Great Stars Build Guide in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Great Stars Build Guide in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

As a seasoned Elden Ring player who’s spent countless hours honing my skills and experimenting with various builds, let me tell you, the Great Stars is truly a gem of a weapon! Now, I’ve dabbled in many builds, from Strength-focused behemoths to Arcane-infused sorcerers, but the Great Stars really shines when wielded by a dedicated Bleed build.


In the game ‘Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘, you might find that attaining immortality is not as impossible as it seems, especially with the aid of a powerful asset – the Great Stars. This remarkable Great Hammer not only delivers potent blows but also restores your health with each strike. When skillfully constructed, it can unleash heavy damage and serve as an essential shield against the dreaded “Game Over” screen for your character, the Tarnished.

One standout feature of this weapon lies in its ability to inspire players to act aggressively in appropriate situations, or to select an Ash of War that delivers multiple strikes swiftly. This dual capability enables the Tarnished to structure their gameplay according to their desired level of aggression, which they can manage by wielding two of these weapons simultaneously (powerstancing), or adopting a bold stance with a shield. Here are some aspects to take into account when crafting this sharp hammer:

Pros And Cons Of Great Stars

Great Stars Build Guide in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Pros Cons
+ Heal 1% of your life on each hit – Middle of the road damage and poise damage
+ Any Ash of War imbued to the weapon will also trigger the healing effect – Great Hammer moveset is okay
+ Two can be found in one playthrough
+ Only Great Hammer with innate Bleed

The Mighty Star is essentially a Potent Mallet that offers a 1% restoration of your maximum health with each strike. Although the basic moveset of this Mighty Mallet may seem underwhelming due to its slow, vertical swings, its heavy attacks extend in a broad arc ahead, and any attached Ash of War can likewise activate its healing properties. The vertical light swings might cause some difficulty initially due to their limited reach, but once you learn where they connect, these strikes are swift enough to catch most adversaries off guard.

In a single game session, not one but two instances of this particular weapon can be discovered, and it’s exclusive as it’s the sole Great Hammer that naturally causes Bleed in enemies. Having two of these in your inventory makes it an excellent choice for dual-wielding (powerstancing), granting you twice the healing and twice the status effect stacking. The powerstance jump attack packs a punch, and when paired with certain skills, you’ll be pulverizing even the most gigantic adversaries in just a few strikes. Additionally, its unique ability to inflict Bleed without requiring any special infusion makes it compatible with any infusion choice, ensuring consistent Bleed application.

Best Shields with the Great Stars

Employing a shield in your offhand rather than powerstancing offers an equally effective strategy when wielding the Great Stars. The rationale is that by defending against enemy attacks with a robust shield or one boasting high Guard Boost and favorable stats, you can mitigate damage and then retaliate to replenish your health.

In this tactic, it’s often advantageous to opt for Large Shields as they minimize initial damage taken due to their robust nature. With the mighty Stars at your disposal, any minor health shortage can be swiftly addressed. Medium Shields can serve as a viable alternative if you’re comfortable with being slightly more offensive when health restoration is required. Among the recommended shields, the and its DLC-related counterpart, the , stand out for their impressive guard enhancement and complete physical resistance.

In the category of Medium Shields, two stand out as they share similarities with Great Shields: both offer high Guard Boost and complete physical resistance, allowing for virtually endless blockage of physical attacks. Another viable choice is a shield with a special trait (let’s call it X), which excels at blocking Holy and Magic attacks remarkably well. However, its mediocre Guard Boost may hinder its performance in certain situations.

Best Ashes Of War and Infusions With Great Stars

Great Stars Build Guide in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Ashes of War

Infusions

  • Cold
  • Heavy
  • Blood

Due to the inherent bleed effect and the Great Star’s natural recovery, it’s recommended that you incorporate three distinct elixirs in your setup: one for bleeding damage, another for cold damage, or a heavy-hitting option. For Ashes of War, opt for abilities that can strike multiple times to maximize healing potential. Since rapid, repeated strikes are beneficial to you, adding status effects like Cold or Bleed will also complement your strategy effectively.

As a devoted fan, I excitedly share that I’ll be opting for either Cold Infusion in my build, with Chilling Mist or Cragblade as my chosen Ashes of War. Chilling Mist offers healing each time the cloud’s damage ticks, while Cragblade can help compensate for the somewhat moderate poise damage it delivers. Moreover, Frostbite triggers inflict 10% (or 7% for bosses) of your target’s maximum health as damage and also boost their incoming damage by 20%. Combined with the Great Stars, these effects can elevate this weapon’s potency to impressive levels.

Instead of Bleed builds, they opt for a Blood or Heavy infusion along with Wild Strikes or Cragblade as their Ashes of War. Blood is often chosen when no additional Strength points are invested beyond the minimum required to wield the weapon. On the other hand, Heavy is better if you desire stronger strikes and only need the Hemorrhage triggers for the extra damage and various buffs they can activate. No matter which infusion is selected, White Mask, Blood God’s Exultation, and Bloodflame Flame Blade are essential for boosting your damage from ordinary to devastating, capable of fellowing both common soldiers and demigods alike.

The Notable Feature of Prelate’s Charge lies in its swift strike and powerful final blow, making it highly effective for clearing groups of enemies as well as restoring your full health meter. In combat against humanoid opponents, Prelate’s Charge can send them flying, creating an opportunity to follow up with another quick succession of charges.

Best Stats With Great Stars

Great Stars Build Guide in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

It’s best to concentrate on either boosting your Strength for maximum damage output, or opting for Arcane to enhance blood loss damage. Aiming for around 80 Strength will significantly increase the amount of damage each strike inflicts. Both Cold builds and Heavy-infused builds should aim to reach almost 80 Strength to surpass the softcap.

As a gamer, when crafting my Bleed build, I aim for around 45-50 Arcane to hit the soft cap. From there, I like to allocate any remaining points into Strength, Vigor, and Endurance to maintain a well-rounded character.

Best Talismans With Great Stars

Great Stars Build Guide in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Instead of common talismans seen in every construction, The Great Stars can adapt to numerous charms based on your preferred build style. Here are some exceptional choices exclusive to The Great Stars:

Great Jar Arsenal

1. You can excel in two strategies with this weapon: wield it powerfully in a dual setup for high damage output and rapid status infliction, or pair it with a Greatshield to boost survivability. Regardless of your choice, you’ll be lugging around hefty weapons. Enhancing your carrying capacity with the appropriate equipment ensures you can don this gear along with medium to medium-heavy armor without any penalties.

Pearl Shield Talisman/Greatshield Talisman/Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman

As a seasoned adventurer with years of battlefield experience under my belt, I can confidently say that these three talismans are invaluable for any warrior seeking to bolster their defenses. Having faced countless enemies and their relentless attacks, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of fortifying one’s shield to reduce the amount of damage taken while blocking. This, in turn, allows for a more efficient recovery process, ensuring that you can quickly heal back up to full health and continue fighting.

As a seasoned gamer with years of experience under my belt, I can attest that the Carian Knight’s Shield is truly a double-edged sword. On one hand, it boasts impressive resistance to Magic, Holy, and Physical attacks, providing an indispensable layer of protection in the heat of battle. However, its Guard Boost leaves much to be desired.

In summary, it’s advantageous to utilize this item when your protective shield doesn’t offer full Physical damage immunity. This will help lower the amount of physical harm you sustain during blocks. For instance, the “X Shield” is a suitable candidate as it offers reasonable resistances and can be wielded with two hands for diverse defensive strategies, but it falls short compared to other shields in terms of providing 100% Physical resistance.

Ritual Sword Talisman

One of the rare armaments, The Great Stars, frequently benefits from a 10% damage boost due to its unique attribute. In certain situations, you can either deflect or exchange blows with incoming attacks, and subsequently restore all health during opportunities provided by the Great Stars’ damage vulnerabilities.

The major disadvantage of this talisman is that it becomes ineffective if your health isn’t fully restored. But don’t worry! With Crimson Flasks, the self-healing ability of the Great Star, and the Crimson-Sapping Sacked Tear at hand, your character will have ample resources to quickly recover health without spending excessive time on it.

Lord of Blood’s Exultation

Near the designated spot, the Great Star is an excellent method to amplify your damage, particularly in Bleed-focused builds. It boosts your damage by 20% (12% in PvP) whenever Bleed effects occur in close proximity, and with two Great Stars, this objective becomes relatively straightforward.

For bosses requiring a more aggressive approach during their vulnerable periods, consider incorporating this talisman within a Frost build setup. This tactic will ultimately boost your damage output due to the natural bleeding effect inherent in the Great Star.

Two-Headed Turtle Talisman

To execute your potent leap attack most effectively, consider arming yourself with the talisman. This artifact will expedite your Stamina recovery, a feature that becomes particularly valuable when you swiftly deplete your Stamina bar by performing jump attacks.

Best Cracked Tears with the Great Stars

Great Stars Build Guide in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Because each hit from The Great Star provides healing, it can combine effectively with certain special tears. The one that stands out most is the Leeching Tear, which gradually saps your health over 3 minutes but boosts your damage output by 20%. Keep in mind that the healing from The Great Star won’t fully counteract the life drain, but it will provide a small health advantage.

The “Crimson-Sapping Cracked Tear” crystal significantly enhances healing from this weapon, boosting the health restoration per strike from 1% of maximum health to approximately 1.75%. Essentially, it nearly doubles the amount of health recovered with each attack.

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2024-08-03 10:04