Piercing Paladin Build | Elden Ring Wiki
Piercing Paladin is a Build for Elden Ring. It is a Shadow of the Erdtree Dexterity build for level 161, built around Leda's Sword and its skill Needle Piercer.
Why Play the Piercing Paladin Build in Elden Ring
The Piercing Paladin build utilizes Leda's Sword which is a light greatsword. Leda's Sword primarily deals physical damage, with a bit of holy damage, and scales mostly with dexterity, though it also has some strength and faith scaling. The weapon skill, Needle Piercer, also does a mix of physical and holy damage, with the majority being physical. To maximize damage, you'll want to increase dexterity and bring faith up to 25 to use incantations like Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength, which significantly enhance the weapon and skill's performance.
The Deflecting Hardtear is noteworthy, as it allows for perfect blocking of physical attacks, significantly reducing damage taken and enhancing block counter damage. This makes the build viable for standing toe to toe with bosses, dealing substantial stance damage through block counters.
For the Great Runes, Radahn's Great Rune is recommended as it provides balanced boosts to health, FP, and stamina, all of which are good for the build. Alternatively, Malenia's Great Rune can be considered for those who engage in frequent trading of damage.
Piercing Paladin Build Requirements
To use everything in this build you need at least 22 Dexterity, 19 Faith, 17 Strength, 17 Intelligence. Anything above those numbers goes into damage and survivability rather than meeting requirements.
| Weapon | Type | Requires | Scaling | Weight | Skill | Passive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leda's Sword | Light Greatsword | Strength 11, Dexterity 22, Faith 19 | STR E / DEX C / FAI D | 7.5 | Needle Piercer | |
| Golden Order Seal | Sacred Seal | Intelligence 17, Faith 17 | INT D / FAI D | No Skill | Golden Order Incantations | |
| Carian Thrusting Shield | Thrusting Shield | Strength 17, Dexterity 13, Intelligence 15 | STR D / DEX D / INT D | 10.5 | Shield Strike |
Piercing Paladin Build Stats and Attributes
The attributes for the Piercing Paladin build at level 161 are 55 Vigor for survivability, 34 Mind to sustain spell casting and weapon skills, 30 Endurance for stamina and equip load, 11 Strength to meet the minimum requirements for wielding the weapon, 65 Dexterity to maximize damage output, 16 Intelligence, and 25 Faith to enable the use of Golden Vow and Flame Grant Me Strength.
Piercing Paladin Build Gear
Leda's Sword features an excellent move set, perfect for chaining attacks and building up attack power through successive hits. Unlike the Dark Paladin build, which focused on block counters, this build emphasizes rapid attacks and timed combinations. Needle Piercer, the weapon skill, benefits from the Spear Talisman, which boosts counter damage during an enemy's attack animation. Although Needle Piercer is not currently boosted by the Shard of Alexander, it may be updated in future patches. The skill requires precise positioning due to its range limitations, making it effective in boss fights where enemies keep their distance.
The Piercing Paladin build makes use of the Golden Order Seal, not for its incantation scaling, but solely to cast Golden Vow and Flame Grant me Strength. This is because the seal weighs nothing, thus keeping the build light and nimble. The build's armor includes the Oathseeker Knight Helm, Leda's Armor, and Black Knight Gauntlets and Black Knight Greaves, which together provide exactly 51 poise. This armor setup not only maintains an aesthetically pleasing look but also boosts the damage of dash attacks after rolling or backstepping by 10%, thanks to Leda's Armor. This bonus is significant since the build emphasizes rapid, successive attacks.
For talismans, the Piercing Paladin build features the Two-Headed Turtle Talisman for improved stamina recovery, essential for maintaining the build's fast-paced attack style and frequent block counters. Millicent's Prosthesis is another key talisman, as it increases dexterity which is critical for this build's primary weapon scaling and boosts attack power with successive hits. Additionally, the build benefits from Ritual Sword Talisman and Curved Sword Talisman.
The build also includes options for additional talismans such as the Blade of Mercy, which increases attack power after critical strikes and is useful for chaining block counters into critical hits. Crusade Insignia, which boosts attack power following each kill. This is particularly effective when clearing areas filled with enemies. For those who prefer enhancing dash attacks further, the Lacerating Cross-Tree Talisman provides a significant damage boost. The Spear Talisman is also included, enhancing thrusting attacks during enemy attack animations, which synergizes well with Needle Piercer.
Armor
| Piece | Slot | Poise | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oathseeker Knight Helm | Head Armor | 7 | 4.4 |
| Leda's Armor | Chest Armor | 21 | 10.6 |
| Black Knight Gauntlets | Gauntlets | 6 | 4.6 |
| Black Knight Greaves | Leg Armor | 17 | 8.5 |
| Total | 51 | 28.1 |
The full set comes to 51 poise and 28.1 weight across 4 pieces.
Talismans
| Talisman | Effect | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Two-Headed Turtle Talisman | Greatly raises stamina recovery speed (22.5%) | 1.0 |
| Millicent's Prosthesis | Boosts dexterity (+5), raises attack power with successive attacks (4%,6%, 11%) | 1.6 |
Alternate Talismans
| Talisman | Effect | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Blade of Mercy | Raises attack power by 20% for 20 seconds after a critical hit | 1.3 |
| Crusade Insignia | Raises attack power by 15% for 20 seconds after defeating an enemy | 1.2 |
| Curved Sword Talisman | Increases guard counter damage by 20% | 0.7 |
| Ritual Sword Talisman | Raises attack power by 10% when HP is at maximum | 0.9 |
| Lacerating Crossed-Tree | Enhances dash attacks | 0.8 |
| Spear Talisman | Increases thrusting weapon counterattack damage by 15% | 0.5 |
Spells
| Spell | FP Cost | Slots | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flame Grant me Strength | 28 | 1 | Faith 15 | Raises physical and fire-affinity attack power |
Weapon Skill
Needle Piercer (19 FP, Unique). Skill of Needle Knight Leda. Generates ten gold needles which pierce their target all at once. Those pierced are purged of all ailments and special effects alike.
Crystal Tears and Great Runes
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Deflecting Hardtear | Enhances spontaneous guard in mixed physick |
| Winged Crystal Tear | Temporarily reduces equip load in mixed physick |
| Radahn's Great Rune | Raises maximum HP, FP and Stamina |
Weight and Status Effects
Everything listed above weighs 48.7 in total (1 item on this list has no weight value) — check that against your Endurance if you want to keep a medium roll.
The weapons in this build apply Golden Order Incantations.
