With so many amazing builds in Elden Ring, and the Claymore being one of the weapons out of Dark Souls, you just know that it will make some amazing builds. With all of that said, here’s our list of the top 5 best Claymore builds in Elden Ring. This list is for all of those players longing for the days of Dark Souls 1, wit a trusty Claymore in hand, no one will stand in your way. Ahh the good old days.

The Claymore is one great weapon.

5. Lightning Claymore

Lightning and a Greatsword.

All great lightning builds need a good weapon, and the Claymore is just that weapon, with it being able to change ashes of war and being buffable with consumables this weapon can be anything you want. You will need the Ash of War: Lightning Slash that can be found after you kill a Teardrop Scarab in Altus Plateau

What Lightning Claymore excels in: 

• Dealing lightning damage.
• Dealing great physical damage as it is a greatsword.
• Unique heavy and two-handed rolling attacks.

Build details:

• Use the Keen Claymore with the Ash of War: Lightning Slash on, and it can have B scaling as a Keen weapon.
•  You should add the Erdtree Seal as well.
• For armor use the Ronin’s Set as it looks great with this build, but ultimately it’s up to you.
• For talismans use the Lightning Scorpion Charm to increase lightning damage by 12%
• Use Millicent’s Prosthesis to increase dex by 5 and attack power with successive attacks.
• The third talisman should be the Erdtree favor +2 as it will increase HP by 4%, increase stamina by 9.6% and equip load by 8%.
• For the final talisman use, the Carian Filigreed Crest will reduce the consumption of FP used by skills.
• When it comes to spells and incantations, use the Erdtree heal to heal yourself and others. 
• Ancient Dragon’s Lightning Strike as well as the Ancient Dragon’s Lightning Spear to deal some incantation damage to enemies.
• You can also add Electrify Armament if you don’t want to use your weapon art.
• Use Golden Vow before fights to increase damage dealt by 15% and damage negation by 10%, you can pair this with Flame Grant Me Strength.
• For the Wondrous Physic, add the Lightning-Shrouded Cracked Tear for more lightning damage, as well as the Opaline Bubbletear to tank a hit without taking a lot of damage.

4. Frost Claymore

Freezing enemies like Sub Zero.

The Claymore is amazing when it comes to mixing and matching a build, the weapon is also very strong when you want a freeze build. With a Cold Claymore, you will be able to Hoarfrost Stomp or Chilling Mist enemies. Sadly the Hoarfrost Stomp had a major nerf, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it. The Ash of War still packs a punch, just not as well as pre- nerfed Hoarfrost. 

What Frost Claymore excels in:

• Dealing frost damage.
• Ranged Ash of War that can be changed to something like the Glintstone Pebble if you don’t want to use the Hoarfrost stomp or Chilling Mist, but still want to deal cold damage.
• Dealing great physical damage as it is a greatsword.
• Unique heavy and two-handed rolling attacks.

Build details:

• Use the Cold Claymore for the great frost damage, I would recommend the Hoarfrost Stomp as the Ash of War, but you can use whichever one you like most.
• Add the Dragon Communion Seal for incantation use.
• For armor, you can use what you prefer but I would recommend something sturdy like the Radhan set.
• As it goes for talismans, use Millicent’s Prosthesis to increase dex by 5 and attack power with successive attacks.
• The second talisman should be the Erdtree favor +2 as it will increase HP by 4%, increase stamina by 9.6%, and equip load by 8%
• Use the Claw Talisman to deal more damage with jump attacks.
• You should also use the Shard of Alexander for the extra weapon art damage.
• For incantations, use Borealis’s Mist to spew freezing mist from above.
• Use Golden Vow before fights to increase damage dealt by 15% and damage negation by 10%, you can pair this with Flame Grant Me Strength.
• As well as Dragonice to spew freezing mist in the area 
• In the Wondrous Physick, use Opaline Bubbletear to tank a hit from an enemy with minimal damage, as well as the Crimsonburst Sacred Tear to passively regenerate health for a while.

3. Poison Claymore

Poison is amazing in Elden Ring.

With every poison build you’ll need a great weapon and that great weapon is a poison Claymore or an occult Claymore for extra scaling. This build is great for anyone who wants to poison a boss and go to town with physical damage.

What the Poison Claymore build excels in:

• Constant poison damage if you can poison a boss or enemy.
• High physical damage.
• B scaling depends on if you want an occult weapon or poison weapon.

Build details:

• Use the Poison Claymore for constant poison on your weapon, or the Occult Claymore for higher scaling but no constant poison on your weapon.
• For the Ash of War use Poison Mist.
• For armor, again use something sturdy like the Radhan set or Maliketh set.
• For talismans use Millicent’s Prosthesis to increase dex by 5 and attack power with successive attacks.
• The next talisman should be the Erdtree favor +2 as it will increase HP by 4%, increase stamina by 9.6%, and equip load by 8%
• Use the Claw Talisman to deal more damage with jump attacks.
• You should also use the Shard of Alexander for the extra weapon art damage.
• In the Wondrous Physick, use Opaline Bubbletear to tank a hit from an enemy with minimal damage, as well as the Crimsonburst Sacred Tear to passively regenerate health for a while.

2. Bloodhound’s Step Claymore

Dashing around bosses and all the lakes you wish.

With the Bloodhound’s Step being available with any affinity for the Claymore, it is no surprise it is so high on the list. This Ash of War is amazing when it comes to dashing away from enemies and tough places. I would recommend using a Keen Claymore for the B dex scaling.

What the Bloodhound’s Step Claymore excels in:

• Fast movement with low FP consumption.
• High damage with B dex scaling.
• Unique heavy and two-handed rolling attacks.
• Can be buffed with different consumables or incantations.

Build details:

• Use a Keen Claymore with the Ash of War: Bloodhound’s Step.
• Use the Golden Order Seal.
• For armor, you can use anything you prefer, but the Raptor’s Black Feathers armor will help to enhance jump attacks.
• For talismans Millicent’s Prosthesis to increase dex by 5 and attack power with successive attacks.
• The second talisman should be the Erdtree favor +2 as it will increase HP by 4%, increase stamina by 9.6%, and equip load by 8%
• Use the Claw Talisman to deal more damage with jump attacks.
• For the final talisman use, the Carian Filigreed Crest will reduce the consumption of FP used by skills.
• In the Wondrous Physick use Opaline Bubbletear to tank a hit from an enemy with minimal damage, as well as the Crimsonburst Sacred Tear to passively regenerate health for a while.
• Use Golden Vow before fights to increase damage dealt by 15% and damage negation by 10%, you can pair this with Flame Grant Me Strength. 
• You should also add a healing spell if you can, Bestial Vitality works great.

1. Bleed Claymore

Bleeding bosses is a great way to deal a huge chunk of damage.

It’s very well known that bleed builds are great in Elden Ring, and this Claymore build is no exception. With it being able to deal great physical damage and having two great Ashes of War, this build will be great for everyone who wants a solid Claymore build.

What the Bleed Claymore build excels in:

• Doing a great chunk of damage when you bleed an enemy.
• High physical damage.
• The Ash of War, Bloody Slash does great damage and adds bleed to the weapon.

Build details:

• Use a Blood Claymore for constant blood on the weapon, or an Occult Claymore for B scaling in arcane, but you won't have constant blood loss on the weapon.
• For the Ash of War, I recommend Seppuku if you’re going for the Occult Claymore and Bloody Slash for the Blood Claymore.
• For armor use the White Mask as it increases attack power when in the vicinity of blood loss. The rest of the armor is your choice. 
• For talismans, start with the Lord of Blood’s Exultation to increase attack power by 20% for 20 seconds when in the vicinity of blood loss.
• The next talisman should be the Erdtree favor +2 as it will increase HP by 4%, increase stamina by 9.6%, and equip load by 8%
• Use the Claw Talisman to deal more damage with jump attacks.
• You should also use the Shard of Alexander for the extra weapon art damage. You can alternatively use the Carian Filigreed Crest to reduce the consumption of FP used by skills.
• In the Wondrous Physick use Opaline Bubbletear to tank a hit from an enemy with minimal damage, as well as the Crimsonburst Sacred Tear to passively regenerate health for a while.
• Use Golden Vow before fights to increase damage dealt by 15% and damage negation by 10%, you can pair this with Flame Grant Me Strength. 
• You should also add a healing spell if you can, Bestial Vitality works great.
• You can also add Swarm of Flies, but since the nerf, they aren’t as strong.

This concludes our list of the top 5 best Claymore builds in Elden RIng if you enjoyed this article be sure to check out these as well.

You may also be interested in:

• Elden Ring Best Weapons for Dual Wield
• Elden Ring Best Shields and How To Get Them
• Elden Ring Best Keepsakes and How To Get Them
• Elden Ring Best Dex Weapons
• Elden Ring Best Bleed Weapons