With the arrival of Patch 1.13 for Elden Ring, the game’s dynamic landscape has evolved, offering players new opportunities to refine their builds and strategies. Among the various classes and playstyles, the Samurai build has emerged as a formidable choice, particularly when wielding the Great Katana. This build’s versatility, combined with its powerful passive bleed effects, makes it a standout option for the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. In this article, we will delve into the top three Samurai builds postpatch, each designed to maximize efficiency and power in the DLC content.

 Overview of the Great Katana and Its Affinities

The Great Katana is a prominent weapon in Elden Ring, known for its impressive bleed buildup and adaptability. Its infusibility allows for various damage types and abilities to be applied, such as Bloodflame Blade, which significantly enhances the weapon's bleed potential. While the Great Katana excels with a quality affinity, providing a B scaling in both Strength and Dexterity, players can also explore heavy or keen affinities for different build strategies.

 Common Stats for the Builds

For these Samurai builds, the recommended stats are optimized for a level 200 character:

 Vigor: 50

 Mind: 20

 Endurance: 40

 Strength: 67

 Dexterity: 65

 Intelligence: 7

 Faith: 25

 Arcane: 10

This distribution provides a robust balance between survivability, stamina, and damage output, making it suitable for various combat scenarios in the DLC.

 Equipment and Items Overview

Each build incorporates the Great Katana and a selection of complementary items. Here’s a general overview:

 Weapon: Great Katana +25

 OffHand: Finger Seal (for incantations)

 Ash of War Options: Repeating Thrust, Storm Blade, Blood Tax

 Flask of Wondrous Physick: Bloodsucking Cracked Tear, Thorny Cracked Tear

 Other Items: Bloodboil Aromatic, WellPickled Turtle Neck

 Elden Ring 1.13 DLC Samurai Build Top 1

This build focuses on exploiting repeated thrust attacks, capitalizing on the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia and Thorny Cracked Tear for stacking damage.

 Weapons

 Right Hand: Quality Great Katana +25, Miséricorde

 Left Hand: Finger Seal

 Ash of War: Repeating Thrust, Raptor of the Mists

 Armor

 Land of Reeds Set

 Talismans

 Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Boosts attack power with blood loss in the vicinity.

 Shard of Alexander: Enhances the effectiveness of weapon skills.

 Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: Increases attack power with successive attacks.

 Millicent’s Prosthesis: Increases attack power with successive attacks.

 Flask of Wondrous Physick

 Bloodsucking Cracked Tear: Restores HP with each attack.

 Thorny Cracked Tear: Causes damage to enemies when attacking.

 Other Items

 Bloodboil Aromatic: Boosts physical damage by 30% and stamina.

 WellPickled Turtle Neck: Increases stamina regeneration speed.

This build excels in delivering rapid and consistent damage, particularly effective against enemies vulnerable to bleed. The combination of Repeating Thrust and the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia ensures that successive attacks deal increasingly higher damage.

 Elden Ring 1.13 DLC Samurai Build Top 2

This variant incorporates the Storm Blade Ash of War, which is particularly effective for clearing groups of enemies or dealing with bosses lacking heavy armor.

 Weapons

 Right Hand: Quality Great Katana +25, Miséricorde

 Left Hand: Finger Seal

 Ash of War: Storm Blade, Raptor of the Mists

 Armor

 Divine Beast Helm: Boosts storm skill damage by 4%.

 Enraged Divine Beast: Increases storm skill damage by an additional 10%.

 Talismans

 Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Boosts attack power with blood loss in the vicinity.

 Shard of Alexander: Enhances weapon skill effectiveness.

 Blade of Mercy: Increases damage after critical hits.

 Enraged Divine Beast: Enhances storm skill damage by 10%.

 Flask of Wondrous Physick

 Bloodsucking Cracked Tear: Restores HP with each attack.

 Thorny Cracked Tear: Causes damage to enemies when attacking.

 Other Items

 Bloodboil Aromatic: Boosts physical damage and stamina.

 WellPickled Turtle Neck: Improves stamina regeneration speed.

The Storm Blade Ash of War provides a powerful areaofeffect attack, making this build ideal for crowd control and taking down bosses without heavy armor. The synergy between Storm Blade and the Divine Beast Helm further amplifies damage output.

 Elden Ring 1.13 DLC Samurai Build Top 3

This final build offers a more defensive approach with the Blood Tax Ash of War, providing passive healing and enhanced damage output through specific armor.

 Weapons

 Right Hand: Quality Great Katana +25, Miséricorde

 Left Hand: Finger Seal

 Ash of War: Blood Tax, Raptor of the Mists

 Armor

 Ansbach’s Attire: Enhances Blood Tax damage.

 Ansbach’s Manchettes

 Ansbach’s Boots

 Wise Man’s Mask: Boosts magic and incantation effectiveness.

 Talismans

 Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Increases attack power with blood loss in the vicinity.

 Shard of Alexander: Improves weapon skill damage.

 Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: Increases attack power with successive attacks.

 Millicent’s Prosthesis: Boosts attack power with successive attacks.

 Flask of Wondrous Physick

 Bloodsucking Cracked Tear: Restores HP with each attack.

 Thorny Cracked Tear: Causes damage to enemies when attacking.

 Other Items

 Bloodboil Aromatic: Increases physical damage and stamina.

 WellPickled Turtle Neck: Boosts stamina regeneration speed.

The Blood Tax Ash of War in this build provides passive healing, making it a more defensive and sustainable choice. The Ansbach Set enhances the Blood Tax’s damage, offering a safer approach while maintaining high offensive capabilities.

 Conclusion

In the everevolving world of Elden Ring, the Samurai builds detailed here offer powerful options for players aiming to master the DLC content after Patch 1.13. Whether you prefer a build that excels in rapid, successive attacks, areaofeffect damage, or a more defensive playstyle with passive healing, the Great Katana remains a versatile and potent weapon choice. By adapting these builds to your playstyle and the challenges you face, you can enhance your effectiveness and dominate the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

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