Elden Ring features numerous status effects that can turn the tide of battle in your favor. Proccing bleed on an enemy removes a significant portion of their health, sleep renders an enemy vulnerable to attacks, and Scarlet Rot causes enemies to lose significant HP over time, among others. Most status effects are powerful and can trivialize boss fights. However, some, like Madness and Death Blight, have very niche uses and are effective primarily in PvP scenarios, and rarely in PvE.
While Death Blight only works against Tarnished enemies, Madness finds its purpose through its raw damage output rather than status build-up. Madness builds are generally avoided in PvE because most enemies are immune to the Madness effect. However, since Madness weapons and spells deal Fire damage, you can create a powerful Madness build in Elden Ring.
Follow this guide to learn about the best weapons, spells, armor, and stats for a Madness build in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring: 9 Best Faith Builds
Incantations are responsible for the best buffs, but also provide numerous healing options. These will require a Seal to cast, and scale with Faith.
Best Weapons and Seals for Madness Build
Elden Ring has many powerful weapons with potent status effects, but in the case of Madness, the options are quite limited. Players who want a melee Madness build can obtain 
Vyke's War Spear by defeating Festering Fingerprint Vyke on the way to the Church of Inhibition in northeast Liurnia. As a great spear, this weapon has an excellent moveset, perfect for chasing down enemies in PvP or performing safe thrust attacks in PvE. In addition to its innate Madness build-up, Vyke’s War Spear has a powerful Ash of War that ignites the ground with the Flames of Frenzy.
Along with Vyke’s War Spear, you can also use the 
Fingerprint Stone Shield, one of the best shields in Elden Ring. This shield also comes with Madness build-up and has an offensive Ash of War called Shield Bash. Even without considering the Madness build-up, Vyke’s War Spear combined with the Fingerprint Stone Shield creates a strong shield poke build that works well in all scenarios.
The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has added another melee option for fans of Madness - the 
Madding Hand. This fist weapon has a fast moveset that helps you build Madness rapidly on enemies vulnerable to it. Additionally, the Madding Hand gives a slight attack boost when Madness occurs nearby. While the weapon itself isn’t particularly impressive, it can be used to gain a little extra damage output.
In addition to Madness weapons, you’ll want to cast Frenzied Flame incantations, as they are the main stars of any Madness build. To ensure your incantations deal decent damage, the sacred seal you choose is crucial. Since all Madness incantations require Faith, the 
Erdtree Seal is the best Sacred Seal for a Madness build. If you plan to focus solely on spells, it’s also recommended to use the Frenzied Flame Seal in your off-hand for an extra damage bonus to Madness incantations.
Best Frenzied Flame Incantations for Madness Builds
Frenzied Flame is one of the most powerful spell classes in Elden Ring. Nearly all incantations belonging to Frenzied Flame are strong and effective. The only downside of using them is the Madness build-up on the caster. Here are the best Frenzied Flame incantations to include in a Madness build:
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Howl of Shabriri: One of the best buffs in Elden Ring, Howl of Shabriri increases damage by 25% but causes you to take increased damage and attract enemy aggression. Since it’s a body buff, you can stack Howl of Shabriri with an aura buff like Golden Vow. This spell can be obtained from a chest atop the Frenzy-Flaming Tower in northeast Liurnia.
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The Flame of Frenzy: Arguably the strongest Madness incantation, The Flame of Frenzy can be collected from Callu Baptismal Church in Weeping Peninsula without having to fight any enemies. It also has a low requirement of 16 Faith, allowing Prophet-class characters to cast it without leveling up. It can be charged and cast until the Madness effect triggers. With the right build, you’ll likely kill the enemy before Madness procs.
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Frenzied Burst: The long-range attack of a Madness build. It shoots a beam of Frenzied Flame that can travel surprisingly long distances. Charging the spell will increase damage and cause the beam to travel faster. You’ll find this spell inside a scarab on the way to the Church of Inhibition.
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Unendurable Frenzy: This is an endgame spell obtainable only after reaching the Consecrated Snowfield. It is found inside a chest located in Yelough Anix Ruins. Although it’s available late in the game, Unendurable Frenzy is outpowered by The Flame of Frenzy. The only advantage of using Unendurable Frenzy is that it can be cast continuously until you run out of FP or get inflicted with Madness.
Two Frenzied Flame spells were not mentioned in the list - 
Inescapable Frenzy and Midra’s Flame of Frenzy. Inescapable Frenzy is a lethal spell but only works against Tarnished enemies at a very close range. Even in PvP fights, landing Inescapable Frenzy on a player is nearly impossible. However, you can use it against PvE Tarnished enemies to easily cheese them.
As for 
Midra's Flame of Frenzy, it’s a DLC-exclusive spell available by exchanging the Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame. This spell requires two slots and has a higher Madness build-up compared to other Frenzied Flame incantations, and it is not a particularly powerful spell overall for its FP and spell slot cost. The Greatsword of Damnation is a much better choice than Midra’s Flame of Frenzy when exchanging the Rememberance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
Best Armor for Madness Build
When it comes to armor, most builds offer flexible options, allowing the wearer to choose their own fashion. However, Madness build enthusiasts need to be cautious when selecting an armor set, as you need high Focus to slow down Madness build-up. Here are some armor recommendations featuring high Focus stats:
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Solitude Set
(DLC exclusive): This armor set is a reward for defeating the Blackgaol Knight found in the Western Nameless Mausoleum. You can obtain this armor set quite early in the DLC, as the Western Nameless Mausoleum is in Gravesite Plain near the start of SOTE.
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Mushroom Set: While not the best armor set for poise, it has the highest Focus of all base game armors. You can get this set from the Seethewater Cave, located north of Seethewater River in Altus Plateau.
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Fire Prelate Set: Easily one of the best armor sets in Elden Ring, the Fire Prelate Set boasts high poise, strong resistances to Fire and Physical attacks, and, most importantly, plenty of Focus points. This set is dropped by the Fire Prelate enemies in The Mountaintops of the Giants, and an Altered version of the chest armor can drop from the Fire Prelate inside Fort Laiedd in Mt. Gelmir.
Best Talismans for Madness Builds
There are many strong talismans to use in a Madness build in Elden Ring. Ideally, you want a mix of both offensive and defensive talismans to carry against mighty enemies. If you’re confident in your dodging skills, feel free to use only offensive talismans:
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Shard of Alexander: This talisman is recommended for players using Vyke’s War Spear in their Madness build. Since you’ll be using this weapon’s Ash of War frequently, the extra damage from the Shard of Alexander makes a significant difference.
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Fire Scorpion Charm: For any elemental build, equipping the respective Scorpion Charm talisman is essential. All Frenzied Flame incantations deal Fire damage, so having this talisman provides a 12% damage increase to Fire attacks in exchange for reduced damage negation.
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Flock's Canvas Talisman: While you need to progress through Gowry’s questline to obtain Flock’s Canvas Talisman, it’s worth having for incantation builds. In Madness builds, your main source of damage comes from spells like The Flame of Frenzy and Frenzied Burst. This talisman boosts damage from all incantations by 8%.
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Radagon Icon: One of the common issues with many incantations is their long animations. Fortunately, the Radagon Icon reduces spell casting time by providing virtual Dexterity points. Players who find Frenzied Flame incantations slow to cast will benefit from the Radagon Icon talisman.
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Godfrey Icon: In a Madness build, The Flame of Frenzy and Frenzied Burst are the two most commonly used incantations. Both can be charged for extra damage, which can be further boosted by using the Godfrey Icon.
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Clarifying Horn Charm: If you’re not using an armor set with a high Focus stat, the Clarifying Horn Charm talisman is a lifesaver. The +2 variant of this talisman increases Focus by 230, equivalent to the Focus provided by the best armor sets.
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Aged One's Exultation: This talisman provides a simple 20% attack boost when Madness occurs nearby.
Best Class and Stats for Madness Build
Since all Frenzied Flame incantations require Faith, the Prophet starting class is the best choice for a Madness build in Elden Ring. This class starts with 16 Faith, which allows you to use The Flame of Frenzy spell immediately. As for the stats, your primary focus should be on increasing Faith to meet the requirements for all other Frenzied Flame incantations. However, make sure to also level up Vigor and Mind along the way. Here’s a level 125 Madness build recommendation using the Erdtree Seal along with Vyke’s War Spear:
- Vigor: 40
- Mind: 30
- Endurance: 20
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 20
- Intelligence: 7
- Faith: 61
- Arcane: 10
If you want to deal more damage with Vyke’s War Spear, invest points into Dexterity instead of Faith. For a spell-focused build, prioritize Faith, Mind, and Vigor.
Once you’ve completed your Madness build, you’ll need to decide on buffs for the build. Madness builds already have an excellent buff in Howl of Shabriri. You can stack it with Golden Vow, Aged One’s Exultation, and 
Black Dumpling headgear. As for the Flask of Wondrous Physick, the Fire Shrouding Cracked Tear is a must-have, and the second crystal tear can be either the Faith-Knot Crystal Tear, Speckled Hardtear, or Spiked Cracked Tear.
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
