The Spiked Caestus in Elden Ring is perfect for causing passive blood loss buildup. Using this weapon, you can make an offensive build focusing on high lingering damage that procs and deals massive damage. You will start with the Vagabond class, focus on Dexterity, Arcane, and Vigor stats, and pair the Caestus up with the Beast Crest Heater Shield.
You will then use Bloodflame Blade and Flame, Grant Me Strength Incantations to fully bring this build to bear. Finally, wear the Black Knife Set, and choose a Mimic Tear as your Spirit Summon to round this build up in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring Spiked Caestus Build Overview
The build described below is a bleed build that draws on the inherent blood loss capabilities of the Spiked Caestus. There is a little more defense involved with this build because of how up-close and personal nature:
- Starting Class: Vagabond
- Flask Spread: 3 to 1 ratio of HP and FP
- Stats: Dexterity, Arcane, and Vigor (Primary) Endurance, Mind, and Faith (secondary)
- Weapons: Spiked Caestus
- Shield: Beast Crest Heater Shield
- Ash of War: Bloodhound’s Step
- Incantations: Bloodflame Blade and Flame, Grant Me Strength
- Spirit Summons: Dung Eater Puppet or Mimic Tear
- Armor: Black Knife Set with White Mask
- Flask of Wondrous Physick: Opaline Hardtear and Crimsonspill Crystal Tear
- Talisman: Lord of Blood’s Exultation, Green Turtle Talisman, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia and Millicent’s Prosthesis.
Stats for Spiked Caestus
| Stat | Level 60 | Level 100 | Level 150 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faith | 14 | 14 | 17 |
| Mind | 16 | 20 | 22 |
| Dexterity | 27 | 40 | 47 |
| Strength | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Endurance | 16 | 19 | 37 |
| Vigor | 23 | 27 | 35 |
| Intelligence | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Arcane | 20 | 36 | 48 |
Best Weapon
The Spiked Caestus is a fist-type weapon in Elden Ring that deals a lot of damage and causes passive blood loss buildup. This weapon scales primarily with Dexterity and Arcane, making it a perfect fit into this bleed build.
You can purchase this weapon from the Isolated Merchant in Dragonbarrow for 4,000 Runes.
Best Shield
For this build, you’ll want a lightweight shield that doesn’t hinder your mobility too much. The Beast Crest Heater Shield works perfectly in this regard. You can acquire this shield by looting a chest in a camp west of the Saintsbridge site of grace in east Stormhill.
Best Ashes of War Picks
We recommend using the Bloodhound’s Step Ash of War for the Spiked Caestus. This skill lets you dodge attacks much quicker and allows you to reposition yourself in an instant. Since this build is all about close-quarters combat, this works tremendously well in giving you the upper hand in most combat scenarios.
Best Incantations for Spiked Caestus Build
To buff the Spiked Caestus’ blood loss capabilities and to give yourself a little more damage through fire, we recommend using the following two incantations:
- Bloodflame Blade: This incantation enchants your Caestus with Bloodflame, increasing the rate at which blood loss procs while also granting you additional damage output by way of fire.
- Flame, Grant Me Strength: Flame, Grant Me Strength, on the other hand, raises all physical damage while also raising fire damage, allowing you to build on the effects of Bloodflame Blade.
Best Spirit Summons Choices
For this build, you can either go a more aggressive route by summoning a Mimic Tear or have a distracting partner by choosing the Dung Eater Puppet. Below, we’ve described both of these options:
- 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.
- Mimic Tear: The Mimic Tear summons a replica of your build that fights alongside you. With this Spirit Summon, you’ll essentially have twice the damage output.
Best Armor for Spiked Caestus Build in Elden Ring
The best armor to use for this build is the Black Knife Set. It is underneath an Arch in Ordina, Liturgical Town in the Consecrated Snowfield area. Make sure you equip the Black Knife Set with the White Mask instead of the standard headpiece as it increases your damage output by 10% for 20 seconds whenever you or your enemy experiences blood loss. You can acquire this headpiece by killing the Nameless White Mask NPCs in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
| Stats | Black Knife Set |
|---|---|
| Damage Negation | |
| Physical | 22.5 |
| Physical (Strike) | 21.6 |
| Physical (Slash) | 24.4 |
| Physical (Pierce) | 24.4 |
| Magic | 17.5 |
| Fire | 18.9 |
| Lightning | 13.5 |
| Holy | 22.5 |
| Resistance | |
| Immunity | 65 |
| Robustness | 108 |
| Focus | 54 |
| Vitality | 54 |
| Poise | 40 |
Best Flask of Wondrous Physick
The Flask of Wondrous Physick allows you to use two temporary buffs in a single-use Flask. For the Spiked Caestus build, since we’ll be fighting enemies up close, we recommend the following:
- Opaline Hardtear: This Tear boosts your damage negation by +15%
- Crimsonspill Crystal Tear: The Crimsonspill Crytal Tear Increases your maximum HP by +10%
Best Talismans for Spiked Caestus Build
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 Spiked Caestus Build, these are the best Talisman:
- Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Lord of Blood’s Exultation increases your attack power by +20% whenever blood loss occurs in the area.
- Green Turtle Talisman: This Talisman increases your stamina recovery rate.
- Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia raises your attack power after every successful hit.
- Millicent’s Prosthesis: This Talisman grants you additional Dexterity and raises your attack power with successive attacks. It stacks perfectly with the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia.
