Exploring the Power of the Red Bear's Claw in Elden Ring: A Strength-Focused Claw and Shield Build
Most players may default to two-handed setups when wielding the Bear Claws for a powerful dual-wield style, but this build operates differently. One-handed Bear Claws deliver more poise damage in the initial strike, making it easier to break through enemies' defenses. While the two-handed move set has more combo potential, the one-handed approach has the advantage of dealing solid poise damage with a quicker attack window.
Weapon Setup: Maximizing Damage with the Ash of War
When it comes to maximizing the damage output of this setup, the Red Bear Hunt Ash of War is the star of the show. The Ash of War allows you to launch a brutal attack that not only deals significant damage but also has fantastic hyper armor, meaning you can tank through a lot of attacks while performing your combo. To further enhance the damage from this setup, you'll want to equip the Shard of Alexander talisman, which boosts the damage of your Ash of War attacks. This is where the majority of your burst damage comes from, especially in tight situations where you need to land multiple hits in quick succession.
Another excellent addition to your build is the Consecutive Attack Talisman, which procs multi-hits on the follow-up attack after your initial hit. This combination of talismans allows you to chain devastating attacks, keeping pressure on opponents and ensuring you can take down even the toughest enemies.
The Fashion: Aesthetic Meets Functionality
While fashion doesn't directly impact your combat effectiveness in Elden Ring, it plays a significant role in immersion and personalizing your experience. For this particular build, I recommend using the Pelt of Ralva for its visually appealing design when paired with the claws. This armor looks fantastic while providing solid protection.
Additionally, the Banish Knight Chest Piece fits well with the Pelt, especially when altered to ensure it sits properly, allowing the pelt to flow naturally.
For the lower body, I've opted for Veteran's Greaves, as they offer decent protection and match the red hue from the Banish Knight Armor, further complementing the overall look of the build. The Scaled Gauntlets are a personal choice, offering good poise and defense, though they are largely hidden by the Bear Claws during combat. A little fashion never hurt anyone, after all.
Stats and Build: Strength and Endurance
As with most melee-focused builds in Elden Ring, this one revolves around maximizing Strength to get the most out of your weapon scaling. The Red Bear's Claw does most of its damage based on Strength, so it's essential to allocate your points into this stat to ensure you hit hard in combat. However, I also recommend putting significant points into Health and Endurance. Having a robust amount of health ensures you can tank through hits while the Endurance stat allows you to maintain medium weight and perform combos without being slowed down by heavy armor. Poise is key, as well, to allow you to trade hits effectively without getting staggered.
This build isn't about dodging or finesse-it's about tanking through hits and dishing out damage in return. You'll need to balance Strength, Endurance, and Health to make this work efficiently.
Invasion Gameplay: Taking on the World
With the setup complete and the stats aligned, it's time to dive into some invasion gameplay and showcase how the build performs in actual PvP. The Ool Palace Ruins offers an interesting backdrop for invasions, with plenty of open space to maneuver while keeping an eye on enemies.The fight begins with the host and his phantom Rivers of Blood user. Right off the bat, I notice that my claw setup allows me to trade blows with the opponent effectively. While the Rivers of Blood does some decent damage, the Red Bear's Claw, especially with the Red Bear Hunt Ash of War, can make quick work of these foes. Trading hits with such an aggressive weapon requires patience and precision, but my build handles it well, as the hyper armor on the Ash of War allows me to take some of their hits and still follow through with powerful attacks.
As I move into Crumbling Farum Azula, I come across a duo of large weapons wielders, one with a perfume setup-an unusual combination in invasions. The key here is keeping my distance and using my Red Bear Hunt Ash of War strategically. It's important to recognize when you can tank a hit and when to back off to recover.
Fighting against two players with heavy colossals requires patience, but it's no problem for a hyper armor setup.
What makes this build truly stand out in these encounters is its ability to trade hits. While many other builds might require dodging and waiting for the right openings, this setup thrives when you get into the thick of combat. I trade blows with one player, tanking a hit with my shield and then following up with a powerful Red Bear Hunt combo, taking down the phantom with ease.
Conclusion: The Strength of the Red Bear's Claw Build
The Board and Claw Setup in Elden Ring is one of the most satisfying and effective builds for those who enjoy tanking through damage and trading blows with enemies. Red Bear's Claw, when paired with the right talismans and Red Bear Hunt Ash of War, can dish out some devastating damage while allowing you to take hits from opponents without losing your momentum. It may not have the agility of some lighter builds, but it makes up for it with sheer power and survivability.
If you're looking for a fun and effective Strength build that focuses on brutal, unrelenting offense and defense, more Elden Ring Runes, this is definitely worth considering. From PvP invasions to boss fights, the Bear's Claw provides a satisfying mix of raw damage, hyper armor, and aggressive play that will keep your enemies on their toes.