Top 5 Elden Ring DLC Best Faith Weapons & Builds in SotE (1.12.3)

With this guide, we will update the top 5 Faith weapons and builds in the Elden Ring DLC, Shadows of the Erdtree, after the 1.12.3 post nerf. We've ranked these builds based on their effectiveness, fun factor, and overall utility. 

Elden Ring DLC Best Faith Weapons & Builds in Shadow of the Erdtree

No. 1: Hand To Hand Dryleaf Arts + Dane's Footwork Faith Build

FromSoftware has introduced several new weapon types in Shadows of the Erdtree, and at the top of our list are the Hand-To-Hand weapons, specifically the Dryleaf Arts. This build is not only incredibly powerful but also extremely fun to play, making you feel like a martial arts master in a fantasy setting. The Dryleaf Arts Faith build stands out due to its high versatility, raw damage output, and unique move set. The Palm Blast skill, in particular, adds a cinematic flair to your battles, allowing you to stand toe-to-toe with bosses and dish out massive damage.

Build Setup

Weapon: Dryleaf Arts (Flame Art or Holy Affinity)
Seal: Erdtree Seal (for high Faith scaling)
Talismans:

• Godfrey's Icon (increases charged skills and spells by 15%)

• Fire Scorpion Charm (boosts fire damage by 12%, with a 10% increase in physical damage taken)

• Shard of Alexander (boosts attack power of skills by 15%)

• Optional defensive or health-boosting talismans

Incantations and Buffs:

• Golden Vow: Increases damage by 15% for 80 seconds

• Flame, Grant Me Strength: Adds 20% to physical and fire damage

Stats:

• Vigor: 50-60

• Mind: 17-25

• Endurance: 20-25

• Faith: 80

• Spread remaining points between Dexterity and Strength

Playstyle:

• Two-hand the Dryleaf Arts and use the Palm Blast skill for high damage output.

• Utilize buffs like Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength to maximize damage.

• Equip armor like Raksasa's Armor for additional damage bonuses.

How to Obtain:
Complete the Dryleaf Dame quest line starting at the High Road Cross site of Grace.

No. 2: Spear of the Impaler + Fire Knight's Seal Faith Build

The Sword of Night and Flame, paired with the Prince of Death's Staff in a Faith-Intelligence build, is one of the best weapons in the Elden Ring DLC and creates an overpowered setup due to its dual nature of delivering massive magic and fire damage through its weapon arts, Comet Azur and Flame Burst. This build maximizes damage output by leveraging high Faith and Intelligence, which enhance both the sword's abilities and powerful sorceries and incantations. The setup is bolstered by the Golden Order Seal and the Prince of Death's Staff, both upgraded for maximum scaling, and the Spellblade armor set and carefully selected talismans that boost the potency of spells and weapon skills. The combination of high-damage sorceries like Comet Azur and incantations like Giant’s Flame Take Thee, along with buffs such as Golden Vow and Flame Grant Me Strength, allows for unparalleled versatility and effectiveness in both close and ranged combat, making this build incredibly powerful against any boss or enemy in the game.

Build Setup

Weapon: Spear of the Impaler
Seal: Fire Knight's Seal (boosts fire incantations)
Talismans:

• Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman (boosts physical damage negation)

• Shard of Alexander (boosts attack power of skills by 15%)

• Fire Scorpion Charm (boosts fire damage by 12%)

• Axe Talisman (increases damage of charged heavy attacks by 10%)

Incantations and Buffs:

• Golden Vow: Increases offense and defense

• Flame, Grant Me Strength: Boosts physical and fire attack power

• Fire Serpent: Main fire spell

Stats:

• Vigor: 60

• Mind: 20-25

• Endurance: 25

• Dexterity: 43

• Faith: 80

Playstyle:

• Utilize Mesmer's Assault for ranged and AoE damage.

• Use the unique heavy attack to throw the spear for additional fire damage.

• Equip the Winged Serpent Helmet for extra damage to Mesmer's Assault.

How to Obtain:
Defeat Mesmer the Impaler and trade his remembrance for the Spear of the Impaler.

No. 3: Sacred Dagger + Bloodflame Talons Faith Caster Build

The Sacred Black Steel Greathammerpaired with the Sword of Light Paladin Faith Buildstands out as one of the best Faith weapons in the Elden RingDLC due to its unique and powerful abilities. The Sacred Black Steel Greathammer features a special guard counter that creates a holy seal on the ground, which then explodes to deal additional damage. This complements the build's focus on robust defense and counterattacks, making it both tanky and lethal. With 80 points in Faith, the build maximizes the potential of Faith-based spells and abilities, including the Sword of Light’s unique buff that significantly boosts holy damage. The incorporation of the Earth Tree Crest Great Shield, which excels in defense and aesthetics, adds another layer of protection and style. Additionally, the build is enhanced by the Deflecting Hard Tier, which reduces stamina costs for perfectly timed blocks and increases guard counter damage, creating a highly efficient and satisfying playstyle. The synergy between the Greathammer's guard counters, the Sword of Light's damage buff, and the various talismans and spells tailored for both offense and defense makes this setup exceptionally powerful in both PvE and PvP scenarios.

Build Setup

Weapon: Sacred Dagger (with high critical damage)
Seal: Erdtree Seal (for high Faith scaling)
Talismans:

• Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman (boosts physical damage negation)

• Radagon Icon (increases casting speed)

• Graven-Mass Talisman (boosts sorceries by 8%)

Incantations and Buffs:

• Golden Vow: Boosts damage and defense

• Bloodflame Talons: Fast-casting, high-damage fire spell

• Catch Flame: Quick, powerful offensive spell

• Groar Roar: Debuffs enemies and increases your damage

Stats:

• Vigor: 60

• Mind: 30-40

• Endurance: 20-25

• Faith: 80

• Arcane: 15-17 (for specific spells)

Playstyle:

• Use Bloodflame Talons and Catch Flame for fast, high-damage casting.

• Buff with Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength for additional damage.

• Equip armor like the Spellblade Set for extra damage to your spells.

How to Obtain:
Early game, use the Finger Seal and upgrade to the Erdtree Seal later.

No. 4: Sacred Black Steel Greathammer + Sword of Light Paladin Faith Build

The Sword of Night and Flame paired with the Prince of Death's Staff in the Faith-Intelligence build is one of the best faith weapons in Elden Ring DLC and makes for an overpowered setup due to its dual nature of dealing massive magic and fire damage through its weapon arts, Comet Azur and Flame Burst. This build maximizes damage output by leveraging the high Faith and Intelligence stats, which enhance both the sword's abilities and powerful sorceries and incantations. The setup is further bolstered by the Golden Order Seal and the Prince of Death's Staff, both upgraded for maximum scaling, and the Spellblade armor set and carefully selected talismans that boost the potency of spells and weapon skills. The combination of high damage sorceries like Comet Azur and incantations like Giant’s Flame Take Thee, along with buffs like Golden Vow and Flame Grant Me Strength, allows for unparalleled versatility and effectiveness in both close and ranged combat, making this build incredibly powerful against any boss or enemy in the game.

Build Setup

Weapon: Sacred Black Steel Greathammer
Seal: Erdtree Seal (for high Faith scaling)
Talismans:

• Erdtree's Favor +2 (boosts HP, stamina, and equip load)

• Great-Jar's Arsenal (increases equip load)

• Godfrey Icon (increases damage of charged spells and skills)

Incantations and Buffs:

• Golden Vow: Boosts damage and defense

• Flame, Grant Me Strength: Boosts physical and fire attack power

• Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike: For AoE and high single-target damage

Stats:

• Vigor: 60

• Mind: 35

• Endurance: 33

• Strength: 36

• Dexterity: 18

• Faith: 80

Playstyle:

• Utilize the Sacred Black Steel Greathammer's guard counter for high damage.

• Equip the Erdtree Greatshield for maximum defense.

• Use spells like Lightning Spear and Golden Vow to enhance your combat capabilities.

How to Obtain:
The Sacred Black Steel Greathammer can be found in the DLC areas.

No. 5: Sword of Night and Flame + Prince of Death's Staff Faith Int Build

The Sacred Great Stars Crusader Faith Build in Elden Ring DLC is considered one of the best faith weapons and an overpowered setup due to the Golden Land Ash of War, which delivers a multi-hit combo that combines devastating holy explosions and projectiles, resulting in immense damage output that can easily exceed 5000 per use while also healing the player on each hit, including projectile hits; this, combined with high Faith scaling for maximum damage, versatile use of top-tier incantations, and the ability to break enemy stances quickly, creates a build that excels in both offense and sustainability, allowing players to dominate even the toughest bosses while maintaining a thematic and aesthetically pleasing Crusader/Paladin appearance.

Build Setup

Weapon: Sword of Night and Flame
Seal: Golden Order Seal (for hybrid builds)
Staff: Prince of Death's Staff
Talismans:

• Godfrey Icon (increases damage of charged spells and skills)

• Shard of Alexander (boosts the skills on the Sword of Night and Flame)

• Graven-Mass Talisman (boosts sorceries by 8%)

Incantations and Buffs:

• Golden Vow: Boosts damage and defense

• Flame, Grant Me Strength: Boosts physical and fire attack power

• Terra Magica: Boosts sorcery damage

Stats:

• Vigor: 60

• Mind: 36

• Endurance: 10

• Strength: 12

• Dexterity: 12

• Intelligence: 70

• Faith: 70

• Arcane: 9

Playstyle:

• Use the Sword of Night and Flame's unique skills for high burst damage.

• Combine sorceries like Comet Azur and incantations like Burn, O Flame for versatility.

• Equip the Spellblade Set for extra damage to your spells.

How to Obtain:
The Sword of Night and Flame can be found in Caria Manor, and the Prince of Death's Staff in the Deep Root Depths.

These top 5 Faith builds provide a range of playstyles and weapon choices for Elden Ring players looking to maximize their potential in the Shadows of the Erdtree DLC. If you want to build up your character fast in DLC, get cheap Elden Ring runes & items for sale at AOEAH.COM!