Welcome, Elden Ring enthusiasts! In today's build guide, we’re going to dive into a powerful setup focused entirely on guard counters. This build revolves around one of the game’s most satisfying and punishing moves—timing your guard to unleash a follow-up attack that can demolish your enemies. Let’s talk about how to execute this build flawlessly and why it’s so effective for invasions! If you're looking to upgrade your character or acquire essential gear, you can buy Elden Ring Runes to make sure you're ready to dominate your enemies with this powerful setup.

Weapon of Choice: Black Steel Greathammer

For this build, we’re using the Black Steel Greathammer, a unique weapon that has one of the most powerful guard counters in Elden Ring. What makes it stand out is its heavy attack follow-up and an AoE blast that appears on the ground. This blast can hit multiple targets, making it incredibly useful for invasions where you might be dealing with multiple opponents. The weapon’s damage output is impressive, especially when buffed, hitting 1140 with the right enhancements. The guard counter is highly effective because it’s not only about hitting hard but also about positioning, timing, and using the follow-up effectively to maximize damage.

Key Incantation: Order's Blade

To take this build to the next level, I recommend pairing the Black Steel Greathammer with Order's Blade incantation. It enhances the weapon’s damage output significantly, especially when landing guard counters. This makes it even deadlier in invasions and PvP situations where you’re up against other players. Order's Blade adds an additional layer of strength to your already powerful guard counter. Use it right before engaging in a counterattack to see a noticeable increase in damage!

Talisman Setup

To make sure your guard counters land with the utmost efficiency, you’ll need to equip the following talismans:

1. Curved Sword Talisman: This talisman boosts your guard counter damage, making every successful counter that much more deadly.

2. Two-Handed Sword Talisman: This gives you a 10% boost to your two-handed damage output, allowing you to maximize the effectiveness of your weapon's moveset.

With these talismans, you're ensuring that your guard counters do massive damage every time, while the two-handed sword talisman ensures that your heavy hits pack a punch.

Stats for the Build

Here’s a look at the recommended stats for maximizing your damage and effectiveness:

· 54 Strength: This is to increase the heavy infusion of the Black Steel Greathammer. The more strength you have, the harder your hits will land.

· 80 Faith: This stat boosts the effectiveness of your Order’s Blade incantation, which is crucial for enhancing your guard counter damage.

You’ll also want to have a high endurance and health for tanking hits while waiting for your guard counters to come online. This build relies on your ability to take a few hits and retaliate with overwhelming power.

Gameplay Tips

1. Guard Counters: The most important aspect of this build is mastering guard counters. These counters come out after successfully blocking an attack. The key is to time your block perfectly and then execute the follow-up heavy attack. The AoE blast can hit multiple enemies, making it perfect for dealing with gank squads in invasions.

2. Using the Weapon’s Special Moves: The Black Steel Greathammer has a unique follow-up to its guard counter, so make sure to time your heavy attacks carefully. You can follow up with a heavy attack that launches an AoE blast. This can be especially useful when you're dealing with multiple enemies, as it creates a huge area of effect.

3. Deflecting Hard Tier: If you're serious about building an effective guard counter setup, the Deflecting Hard Tier is a must. It increases the strength of your counters, allowing you to do more damage while you’re blocking incoming attacks.

4. Ashes of War: The Ash of War for your weapon is also important. Test out a few options to see which one pairs best with your guard counter. One of the most effective Ashes of War in this build is the Stormblade, which pairs well with your setup by adding more mobility and range.

Invasion Strategy

When invading, always look for opportunities to block heavy attacks and counter with your guard counter. You’ll be looking to bait your enemies into attacking while you hold your shield or weapon up. Once they commit, time your guard counter and follow it up with the AoE blast. In gank fights, this build shines as well. The ability to hit multiple enemies with the AoE blast from your guard counter makes it so you can take on more than one opponent at a time. Keep an eye on the environment and use the space around you to maximize your effectiveness.

Armor & Fashion

While the build isn’t extremely reliant on armor for damage, I recommend wearing gear that gives you good poise while also helping you stay nimble enough to perform your guard counters. You want to make sure you're not getting staggered out of your counterattacks, so high poise armor is essential. As always, don’t forget about fashion—look good while destroying your enemies!

Closing Thoughts

This build is incredibly satisfying, especially if you enjoy the thrill of landing well-timed guard counters and hitting your enemies with devastating AoE damage. It’s perfect for PvP invasions, especially when you’re dealing with multiple enemies at once. With the Black Steel Greathammer and Order's Blade, your damage output will be formidable, and you’ll leave your enemies in awe of your counterattack prowess. If you want to further enhance your build, you can buy cheap Elden Ring Items from MMOEXP to quickly progress and equip the best gear for this powerful setup. Good luck out there, Tarnished!