Elden Ring, FromSoftware’s newest game, offers players plenty of variety when it comes to weaponry and character builds. Building an archer is something many players have tried to do in previous FromSoftware games, but has never been more viable than in Elden Ring. Although this build requires a bit of setup before it gets going, its impressive damage output from a safe distance can make certain boss fights in Elden Ring almost trivial. Before players begin, it will be important to consider what attributes to level up, as they may not be as obvious as they might seem for this build.

Building an archer requires more setup than most classes, meaning that players are required to do a bit of prep work at the beginning of the game in order to make it viable. One of the most important things to do early will be to level up the bows to at least plus three. This can be done by traveling to storm hill, near the giant enemies, and having them smash the half-buried stones there to find some smithing stones.

Related: Elden Ring: Starting Classes Guide (Stats, Equipment, & Playstyles)

The most important thing other than upgrading weapons in Elden Ring is to stockpile arrows. Players can buy arrows from merchants, which is often the best way to increase their damage during the early game, as these arrows do very good damage, or craft their own. To do this, they will need to buy the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [1] and the Crafting Kit from the merchant. This will enable them to craft Bone Arrows, which may not do much damage but are very easy to farm and stockpile.

How to Build an Archer in Elden Ring

Elder RIng Archer

The first thing players will want to do is start Elden Ring as a bandit or a samurai since either are viable choices for an archer build. The bandit starts with a Shortbow, while the samurai starts with a Longbow. As an archer, players will want to own both of these eventually, but acquiring the Shortbow early is a bit easier, making the samurai class in Elden Ring generally a better choice. As a keepsake, the Golden Seed is the best option as having an extra Sacred Flask early on can be extremely valuable.

Even though Strength and Dexterity increase the damage a player does with bows, the ones a player has access to during the early game have very poor scaling. At a glance, Endurance can also seem attractive for this build, as players are constantly kitting enemies via rolls and sprints; however, each point spent on this attribute increases stamina very marginally, as the main upside is the increase in equipment load. For these reasons, as players level up in Elden Ring, they should first focus on getting Vigor up to at least 20 when building an archer, as it will provide the most value early and ensure they can survive at least one hit from most enemies in the game.

Next: Elden Ring: Complete Walkthrough, Boss Strategies & Build Guides

Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.