The Backstab is one of the best ways to attack an enemy in Elden Ring for not only a guaranteed critical hit but also guaranteed severe damage that will leave your enemies reeling.
The backstabbing feature remained a prominent tactic in the Dark Soul series, so the same mechanic is introduced in Elden Ring but with few minor complications. It sounds intriguing to make the sneaky plays, but if you fail to grasp the basics, then failure might be your faith.
You need to understand some small but essential things that make or break your backstab plays in Elden Ring. As in Elden Ring, doing Backstab on the enemies has specific prerequisites explained in this guide.
How Backstabbing works in Elden Ring
The Backstab works a bit differently from other critical attacks in Elden Ring since you do not have to worry about breaking the enemy’s posture. All you have to do is get behind an enemy to inflict critical hits even when they are standing on their feet.
The amount of damage you deal with Backstab depends solely on the critical hit ability of your weapon. The higher critical hit stat means you can deal more damage using the backstabs in Elden Ring.
However, it is better to backstab at the start of the battle as you cannot use this method during the mid-fight due to the constant movement of your enemies.
Your positioning determines the success of your Backstabs in Elden Ring, so learning to position perfectly is very important before attempting backstabbing.
How to perform a Backstab in Elden Ring
As already explained, you need to get behind an enemy to do a Backstab in Elden Ring. This may be easier against normal enemies, but quite difficult against bosses.
The best way to get into position is to sneak behind your enemies without making a sound. This will ensure that you either one-shot them or open the fight by backstabbing them for massive damage.
The correct position for backstabbing means you are no more than arm’s length from the back of the enemy. At the same time, the angle from the enemy’s back needs to be within 45 degrees range.
Once you are in position, you need to press the Light Attack button to perform a Backstab in Elden Ring. If you are using the default button layouts, the Backstab button is R1 on PlayStation, RB on Xbox, and Left-Click while holding the weapon on PC.
Make sure not to hold the Light Attack button since that will initiate the light attack, dodge combo, or a forward attack instead of the Backstab. Have a counterattack ready soon after doing the Backstab as the enemy will be stunned for a while.
Many players might believe that the enemy needs to be aware of your presence for you to perform Backstab. No such thing is true, and the same thing goes for if the enemy is locked on for the Backstab.
Elden Ring Backstabbing tips to know
Backstabbing becomes much more potent when you factor in everything that affects your damage output. You need to get your hand on the best weapons for backstabbing, and knowing your enemies is the most crucial element that determines the success of backstabbing in Elden Ring.
Know the Size of the enemy
Before performing Backstab, you need to make sure the enemy is not too big, as these might not be susceptible to it. The enemies that are the size of the player will be the perfect targets such as Tarnished, Man Serpents, and Undead.
Best Talisman to increase your Backstab damage
The Dagger Talisman is perfect to use while you attempt to backstab against your enemies. This Talisman boosts your critical damage by 17 percent, ensuring you drain the substantial health of your enemies with the backstab.
There are some other talismans that you can utilize to get the best out of backstabbing play. You need to get the Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger Talisman, as it will allow you to cover your lost FP, which is essential for your success in a fight.
Having the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger also ensures you restore your HP after landing a backstab on your enemies. So these talismans ensure you get the most from backstabbing in Elden Ring.
Best weapons for Backstabbing
Each weapon in Elden Ring has critical stats which will determine how much damage you will deal with the Backstab. So having the best Critical Damage weapons in Elden Ring ensures you deal massive damage on every backstab in the game. A few weapons examples that will deal significant critical damage with Backstab are The Executioner’s Greataxe, Misericorde, and the Dagger Talisman.
