‘Elden Ring’ Guide: Hybrid Arcane-Dexterity Samurai Bleed Build

Many “Elden Ring” players gravitate toward the pre-built Samurai class for the classic Japanese aesthetic, fancy katana and the ability to cheese the very first boss with a longbow. These are all valid reasons to pick this class, but one of the Samurai’s true strengths is its ability to transition into a very powerful bleed-focused class.

Like every other build in “Elden Ring,” there’s plenty of flexibility with this one, although it will primarily focus on Dexterity and Arcane with weapons that inflict bleed effects.

What makes the Samurai so good for this build is the fact that they start with an Uchigatana, which innately deals bleed damage. Furthermore, players can dual wield Uchigatanas after they find the other one hidden in the Deathtouched Catacombs in Stormhill.

Dual-wielding Uchigatanas have two main benefits: faster attacks and Ashes of War versatility.

Rolling and jumping Powerstance attacks will cause “Elden Ring” players to hit with both blades at once, causing more bleed damage than normal. Having two of the same weapons at once also allows players to slot different Ashes of War in each blade.

It is recommended to use Blood Slash in one sword and the normal Unsheathe move in the other, as this would allow the sword to be buffed by the Bloodflame Blade incantation. The former is excellent for general use, while the other is specialized for boss encounters.

As for stats, players can choose between a Dexterity- or Arcane-heavy build. Increasing Dexterity will boost the upfront damage dealt with the katanas, while Arcane-focused builds will help inflict more Blood Loss procs, but only if the weapons used are infused with Blood. The ARC route will favor Blood Slash, while DEX will lean toward Bloodflame Blade.

Pick one main stat and raise it to 40 while leaving the second stat at 20. Afterward, put two points into Faith, then dump the rest into Vigor, Endurance and Mind as needed.

This setup can carry “Elden Ring” players to the end of the game, though other bleed-oriented weapons like Rivers of Blood and Eleonora’s Poleblade can make for worthy alternative weapons once players acquire them.