In this Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries Build Guide, I’m going to show you my Sanguine Spellblade build, designed for New Game Plus. This build focuses on Aberrant Sorceries—spells that can inflict the bleeding status effect. Many players have requested a build that revolves around these unique spells, so I created a hybrid melee-caster setup that leverages both magic and melee combat. I’ll explain how this approach works and why it’s effective in this guide.
Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries Build Guide – Sanguine Spellblade
An Arcane/Intelligence Build that focuses on the use of Thorn Sorceries to make enemies bleed at range.
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Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries Build Guide – Equipment
First, let’s focus on the Albinauric Staff. It primarily scales with Arcane, with a smaller scaling for Intelligence. While its sorcery scaling is decent at 80 Arcane and 80 Intelligence, comparable to the Carian Regal Scepter, what sets this staff apart is its unique ability to enhance Bleed buildup when casting Aberrant Sorceries. This is due to its Arcane scaling, which makes it the only staff that boosts the Bleed effect in this way. If you want to maximize the blood buildup from Aberrant Sorceries, the Albinauric Staff is a must-have.
However, this focus on Bleed buildup with the Albinauric Staff comes with a trade-off. You sacrifice the higher base damage you’d get from using the Carian Regal Scepter, which has superior sorcery scaling, in exchange for more Bleed buildup. The benefit of this staff is that because you’re heavily investing in Arcane, you can apply Seppuku to your melee weapon, granting substantial bleed buildup to complement your sorcery. This adds versatility to your build, allowing you to use both spells and melee weapons with significant bleeding potential.
If you’re using the Dragon Communion Seal in your offhand, it will enhance the status effect buildup of any spells or incantations you cast. This seal also offers decent damage if you add damaging incantations to your build, providing flexibility to include both sorceries and incantations with effective status effect buildup and solid scaling.
Another option for this build is the Staff of the Guilty. However, I don’t recommend casting with this staff. Instead, keep it in your offhand to benefit from its 20% damage boost for specific sorceries, like the Aberrant Sorceries. You don’t need to cast with it to get this bonus; just having it equipped is enough. Though I don’t frequently use this staff in my build, it can be helpful in specific situations where that extra damage boost makes a significant difference.
One of the major issues with Briars of Sin and Briars of Punishment is their long casting times, making them challenging to use against aggressive enemies or bosses. To use Briars of Punishment effectively, you need distance, while casting Briars of Sin requires some time, which can be risky when enemies are up close. If you haven’t progressed far enough into the spell’s animation, you can be staggered out of it. Though there is hyper armor later in the casting sequence, you may not always have the luxury of time to get there.
That’s why I made this a spellblade build. By integrating melee combat with spellcasting, you gain a solution for those close-range encounters where casting spells becomes risky. A melee weapon, especially one infused with Seppuku to leverage your high Arcane, provides a versatile option for close combat. This way, you can still deal significant damage through bleeding when spells are impractical due to proximity.
The specific weapon you choose for melee isn’t crucial for this Aberrant Sorceries build. I’m using Rogier’s Rapier because I grew to like it during my Crimson Duelist testing, but you can use any weapon that suits your playstyle, provided it meets the stat requirements and can be infused with Seppuku. This opens up a range of weapon choices, so pick the one that you find most effective and enjoyable.
If you have the Albinauric Staff in your left hand and the Staff of the Guilty in your right hand, switching to a melee weapon and buffing with Seppuku can be awkward in the middle of combat, especially if you’re surrounded by enemies or a boss is right on top of you. That’s why I prefer to keep my melee weapon in my right hand, buff it with Seppuku, triggering Lord of Blood’s Exultation and the White Mask’s attack boost if you have it equipped, and then start casting spells. While Aberrant Sorceries like Briars of Sin and Briars of Punishment can trigger hemorrhage and activate Lord of Blood’s Exultation, they require close proximity to the target to do so, which isn’t always ideal.
Briars of Punishment’s strength lies in its range; it can hit targets from a good distance, allowing you to avoid close combat. Briars of Sin, however, is harder to use in tight quarters, often requiring you to be quite close to enemies, which might not be the safest option. It is generally better to use melee attacks with Seppuku when a boss is near rather than rely on casting spells. In most cases, using a melee weapon with Seppuku will yield better results than trying to trigger Bleed with Briars of Sin, especially if the boss is aggressive.
The best use case for the Staff of the Guilty is in a co-op setting, where you can stay at a distance, spamming Briars of Punishment while others engage the boss in melee. This way, you don’t need to constantly rebuff with Seppuku, allowing you to maintain a consistent 20% bonus to spell damage. Another scenario where it’s useful is when enemies are spread out across the landscape, and you don’t need Seppuku for melee attacks. This flexibility in various situations makes the Staff of the Guilty a useful addition to this build, but remember that if you switch to your melee weapon without buffing it with Seppuku, your Bleed buildup will be significantly reduced.
For this build, I’m using Alberich’s Robe, Alberich’s Pointed hat, and Alberich’s bracers. Each of these pieces boosts your Thorn Sorcery damage by 5%, adding up to a total of 15%. The leg armor from the same set doesn’t add to the bonus, so you can skip it. Instead, I’m wearing the Malformed Dragon Greaves, which not only match the style but also provide better protection while keeping my equip load within the medium range. This way, you get a balance of fashion and functionality without compromising on armor.
Another good armor choice is the White Mask, which increases attack power by 10% whenever you trigger hemorrhage on an enemy or on yourself. This can be useful if you’re triggering Bleed frequently, either through Seppuku or other means. While the White Mask might not be the best stylistic choice, it can be swapped in when you need that extra boost in damage, particularly during challenging encounters where Bleed is a factor.
Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries Build Guide – Talismans
For talismans in this Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries build, I use five: the Graven-Mass Talisman, Lord of Blood’s Exultation, Magic Scorpion Charm, Taker’s Cameo, and Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman. The first three are constants, while the last two are flexible depending on the situation.
The Graven-Mass Talisman boosts your spell damage, crucial for enhancing your output with Briars of Punishment and Briars of Sin.
Lord of Blood’s Exultation increases attack power when you cause Bleeding, whether through Seppuku or attacking enemies with melee or Aberrant Sorceries. This boosts both your spell and attack damage.
The Magic Scorpion Charm raises damage for magic-based spells, fitting well with the magic nature of Aberrant Sorceries.
Taker’s Cameo is useful for restoring health when you defeat an enemy, which can compensate for the health cost of Seppuku. This is especially useful when taking out multiple enemies with Briars of Punishment. However, in boss fights with no enemies to defeat for health restoration, I switch Taker’s Cameo for the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, which provides increased protection and reduced incoming damage. This swap helps improve survivability during challenging boss encounters.
Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries Build Guide – Spells
Next, let’s focus on the spells. Briars of Punishment has a long range. It sends out a ground tremor that pops up in the air, with decent tracking to hit charging enemies. The area of effect (AoE) is small, so it’s best for single targets or tightly packed groups. It has a fast follow-up cast, so you should spam it from a distance for maximum damage. Spamming multiple times can help build bleed quickly, especially when combined with Seppuku for melee follow-up.
Briars of Sin has a shorter range but better AoE, with each successive cast expanding the area of effect. It’s useful against larger enemies or those with more open space to move around, but it requires a moment to cast. If enemies get too close, using melee with Seppuku is often safer and more effective than trying to cast Briars of Sin. This spell works best against big bosses or when you can control the distance, but it might not be ideal in chaotic situations or against aggressive enemies.
I use Golden Vow because Briars of Sin and Punishment require Faith, and with one extra point beyond the highest requirement, you can boost both damage and defense. Blessing’s Boon is a good health recovery option, especially in boss fights where you can’t rely on Taker’s Cameo. I try to keep buffing minimal, which is why I use Taker’s Cameo to avoid needing multiple buffs like Golden Vow or Blessing’s Boon every time.
Terra Magica is another buff to increase magic damage at the start of boss fights, but I don’t use it often on the landscape. Unseen Form is fun to use with this build, allowing you to remain hidden while casting long-range Briars of Punishment, keeping enemies confused about what’s happening.
Typically, when running around the landscape, I buff with Seppuku, then start casting from a distance. If enemies get close, I use melee to re-trigger Lord of Blood’s Exultation or White Mask if equipped. This 20-second buff can be re-triggered by killing an enemy with melee, which helps maintain higher damage output for your spells. This combination of ranged casting and melee flexibility is why I made this a Spellblade build instead of a pure mage build.
Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries Build Guide – Recommended Attributes
The attribute distribution for this Aberrant Sorceries build is 50 Vigor, 30 Mind, 9 Endurance, 8 Strength, 17 Dexterity, 26 Intelligence, 25 Faith, and 80 Arcane. You don’t need any points in Strength or Endurance for this build.
While Endurance could be helpful for more stamina and equip load, there aren’t enough attribute points to spare. The 50 Vigor ensures you won’t get one-shot, providing a safety net, but you should consider increasing this to 60 in New Game Plus to further enhance survivability, especially when using Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman and Golden Vow for added resistances.
Mind at 30 allows for more FP, but you might want to increase it to 35 or 40 as you progress through New Game Plus. Faith is set at 25 because the highest requirement for Aberrant Sorceries is 24, with one additional point allowing you to cast Golden Vow, which is a valuable buff. Dragon Communion Seal also scales with Faith, enhancing your incantations if you choose to use them.
17 Dexterity meets the requirement for Rogier’s Rapier, which you can use if you like, but it’s not mandatory for this build. You could choose other weapons that work with Seppuku, and that might require adjusting Dexterity.
Arcane at 80 is critical because it boosts the sorcery scaling of your staff, increases bleed buildup, and provides a solid damage output for Aberrant Sorceries. I tested different distributions of Intelligence and Arcane, and while you can gain slightly more damage by lowering Arcane and increasing Intelligence, the difference is minimal, with only a slight increase in sorcery scaling. Having 80 Arcane offers a better balance for both spell damage and bleed buildup.
With this build, focus on taking Vigor up to 60, Mind up to 40, and then further invest in Intelligence for additional damage. This approach offers a strong combination of high damage output, bleed buildup, and survivability, making it versatile for various challenges in the game.
Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries Build Guide – Final Tips
A couple of final tips for this Elden Ring Aberrant Sorceries build. If you’re using the Flask of Wondrous Physick, I suggest using the Magic-Shrouded Cracked Tear, as the spells in this build deal magic damage, providing a significant damage boost. If you encounter a boss that’s immune to Bleed and has high resistance to magic damage, you can swap in other spells. This build has flexibility and can accommodate a wide range of spells, even though the focus here is on blood sorceries.
For Great Runes, I recommend using Godrick’s Great Rune. This rune increases all attributes by five, which is beneficial since this build requires several different stats. It gives you more flexibility to balance your attribute points. For example, you could reduce Faith and Dexterity by five points each and reallocate those to Intelligence or Arcane for more damage or bleed buildup.
That wraps up the Sanguine Spellblade build guide. These Aberrant Sorceries are challenging to use, but Briars of Punishment provides excellent range. Combining them with a reliable melee weapon can be effective, as there will be times when casting spells is too risky due to their long cast times and vulnerability to interruption.
That’s it for our Sanguine Spellblade build, As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree so stay tuned for those. If you need help finding the spells, items, or equipment in this build, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check the Elden Ring Map.
