Best Elden Ring Vagabond Build (Weapons, Stats, and More)

Elden Ring features various classes that have their own advantages and disadvantages. The Vagabond class allows players to take advantage of becoming a barbarian and using their strength to defeat foes. If you want to find out about the best Elden Ring Vagabond build, you’ve come to the right place.

We will show you everything you need to know about the class. The Vagabond is a good class for beginners. However, we will also show you the optimal playstyle so that you can master this class and finish the game. With that said, let’s dive right in and check out the best Elden Ring Vagabond build.

Vagabond Build

In this guide, we will look at all the stats, gear, weapons, and other useful items you will need to use as a Vagabond. This class is surprisingly versatile when it comes to using different gear. However, we will talk about some of the best equipment that will assist you in the end game as well.

Here is a brief rundown of what you can expect in this build:

Which Stat to Level Up?

Before we take about the gear, let’s take a look at which stats are worth putting points in and which to avoid. The Vagabond class has a very easy path for leveling up, as you’ll just need to focus on your Strength, Vigor, and Dexterity as the main stats.

Here is a rundown of the stats that are going to be beneficial for you as a Vagabond:

• Strength: This is your primary stat, so give preference to this the most. Leveling up STR will allow you to hit like a truck and carry large weapons as well.

• Endurance: Having high Endurance with the Vagabond build is highly recommended. It will not only give you increased stamina but also allow you to have a higher equipment load. Having a high equip load is crucial since your armor and weapons will usually have tons of weight.
• Vigor: Level this stat alongside STR. Having high Vigor will ensure that you can tank a few hits before dying to the enemy. While you can put points in Endurance rather than Vigor, I feel like having high HP helps a lot.
• Dexterity: Since you won’t be going for an all-out STR build, leveling up your DEX stat is suggested. Even if you do not want to use DEX weapons, level up this stat a bit to see optimal results.

Armor

When it comes to Armor in Elden Ring, you do not have to put a lot of stock in specific sets and their unique bonuses. Instead, you can mix and match various sets to make the most out of the weight, stats, and protection.

It’s not worth getting a set that gives you a measly +3 STR stat if the result is a lack of protection from attacks. In that regard, there are only a few armor sets that you can use viably for the Vagabond build.

Banished Knight Set

The Banished Knight Set is a Heavyweight armor that is dropped from Banished Knight enemies. While the Gauntlets and Greaves will drop from all Banished Knights, the altered and unaltered versions of the Helm and Chest will only drop from the knights wearing those pieces.

This is a good set that offers good Physical damage negation and a lot of poise as well. Plus, it offers good immunity and robustness which is always a welcomed addition. Overall, if you are playing a STR build, this is a great set to use.

Beast Champion Set

The Beast Champion Set is engraved with beasts on the metal. It is not only for aesthetics but adds to the wearer’s protection. While you can wear the altered version with the removed cape, I suggest that you keep the cape since it looks absolutely stunning.

Plus, it offers good resistance and poise which is highly needed for STR builds like the Vagabond. Make sure that you have high Endurance so that you do not fat roll while wearing this armor since it is heavy, especially with some of the larger weapons.

Bull Goat Set

The Bull-Goat Set Great Horned Tragoth’s Armor Set covers its wearer with a pair of giant horns, providing staunch poise. This set has the highest amount of poise and physical defense in the game right now but it is also the heaviest as well.

So, make sure that you upgrade your Endurance to carry this heavy armor without having your character do a fat roll. In terms of looks, it is quite intimidating. Having this armor equipped will allow you to tank a lot of extra hits without dying. If you don’t want to worry about your HP and continue fighting the enemy, this is the set for you.

Crucible Axe Set

Before we talk about this set, I just want to say that it looks absolutely amazing. The overall design is not only intimidating but also cool to look at. The Crucible Axe Set is a Heavy armor that boasts superior Physical and Magical defenses, catering to Strength-focused characters and defensive playstyles.

You can even alter the set to remove the cape if you think that it’s getting in the way. Plus, each piece of the set gives a 4% damage increase to Aspects of the Crucible Incantations. If you want to use these Incantations, this is the set to go for.

The best part is that wearing the full armor set gives a 17% total damage increase (since the buffs stack multiplicatively).

Blaidd’s Set

Finally, let’s talk about Blaidd’s set. While there are better options out there, if you want to cosplay as Guts from Berserk, make sure that you use this set alongside the Greatsword. Blaidd’s Set is comprised of the three pieces of armor he can be seen wearing, as well as a replica mask of his head that can be found separate from the other three pieces.

The best part is that you can even alter the outfit to remove the cape if you feel like that’s too much. Getting this set can be quite a hassle, though. It is locked behind one of the most extensive quests in Elden Ring (or any Souls games for that matter).

Talisman

Talismans play a massive role in all types of builds. That is why Elden Ring is completely filled with different types of them. There are so many Talismans that you can find across the map that it can be quite overwhelming for a newer player.

However, there are a few that will help you take your Vagabond build to the next level. So, make sure that you get the ones we’ve mentioned below to make the most out of your build.

Erdtree’s Favor 

While playing the Vagabond build, you will often find yourself having issues with your total equipment load, HP, and Stamina. Having this talisman allows you to have increased stats.

While this might not sound like a big deal, it actually makes a lot of difference. Since you need all the HP, Endurance, and equipment load you can get, make sure that you equip this talisman. There are three variants of it (normal, +1, and +2). If you can get your hands on the +2 variant, make sure that you equip it.

Claw Talisman

It goes without saying that players with hefty weapons love jumping attacks, and the Claw Talisman was truly made for that purpose. Similar Talismans grant buffs to various damage types, but the Claw Talisman is the most sought-after, as any melee weapon can use jumping attacks.

The best part is that it’s found very early. While going through Stormveil Castle, you’ll find the Claw Talisman on top of the tower with the docile hawks.

Great-Jar Talisman

This Talisman will raise your maximum equip load by 19%. For a new player, this might not sound like a big deal.

However, if you are a Souls player or have been playing Elden Ring for a while, you’ll know that having more equip load is always a welcomed addition. This will allow you to finally wear heavier armor and weapons so that you can go for a proper Strength build.

Plus, thanks to the increased equip load, you will not fat-roll either. So, you can easily equip whatever you want and play the game normally without any issues.

Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman

The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman is another Legendary Talisman, making it one of the best in Elden Ring. It amps up your physical damage resistance, allowing you to tank several hits before dying to the enemy. You will feel the difference kick in when taking on tough bosses like Godfrey, First Elden Lord.

However, you will mostly use it near the end game, as it’s found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. Traversing through the vines should lead you to a hole. If you drop down here, you will find a chest with the Talisman.

Radagon’s Soreseal

Moving on to the Legendary Talisman, Radagon’s Soreseal, is also extremely useful for pure melee builds, relying on physical damage. The Radagon’s Soreseal, besides raising your Vigor and Endurance, also adds 5 points to your Strength and Dexterity. That’s an extra 20 levels without spending any Runes!

However, you’ll be taking 15% extra damage as a trade-off, which shouldn’t be of concern since your only way of avoiding damage is to learn enemy attack patterns. You can find this Talisman extremely early in Fort Faroth.

Weapons

Moving on to the weapons, having the right sword is extremely important for a Vagabond. If you want to use powerful weapons that deal tons of damage, make sure that you have the ideal sword. Since the game offers a wide variety of weapons to choose from, it can be a bit overwhelming for most players.

Golden Halberd

While this isn’t exactly a Strength weapon, it still has phenomenal scaling. Leveling it up a bit will cause it to have a C in Strength scaling which makes it superb.

On top of that, if you are planning to go for a Strength / Faith hybrid build, the Golden Halberd is a great choice. You can use its ability – Golden Vow – to increase your attack and defense powers for about 45 seconds.

The best part is that you can get this weapon pretty early on after defeating the Tree Sentinal. However, you will need a Strength of 30 to equip it. If you are fighting an enemy while using your trust steed, Torrent, using this Halberd will prove beneficial. The wind-up time is quite decent and you can get a good range from it as well.

Dragon Halberd

Halberds are already great, but the Dragon Halberd’s impressive Strength Scaling and striking Weapon Skill easily merits a place in this list. Well, it’s the Spinning Slash skill, but it’s not your regular one. Instead, this version wreathes the Weapon in Lightning Ice, making it one of the coolest Weapon Skills.

This buff lasts 45 seconds, which players can utilize to stack Frost buildup. The moniker also implies that it was made for slaying dragons, and there are plenty of dragons for you to slay. As far as getting this goes, it involves beating the Dragonkin Soldier in the Siofra River.

Giant-Crusher

Players looking into the Giant-Crusher’s flavor text will come to know that it’s a massive hammer used against Giants. Should players pick it up from the Carriage in the outskirts of Lyndell, it’ll still rain down pain on foes, Giant or not. It’s so big that it can flatten bosses with a few hits.

The Giant-Crusher, in turn, needs a hefty amount of Strength, making it available to dedicated strength users only. But all things considered, it’s a hard hitter and a certified poise breaker. Dual wielding them, on the other hand, amplifies the effectiveness of this Colossal Weapon.

Greatsword

Berserk has a massive influence on the Souls game. One way or another, Guts’ Dragon Slayer has been there, but not in a way that blatantly copied the massive heap of iron. In Elden Ring, it’s known as the Greatsword.

While getting the Greatsword is a struggle, it’s well worth the risk as the Greatsword is undeniably the best Strength weapon in Elden Ring.

Like Guts’ Sword, it has massive reach and is versatile enough to have its Affinity and Ashes of War changed. The massive damage it dishes out while staggering foes is nothing unusual for this Colossal Sword. But beware, it’s only wielded by those with ungodly Strength, and that is why it’s suited to cleave inhumane bosses.

Starscourge Greatsword

The Starscourge Greatsword scales primarily with Intelligence, Strength, and Dexterity and is a good weapon for pulling in enemies using its unique skill, Starcaller Cry. The Starscourge Greatsword is one of a few non-Claw/Fist paired weapons.

With this sword, you can deal +30% damage to gravity-type enemies to quickly dispose of them. Keep in mind that using the usual input to two-hand these weapons will instead result in dual-wielding both swords akin to how Radahn wields them.

Heavy attacks and heavy charge attacks will not swing both swords, making these attacks overall less effective than using light attacks or light jump attacks.

Finally, Starcaller Cry will stagger and pull in enemies in the first cast. Utilizing the Weapon Skill again after the initial pull will spend FP again, equal to the first cast, bringing down both swords into the ground and producing a giant gravity explosion. Use this to take care of packs of enemies that have you surrounded.

Zweihander

The Zweihander scales primarily with Strength and Dexterity, and is a versatile weapon for heavy-weight combat. This weapon, the lightest of all colossal swords, is able to set a devastating tempo for an encounter through its flexible moveset.

The best part is that you can infuse this weapon with other Ashes of War if you prefer. Its current skill – Stamp (Upward Cut) – is a skill to help with your stance and positioning. Use this skill when going against larger enemies with higher chances of recoil to reduce it. 

Thanks to the low requirements, the excellent moveset, and the colossal poise damage make the Zweihander is viable in every build.

Shields

Shields are extremely useful when it comes to protecting you from harm. You can wield various shields to either block or parry incoming attacks to give yourself an opening and defeat the enemy. 

There are different categories of shields (small shields, great shields, and medium shields). This list contains all types of shields, and each was ranked after testing it out extensively.

Great Turtle Shield

This Shield defends against Physical and Magical damage. While the magic damage reduction isn’t the best, it still is helpful, especially in the early game. Its ability – Barricade Shield – increases the shield’s guard boost stat by 40% (1.4x) while it is active.

To get it, you must go to Castle Morne. From the Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace, look towards the east to find a Spiritspring and use your horse to jump from it towards the roof of a tower section of the ramparts. The shield can be found on a corpse atop this tower. 

Erdtree Greatshield

This is one of the strongest shields in Elden Ring. Apart from the amazing stats, it also has a useful active that allows you to dispel all spells and incantations. This can be a nightmare for mages if you are going against them in PvP.

Many players have also found a way to exploit Golden Retaliation and cause the entire area to be set on fire thanks to incantations like Fire’s Deadly Sin. However, the reason why it’s not higher on the list is that obtaining this shield is a hassle.

You need to defeat the two Tree Sentinels patrolling outside the Royal Capital. Since you have to fight these bosses simultaneously, it is an extremely difficult task. While you can cheese them a bit, you will have to fight both Sentinals at once.

Dragonclaw Shield

Speaking of unique designs, the Dragonclaw Shield has one of my favorite designs in the game. The best part about it is that you can use it to block incoming damage without any worries. Thanks to its high stats, you won’t feel a thing coming your way.

However, obtaining it can be quite a hassle since you have to kill the Draconic Tree Sentinel. Once you get it, you can use its skill – Shield Bash – to give yourself some room if enemies get too close for comfort.

Visage Shield

If you are someone that likes to go on the offensive, this shield is right up your alley. As you can see from its outlook, the Visage Shield allows you to spray fire from its front. This forces the enemy to retreat if they do not want to be damaged by the fire.

Plus, you can even buff this damage with various items and magic – making it even stronger. However, doing so consumes FP which can be used for other – more useful – things like sorceries or incantations. If you really want to use this weapon, you can consume the Cerulean Hidden Tear and gain infinite FP for a brief period as well.

Other than that, the stats are decent but there are many better weapons available in the game at this stage.

Spirit Ashes

Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring are a great tool in your arsenal. They assist you in combat by either tanking damage or applying debuffs to enemies. The good thing is that you can summon Spirit Ashes against bosses and against groups of enemies as well.

While some players say that this makes the game easy, it is your choice if you want to use them or not. I’d suggest using them if you are a new player to the game.

Lhutel the Headless

This is a Legendary Spirit and Summon in Elden Ring. When used, it summons an allied spirit version of an unmounted Mausoleum Knight. Lhutel will periodically teleport while in combat, allowing her to move around quickly, avoid being surrounded by enemies, and avoid large area of effect attacks from enemies.

Also, the strikes from her lance cause a buildup of the death blight status on her target. Unfortunately, the vast majority of enemies found in Elden Ring are immune to death blight.

Her heavy armor, great shield, teleportation ability, a mix of melee and ranged attacks, and immunity against all status effects allow her to work well alongside a variety of player builds as a “tank” or damage dealer.

However, due to her teleporting around the area, the enemies might stop attacking her and start focusing on you instead.

Night Maiden and Swordtress

When summoned, you will call upon 2 spirits that wield flowing weapons. The good news is that you summon 2 sisters each with their own HP bars. Both of them deal a lot of damage and can tank quite a few hits before going down.

However, summoning them uses a lot of FP so make sure that you have FP flasks ready after you call them.

Skeletal Militiaman Ashes

This is a great Spirt Ash in Elden Ring as it allows you to summon the spirits of 2 skeletal militiamen. While the spirits are a bit weak, they will resurrect after dying. Until the enemy properly finishes them off, these skeletons will continue to rise and attack your foe.

This can be great to remove the aggro of bosses from your character. You can run around for a while and wait for the skeletons to rise again. Once they do, attack the boss or enemy while they are distracted by your summons.

Omenkiller Rollo

Once a famous perfumer, Rollo imbibed a physick to rid himself of emotion, thus enabling him to enact his nightmarish labor, hunting the Omen. This is a strong summon that can cause bleed damage to the enemy. However, it uses a lot of FP which is a major downside. If you do not level up your Mind stat, you might not be able to summon it.

Vagabond Playstyle

The Vagabond class excels in using strength weapons that hit like a truck. If you want to make the most out of this build, make sure that you dual-wield your weapon – like the halberd – and attack enemies whenever you see an opening.

Since you’ll have a lot of HP as well, you can play without any worries about getting hit. Plus, make sure that you put all the points in your HP flask rather than the FP flask since you won’t need that. The ideal distance is a close range because you won’t have any ranged weapons or skills.

However, don’t get careless since you can still lose to a boss if you get hit a few times. Plus, having high Endurance will allow you to equip heavier items and still be able to perform the medium roll. This is crucial otherwise your character will be extremely slow and will get hit by most of the attacks.

Conclusion

That’s everything you need to know about the Elden Ring Vagabond build. This is a great class if you want to go for a raw strength build that deals a lot of damage. The best part is that you can use some of the best colossal weapons in the game while using other great swords as well.

Do you like the Vagabond class? Which class is your favorite in Elden Ring? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!