The Bloodhound’s Fang is a curved greatsword in Elden Ring that has quickly gained popularity among players for its high damage, excellent scaling, and versatile moveset. This weapon, which combines speed, power, and a unique Ash of War, allows for devastating combos and evasive maneuvers. Whether you prefer aggressive playstyles or strategic hit-and-run tactics, the right Bloodhound Fang build can turn you into a deadly warrior across both PvE and PvP. Understanding how to build around this weapon can greatly enhance your effectiveness, from stat allocation to armor selection and talismans.
Why Choose the Bloodhound’s Fang?
The Bloodhound’s Fang stands out as one of the best early-game weapons in Elden Ring and remains viable even into late-game content. It scales primarily with Strength and Dexterity, and comes equipped with the powerful ‘Bloodhound’s Finesse’ weapon skill. This skill lets you perform a slashing strike followed by a backflip that grants repositioning and evasion simultaneously.
Key Advantages:
- High base damage and strong scaling with Strength and Dexterity.
- Blood loss buildup for extra pressure against enemies and bosses.
- Built-in Ash of War that’s both offensive and defensive.
- Low weight compared to other greatswords, making it suitable for medium to light armor builds.
Best Stats for a Bloodhound Fang Build
To make the most of the Bloodhound’s Fang, you need to allocate your attribute points wisely. This weapon has a high dexterity requirement, so it favors quality or dex-focused builds. Here is a recommended stat distribution for a level 100 character:
- Vigor: 40 Helps with survivability in both PvE and PvP.
- Endurance: 20 Allows for more stamina and equip load, ideal for dodging and wearing heavier armor.
- Strength: 20 Ensures effective scaling and wielding requirements.
- Dexterity: 35 Maximizes weapon scaling and improves finesse-based attacks.
- Mind: 10 Enough for Ash of War usage.
- Faith, Intelligence, Arcane: Base or minimal This is a physical-damage-focused build.
Weapon Scaling and Upgrades
The Bloodhound’s Fang benefits from high Dexterity scaling and some Strength scaling. Upgrading it using Somber Smithing Stones increases its base damage significantly and boosts the effectiveness of its scaling. At +10, the weapon becomes a powerhouse capable of melting bosses and stagger-locking enemies.
Important Upgrade Tips:
- Prioritize upgrading Bloodhound’s Fang early; it scales well and becomes deadlier with each level.
- You cannot infuse this weapon with other Ashes of War, but its unique skill is more than enough.
Armor Choices for the Build
With the Bloodhound’s Fang being a curved greatsword, it’s wise to choose armor that balances protection and mobility. Since the weapon isn’t overly heavy, you have room for medium to heavy armor while still maintaining a midroll.
Recommended Armor Sets:
- Blaidd’s Set: A great aesthetic match and solid defense stats.
- Veteran’s Set: High poise and protection for more aggressive play.
- Raging Wolf Set: Good for midweight builds with a stylish appearance.
Feel free to mix armor pieces to balance poise, resistances, and fashion. Always ensure you’re not exceeding the medium load threshold to keep your dodge fast and effective.
Talismans to Enhance the Build
Talismans play a crucial role in enhancing your Bloodhound Fang build. They can boost damage, stamina regeneration, and survivability all essential for melee combat.
Best Talismans:
- Erdtree’s Favor: Boosts HP, stamina, and equip load great for overall performance.
- Green Turtle Talisman: Improves stamina recovery, keeping you aggressive in battle.
- Radagon’s Scarseal/Sourceal: Increases Strength, adding to your damage output.
- Claw Talisman: Enhances jump attack damage, useful when opening fights.
Choose your talismans based on your preferred playstyle aggressive players might prioritize damage, while defensive ones might focus on survivability and stamina control.
Best Playstyle and Combat Strategy
The Bloodhound Fang’s weapon skill encourages an agile, hit-and-run playstyle. You can strike, dodge, and reposition all within one fluid motion, giving you a tactical edge. Use charged attacks and jump attacks to break enemy posture quickly, and rely on the backflip from Bloodhound’s Finesse to avoid counterattacks.
Combat Tips:
- Use jump attacks to stagger enemies and deal heavy poise damage.
- Chain Bloodhound’s Finesse after a normal combo to retreat safely.
- Roll toward heavy attacks from enemies and counter with a fast slash.
- Time your stamina use carefully don’t exhaust yourself after one combo.
PvE Performance
The Bloodhound’s Fang shines in PvE due to its wide reach, bleed buildup, and high single-hit damage. It works well against humanoid enemies, bosses, and even large beasts. With the right upgrades, it can kill some bosses in just a few hits when buffed correctly or used with support incantations.
Notable PvE Strengths:
- Excellent stagger and posture-breaking abilities.
- Versatile against many enemy types.
- Great for both solo exploration and boss fights.
PvP Potential
In PvP, the Bloodhound Fang excels due to its reach and evasive weapon art. The backflip can throw off timing for opponents trying to punish your attacks. However, keep in mind that experienced PvP players may anticipate your patterns, so vary your attacks and avoid being too predictable.
Effective PvP Strategies:
- Use the backflip skill as a disengage tool after baiting a trade.
- Alternate between light and heavy attacks to mix timing.
- Try rolling attacks and jump attacks to surprise your opponent.
- Maintain spacing and punish over-aggressive players with reach and mobility.
Optional Enhancements and Buffs
While the Bloodhound Fang cannot be buffed with magic or grease due to its special nature, you can still enhance your build with general buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength or Golden Vow from incantations if you’re running a hybrid build. These boosts can significantly improve your burst potential in tight fights.
Useful Buffs:
- Golden Vow: Raises attack and defense for a duration.
- Flame, Grant Me Strength: Increases physical attack power.
- Physick Flasks: Combine boosts like increased stamina regen or charged attack power.
Summary of the Best Bloodhound Fang Build
To fully optimize the Bloodhound Fang, players should focus on Dexterity and Strength for scaling, equip medium armor for balance, and choose talismans that enhance stamina, damage, or HP. The playstyle should be aggressive yet tactical, utilizing movement and the unique backflip Ash of War to control space and apply pressure.
Whether facing deadly PvE bosses or skilled PvP opponents, this weapon and build combination delivers reliable performance and high damage potential. Its blend of power and mobility is hard to beat, making the Bloodhound’s Fang one of the best curved greatswords in Elden Ring.