Elden Ring Samurai Class: A Guide for Beginners

Elden Ring offers a vast array of classes, but one that stands out for both beginners and veterans alike is the Samurai. This class is particularly appealing for its versatility, combining solid melee combat with long-range attacks. In this guide, we will break down how to effectively play the Samurai class, focusing on the early game, its strengths and Elden Ring Runes weaknesses, and how you can build upon its abilities to master the Lands Between.

 Why Choose the Samurai?

The Samurai class in Elden Ring offers a well-rounded experience. Whether you're just getting started in Elden Ring or you're a fan of previous Soulsborne games, this class provides the perfect balance between melee and ranged combat. The Samurai starts with both the Uchigatana, a reliable dexterity-based weapon, and a longbow, allowing you to handle enemies both up close and from afar.

The starting gear is excellent for newcomers because it covers a broad range of scenarios. The Uchigatana is not only a great melee weapon, but it also applies a bleed effect on enemies after multiple strikes, dealing a chunk of extra damage. Meanwhile, the longbow provides range and utility, letting you thin out crowds of enemies before engaging in melee combat.

 Starting with the Samurai: Golden Seed and First Steps

When creating a Samurai, one of the best keepsakes to choose is the Golden Seed. This seed gives you an additional healing or mana flask right from the start, making a noticeable difference in the early game when resources are scarce. Since you’ll likely be switching between health and mana potions often, especially when using the Unsheathe ability on the Uchigatana or the Mighty Shot skill with the longbow, the extra flask will give you an edge.

Once you’ve created your Samurai, the first step is to get familiar with the crafting system, especially crafting arrows. Arrows can be in short supply early on, but the game allows you to craft them with ease. Head to the Church of Elleh to buy the crafting kit and learn the recipe for bone arrows, which can be made from the bones of animals you hunt. Farming animals like sheep in nearby areas will ensure you have enough arrows to maintain your ranged attacks without needing to spend too many runes.

 Mastering the Uchigatana and Unsheathe Ability

The Uchigatana is the bread and butter of the Samurai class. This sword has an excellent move set, combining swift strikes with dexterity scaling, making it perfect for agile players. The Uchigatana’s charged R2 attack is especially useful. It allows you to close the gap between you and enemies quickly, catching them off guard and often interrupting their attacks.

Perhaps the most powerful tool in the Samurai’s arsenal is the Unsheathe ability. This weapon art is executed by two-handing the Uchigatana (hold Y/triangle and press R1), allowing you to perform a fast, high-damage slash that can devastate most enemies, even bosses. Unsheathe uses FP, so you’ll need to balance your flask usage between health and mana, but it’s incredibly powerful. In many encounters, using Unsheathe as a follow-up after dodging an attack will allow you to punish enemies with quick, decisive strikes.

If you're new to Elden Ring or Soulsborne games, Unsheathe can make your experience much smoother. It provides a great balance between speed and damage, and once you get the timing down, you can chain attacks together to keep the pressure on bosses and tougher enemies.

 Using the Longbow Effectively

The Samurai’s longbow is more than just a tool for pulling enemies. It can be a lifesaver when dealing with groups or enemies that are too dangerous to approach head-on. The Mighty Shot skill allows you to charge an arrow, using FP to deliver a powerful strike that can one-shot many weaker enemies early on. This ability is especially useful when you’re approaching a group of foes, as you can thin their numbers before engaging in melee combat.

One of the key strategies for the Samurai is learning when to switch between the bow and the Uchigatana. While the Uchigatana excels in close combat, the longbow allows you to dictate the pace of a fight, picking off enemies from a distance or softening up a boss before switching to melee. In boss fights, you can often start with the bow, dealing damage from afar before switching to the sword once the enemy gets close.

Later in the game, you can craft arrows that apply bleed buildup, similar to the Uchigatana. These arrows are less damaging per shot, but they help increase the bleed bar on tougher enemies and bosses. Using bleed arrows in combination with your melee strikes can lead to a massive burst of damage when the bleed effect triggers, making them an excellent addition to your arsenal.

 Early Game Stats and Progression

When distributing your stats early on, focus on dexterity and vigor. Dexterity will increase your damage output with the Uchigatana and the longbow, while vigor ensures you can survive in melee combat, especially during boss fights. You’ll want to aim for around 20 dexterity and 20 vigor in the early game, balancing your survivability and damage output.

Another important stat to consider is mind, which increases your FP. Unsheathe and Mighty Shot both use FP, and you’ll quickly find yourself running out of mana if your mind stat is too low. Taking mind up to around 15 should give you enough FP to use these abilities regularly without needing to rely too much on mana flasks. In terms of flask distribution, aim for around 5 health flasks to 1 mana flask early on. This will allow you to heal more often, while still having enough FP to use your abilities in key moments.

Endurance is another stat worth mentioning, especially if you plan on wearing heavier armor or using more stamina-consuming attacks. However, the Samurai's starting armor is quite balanced, so you won't need to pump too many points into endurance early on. Focus on vigor and dexterity first, then sprinkle in endurance and mind as needed.

 Upgrading Your Equipment

As you progress through the game, upgrading your Uchigatana and longbow is essential. Smithing stones can be found throughout the world, and one of the best early locations to farm them is in the Stormhill region. Here, you’ll find a statue that can be broken by a nearby troll, yielding six smithing stones that can be used to upgrade your weapons.

Getting your Uchigatana to +2 or +3 early on will significantly boost your damage output, making encounters easier to handle. Additionally, don’t hesitate to upgrade your bow if you find yourself using it frequently, especially for ranged boss strategies.

 Samurai Combat Strategies

When playing as the Samurai, your approach to combat will vary depending on the enemies you face. Against aggressive enemies, it’s often better to play defensively, rolling away from attacks and then countering with Unsheathe. The speed and reach of this ability make it ideal for punishing enemies after a missed attack.

Against defensive or ranged enemies, take the fight to them. Use your bow to force them to close the gap, or charge in with the Uchigatana to apply pressure. The bleed buildup from your sword will help rip chunks of health from tougher foes, making aggressive playstyles highly rewarding.

On horseback, the Samurai excels at both melee and ranged combat. The Uchigatana’s R2 and L2 attacks from horseback have wide, sweeping hitboxes that can deal massive damage, especially once you learn the timing of when to strike. You can even take on field bosses entirely from horseback, using a combination of your bow and sword to stay mobile while dealing consistent damage.

 Conclusion: Why the Samurai is Perfect for Beginners

The Samurai class is a fantastic choice for newcomers to Elden Ring because of its balanced playstyle and versatility. With a strong starting weapon, ranged capabilities, and access to bleed damage, the Samurai is well-equipped to handle whatever the game throws at you. By focusing on dexterity, vigor, and mind, upgrading your Uchigatana and bow, and best place to buy elden ring items mastering the Unsheathe ability, you’ll have everything you need to conquer the early game and beyond.