If you’re having trouble dealing with some undead enemies or bosses, then you should consider making an Elden Ring Holy Build. As the same suggests, this build makes uses the Holy element as its primary source of damage, and since undead foes are weak to this, players can make short work of them. While you’re at it, consider reading our Elden Ring Bosses tier list and learn which is by far the easiest and toughest boss in the game. 

And depending on your choice of playstyle, this can either be focused on a melee build or one that relies on Incantations. The optimal path of course involves a little bit of both, but that also requires investing a massive amount of runes into your character. Regardless of what you choose, Faith will play a tremendous role in a Holy Build as this is the stat through which most Holy weapons and spells scale. Also, go through our Elden Ring Faith build and master the art of casting faith incantation and destroying opponents in PvE and PvP.

So with this build article, we’ll not only guide you on the best possible ways of dealing out this Elemental damage, but we’ll also tell you about the best Weapons, Armor, and Talismans that complement an Elden Ring Holy Build.

Now before we fully jump into this guide, it’s worth mentioning that, unlike Poison or Frenzy, Holy damage is not exactly a status effect you can inflict on your enemies. It’s simply a type of damage you deal without any lingering effects most of the time. The extra damage that’s dealt with undead enemies, in particular, is simply that, extra damage. If this doesn’t seem like something you’d be into, then consider checking out our Black Flame build instead, which relies on dealing damage over time.

And as far as the Holy Build itself is concerned, you can spec into it as long as you have the relevant stats. If you’re already playing a Faith-based character like a Confessor or Prophet, then that should not be a problem at all. In fact, if you’re thinking of starting up a new game, then I highly recommend choosing either of these two classes since they already start with high Faith and a Sacred Seal.

But once again, your choice of Starting Class does not lock you into a particular type of playstyle. The beauty of Elden Ring is that you can create whatever type of character you want, whenever you want. If you started the game by picking something like the Bandit, you can still end up specing into a Holy Build later on. The only issue is that you might miss out on starting gear, which can still be purchased from merchants, but a bit later in the game.

I am now going to go over our some of the best weapons, Sacred Seals, Incantations, Armors, and Talismans in detail. The gear listed below is based on my personal experience with the game over the course of multiple playthroughs, and should not be taken as set choices. Chances are that your own choices may deviate greatly from mine, and that’s okay. This is an extremely versatile game, and what works for you might not work for someone else.

It should also be said that the Elden Ring Holy Build is not solely focused on casting offensive spells. On top of damage-dealing Incantations, we also have spells that apply buffs to your weapons, improve your character’s base abilities, and even heal them. On the subject of spells, consider reading our Elden Ring best spells guide and learn about the top-tier spells in the game.

There are two different types of weapons that we will be exploring in this Holy Build.

The first of these are regular weapons that can have the Sacred affinity applied to them to let them scale with Faith and deal Holy damage, and they also usually require investment in secondary stats like Strength and Dexterity to properly wield. They can also be buffed up with Incantations like Order’s Blade to temporarily deal Holy damage without any affinities. While you are at it, why not read our Elden Ring best dex weapons guide.

Our second type is magical armaments that are elemental as a standard. There are much rarer in the game, but they usually deal much more Holy damage than regular weapons. Most of these are also unable to be buffed or have their affinities changed.

We will now go over these weapons in much more detail below.

Not only is the Uchigatana one of the best Katanas in Elden Ring, but it’s also actually hands-down one of the best melee weapons in the entire game. You can start the game off with this armament if you choose the Samurai class, but even if you don’t, it can easily be acquired within the first few hours of your playthrough by visiting the Deathtouched Catacombs.

By default, the Uchigatana has D rank scaling for both Strength and Dexterity, which is pretty good. But by changing the weapon’s affinity to Sacred, it can also gain a D rank in Faith scaling to start with. This then changes to C at +4, and then finally to B rank at +15. A Sacred Uchigatana also deals Holy damage equal to the physical damage it deals, so you don’t even have to buff it if you don’t want to.

But in case you do choose to buff it with the Order’s Blade Incantation, it gains a golden buff for 90 seconds that deals extra Holy Damage depending on your Faith. The higher this is, the more damage you are able to do per hit.

If you’ve chosen to invest purely in Faith for your Elden Ring Holy Build and neglect any sort of Physical stats like Strength, then the Coded Sword is meant for you. This weapon runs purely on Faith and requires only 20 points in the stat to properly wield. It also has a B rank in scaling to start with, which is great for an armament at a base level, but once you reach +6 this changes to an A.

Now the tradeoff for only requiring Faith to wield is that the Coded Sword does not do any physical damage at all. It deals purely Holy damage, which also means that you have to invest heavily in Faith for it to be effective. This sword is also one of only two armaments in the entire game that possesses the ‘Unblockable Blade’ skill. When using this, you perform a sweeping attack that cannot be blocked by any type of shield. Also, consider reading our Elden Ring Black Knife Tiche guide

Another downside to this sword is that you have to play through a significant chunk of the game to actually get it. You first have to acquire both halves of the Dectus Medallion, travel to the Altus Plateau, and then reach the Fortified Manor at the end of Leyndell, the Royal Capital. Here, the Coded Sword can be found in the Throne Room.

Unlike the previous entry on our list, the Bloodhound’s Fang is a curved greatsword that requires players to invest points into both Strength and Dexterity to wield. Neither requirements are that high, since the required values are 18 and 17 respectively. The scaling starts off at D in Strength and C in Dexterity, which can then go up to a maximum of C and B.

Now, the Bloodhound’s Fang is not exactly a Faith weapon and it cannot have its affinity changed to Sacred. But it is one of the best greatswords in the entire game, and it’s also one of the few special weapons that can be buffed. So if you apply the Order’s Blade Incantation to it, you can temporarily get it to deal Holy Damage on top of Physical damage.

It also possesses the ‘Bleed Buildup’ passive ability, allowing it to inflict the Hemorrhage status effect on top of all of this, letting you quickly shave off tons of health from bosses. Plus, the ‘Bloodhound’s Finesse’ skill is an incredibly useful Ash of War that allows players to quickly close the distance with their targets. On the subject of bleed, why not look into our Elden Ring best blood weapons guide

The Blasphemous Blade is a weird addition to an Elden Ring Holy Build since the weapon does not deal Holy damage at all. The stats necessary to wield it are also pretty high, requiring 22 Strength, 21 Faith, and 15 Dexterity. But it is a phenomenal weapon nonetheless that is capable of dealing tons of damage, and its primary stat is also Faith. It starts off with a D rank in Faith scaling, which subsequently changes to a C at +3 and then B at +10. For this, you will have to slightly incline towards the strength department and also learn the merits of having a strength build in Elden Ring as well.

And by itself, the Blasphemous Blade is a really cool-looking weapon that performs really well with its basic moveset as a greatsword. Its ‘Taker’s Flames’ skill is also an incredibly powerful ability that lets you clear out entire rooms with a shockwave of flames that spread out in front of your character. The armament actually deals both Physical and Fire damage, which is again, slightly unconventional for a Holy Build, but not an unwelcome change.

The only issue is that once again you have to play through a decent bit of the game to actually acquire it. Players have to start and finish the entire Volcano Manor questline, and then defeat Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, one of the demi-god bosses in the game. Once he’s dead, the Remembrance of the Blasphemous he drops can then be traded at the Roundtable Hold for the Blasphemous Blade.

The Sacred Relic Sword is one of the best Holy damage weapons in the entire game, but the catch is that you actually have to play through and beat the final boss to actually get it. I obviously won’t spoil anything for players who haven’t beaten the game yet, but basically, you have to exchange the Remembrance you get from the boss with Enia at the Roundtable Hold for either this or another armament. On the subject of remembrance, why not read our Best Elden Ring Remembrances to Duplicate guide.

And like the Blasphemous Blade, the Sacred Relic Sword has pretty high requirements to wield properly at 24 Dexterity, 22 Faith, and 14 Strength. It also starts off with D, D, and E scaling ranks respectively, which can go up to a maximum of B, C, and D. So yes, this scales primarily with Dex and then with Faith.

But unlike the armament itself, the ‘Wave of Gold’ skill scales purely off of Faith. It’s an incredibly powerful wave of light whose reach is as great as its width. Once fired off, it can hit all enemies in front of you, allowing players to take out entire hordes of enemies with a single charge. It’s basically as close to a nuke as possible in Elden Ring, and it’s invaluable as a farming tool in New Game+.

Sacred Seals are the catalysts through which players can cast Incantations in Elden Ring. And although the game has a bunch of different seals you can find and use, you cannot be fully effective without first having the proper Seal equipped for your build. Also, consider going through our Elden Ring Village Of The Albinaurics guide and learn about its Location, Boss & valuable Items.

Certain Sacred Seals also scale much better with stats like Faith than others, but unfortunately, there are no seals that specifically boost Holy Damage. And so in this guide, we’ll tell you about the ones that work the best with an Elden Ring Holy Build.

So these 3 Sacred Seals are the ones we think work best for an Elden Ring Holy Build. But once again, depending on what types of spells you like to utilize, you can substitute them with whatever works for you.

As mentioned before, spells that deal Holy damage or provide Holy buffs are not restricted to one class like a lot of other Incantations. There are three distinct categories that have Incantations like these, and they are the Golden Order, Erdtree, and Two Finger.

For the purposes of this guide, we will be selecting some of the absolute best spells from all three of these classes. We will also be recommending a wide range of Incantations, from straightforward offensive ones to defense or healing-oriented ones. It should also be said once again that the Golden Order Seal we recommended above will only provide bonuses to spells within its own class.

So with that all said and done, let’s jump into the list.

The Order’s Blade should be the basis of any Holy Build, as it basically allows you to apply the element to any suitable weapon available to you. This is an easy way to gain a source of Holy damage, especially if you are a more melee-oriented character and don’t intend on using a lot of long-range spells.

Its equip requirements are also pretty low, with only 13 points required for both Intelligence and Faith. Additionally, it only requires 22 FP to use, and it lasts for a surprisingly decent 90 seconds per cast. And finally, when you kill an undead enemy with the Order’s Blade, they are unable to revive themselves like they usually do.

The Discus of Light is a simple, yet extremely effective offensive spell that should make the cut for anyone willing to make an Elden Ring Holy Build. It only requires 13 points in both Intelligence and Faith to wield, which is honestly a target most casters should have easily hit after a few hours with the game. It also only costs 9 FP to cast.

This Incantation allows the player to launch forward a fast-moving disc of light that deals moderate damage to foes, and then returns to the position of the player before disappearing. The best thing about this is that once it completes its path and begins its return journey, it still hits any enemies in its trajectory and damages them along the way. If these enemies happen to be facing you already, then it also gets to avoid their shields. The Discus of Light can hit multiple enemies in a single throw.

There’s no trick to this one, and it’s not really flashy or anything so essential that you cannot make an Elden Ring Holy Build without it. It’s simply a really handy spell that can save your life in a tough situation, especially if you’re the type that likes to jump into dungeons unprepared. The Incantation requires 37 Intelligence to equip and 55 FP to cast.

When you use the Law of Regression, your character heals themselves of any status effect they might have incurred or any other special effects. So instead of having to run back to a Site of Grace because you got Poisoned and you don’t have any Neutralizing Boluses, you can simply cast Law of Regression and cure yourself instantly.

Unlike the Discus of Light which is clearly a ranged spell, the Wrath of Gold is a much more of a melee-range Incantation. And yes, I selectively said ‘melee-range’ because while there isn’t an actual physical attack involved, the spell does require you to get ridiculously close to your targets for it to be effective. It also requires 32 Faith to wield and 40 FP to cast.

When you cast Wrath of Gold, your character lets out a gold shockwave that hits all enemies within a 360-degree radius of them. Not only does this deal a tremendous amount of Holy damage, it also knocks your foes back and incapacitates them for a short period of time. During this brief window, you can follow up with a melee attack or another spell.

I know that healing is not the most glamorous thing to invest in, especially when the game already gives you a steady source of recovery items. But if you’re playing as a pure caster as part of your Elden Ring Holy Build, then chances are that you’re also wearing light armor and your defense isn’t all that great. And you know what, sometimes you run out of flasks and are forced with the options of either dying or returning to the nearest Site of Grace. While you’re at it, consider reading our Elden Ring items tier list.

In situations like these, the Erdtree Heal can be your best friend. It costs 42 Faith to wield, and a further 65 FP to cast, but in return, you can recover a tremendous amount of health. And if you’re playing with some allies, then they also gain the same recovery if they happen to be inside the range of the glyph that appears when you cast it.

The Black Blade spell, not be confused with the boss of the same name, is one of the most devastating Holy Incantations in the entire game. Not only does it damage your targets, but it also applies a temporary HP reduction debuff on them and even deals damage over time. It can easily make short work of even the most difficult enemies in the game, provided you can nail the timing of the attack. The requirements for this one are pretty steep, as it costs 46 Faith to wield and 26 FP per use.

When you cast it, your character leaps into the air with a magical blade in their hand. When they land, they let loose a vertical slash that passes through multiple enemies and deals damage as it does. If you follow up the initial slash with a second one, then the second one is diagonal and can get enemies in a much larger arc.

The Elden Stars Incantation is one of the handfuls of Legendary spells in the game, and it’s an extremely powerful one at that. It’s actually perfectly suited for the end-game, and as such its requirements also reflect its high damage. The spell requires a whopping 50 Faith to equip, and then each cast costs a further 47 FP.

But it’s all worth it, as the player lets out a large ball of light that slowly moves towards your targets. If this ball manages to crash into your foes, then it will deal a devastating amount of Holy damage to them. But even before it reaches its target, it lets out dozens upon dozens of smaller and faster moving balls of light that deal consistent damage over time. The damage output of the smaller balls of light is not massive, but the sheer number of them released is more than enough to down most regular enemies.

It cannot be stated enough that your choice of armor sets in this game depends purely on your personal playstyle. Before listening to me or anyone else on the subject, simply pick a set that you think seems right and see how it feels to use. The general rule is to go for something light if you feel confident in your ability to dodge roll and go for a heavier set if you are more likely to take hits from enemies.

Similarly, you can afford to go for a light set if you’re a ranged player, but if you’re a melee player who likes to get up close, then you might want something bulkier. It’s also not necessary to jump directly to heavy sets, there are a bunch of amazing medium sets in the game as well.

Alternatively, many players even choose to simply forgo stats and playstyle and go for armor sets that simply look cooler than others. They mix and match armor pieces to create a look that works for them, and they’re satisfied with their choices. This is known by the community as Fashion Souls.

My point is to experiment with different sets until you find one that works for you. If you still require assistance for an Elden Ring Holy Build, then I have some choices I can also recommend below.

I will never miss the chance to recommend the Raging Wolf Set to players, and I have not done so yet. So let me continue my preaching by saying that this is not only one of the best-looking armors in the entire game, it’s actually a phenomenal medium set that is useful in almost all circumstances. For reference, this is the same armor set that was shown in the initial trailers for the game.

As a Medium armor, the Raging Wolf Set has decent Physical reduction and it works well against almost all elemental damage types. The only real weakness in Lightning damage, but you can easily get around that pitfall by investing in Spells or consumables that boost your resistance against it. If you want, you can also temporarily switch to another set entirely when going up against enemies that deal Lightning damage.

For the amount of defense it gives, the Raging Wolf Set actually weighs less than you might expect. You can easily maintain a medium load with it equipped and even have a normal dodge roll speed. And if you throw a bunch of levels in Endurance, you can even fast roll, but this of course requires you to take points away from Faith and other casting stats.

As you dive further and further into the game, leveling up costs more and more until a single point increase can cost a ridiculous amount of Runes. So each stat increase has to be properly considered, and in moments like these, you should take any bonus offered to you. And the Haligtree Knight Set provides one such indispensable boost.

As a complete set, the Haligtree Knight armor provides decent physical and elemental reduction. It’s not as effective as some other heavy armors in the game, but you can also do so much worse. What makes it worth using however is the +2 increase to Faith that the helmet in particular gives you.

This might not seem like a massive increase at first, but 2 extra points of Faith can mean the difference between being able to use certain skills or not. And each point granted by an armor piece or a Talisman, means another point you can invest in alternative, yet necessary, stats like Mind and Vigor.

Now at first glance, the Azur’s Glintstone armor might look like a set that is more useful for Intelligence builds, and you’d be right. The armor improves the damage done by some of the most powerful Sorceries in the game by a respectable amount, and it overall even looks like something an Intelligence build would use.

But what you might not know is that the set also works really well for all casters in general, even those that primarily use Incantations. Because when equipped, the Azur’s Glintstone Crown in particular reduces the cost of all spells in the game by 15%. Also, why not read our Elden Ring Comet Azur build guide.

This is a massive decrease in FP cost, and can save Elden Ring Holy Builds a lot of time and effort. I highly recommend going for this set if you will focus on casting first and foremost, but also be aware that you have to complete the entire Sorceress Sellen Questline to actually get it.

Elden Ring features a large collection of Talismans that can change up the way your character behaves in and out of combat. Some Talismans provide simple benefits like reducing the amount of sound you make or enhancing your charged attacks, while others massively increase your core stats or provide health regeneration.

These can be invaluable in creating your optimal build, and picking the right one can easily mean the difference between life and death in a hairy situation. Being informed on what works for your playstyle can save you a lot of time and effort.

So now we come to the part of the article where I tell you about the best Talismans for an Elden Ring Holy Build.

If your arsenal of spells is mostly made up of offensive Incantations, then you should really consider having the Flock’s Canvas Talisman equipped at all times. This basically increases the potency of all attack incantations in the game by a decent 8%, letting them do more damage than they usually would.

The benefits of this are pretty obvious, since the more damage you do, the faster you kill your targets and the fewer Incantations you have to cast to down them. Plus, the bonus granted by the Flock’s Canvas Talisman also stacks with other similar Talismans to increase the strength well above the base 8%.

Many Incantations in Elden Ring allow you to charge them up by holding down the cast button for a few moments. The result is a spell that not only does more damage, but might also behave a bit differently depending on its type. But the thing is, charging often leaves you in a vulnerable position, and a single attack can interrupt your sequence and cause the spell to fail.

So why not make all that extra risk worth the effort by using the Godfrey Icon Talisman. This allows your charged Incantations to deal a further 15% damage on top of what they already deal, letting you get the most out of them. Additionally, this bonus can stack with the bonuses granted by other items like the Flock’s Canvas Talisman, easily bringing your total up to 23% or more.

In order to get tougher and beat bosses, players will usually spend a decent chunk of time leveling up their characters and improving their stats. And as you head into the mid and late-game, this process simply takes way too many Runes farming per level up. But it’s always worth it because even a single point into an essential stat like Faith can be an absolute game-changer.

So instead of grinding for hours, why not consider using a Talisman like Marika’s Soreseal, which increases your Faith, Intelligence, Mind, and Arcane by +5 points each? Now to be completely clear, this is a 20 level bonus provided to the player simply for equipping an item. It is an unbelievable boost to your stats, and the only downside to this is that you take 15% more damage from all sources. Now I don’t know about you, but to me, this is a worthwhile tradeoff. Also, consider reading Elden Ring arcane weapons guide.

We recommend the following crystal tears for the holy build in the game:

Before you decide to make a Holy Build, decide what type of character you want to play. Because if you go for a full caster, then your priority should be to stay as far away from enemies as possible and pepper them with offensive Incantations like Discus of Light. As a ranged player, you can also afford to wear light armor, and invest points purely into stats like Faith and Mind because they’re the ones that will allow you to keep casting.

But if you go for a more melee-focused build, then your first priority should be to get the Order’s Blade to buff your weapons with Holy damage. Then you can put on some medium or heavy armor, and then jump into the fray with your swords and greatswords at the ready. You should also put a lot of points into Vigor and Endurance so that you can actually run around easily and take big hits.

A hybrid of these two playstyles is undoubtedly the most effective at both melee and spellcasting, but that also entails putting a lot of points into both Physical and Caster stats. Such a build is absolutely possible, but it would require a tremendous amount of time and effort to get such a character ready. So plan ahead, and you shouldn’t have any problems.

This has been our Elden Ring Holy Build. While you’re here, why not also check out some of our other Builds:

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