Elden Ring just received a fresh wave of content through the Tarnished Edition, sponsored by Bandai Namco and now running on Nintendo Switch 2. Alongside new armor sets, Torrent skins, and additional weapons, two brand-new character classes joined the roster: the Idus Knight and the Heavy Knight. Among the pair, the Idus Knight has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to its balanced kit, light greatsword moveset, and paladin-style potential once you start layering incantations on top of it.
If you're jumping into a fresh playthrough and want to get the most out of this class, the following guide walks you through everything you need to know, from starting stats to weapons, armor, talismans, buffs, and flask mixes. Let's get into the specifics of what makes this class tick.
Elden Ring Best Idus Knight Build Guide
The Idus Knight is a brand-new starting class exclusive to the Tarnished Edition/Tarnished Pack DLC. It begins at level 7 with dexterity and strength as its highest attributes, plus a bit of faith should you want to lean into incantation spells later on. Right out of the gate, it comes loaded with the Idus Sword (a light greatsword), the Silver Grooved Shield, and the matching Silver Grooved armor set, sitting at a medium equipment load for a decently smooth dodge roll.
Because this class blends melee pressure with light spellcasting potential, the build below is designed to round out its core playstyle with early-game upgrades that push it toward a Paladin-style hybrid. Now let's move on to the stat spread that supports this playstyle.
Idus Knight Build Stats
Since the Idus Sword scales in both strength and dexterity, and the class also has faith available for incantation support, the stat allocation should reflect that hybrid identity. Below is the recommended level 150 stat setup, which you can rebalance as you progress.
Vigor: 60 - Keeps your survivability high enough for both mid-game and endgame boss encounters.
Mind: 15 - Enough FP to cycle through incantations and Ash of War skills without running dry.
Endurance: 25 - Provides stamina for combos while keeping the medium equipment load intact.
Strength: 14 - Meets weapon requirements and gives modest damage scaling.
Dexterity: 79 - Primary damage stat for the light greatsword moveset (aim for 80 with talisman boosts).
Intelligence: Base - No investment needed for this build.
Faith: 25 - Enables Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, and the Sacred Blade skill's holy imbue.
Arcane: Base - Not required for the core kit.
Feel free to adjust the split, pushing more into mind, endurance, or vigor depending on your comfort level. With the numbers sorted, the next step is picking the right weapon and Ash of War.
Elden Ring Idus Knight Weapons & Ash of War
Primary Weapon: Idus Sword
The Idus Sword is the class's starting light greatsword. It begins with D scaling in both strength and dexterity and ships with the Impaling Thrust weapon skill. The thrust itself is honestly solid — good stagger damage, strong pierce damage, and reliable counter-attack potential — but the real upgrade comes from swapping it out.
Recommended Ash of War: Sacred Blade
Head to the Third Church of Marika and grab the Sacred Blade skill from a nearby scarab on the hill just north of the church. Apply it to the Idus Sword and you get a two-in-one benefit: a ranged holy projectile plus a holy damage imbue on your blade. This makes the weapon far more effective against skeletons, undead, and general PvE mobs.
Recommended Combos
Heavy Attack → Heavy Attack: Fires off a quick double swing per input for consistent pressure.
Sprint → Heavy Attack → Light → Light: A five-hit combo initiator when two-handing the sword.
Block → Heavy Attack (Guard Counter): Uses the Silver Grooved Shield to open enemies for critical hits.
Endgame Weapon Upgrade: Malenia's Blade (Hand of Malenia)
Once you push into the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the Hand of Malenia becomes the endgame goal for this build. It shares the light greatsword moveset, but its Waterfowl Dance Ash of War pairs incredibly well with Radagon's Soreseal stance-buff loop. Hold the stance to trigger the damage buff, then chain into her thrust or light attack combo while keeping the buff active.
With weapons settled, we can move on to what you should wear.
Idus Knight Armor Set
Early Game: Silver Grooved Set
The Silver Grooved set that comes with the class is a fine starting point. It keeps you at a medium equipment load even when you add a shield, seal, and bow to your loadout, which is exactly where you want to be for that responsive dodge roll.
Endgame: Raptor's Black Feathers (Full Set)
Once you've progressed far enough, swap over to the full Raptor's Black Feathers set. Wearing all four pieces gives you multiple stacking damage boosts on jumping attacks and general damage output, which pairs beautifully with the light greatsword's combo-oriented moveset. Just be mindful of your endurance — you may want to slot in a Great-Jar's Arsenal or invest a few more points into endurance to comfortably wear it.
Now that you're dressed for the job, let's talk about talismans.
Idus Knight Talismans
Talismans are where this build really starts coming together. Below are the recommended slots based on progression.
Early Game
Assassin's Crimson Dagger - Obtainable from the Death Touched Catacombs. Critical attacks (backstabs and stance-break ripostes) restore HP, which pairs perfectly with the Silver Grooved Shield's guard counter loop.
Radagon's Soreseal - Bumps up several stats at the cost of increased damage taken. Excellent for scaling early on.
Winged Sword Insignia - Increases attack power with successive hits — a natural fit for the multi-hit light greatsword combos.
Late Game / DLC
Rotten Winged Sword Insignia - The stronger version of the Winged Sword Insignia; ramps up damage dramatically on chained hits.
Millicent's Prosthesis - Adds +5 dexterity and boosts successive attack damage even further.
Alexander's Shard - Increases weapon skill damage, which stacks nicely with the Sacred Blade skill and later with Malenia's Waterfowl Dance.
Ritual Sword Talisman - Grants a flat damage boost while at full HP; the Assassin's Crimson Dagger helps keep you in that state.
With defensive and offensive gear locked in, buffs are the next thing to layer on top.
Elden Ring Idus Knight Buffs
Buffs turn this Paladin-flavored build from solid to genuinely powerful. Since you're already sitting at 25 faith, you have access to two of the strongest pre-fight incantations in the game.
Golden Vow - Boosts attack power and reduces damage taken for you and any allies nearby.
Flame Grant Me Strength - Raises physical attack power and fire damage for a noticeable duration.
Sacred Blade (Ash of War) - Adds a temporary holy damage buff to your sword whenever you cast it, doubling as your ranged option.
Flame Sling - Grabbed early from the Roundtable Hold incantation instructor. Great for melting basic enemies at range when held for a charged shot.
To cast these, you'll need the Claw Mark Seal, which you can grab by trading a Death Root to the beast NPC at the Bestial Sanctum in eastern Caelid.
Pop Golden Vow and Flame Grant Me Strength before a boss fight, then keep Sacred Blade rolling on your sword between phases. With that covered, let's mix up your flask.
Elden Ring Idus Knight Flasks
Flasks and Wondrous Physick mixtures give this build even more staying power. Grab all your tears from the Third Church of Marika (Crimson Crystal Tear and Sacred Tear) and the nearby cliff area with the giant (Strength-Knot Crystal Tear).
Recommended Flask Setup
Flask of Crimson Tears - Upgrade with the Sacred Tear for stronger heals.
Flask of Cerulean Tears - Keeps FP topped up for Sacred Blade and incantation buffs.
Wondrous Physick Mixture
Early Game: Crimson Crystal Tear (extra healing bar) + Strength-Knot Crystal Tear (temporary strength boost).
Late Game / DLC: Thorny Cracked Tear (boosts successive hit damage) + Bloodsucking Cracked Tear (large damage boost in exchange for HP drain).
The Thorny Cracked Tear in particular synergizes beautifully with the multi-hit light greatsword moveset, so it's worth prioritizing once you reach the DLC.
Gameplay Tips for the Idus Knight Build
A few extra pieces of knowledge to round out your journey with this class:
Keep a bow handy - Either the Longbow (bought at Roundtable Hold) or the Shortbow (from the vendor south of the starting area). Bows are useful for pulling single enemies and shutting down flame-jet traps in dungeons with a single arrow.
Guard Counter routinely - With the Silver Grooved Shield offering 100% physical negation, blocking and countering is a low-risk way to break poise and set up ripostes, which trigger the Assassin's Crimson Dagger's healing effect.
Rush the Icerind Hammer route (optional): If you take the secret path behind Stormveil Castle into Liurnia of the Lakes, you can quickly power-stance additional weapons early. Grab the Grace at Church of Elleh, ride to Gatefront Ruins, pass through Stormgate, then slip under the large archway and jump down the hidden ledge behind the castle.
Torrent Shield Block - Hold X and tap R while mounted to swap to your shield, then a short hold of ZL/ZR will block on either side. Handy for surviving ranged fire while traveling.
Torrent Skins - Three new skins for your Spectral Steed are hidden throughout the map in the Tarnished Edition. The first one many players find sits in a chest after clearing the boss at the end of Stormveil Castle.
With this setup dialed in, the Idus Knight transforms from a fresh level 7 starter into a durable, hard-hitting hybrid that carries beautifully from Limgrave all the way into the Land of Shadow. Enjoy the light greatsword moveset, keep those buffs stacked, and go put the new class through its paces.