In Elden Ring, the passive effects tied to weapons, talismans, and incantations can often define the effectiveness of a build. These subtle, background effects can completely shift the way you approach combat, making some builds far more potent than they first appear. Whether it’s boosting your defense, amplifying your damage, or modifying how your character behaves in combat, passive effects can add an entirely new layer to your strategy.

Here are 24 builds that rely on specific passive effects in Elden Ring, and how they enhance gameplay.

1. Bleed Build (Uchigatana + Reduvia)

Bleed builds revolve around inflicting hemorrhage, causing massive burst damage. Weapons like the Uchigatana or Reduvia automatically trigger bleeding effects, which can be boosted with talismans like Lord of Blood’s Exultation.

2. Poison Build (Poison Mists + Venomous Fang)

The Poison status effect is useful for wearing down bosses and enemies over time. Weapons like the Venomous Fang paired with Poison Mist incantations can consistently damage foes while you keep your distance.

3. Frenzied Flame Build

The Frenzied Flame Seal increases the damage of Frenzy incantations, which are perfect for dealing damage over time. You can stack this with Madness scaling effects and enjoy one of the most devastating status effects in the game.

4. Critical Hit Build (Reduvia + Lord of Blood's Exultation)

For builds focusing on critical hits, Lord of Blood’s Exultation boosts damage dealt after a successful bleed, allowing your ripostes and backstabs to hit harder when combined with critical-hit weapons.

5. Magic Build (Carian Glintblade + Terra Magica)

Terra Magica boosts magic damage when standing within its circle, making it a perfect passive effect for magic builds. Paired with Carian Glintblade, it amplifies your sorceries significantly.

6. Stamina Regeneration Build

Talismans like Radagon's Scarseal and Green Turtle Talisman allow you to regenerate stamina rapidly, enabling uninterrupted attacks and movement in the heat of combat.

7. Dual-Wield Build (Dual Uchigatana + Spinning Slash)

For dual-wielding builds, using weapons like the Uchigatana in both hands, combined with the Spinning Slash Ash of War, allows you to maximize damage output while maintaining fluidity in your attack combos.

8. Tank Build (Bull-Goat Set + Great Club)

The Bull-Goat Set drastically increases poise, allowing you to withstand heavy hits without staggering. This passive effect is crucial for tank-focused builds, especially when wielding weapons like the Great Club, which require stamina for powerful attacks.

9. Dagger Build (Erdtree Seal + Quickstep)

Dagger builds benefit from high mobility and quick attacks. With Quickstep as an Ash of War, combined with Erdtree Seal for buffs, you can stay elusive and dish out rapid, high-damage strikes.

10. Elemental Build (Flame, Grant Me Strength)

The Flame, Grant Me Strength incantation boosts fire-based attacks and is perfect for builds that rely on fire-infused weapons like Flameblade or Fire Greataxe.

11. Arcane Build (Rivers of Blood + Arcane Scaling)

The Rivers of Blood katana is a powerful weapon with Arcane scaling that builds up bleed quickly. Pairing it with Arcane buffs from talismans like Radagon’s Scarseal turns you into a potent force.

12. Dexterity Build (Bloodhound’s Fang + Dex Talismans)

A Dexterity build thrives on speed and precision. Bloodhound’s Fang combined with Dexterity-boosting talismans like Millicent’s Prosthesis will give you both speed and power in your attacks.

13. Faith Build (Blasphemous Blade + Flame Grant Me Strength)

Using Blasphemous Blade, which restores health on every enemy kill, combined with Flame Grant Me Strength, creates a passive healing loop as you take out enemies while bolstering your fire-based damage.

14. Incantation Build (Godfrey’s Icon + Radagon’s Scarseal)

Godfrey’s Icon boosts the effectiveness of charged incantations, which is essential for powerful spells like Flame of the Redmanes. Paired with Radagon’s Scarseal, this build can deliver massive damage from a safe distance.

15. Status Effect Build (Rotten Breath + Scarlet Rot)

The Rotten Breath incantation, which applies Scarlet Rot, is a powerful tool in your arsenal when combined with talismans like Frenzied Flame Seal. This combo allows you to gradually deplete even the toughest boss’s health.

16. Heavy Weapon Build (Colossal Weapons + Radagon's Scarseal)

For Colossal Weapons, pairing them with the Radagon's Scarseal allows for an excellent balance between increased attack power and mobility while maintaining enough health to tank hits.

17. Speed Build (Sellsword Twinblades + Green Turtle Talisman)

A Sellsword Twinblades build focuses on speed and critical strikes. Paired with the Green Turtle Talisman, you can dodge and attack almost endlessly while maintaining high stamina.

18. Shield Bash Build (Golden Greatshield + Greatshield Talisman)

A Greatshield build relies on passive defense effects. The Golden Greatshield combined with the Greatshield Talisman boosts your shield defense, making you virtually impervious to most attacks.

19. Stealth Build (Mask of Confidence + Sneak Attacks)

For those who prefer a stealthy approach, Mask of Confidence boosts your ability to land devastating sneak attacks, turning your build into a deadly assassin.

20. Arcane Bleed Build (Dragon Slayer + Bloodtinge)

Combining Arcane scaling and bleed effects makes a unique hybrid build that scales well with Dragon Slayer and other weapons that scale with Arcane stats.

21. Magic and Bleed Build (Glintstone Staff + Uchigatana)

A hybrid of Magic and Bleed, this build uses the Glintstone Staff to cast powerful sorceries, while the Uchigatana applies bleed in combat.

22. Speed Tank Build (Great Axe + Radagon's Scarseal)

For a build that combines speed and heavy hitting, the Great Axe paired with Radagon’s Scarseal boosts your damage while retaining a fast enough attack speed.

23. Buff Build (Carian Retaliation + Terra Magica)

The Carian Retaliation Ash of War enhances your shield while also empowering your next spell. Combining this with Terra Magica amplifies all your magical damage significantly.

24. Dexterity/Faith Hybrid (Stormhawk Axe + Flame Blade)

Combining Dexterity and Faith, you can wield Stormhawk Axe and use Flame Blade incantations to deal devastating elemental damage, maximizing your offensive potential.

Each of these builds benefits from passive effects that can be enhanced by Elden Ring Items, such as talismans, armor sets, and special weapon infusions. Some players even choose to buy Elden Ring runes online to expedite their farming process and experiment with multiple builds. Whether you’re maximizing your elemental damage, stacking status effects, or boosting your defense, passive effects are a crucial part of building an unstoppable force in the Lands Between.