Elden Ring has a nice variety of starting classes, including some FromSoftware series staples as well as some entirely new ones. This guide will go over the samurai starting class and how to create the perfect build for mastering the blade and becoming a true katana-wielding master. Samurai starts at level 9, and the stat distribution is more suited towards physical stats as it lacks in Faith, Arcane, and Intelligence.

The samurai starting class is good at most stages of the game--the starting weapon is reliable throughout the whole game, and the longbow is a good ranged option that can be flexible with craftable arrows. The shield is pretty useless for anything but parries since two-handing the katana for more damage is better than blocking in most instances.

Updated by Chad Thesen on March 20th, 2024: This article has a lot of work done to bring it up to a more modern means of being presented. This includes how articles use their introductions, image placement, and how sections are structured.

Why Play A Samurai Class

Being surrounded by death all the time, it is important to also respect life, and it is the nature of the samurai to revere art as well as the finer things in life existing around them. This can be done through haiku, appreciating art around the game world, or even crafting a delicious meal of boiled crab.

A samurai should be deadly on the battlefield, yet appreciative of the finer things in life like art and culture. The next step is weapon choice and stat distribution. The samurai's starting weapon, Uchigatana--like most katanas--scales off Dexterity, but the brutal early game of Elden Ring will require points in Vigor to avoid a swift death. The weapon's natural Bleed can make up for not putting points into a damage stat early on, so it is safe to prioritize Vigor. Not dying in one hit is more important. Other stats will be determined by your choice of katana.

Best Weapons For A Samurai Build

• Nagakiba: This katana requires 18 Strength to use, but it has the best range of all the katanas. It is the longest of all the katanas which can be helpful in PvP and PvE for roll catching or spacing out tougher opponents. It has a potent weapon skill called Piercing Fang which can be replaced, as well as a unique heavy attack that takes advantage of its extra range by thrusting--as opposed to an overhead slash. Otherwise, it has the standard katana moveset.
• Uchigatana: The starting weapon for the samurai class (along with the Longbow). This katana is the perfect all-rounder for the early game and is a viable choice for the entire game. Bleed is very strong in Elden Ring--many enemies are susceptible to it--and the extra burst damage can take large chunks of health out of strong enemies and bosses alike which can quickly turn the tide of any fight. The Unsheathe weapon skill feels great and is useful for the entire game, but it can be replaced with something else more to your taste. The light Unsheathe attack is a dashing slash that is able to switch targets mid-fight and gap-close slightly, while the heavy Unsheathe attack does higher damage and more poise damage.
• Meteoric Ore Blade: A katana that specializes in killing beings from the stars. It is found in the Caelid Waypoint Ruins. The weapon skill, Gravitas, emits a burst of gravity magic that sucks in and damages enemies. It has a unique heavy attack--a quick lunge-into-overhead slash--that helps you close the gap and deal high poise damage. This katana requires 18 Intelligence to wield and is dropped close to where Moonveil is found. Meteoric Ore Blade is a good offhand katana for a magic samurai or master of gravity magic.
• Moonveil: Dropped when you defeat the Magma Wyrm in the Gael Tunnel dungeon in Caelid, this katana primarily scales off Intelligence and requires 23 Intelligence to wield, so it is a bit of an initial stat commitment. Moonveil is infamous for being a strong PvP katana with its weapon skill Transient Moonlight which fires a magical light wave with each unsheathed slash. It otherwise shares the standard katana moveset. Since this katana scales primarily with Intelligence, you may be better off with a different starting class like Prisoner--but with the right stat investment, a starting Samurai can wield the Moonveil with great skill.
• Rivers Of Blood: One of the strongest katanas in the game for both PvP and PvE. The split damage types slashing and fire with a built-in bleed helps kill enemies that either don't suffer blood loss buildup or have high resistance to physical attacks. Its weapon skill, Corpse Piler, is very powerful and can effectively kill most enemies with its high damage and quickly triggered blood loss. It cannot be acquired until reaching the Church of Repose in Mountaintops of the Giants. An NPC invader wielding this weapon appears in front of the Church, and when defeated, he drops it along with the Okina Mask. Rivers of Blood requires 20 Arcane to wield, but it is late enough in the game that there is plenty of time to meet that requirement.

Best Armor For A Samurai Build

Elden Ring has many sets of armor with a variety of stats, but what's most important is how you look. The starting samurai armor is perfect, but it lacks the appeal of being unique. The Ronin armor set is a good substitute and depicts more of a wanderer samurai. A samurai must express themselves artistically, and armor is a great way to strike fear into one's enemies. These are just suggestions--use whatever looks cool and doesn't hinder fast rolling.

• Land of Reeds Armor Set: Starting armor for the samurai class. Ol' reliable. Decent slashing resistance as well as fire and lightning.

• Ronin Armor Set: Obtained late in the game by completing Yura's questline or by killing Shabiri at the Zamor Ruins in Mountaintops of the Giants. This set is a little heavier than your starting armor, but it has more poise and damage resistance and offers a different samurai aesthetic.

• White Reed Set: Found in the Spiritcaller Cave in the Mountaintops of the Giants, this armor offers a slight visual variation from the Land of Reed set but with better stats. In the same cave, the Godskin Swaddling Cloth talisman drops after defeating the boss. This talisman can be useful in many builds that hit frequently. There are three phases to the fight but the last one is just a snail.

Best Talismans For A Samurai Build

• Carian Filigreed Crest: Lowers FP cost of weapon skills by 25%. Effective on katanas as they all have strong weapon skills. Allows for a focus on healing flasks rather than FP flasks. Can be purchased from War Counselor Iji after talking to Ranni and friends at Ranni's Rise early in Ranni's quest.
• Shard of Alexander: Greatly boosts the attack power of skills by 15%. Obtained after completing Iron Fist Alexander's questline. Every katana has a good weapon skill, so a flat buff like this is very powerful on any samurai build.
• Millicent's Prosthesis: Boosts dexterity (+5) and raises attack power with successive attacks (4%, 6%, 11%). Obtained at the end of Millicent's quest by choosing to invade Millicent at the end of the first section of her quest (she can also be killed at the Windmill Village to obtain the talisman as early as possible). She grants a powerful talisman for a samurai build at the end of her quest either way. Use for a small Dexterity boost. (Prevents Rotten Winged Sword Insignia from being obtained).
• Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: Greatly raises attack power with successive attacks (6%, 8%,13%). An upgraded version of the Winged Sword Insignia. The reward for helping Millicent fight her sisters at the end of her questline. This talisman is perfect for katanas as they hit frequently and some have weapon skills that hit multiple times as well.
• Lord of Blood's Exultation: Raises attack power by 20% for 20 seconds when blood loss occurs in the vicinity. Effective for the damage boost on bleed. This talisman's buff triggers on any bleed nearby including yourself. It also stacks with the same buff from the White Mask helmet.

Best Bleed Samurai

• Stats: Prioritize Vigor, Dex, and Arcane
• Armor: White Mask, White Reed set
• Weapons: Rivers of Blood and Uchigatana or Hand of Melania late-game
• Talismans: Godskin Swaddling Cloth, Lord of Blood's Exultation, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, and Carian FIligreed Crest.

Bleed is all about rewarding aggressive play with huge chunks of damage. White Mask and the Lord of Blood's Exultation talisman each provide a stacking buff on bleed in the vicinity, granting more damage after the proc.

Rivers of Blood is one of the most infamous weapons in all of Elden Ring, and this can be credited to its once completely OP Ash of War known as Corpse Piler. This Ash of War single-handedly melted bosses at incredible speeds thanks to how the Bleed mechanics of the game work. Even after plenty of balance changes, this weapon is still considered an S-tier choice for any player to seek out and fall in love with.

Best Spellblade Samurai

• Stats: Prioritize Vigor, Intelligence, Dex, and Mind (as needed)
• Armor: Ronin set
• Weapons: Moonveil and/or Meteoric Ore Blade
• Talismans: Marika's Soreseal, Carian Filigreed Crest, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, and Shard of Alexander

The Spellblade specializes in fighting up close and zoning with mid-range spells. This build has a heavy Intelligence commitment, so starting as the Prisoner starting class might be closer to the mark with stats, but it lacks a katana which can be a dealbreaker. A talisman that buffs magic could replace one of these if you're interested in adding some spells to your repertoire due to the Intelligence investment.

The Moonveil katana weapon has the unique Ash of War known as Transient Moonlight. This perfectly plays into this build as it involves the player moving around at rapid speeds to close distance, but each attack unleashes a blast away from the player. This can allow them to close the gap and get in their opponent’s faces, or keep their distance by hitting their foes with enough room to roll to safety.

Best Traditional Samurai

• Stats: Prioritize Vigor, Dex, and Mind
• Armor: Land of Reeds set
• Weapons: Uchigatana/Nagakiba and Longbow
• Talismans: Radagon's Soreseal, Carian Filigreed Crest, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, and Shard of Alexander

The traditionalist samurai prefers just a katana and bow, relying on basic tools to fell demi-gods and gods alike. This playstyle is focused on the versatility having a bow provides. Level up Mind as needed to use weapon skills more often without sacrificing health flasks.

The samurai class is the optimal choice when you want to make the best Quality Build in the game. A Quality Build is a build that makes use of both Strength and Dexterity to capitalize on the maximum damage and speed the two stats bring to players. A traditional samurai does not have to be a Quality Build, and can instead allocate points to Mind so that they can attack more relentlessly when engaging foes.

If you really enjoy the Spellblade and Bleed builds shown here, you may be interested in checking out this guide for making the best Strength & Intelligence build, and this list for which weapons scale best with the Arcane stat.