Elden Ring Nightreign's Forsaken Hollows DLC, brings exciting new content for fans of FromSoftware’s challenging RPG. Among the most notable additions is the Scholar, a unique nightfarer class that stands out for its arcane support focus, versatile abilities, and intriguing approach to gameplay. This guide covers everything you need to know about the Scholar, from stats and abilities to weapons, gear, and practical build strategies.
Elden Ring Scholar Stats, Abilities, Relic, Weapon & Build Guide
The Scholar arrives in Nightreign Forsaken Hollows as an Arcane support-based character, equipped with a suite of abilities that cater to both solo adventurers and co-op teams. Showcased in recent gameplay trailers, the Scholar demonstrates a high skill ceiling, multi-faceted support tools, and the potential for creative item-based builds. While players continue to analyze every detail, it’s clear the Scholar is meant for those who appreciate strategic play, item management, and a blend of buffs, debuffs, and direct support.
Scholar Stats
The Scholar’s base stat distribution reflects his role as a hybrid support with arcane prowess rather than pure damage or tanking. Here’s the stat spread for the new Nightfares Scholar:
Vigor: 41
Mind: 20
Endurance: 25
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 18
Intelligence: 28
Faith: 15
Arcane: 50
This allocation gives the Scholar a respectable health pool and decent stamina, but his real strength lies in his high Arcane and Intelligence, making him well-suited for manipulating consumables, supporting allies, and wielding magical attacks. Notably, the Scholar does not gain significant value from Arcane outside of his ultimate, as his main weapon does not scale with Arcane.
Two Deep of Night relics further refine his potential:
The first relic grants +9 Mind for -3 Vigor.
The second relic provides +6 Endurance and +40 Dexterity for -4 Intelligence and -20 Arcane, essentially allowing for a completely different playstyle with a huge Dexterity boost.
Scholar Abilities (Passive & Skills)
The Scholar’s kit is built around supporting the team, disrupting enemies, and manipulating items in innovative ways. His abilities are:
Passive: Bagcraft
Bagcraft allows the Scholar to store additional resources and increase the power or effect of items through repeated use. For example, instead of the usual two per pouch, you may be able to carry three or even four of certain consumables (like Stone Sword Keys or Boiled Crabs). This encourages making full use of consumables such as throwing pots, perfumes, and even talismans that might otherwise be ignored.
Repeated use upgrades these items, sometimes giving them new effects. An example is the Gravity Stone Chunk, which after being used enough times, gains a gravity pulling effect. Lightning pots, after being upgraded, can explode twice—potentially doubling their damage output. However, pots and consumables do not scale with player level, so their effectiveness may decrease across longer runs unless supported by specific relics.
Character Skill: Analyze
Upon activation, Analyze puts the Scholar into a stance that highlights enemies and allies within a circle. The longer you observe a target, the faster the circular mark fills up, especially if they’re closer. Once the circle is full, you unlock actions such as powerful buffs or debuffs.
Debuffs: Enemies can be afflicted with effects like increased damage taken, reduced damage dealt, or even unique status effects (like a white debuff that might either slow or make them more vulnerable to the next hit).
Buffs: The Scholar may grant a protective bubble to himself or allies, which could provide stamina improvements or trigger a damaging AoE burst when struck.
This skill’s versatility makes it valuable in many situations, as it can shift between offense and defense based on what’s needed.
Ultimate Art: Communion
Communion links enemies together, sharing damage among them, and also heals threaded allies. This ability is straightforward; when enemies are linked, damage dealt to one is distributed across the group. Healing is also spread among allies who are threaded by this ultimate. While it may not match the Recluse’s ultimate for direct damage or revive potential, Communion offers reliable group support and excels in encounters with multiple enemies.
Scholar Weapons & Gear
While the Scholar’s base weapon does not scale with Arcane, his move set resembles a light greatsword, featuring a mix of pokes and sweeping attacks. The Scholar also possesses a unique faint attack (a backstep retreating animation) that appears to grant invincibility frames—a trait typically not present in standard heavy attack cancels.
The Scholar’s gear selection includes several new armor sets:
Curse Dawn Darkness Partner: A black set inspired by Vela’s partner from Dark Souls, with further references to King Jeremiah and the Old Monk from Demon’s Souls.
Exanthis: Another set with connections to classic FromSoftware titles.
These gear options not only offer style but may also grant unique bonuses or enhanced stats, depending on your build and the relics you select.
Scholar Relics
Relics are a cornerstone for customizing your Scholar. The DLC introduces several new relics, each offering substantial bonuses and trade-offs:
Deep of Night Relics
First Relic: Grants +9 Mind at the cost of -3 Vigor. This is ideal for builds that want more spell casting capacity, trading a bit of health for additional FP.
Second Relic: Provides +6 Endurance and a massive +40 Dexterity but reduces Intelligence by 4 and Arcane by 20. This configuration allows for a completely different approach, shifting the Scholar into a swift, dexterity-based playstyle.
The second relic, in particular, stands out for enabling a very aggressive, fast-attacking Scholar build.
Remembrance Relics
Cleansing Tier: Causes continuous damage to targets threatened by the Scholar’s ultimate, improves affinity damage negation, and defeating enemies fills more Arcane.
Note, My Dear Successor: Allies targeted by the Scholar’s character skill receive an attack boost. Additionally, this relic prevents slowing of the character skill’s progress and reduces character skill cooldown.
These relics are tailored to amplify the Scholar’s support role and can be used to refine your approach depending on your preferred combat style.
Scholar Build Guide
Building an effective Scholar means balancing support, item efficiency, and situational adaptability.
Stat Priorities
Focus on Arcane and Intelligence to maximize item upgrades, status manipulation, and spell effectiveness.
Endurance and Vigor provide survivability, which is important for a support role that may need to stay in the fight longer.
Consider Mind if you plan to cast spells frequently.
Relics & Itemization
The Scholar’s relics can dramatically change his playstyle. The first relic (more Mind, less Vigor) leans into casting and support, while the second (+6 Endurance and a massive +40 Dexterity at the cost of Arcane and Intelligence) enables a more aggressive, Dexterity-based approach.
For a consumable-heavy build, stack relics that boost consumable damage. Enhanced relics can increase consumable potency by up to 35%, letting upgraded pots deal over 1,000 damage per throw in optimal conditions.
Remember that consumable-based builds are resource-dependent and may become less effective on longer expeditions due to lack of scaling.
Skill Usage
Use Bagcraft to stockpile and upgrade consumables for both offense and healing.
Analyze is best reserved for moments when you can safely fill the circle, maximizing either a group debuff or a powerful buff for yourself or your allies.
Communion shines in group fights, allowing you to weaken mobs and patch up teammates simultaneously.
Weapons & Gear
While your weapon is not Arcane-scaling, leveraging status effect weapons and spells remains effective.
Choose armor sets that complement your defensive needs or boost relevant stats.
Team Play
The Scholar is especially strong in co-op thanks to his buffs, healing, and ability to keep allies alive with protective effects.
Positioning and timing are key—stay close enough to support, but not so close as to be overwhelmed.