Elden Ring Samurai Class Build Guide: Mastering the Samurai Playstyle

In Elden Ring, the Samurai class stands out as a versatile and beginner-friendly option, offering a balanced mix of ranged and melee combat. With its strong weapon choices, effective armor, and a focus on dexterity and mobility, the Samurai is a great starting point for players new to Elden Ring or Souls games in general. This guide will take you through how to effectively play the Samurai class, focusing on weapon usage, stats, early-game tips, and the right strategies to dominate the game from the very start.

Why Choose the Samurai?

The Samurai class is a well-rounded choice for players who want a versatile build. Starting with the Uchigatana, a katana known for its reach and bleed buildup, and a Longbow for ranged combat, the Samurai can handle a variety of combat scenarios. The class leans towards dexterity-based combat, although it still leaves room for strength-based weaponry later in the game. Additionally, the Samurai starts with decent armor and mobility, making it forgiving for newer players.

If this is your first time playing Elden Ring, the Samurai is an excellent choice because it gives you a little bit of everything: melee, ranged, and a straightforward yet powerful playstyle that lets you adapt to the game’s different challenges.

Samurai’s Starting Gear

Weapon 1: Uchigatana – A dexterity-scaling katana with excellent reach and bleed damage, allowing for effective close combat.

Weapon 2: Longbow – Perfect for picking off enemies at range or weakening them before engaging in melee.

Armor: Samurai Armor Set – Offers decent protection while maintaining good mobility, which is key for dodging and staying agile.

Shield (Optional) – If you prefer a more defensive approach, the Samurai also starts with a small shield, but you'll likely prefer two-handing the Uchigatana for maximum damage.

Picking Your Keepsake: The Golden Seed

During character creation, you're given the choice of a Keepsake. For new players, I highly recommend taking the Golden Seed, as it grants you one additional charge for your healing or mana flasks right from the start. This extra healing can be a game-changer in early encounters when you're still getting a feel for the mechanics and timing of combat.

Early Game Strategy: Crafting Arrows and Upgrading Gear

One of the first challenges you'll encounter as a Samurai is running low on arrows. While the Samurai starts with a few, you’ll quickly find that they’re not enough to get through early-game encounters. To mitigate this, head to the Church of Elleh early on, which is located right after the starting area in Limgrave. Purchase the Crafting Kit and the recipe for Bone Arrows from the merchant there.

To craft arrows, you’ll need to hunt animals for bones, particularly sheep found just past the first set of ruins on the road to the right. This is a great farming spot for bones, allowing you to craft a decent number of arrows without spending runes on purchasing them.

Later in the game, when you've gathered enough runes, you can buy arrows in bulk, so early crafting is just a temporary solution.

Combat: Using the Bow vs. Uchigatana

Playing the Samurai effectively is all about knowing when to use your Longbow and when to switch to your Uchigatana. The Longbow excels in ranged combat, allowing you to pick off enemies from a distance before they can engage you. This is particularly useful in the open-world exploration segments where enemies are scattered, and you can safely thin their ranks without diving into melee.

The bow's Mighty Shot ability is particularly powerful, dealing significant damage for a small cost of Focus Points (FP). This can allow you to one-shot weaker enemies or significantly weaken tougher foes before switching to your katana.

Starting Boss Fights with the Bow

When initiating a boss fight, especially if there’s a good amount of distance between you and the boss, consider opening with a few shots from your bow. You can sometimes get their health down by a third or even a half before they close the gap. Once they get in melee range, switch to your Uchigatana for close combat.

Mastering the Uchigatana

The Uchigatana is one of the best early-game weapons in Elden Ring, and it's a staple for the Samurai class. It has a fantastic moveset, with quick slashes and a deadly R2 charge attack. When sprinting, hit R2, and your character will slide into a powerful thrusting attack that can interrupt enemy attacks and has impressive range.

However, the key to mastering the Uchigatana is its special ability, Unsheathe. This skill allows you to perform a quick, high-damage strike by unsheathing the sword in one fluid motion. To use Unsheathe, you need to be two-handing the weapon. Two-handing is done by holding the Y (or Triangle) button on your controller and pressing R1. Always be two-handing the Uchigatana when you use it, as this unlocks the full potential of the weapon and its abilities.

Unsheathe is so powerful that it can stagger enemies, break their posture, and deal massive damage even to bosses. Learning the enemy’s attack patterns so you can dodge and then immediately counter with Unsheathe will make your Samurai build incredibly potent.

Bleed Build-up: A Hidden Advantage

The Uchigatana also has an auxiliary effect: bleed buildup. With repeated strikes, you'll gradually fill the enemy's bleed meter, and once it reaches a threshold, a massive chunk of their health will be ripped off. While you can’t see the bleed meter on screen, it’s a significant factor, particularly against tougher enemies or bosses.

Mounted Combat: Uchigatana and Longbow on Horseback

One unique aspect of the Samurai build is how effective it is in mounted combat. Both the Longbow and Uchigatana work extremely well when you're riding Torrent, the game's spirit steed. The Uchigatana’s long reach and fast swings make it ideal for slashing at enemies as you ride by, while the bow lets you pick off enemies from a distance without needing to dismount.

When using the Uchigatana on horseback, practice timing your swings, especially the R2 attack, where you’ll spin the sword backward and slash upward. Once you get the hang of it, you can take down enemies quickly and efficiently, often without ever needing to get off your horse.

Attribute Allocation

When it comes to attributes, the Samurai’s playstyle is centered around dexterity and vigor.

1. Dexterity: Focus on this stat for damage scaling, as the Uchigatana performs better with dexterity as you upgrade it. You’ll want to aim for around 20 points in dexterity early on.

2. Vigor: This stat increases your health pool, and since you’ll be engaging in melee combat regularly, it’s important to survive hits. Keep vigor around the same level as dexterity, with a goal of 20 by mid-game.

3. Mind: This stat increases your FP, which is important for using Unsheathe and Mighty Shot. Aim to get your mind to around 15 so that you don’t have to rely too heavily on FP flasks.

4. Endurance: While not as critical early on, endurance will help you equip heavier armor and weapons without compromising mobility. It’s also helpful for stamina management during longer boss fights.

Upgrading Your Gear

Make sure to upgrade your Uchigatana as early as possible by collecting Smithing Stones. These can be found scattered across the map, but one reliable source is the Stormhill area where there’s a statue that can be broken by a troll, giving you six Smithing Stones right away.

Upgrading your weapons is essential for increasing your damage output, and for the Uchigatana, this means faster bleed build-up and stronger unsheathe attacks.

Conclusion

The Samurai class in Elden Ring is an excellent choice for players looking for a balanced, versatile playstyle. Whether you're picking off enemies from a distance with the bow, slashing through foes with the Uchigatana, or engaging in fast-paced mounted combat, the Samurai has the tools to thrive in the world of Elden Ring. Focus on dexterity and vigor, upgrade your gear, and master the Unsheathe ability to maximize the potential of this powerful build.

    For more exciting follow-up, follow MMOEXP(https://www.mmoexp.com/Elden-ring/Runes.html)