How Do You Clean A Samurai Sword

Elden Ring Samurai Source: Windows Central

Fighting enemies up shut and personal with melee weapons has always been the all-time overall fashion to overcome FromSoftware's action RPGs, and that hasn't inverse in Elden Ring. While some players may prefer Force-focused classes like the Vagabond and Hero for their ability to tank lots of hits and stunlock enemies, Dexterity classes like the Samurai and Bandit will be perfect for those who desire to parry enemies and dish out maximum harm per 2nd (DPS).

If you're a new player aiming to create an effective build with the Samurai or Bandit class, nosotros highly recommend making a powerful Dexterity build. Hither are some important tips, pieces of data, and combat strategies that volition permit yous to turn your Samurai or Bandit into a vicious Dexterity warrior who tin can shred your enemies to pieces.

This commodity avoids general spoilers salvage for the gear list at the lesser. Note that while this article doesn't cover everything, it does encompass the basics, as well equally enough of advanced information.

Elden Band: Guide to Samurai, Bandit, and Dexterity combat

Elden Ring Samurai Source: Windows Central

Whether y'all choose the Samurai or Brigand class, your strongest gainsay advantage in Elden Ring is your ability to devastate foes with powerful critical hits or rapid melee attack flurries. Whereas yous'd want to stand your ground and lock enemies into melee combos as a Force-focused class like Vagabond or Hero, these Dexterity classes excel at weaving in and out of an enemy's attack range, dealing unrivaled amounts of damage. Note that the vast majority of Dexterity weapons likewise take an incredibly high crit multiplier that makes them do massively increased harm when y'all riposte a parried enemy or backstab them. Dexterity is also the stat most bows scale with, so don't be afraid to effort them out in scenarios where ranged attacks would exist helpful (both the Samurai and Brigand start with bows in their inventory).

Equally you might expect, the most important stat to level upward every bit a Samurai or Bandit is Dexterity. This stat significantly boosts your damage when using weapons that calibration with it, and it also reduces fall damage yous take and improves casting speed for magic attacks also. For this reason, hybrid builds that make use of both Dexterity and either Intelligence or Organized religion are some of the all-time Elden Ring builds in the game. For pure Dexterity builds, though, you should aim for most sixty Dexterity.

Other stats you should focus on include Vigor and Endurance. The former increases the amount of health you have, while the latter raises your total stamina. Both of these stats are valuable for Dexterity melee fighters; having more wellness means you lot can make more than mistakes, and more stamina allows you to both proceed up the force per unit area confronting enemies with rapid melee flurries and dodge coil or sprint away from incoming attacks. Note that Endurance also allows you to wear heavier armor, reducing the incoming damage you accept. Aim for 35-44 Vigor and at to the lowest degree thirty Endurance.

Elden Ring Top: The location of the Twinblade. Bottom: The location of the Limgrave Tunnels.

Unlike the spells and items yous should get correct abroad as the Astrologer and Prisoner classes, there aren't many specific items in Elden Ring that you should rush to get equally a Dexterity-focused Samurai or Bandit. Ane Dexterity weapon that is worth getting, though, is the Twinblade — specially if yous're a Bandit and your only starting melee weapon is a knife. You'll discover it within the Dragon-Burnt Ruins, located e of The First Step Site of Grace yous commencement the game at.

Once you have the Twinblade, you should upgrade it with Smithing Stones to improve its damage. These upgrade materials (and all of the various tiers of them) are located throughout the Lands Between, merely are most oftentimes found in mines and tunnels. 1 of these locations that y'all tin easily explore right away is the Limgrave Tunnels dungeon, found in the northern portion of the same lake that the Dragon-Burnt Ruins and the Twinblade are in.

Elden Ring: Full general melee tips for Dexterity users

Elden Ring Samurai Source: Windows Fundamental

Now that you lot empathise the basics of Dexterity combat and have a decently upgraded Twinblade, you have all the gear you need to begin adventuring around Elden Band's open world. Now, allow's go over some important tips and pieces of information that will help y'all capitalize on the potential of Dexterity and Dexterity weapons (our Elden Band melee combat guide goes more in-depth near every aspect of melee gainsay).

Of import melee mechanics

As a Dexterity character, a mechanic that'south crucial to empathize is Poise. This is what allows you (or your enemies) to continue attacking even if yous have damage during a swing, and unfortunately, ane of the weaknesses of Dexterity builds is that they typically take depression Poise. This is because you generally merely go high Poise when using larger and slower Force weapons instead of smaller and faster Dexterity weapons like daggers, katanas, and scythes. Therefore, as a Dexterity character, it's of import that yous recognize when enemies take more than Poise than you lot. In nigh cases, large enemies, enemies with heavy armor, and enemies with large weapons will have more than Poise. Confronting these enemies, you have to be set up to contrivance whenever they start attacking through your own attack chains.

I of the best things you lot can do as a Dexterity class is parry. This move (activated with the left trigger while using a shield that has a Parry Ash of War) allows you to deflect incoming blows away, leaving enemies wide open for a critical riposte. Since Dexterity weapons almost ever have high crit multipliers, Dexterity characters are rewarded with massive bonus impairment during ripostes. To parry, press the parry button simply before an attack connects with yous. The timing for parries is tricky, so getting good at parrying requires a lot of practice. Something else that's important to know is that y'all can't parry about large enemies and bosses. A strong culling to parrying is backstabbing, which you tin can attain with stealth or by circling around foes.

Elden Ring Samurai Source: Windows Central

Many Dexterity weapons also have the ability to build upward the Bleed status result, which instantly damages a big clamper of an enemy's health each fourth dimension you build up their Drain meter (unfortunately, you tin't see this meter). Annotation that Drain you inflict does gradually get away over time, so y'all demand to keep up the pressure if you want to successfully Bleed opponents.

One great way to maximize your impairment potential is to Power Opinion your weapons. This occurs automatically when you equip a similar type of weapon in each hand (such equally two katanas) and information technology allows you to assail enemies with both of them at once when using the left bumper (L1). Since Dexterity gainsay is all about rapid flurries of attacks, using 2 weapons instead of one is a great thought if you're not a fan of parrying.

How to fight as a Dexterity character

To fight effectively equally a Dexterity graphic symbol, you need to quickly strike enemies with some attacks, and so parry, dodge, or sprint away from theirs. This is because Dexterity weapons are quick and tin usually strike enemies before they have a take chances to hitting you start. Against bigger enemies that use large weapons, dodge their attacks and then backstab them while they're recovering.

When you see enemies that block your attacks with shields or are fast plenty to either contrivance your attacks or attack earlier you can, at that place are a few constructive ways you tin overcome this:

Wait for them to assail offset and dodge, following upward with your ain attacks or a backstab.
Parry their assail and perform a disquisitional riposte.
Back away and use ranged weapons to take them out.

The first two approaches are effective in nigh combat situations, though it's important to note that many bosses cannot be parried. Additionally, parrying fast attacks and assault combos can exist incredibly difficult, and then we recommend but dodging if you're having besides much trouble timing your parries. You tin oft utilize a medium shield for total physical harm negation if yous're struggling to contrivance or parry attacks, but blocking is something Force builds do much better than Dexterity ones since they have more stamina and can utilise heavy greatshields.

Using a bow is besides an excellent option for Dexterity builds. They're not powerful plenty to be used exclusively, just having a good one handy is helpful in many situations.

Generally, you lot should avoid using your heavy attacks when using a Dexterity build and Dexterity weapons. This is because they're much slower than your rapid calorie-free attacks, and unlike most Strength weapons, don't do plenty harm to make them worth it.

Elden Ring: Best Dexterity weapons and equipment

Elden Ring Source: Windows Cardinal

There are tons of dissimilar weapons and other pieces of gear that work well with Dexterity builds in Elden Ring, and as you lot take chances around the open world, you lot should be keeping an eye out for them. Generally, yous should exist looking for daggers, katanas, rapiers, claws, scythes, bows, and lightweight shields for parrying.

Below, you'll find a listing of some of the best Dexterity weapons and gear that yous tin can get in Elden Ring's early on game (in add-on to the same Twinblade). These items will perform excellently well into Elden Band's mid and late game, especially if you upgrade them.

Detail	Type	Location	Usage
Nagakiba	Katana	Dropped past the Bloody Finger Hunter Yura NPC north of Murkwater Cavern in Limgrave	An fantabulous katana with great range and strong Bleed buildup. (Requires: STR 18, DEX 22)
Hookclaws	Claws	In Stormveil Castle, in the corner of a room in the vino cellar you come up across while taking the side road into the castle.	A mortiferous pair of sharp claw weapons that Bleeds enemies speedily and can exist used to assail extremely rapidly. (Requires: STR 8, DEX fourteen)
Nightrider Flail	Flail	Dropped past the Nighttime'south Cavalry miniboss in the Weeping Peninsula region.	A devastating flail with iii heads that's slower than other Dexterity weapons, but does more than damage and inflicts massive amounts of Drain. (Requires: STR 10, DEX 24)
Flail	Flail	Found in a chest being guarded by enemies in the Gatefront Ruins in Limgrave.	A less powerful alternative to the Nightrider Flail that has lower stat requirements. (Requires: STR 10, DEX 18)
Rapier	Thrusting Sword	Tin can exist purchased from the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Agree for one,000 runes.	A quality thrusting sword with not bad damage and low stat requirements. (Requires: STR vii, DEX 12)
Dagger	Dagger	Sold by the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Concur for 400 runes.	A simple dagger that does high damage to enemies when used to riposte or backstab. (Requires: STR v, DEX 9)
Reduvia	Dagger	Dropped by Bloody Hunter Nerijus virtually Murkwater Cave in Limgrave.	A phenomenal weapon for Dexterity/Cabalistic hybrid builds that does stiff crit harm and Bleeds enemies absurdly rapidly. (Requires: STR 5, DEX xiii, ARC 13)
Buckler	Parrying Shield	Sold by Gatekeeper Gostoc nigh the front end of Stormveil Castle for one,500 runes afterwards y'all have him open up the castle'south main gate.	The best shield for parrying in the unabridged game. Features a longer parry window than most other shields, making it easier to successfully parry enemies. (Requires: STR 18, DEX 13)

Elden Band is finally here, and information technology's available for $60 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC. It's one of the best Xbox games you can play right now if y'all're a fan of challenging RPGs, and we strongly recommend it.

The successor to Night Souls

Elden Ring Key Art Reco

Elden Ring

Elden Ring ... oh, Elden Band!

Elden Band is FromSoftware'southward latest fantasy epic, featuring a focus on open-concluded blueprint in a universe created by both FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki and A Song of Ice and Burn down writer George R.R. Martin.

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