Is Strength or Intelligence Better for Elden Ring? The Quality Build Reigns Supreme

Elden Ring offers immense build variety, but two schools of combat rise above the rest in terms of raw power – mighty strength weapons, and devastating sorceries. However, while both strength and intelligence builds have fearsome potential, the best approach lies with a quality build – combining heavy arms with mystical arts.

Colossal Weapons Wield Devastating Might

First, let‘s examine pure strength builds. These center around wielding ultra greatswords, colossal hammers, axes and more to smash foes into oblivion with raw physical force.

With 60+ strength and heavy affinity, colossal weapons like the legendary Guts Greatsword can unleash 3000+ damage per jump attack – enough to fell enemies and bosses with just a few clean blows. Paired with high vigor, endurance and the Bull Goat armor‘s unmatched poise, a dedicated strength build can withstand nearly any assault while dishing out earth-shattering punishment.

However, these massive weapons leave you open to punishment. Patient, tactical play is required to land blows without being staggered mid-swing. Additionally, their movesets tend to lack versatility, struggling against groups or rapid foes. Still, for sheer physical might, strength builds stand tall in Elden Ring‘s dangerous world.

Sorceries Bombard Enemies from Afar

On the other end of the spectrum lies intelligence builds, where meticulous scholars study mystical sorceries to decimate all before them with powerful magic.

With 60 intelligence properly boosting your staff and spells like Comet Azur equipped, enemy health bars evaporate. Casters also enjoy range – peppering foes with glintstone projectiles and homing soul mass from afar before they can close the gap. This allows you to thin out packs at a distance.

However, their limited equip load means light, fragile armor – leaving them prone to being flattened by mighty blows if caught off guard. FP management is also critical with limited mind and flasks. Mages may reign supreme at range, but quickly falter in close quarters.

The Quality Build Stands Above All

While pure strength and intelligence both bring immense strengths and glaring weaknesses, the best of both worlds lies with the quality build.

Rather than solely specializing into one stat, quality prioritizes both strength and intelligence in tandem. This hybrid approach unlocks exceptional weapons like Ruins Greatsword, Dark Moon Greatsword and more – colossal arms that scale mightily with each stat invested.

You can then enchant these already devastating weapons with sorceries like Scholar‘s Armament, adding even more damage to their strikes. Meanwhile, increased vigor and endurance compared to pure mages allows trading of blows when necessary – bringing balance.

Here is an example quality build for PvE or co-op focused on mighty melee strikes and ranged magical support:

With 50 strength and 60 intelligence, your spells hit brutally hard and chosen hybrid weapons gain immense scaling. 50 vigor provides survival for mistakes or traded hits, while 45 endurance equips heavier armor if desired while still medium rolling.

I recommend the following armament to capitalize on this build:

Weapons

• Ruins Greatsword
• Dark Moon Greatsword
• Gargoyle‘s Blackblade
• Guts Greatsword

Spells

• Scholar‘s Armament
• Terra Magicus
• Collapsing Stars
• Founding Rain of Stars

Buff your colossal weapon with scholar‘s, activate Terra Magicus, then charge in to unleash 5000+ damage weapon arts empowered by your magic. If enemies keep their distance, pelt them with glintstone to whittle them down before going in for the kill.

This versatile blend of melee and spellcraft combines the overwhelming strengths of strength and intelligence in one build. Careful play rewards you with the power to level foes with bullet hell magics, or flatten them underfoot with your tremendous, enchanted weapons. Against any odds and enemies, a quality build has all the tools needed to rise above and claim victory.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to provide more specifics on weapons, tactics or stats to help you craft your own perfect quality build.