Backhand Blades are a new weapon category in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, and you will be able to make some incredible builds with them. They have a very fun set of moves and with the right set-up, you will be able to cheese your way through most of the content that The Land of Shadow has to offer.
Below are some of the best Backhand Blade builds that you should try out at least once during your playthrough in the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Most OP Backhand Blades builds in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
1) The pure DEX Backhand Blade build
Equipment, Spells, and Ashes of War:
| Category | Item |
|---|---|
| Main Weapon | Backhand Blade (Keen imbune) |
| Secondary Weapon | – |
| Armor | Rakshasa’s Set (Any lightweight armor if you want to use Blue Dancer Charm) |
| Primary Talismans | Millicent’s Prosthesis Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Two-Headed Turtle Talisman Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman |
| Alternate Talismans | Ritual Sword Talisman Blue Dancer Charm Shard of Alexander |
| Primary Stats | Dexterity Vigor Endurance |
| Secondary Stats | Faith Mind Intelligence |
| Ash of War | Blind Spot |
| Spells | – |
| Primary Crystal Tear | Thorny Cracked Tear Greenburst Crystal Tear |
| Alternate Crystal Tear | Opaline Hardtear Stonebarb Cracked Tear |
Attribute Distribution:
| Attribute | Points |
|---|---|
| Vigor | 50 |
| Mind | 20 |
| Endurance | 38 |
| Strength | 10 |
| Dexterity | 85 |
| Intelligence | 16 |
| Faith | 07 |
| Arcane | 09 |
How to use:
This build relies heavily on the use of the Blind Spot Ash of War where you will be able to dash behind the enemy during their attack animation and stab them in the back. The move also comes with a lot of I-frames and you will be able to dash your way through most attacks.
The versatility of this move comes from the fact that you Keen imbune it so you will be able to use Elemental Grease on it. You will be able to buff it up with Magic, Fire, Cold, and even Blood damage to maximize its DPS potential.
Additionally, as the weapon itself is lightweight you will be able to pilot a very lightweight build with it. While the Rakshasa’s set will buff the damage that you do, you can stay nimble on your feet with lighter armor and use the Blue Dancer Charm.
However, do keep in mind that the Blind Spot skill eats up a lot of Stamina. So make sure to dump additional points into Endurance so that you have an easier time in encounters. Radahn’s Great Rune can also help with Stamina management.
2) The Sprinting Heavy Backhand Blade Bleed build
Equipment, Spells, and Ashes of War:
| Category | Item |
|---|---|
| Main Weapon | Backhand Blade (Keen imbune) |
| Secondary Weapon | Any Talisman (As long as you are reaching 25 Faith) |
| Armor | White Mask Leda’s Chest piece Rakshasa’s Gauntlet Rakshasa’s Greaves |
| Primary Talismans | Lord of Blood’s Exulatation Lacerating Crossed-Tree Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Millicent’s Prosthesis |
| Alternate Talismans | Ritual Sword Talisman Shard of Alexander Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman |
| Primary Stats | Dexterity Vigor Endurance |
| Secondary Stats | Faith Mind Intelligence |
| Ash of War | Blind Spot |
| Spells | Flame Grant me Strength Golden Vow Bloodflame Blade |
| Primary Crystal Tear | Thorny Cracked Tear Opaline Hardtear |
| Alternate Crystal Tear | Greenburst Crystal Tear Bloodsucking Cracked Tear Stonebarb Cracked Tear |
Attribute Distribution:
| Attribute | Points |
|---|---|
| Vigor | 60 |
| Mind | 12 |
| Endurance | 35 |
| Strength | 10 |
| Dexterity | 75 |
| Intelligence | 09 |
| Faith | 25 |
| Arcane | 07 |
How to use:
This build revolves around the Bloodflame Blade incantation where you will quote the Backhand Blades with the effect. It will then help the weapon gain high Blood Loss build-up which you can then proc by sprinting and using your heavy attacks.
Dashing Heavy on Backhand Blade weapons will dish out four hits at the same time. This will rak up hemorrhage rather fast and will chunk the enemy HP bar as soon as it procs. You will be able to maximize the damage of the sprinting heavy attacks with the use of Leda’s Chest piece and Lacerating Crossed-Tree Talisman.
Both these items provide a significant damage boost to dashing attacks letting you get the most out of the playstyle. To top it off, you gain an additional DPS boost from White Mask and the Lord of Blood’s Exultation Talisman every time Blood Loss goes off.
Now pairing all of these with the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, you will be able to build up some insane DPS numbers with this build and melt through most bosses in the game.
3) The Bloody Curseblade’s Cirque Backhand Blade build
Equipment, Spells, and Ashes of War:
| Category | Item |
|---|---|
| Main Weapon | Curseblade’s Cirque |
| Secondary Weapon | Any Talisman (As long as you are reaching 25 Faith) |
| Armor | White Mask Rest: Rakshasa’s Set |
| Primary Talismans | Lord of Blood’s Exultation Two-Headed Turtle Talisman Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Millicent’s Prosthesis |
| Alternate Talismans | Ritual Sword Talisman Shard of Alexander Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman Bull-Goat’s Talisman |
| Primary Stats | Dexterity Vigor Endurance |
| Secondary Stats | Faith Mind Intelligence Arcane |
| Ash of War | Deadly Dance |
| Spells | Flame Grant me Strength Golden Vow |
| Primary Crystal Tear | Thorny Cracked Tear Opaline Hardtear |
| Alternate Crystal Tear | Greenburst Crystal Tear Bloodsucking Cracked Tear Stonebarb Cracked Tear |
Attribute distribution:
| Attribute | Points |
|---|---|
| Vigor | 55 |
| Mind | 24 |
| Endurance | 35 |
| Strength | 10 |
| Dexterity | 70 |
| Intelligence | 10 |
| Faith | 25 |
| Arcane | 10 |
How to use:
The Curseblade’s Cirque has amazing DPS potential because of his fast-hitting moves. However, what sells that weapon is the Ash of War, Deadly Dance.
It’s one of the coolest abilities in the game with a very satisfying attack animation. It also builds up Blood Loss quite fast, and you will be able to do a ton of damage with these once you get going.
Additionally, much like with the Backhand Balde, the running heavy of the Curseblade Cirque does four hits if the entire attack connects. So apart from using the Ash of War, you can also use a heavy attack during a dash to make it significantly easier to proc hemorrhage.
As you are also investing some points in Faith, you will be able to use the Flame Grant Me Strength and the Golden Vow Incantations. They will boost the damage you do further while also increasing your defense.
If you feel that your poise is too low and you are often being staggered out of the Deadly Dance attack animation, then use the Bull-Goat’s Talisman.
4) The Flaming Cirque Backhand Blade build
Equipment, Spells, and Ashes of War:
| Category | Item |
|---|---|
| Main Weapon | Smithscript Cirque (Flame Art Imbune) |
| Secondary Weapon | Any Talisman |
| Armor | Chest: Rapto’s Black Feathers Rest: Rakshasa’s Set |
| Primary Talismans | Smithing Talisman Two-Headed Turtle Talisman Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Claw Talisman |
| Alternate Talismans | Ritual Sword Talisman Shard of Alexander Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman Millicent’s Prosthesis |
| Primary Stats | Faith Vigor Endurance |
| Secondary Stats | Strength Dexterity |
| Ash of War | Swift Slash Raptor Mists (For a defensive option) |
| Spells | As it’s a Faith build you will have access to every Incantation |
| Primary Crystal Tear | Thorny Cracked Tear Opaline Hardtear |
| Alternate Crystal Tear | Greenburst Crystal Tear Bloodsucking Cracked Tear Stonebarb Cracked Tear Flame-Shrouding Cracked Tear |
Attribute Distribution:
| Attribute | Points |
|---|---|
| Vigor | 60 |
| Mind | 25 |
| Endurance | 25 |
| Strength | 12 |
| Dexterity | 15 |
| Intelligence | 11 |
| Faith | 80 |
| Arcane | 08 |
How to use:
The Flaming Cirque is a Faith build which makes the most of the Smithscript ability of the weapon. The play style is all about using the jumping-heavy attacks of the Cirque to throw the weapon at the enemy then combo-ing that with the Swift Slash.
Even if the enemy dodges away from the throws, the thrown Cirques will follow them and hit them from behind. They do a lot of damage and have good stagger value.
Now when you are following that up with Swift Slash, your burst damage becomes really high. Additionally, as it’s a Faith build, you will be able to use any Incantation that you want with it.
Apart from the regular buffs, you can also rely on the more damaging spells to mix up your playstyle and have a different approach to combat. This is a very versatile build, with a very high DPS potential.
