Death is coming to the Lands Between. Death magic in Elden Ring is somewhat limited, but with the right build, you can make a Grim Reaper work through any boss. Sharpen your scythe and prepare your staff, killer.
Best stats for Grim Reapers in Elden Ring
Surprisingly, a Vanguard makes for a strong starting class for a Grim Reaper in Elden Ring, mostly thanks to its balanced offensive stats and low Arcane. The following stats should be your main goal by level 150:
- Vitality: 40
- Mind: 18
- Endurance: 11
- Strength: 17
- Dexterity: 16
- Intelligence: 60
- Faith: 60
- Arcane: Seven
60 Intelligence and 60 Faith are the soft cap for both stats and are high enough to make Death Sorceries hit like a truck. Since the Prince of Death Staff scales off both casting stats, you can even cast normal Sorceries with very good scaling. And, since your Faith is so high, you can also make use of strong buffs with the Intelligence-scaling Seal.
The 17 Strength and 16 Dexterity are basically only here to let you wield all Reapers. The highest physical stats to wield them are 17 Strength for the Grave Scythe and 16 Dexterity for both the Halo and Winged Scythe. Pick your favorite.
If you plan on only using the Godrick Great Rune, you can get away with having as little as 12 Strength and 11 Dexterity. If that’s your plan, you’re better off with a starting class of Confessor or even Prophet.
Vigor and Mind are your combat resources, so you do want some. 40 is a decent Vigor threshold for not getting immediately vaporized in fights, and 18 Mind lets you cast a handful of spells before needing to refresh your FP.
Best weapons and spells for Grim Reapers in Elden Ring
Of the Reapers in Elden Ring, the strongest for this particular build is the Magic Grave Scythe, boasting an impressive amount of attack rating. You should also use the Prince of Death Staff for its great scaling in both Intelligence and Faith, as well as the Golden Order Seal for similar scaling on Incantations.
If you want an optimal weapon for this spellcasting strategy, the Sword of Night and Flame is the best. It scales off both of your casting stats and offers slightly faster attack speed than a Reaper. But, what Grim Reaper uses a sword? Either the Scythe or Grave Scythe does wonders for this build. And, if you don’t mind the glowing white parts disrupting your Elden Ring vibe, the Winged Scythe can do fine too.
As for spells, Death Sorceries like Explosive Ghostflame and Ancient Death Rancor serve rather well for spammable options. Don’t be afraid to include strong basic sorceries like Glintstone Pebble or Comet Azur for specific fights. Your Incantations of choice should primarily be buff spells, like Black Flame’s Protection or Flame, Grant Me Strength.
Best armor for Grim Reapers in Elden Ring
Fia’s Robe are the best robes you’ll get for a traditional Grim Reaper appearance. If you don’t like the flowing, dress-like robe, you could instead add embellishments with the Azur’s Glintstone Set or go for a bloodier vibe with armor like the Traveling Maiden Set. If you want a skull head, the Royal Remains Helm is your best bet, though it does leave some neck exposed. Try to get your character’s skin color to be a ghostly white for maximum effect since the armors available with a hood aren’t great for your appearance.
Best Talismans for Grim Reapers in Elden Ring
The Grim Reaper sacrifices strong defensive Talismans for damage and easier spellcasting. By focusing on Death Sorceries and forgoing defenses, the Grim Reaper can kill foes before they can even blink.
- Graven-Mass Talisman: A simple plus-eight percent bonus to your Sorcery damage. This is found in the Imp-locked tower in eastern Consecrated Snowfield.
- Magic Scorpion Charm: A risky charm that boosts Magic Damage dealt by 15 percent, at the cost of 10 percent physical resistance. You get it from completing some of Ranni’s questline and most of Preceptor Seluvis’s.
Sadly, the Death Sorceries all deal Magic Damage. If you’d prefer to focus on weapon combat or Incantations, you could pivot to the Sacred Scorpion Charm to deal Holy Damage. However, without a Death Incantation school, the build may feel less complete.
- Godfrey Icon: If you fully charge spells like Ancient Death Rancor, you can blow people up. The Godfrey Icon giving you another 15 percent on top is a godsend. You earn this one by taking out Godefroy the Grafted.
- Radagon Icon: This adds the equivalent of 30 Dexterity to your casting speed. This is a big boost with your relatively low-base DEX.
If you are okay with losing some damage, feel free to replace any of these with defensive Talismans. Erdtree’s Favor plus two, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, or Ritual Shield Talisman are all good options.
