Scythes are one of the many weapons you can equip in Elden Ring. These long-reaching and bleed-inducing weapons can be absolute powerhouses when built right, but given the amount of customization Elden Ring has, doing so can be quite difficult.
In this guide, we’ll explore two very distinct but equally as powerful Scythe builds in Elden Ring. The guide below covers everything from the basic stat setup and flask spread to the more advanced Talismans and Flask of Wondrous Physick.
Elden Ring Bleed Scythe Build Overview
The Bleed Scythe Build builds upon the Scythe’s innate Bleed capabilities to deliver a build that quickly inflicts blood loss through the Spinning Weapon Ash of War.
- Class: Samurai
- Flask Spread: 3 to 1 ratio of HP and FP
- Stats: Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor (primary), Endurance, and Mind (secondary)
- Weapons: Grave Scythe
- Shield: Beast Crest Heater Shield
- Ash of War: Spinning Weapon
- Incantations: Bloodflame Blade, Flame, Grant Me Strength, and Golden Vow
- Spirit Summons: Dungeater Puppet or Lone Wolf Ashes
- Armor: Spellblade Set with White Mask
- Flask of Wondrous Physick: Leaden Hard Tear and Thorny Cracked Tear
- Talisman: Millicent’s Prosthesis, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Lord of Blood’s Exultation and Shard of Alexander
Elden Ring Blackflame Scythe Build Overview
The Blackflame Scythe build draws on the powers of the extremely powerful Godslayer incantations to make a build that uses fire and innate blood loss abilities to deliver a well-rounded build that excels in nearly all situations.
- Class: Confessor
- Flask Spread: Equal split between FP and HP
- Stats: Faith, Strength, and Mind (primary), Vigor and Endurance (secondary)
- Weapons: Winged Scythe
- Shield: Beast Crest Heater Shield
- Ash of War: Angel’s Wings
- Incantations: Black Flame and Black Flame Blade
- Spirit Summons: Blackflame Monk Amon or Mimic Tear
- Armor: Blackflame Monk Set
- Flask of Wondrous Physick: Flame Shrouding Cracked Tear and Leaden Hardtear
- Talisman: Radagon Icon, Shard of Alexander, Flock’s Canvas Talisman, and Fire Scorpion Charm
Best Stats Choices
Stats at level 60
| Stat | Bleed Scythe | Blackflame Scythe |
|---|---|---|
| Faith | 8 | 32 |
| Mind | 17 | 23 |
| Dexterity | 26 | 12 |
| Strength | 25 | 25 |
| Endurance | 22 | 13 |
| Vigor | 24 | 16 |
| Intelligence | 9 | 9 |
| Arcane | 8 | 9 |
Stats at level 100
| Stat | Bleed Scythe | Blackflame Scythe |
|---|---|---|
| Faith | 8 | 43 |
| Mind | 19 | 28 |
| Dexterity | 40 | 12 |
| Strength | 37 | 33 |
| Endurance | 28 | 23 |
| Vigor | 30 | 22 |
| Intelligence | 9 | 9 |
| Arcane | 8 | 9 |
Stats at level 150
| Stat | Bleed Scythe | Blackflame Scythe |
|---|---|---|
| Faith | 8 | 53 |
| Mind | 24 | 38 |
| Dexterity | 55 | 12 |
| Strength | 52 | 44 |
| Endurance | 35 | 31 |
| Vigor | 38 | 33 |
| Intelligence | 9 | 9 |
| Arcane | 8 | 9 |
Best Weapons for Scythe Build
For the Scythe Bleed Build, we’ll be using the Grave Scythe. This weapon can be found as loot upon killing Skeleton Mages throughout the Lands Between. This weapon scales with Strength and Dexterity and, like all Scythes, has a wide range, letting you dispel multiple enemies at once.
For the Scythe Blackflame Blade, we’ll be going with the Winged Scythe. You can find this weapon inside a chest in the Tombsward Ruins in Limgrave. This weapon scales with Strength, Faith, and Dexterity.
Like all Katanas, all Scythes in Elden Ring have an inherent blood loss capability. While we won’t need this for the Blackflame build, this property is pivotal for the Scythe Bleed Build.
Best Shield To Pick
While neither build explicitly needs a shield, if you want an extra layer of protection, you can equip the Beast Crest Heater Shield in your offhand. This shield requires only 10 strength to equip and provides excellent defense.
This shield can be found in a chest in a camp toward the west of the Saintsbridge Site of Grace. You do not need an Ash of War for this shield as the Ashes of War for the weapons you’ll use to deal damage.
Best Ashes of War for Scythe Build
For the Grave Scythe, use the Spinning Weapon Ash of War. This Skill lets you turn your Scythe in a circular motion in quick succession in a short period, letting you slash your enemies multiple times. The good thing about this skill is that each connected shot counts as a single hit, which lets you proc blood loss extremely fast. This can be made even more potent when paired with the right Talisman.
On the other hand, for the Winged Scythe, we’ll be sticking to its Default Ash of War: Angel’s Wings. This Skill lets you leap into the air and slash your enemies with physical and holy damage. While this skill is great, using the incantations highlighted below will make it extremely powerful.
Best Incantations
The Scythe Bleed Build requires three incantations to raise your bleed damage output. These Incantations also raise your fire damage a little, letting you deal more overall damage. For these incantations, we recommend going with the Frenzied Flame Seal, as it scales with Dexterity and strength.
- Bloodflame Blade: This incantation enchants your weapon with blood flame, increasing the rate at which you proc blood loss and your weapon’s fire damage output.
- Flame, Grant Me Strength: Flame, Grant Me Strength, on the other hand, increases your standard physical and fire damage by +20%.
- Golden Vow: Golden Vow grants you an additional +15% damage output increase.
As far as the Blackflame blade is concerned, it uses just two incantations: Black Flame and Black Flame Blade. We recommend going with the Godslayer’s Seal for these incantations, as it enhances the potency of all Godlsayer (Blackflame) incantations.
- Black Flame: The Black Flame is a projectile attack that lets you fireballs of Black Flames at your foes.
- Black Flame Blade: This incantation lets you enchant your weapon with Black Flame, increasing your damage output considerably. This incantation is the bread and butter of this build, and its usefulness increases considerably when used with the Angel’s Wings Ash of War.
Best Spirit Summons Picks
For the Bleed Build, you’ll want to use a summon that also causes bleeds; because of this reason, we recommend going with either the Dung Eater Puppet or the Lone Wolf Ashes:
- Dung Eater Puppet: The Dung Eater Puppet is a tanky single-unit summon that deals bleed damage to enemies. His large health pool makes him a worthy addition to your arsenal.
- Lone Wolf Ashes: on the other hand, Lone Wolf Ashes summons three wolves that swarm your enemies from every side. Each wolf’s health is fairly low compared to the Dung Eater but they tend to inflict blood loss much quicker.
For the Blackflame build, we’ll be taking a similar approach:
- Blackflame Monk Amon Ashes: This spirit summon constantly uses Godslayer (Black Flame) incantations, making this a perfect companion for this build.
- Mimic Tear: The Mimic Tear conjures a replica of your build that fights alongside you. This summon is extremely powerful and is a great way to increase your total damage output.
Best Armor Choices
Go with the Spellblade Set with the White Mask for the Bleed Build. Not only does this set grant you decent damage negation, but it also increases the potency of your skills by +2%, making the Spinning Weapon Ash of War more powerful. You can acquire this set from Sorcerer Rogier at the Roundtable Hold.
To maximize the damage of this bleed build, we recommend swapping out the Spellblade’s Pointed Hat for the White Mask. With this headpiece, your attack powers receive a +10% boost for 20 seconds when you or your enemy experiences blood loss. The White Mask can be acquired by killing the White Mask NPCs in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
For the Blackflame build, the Blackflame Monk Set is the best armor to use. It provides good damage negation and can be done by killing Blackflame Monks.
| Stats | Spellblade Set | Blackflame Monk Set |
|---|---|---|
| Damage Negation | ||
| Physical | 8.9 | 26.1 |
| Physical (Strike) | 5.9 | 22.2 |
| Physical (Slash) | 8.9 | 28 |
| Physical (Pierce) | 8.9 | 25.2 |
| Magic | 25.11 | 19.8 |
| Fire | 22.6 | 25.4 |
| Lightning | 23.5 | 15.6 |
| Holy | 25.1 | 19.8 |
| Resistance | ||
| Immunity | 86 | 74 |
| Robustness | 4 | 127 |
| Focus | 141 | 46 |
| Vitality | 151 | 74 |
| Poise | 15 | 50 |
Best Flask of Wondrous Physick for Elden Ring Scythe Build
The Flask of Wondrous Physick allows you to use two temporary buffs in a single-use Flask. For the Scythe builds, we recommend the following:
Bleed Scythe Build
- Leaden Hard Tear: This Tear boosts your poise, letting you use your Ashes of War uninterrupted.
- Thorny Cracked Tear: Increases the effectiveness of successive attacks.
Blackflame Scythe Build
- Flame Shrouding Cracked Tear: Flame Shrouding Cracked Tear increases the potency of fire-based attacks.
- Leaden Hardtear: This Tear boosts your poise, letting you use your Ashes of War uninterrupted.
Best Talismans
Talisman allows you to buff your builds in several ways. There are a total of four Talisman slots that you can unlock and use. For the Scythe builds, these are the best Talisman:
Bleed Scythe Build
- Millicent’s Prosthesis: Millicent’s Prosthesis raises your successive attacks’ attack power and boosts your Dexterity by +5.
- Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: This Talisman also increases the attack power of your successive attacks.
- Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Lord of Blood’s Exultation increases your attack power by +20% when either you or your enemy experiences blood loss
- Shard of Alexander: This Talisman raises the power of all Ashes of War by +15%.
Blackflame Scythe Build
- Radagon Icon: Radagon Icon reduces the casting time for your incantations
- Shard of Alexander: This Talisman raises the power of all Ashes of War by +15%.
- Flock’s Canvas Talisman: Flock’s Canvas Talisman raises the potency of your incantations by +8%.
- Fire Scorpion Charm: This Talisman raises fire damage by +12% at the cost of you taking 10% extra damage.
