INT): Influences the power of sorceries. Less critical for the Samurai unless you want to incorporate magic into your build.
-
Arcane (ARC): Affects discovery rate (finding items) and the damage of some weapons and spells. A good stat to level up, but not as vital as others initially.
Leveling Strategies for the Samurai
Several approaches can effectively level your Samurai, depending on your preferred playstyle:
1. The Dexterity/Strength Build: The Classic Samurai
This build focuses on maximizing Strength and Dexterity, allowing you to wield powerful katanas and perform devastating attacks with high speed. Prioritize Vigor and Endurance as well to ensure you can survive enemy attacks and maintain combat effectiveness. This is often the most popular Samurai build.
2. The Faith/Strength Hybrid: The Blessed Warrior
This build incorporates faith, allowing you to use powerful incantations alongside your katana attacks. You'll balance Strength and Faith, supplementing your physical attacks with offensive buffs and healing spells. This is a strong alternative build.
3. The Balanced Approach: Jack of All Trades, Master of None?
Instead of focusing solely on Strength and Dexterity, you can opt for a more balanced approach. Leveling up a wider range of stats lets you experiment with different weapon types and skills, offering tactical flexibility. However, this often means a slower damage output and less efficient survivability compared to more focused builds.
Optimizing Your Samurai Build: Gear and Skills
Beyond stat allocation, optimizing your gear and skills is crucial for your Samurai's effectiveness.
-
Weapon Choice: Experiment with different katanas and other weapons. Each weapon has unique attack patterns and scaling stats, influencing your damage output.
-
Ashes of War: These enhance your weapons with additional attacks and effects. They provide significant buffs to your combat potential.
-
Armor Choice: Select armor that offers a good balance of protection and weight. Remember to adjust armor based on your level of endurance to avoid crippling your movement.
Mastering the Lands Between: A Final Word
Leveling up your Samurai effectively requires planning and adaptation. Choose the leveling strategy that best aligns with your preferred playstyle and adjust it as you progress through Elden Ring. Remember to experiment, adapt to challenges, and most importantly, have fun exploring the Lands Between!
