In Elden Ring magic is considered one of the most powerful tools with which players can traverse the world of the Lands Between. Many tarnished therefore refer to magic as the true easy mode, as every boss can be easily blown away. We show you how to build the best easy mode for yourself.
Magic has been regarded as a powerful tool in every game by FromSoftware to eliminate hordes of enemies, as well as bosses from a safe distance. This is no different in Elden Ring, however, spells have changed and the necessary soft and hard caps have been adjusted.
Magic is better than ever, and therefore there are lively discussions about the alleged easy-mode build.
The build we are showing you focuses entirely on intelligence and spells combined with an additional melee weapon. So if your FP runs out and you can no longer cast spells, you have a good alternative to fend off enemies.
How to level up correctly for this build
Why is this build so strong? Mage builds that focus solely on intelligence are powerful, as you can dominate the mid-range and especially ranged combat with powerful spells.
Our featured build covers not only all attack ranges to get rid of pesky enemies but also gives you the ability to deal massive damage to bosses. However, you must be adaptable, dress appropriately for each situation, and equip the necessary spells.
How do I level up best for this build? Your main attribute to focus on while leveling will be “intelligence.” The higher your intelligence, the stronger your spells become.
Additionally, you can equip better items that significantly increase your damage output. Furthermore, a high level of “mind” is required to cast spells more often.
Our build is designed for more advanced players and is set at level 150. We also pay attention to the “soft caps”, which are the values beyond which investments are hardly worth it:
- Our tarnished in this build has the origin “Vagabond”.
- To give your spells the necessary piercing power, you need 80 points in intelligence.
- This is the hard cap – you should not invest further beyond the hard cap, as you will not receive any worthwhile bonuses.
- We chose 20 strength and 14 dexterity so you can wield the Moonlight Greatsword – the Moonlight Greatsword from Ranni’s quest
- Mind is increased to 40 points so that you can fully refresh your blue FP bar with a flask of wondrous physic +12.
- Strength and endurance can be chosen freely; we allocated our remaining points to 35 and 24 points.
- This gives us enough stamina to deal a few hits with our great sword and sufficient health points to take some damage.
If you want to play PvP in the long term, you should try to keep your character under level 150. Currently, the community sees this as the meta level and has largely agreed not to level beyond that.
Since you only find players in PvP with a similar level as you, it becomes difficult to find opponents with a higher level. When respecing, you must redistribute all ‘purchased’ levels, so you cannot revert this investment – the only way out is a completely new character.
This level of 150 is not set in stone yet. Some people in the community believe that 125 should be the meta level.
Weapons and Staves for the Mage Build
This is our choice: Since intelligence is raised to the utmost in this build, there is not much room for flexibility with other attributes that need to be considered. Therefore, we choose the following equipment:
- First weapon on the right – Moonlight Greatsword
- For melee, to save FP.
- Second weapon on the right – Carian Royal Staff
- For attacks on regular enemies.
- Third weapon on the right – Lusat’s Glintstone Staff
- For boss attacks.
Since staves are only good if they have a high spell-scaling, the selection of staves is very limited.
That’s why we have equipped two Glintstone Staves in our right hand, as both have their own areas of application.
Lusat’s Staff is considered the best staff to deal the most damage, but at the cost of increased FP consumption while casting spells. This is not worth it when traveling and wanting to go through higher “New Game Plus” runs, where enemies endure more damage, and you need to cast spells more often.
That’s why we also packed the “Carian Royal Staff” as it still has solid spell-scaling and costs you less FP when casting spells.
In the left hand, the “Jellyfish Shield” fits as it can absorb 100% physical damage as well as provide you with a damage buff. The buff is activated as soon as you activate the associated talent.
With the activated buff, you need to hold the shield in your left hand, making it perfect to wield alongside a staff. You benefit from a damage bonus while still being able to protect yourself.
If you want to learn more about shields, we have the right guide for you:
Which spell hat is right?
These are the ones you should have: It is important to consider the various headgear when using magic. There are items that enhance different types of spells or provide you with a boost to your attributes. Here are the ones we have selected for you:
It’s up to you which hat or crown you want to wear. However, it would be advisable to wear the Azur’s Glintstone Crown if you wish to use the spell “Azur’s Comet” against a boss. This enhances the spell, but you will consume more FP while casting.
However, if you are only traveling, you should wear the Great Preceptor’s Hat. This not only looks cool but also increases your mind by three points. However, your endurance will suffer slightly as a result.
Which talismans should I take? We can only recommend you in your selection since each player has their own priorities regarding bonuses. Therefore, you can freely decide which talisman you want to use or exchange. Here are our talismans:
- Godskin Swaddling Cloth Talisman: Significantly enhances the effect of spells.
- Ursine Glintstone Blade: Spells consume less FP but lower max HP.
- Radagon’s Scarseal: Reduces casting time.
- Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: Greatly increases resistance to physical damage.
We included the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman in our selection, as we, as mages, have few health points but low defense due to light armor. This talisman gives you a slight boost in your overall defense, allowing you to take more hits.
What else should you watch out for: Don’t forget your flask of wondrous physic. With it, you can create elixirs thanks to Elden Tree tears that provide you with special bonuses. In boss fights, the mix of “Heavenly Blue Secret Tear” and “Opaline Bubble Tear” is worthwhile.
With this, you can not only summon Azur’s Comet without FP costs for a short time but receive an impenetrable bubble that protects you from any damage. However, this bubble bursts if you are hit once.
The best spells for the Mage Build
Which spells should I use? Here too, we can only share our recommendations with you as Elden Ring has many spells that could be useful for any mage. Nonetheless, we show you the following spells that you should not miss:
- Azur’s Comet: Fires a large comet.
- Good spell to annihilate bosses with a laser.
- Ranni’s Dark Moon: Summons a cold, dark moon and hurls it at enemies.
- Good for annihilating enemies in a moderate radius – freezes enemies and makes them vulnerable to magic damage.
- Adula’s Moonblade: Follows a sweeping slash with an icy blade projectile.
- Good for freezing many enemies with a horizontal cut and catching them from a distance.
- Loretta’s Greatbow: Fires a great arrow with a magical great bow.
- Fires a heavy and precise great arrow that can be charged.
- Terra Magica: Increases the magical power of those within the seal.
- Conjures a seal on the ground, which within its effect radius enhances your spells.
These were all the necessary infos for our best mage build for Elden Ring. Many of our recommendations can be changed or adopted to your liking. However, pay attention to the hard cap of your intelligence and the Godskin Swaddling Cloth Talisman to maximize your magic damage.
What do you think of such guides? Did you choose different spells, and which talismans do you think are good for a magic build? Let us know in the comments how you feel about it! The best spells ranked can be found here in our tier list: Elden Ring Tier List – All 70 spells ranked
