Bloodhound's Fang OP Start
SamuraiA sequence-breaking Samurai run that loots Bloodhound's Fang from Darriwil with Blaidd's help in the first hour, then teleports through Caelid and Liurnia to farm Somber Smithing Stones 1 through 9 and push the curved greatsword to +9. Bloodflame Blade plus the weapon's inherent bleed keeps the proc meter ticking between swings, while Flame Grant Me Strength and Golden Vow stack onto the L2 to R2 Bloodhound's Finesse combo. Sleep Pots disable bosses like the Godskin Noble for an uninterrupted three-hit burst, and Spirit Ashes hold aggro while you cycle the buff stack.
Damage
Three-hit Bloodhound's Finesse combo procs bleed on sleeping bosses for ~20% HP chunks
Survivability
1,900+ HP at 60 Vigor. Sleep windows + Spirit Ash aggro avoid most damage entirely
Boss
Trivializes Margit, Godrick, and Godskin Noble via the Sleep cycle
Samurai
Samurai is Elden Ring's dexterity-focused melee starting class. It begins with 15 Dex, the Uchigatana's native bleed, and the Unsheathe Ash of War, so the build's identity is already live at level 1. The 17 Dex requirement on Bloodhound's Fang lines up exactly with Samurai's starting stats, which is the whole reason this start picks Samurai instead of any other melee class.
The build's centerpiece. A unique curved greatsword with 55 bleed buildup baked in, S-tier Dex scaling once upgraded, and Bloodhound's Finesse as its weapon art. Hand-tuned for the 17 Dex starting stat of the Samurai class. Two-handing drops the Strength requirement to 12 if Radagon's Soreseal isn't slotted yet.
How to Obtain
General-purpose Sacred Seal for casting the build's incantations. No spell-type bonus and 108 base Incantation Scaling, but Faith C scaling at base improves to S at max upgrade. Light enough at 1.5 weight to swap into the right hand for Bloodflame Blade and Flame Grant Me Strength without breaking equip load.
How to Obtain
Stat-padding talisman that adds +5 to Vigor, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity. The +5 Str is what carries the build past Bloodhound's Fang's 18 Strength requirement before the Greyoll rune dump. The +15% damage taken penalty hurts before 40 Vigor but is heavily outweighed by the stat boosts in the early game. Swap out once 60 Vig is online and other talismans become preferable.
How to Obtain
Two-slot mix-and-match flask. Drink right before crossing the fog wall to stack both tears for 3 minutes — long enough to cover an entire boss fight on a single charge. The flask itself is unlocked at the Third Church of Marika in Limgrave; tears are collected from Minor Erdtrees across the map.
How to Obtain
First-tier upgrade material for special weapons. Pushes Bloodhound's Fang from base to +1.
How to Obtain
Combat Strategy
- ▸Mix Flask of Wondrous Physick with Dexterity-knot Crystal Tear and a stamina-recovery tear before every major fight.
- ▸Equip the Dagger and self-cast Golden Vow for the +11.5% attack and +7.5% defense buff lasting ~80 seconds.
- ▸Swap to the Finger Seal and cast Flame Grant Me Strength (+20% Physical and Fire) then Bloodflame Blade (60s weapon coating).
- ▸Drink an FP flask to top up before the fog wall. Confirm 10-15 Sleep Pots are in the quick-item bar.
- ▸Throw a Sleep Pot the moment the boss is in range. Most non-Undead bosses sleep in one or two pots.
- ▸Switch to Bloodhound's Fang while the sleep buildup ticks. Position behind the boss for the safest follow-up.
- ▸Do NOT summon a Spirit Ash during the sleep window. The summon will rush the boss and wake it before the burst lands.
- ▸Chain Bloodhound's Finesse L2 to R2 twice during the sleep window. The backstep into lunge clears 8 FP per cast (12 charged).
- ▸Follow with a heavy two-handed R2 for the third strike. Time it so the final hit lands just as the boss wakes for the Bloodflame Blade proc on full HP.
- ▸Between sleep windows, summon Fanged Imp Ashes (or Mimic Tear at endgame) to hold aggro while re-buffing and re-potting.
- ▸Reapply Bloodflame Blade every 60 seconds. Flame Grant Me Strength every 30 seconds. Golden Vow lasts the full fight.
- ▸Apply Bloodflame Blade right before the boss wakes so the bleed proc fires on the final hit of the sleep combo.
- ▸Stack the buffs in order: Golden Vow first, Flame Grant Me Strength second, Bloodflame Blade last. Order matters because Bloodflame is a weapon coating that needs to be the most recent buff to refresh on every swing.
- ▸Use Bloodhound's Finesse charged R2 (12 FP) for the largest single hit when the bleed bar is close to filling.
- ▸If aggro shifts off the Spirit Ash, retreat to medium range and roll behind a pillar to break the boss's lock-on. Re-summon when the cooldown allows.
- ▸Use the stamina-recovery tear in the Physick if extended sleep windows drain stamina from chained R2s.
- ▸When HP dips below 50%, sip the Crimson Flask and let Flame Grant Me Strength's +5/s stamina regen carry the next combo.
- ▸Against sleep-immune bosses (most Undead and certain dragons), skip the pot opener and rely on Spirit Ash aggro plus Bloodflame procs for the same DPS in a slower window.
- ▸Two-hand Bloodhound's Fang for the +50% effective Str scaling on the heavy combo finisher. The 17 Dex requirement is unchanged when two-handing.
- ▸Stack Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot before any boss that gives more than 5,000 runes. Every level is another Vigor or Dex point on the path to 60/80.
Sources
Verified: 2026-05-13 · All content is original with full credit to original creators.