Elden Ring: Spellsword Build Guide (2025)

In Elden Ring, most sorcery builds revolve around throwing projectile attacks at your enemy until it dies. However, this is not the only build type accessible by investing in the Intelligence stat. If you are a fan of melee-range fights, Elden Ring has plenty of spells to keep your thirst for close combat satisfied.

Melee magic builds are usually referred to as Spellsword builds in Elden Ring. Almost all spells belonging to Carian sorcery involve some kind of spellblade, making them a must-have for a Spellsword build. There are many other sorceries usable in a Spellsword build, like Gavel of Haima and Adula’s Moonblade. In this guide, you will find a list of all the best spells for a Spellsword build, the best weapons to use, which talismans to equip, stats, and more.

Best Spells for Spellsword Build in Elden Ring

Here are some of the best spells to use in a Spellsword build:

• Carian Slicer : When talking about Spellsword builds, not using the Carian Slicer spell would be considered a crime by many. With a low stat requirement of 14 Intelligence and available quite early in the game, with some investment in Dexterity or by using Radagon Icon, this fast-casting spell will let Carian Slicer out-DPS the strongest weapons in Elden Ring.
• Carian Piercer : If you want thrusting attacks as a sorcerer, the Carian Piercer spell is your best option. It thrusts a long greatsword into the game and has a pretty decent range, as well as good stance damage, especially when charged. You can spam-cast this spell to keep Tarnished and small enemies stun-locked.
• Adula's Moonblade : A reward for defeating Glintstone Dragon Adula, Adula’s Moonblade gives Spellsword builds access to Frost attacks. Since the spell deals a giant slash of AoE attack, it works quite well against waves of enemies. However, you must progress through Ranni’s quest, one of the longest questlines, to get this spell.
• Zamor Ice Storm : While Zamor Ice Storm isn’t technically a sword-like spell, your build needs a get-off-me button, and this spell will help you out. Zamor Ice Storm creates a cold icy storm around the caster, inflicting fast Frost build-up on any enemies hit by it.
• Gavel of Haima : This spell is a great way to knock off aggressive enemies in both PVP and PVE. It deals a high amount of stance damage and also comes with a follow-up attack.
• Greatblade Phalanx or Glintblade Phalanx : If you want to build up stance damage on an enemy, having either Greatblade Phalanx or Glintblade Phalanx is necessary. As a spellblade sorcerer, you can cast a phalanx spell and get right into fighting an enemy. The blades from your phalanx spell will hit the enemy after a few seconds and deal great stance damage.

Just because it's a Spellsword build, you don’t have to restrict yourself to sword spells only. Elden Ring has plenty of spells that are too good to be avoided. You can use common glintstone sorceries like Shard Spiral , Star Shower , and Glintstone Pebble .

Best Weapons and Staves for Spellsword Build

One of the major downsides of running sorcery builds is the high FP consumption, which forces you to allocate extra Blue Flasks. However, with a Spellsword build, you can carry Intelligence melee weapons, which there are many of. Below are some of the best Intelligence weapons to use in a Spellsword build:

• Moonveil : One of the most beautiful and strongest katanas in the game, Moonveil comes with an incredibly powerful Ash of War. While the weapon was nerfed with the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, it is nonetheless a powerful katana worth considering in any Intelligence build.
• Dark Moon Greatsword : A gift to you for becoming Ranni the Witch’s consort, the Dark Moon Greatsword comes with a strong Ash of War, infusing the weapon with Frost and turning charged attacks into projectiles. There are many ways to turn the Dark Moon Greatsword into a lethal weapon.
• Carian Sorcery Sword : Added with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the Carian Sorcery Sword is the only weapon capable of casting sorceries as well. It is one of the best options for both a staff and a weapon in a Spellsword build.
• Star-Lined Sword : This is a new weapon added in the Elden Ring SOTE DLC. It comes with a flashy Ash of War called Onze’s Line of Stars, featuring glintstone slashes with two follow-up attacks.

In a Spellsword build, you will be using melee weapons in conjunction with sorceries. There are many staves to choose from in Elden Ring. Here are the staves with the best sorcery scaling in a pure Intelligence-focused Spellsword build:

• Lusat's Glintstone Staff : This staff gets the highest sorcery scaling in a pure Intelligence build but comes with the downside of double FP consumption. You can consider using this staff if you have lots of Blue Flasks to spare in your build.
• Carian Regal Scepter : It has one of the highest scaling and comes with no downsides. Instead, you get a cool magical Spinning Weapon Ash of War on it.
• Azur's Glintstone Staff : Unlike Lusat’s Glintstone Staff, Azur’s Glintstone Staff consumes only 20% extra FP. In return, you get 40 virtual Dexterity points for faster casting speed. If you don’t have any extra points in Dexterity or are not using the Radagon Icon talisman, having Azur’s Glintstone Staff can make a big difference in a build’s overall strength.
• Academy Glintstone Staff : Available quite early in the game, the Academy Glintstone Staff is a recommended staff for Intelligence builds like a Spellsword build.
• Astrologer's Staff : The starter weapon of the Astrologer class should not be underestimated. If you plan to invest purely in Intelligence, then the Astrologer’s Staff is one of the best early-game options.

Best Talismans for Spellsword Build

Talismans are at the core of most Elden Ring builds. These items can dictate your playstyle and can take your build to the next level. Here are some amazing talismans to consider in a Spellsword build:

• Shard of Alexander : A must-have talisman for any build using Ashes of War. If you are using weapons like Moonveil or Dark Moon Greatsword, be sure to have it equipped.
• Magic Scorpion Charm : Gives 12% magic damage in exchange for lowered damage negations. You can get it by finishing Seluvis’ questline.
• Radagon Icon : Lowers spell casting time, which helps with fast sorceries like Carian Slicer.
• Graven-Mass Talisman : Unconditional 8% damage boost to all kinds of sorceries.

While most players prefer to stack offensive talismans, having defensive talismans like Erdtree’s Favor or Bull-Goat’s Talisman isn’t a bad choice if you find yourself dying a lot. Erdtree's Favor +2 gives extra Equip Load, Stamina, and HP, whereas Bull-Goat's Talisman gives extra poise, as getting interrupted while casting is the last thing you want.

Best Class and Stats for Spellsword Build

In this Spellsword build guide, the character is using Intelligence-based sorceries and weapons. That’s why the best class for starting a Spellsword build is Prisoner, followed by Astrologer. While Astrologer does have a higher Intelligence, you get extra points in Strength and Dexterity by picking Prisoner as your starter class.

Coming to the stats, the Spellsword build is a hybrid Intelligence build that also leans a little towards Strength or Dexterity depending on your weapon choice. The only problem with hybrid builds is how difficult they are to manage at lower levels. Here are the suggested stats for a level 150 Spellsword build for the Prisoner class:

• Vigor: 60
• Mind: 30
• Endurance: 25
• Strength: 20
• Dexterity: 19
• Intelligence: 60
• Faith: 6
• Arcane: 9

The rule of thumb is to meet the minimum Strength and Dexterity requirement to wield the weapon and then dump all points into Intelligence. While doing so, you also have to make sure to have enough points in Vigor, Mind, and Endurance.

Elden Ring

RPG

Action

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:95/100 Critics Recommend:98%

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

February 25, 2022

Developer(s)

From Software

How Long To Beat

58 Hours

Publisher(s)

Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer

Engine

Proprietary

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

X|S Enhanced

yes

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Cross Save

no

Cross-Platform Play

PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S