Elden Ring is a game with many secrets to discover. Quite a few of these secrets might surprise long-time fans of FromSoftware’s older titles. Players brave enough to explore Caelid’s oppressive environment might be lucky to discover the Greatsword, a weapon that appeared in all three Dark Souls games. Known by many as a reference to Guts from the Berserk manga, this weapon has been a staple of countless player builds. But what does it take to make a Greatsword build in Elden Ring?

Elden Ring Guts Greatsword Build

Elden Ring’s Greatsword requires 31 Strength and 12 Dexterity to wield. It scales very well with the former attribute, but this can be changed with Ash of War infusion. Despite being a large and heavy weapon, the Greatsword is able to accept Ashes of War such as Bloodhound’s Step, allowing the player’s movements to become surprisingly fast. Thanks to this special quirk, as well as the ability to cut this weapon’s Strength requirement in half through two-handing, both Strength and Dexterity are useful attributes to level up depending on which affinity you provide for the Greatsword.

The Greatsword falls under the Colossal Sword weapon class. These weapons benefit from high defense, so heavy armor – or medium armor with a lot of poise – will prove to be very effective. The Bull-Goat’s set is fantastic for this purpose. If that’s too heavy for your build to withstand, Radahn’s set is a good alternative. As one might expect, the best Talismans to use for the Greatsword are the ones that improve defense and poise. The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Bull-Goat’s Talisman, Erdtree’s Favor, and Crimson Amber Medallion can all prove to be very useful in this regard. You might also want a Talisman that can lower your equipment load such as the Arsenal Charm, as the Greatsword is still a very heavy weapon on its own.

Unlike weapons such as the Sword of Night and Flame, the Greatsword is incredibly basic. It has no special attributes and can be infused with numerous Ashes of War. As a result, making a Greatsword build beyond these recommendations is really just up to the player’s specifications. Two-hand it and increase your Dexterity if you want to focus on speed, or pair it with another colossal sword for pure Strength-focused damage. If you can handle the weight, there’s room for the Greatsword on any build.

Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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