Once you’ve conquered the final boss in Elden Ring, the game offers a new level of difficulty with New Game Plus (NG+). Enemies hit harder, bosses are more aggressive, and your margin for error shrinks significantly. To survive and thrive in NG+, having the right build is essential — not just for power, but for adaptability.
Whether you’re trying something new or refining a favorite playstyle, these 20 loadouts are optimized for NG+ content. They include a mix of meta favorites, underused gems, and builds that make farming, PvE, and even PvP a blast. These are tested concepts, not gimmicks — and yes, some are even better with a few cheap Elden Ring Items or when you buy Elden Ring runes to accelerate setup.
1. Strength-Colossal Slammer
Weapon: Great Club or Ruins Greatsword
Armor: Bull-Goat Set
Ash of War: Lion’s Claw
Ideal for players who enjoy trading hits and breaking poise with every swing. NG+ makes enemies tankier — this build hits even harder.
2. Dex-Katana Bleed Build
Weapon: Rivers of Blood or Nagakiba
Talisman: Lord of Blood’s Exultation
Still lethal post-nerf. Bleed scales better in NG+ thanks to high HP enemies. Slice and roll your way through tougher content.
3. Magic Sniper (Int Build)
Weapon: Lusat’s Glintstone Staff
Spells: Comet, Stars of Ruin, Loretta’s Mastery
Perfect for ranged bosses and open-field ambushes. Get in, blast, and stay out of range.
4. Black Flame Apostle (Faith Build)
Weapon: Godslayer’s Greatsword
Spells: Black Flame, Scouring Black Flame
This build shreds high-HP enemies, making it ideal for NG+ boss fights where burn-over-time matters.
5. Arcane Bleed Dagger
Weapon: Reduvia or Scavenger’s Curved Sword (Arcane affinity)
Ash of War: Seppuku
Fast, aggressive, and focused on bleed procs. Buff with Bloodflame Blade for extra damage.
6. Battlemage Bruiser (Int/Str Hybrid)
Weapon: Greatsword with Magic affinity
Staff: Carian Regal Scepter
Tanks like a strength build, but hits hard with sorcery too. Useful for mixed combat encounters.
7. Holy Reaper (Faith Build)
Weapon: Winged Scythe or Halo Scythe
Spells: Elden Stars, Litany of Proper Death
Great against undead and especially fun in late-game NG+ areas like the Haligtree.
8. Madness Pyromancer
Weapon: Frenzied Flame Seal
Spells: Frenzied Burst, Unendurable Frenzy
Chaos in a bottle. Use mind-breaking madness spells to burn down groups and stagger bosses.
9. Dual Twinblade DPS
Weapons: Eleonora’s Poleblade + Godskin Peeler
Ash of War: Blood or Flame affinity
NG+ encourages faster killing. Dual twinblades shred both groups and bosses with elemental procs.
10. Tanky Greatshield Sentinel
Weapon: Erdtree Greatshield
Armor: Veteran’s Set
This build lets you walk through most encounters with minimal dodge-rolls. Add a spear for safe pokes.
11. Dual-Wield Powerstancer
Weapons: Great Curved Swords or Axes
Ideal for players who like overwhelming offense. Jump attacks become your bread and butter.
12. Stealth Archer
Weapon: Black Bow or Pulley Bow
Ash of War: Barrage
Great for scouting and picking off enemies from a distance. Useful in NG+ when aggro management becomes tougher.
13. Frostbite Fighter
Weapon: Clayman’s Harpoon or Icerind Hatchet (Cold affinity)
Spells: Freezing Mist
Frostbite works surprisingly well in NG+ due to repeatable damage spikes.
14. Rot Spear Build
Weapon: Antspur Rapier or Rotten Crystal Spear
Talisman: Kindred of Rot’s Exultation
Stacking Scarlet Rot with speed. Works extremely well in protracted boss fights.
15. Quality Build (50/50 Str/Dex)
Weapon: Claymore or Bloodhound’s Fang
Versatile, reliable, and great for people who want variety without respecs every few hours.
16. Dragon Incantation Build
Seal: Dragon Communion Seal
Spells: Ekzykes’s Decay, Dragonclaw
Great area control. This build shines when clearing mobs and melting down bosses from mid-range.
17. Magic Knight Hybrid
Weapon: Moonveil or Dark Moon Greatsword
Staff: Lusat’s Glintstone Staff
Spells: Glintblade Phalanx, Ranni’s Dark Moon
Balances melee and ranged with style. The visual spectacle alone makes this a popular NG+ choice.
18. Sleep Assassin (Status Build)
Weapon: Sword of St. Trina
Spells: Night Maiden’s Mist
Sleep procs are incredibly useful on tougher humanoid enemies, especially invaders or NPCs.
19. Lightning Avenger (Faith/Dex)
Weapon: Bolt of Gransax or Dragon Slayer’s Cragblade
Spells: Lightning Spear, Lansseax’s Glaive
Effective for fast, aggressive NG+ gameplay where range and AoE help maintain control.
20. Pure Faith Paladin
Weapon: Blasphemous Blade or Sacred Relic Sword
Spells: Erdtree Heal, Flame Grant Me Strength
Great for players who want a balance of tanking, healing, and hard-hitting weapon arts.
In NG+, having a strong loadout isn’t just about raw damage. Survivability, utility, and flexibility matter more than ever. This is where experimenting with new weapons, Ashes of War, and talismans really pays off. Players who buy Elden Ring runes to unlock gear early or grab cheap Elden Ring Items for convenience often find it easier to test and optimize builds without tedious grinding.
Whatever your playstyle — slow and tactical, fast and flashy, or a bit of everything — NG+ is the perfect sandbox to stretch your build creativity. Just be ready. The Lands Between won’t go easy on you the second time around.
