What Should I Max for Rivers of Blood in Elden Ring? Prioritize Dexterity and Arcane

As one of the most lethal dexterity and arcane focused weapons in Elden Ring, the Rivers of Blood katana rewards players who optimize their build to amplify its devastating hemorrhage damage. This guide will break down precisely how to maximize your offensive potential when wielding this iconic weapon.

Dexterity: The Cornerstone for Damage

Dexterity governs the majority of the Rivers of Blood‘s attack power, making it the primary stat to level. Here are the key benchmarks:

• 50 Dexterity – First soft cap, aim to hit this ASAP
• 80 Dexterity – Second soft cap before diminishing returns
• Each point from 50-80 grants around 2 AR (attack rating)

Based on community testing, the damage gained from dexterity boosts both the weapon‘s physical attack as well as increasing bleed buildup. Compared to strength or arcane, you will see superior damage returns per level by investing in dexterity.

Sample Leveling Pathway

• Early – Rush minimums to wield (18 Dex)
• Mid Game – Rush 50 Dex soft cap
• End Game – Level Dex up to 80

Getting dexterity to 50 allows you to wield the Rivers of Blood one-handed, greatly improving your versatility with weapon arts, parrying, or using incantations/sorceries in your off-hand.

Arcane: Bleed Buildup Catalyst

While dexterity governs raw damage, arcane directly correlates to how quickly you can trigger hemorrhage on enemies. The higher your arcane, the faster your bleed meter will build up with each successive attack.

• Soft cap at 45-50 Arcane
• Each point levels bleed buildup by ~1.5 per hit

This means you can melt through enemies with repeated attacks and weapon skills much faster with higher arcane investment. Testing indicates bleed buildup sees slightly diminishing returns after 50, making 45-50 a solid benchmark.

Supporting Attributes

• Endurance – Boosts equip load to wield armor and weapons without fat rolling. Also expands stamina for longer combos.
• Mind – More FP allows greater use of weapon skills like Corpse Piler. Can help enable hybrid builds.

Optimized Setup

To complement attribute investment, equip key gear and talismans:

• Armor – Prioritize poise, immunity boosts, and damage negation
• Talismans – Lord of Blood‘s Exultation, Rotten Winged Sword, Millicent‘s Prosthesis
• Physick – Blood Exultation Tear and Greenburst Crystal Tear

When wielding the Rivers of Blood, play aggressively by charging at groups to inflict hemorrhage rapidly with your weapon art Corpse Piler. Time dodges to avoid being staggered out of your combos and quickly retaliatiate after evading attacks.

With this optimized build, you can unleash the Rivers of Blood‘s full lethal potential to cut a bloody path across the Lands Between. Now go forth and let carnage ensue!