The BEST Elden Ring Poison Build

With an Elden Ring Poison Build, the focus is not on attacking enemies headfirst but applying the Poison status effect on them and letting it whittle down their health over time. This is primarily meant for players who like to go for a close-range playstyle but also want to supplement their attacks with a secondary effect that does much of the work for them.

Poison Build Gear

Before I begin, here’s a summarized look at the optimal Poison Build:

Weapons

Before I begin, here’s a summarized look at the best weapons for Poison Build:

In terms of weapons, the goal is to have something on your character that can effectively apply poison in as little time as possible. Most of the time, this comes down to using armaments that use Dexterity and hit fast, like Katanas or Daggers, or ones that allow you to hit from the range, like Bows.

If you can make only one of these weapons work as your primary source of damage, then that’s fantastic. You don’t have to do anything more. Otherwise, there’s no shame in carrying an extra armament whose purpose is to apply poison. You can switch back and forth between your desired tools instantly at the press of a single button.

Uchigatana

Attack Stats:

Guard Stats:

Because it is an incredibly early-game weapon or a starting one if you choose the Samurai class, I think many people will underestimate the Uchigatana. But it is undoubtedly one of the best weapons in the game, and its versatility is exceptional. 

Players can apply all buffs and change their affinity to suit various playstyles. In terms of this build, players can use the Poison Armament Incantation on the Uchigatana and allow it to damage the same element with each strike. Alternatively, changing the weapon’s affinity to Poison also allows the same effect, but with this, the element is permanently active.

Venomous Fang

Attack Stats:

Guard Stats:

Venomous Fang is a fist weapon that requires 9 points in both Strength and Dexterity to wield, and can be two-handed and then used at staggering speeds to apply Poison to your enemies quickly.

What’s funny about this weapon is that even though it can inflict the desired status effect by default, you can still change its affinity to Poison at a Site of Grace. This lets the amount of actual Poison Buildup damage it deals increase to a maximum of 95 points at +25.

Serpentbone Blade

Attack Stats:

Guard Stats:

The Serpentbone Blade may not be as versatile as something like the Uchigatana, but it excels at its own brand of combat. I would recommend using it because, on top of being an extremely fast weapon capable of inflicting rapid blows on your enemies, the blade also causes Poison Buildup with each hit.

Its unique ‘Double Slash‘ skill is also an extremely fast combo of slashes that help fill up an enemy’s poison meter tremendously. It starts as one sequence of two slashes, but pressing the button again allows for up to two more follow-up attacks. This skill looks really similar to the Corpse Piler ability of the Rivers of Blood katana, but obviously without the Bleed and the extended range.

Serpent Bow

Attack Stats:

The Serpent Bow is the only ranged weapon in Elden Ring that is able to deal Poison damage without the help of any Enchantments or Greases. So when starting combat, you can pepper a foe with arrows from a distance, allowing you to inflict the status effect without getting close to them.

Additionally, you can use special ammunition like the Poisonbone and Serpent Arrows to increase the amount of Poison Buildup that occurs per hit. Using these, you can easily get the job done in 3 to 4 hits with this bow.

Coil Shield

Attack Stats:

Guard Stats:

Now, I will fully acknowledge that I am cheating a bit by including a Shield in the Weapons category, but considering that it actually performs a powerful attack to inflict Poison on your foes, I think the distinction doesn’t matter all that much.

But the special ‘Viper Bite’ is truly special, as it allows the snake on the shield to come to life and bite the enemy you are targeting, applying Poison to them.

Sacred Seals

Sacred Seals in Elden Ring act as catalysts through which Incantations can actually be cast by the player. There are only a handful of them in the entire game, and some within that group further serve to boost specific types of spells.

Poison Incantations fall into the Servants of Rot spells category, and unfortunately, there does not exist a Sacred Seal that helps boost this particular class of Incantations. So, I simply have to make do with what you can access.

I’ll outline some of the best Seals for a Poison Build below:

• Erdtree Seal: The Erdtree Seal does not boost any particular class of Incantations, but it is still one of the best in the game. It reaches S rank with the Faith stat at +5, which is earlier than any other Seal.
• Godslayer’s Seal: As the name implies, this seal aims to boost the capabilities of Godslayer Incantations specifically. But it generally scales well with Faith, reaching S rank at +14.
• Giant’s Seal: The Giant’s Seal reaches S rank in Faith scaling at the +15 upgrade level. Although its specialty is boosting the power of Fire-based spells, it can still be used to cast any type of Incantation.

These choices are all based on my personal preferences. You can choose whatever works best for you.

Incantations

Regarding Incantations for a Poison Build, I regret to inform you that there are not many options available to the player. The Servants of Rot class only has 4 different spells; among them, only 2 can inflict Poison.

However, the good news is that both of these Incantations are incredibly effective at what they do. So, since the goal is to poison foes as quickly as possible, that is easily accomplished with these in your loadout.

Poison Armament

This Incantation serves to apply a Poison buff to your weapons, allowing you to build the meter with each blow you land. This is the basis for any Poison Build, as it allows you to buff any weapon you choose as long as it does not have special skills that cannot be overwritten. So, for example, this does not work on special armaments like the Sword of Night and Flame.

Poison Mist

If you don’t want to apply a buff on your weapon, you can always choose to directly spray a Poison Mist on your enemies with the help of this Incantation. And yes, this is literally a large cloud of Poison that constantly damages enemies within it. Overall, this is the most effective way of applying the status effect in the game.

Ashes of War

To make up for the incredibly poor selection of Servant of Rot Incantations, Elden Ring also has 2 different Poison Ashes of War that serve as excellent skills for the player. Their effects are not anything unique, and they even share properties with the Incantations I’ve mentioned earlier.

Poisonous Mist

It lets you swing your sword forward, letting out a thick cloud of Poison mist before you. On top of this, your armament also gets buffed with the element, although for a much shorter time than the actual ‘Poison Armament’ spell would. Although this Ash of War has the abilities of two different Incantations, it never fully does either of their jobs.

Poison Moth Flight

The Poison Moth Flight is a devastating attack that is capable of applying Poison to most enemies in a single blow. While using it, the player pulls back the weapon, applies the element to the blade, and then follows that animation up with a powerful attack.

Armor

Let’s quickly compare some of the armors recommend for Poison Build:

So, as I’ve mentioned before, this Poison Build aims to apply the status effect on your enemies and then back off to let it perform its magic. What you decide to do after this has taken effect completely depends on whether you’re a melee character or a spellcaster.

A melee fighter should opt for heavy armor so that when they get in close to attack, they can take the blows without dying in one or two hits. 

Raging Wolf Set

Damage Negation:

Resistance:

At this point in time, I have added the Raging Wolf Set as a recommended armor in nearly every single one of my Build guides. This is because, on top of being really cool-looking, it has decent enough stats to easily carry you through the entire game. Its negation is decent against both Physical and Elemental damage types, with the only weak spot being protection from lightning.

But apart from that, it’s an incredibly solid set for a Poison Build for both melee and magical playstyles. And although it can easily take damage, the focus should still be on dodging rolling-over tanking. So make sure to pump some points into your Endurance stats.

Crucible Tree Set

Damage Negation:

Resistance:

If you are not confident in your ability to dodge and roll away from attacks in time, you may consider investing in heavy armor like the Crucible Tree Set. It’s one of the best sets in the entire game, and it can easily take a lot of punishment and still leave you standing.

But of course, this comes with the catch that its weight will easily put you at a heavy load by itself, especially if you haven’t put points into Endurance. And if you go with heavy weapons as well, like some of the best swords, such as greatswords, then it’s extremely easy to get over-encumbered.

Mushroom Set

Damage Negation:

Resistance:

Skilled players disregard the warning against light armor and don the Mushroom Set for a unique appearance resembling a cluster of fungi. Enhance the set with the Mushroom Crown, located separately but replacing the regular helm. This alternative headpiece boosts damage by 10% when enemies nearby are poisoned, synergizing with your infectious attacks.

Talismans

Elden Ring features a robust collection of Talismans that greatly help players tweak their playstyles to their personal liking. Some of these simply raise your core stats, while others can enhance how powerful your skills are or how quickly you cast spells.

There are some of the best Talismans in the game, but I’m now going to highlight some that work really well for a Poison Build.

Radagon Icon

Both Sorceries and Incantations have incredibly varied cast times in the game, and sometimes, it’s nice to be able to skip those along. For exactly those situations, I have the Radagon Icon.

In terms of this build, this allows you to deploy both the Poison Armament and Poison Mist Incantations much faster than usual. A faster cast time for the Mist, in particular, means you can cover more area and Poison larger groups of enemies at a time.

Flock’s Canvas Talisman

As a Poison user, you want to be able to inflict your chosen status effect on your enemies as soon as possible. The quicker this happens, the quicker your foes start losing their health. 

This works by increasing the potency of all your Incantations by a massive 8%. In terms of Poison spells, this means that they cause buildup much faster than usual. The entire thing is pretty straightforward, and the only thing of note is that the Talisman does not work for support spells.

Kindred of Rot’s Exultation

It increases your attack power by a whopping 20% for any enemy in your vicinity that happens to be poisoned. It lasts only 20 seconds, but that doesn’t matter because you can quickly re-apply Poison in a heartbeat. So, as you attack enemies and build up their meter, you essentially use them to boost your damage. 

This has been my Poison Build Guide. While you’re here, why not check out other Elden Ring Builds?

• Pyromancy Build
• Rivers of Blood Build
• Arcane Build
• Sword of Night And Flame Build