If you’ve spent any decent chunk of time in Elden Ring lately. Be it working through Shadow of the Erdtree content or grinding it out in PvP arenas. You’ve probably noticed a handful of builds consistently stomping the rest. Some weapons are just too good to ignore in 2025, and a few hybrid setups have risen to meta-status with good reason. Today, I’m diving into the best builds dominating both PvE and PvP right now, with a spotlight on two standout stars: the Blasphemous Blade and the Euporia greatsword.
Let’s break it all down. What works, why it works, and how to tweak these loadouts for max carnage and survivability, no matter your arena.
Why the Meta Shifted in 2025
Late 2024 patches and early 2025 balance tweaks really shook things up. Faith/Strength hybrids are shining brighter than ever, healing mechanics got a minor buff, and a number of weapons. Including the Euporia. Received PvE scaling updates. On top of that, FromSoftware finally addressed some nagging hit registration bugs in PvP, leveling the playing field for slower, hard-hitting weapons.
What’s fascinating is how hybrid setups are now consistently outperforming pure builds. Let’s start with the king of sustain: Blasphemous Blade.
The Blasphemous Blade Build: High Damage, High Sustain
I’ve been running this build extensively through NG+3, and it’s hands down one of the most forgiving and powerful options out there.
Why It Works
Every time you get a kill. Or land a solid takedown with its skill. You get a hefty heal. Combine that with decent poise and AoE potential, and you’ve got a weapon perfect for mowing through mobs and surviving nasty PvP ganks.
Key Attributes
- Vigor: 40-50 (sustain plus trade power)
- Faith: 30-40 (weapon skill scaling + casting support)
- Strength: 25+ (equip scaling requirement)
- Mind: 20+ (you’ll be using the weapon skill often)
Recommended Talismans
- Taker’s Cameo: Synergizes beautifully with the Blade itself
- Erdtree’s Favor (or +2): Overall buff to HP, Stamina, and Equip Load
- Shard of Alexander: Boosts skill damage, and that weapon art hits hard
- Green Turtle Talisman (or +1): Faster stamina regen for chaining skills
Spell Support
- Blessing of the Erdtree or Blessing of the Moon for emergency heals
- Flame, Grant Me Strength before boss fights or invasions
- Golden Vow for team or NPC buffing
PvE vs PvP
- PvE: Borderline busted. You can walk through most legacy dungeons chugging up HP as you go.
- PvP: Still excellent, but easy to predict. Mix it up with incantations or swap to a faster secondary weapon occasionally.
The Euporia Build: Bleed and Blessed in One Package
This weapon dropped late last year but hit peak performance after the January 2025 patch. It scales beautifully off Strength/Faith and delivers bleed buildup and healing regen on kill. That’s some seriously nasty synergy.
Why It Works
Euporia is a powerhouse in invasions. The health regen alone makes it obnoxious to trade with. Especially when your opponent didn’t plan for bleed. In my testing, I paired it with the Seppuku ash on an offhand katana for even more bleed threats. It shouldn’t work, but somehow does.
Recommended Stat Spread
- Strength: 35+ (primary scaling)
- Faith: 25-30 (needed for Euporia effects + support casting)
- Dexterity: 15 (minimal investment)
- Vigor: 45 (to tank and trade)
- Arcane: Depends. Go 15-20 if stacking bleed with offhands
Gear and Talismans
- Lord of Blood’s Exultation: Bleed + morale = yes
- Sacred Scorpion Charm: Increased holy damage for Euporia’s base
- Radagon’s Scarseal/Sourceal: If you’re chasing higher AR early
- Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: You’ll be in enemy faces constantly. Beef up that defense
Spell Support
- Bloodflame Blade (on alternate weapons)
- Black Flame Protection if you’re dealing with magic-heavy PvP enemies
- Burn, O Flame! for the chaos factor and ranged area denial
PvE vs PvP
- PvE: Bleed melts bosses. It’s oddly effective even in harder NG+ cycles.
- PvP: Slaps in duels and invasions alike. Just be cautious of ranged faith casters and double spear cheese.
Hybrid Builds Are the Future
The current meta isn’t just about pure stat stacking anymore. It’s about flexibility. Builds that combine raw weapon power and buff utility are coming out way ahead. And they adapt smoothly to either solo PvE runs or frantic 3v1 invasions.
I’ve personally seen the difference in co-op dungeons where survivability from healing mechanics allowed my squad to save flasks for boss fights. Blasphemous builds carried one run straight through Castle Sol without a single death. That’s no exaggeration.
And when it comes to invasions, Euporia makes it almost unfair. With the right regen buffs and bleed stacking, you can 2v1 invading phantoms without ever looking at your flask count.
Tips for Tuning Your Build
- Respect your playstyle: Like to dodge and chip away? Go for faster incantation support. Prefer smashing face to face? Cut spells, dump into Strength and Vigor.
- Cast speed matters: Don’t forget Dex affects cast speed up to 45 (though most see diminishing returns past 30).
- Equip load: Just under 70% is your sweet spot. Medium roll is still meta.
- Flask usage: Mix in FP flasks more than you used to. You’ll be using weapon arts a lot more.
Other Builds Worth Mentioning
While Blasphemous and Euporia lead the charge, a couple of sleeper builds deserve a nod:
- Dual Greatsword STR Builds: Still viable, especially with Dragon Slayer Smashplay offhand builds.
- INT/FTH Hybrid Casters: Using Death Sorceries and Lightning incants. Tricky but lethal when mastered.
- Dex-Poison Bleed Mixups: Still popping up in medium armor PvP metas, especially with new poison buffs.
Final Thoughts: Build What Feels Good (And Works)
The best build is always going to be the one you enjoy playing. That said, with the current balance, you’d be doing yourself a disservice to ignore just how much synergy the Blasphemous Blade and Euporia offer. Between sustain, staggering damage, and hybrid utility, these weapons dominate the meta without requiring twitch-level skill or exploit abuse.
If you’re looking to solo NG+ bosses without sweating every dodge, or want to turn the tides of a 3-man PvP ambush, these builds are your ticket.
“I’ve run both builds through endgame dungeons and multiple PvP tournaments this year. They’re top-tier not just on paper, but under pressure.”
. Actual comment from Reddit user “GrimeWarden” after testing both setups in competitive sessions.
Want more build breakdowns or looking for a co-op crew that runs Faith/STR setups? Drop a comment below or hit me up on Discord. I’m always down to trade strat notes or jump into a dungeon run.
Now get out there, Tarnished. It’s your time to shine. Just don’t forget to Praise the Flame.
