The Most Bizarre Character Builds In Elden Ring

As the dust begins to settle on what will undoubtedly become one of the most beloved games of the year — if not one of the most beloved games of all time — players are getting beyond the initial wonder and beauty of "Elden Ring" and have started focusing on what they can do to overcome its many deadly challenges. The critically acclaimed open-world title offers no shortage of deadly adversaries and downright scary enemies, but, as with any Souls game, it was only a matter of time before players went to work designing loadouts and builds that are neigh unstoppable.

From PvP-centric builds that channel a player's inner "Sonic the Hedgehog," to the almost invincible Mech Suit'build, there are almost limitless ways to gear up a character. While some are only useful in certain situations — and others seem to be more for fun than anything else — these are some of the most bizarre character builds players have been trying out in "Elden Ring."

Players likely weren't expecting to run into Sonic during their time playing "Elden Ring" — and they can consider themselves lucky if they don't. The "Sonic" build has recently proven itself a worthy contender among PvP players and it seems like the blue hedgehog's moves actually translate pretty well in a FromSoftware game. Initially showed off by YouTuber Marco Yolo, the content creator gave fans a glimpse at how powerful the blue speedster could be against dangers in the Lands Between. 

In a video detailing their exploits, Marco Yolo can be seen running around as a funny — yet disturbing — version of Sonic made with the "Elden Ring" character creator. That said, it's not just the creepy character that has enemies and other players running in the opposite direction — it's Sonic's signature moves. Marco Yolo uses the "Lightning Ram" Ash of War, which lets the player douse themselves in electricity and roll towards enemies. Not only is the attack a blast to watch, but it seems "Lightning Ram" doesn't have many counters. What's more, the build only requires "Lightning Ram," but players can also add a Lightning Caestus weapon for even more shocking attacks. The Sonic build has been appearing more and more with PvP players, so maybe it's only a matter of time until another player creates a Knuckles build to put Sonic in his place.

There are a lot of different schools of magic in "Elden Ring." From the more common Glintstone incantations and sorceries to those from the schools of lightning or even gravity, players that want something more than just melee will have no shortage of options. Perhaps one of the more iconic schools of magic in "Elden Ring" are the Dragon powers players are able to call forth in battle. Ranging from the ability to roar fire into a foe's face to spraying them down with a cloud of festering Scarlet Rot, players can have a lot of fun with Dragon magic in-game. That said, going for a full Dragon build will require a little more than just a few breath attacks.

Players who want to become as fierce as a dragon should start by investing their level ups in the Arcane and Faith stats. While any spellcaster can make the case for the importance of Faith in a build, Arcane is a stat that doesn't start off seeming all that important until players start acquiring spells and weapons that call for it. Prospective Dragon Disciples will also want to locate the Dragon Communion Seal as it boosts any Dragon Communion incantations the player uses. Couple this with the Roar Medallion Talisman to enhance Dragon incantations even further. As a final touch to complete the build, players will want to obtain the Grafted Dragon fist weapon from Godrick the Grafted's Remembrance.

There are a lot of different ways to take on the challenges in "Elden Ring." Some try to tackle the title by focusing on melee builds, while other players put their efforts into ranged or magical options — but what about a mech suit? One player got to thinking, and they realized they didn't want to be restricted by the fantasy setting the game takes place in, opting to finagle a way to create the equivalent of a mecha in-game.

YouTuber Adam Barker posted a video that showed just how powerful a Mech build can be in "Elden Ring" — especially when going up against others in PvP. The Mech Suit build relies on a few specific items to work properly, but when it does, invading aggressors become the scourge of other players. Barker starts by consuming an Ironjar Aromatic item, which turns a character's body to steel, and then follows up with a Flask of Wonderous Physik containing Cerulean Hidden Tear and Crimsonwhorl Bubbletear. The effect is a character that moves slowly, takes almost no damage, and has limitless FP for a time. Once the buffs are stacked, Barker began using the Unendurable Frenzy incantation to shoot maddening laser beams out of their eyes and make short work of any unlucky players. While Barker didn't show off an entire build, it's safe to assume the player was stacking lots of Vitality and immunity to resist going mad themself.

Many loadouts in "Elden Ring" will try to make the most out of a specific attack or type of damage, centering gear and stats around any way that can further improve the bread and butter of the build. One of the most useful status effects in the game is Frostbite, and while many enemies, bosses, and even other players aren't prepared to defend against an icy assault, getting the right Frostbite build can still be tricky.

Thankfully, YouTuber and "Elden Ring" community figurehead Fextralife went ahead and took a lot of the guesswork out of building a Frost Knight, detailed in a video that covers everything from weapons to armor to spells. Fextralife recommends the Clayman's Harpoon Spear outfitted with the "Ice Spear" Ash of War, as the combo provides a well-rounded, strong offensive start. From there, the content creator advises players to use the spear alongside the Carian Knight Shield for its superb magic damage negation. Talisman-wise, Fextralife uses the Magic Scorpion Charm, Greatshield Talisman, Carian Filagreed Crest, and the Curved Sword Talisman. All together, the trinkets reduce the FP cost for the powerful "Ice Spear" Ash of War, grant additional magic damage, greatly reduce damage while blocking and enhance any guard counters done by the player. 

The result is a sturdy character that can dish out tons of Frostbite and follow up with powerful guard counters. While Fextralife admits there's some leeway with Talismans and armor, this will give players a good push in the right direction.

It's likely happened to most players. They're hanging around a Site of Grace, adjusting gear or just taking a break from the non-stop action for a few seconds — and then they see it. The white outline of another player, a phantom briefly glimpsed from another world...only there's something wrong — the player is naked. While many gamers have likely seen other players running around in nothing more than their birthday suit, there's actually a valid reason to consider casting aside those pesky clothes. There's a Talisman in "Elden Ring" that rewards players for going into the foray as bare as the day they were born, and it's powerful enough to keep some players naked through most of their journey in the Lands Between.

As detailed by YouTuber penguinz0, a naked glass cannon build might be just the trick to tip odds into a player's favor — if they can dodge masterfully enough to avoid a quick death. To make the build work a little easier, players should track down the "Quickstep" Ash of War which will make dodging much more forgiving. From there, players will want to remove all their armor and extra weapons and equip the Blue Dancer Charm. The Charm exponentially increases attack power as equip load gets lower, so running around naked with just a single weapon will produce some very nice damage numbers. Players can, of course, fiddle with additional Talismans or a single piece of armor, but remember, extra weight is damaged missed.