What are the best Lords of the Fallen builds? With numerous foes ranging from berserk warriors to otherworldly denizens, your trek through the lands of Mournstead will be fraught with peril. As such, it’s important to consider which stats you need to prioritize on your character depending on your starting class, playstyle, and to craft solid Lords of the Fallen builds.
This article discusses what makes each Lords of the Fallen build viable, as well as the ideal options when it comes to weapons and accessories. Take note, however, that many of these items drop from some of the 30+ Lords of the Fallen bosses, so it’s always a good idea to have other options in mind as you progress in the campaign. We put these builds together and put them to the test during our Lords of the Fallen review playthrough. We also suggest checking out our guide on the best Lords of the Fallen weapons for even more options if you’re struggling to put your own build together in what is arguably one of the best Soulslike games.
Best Lords of the Fallen builds
The best Lords of the Fallen builds offer a great setup for Strength, Agility, Inferno, and Radiance-focused stat set-ups, as well as playstyles focused on powerful Umbral Magic.
There’s a variety of different playstyles open to you from the get-go in LotF. As a result, there are also numerous Lords of the Fallen builds you can make, each with different main stats, weapons, and gear equipped. However, we’ve picked the five very best builds you can use in the game, accommodating all the main playstyles and Lords of the Fallen classes players are likely to choose. In other words, there will be something for everyone in this build guide, with all you need to know to put it together in your own playthrough.
The best Lords of the Fallen builds are:
Read on below for more information about how to create these Lords of the Fallen builds for yourself, including what items you’ll need, the strengths and weaknesses of the setup, and why it’s one you should be using.
Best Strength build
- Melee weapons: Iron Wayfarer’s Hammer and Shield of Whispers
- Ranged weapon: Multi-Shot Crossbow
- Amulet: Warrior’s Claw
- Rings: Queen Verana II’s Ring and Ring of Nourishment/Grievous Ring
- Recommended class: Udirangr Warwolf, Dark Crusader
- Main stats: Strength, Vitality, Endurance
A good Strength build in Lords of the Fallen also needs extra Endurance (stamina and carry weight) and Vitality (health). Coincidentally, all of these also increase your character’s resistance, improving your survivability ever so slightly. When you’re up close and personal, often decked out in heavy gear, this will be much appreciated.
The end goal is to acquire a heavy weapon like the Iron Wayfarer’s Hammer, which has S-tier Strength scaling to take full advantage of your main stat to maximum damage potential. There’s also the Shield of Whispers, which confers high defense, and the Multi-Shot Crossbow as a ranged option. If you’re playing the Dark Crusader, then you could mix in some Radiance magic by putting points in this stat. Though it will spread your build a bit thinner, having access to healing and buffing magic is handy.
In general, a shield is a great option if you’re constantly blocking attacks as you’ll take less wither damage when blocking with a shield. Plus, you can always switch to a two-handed stance with your weapon, putting your shield away to go on the offensive.
As for your accessories, the Warrior’s Claw is a fairly basic option for physical damage and defense. The rings, meanwhile, are to help replenish your HP. When you’re getting up close and personal with all manner of foes, the extra health and HP recovery are much appreciated, and we found great use out of these accessories.
Best Agility build
- Melee weapons: Final Whisper, Talon, Bloodlust, or Kukajin’s Sword
- Ranged weapon: Assassin’s Bow or Harrower Dervla’s Crossbow
- Amulet: Pendant of Burden
- Rings: Ring of Infernal Devotion and Bloodbane Ring
- Recommended class: Exiled Stalker, Blackfeather Ranger, Mournstead Infantry
- Main stats: Agility, Endurance, Vitality
One of the best Lords of the Fallen builds we’ve been using throughout the campaign relies on dual-wielding Agility-based weapons. Weapons, such as the Final Whisper, Kukajin’s Sword, and Bloodlust have a higher damage coefficient for status effects like bleed, poison, or burn, which is great when combined with Ring of Infernal Devotion and Bloodbane Ring. These are further bolstered by the Pendant of Burden, which increases the damage you deal for every status effect that you’ve inflicted on a target.
The goal is to inflict all manner of status effects on the enemy in a flurry of quick attacks, and then let the effects do much of the heavy lifting, especially when paired with the Pendant of Burden. It’s a fast-paced playstyle that can feel risky at times given its emphasis on offense over defense, but it’s incredibly fun, unique, and perhaps most importantly, it’s very powerful.
With a very strong line-up of starting classes, including the Exiled Stalker and Blackfeather Ranger, it’s also a very simple build to get going with. All you’ll need to do is dump points into Agility, with some into Endurance and Vitality as supporting stats to increase your sustain.
Best Radiance build
- Melee weapons: Pieta’s Sword, Devotion’s Might, or Justice
- Catalyst: Abbess Chalice
- Amulet: Hallowed Triptych
- Rings: Bramble Ring and Braided Ring
- Recommended class: Orian Preacher, Radiant Purifier, Putrid Child
- Main stats: Radiance, Vitality, Endurance
Our Radiance build suggestion focuses on holy damage and triggering the smite status effect. Weapons that can do this include Pieta’s Sword, Devotion’s Might, and Justice (though you might need to increase another stat besides Radiance just for the scaling and requirements).
We get synergy from the Hallowed Triptych amulet, which can deplete an enemy’s posture when you deal holy damage. We’ve also got the Bramble Ring, which heals whenever you inflict smite. Lastly, there’s the Braided Ring to boost the capabilities of summoned allies, like those from the Blessed Reflections and Radiant Guardian spells.
While you might think a magic setup like a Radiance build doesn’t need Endurance, this stat isn’t just for melee-based playstyles. In fact, casting Radiance magic also consumes stamina, alongside mana, so you’ll need enough to be able to run and dodge if enemies get too close. However, the main stat focus will be on Radiance, with Endurance and Vitality as supporting stats.
Overall, it’s a devastating build that also benefits from having self-sustaining capabilities through the healing provided by the Bramble Ring. Healing is invaluable in Lords of the Fallen, and there are not a lot of ways to heal outside of standard healing items and spells. Whether you’re a pro or a newcomer, you can’t ever have too much healing, even if it’s just for the added peace of mind that you can heal if and when you need to.
Best Inferno build
- Melee weapons: Bloodlust, Infernal Enchantress’ Flail, or Grinning Axe
- Catalyst: Rhogar Heart
- Amulet: Cavalry Pendant
- Rings: Ring of Night’s Fire and Ring of Infernal Devotion
- Recommended class: Pyric Cultist, Lord, Putrid Child
- Main stats: Inferno, Vitality, Endurance
Inferno is another term for fire magic or pyromancy, often used by the demonic followers of Adyr. One of the best Lords of the Fallen builds relies heavily on Inferno spells such as Magma Surge, Infernal Guardian, and Pyroclastic Stone.
We also gain benefits from Inferno-scaling weapons like Bloodlust and Grinning Axe, as they can inflict burn and/or ignite. Naturally, we’ll make use of Ring of Night’s Fire and Ring of Infernal Devotion to further buff these status effects and raise the ceiling on damage output.
Like the Radiance build, this Inferno build also needs Endurance so that you’ve got enough stamina to cast all your fiery magic and still be able to avoid enemy attacks. Inferno will be the priority though, so you can access higher-level spells and increase your damage.
If you’re looking for an all-out offensive caster, especially one based around brutal fire magic, then this Inferno build should be on your radar.
Best Umbral magic and multi-magic build
- Melee weapons: Crushing Gaze or Nohuta Polearm
- Catalyst: Lord Berescu’s Catalyst
- Amulet: Pendant of Atrophy or Shuja Harmony Hoop
- Rings: Ring of Night’s Fire and Unblinking Root (if not using an Umbral catalyst)
- Recommended class: Putrid Child, Pyric Cultist, Orian Preacher
- Main stats: Radiance and Inferno, Vitality, Endurance
Lastly, we feel that one of the best Lords of the Fallen builds doesn’t just rely on one stat or magic school, but several. That’s where the Umbral build comes in. By default, no class focuses solely on Umbral magic given that the spells themselves scale off both Radiance and Inferno. As such, we need armaments that follow this concept, such as Crushing Gaze or Nohuta Polearm, that feature dual-scaling. Those who want to cast Umbral magic only have options like Barrage of Echoes, Graveyard Fog, and Putrefaction.
However, since you’ll allocate points to both Radiance and Inferno anyway, it’s also possible to try multi-magic. This is done by equipping items like the Unblinking Root or Ring of Radiant Preeminence, which allow you to cast spells from other schools even without a matching catalyst. Combined with the Shuja Harmony Hoop, additional spells will deal extra damage if they’re from another school of magic.
In other words, this is the best magic build you can make in LotF, combining all types of magic to create the ultimate spellcaster. Due to the dual-scaling nature of this build, the stats you invest in are also more flexible than something like an Agility build, which ideally wants to go all in on Agility, with additional points in Endurance and Vitality.
It is worth noting, however, that Umbral magic takes a bit to get going. The better spells take quite some time to access and the most suitable weapons are found quite late in the game. Likewise, the best class for this Umbral build is the Putrid Child, which first requires you to beat the game once and get the Umbral ending to unlock. We largely recommend an Umbral build for repeat playthroughs, this is certainly possible on your first time through if you’re willing to put the work in.
What is the best build in Lords of the Fallen for you?
When it comes to making the best Lords of the Fallen build, the decision ultimately comes down to your playstyle. There are four broad options: heavy melee, light melee, physical ranged, and magic ranged. Pick the approach that best suits you, whether you like sitting back and casting spells or charging in head first.
Unlike most Souls games, the line between ranged and melee is rather thin as every character has access to some sort of ranged attack, even if it’s just throwable items. Likewise, several of the ranged-focused classes often work well as hybrid classes, such as the Orian Preacher.
This means that you’ve got a lot of options and diverse playstyles available to you no matter what class and build you pick, even if there are specific builds that work better, which we’ve highlighted above.
If you’re really struggling, then we recommend checking out a Radiance build with the Orian Preacher – arguably the best Lords of the Fallen build. As outlined above, with enough Vitality to wear heavy armor and pouring almost everything else into Radiance, you’ll be incredibly tanky and deal a lot of melee and ranged damage. What’s more, it’s also quite easy to make this build early on, requiring Pieta’s sword, the first boss.
On the other hand, we recommend staying away from the Condemned class at all costs if you’re a new player. Beginning with almost nothing and coming with the lowest starting level of all the classes, it’s the most flexible but most challenging class to build for. Since Condemned starts with no clearly defined playstyle, you’re free to take this class in whatever direction you please and can optimize it to perfection. However, this is generally a bit too much freedom for new players who would fare much better with the best builds in Lords of the Fallen that are more defined, including an Orian Preacher Radiance build.
That does it for our guide to the best Lords of the Fallen builds. You’ll face a lot of challenges as you journey further into the dark lands of Mournstead, so be prepared. After you’re done with LotF, whether you’ve beaten it or called it quits, why not check out the best RPG games for your next adventure?