In this Elden Ring Intelligence Samurai Build Guide, I’m going to be showing you my Soul Samurai build. This is a NG+ Samurai build that is a Dexterity/Intelligence build that focuses on the use of a katana, in this case, the Nagakiba, as well as using some magic spells. If you’ve been trying to play a magic samurai-type build and you’re looking for a good alternative to the Moonveil, which seems to be what a lot of people are using, then you might want to check out this build.
Elden Ring Intelligence Samurai Build Guide – Soul Samurai
A Dexterity Intelligence Build that uses the Nagakiba and Scholar’s Armament to phenomenal result.
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Elden Ring Intelligence Samurai Build Guide – Equipment
Before I dive into the weapons and armor, I want to explain why this is a NG+ build. The key factor is the stat distribution. When using a weapon that deals 100% physical damage and scales with Dexterity or Strength—like when using a Heavy Infusion or a Keen Infusion—while also buffing it with Incantation Scaling or Sorcery Scaling from Faith or Intelligence, you need a high stat total to maximize its effectiveness. This setup is ideal for NG+, where you can continue to boost your stats and increase your damage.
If you’re playing in New Game, focusing on Magic or Cold infusions might be more practical since they require less stat investment to deliver solid damage. However, in NG+, having one high-stat focus for physical damage and another for magical damage allows you to continue increasing stats to keep the damage output high. This balanced approach is particularly effective for pushing further into NG+, where more stat points allow you to keep your build effective and strong.
With that said, let’s discuss the weapon used in this build: the Nagakiba, one of my favorite weapons in the game. You might recall the Blazing Bushido build where I also used this weapon. In this build, we’re focusing on Keen scaling, relying on Dexterity for the weapon’s physical damage. The Nagakiba has excellent Dexterity scaling, making it a great choice for this approach.
For my Ash of War, I’ve selected Double Slash, but you could choose others like Sword Dance or Repeating Thrusts—whatever suits your style. I find Double Slash to be effective and fun to use. With the Keen Affinity, this weapon draws all its physical damage from Dexterity, so stacking this stat will greatly enhance your damage output.
Moving on to the staff I’m using for this Intelligence Samurai Build, I have the Academy Glintstone Staff, I have that maxed out. The reason for that really is that my Intelligence at this point is at 60. As you go through NG+, and your Dexterity and Intelligence get higher, you’ll probably swap this out for the Carian Regal Scepter at some point.
But at this point of the game, the Academy Glintstone Staff actually outperforms the Carian Regal Scepter because my Intelligence is not high enough. The Carian Regal Scepter really shines between that 70 to 80 Intelligence range. So when you’re approaching about 70 Intelligence, you’ll probably want to swap over to that. But for the moment, this is a better staff.
For the armor in this Intelligence Samurai Build, there are various options depending on your playstyle. You could aim for high poise to withstand most regular attacks without getting staggered, stay light to maintain a fast roll, or find a balance with a medium roll. I’m using the Black Knife set with a different chest piece for a visual preference. The Black Knife set is handy because it muffles your movement, giving you a stealth advantage against some enemies.
However, the choice of armor isn’t critical for this build. You can select whatever suits your style or aesthetic preference. Since this build has a complex stat spread, you may not have many points to spare for Endurance, so your armor choice might be limited if you don’t want to sacrifice Intelligence or Dexterity. In summary, choose armor that fits your desired playstyle while considering your available Endurance points.
Elden Ring Intelligence Samurai Build Guide – Talismans
When it comes to talismans I have for this build, I’m using Shard of Alexander, Magic Scorpion Charm, Millicent’s Prosthesis, and Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman.
Shard of Alexander is there to increase the damage with Double Slash. If you’re using a different Ash of War, it’s going to increase the damage of that. And that’s huge for this. We use that a lot. And Magic Scorpion Charm is there to increase not only the damage of your weapon when you’re buffed, but also the spells that you do because they all deal magic damage. You can replace this with a Ritual Sword Talisman if you don’t have this one.
Millicent’s Prosthesis is there to increase your damage as you hit rapidly, which you will with Double Slash, and to also give you five Dexterity because we have Keen Scaling that works really well. However, if you don’t have this one, you can replace this with Rotten Winged Sword Insignia. That will also work very well.
The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman is there just to increase our protection further because we are using one Scorpion Charm and we don’t have the heaviest armor. This is going to give you more physical protection, which will help you in NG+.
Elden Ring Intelligence Samurai Build Guide – Spells
I use a variety of spells for this Intelligence Samurai Build, and you can customize them to your preference, given the flexibility provided by the 60 Intelligence stat. This allows you to use most spells, so feel free to choose those that suit your playstyle. One spell I like to use is Greatblade Phalanx, which is excellent for staggering enemies. Although this build doesn’t rely heavily on stagger mechanics like a Moonveil-based build where you might use Transient Moonlight for stagger combos, it can still be useful in certain situations.
Greatblade Phalanx is handy when you want to deal some damage or build up stagger on an enemy, especially when you have a moment to prepare before they get too close. It’s a versatile spell to have in your arsenal for those times when you need to control the battlefield or create some breathing room.
Scholar’s Armament is there to buff our weapon. Because we have physical damage and Keen Scaling, we can buff with Scholar’s Armament, and the damage you’ll gain between Keen Scaling and buffing with Scholar’s Armament is actually higher than you’d get if you were set to like Magic or Cold Affinity at this point. So we’ve actually overtaken it, and as you progress further and further into NG+, the physical damage is going to go up as you increase Dexterity, and the magic damage is going to go up even further as you increase Intelligence and get better Sorcery Scaling.
What I appreciate about Scholar’s Armament is its long duration, which means you don’t have to constantly reapply it. Typically, you can cast it once before a boss fight, and it should last for the duration, though you might occasionally need to reapply it. The buffing process doesn’t take too long, so once you get a feel for its timing, you can manage it easily without disrupting the flow of combat. It’s a convenient enchantment that helps maintain your weapon’s effectiveness without constant interruptions.
I use Freezing Mist with this build, typically at the start of boss fights. It applies the Frostbite status effect, which reduces the enemy’s protection and increases the damage they take. My usual strategy is to cast Freezing Mist after buffing my weapon, then maneuver around the boss to let the Frostbite build up. Once it triggers, I go on the offensive to maximize the damage output.
Another spell I use is Terra Magica, which significantly boosts magic damage, including melee attacks with Scholar’s Armament and other magic-based spells. It’s a great way to amplify your overall damage. However, Terra Magica isn’t always practical, as it requires you to stand within a specific area. You need to gauge the boss fight to determine if you can safely cast it and remain stationary. It’s an excellent addition to your toolkit but use it judiciously when the situation allows.
The next spell I use here is Founding Rain of Stars. This is another spell that’s really good to throw on a boss that’s stationary or doesn’t move around that much. Preemptively cast it, wait for them to move towards you, and then fight them while they’re standing under it to get increased damage when you go to town with Double Slash.
I also have Loretta’s Greatbow here. This gives you a good ranged option from far away. This is primarily a melee build, but every so often, just having a ranged ability or a ranged spell that you can snipe enemies with will get you out of a bad situation if you have to aggro a lot of enemies at once.
Next, I have Carian Retaliation. It’s a fun spell that’s not necessarily part of the core build but can be useful for parrying projectiles and spells. This can be particularly handy in PvP, where opponents might not expect you to parry with a staff. It’s also useful against certain enemies or bosses that rely on ranged attacks, providing a surprise counterattack. While not essential, Carian Retaliation can be a nice addition to your spell lineup, adding an extra layer of versatility and a bit of fun to the build.
Finally, I have Unseen Form here. This makes you partially invisible, combined with the muffled sounds from your armor pieces, helps you sneak up on enemies. While it’s not as foolproof as you might expect, there are situations where it can be quite helpful.
For example, if you’re rushing through the front gate of Stormveil Castle, Unseen Form can help you avoid detection for longer, letting you navigate tricky areas with less resistance. It might not be a game-changer, but it can make certain sections of the game a bit easier to handle, especially if you’re trying to avoid unnecessary combat. If you have it, it’s worth using for those moments when stealth is advantageous.
As mentioned earlier, you can add other spells to this Intelligence Samurai Build—these aren’t the only ones you can use. These spells are the ones I find most suitable for this build because they let you use magic while still maintaining that katana-based Samurai playstyle. If you start using a lot of ranged spells, the build leans more towards a traditional mage, which is fine if that’s what you’re after. However, I prefer the Samurai feel, which is why I chose these particular spells. They complement the katana combat style while offering some magical versatility without overshadowing the melee focus.
Elden Ring Intelligence Samurai Build Guide – Recommended Attributes Distribution
When it comes to stats for this build, I have 50 Vigor, 30 Mind, 20 Endurance, 18 Strength, 47 Dexterity, 60 Intelligence, 7 Faith, and 9 Arcane. These stats are for level 157. So as you go into NG+ further, these are going to increase, but that’s what I have right now at the moment.
50 Vigor is a good number at this point in the game. You can increase this up to 60 as you go through NG+, but I find it’s enough for what I’m trying to do.
30 Mind is great here—it gives you a lot of FP to buff with, to cast spells. You probably want to increase this at some point in NG+, maybe up to 35 or 40. I don’t think you need to go too much higher than that in NG+, but if you go up to NG+ Plus, you’ll probably want to take this up to 50 or so.
20 Endurance is probably a little more than we need for this build with the setup that I have, but if you’re using a heavier armor set, you’re going to need more endurance. And if you want to try and get a lot more poise so that you can use, like, Double Slash more easily without being interrupted, you probably need to increase this at some point.
18 Strength is there simply to be able to use the Nagakiba one-handed. There isn’t much point in two-handing this weapon with this build. A lot of builds that I’m playing a Samurai, I like to two-hand my katana. But here, the damage difference between one-handing and two-handing it is like four damage—it’s not worth it. And that’ll keep you the flexibility to be able to cast spells at will without having to un-two-hand. So I don’t recommend two-handing with this build, and that’s why we have 18 Strength.
I also have 47 Dexterity and 60 Intelligence at this point. You can take Dexterity up to 50 here, but then I would keep increasing Intelligence up to 80 and replacing that staff, as I mentioned, with a Carian Regal Scepter.
Once you reach 80 Intelligence, go back to increasing Dexterity until it also reaches 80. At this point, you won’t be entirely maxed out, but your damage output will be quite high, providing a strong base for NG+ and beyond. From there, any further stat increases will offer diminishing returns, but this build should comfortably carry you through NG+ and likely through NG++ as well.
You don’t need any Faith or Arcane for this build.
Elden Ring Intelligence Samurai Build Guide – Final Tips
A couple of final tips for this build: If you’re using the Flask of Wondrous Physick, I like the Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear in order to boost your magic damage even more, and I like the Greenburst Crystal Tear to give you stamina recovery. You use a lot of stamina when casting spells and when you’re attacking regularly. It’s just really good to have. You don’t have a ton of stamina with this build, so regaining it quickly is very useful.
When it comes to Great Runes for this build, Godrick’s Great Rune is perfect. You use six of the eight stats with this build, so that’s going to go a long way—that’s going to be like 30 levels’ worth of stats right there. You can respec and pull out five points from strength so that when you’re using Godrick’s Great Rune, you meet that requirement to one-hand by itself. That would save you another five points. So theoretically, you can save yourself 35 points with that setup and get yourself a lot more improved stat scores.
So that wraps up the Soul Samurai 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.
