Elden Ring offers players several different types of weapons to forge their builds with. Some builds blend magical damage with melee combat to create a powerful hybrid that can bring out the best of both worlds. One of these builds is the popular Battle Mage build.
Elden Ring: What is the Battle Mage build?
The Battle Mage build in Elden Ring is primarily a magic damage build, with a little caveat. Unlike regular backline casters, Battle Mages are front-line warriors, soaking up some damage while blasting Sorceries at close to mid-range. There are Faith variants of this build with Strength as its secondary stat, but our Battle Mage build of choice focuses almost entirely on Intelligence.
Unlike the Spellblade build, Battle Mages don’t blend physical damage weapons with spell casting, alleviating the need to level up other stats like Dexterity. Every Sorcery cast by a Battle Mage is their contribution to melee combat since most of the spells used in this build have a limited cast range. We pick out the best Sorceries needed for this play style.
You will also need the best weapons for Intelligence users as you scale toward the endgame. This is what a completed Battle Mage build should look like.
Best Battle Mage build in Elden Ring
Battle Mage builds are quite rare to encounter in Elden Ring. This is because of the limited availability of melee-ranged Sorceries, preventing many players from even trying this build. Finding the right Glintstone Staff is key to maximizing your Intelligence points.
With the lack of Sorceries towards the start of the game, this build gets stronger past level 100. This is when you find most of the Carian Sword Sorceries, which will be the central focus of this build. When you get to the appropriate level, respec to this endgame build.
| Build parameters | Requirements |
| Recommended level | 100 to 150+ |
| Primary stats | Intelligence, Mind |
| Secondary stats | Vigor, Strength |
| Weapons | Lusat’s Glintstone Staff, Carian Glintstone Staff, Jellyfish Shield |
| Armor | Battlemage Set |
| Talismans | Carian Filigreed Crest, Graven-Mass Talisman, Magic Scorpion Charm, Marika’s Soreseal |
| Weapon skills | Contagious Fury |
| Additional spells | Adula’s Moonblade, Carian Greatsword, Carian Piercer, Carian Slicer, Loretta’s Greatbow |
Most of the required equipment for this build is easy to find. The namesake Battlemage Set can be found in the mid-game when you make your way to the Altus Plateau. The rest of the equipment needed will be listed below, but before that, it would help to learn how the build actually functions.
The first part of that is knowing your stat distribution and equipped spells.
Battle Mage stat and skill breakdown
Even though your combat style involves fighting at melee range, the main stat of this build is Intelligence. This is because Carian Sword Sorceries scale through Intelligence, with their damage going through the roof the more points you invest into the stat. Towards the end game, having an Intelligence stat of at least 60 is not a stretch since you won’t be investing in most other stats.
Mind is the other primary stat because you will need as much FP as possible to keep up your onslaught of Sorceries. There’s no fixed number for this stat, so invest as much into it as you need to keep up with your spellcasting needs. Vigor, on the other hand, can go up to 40 if you feel like your character can’t keep up with the scaling damage in the endgame.
Strength is only used for one piece of equipment, which we will discuss later. The Battle Mage build utilizes an arsenal of spells, which need to be broken down first.
The main Carian Sword Sorceries for this build are Carian Greatsword, Carian Piercer, and Carian Slicer. Each of these Sorcery Sword attacks creates a magical blade that performs different attacks based on which one you use. Every one of these Carian Sword Sorceries can be used against different enemies depending on your position and how many you’re fighting.
Adula’s Moonblade is the strongest of these Carian Sword Sorceries, firing several magic damage slashes toward your opponent. This is great for close to mid-range battles. Finally, Loretta’s Greatbow launches a magic shot that deals AOE damage. If there are enemies at a distance causing trouble, this is the Sorcery to have.
Best weapons and armor for Battle Mage
The main weapons for this build are the Carian Glinstone Staff and Lusat’s Glintstone Staff. The one you want to use for this build is up to you. The Carian Glintstone Staff boosts all Carian Sword Sorceries, which is great for early-midgame. Lusat’s Glintstone Staff is a great endgame boost to your Sorcery scaling, although it increases your FP costs.
On the defensive front, equip the Jellyfish Shield to negate most incoming damage. It’s the lightest Greatshield in the game, making it perfect for a Battle Mage build since your Equip Load isn’t affected as much. Its weapon art, Contagious Fury, will boost your spell damage for as long as it’s active, so use it before boss battles.
When it comes to armor, this build uses the namesake Battlemage Set consisting of the following:
- Haima Glintstone Crown
- Battlemage Robe
- Battlemage Manchettes
- Battlemage Legwraps
The entire set can be found on a hill to the east of West Windmill Village after defeating Battle Mages.
The armor set is pretty light and will help you defend against stronger enemies with a high enough Strength stat. Optionally, you can go for Lusat’s Glintstone Crown to further boost your spell damage, however, it increases your FP costs even further. Use your own judgment here.
Best Talismans for Battle Mage
Getting the best Talismans for this build will give your Battle Mage the damage boost and survival capabilities they will need towards the end game.
The Carian Filigreed Crest is basically a necessity for any build that uses FP. Reducing the FP cost of your Sorceries is especially essential in this build because of Lusat’s weapon and helm increasing FP costs. Make sure to allocate enough Cerulean Tear Flask charges too.
The Graven-Mass Talisman is the best endgame damage booster for your Battle Mage build. While this is equipped, the potency of every Sorcery you use is greatly increased. Having this on at all times will ensure your spells scale better and deal consistent damage.
Before you get your hands on the Graven-Mass Talisman, you might want to consider equipping the Magic Scorpion Charm. While its damage boost isn’t as high, it stacks well with the Graven-Mass Talisman. However, you will take more damage from physical attacks, so be mindful.
The final Talisman in this build is Marika’s Soreseal, probably the best stat booster for any caster build in Elden Ring. This Talisman boosts Mind, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane at the cost of increased damage taken from all sources. Between these two Talismans, your Jellyfish Shield will be working overtime.
