Let me tell you something, folks. As a Tarnished who has seen it all, from the early days of getting stomped by Malenia to the brutal challenges of the Shadow of the Erdtree, I thought I had mastered the art of dishing out punishment. But then, I saw it—the legendary number: 105,527 damage in a single, glorious hit. A record set by the streamer Ainrun back in the DLC's heyday, a number so absurd it made the very gods of The Lands Between tremble. I knew right then and there, my new purpose was not just to match it, but to push the boundaries of what was thought possible in 2026. This wasn't just about beating a boss; this was about performing a symphony of destruction, a perfect storm of buffs, debuffs, and frame-perfect timing that would make physics itself cry uncle. Buckle up, because this is the story of my journey to craft the ultimate one-shot obliteration.

The Holy Trinity of Headgear: Madness, Poison, and Blood, Oh My!

The foundation of this insane damage is built on a crazy principle: trigger-and-forget buffs. You don't need to keep the gear on, you just need to suffer for a second to gain its power. It's like getting a temporary superpower from a very specific kind of torture. My inventory became a pharmacy of self-harm:

• Black Dumpling: You gotta get Madness, my dude. I'd stare into the eyes of a Frenzied Flame projectile and let the madness take hold. The buff activates, and poof, off goes the helmet!

• Mushroom Crown: Next, I'd get myself poisoned. Rolling in a poison swamp or poking myself with a rotten dagger did the trick. Once the green mist surrounded me, the Crown's work was done.

• White Mask: Finally, blood loss. A quick Ash of War: Seppuku on a spare weapon made me bleed. The mask glowed, the buff activated, and I was one step closer to godhood.

It sounds insane because it is insane. I was literally poisoning, bleeding, and driving myself mad for power. Talk about a toxic relationship with your equipment!

The Buff Ballet: A Dance of Menus and Milliseconds

This is where things get seriously sweaty. We're talking about a buff stack so dense it would make a black hole jealous. You have about 30 seconds to apply everything before the timers run out. It's a high-stakes ballet performed in the equipment menu. Here's the core playlist for my symphony of pain:

Buff Type	Item/Spell	Key Effect	Pro-Tip
Talisman Buffs	Lord of Blood's Exultation, Kindred of Rot's Exultation, etc.	20% damage boost on status proc	Apply and immediately swap them out for other gear!
Consumable Buff	Bloodboil Aromatic	Huge attack power boost	Chug this bad boy for a straight stat injection.
Wonderous Mix	Flask with Spiked Cracked Tear	Enhances consecutive attacks	The secret sauce for that charged heavy hit.
Incantation	Howl of Shabriri	Massive damage buff, but makes you take more damage	The high-risk, high-reward centerpiece. I'd use a St. Trina's Arrow to put myself to sleep RIGHT after casting it, canceling the long recovery animation and saving precious seconds. Genius!
Weapon Skill	Rallying Standard	Another huge attack/defense buff	Plant the flag, feel the power surge, then swap the weapon out.
Armor Set	Rakshasa's Set	Damage increase per piece	I'd save the helmet for last, equipping the full set just before the final blow.
DLC Power	Max Scadutree Fragments	Non-negotiable for DLC bosses	If you haven't scoured every inch of the Realm of Shadow, you're not ready for this.

The Arsenal of Annihilation: Choosing the Weapon of Mass Destruction

After all that buffing, you can't just hit the boss with a wet noodle. You need the biggest, meanest piercing weapon in the game. For years, the champion has been the Fire Knight's Greatsword. Why? It has the highest potential piercing damage in the game, especially when you use the Royal Knight's Resolve Ash of War, which nearly doubles your next attack's power.

But here's the real kicker, the pro gamer move: you have to hit the boss while they are in an attack animation. This triggers counter damage, a hidden multiplier that makes your big number even bigger. So you're not just hitting them; you're punishing them for daring to fight back. It's the ultimate disrespect.

And let's not forget the debuffs! Before even entering the fog wall, I'd use the Winged Greathorn's skill to create an area that lowers enemy defenses. Luring the boss into that zone is step one of the actual fight.

The Final Countdown: Executing the Perfect One-Shot

The stage is set. My Tarnished is a walking apocalypse of glowing buffs and self-inflicted wounds. I enter the arena against the final boss of the DLC. My heart is pounding. I have seconds.

1. Lure & Debuff: I get the boss to walk through my pre-placed Winged Greathorn aura.

2. The Bait: I stand just close enough to bait out a specific, long attack animation.

3. The Commitment: I hold down the heavy attack button, charging the Fire Knight's Greatsword to its limit. Royal Knight's Resolve glows on the blade.

4. The Impact...

BOOM.

The health bar doesn't drain. It vanishes. One moment the boss is there, the next—a fading mist of particles and a victory screen. The number 105,527 flashes, a beautiful, ridiculous testament to min-maxing madness. The second phase? Skipped. The struggle? Erased. In that one moment, I wasn't just a Tarnished; I was a force of nature.

In 2026, this is the pinnacle of Elden Ring's player-driven science. It's not for the faint of heart. It requires precision, knowledge, and a willingness to perform equipment gymnastics that would make a circus contortionist proud. But the reward? It's the most satisfying "DELETE" button in all of gaming. So go out there, fellow Tarnished, stack your buffs, master the swap, and show those demigods what a truly optimized build looks like. Just remember, with great power comes a great need to manage 15 different buff timers simultaneously. Good luck! You're gonna need it.