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Once you've conquered the final boss of Elden Ring, stepping into New Game+ offers a fresh opportunity to test your creativity and combat prowess with a new build. Enemies hit harder, bosses are more aggressive, and you’ve likely got access to weapons and spells you couldn’t use the first time around. Whether you want to melt enemies with sorcery, slice through foes with bleed, or try a completely unconventional setup, this list of 22 builds will give you the variety and challenge you’re looking for.

Here are some standout builds to try for your New Game+ journey:

1. Intelligence/Faith Hybrid (Dark Moon Disciple)

Mix high INT and FAI for access to both Death and Moon sorceries along with Erdtree incantations. A solid choice for magic lovers who want variety and flashy spells.

2. Strength Bleed (Ghiza’s Wheel Build)

Capitalize on Strength scaling and the bleed effect of Ghiza’s Wheel. This aggressive build shreds through enemies, especially when powerstanced with another heavy weapon.

3. Arcane Poison (Venom Knight)

Focus on Arcane scaling and poison weapons like the Serpentbone Blade or Antspur Rapier. This build can stack multiple statuses and thrives in prolonged fights.

4. Dexterity-Focused Katana Build

Use Uchigatana or Nagakiba with Keen affinity. Add in bleed buffs and Ashes of War like Seppuku for high-speed, high-damage gameplay.

5. Pure Sorcery (Academy Master)

Focus entirely on Intelligence and use Glintstone Staffs with spells like Comet Azur, Stars of Ruin, and Loretta’s Greatbow. Strong for long-range boss melting.

6. Pyromancer Build

Faith and Arcane pairing with a focus on fire-based incantations and weapons like the Giant’s Seal and Fire Monk spells. Works great in open areas.

7. Greatshield Turtle (Tank Build)

A heavy Endurance and Strength build using a greatshield and colossal weapon. High poise and defense let you stand toe-to-toe with any enemy.

8. Holy Knight

Utilize high Faith and Strength, wielding weapons like the Golden Order Greatsword. Perfect for undead-heavy zones in NG+.

9. Sleep Build (Nox Dreamer)

Use weapons and spells that induce sleep like the Sword of St. Trina. Surprisingly effective in PvP and certain boss fights.

10. Madness Build

Focus on incantations and weapons that cause Madness, such as Vyke’s War Spear and Frenzied Flame spells. A niche but fun chaos-themed build.

11. Dual Greatsword Build (Colossal Wrecker)

Two-hand dual colossal weapons like Greatswords or Ruins Greatswords for maximum stagger potential. Add Strength buffs to increase damage output.

12. Pure Faith (Crucible Incantations Build)

Focus on Crucible spells and use the Crucible Axe or Tree armor set. This build balances offense and defense, perfect for immersive melee-Faith hybrids.

13. Dex/Faith Build (Lightning Blade)

Use fast weapons with Lightning affinity and combine with Faith-based lightning incantations. Great for fast, flashy combat.

14. Black Flame Build

Centered on Faith with Black Flame spells and the Godslayer’s Greatsword. Excellent for sustained boss damage over time.

15. Rot/Fire Hybrid (Scarlet Pyro)

Focus on inflicting Scarlet Rot with Rotten weapons and combining them with fire-based incantations. Works well against NG+ enemies with high resistances.

16. Arcane Bleed (Blood Lord)

Maximize Arcane for bleed scaling with weapons like Rivers of Blood and Eleonora’s Poleblade. This build is deadly and stylish.

17. Intelligence Greatsword Build

Combine high INT with the Dark Moon Greatsword. It scales well and has a unique ranged heavy attack. Add moon sorceries for synergy.

18. Faith/Arcane Dragon Cult Build

Focus on dragon communion spells and weapons. High Arcane improves status buildup, while Faith powers your dragon incantations.

19. Hybrid Caster/Weapon Build (Battle Mage)

Balance STR, DEX, and INT for weapon-sorcery synergy. Use the Sword of Night and Flame or the Death’s Poker for versatile options.

20. Dual Curved Swords (Dance of Death)

Lightweight and fast, this build uses dual curved swords like Scimitars or Bandit’s Curved Sword. Add Bleed or Poison infusions for extra threat.

21. Gravity Sorcery Build

Use Gravity sorceries like Rock Sling and Meteorite of Astel, combined with a weapon like the Bastard’s Stars. High damage, good stagger.

22. Unarmed Fist Build (Fist of the Tarnished)

A pure style build using fists or claws like the Star Fist or Hookclaws. Surprisingly viable with the right talismans and buffs.

If you’re diving into New Game+ and want to skip the grind, the best place to buy Elden Ring Runes can help boost your build quickly. Similarly, the best site to buy Elden Ring Items can be useful if you missed key gear during your first run or want to test an unconventional loadout without tracking everything down again.

No matter which build you try, NG+ is a great way to experience Elden Ring from a different angle. Each build opens new strategies and challenges, giving you a reason to explore every corner of the Lands Between all over again.