Elden Ring Black Steel Greathammer Build – Black Hammer (Shadow of the Erdtree Guide)

In this Shadow of the Earth Tree guide, I'm going to be showing you my Black Hammer build. This is a build using the Blacksteel Greathammer. A lot of people have been asking me for a build for this weapon for a long time. Since think launch of the DLC, I finally got into making a build for this weapon. So let's get into how this weapon works and what makes it so special.

• Black Steel Greathammer Build – Black Hammer
  • Black Steel Greathammer Build – Equipment
  • Black Steel Greathammer Build – Talismans and Spell
  • Black Steel Greathammer Build – Attributes Distribution
  • Black Steel Greathammer Build – Black Hammer: Final Tips

Black Steel Greathammer Build – Black Hammer

This is a Shadow of the Erdtree build that takes place after level 160. A build that utilizes the DLC exclusive Black Steel Greathammer that deals heavy holy damage.

• Class: Any
• Flask Spread: Equal Charges
• Main Weapon: Black Steel Greathammer
• Off-Hand Weapon: Clawmark Seal, or Golden Order Seal
• Shield: Black Steel Greatshield
• Armor: Helm of Night, Black Knight Armor, Gauntlets of Night, Black Knight Greaves
• Talismans: Two-Headed Turtle Talisman, Curved Sword Talisman, Blade of Mercy
• Alternate Talismans: Ritual Sword Talisman, Crusade Insignia
• Primary Stats: Vigor, Faith
• Secondary Stats: Endurance, Strength, Mind
• Skills: Sacred Blade
• Spells: Golden Vow
• Crystal Tear: Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear, Stonebarb Cracked Tear
• Great Runes: Radahn's Great Rune, or Godrick's Great Rune

We have over 110 Elden Ring builds. Each one is meticulously crafted to offer unique playstyles, strategies, and experiences, ensuring there's something for every adventurer in the Lands Between. Whether you seek the raw power of heavy weapons, the finesse of spellcasting, or the versatility of hybrid builds, our collection has you covered. Explore the depths of the game's mechanics and unleash your full potential with our diverse array of builds.

Black Steel Greathammer Build – Equipment

The Black Steel Greathammer is a formidable weapon that deals both physical and holy damage, with scaling in strength, dexterity, and faith. It's one of the few weapons in the game that offers a secondary damage type while still allowing for infusions with ashes of war or weapon buffs, making it quite versatile.

What sets this weapon apart is its unique block counter mechanic, which drags the hammer along the ground, leaving a trail of holy damage similar to the attacks of the Black Knights who wield it. The damage type depends on your build; if you've infused it for heavy physical damage, the weapon will mostly deal physical damage with some holy. Conversely, a sacred infusion will shift the balance towards more holy damage. However, the holy trail left by the weapon always deals 100% holy damage.

Through my testing, I discovered that at our current level, the sacred infusion slightly outperforms heavy infusion when it comes to the holy trail's damage. This is especially true if you're using the Sacred Blade ash of war, which allows you to easily rebuff your weapon with L2 without needing to swap to a sacred seal. While heavy infusion may eventually surpass sacred at higher levels due to increased strength and faith scaling, the convenience of Sacred Blade's quick rebuffing and the immediate damage boost make it an excellent choice for this build.

I opted for Sacred Blade not only for the extra damage it provides during block counters and regular attacks but also because it complements the defensive nature of this build. While you can two-hand the Black Steel Greathammer and block counter effectively, using a greatshield enhances your guard boost and overall defense, making block counters against regular enemies easier. The block counter mechanic is a standout feature of this weapon, and I wanted to emphasize it rather than replace it with an ash of war that overshadows its utility.

Sacred Blade not only boosts your block counter damage but also gives you a ranged attack option when needed. This combination provides a balanced setup with high melee damage, solid stance damage, and some range for versatility. Regarding sacred seals, you have flexibility. The Clawmark Seal is ideal for this stat spread if you want to cast incantations effectively, though my focus here is on showcasing the weapon rather than spells. To keep my equip load in the medium range, I opted for a lightweight sacred seal, using it primarily for Golden Vow. However, if you prefer the Clawmark Seal, you might need to invest a few points into endurance to maintain a medium roll.

For the shield, I chose the Black Steel Greatshield, setting it to "no skill" so I can easily use Sacred Blade with L2. This choice completes the Black Knight aesthetic I'm going for, although any greatshield could work. The Black Steel Greatshield offers 73 guard boost when fully upgraded—not the highest, but it looks perfect with the Black Steel Greathammer. Still, feel free to use any greatshield that suits your style.

In terms of armor, I'm using a mix: the Helm of Night and Gauntlets of Night, and the Black Knight Armor and Black Knight Greaves, to achieve the look I want. Initially, I used the full Black Knight set, but I had to adjust my endurance higher than I preferred to maintain a medium roll. By swapping out a few pieces, I preserved the aesthetic while keeping my poise above 51, ensuring I'm not interrupted during block counters. You can customize your armor to your liking, but I recommend maintaining over 51 poise to avoid being staggered during crucial moments.

Black Steel Greathammer Build – Talismans and Spell

For this build, the talismans I'm using include the Two-Headed Turtle Talisman for stamina recovery. This build consumes a lot of stamina since you're frequently blocking and countering, and the weapon itself demands considerable stamina for attacks. Even with a high stamina pool, quick recovery is essential.

I also use the Curved Sword Talisman to further increase block counter damage. Given that this build relies heavily on block counters, maximizing damage is crucial.

The Shard of Alexander is another solid choice. Sacred Blade can deal significant damage, and boosting it can often allow you to one-shot enemies in the open world. Without it, you might leave some enemies with just a sliver of health. While Sacred Blade isn't used constantly, this talisman isn't mandatory but can be very effective when equipped.

You can also swap it out for other talismans like the Ritual Sword Talisman if you're not taking damage, to further boost your damage output.

Another option is the Axe Talisman for charged heavy attacks—both are strong choices, and there are many other viable talismans as well.

For my last slot, I prefer the Blade of Mercy. I often land critical attacks in boss fights, usually two or so, which is pretty good. This talisman keeps my damage boosted between those critical hits, which I find valuable. It’s less effective in the open world, where block counters usually finish off enemies before you can follow up.

In such cases, I like to switch to the Crusade Insignia to secure quick kills and gain a damage boost afterward.

As for spells, the only one I'm using is Golden Vow, which provides both a damage increase and additional protection. Since this build has plenty of faith and decent strength, the Clawmark Seal allows you to slot other spells if you want, though I haven't showcased them here. If you decide to use other spells and adjust your strength and faith, you might want to swap out your talismans for ones that boost spell casting.

Black Steel Greathammer Build – Attributes Distribution

At level 165, the stats for this build are as follows: 55 Vigor, 27 Mind, 40 Endurance, 35 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, 50 Faith, and 9 Arcane.

• 55 Vigor: This is necessary because you’ll occasionally trade damage while performing block counters. You’ll eventually want to increase this to 60, but there's no need to go beyond that.
• 27 Mind: This provides enough FP to use Sacred Blade as needed, though you won’t be using it constantly. You’ll typically want to buff your weapon, let the buff expire, and then reapply it. It’s also sufficient for using Golden Vow regularly, though you might consider raising this to 30 later on.
• 40 Endurance: This gives you ample stamina and helps with your equip load. With a great hammer, greatshield, and fairly heavy armor, your load is substantial. If you’re looking to lower this stat, you could opt for armor that doesn’t hit 51 poise or a lighter greatshield, but be aware that this may make you more susceptible to interruptions during block counters. Maintaining a medium roll is highly recommended, as rolling will still be necessary from time to time, even though you won’t rely on it heavily in this build. Heavy rolling isn’t advisable for most players.
• 35 Strength: This is primarily to meet the requirements for your greatshield. The Blacksteel Greathammer requires at least 25 strength if you're one-handing it, which we are in this build. You might be able to reduce strength slightly if you opt for a greatshield with a lower strength requirement, around 30. Since we’re using the Sacred Infusion, additional strength isn’t necessary beyond meeting equipment requirements, although it still contributes to some damage due to residual strength scaling. The focus should be on faith.
• 12 Dexterity: This is just to meet the weapon's requirements. If you're starting from the Astrologer class, dexterity can’t go lower than 12, though you only need 11 for this build.
• 16 Intelligence: This is also due to starting as an Astrologer. However, if you’re considering using Sacred Order with a Heavy Infusion and a similar stat spread, you'll need at least 13 intelligence to cast that spell.
• 50 Faith: After meeting all the necessary requirements and adjusting your equip load, the remaining points are invested in faith. Eventually, you’ll want to raise faith to around 80 to maximize the damage output for this build.
• 9 Arcane: This build doesn’t require any arcane unless you plan to cast specific incantations that have arcane requirements while using the Clawmark Seal.

Black Steel Greathammer Build – Black Hammer: Final Tips

For the Flask of Wondrous Physick, I use the Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear to further boost Holy damage. While a significant portion of our damage is Holy, around one-third is still physical, so even at about two-thirds effectiveness, this tear provides a substantial benefit. I highly recommend it. Additionally, I include the Stonebarb Cracked Tear, which makes it easier to break stances. This build focuses heavily on stance breaks, especially in boss fights where you can achieve them quickly.

This tear ensures that your attacks, block counters, and overall damage output contribute more to stance damage, allowing for frequent critical strikes on bosses. Although it only lasts 30 seconds—shorter than the Holy Shrouding Cracked Tear—it's incredibly effective when used strategically. I usually activate it mid-fight or aggressively pursue stance breaks early on to trigger the Blade of Mercy's damage boost.

When it comes to Great Runes, Radahn’s Great Rune is an excellent choice. The extra FP, stamina, and health it provides are all valuable for this build, so I definitely recommend it. Godrick’s Great Rune is also a viable option since it boosts six of your stats, or even seven if you're using Sacred Order. This can be a great all-around choice as well.

That wraps up my Black Hammer build. I’m considering doing another build with the Blacksteel Twinblade at some point. I’m not sure yet what direction I’ll take with that, but I’m excited to explore its potential. Initially, I was skeptical about this weapon, but after using it, it's become one of my favorites. In my opinion, it’s easily one of the top 5 best weapons in the DLC, or at least very close to it. As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree so stay tuned for those. If you need help finding the spells, items, or equipment in this build, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check the Elden Ring Map.