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Every die-hard fan of Dark souls is aware of the fact that Elden Ring isn’t as punishing as the other Soul games. The reason is that you can maintain your resources as a Spell Caster and make a whole build for the entirety of the game that only casts magic.
Therefore, this opens up a lot of doors for people to casually switch their builds from time to time and one of the most famous magic builds is none other than Mage. So, if you are looking for an Elden Ring Build Guide for Beginners revolving around the Mage, then you are at the right spot. Because here we will dive deep into the Best Mage Build a Beginner can Dream of.
Mage Build Class Selection
When you are going for a Mage Build, there aren’t many great choices out there except the possibility of picking an Astrologer or Prisoner. Let’s talk about each of them in detail below;
Astrologer
The reason for picking Astrologer is that you get the best toolkit out of all the Classes in Elden Ring. You are getting a Staff, Glintstone Arc, and Glintstone Pebble from the very beginning.
As a new player, you might not know the importance of both these spells, but in short, the whole Mage Build revolves around these Glintstone spells. Another reason is the focus on Mind and Intelligence, which is exactly what you need in a Mage build.
Prisoner
The Prisoner isn’t comparable to Astrologer for Mage Build because your casting is much slower here. Still, if you want to, there is a possibility of going with Prisoner and eventually, you will catch up with Astrologer at some point in-game.
Mage Build Keepsakes
For the part of Keepsake, there is no need to pick something else except the Golden Seed. You will require a lot of FP and that extra Flash will allow you to use more spells right from the beginning.
Stats and Attributes
Intelligence
Your best friend here is Intelligence and it is required for much about everything. Whether you are looking to enhance your damage with your spells or you want to increase its scaling with Mage Weapons, Intelligence is required.
Stamina
After Intelligence, you need to focus on Stamina as well because you are running around, moving here and there while attacking enemies. This type of play style consumes a lot of stamina. Therefore, you should invest a bit in Endurance as well.
Vigor
Next up, you do require some points in Vigor to keep you alive. As Mages are not usually tanky, nor have good health, you will die with a single hit from hard enemies. To make sure that doesn’t happen and you have enough health to drink a flash, you need to invest in Vigor as well.
Mind
Finally, an Attribute that you probably need to carry side by side with Intelligence is the Mind. With more Mind, you will be able to use more spells without completely depleting the Mana bar. The Glintstone Spells we mentioned in our Beginner Build Guide to Mage are not one-shot, rather they are used again and again to be effective.
Equipment for Mage Build
Staff
Demigod Staff
The most important thing you need in your equipment for Mage Build is a Staff and there is nothing better than that good old Demigod Staff. You can find that in the Weeping Peninsula from a mini-boss.
Meteorite Staff
If you don’t like the Demigod Staff or have a problem finding it, then you can simply go for the Meteorite Staff. You can find this Staff in Caelid over the Ruins. It is an incredible early game staff, coming with an S-scaling but the problem is you can’t upgrade it.
Spells
You are a Mage after all and you require more spells alongside Glintstone spells that you get from start. In Limgrave, you will find a Sorcerer who sells you spells, same for the Waypoint Ruins.
Besides this, there is a Sorceress Sellen who will sell you quite good stuff if you defeat the boss that can be found in front of her. At south from there, you will also find a scroll, and giving it to Sellen will enhance the spells you buy from her.
Glintstone Pebble
This spell is your best friend in the Beginner Mage Build. It is a projectile spell that takes less Mana, it is quick and does quite good damage to enemies at long range.
Glintstone Phalanx
It is more like a dagger spell where you conjure daggers around you and they auto lock on enemies to hit them. It is a situational spell mostly used while you ride your trusty horse.
You will find some variations for these spells in the game, but it is the one that you can get from early on, is quick, and has less Mana take. All in one, you can use this spell on enemies that are aggressive and make it hard for you to quickly cast spells.
Ash of War Glintstone Phalanx
Keep a small dagger or any useless weapon with you. Use the Ash of War Glintstone Phalanx with the dagger instead of casting the spell. It is much more effective, more cost-friendly, and favorable to you in an aggressive area.
Play style with Mage
Mages are not like Warriors where you dive straight into the battle, take two hits from enemies, and give them two hits back. Rather Mage is based on calculations, movement, and distancing.
Your job here is to simply attack enemies from far away and keep your distance in this way while taking into account your Mana/Stamina. That is really the fun aspect of Mage and most Beginners love to make a build like this.
Invest all of your assets into the Blue Flash and items that boost your Stamina or your Mana. Usually, it is around 90 percent for Mana and 10 percent for Health because you are not engaging in close fights, but rather keeping your distance.
Final Verdict
Mage is one of the most fun to build in the Elden Ring, as you don’t have to get close or swing the sword with the same style again and again. Just keep in mind that Stamina is used when you cast spells and requires a lot of attention from your side. Furthermore, dexterity does mess with your cast speed and you will have to pump it in the late game. Besides all of this, to make the best Mage Build as a Beginner we have here a complete Build Guide. You can always change some things around to make them in your favor and when you start reaching the late game, make sure to carry a physical block shield with you always.
