Elden Ring: Best Build for Moonlight Greatsword

Moonlight Greatsword is one of the most iconic weapons in FromSoftware games. It is present in every Soulsborne game and Elden Ring is no exception. However, in Elden Ring with the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, it is one of the strongest weapons in the game. It is an Intelligence based weapon and is one of the nine Legendary Armaments. The weapon skill on it is also one of the strongest and allows you to melt bosses while being at range. This article will go over how to obtain it and fully utilize it.

How To Obtain

Moonlight Greatsword is obtained after completing Ranni’s questline. It is one of the longer questlines and to complete it players must first defeat Starscourge Radhan. After defeating him players need to visit the city of Nokron, where they need to retrieve Fingerslayer Blade. Return to Ranni The Witch and players will be teleported to Ainsel’s River. Players will have a Ranni doll and after interacting with it three times they will be prompted to defeat an invading NPC boss.

Defeating the boss will reward players with a Discarded Palace Key. This key can be used in the Raya Lucaria Grand Library which will allow players to obtain the Dark Moon Ring. Players will then need to defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. The final step will require players to travel to the Cathedral of Manus Celes, where a cutscene will play and players will obtain the Moonlight Greatsword.

Moonlight Greatsword Overview

Elden Ring, Moonlight Greatsword
Screenshot from Elden Ring, Courtesy of FromSoftware

Moonlight Greatsword is a Greatsword that has the standard moveset. This moveset is effective as it has decent speed and covers a decent range. This weapon comes with the skill also called the Moonlight Greatsword. This allows the charged heavy attack to do an animation that charges the weapon. Heavy attacks when the weapon is charged allow this weapon to do ranged projectile attacks. This weapon also comes with passive 55 Frost buildup which is one of the better status effects in Elden Ring. This weapon cannot be infused with other Ashes of War and requires Somber Smithing Stones to be upgraded.

Stat Requirements and Scaling

Moonlight Greatsword is primarily an Intelligence weapon with slight scaling in Strength and Dexterity. It comes with an initial scaling of D in both Strength and Dexterity with a C scaling in Intelligence. This can be upgraded to a B in Intelligence with the maximum upgrade. It also requires 16 points in Strength, 11 points in Dexterity, and 38 points in Intelligence.

Synergetic Weapons & Spells

Moonlight Greatsword is an Intelligence weapon and if players are using it then they should go with an Intelligence-based build. Players can use any Sorceries they think suits their playstyle the best. In terms of the best Staff to use, Carian Regal Scepter is the best option. It requires 60 Intelligence points to use which players should have with this build.

Talismans

Talismans are one of the core components of build crafting in Elden Ring. They provide certain benefits and cater to various playstyles. The best Talisman options with this build are:

  • Godfrey Icon: It boosts the charged Spells and Skills to deal 15 percent more damage.
  • Carian Filgreed Crest: It lowers the FP consumption of Skills by 25 percent.
  • Shard of Alexander: Increases the damage of Skills by 15 percent.
  • Magic Scorpion Charm: Increases the Magic damage by 12 damage but also lowers the player’s damage negation.

Stats Priority

The skill of this weapon scales primarily off of Intelligence so leveling up this stat is the priority. Then players should focus on Dexterity as it is the best way to boost this weapon’s physical damage. Players should then focus on their Health, FP, and Stamina. For the build, players should also focus on utilizing the weapon skill as much as possible. It is what makes this weapon strong and worth using over other Greatswords.

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