Elden ring builds: 22 smart paths for heavy armor users

If you're diving into Elden Ring and want to embrace the power of Heavy Armor, you're in for a wild ride. Heavy Armor builds offer impressive defense, making you nearly invincible to many bosses and enemies. However, with great defense comes the need for careful planning—especially when it comes to mobility and stamina management. In this article, we'll explore 22 smart paths for Heavy Armor users to dominate the Lands Between.

1. The Fortress of Ironclad Defense
The most straightforward approach to a Heavy Armor build is to lean into tanking. Equip yourself with the best Heavy Armor sets available, such as Bull-Goat or Radahn's Armor, for nearly unstoppable defense. Make sure to focus on upgrading your Endurance so you can wear the heaviest sets without being slowed down too much.

Tip: To truly make this build shine, look into weapons that have great scaling with Strength, like the Great Club or Colossal weapons. You’ll want something that complements your slow but devastating fighting style.

2. The Knight’s Oath
For those who want a balance between offense and defense, try the Knight build. Focus on equipping a great shield like the Greatshield of Glory alongside a powerful sword or spear. The main advantage here is the ability to block virtually any attack while keeping up decent DPS. When you need that extra defense, pop the Shield of the Guilty and ride through your enemies' attacks.

Pro Tip: Invest in Vigor to increase your HP and Endurance for more stamina. You want to be able to tank hits while maintaining the ability to swing your weapon freely.

3. The Tanky Spellblade
While it may seem odd to combine magic with Heavy Armor, it can be highly effective. Equip a set of medium-heavy armor for extra protection, and use weapon arts or magic spells to cover your weak spots. Pyromancy, in particular, can work well here, as it allows you to keep enemies at a distance while your physical defense handles most of their attacks.

Tip: The Dragon Slayer can be paired effectively with incantations that require close-range combat. Adding some points into Intelligence will let you access more powerful spells without sacrificing too much armor weight.

4. The Walking Fortress
As the name suggests, this build is all about staying grounded in battle. Equip a heavy armor set and wield an ultra-heavy weapon, such as the Greatsword or Golem's Great Hammer. With a focus on Vitality and Endurance, this build can withstand tremendous amounts of punishment while dishing out heavy damage.

The key to this build is positioning—don’t get greedy with your attacks. Instead, focus on absorbing enemy hits and then countering with slow but deadly strikes.

5. The Hybrid Paladin
A great way to build a Heavy Armor user is by combining defensive physical prowess with healing abilities. By focusing on Faith and Strength, you’ll be able to wield heavy weapons like a great hammer or colossal sword while also casting powerful support spells like Heal or Golden Vow.

Pro Tip: Heavy Armor with the added utility of healing spells gives you a unique advantage, especially in multiplayer. You can be the unbreakable tank in your group while offering support when needed. If you want to make this even more versatile, consider adding buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength to boost your damage.

6. The Juggernaut
One of the most satisfying ways to play Elden Ring is by creating an unstoppable force of nature. Juggernaut builds are about stacking Endurance, Vigor, and Strength, then equipping the heaviest armor you can find. Think of a character who takes minimal damage while running through foes like a freight train.

Combine your heavy armor with the Great Hammer or Greatsword for huge area damage. As you progress, you may find yourself walking through enemy hordes like they were nothing.

Tip: Don’t forget to upgrade your armor and weapons often. You might be able to buy Elden Ring runes to help speed up your progression in this area if you're looking for an edge.

7. The Immovable Wall
This build focuses on defense, using heavy shields and armor to create an impenetrable wall. The Greatshield of Glory or the Dragon Slayer Shield paired with high-endurance armor can make you almost unbreakable. Use weapons like the Ultra Greatsword or Great Club to punish enemies who dare approach.

Pro Tip: This build excels in PvP, where a good defense can be your ticket to victory. If you find yourself struggling to gather enough materials or runes to make your build even stronger, you might want to consider buying Elden Ring Items that enhance your defense.

8. The Strength-Based Titan
If you enjoy smashing enemies with massive weapons while wearing bulky armor, then the Titan build is for you. Focus your points on Strength and Endurance, allowing you to carry colossal weapons like the Golem's Hammer. With high Vigor and a solid defense strategy, you’ll feel unstoppable, especially in PvE.

One of the best parts of this build is its sheer raw power. Even if you're stuck at a distance, you can easily stagger enemies with a single hit.

9. The Gritty Barbarian
This Heavy Armor build is more focused on offense while still maintaining solid defense. Go for the combination of heavy armor, high Strength, and some minor Dexterity for increased damage output. Weapons like the Great Axe or Great Club can become your best friend, and using these alongside a shield gives you both offense and protection.

Tip: You can find some great opportunities to level up your stats by farming for resources in some of the later stages of the game. If you're low on runes, try using the option to buy Elden Ring runes to help push your build further along.

10. The Crusader’s Charge
For players looking to be both a tank and a paladin, the Crusader build brings the best of both worlds. Heavy armor combined with a shield allows you to block almost anything, while your offensive capability with a long sword or spear lets you deal steady damage. Investing in Faith will also allow you to cast buffs that keep your defense high while dishing out solid damage.

The Crusader can charge into battle with little fear of death, supported by healing spells and other buffs.

11. The Greatsword Warden
This build mixes heavy armor with the precision of a greatsword. Heavy armor, when paired with the Greatsword, gives you high defense while allowing for faster attacks than with larger weapons like the Great Club. You’ll want to balance your Strength with Endurance for this build to maximize damage output while maintaining a solid defense.

Tip: If you ever find yourself low on materials, you can always buy Elden Ring runes to enhance your character's progression without needing to grind for hours.

12. The Iron Juggernaut
This build focuses on using the heaviest armor possible with a giant weapon. Consider equipping the Bull-Goat Set for maximum poise and using an ultra-heavy weapon like the Dragon Slayer to send enemies flying. The build is based around overwhelming force and endurance.

13. The Colossus
Similar to the Titan, the Colossus build emphasizes extreme tankiness while using colossal weapons. With maximum Endurance and Vigor, you'll be able to carry some of the largest weapons and the most durable armor while remaining a formidable foe.

14. The Unstoppable Rampart
For those who prefer a defensive playstyle, this build is focused on creating an invincible fortress. Equip high-armor sets that boost your defense and pair them with a heavy shield. This build focuses on outlasting your opponents, relying on stamina management and careful block timing.

15. The Heavy Armor Sorcerer
Not all builds need to be pure strength. Combine heavy armor with powerful sorceries to create a tanky mage capable of delivering powerful magic while remaining hard to hit.

16. The Heavy Assassin
This build combines the toughness of Heavy Armor with the agility of an assassin. Focus on dual-wielding powerful weapons like curved swords while keeping your armor load manageable.

17. The Shieldmaster
For those who prefer to fight with a shield in hand, this build emphasizes both defense and offense. Equip yourself with the largest shields, and focus on parrying, blocking, and counter-attacking.

18. The Battle Monk
This build uses heavy armor and a combination of Faith-based miracles and strong physical attacks. With healing spells, buffs, and heavy weapons, this build lets you be both an offensive powerhouse and a resilient tank.

19. The Iron Priest
Mixing heavy armor with divine miracles, this build relies on buffs and healing spells to stay alive longer while using a powerful weapon like a hammer or flail.

20. The Relentless Berserker
A relentless, fast-moving Heavy Armor build that focuses on aggressive tactics and smashing through enemies without giving them a chance to breathe.

21. The Pyromancer Tank
Pyromancy works surprisingly well with heavy armor. The combination of fiery offensive spells and solid defense allows you to control the flow of battle while staying protected.

22. The Undying Warrior
A build centered around high survivability, focusing on regen, buffs, and solid gear. You won’t have the fastest movement, but you’ll be hard to kill.

No matter which path you choose, Elden Ring offers a variety of options for Heavy Armor users. The key to success is understanding your strengths, using the best equipment for your playstyle, and knowing when to engage or retreat. And if you ever find yourself lacking resources, don’t forget that you can