Sword of Night and Flame Build

S-Tier Intelligence Build • Elden Ring
Sword of Night and Flame Build
  • Carian Knight Helm
    Helm
    Carian Knight Helm Balanced protection with solid magic defense
  • Carian Knight Armor
    Chest Armor
    Carian Knight Armor Defensive chest piece ideal for hybrid casting/melee
  • Carian Knight Gauntlets
    Gloves
    Carian Knight Gauntlets Completes the Carian Knight set
  • Carian Knight Greaves
    Legs
    Carian Knight Greaves Classic INT set with strong resistances
  • Sword of Night and Flame
    Right Hand (Primary)
    Sword of Night and Flame Legendary hybrid sword. Skill casts a magic beam (INT) or flame sweep (FAI)
  • Carian Regal Scepter
    Left Hand (Catalyst)
    Carian Regal Scepter Top-tier staff scaling with Intelligence for supplemental sorceries
  • Carian Filigreed Crest
    Talisman
    Carian Filigreed Crest Reduces FP cost of skills by 25% — perfect for Night-and-Flame Stance
  • Radagon Icon
    Talisman
    Radagon Icon Shortens spell casting time, smoothing beam and sorcery follow-ups
  • Magic Scorpion Charm
    Talisman
    Magic Scorpion Charm Boosts magic damage at the cost of physical defense
  • Godfrey Icon
    Talisman
    Godfrey Icon Enhances charged spells/skills — power up beam casts
  • Flask of Crimson Tears 10
    Flask of Crimson Tears
    Core sustain for melee and stance trade windows.
  • Flask of Cerulean Tears 5
    Flask of Cerulean Tears
    Refill FP to maintain stance skill and sorcery pressure.
  • Flask of Wondrous Physick
    Flask of Wondrous Physick
    Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear + Cerulean Hidden Tear
    Effects
    Boosts magic attack power
    Temporarily eliminates FP consumption
  • Terra Magica
    Terra Magica
    Deploy a magic field to amplify beam and sorcery damage.
  • Golden Vow
    Golden Vow
    Universal attack and defense buff for tougher encounters.

Patch Viability

Still Viable (Patch 1.10)

Massively nerfed in 1.03 (halved damage), then partially restored in 1.04. Still very strong post-buffs.

Stat Distribution (Level 150)

  • Vigor: 50 (Survivability for melee-casting hybrid)
  • Mind: 30 (Comfortable FP for stance + sorceries)
  • Endurance: 20 (Stamina and equip load)
  • Strength: 12 (Sword requirement)
  • Dexterity: 12 (Sword requirement)
  • Intelligence: 60 (Primary beam scaling)
  • Faith: 40 (Flame sweep scaling and Golden Vow)
  • Arcane: 9 (Base)

How to Get Sword of Night and Flame

  • Location: Caria Manor, Liurnia of the Lakes
  • Progress through the manor and access rooftops to reach the locked room chest
  • Requires both Intelligence and Faith to fully leverage its stance

Gameplay Strategy

  • Beam (INT): Use for long-range punishes and burst from safety
  • Flame Sweep (FAI): Short-range crowd control and stance pressure
  • Buff Cycle: Golden Vow → Terra Magica → stance beam for elite and bosses
  • Melee Finishers: Standard attacks to conserve FP between stance casts

PvP Notes

  • Spacing: The beam forces respect at mid/long range
  • Mixups: Fake the beam, step in with flame sweep or R1s
  • Stamina Tax: Punish rolls with delayed stance release timings

Alternative Equipment

  • Helm: Snow Witch Hat (cold sorcery boost) for sorcery-heavy variant
  • Staff: Lusat's Glintstone Staff for maximum raw sorcery damage
  • Talisman: Graven-Mass Talisman for pure sorcery variant