The Unseen Blade and the Golden Vow: A Complete Elden Ring Dexterity/Faith Build Guide
Welcome, Tarnished, to the path of the divine assassin, the graceful war monk, the storm-caller. The Dexterity and Faith (Dex/Fth) build in Elden Ring is, without a doubt, one of the most versatile and exciting playstyles the Lands Between has to offer. It marries the blistering speed and critical potential of dexterity weapons with the immense utility and raw elemental power of incantations. You're not just a warrior; you're a versatile agent of the divine (or the profane), capable of adapting to any threat. This guide is your complete roadmap, focusing on the absolute best weapons for a Dex/Faith build and how to wield them to their full, glorious potential.
The core philosophy of this build is synergy. You're not just leveling two stats arbitrarily. You're building a character whose weapon damage and spell effectiveness feed into each other. Your keen-edged blade is empowered by sacred seals, and your incantations are cast with a speed enhanced by your dexterity. Let's start with the foundation before we dive into the legendary armaments themselves.
Stat Allocation and Starting Class:
For a pure Dex/Faith hybrid, the Prophet or Confessor are excellent starting points. The Confessor begins with a solid straight sword and a useful utility spell, while the Prophet starts with a stronger seal and a potent offensive incantation. Your primary stats will be:
- Dexterity (Dex): Your main source of physical damage for your weapons. Aim for 50-80 by endgame.
- Faith (Fth): The key to your incantation damage and weapon buffs. Aim for 40-50 for a hybrid, or 60-80 if you lean more heavily into spellcasting.
- Mind (Mnd): Don't neglect this! You'll need a healthy FP pool for your incantations. 20-30 is a good range.
- Vigor (Vig): Survive. Always. 40-60 is non-negotiable for the late game.
- Endurance (End): Enough to medium-roll with your desired armor and weapons.
The magic happens when you find weapons that scale with both Dexterity and Faith. This is primarily achieved through the Keen infusion (which boosts Dexterity scaling) followed by a weapon buff incantation like Electrify Armament or Bloodflame Blade, or by using weapons with innate holy, fire, or lightning damage that naturally scale with both stats.
Now, let's get to the heart of the matter: the best weapons for your Dex/Faith journey.
The Top-Tier Arsenal for a Dex/Faith Build
1. The Blade of Calling & The Black Knife: Daggers of Destiny
Don't let the dagger category fool you; these two weapons are phenomenal tools for any Dex/Faith build, especially in the early to mid-game and for specific late-game strategies.
- Blade of Calling: Found relatively early, this dagger is a precursor to a legendary weapon. Its unique skill, Blade of Gold, sees you hurling a blade of sacred light that deals high holy damage and staggers enemies. It's fast, costs little FP, and is perfect for picking off foes from a safe distance or interrupting spellcasters. Its natural Dex/Faith scaling makes it a reliable melee option when buffed.
- Black Knife: This is arguably one of the most powerful utility weapons in the entire game. Its skill, Blade of Death, launches a projectile that deals immediate damage and, crucially, inflicts a Max HP debuff on the target, reducing their total health for a duration. This is devastating against bosses and tanky invaders. The Black Knife also applies a passive effect that reduces enemy healing, making it a nightmare for other players in PvP.
Why they're great for a Dex/Faith build: They offer incredible utility and safe, powerful ranged options without requiring you to switch your seal. They are perfect sidearms to complement a larger primary weapon.
2. Godslayer's Greatsword: The Colossal Divine Punisher
If you enjoy greatswords but wish they were faster and more imbued with god-slaying power, look no further. The Godslayer's Greatsword is a colossal sword that swings with the speed of a regular greatsword, making it uniquely agile for its class.
Its true power lies in its Ash of War, The Queen's Black Flame. This skill unleashes a swirling vortex of black flame around you that deals damage over time based on the enemy's maximum HP. It's exceptionally potent against high-health bosses and large enemies. The sword scales primarily with Dexterity and Faith, and the black flame damage ignores shields, making it a versatile and devastating choice.
Why it's great for a Dex/Faith build: It provides the hyper-armor and poise damage of a colossal weapon without sacrificing too much speed, and its Ash of War is one of the best boss-killing tools available to a Faith-based character.
3. Vyke's War Spear: The Frenzied Flame Incarnate
For those who enjoy a more aggressive, disruptive playstyle, Vyke's War Spear is unmatched. It's the only spear that inflicts Madness, a status effect that deals massive damage and stuns humanoid enemies, including Tarnished players in PvP.
Its Ash of War, Frenzyflame Thrust, sees you leaping into the air and crashing down, creating an explosion of madness. This not only deals high fire damage but also builds up a significant amount of madness. The spear has innate fire damage and scales with Dex and Fth, making it a powerful weapon even outside of its status effect.
Why it's great for a Dex/Faith build: It's the ultimate PvP invasion weapon for this build and remains highly effective in PvE against humanoid enemies. It offers a unique and powerful status effect that few builds can utilize effectively.
4. The Sacred Relic Sword: The Endgame Grinding King
While you acquire this sword very late in the game, its power is so immense it cannot be ignored. The Sacred Relic Sword is the ultimate tool for farming runes and clearing out large groups of enemies with laughable ease.
Its unique skill, Wave of Gold, sends a massive, wide golden wave forward that deals immense holy damage to everything in its path. A single use can wipe out the entire Albinauric population at the Mohgwyn Palace farming spot. While its utility in tough boss fights is more situational due to holy damage resistances, its sheer power for rune acquisition and clearing areas is legendary.
Why it's great for a Dex/Faith build: It's the perfect reward for completing your journey, making the process of leveling up other weapons or gathering consumables trivial.
5. Treespear: The Early-Game Powerhouse
Acquired very early in the Liurnia region, the Treespear is a workhorse that will carry you through a huge portion of the game. It's a great spear with solid range, a good moveset, and a fantastic Ash of War.
Its key feature is that it's a Somber Smithing Stone weapon with innate holy damage and natural Dex/Fth scaling. Even better, it is one of the very few unique weapons that can be buffed with spells like Electrify Armament or Order's Blade. This allows you to stack its innate holy damage with another element, creating a devastating damage output early on.
Why it's great for a Dex/Faith build: It's accessible, powerful, versatile, and demonstrates the core synergy of the build perfectly by allowing for weapon buffs on a weapon with innate elemental damage.
6. The Winged Scythe: The Stance-Breaking Angel of Death
A fan-favorite for a reason, the Winged Scythe is available early and remains relevant until the very end. Scythes have inherent bleed buildup, and this one adds holy damage to the mix. Its moveset is excellent for catching rolling opponents and dealing with groups.
But its crown jewel is the Ash of War, Angel's Wings. This skill performs a sweeping leap forward followed by an upward slash. It not only deals good damage but also prevents enemies from using healing flasks for a short period. This is a game-changing ability in PvP invasions and duels. The weapon's pure Dex/Fth scaling means it hits hard with the right stat investment.
Why it's great for a Dex/Faith build: It combines high damage, bleed, a fantastic moveset, and one of the most potent PvP skills in one package. It's a true all-rounder.
Essential Incantations and Playstyle Tips
Your weapons are only half the battle. To truly master the Dex/Faith build, you must embrace your incantations.
- Weapon Buffs: Electrify Armament (for lightning damage), Bloodflame Blade (adds fire damage and bleed buildup), and Order's Blade (for holy damage) are your best friends. Use them to supercharge your Keen-infused weapons.
- Utility: Golden Vow is a non-negotiable buff that increases your attack and defense. Flame, Grant Me Strength further boosts your physical and fire attack power, stacking beautifully with Golden Vow and fire-based weapons or buffs.
- Offensive Spells: Lightning Spear is your reliable, fast ranged option. Black Flame is excellent for its HP-based damage-over-time effect. Bestial Sling is a quick, low-cost tool for interrupting enemies and applying pressure.
Your playstyle should be fluid. Open a fight by applying your buffs (Golden Vow, then your weapon buff). Use incantations like Lightning Spear to pressure enemies from a distance or punish boss recoveries. When an opening appears, close the distance and unleash your weapon's combo or devastating Ash of War. You are a hybrid; you are meant to use your entire toolkit, seamlessly switching between blade and spell to keep your opponents off-balance and overwhelmed.
Embrace the versatility, Tarnished. With these weapons and strategies, you are no longer just a challenger to the Elden Ring; you are a master of war, blessed by the divine and honed by the edge of your blade. Go forth, and claim your throne.
