I remember the first time I saw it. A fellow Tarnished, clad in a stark white mask, danced around a Crucible Knight. Their blade, the infamous Rivers of Blood, painted the air with crimson arcs. Then, boom—the knight, a towering bastion of golden might, simply exploded in a shower of gore. In that moment, I knew. I had to become a Lord of Blood. Fast forward to 2026, and after countless hours perfecting the art across the Lands Between and the haunting realms of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, I'm here to share my story. This isn't just a build; it's a philosophy of controlled, explosive violence. Buckle up, Tarnished.

The core of this build is simple, yet devastatingly elegant. My goal was never to chip away at a health bar. No, sir. My goal was to fill an invisible meter with every slash, every thrust, until the sheer pressure of accumulated blood loss caused my foe to detonate. It’s about that satisfying pop and the brief, beautiful stagger that follows, opening them up for the final blow. Think of it as setting a fuse and then watching the fireworks. When it comes to pure, unadulterated DPS, very few setups can hold a candle to a well-executed Bleed build. It’s the perfect blend of a weapon's raw physical bite and that ludicrous percentage-based damage that Blood Loss delivers. It’s absolutely bonkers.

Getting the Stats Right: My Personal Blueprint

You can have the fanciest weapon in the world, but without the right stats, you're just swinging a fancy stick. Here’s the stat spread I settled on after all my trial and error. This is the sweet spot, the golden ratio for a Bleed specialist in the current meta.

Stat	My Target Value	Why It Matters
Vigor	60	Non-negotiable. You need a massive health pool to trade hits while you're building up that bleed. No HP, no DPS. It's that simple.
Mind	15	Just enough for a few Weapon Art uses. You're not a mage; you're a butcher.
Endurance	30	Stamina to swing and roll, plus Equip Load to wear decent armor without fat-rolling.
Strength	17	Meets the minimum for most of my favorite weapons.
Dexterity	45	The soft cap. This pushes your physical damage through the roof, making you lethal even against skeletons and other bleed-immune annoyances.
Intelligence	9	Who needs sorceries when you have blood?
Faith	8	Incantations are cool, but explosions are cooler.
Arcane	45	The most important stat. This is the engine of your build. It boosts your weapon's damage and makes you build up Bleed status ludicrously fast. Hitting the soft cap here is a game-changer.

The key takeaways? Pump Vigor first for survival, then get Arcane and Dexterity to 45. Everything else supports that core. Endurance lets you wear heavier gear for poise, which is a godsend when you're in the thick of it.

My Arsenal: Tools of the Trade

Choosing your weapon is like choosing a dance partner. You need something that feels right and can keep up with your aggressive tempo. My philosophy? Inflict as much bleed, as fast as possible. Here are my go-to partners in crime:

• 🏆 Rivers of Blood: My old reliable. This katana is brutally effective, thanks entirely to its Corpse Piler Weapon Art. It builds bleed fast, deals insane damage, and has the classic, versatile katana moveset. It's a classic for a reason.

• 🔥 Eleonora's Poleblade: For when I want to feel like a whirling dervish of death. This twinblade builds bleed at a ludicrous rate, and its Weapon Art is a spectacle of power and mobility. Its standard attacks are much faster than Rivers of Blood, perfect for aggressive combos.

• ⚔️ Godskin Peeler & Uchigatana: The custom jobs. On their own, they're okay. But take them to a Blacksmith, infuse them with a Blood Affinity, and they become absolute monsters. I love dual-wielding these—pair the Uchigatana with Rivers of Blood, or the Godskin Peeler with Eleonora's Poleblade for the best of both worlds.

• ✨ Star-Lined Sword (Shadow of the Erdtree): A fantastic DLC addition. Its Bleed passive works wonders with the Onze's Line of Stars skill, letting you trigger blood loss from a surprising distance. Very stylish.

• 🐉 Dragon Hunter's Great Katana (Shadow of the Erdtree): The new heavy hitter. It inflicts even more bleed per hit (55 vs. 45) than the Star-Lined Sword. Using its Dragonwound Slash is a simple way to melt big targets.

Talismans, Armor & The Magic Flask

Gear makes the Tarnished. Here’s what I never leave the Site of Grace without.

Talismans (My Loadout):

1. Lord of Blood's Exultation: The crown jewel. When bleed procs nearby, your attack power soars by 20% for 20 seconds. This is mandatory. No exceptions.

2. Erdtree's Favor +2: More HP, more Stamina, more Equip Load. It's the ultimate quality-of-life talisman.

3. Shard of Alexander: If you're spamming Corpse Piler or Eleonora's dance, this 15% skill damage boost is chef's kiss.

4. Flex Slot: This is where I adapt.

   • Winged Sword Insignia: For twinblade combos. Successive hits get stronger.

   • Claw Talisman: If you live and die by jump attacks (and you should).

   • Two-Handed Sword Talisman: Perfect for the Dragon Hunter's Great Katana.

   • Blessed Blue Dew Talisman: A new favorite. Slowly restores FP, so you can use your weapon skill more freely between fights.

Armor: Wear the heaviest stuff you can while keeping a Medium Roll. Poise and defense let you tank a hit to finish your combo. However, one piece is non-negotiable: the White Mask. It gives you a 10% attack boost when bleed procs nearby, and yes, it stacks with Lord of Blood's Exultation. It's a double-dip of destruction every single time.

Flask of Wondrous Physick: My pre-fight cocktail.

• Leaden Hardtear: 10 seconds of hyper-armor. You can trade with anything and not flinch. Absolute lifesaver against aggressive bosses.

• Dexterity-knot Crystal Tear: A +10 Dex boost for 3 minutes. More damage for the entire fight. It's a no-brainer.

How I Fight: The Rhythm of Blood

Putting it all together is where the magic happens. My engagement playlist goes something like this:

1. Prep Phase: Before I even lock on, I drink my Wondrous Physick. Leaden Hardtear and Dex-knot activated. I'm now primed.

2. Opening Gambit: I engage with a jumping attack. It does good damage, and with the Claw Talisman, it does great damage. It also often scores the first hit towards that bleed bar.

3. The Dance: I back off just a hair as they recover, then close the distance. This is when I unleash my Weapon Art—Corpse Piler, Eleonora's flurry, whatever. I time it so the first slash connects as they step into range.

4. The Payoff: I watch for the bleed proc. The splatter, the stagger, the satisfying sound. The White Mask and Lord of Blood's Exultation icons flash on my screen. My damage is now through the roof.

5. Cleanup: While they're staggered and I'm buffed, I go in for the kill. Then, I reset and do it all over again for the next poor soul.

Against bosses or tanky enemies that don't bleed easily, I might start by using Seppuku on my off-hand weapon for an instant, massive bleed boost on myself, priming my talismans and mask from the get-go. It's a bit hardcore, but hey, no risk, no reward.

This build has carried me through every challenge, from the base game's demigods to the terrifying new champions of the Shadow of the Erdtree. It’s versatile, powerful, and above all, it’s a blast to play. So get out there, Tarnished. Hunt down these tools, master the rhythm, and become a true Lord of Blood. See you in the Lands Between. 🤘