Elden Ring Madness Build Guide (2024)

How to Play a Madness Build in Elden Ring

In this Elden Ring Madness build guide, we will showcase everything you need to know to play the build from start to finish.

This build takes advantage of powerful Incantations to deal massive amounts of fire damage to bosses.

While this build may not have much variety regarding damage options, there is one very important factor to consider. Who needs variety when you have a big laser?

Frenzied Burst is an incredibly powerful incantation that will be more than enough to allow you to defeat most of the bosses in the game without breaking a sweat.

Explore our other Elden Ring build guides here.

Pros

• Extremely high damage output from long range.
• Strong against NPC bosses such as Gideon Ofnir and the Mimic Tear.
• Easily buffable damage for even higher output.

Cons

• Weak against bosses resistant to fire damage.
• There is a very small selection of spells and weapons to choose from.
• Most bosses cannot be afflicted with madness.

Leveling and Stats

For our starting class, we will be choosing the Confessor. This class will give us the most optimal stat distribution in comparison to the other starting classes, as well as a decent early-game weapon.

The first major breakpoint when it comes to leveling is level 25, at which point you can utilize the spells in this build. The priority will be to get 23 Faith, as this will allow you to meet the requirements of all Frenzied Flame incantations with the help of the Faith-Knot Crystal Tear.

The second breakpoint of level 50 will have us invest more points into Faith and Dexterity. 33 Faith will allow us to cast any Frenzied Flame Incantation without the help of the Faith-Knot Crystal Tear, and 20 Dexterity will allow us to wield Vyke’s War Spear.

The third breakpoint of level 100 is where you will see a sizable increase in your damage. At 45 Faith you will have reached the soft cap for Faith scaling on the Frenzied Flame Seal. This will allow you to invest more points into Strength and Dexterity, increasing the damage we deal with our weapon and increasing the Incantation scaling of our Seal.

At the last breakpoint, level 150, we stop the build. 150 is the perfect level for people who want to PVP, so if you want to do that, avoid crossing this level,, or it will influence matchmaking. We will invest more points into Strength and Dexterity to further increase our damage.

Weapons

Vyke’s War Spear

Vyke’s War Spear is a great spear with a strong Ash of War that deals fire damage while also building up madness.

Acquired by defeating Festering Fingerprint Vyke after he invades you just outside of the Church of Inhibition in Liurnia of the Lakes.

Requires:

• Strength 16
• Dexterity 20
• Faith 18

AoW Scaling: Dexterity/Faith/Strength.

Sacred Seals

The Frenzied Flame Seal is the best option for this build. What sets the Frenzied Flame Seal apart from other seals in the game is that it increases the damage dealt by Frenzied Flame Incantations by 20%.

It is also the only seal with Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith scaling. This will allow us to put more points into strength and dexterity to increase our weapon damage without decreasing our damage output with incantations. You can acquire this seal by completing Hyetta’s questline.

Incantations

There is only one school of Incantations fit to be used with this build and it is quite easy to understand why.

Frenzied Flame Incantations

Incantations originating from the maddening Three Fingers. These spells receive a 20% damage boost while wielding the Frenzied Flame Seal. While these spells are powerful, they also build up madness on the caster so it is best to be careful while using them.

Frenzied Burst

Releases concentrated blasts of the yellow flame of frenzy from the caster’s eyes. Charging enhances potency, enabling the blasts to penetrate the enemy’s guard.

Dropped from a Teardrop Scarab just outside of the Frenzied Flame Village near the wall in Liurnia of the Lakes.

Requires:

• Faith 22

The Flame of Frenzy

Causes the yellow flame of frenzy to burst forth from the caster’s eyes. Charging increases the range of the burst.

It is found on a corpse inside the church located in the Ailing Village in the Weeping Peninsula.

Requires:

• Faith 16

Unendurable Frenzy

It causes the Yellow Flame of frenzy to violently burst from the Caster’s Eyes. Hold to continue channeling the flame. This incantation can be used while in motion.

It is found in a chest enclosed by 4 ruined walls inside the Yelough Anix Ruins in the Consecrated Snowfield.

Requires:

• Faith 31

Buffs

Howl of Shabriri

This incantation boosts all damage types by 25%, similar to Golden Vow, but it has a major drawback. It increases the damage you take by 30%. It is also the most effective spell to activate the buff from the Black Dumpling, giving us a 10% damage boost when the wearer suffers from madness.

This can be found in a chest on the second level of the Frenzy-Flaming Tower south of the Grand Lift of Dectus in Liurnia.

Golden Vow (Spell)

This spell increases your damage by 15% and decreases the damage you take by 10%. Golden Vow is a very solid buff that is used in many different builds and requires 25 faith to use.

• This spell can be found in the Corpse-Stench Shack, in Mt Gelmir.

Flask of Wondrous Physick

Flame-Shrouding Cracked Tear

Boosts fire damage by 20% for 3 minutes.

• Acquired by defeating the Putrid Avatar found at the Minor Erdtree in Caelid.

Faith-Knot Crystal Tear

Increases Faith by 10 for 3 minutes. This Crystal Tear can help meet Frenzied Flame Spells’ requirements in the early game while also providing a slight damage boost for Incantations.

You should swap out this Crystal Tear for the Dexterity or Strength Knot Crystal Tear after reaching 45 Faith as this is the soft cap for hybrid scaling sacred seals and you will not receive much more damage investing points past this.

• It can be found in a bowl surrounded by poison flower monsters at the bottom of the cliff near the Church of Pilgrimage in the Weeping Peninsula.

Dexterity-Knot Crystal Tear

Increases Dexterity by 10 for 3 minutes.

This Crystal Tear can be used to help meet the requirements of Vyke’s War Spear, while also providing a slight damage boost for Incantations.

• It can be found in a bowl on an island in the south of Liurnia.

Strength-Knot Crystal Tear

Increases strength by 10 for 3 minutes.

This Cystal Tear can be used to provide a slight damage boost for incantations after both your faith and dexterity have passed 45.

• It can be found in a bowl near a giant north of the Stormhill Shack site of grace in Limgrave.

Consumables

Clarifying Boluses

Alleviates madness buildup. This is a craftable item that completely removes madness buildup from the user.

Recipe:

• Frenzied’s Cookbook [1]
• Dewkissed Herba 2
• Crystal Cave Moss 1
• Eye of Yelough 1

Frenzyflame Stone

It uses FP to generate warmth, continuously restoring the HP of those who host the frenzied flame. This craftable healing item will heal anything that hosts the frenzied flame within its range. You can receive healing from this item if you have met the Three Fingers in the depths of the Subterranean Shunning Grounds and inherited the frenzied flame.

Recipe:

• Frenzied’s Cookbook [2]
• Yellow Ember 1
• Sanctuary Stone 1

Talismans

Fire Scorpion Charm

You can find it in the Wyndham Catacombs, locked behind a sealed Imp Statue.

• Increases fire damage by 12% but increases physical damage taken by 10%.

Godfrey Icon

It is acquired by defeating Godefroy the Grafted, found in Golden Lineage Evergaol in Altus.

• Raises attack power of charged spells and skills by 15%

Flock’s Canvas Talisman

It can be acquired from Gowry after Millicent has met a tragic end.

• Increases the damage of Incantations by 8%.

Ritual Sword Talisman

You can find it in a chest after defeating Demi-Human Queen Gilika in the Lux Ruins in the Altus Plateau.

• Increases damage dealt by 10% while at full HP.

Ritual Shield Talisman

Ritual Shield Talisman is found just outside the door to the Colosseum in Leyndell, Royal Capital.

• Decreases damage taken by 30% while at full HP.

You can find this in a chest surrounded by Turtles in a room sealed by an Imp Statue in Summonwater Village in Limgrave.

• Raises stamina recovery speed by 8 per second.

Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman

It is found in a chest surrounded by pests in the building above the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.

• It decreases physical damage received by 20%.

Armor

There is only one mandatory piece of armor for this Elden Ring Madness build: the Black Dumpling. The rest of the armor can be anything if you are not heavy rolling. If you do not like how the Black Dumpling looks, you can remove it after the buff has been applied.

Below is a set I put together that looks stylish while keeping you in the medium load at level 150.

Black Dumpling

Mask forced on a victim’s head to lend torture an extra degree of cruelty. It raises attack power when the wearer suffers from madness.

• It can be acquired as a rare drop from the First Generation Albinaurics found in Volcano Manor.

Blaidd’s Armor

• Well-worn black armor of the man-wolf Blaidd. The pelt serves as a cape, protecting from cold.

Black Knife Gauntlets

• Gauntlets used by the Black Knife Assassins. It is crafted with scale armor that makes no sound.

Black Knife Greaves

• The Black Knife Assassins used Greaves. It is crafted with scale armor that makes no sound.

Flask Distribution

At the maximum amount of Flasks, I recommend going for a 10 Crimson Flask and 4 Cerulean Flask split. This build revolves around casting spells as its main source of damage, so it is very important to have enough FP Flasks to finish off bosses.

Summons

Other than the obvious Summons, such as Mimic Tear and Black Knife Tiche, I have some recommendations that can go well with this Elden Ring Madness build.

Nomad Ashes

Nomad Ashes summons the Spirit of a Nomad. While this summon does not have much health, it can deal a decent amount of damage. Frenzyflame Stones can also heal the Nomad, and as they are quite slow, they will stay within range of the stone for longer.

• It is found on a corpse near basilisks in the Subterranean Shunning Grounds.

Greatshield Soldier Ashes

Greatshield Soldier Ashes summons five greatshield soldier spirits.

These soldiers can be summoned at the beginning of a fight to give you ample room to cast Frenzied Burst without drawing the boss’s aggro.

• Found on a corpse in a graveyard in Nokron, Eternal City.