How to make a Death Knight build in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

The Death Knights are easily the coolest-looking optional bosses you can go up against in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, period. Not only do these Knights of Godwyn the Golden look intimidating, with their Deathblight-themed armor and weapons, but they are incredibly powerful as well, capable of defeating the Tarnished in a single combo.

What makes the Death Knights even more intimidating is their role as the last remnants of Godwyn the Golden's imperial army, or what remains of it. It's a shame that the Death Knights are relegated to a "dungeon boss" status in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, considering their connection to Godwyn.

However, at least you can get the Death Knights' armor and weapons to use in your own builds, or create new ones themed around the Knights of Godwyn the Golden. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to make a Death Knight build in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Breakdown of the Death Knight build in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

The Death Knight build is primarily focused on Faith, Strength, and Dexterity, i.e., a quality build. However, during my testing, I found the Death Knight weapons work much better if you orient your build toward Strength, instead of Dexterity, alongside Faith. The Death Knight Twin Axes as well as the Longhaft Axe, both scale incredibly well with Faith.

The Death Knight build in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

For the weapons, you have two choices — the Death Knight Twin Axes or the Death Knight Longhaft Axe. I prefer the Twin Axes due to their speed as well as the Ash of War — Blinkbolt: Twinaxe, which inflicts much more damage compared to the Longhaft Axe.

That being said, here's a breakdown of the Death Knight build in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:

Weapon(s):

• Death Knight Twin Axes +10
• Dryleaf Seal +25

Talismans:

• Erdtree's Favor +2
• Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
• Shard of Alexander
• Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

Incantations:

• Flame, Grant Me Strength
• Black Flame's Protection
• Beastial Vitality
• Golden Vow
• Roar of Rugalea

Armor:

• Death Knight armor set

Here's the stat distribution for this build (Level 230):

• Vigor: 60
• Mind: 30
• Endurance: 40
• Strength: 45
• Dexterity: 50
• Intelligence: 9
• Faith: 65
• Arcane: 10

Apart from the Death Knight weapons, the build also makes use of the Death Knight armor set, which apart from being incredibly cool-looking, offers a unique buff. Equipping the full Death Knight armor set boosts the effectiveness of the Ancient Dragon Communion Incantations.

While I would've preferred if the armor set provided a buff to Deathblight Incantations, the Ancient Dragon Incantations are quite good too. In fact, if you do have a few additional stat points to spare, I highly recommend investing them in Arcane to make sure you can use the more powerful Dragon Communion Incantations.

The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

As for the Talismans, I highly recommend Shard of Alexander. Since your primary damage dealer will be the Twin Axe's Ash of War, the Shard of Alexander will make sure you're inflicting as much damage as possible with each use of your weapon's ability. Additionally, the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia is a must if you're going for the Twin Axes.