Nanaya Elden Ring

2 min read 11-12-2024

The Lands Between are a brutal place, demanding cunning, skill, and a build capable of weathering the storm of monstrous foes and challenging environments. While many players gravitate towards established meta builds, a compelling alternative lurks in the shadows: the Nanaya build. Often overlooked, this build offers a unique and surprisingly effective approach to conquering the Elden Ring.

What is the Nanaya Build?

The Nanaya build centers around the skill of the katana, specifically focusing on the Rivers of Blood katana. This weapon, with its devastating bleed effect and powerful arcane scaling, forms the cornerstone of the build. It’s not just about raw damage, however. The Nanaya build incorporates high dexterity for increased attack speed and critical hit chance, coupled with sufficient vigor for survivability. The arcane scaling also ensures significant damage output even against foes resistant to physical attacks.

Key Attributes:

Dexterity: This is your primary stat, boosting both attack speed and critical hit rate. Aim for high levels to maximize the effectiveness of the Rivers of Blood katana's quick attacks.
Vigor: While not the highest priority, a solid investment in vigor is crucial for survival. You'll still be vulnerable, even with this build, and sufficient health is critical for weathering enemy attacks.
Arcane: This stat amplifies the bleed build-up and the weapon art damage of the Rivers of Blood katana, making it a significant contributor to overall damage output.
Mind: While less critical, sufficient mind ensures you can maintain your FP for necessary spells or weapon arts.

Essential Equipment:

Beyond the Rivers of Blood katana, other key equipment pieces can enhance the Nanaya build. These include:

A secondary weapon: A reliable backup weapon can provide versatility, such as a shield for defense or a spell-casting tool for ranged attacks.
Talismans: Talismans that boost dexterity, arcane, or attack power will significantly amplify the build's effectiveness. Consider talismans that improve bleed build-up or critical hit chance.
Armor: Choose armor that offers a balance between defense and weight. You'll want to maintain a relatively high agility rating to avoid movement penalties.

Why Nanaya? A Deeper Dive into its Strengths

The Nanaya build isn't merely a bleed-focused rushdown strategy. It offers a satisfying blend of offense and defense, requiring skillful play and positioning to maximize its potential.

Advantages:

High Damage Output: The Rivers of Blood katana's bleed effect coupled with high dexterity produces incredibly high damage potential.
Versatility: While centered around the Rivers of Blood, the inclusion of a secondary weapon or spells allows for flexibility and adaptation to different combat scenarios.
Relatively Easy to Acquire: The Rivers of Blood is obtainable relatively early in the game, allowing for a consistent build throughout much of your playthrough.

Disadvantages:

Vulnerability to Crowd Control: The Nanaya build can struggle against enemies with strong crowd control effects, requiring skillful evasion or timing.
Dependence on Bleed: While highly effective, its reliance on bleed makes it less effective against enemies with high bleed resistance.
Requires Skill: Mastering the katana’s rapid attacks and precise timing is crucial for maximizing damage and survival.

Conclusion: A Worthy Challenger

The Nanaya build, often overlooked amidst flashier alternatives, offers a unique and rewarding Elden Ring experience. Its strengths and weaknesses demand precise play and strategic awareness, rewarding skilled players with a thrilling and efficient approach to conquering the Lands Between. It’s a testament to the game's depth that even unconventional builds like Nanaya can prove incredibly effective.