Optimizing Builds for New Game Plus in Elden Ring

In Elden Ring, your journey doesn't end after your first playthrough. As you progress into New Game Plus (NG+), the difficulty gradually increases, and enemies become tougher, faster, and more aggressive. This additional challenge requires you to adjust your build - especially in terms of damage mitigation, offense, and overall adaptability. While most builds will work fine in NG, certain strategies will excel given the tougher enemies and bosses you'll face in NG+. If you're looking to level up quickly or enhance your NG+ experience, MMOexp offers a seamless solution for acquiring Elden Ring Runes. Whether you're aiming to upgrade your character, purchase essential gear, or invest in powerful spells, MMOexp provides a reliable and safe platform to boost your resources without the grind.

In this guide, we'll look at five versatile builds for NG+, discussing key attribute investments, weapons, and tactics designed for late-game survival.

1. Faith/Intelligence Hybrid Build: Sword of Night and Flame

The Sword of Night and Flame is an iconic weapon in Elden Ring, often underrated because it combines both Faith and Intelligence scaling. This dual-scaling weapon becomes particularly powerful in NG+, where enemy health is significantly higher, and the damage output can feel lackluster. To maximize this weapon’s potential, this build leans into the synergy between Faith and Intelligence, allowing you to use powerful sorceries and incantations alongside the sword's deadly abilities.

Key Features:

· Weapon: Sword of Night and Flame

· Use the magic or fire version of the weapon’s skill, depending on the type of enemies you’re facing. The magic version has higher damage potential and is ideal for high stance damage, while the fire version can hit multiple enemies or enemies weak to fire.

· Stats: Focus on Faith and Intelligence. You’ll need a healthy balance of both stats to scale the Sword of Night and Flame's special abilities effectively, as well as to boost the damage of your supporting spells.

· Talisman Choices:

· Ran's Cameo: Boosts damage when using stance skills like Sword of Night and Flame’s skill.

· Shard of Alexander: Further boosts stance damage, ensuring your magic and fire abilities hit even harder.

· Crimson Seed Talisman +1: Enhances healing, which is essential in NG+.

· Incantations:

· Knight’s Lightning Spear: High damage, especially useful for single-target hits.

· Rotten Butterflies: Ideal for proccing Scarlet Rot, dealing substantial damage over time.

· Black Blade: For Death buildup and a decent chunk of holy damage.

· Strategy: The key to success with this build is using the Sword’s special abilities (magic or fire) for huge bursts of damage, while backing them up with status effects like Scarlet Rot or Frost to chip away at boss health. Use Knight's Lightning Spear and Rotten Butterflies to supplement your ranged damage.

2. Arcane Bleed Build: Scavenger’s Curved Sword + Dragon Communion Seal

In NG+, where enemies hit harder and faster, Arcane builds that focus on bleed can be an excellent choice for consistently whittling down enemy health. The Scavenger’s Curved Sword shines when infused with Arcane and Bleed, as its passive bleed buildup can trigger massive damage.

Key Features:

· Weapon: Scavenger’s Curved Sword (Bleed infusion)

· The Scavenger’s Curved Sword is ideal for quick, successive attacks that trigger bleed buildup rapidly, especially when paired with Arcane scaling.

· Stats: Focus heavily on Arcane for maximizing bleed buildup and boosting your Dragon Communion spells. You’ll want enough Dexterity to wield the Scavenger's sword and scale both Faith and Intelligence slightly for spellcasting support.

· Talisman Choices:

· Lord of Blood's Exultation: Increases damage when you proc bleed effects.

· White Mask: Adds additional damage when bleeding an enemy.

· Dragon Communion Seal: Boosts Arcane scaling and enhances the damage of Dragon Cult incantations.

· Spells:

· Dragon Ice: A long-range, high-damage spell to help proc Frost.

· Ancient Dragon’s Lightning Strike: Powerful AoE damage to clear out groups of enemies.

· Rotten Butterflies: To help build Scarlet Rot status damage.

· Strategy: The focus of this build is on quick, rapid attacks to trigger bleed, paired with Dragon Communion spells for both damage and utility. When you proc bleed, you'll deal substantial chunks of damage, aided by talismans that boost your offensive power when the effect triggers.

3. Colossal Weapon Build: Guts’s Greatsword + Spinning Gravity Thrust

Colossal weapons have always been strong, but in NG+, they become crucial for dealing with high-HP enemies. The Guts's Greatsword with the Spinning Gravity Thrust skill is perfect for players who enjoy dealing high damage in a short burst. The skill’s multi-hit nature and the ability to stance break make it devastating against bosses and regular enemies alike.

Key Features:

· Weapon: Guts’s Greatsword with Spinning Gravity Thrust

· This Ash of War is ideal for stance breaking and dealing consistent damage, especially when paired with talismans that boost multi-hit damage.

· Stats: Focus on Strength and Endurance to wield the massive greatsword and maximize your damage. Arcane can also be useful if you want to infuse with bleed and trigger status effects more efficiently.

· Talisman Choices:

· Shard of Alexander: Boosts the damage of your Spinning Gravity Thrust skill.

· Rotted Winged Sword Insignia: Increases damage output with consecutive attacks.

· Lord of Blood's Exultation: Boosts damage when bleeding an enemy.

Spells:

· Flame Grant Me Strength: Boosts your overall attack power, especially useful when swinging a colossal weapon.

· Golden Vow: Increases both attack and defense, crucial for surviving in NG+.

· Strategy: The Spinning Gravity Thrust is perfect for crowd control, stance breaking, and doing high burst damage. Use this skill to quickly tear through enemies, and rely on Flame Grant Me Strength and Golden Vow for consistent damage output.

4. Pure Caster Build: Madey's Glaive + Spells

For those who prefer a pure caster approach in NG+, the Madey's Glaive from the DLC is a perfect weapon to pair with sorceries and incantations. This build focuses on high versatility with a blend of dexterity and intelligence, while the Wing Stance skill offers excellent stance-breaking potential.

Key Features:

· Weapon: Madey's Glaive with Wing Stance

· The Glaive has high DPS potential with its fluid move set, especially paired with Wing Stance for additional stance-breaking and combo damage.

· Stats: Focus on Intelligence and Dexterity to scale the Glaive’s special abilities, while using Mind to enhance spellcasting. Endurance can be helpful for wearing heavier armor if desired.

· Talisman Choices:

· Rana’s Cameo: Boosts damage during Wing Stance.

· Shard of Alexander: Enhances your weapon skills, making Wing Stance even more potent.

Spells:

· Ronnie’s Dark Moon: Debuffs enemy defense, making them take more damage.

· Knight Comet: A stealthy, high-damage projectile spell.

· Comet Azur: One of the most powerful burst spells for casters.

· Strategy: Use Wing Stance to break enemy stances and deal devastating combo damage. Supplement your attacks with powerful sorceries, using Ronnie’s Dark Moon to debuff enemies and Knight Comet for stealthy ranged damage. 

5. Dragon Cult Incantation Build

Focusing on Faith and Dragon Cult incantations, this build leverages lightning-based attacks and status effects for efficient crowd control and powerful damage in NG+. The Priestess Heart transformation grants an added 20% boost to Dragon Cult incantation damage, which makes this build ideal for players looking for a more high-damage magic approach.

Key Features:

· Weapon: Focus on Dragon Cult incantations such as Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike or Knight’s Lightning Spear.

· Stats: Emphasize Faith and Mind for higher spellcasting effectiveness, while Endurance will help you wear heavier armor for extra protection in NG+.

· Talisman Choices:

· Dragon Communion Seal: Boosts Dragon Cult damage.

· Frenzied Flame Seal: For additional damage and support for incantation casting.

· Spells:

· Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike: A great AoE option for crowd control.

· Knight’s Lightning Spear: Perfect for quick, single-target damage.

· Strategy: Focus on Dragon Cult incantations for constant pressure. Use Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike to handle large crowds and Knight’s Lightning Spear to take down bosses and strong enemies.

Conclusion

These five builds offer a variety of playstyles suitable for thriving in NG+. Whether you prefer melee, magic, or a hybrid approach, the strategies listed above will provide you with effective ways to take on the game's toughest challenges. Mastering these builds and adjusting your tactics as you go will be key to success in the increasingly demanding world of Elden Ring as NG+ increases in difficulty. Finally, if you're looking to further enhance your NG+ experience, MMOexp offers a wide range of Elden Ring Items for sale to help you stay ahead of the curve.  Take advantage of Elden Ring Items for Sale from MMOexp, and give yourself the tools to succeed in NG+ and beyond!