QUICK CORRECTION: Two-Handed Sword Talisman boosts damage by ~10% damage instead of 15% in PvP, which... honestly isn't too bad, I may consider running it in duels and invasions. This one is a little late guys, but I promised you the updated build so hopefully this will help y'all that are still soldiering through the DLC! Personally I think this is the (actual) best version of the Greatsword of Solitude build, statting heavy into Endurance for additional options while still taking advantage of the insane damage from its Strength scaling. This improved version is better for PvE progression but also is wayyyy better for PvP in my personal opinion, enjoy y'all
@@lexdtv the whole set is just really cool. Haven't finished the dlc yet cos of work (and partially because I wanted to wait for the updated build haha). Been using the first one the whole time and it is the most fun I've had in any game in a long long time. Rellana, the dancing lion were an absolute blast with it. I also went back into the main game where I discovwred I never actually fought placidusax. This weapon absolutely destroyed him, took me 2 tries (never fought him in my life before then) great build and weapon thanks man
@@qwikscopez6619 lol that's so great to hear man, I'm glad the first version treated you so well! I definitely think this one is more optimized so I hope you enjoy it if you end up running it
dude ur the goat thank you. ive done the dlc about 10 times now, but wanted a good solitude build bc of the tankiness and the aesthetic. best vid on this honestly. you rock man, subbed!
Thank you! Yeah I try to optimize and spend a good chunk of time with each build video I make so you're definitely getting a decent version of each lol
Started running this build before I saw your videos not knowing if it was gonna be viable, your videos made me really excited to keep going in the dlc~!
THANK you brother. Been experimenting with other weapons to make videos on and have been having a lot of fun but, Greatsword of Solitude still might be my favorite weapon lol
@@lexdtv I keep hearing about it. For me however I’m a dex main or arcane. For some odd reason str has never been my jam. I feel like dex and faith got all the love in the dlc too lol
Another great vid! Thanks for sharing about the frost bolts I almost asked you about your strategy for those on one of your last vids. I ran a similar build at a higher level through the DLC ( around 175) but am now at 200 where I'm going to stay for NG+ and PVP. I tried running a scarlet rot dagger with frost for some more status buildup after bleed from the pulley with mixed success but I've have had fun with it. Going to try crafting some frost bolts today!
Yes if the Scarlet Rot bolts weren't such a nightmare to farm I'd probably include a bit about them in my videos but alas, they are very annoying to craft lol. That said, Scarlet Rot is probably one of the best status effects you can apply to a boss for sure. And yes, feel free to ask anything; TH-cam is basically my main social media platform so I'll more than likely get back to you. Til then, enjoy the freezy bolts!
Knight of solitude is my favorite build i mess around with others but i always miss what this sword and build can do P.s i like the star light katana but hate relying on the ash ow war maybe if i treat it like this sword i get better results and i love rellana twin blades but not blocking worh out a shield sucks to me
U are absolutely right there is no other build that gives great damage and can take a guard impact and still retaliate with more damage but with his insane pose I wounder will the starlight katana ash of war combo be un breakable ? And lastly im on second play i also us blind spot in one hand and solitude in the other talk about agile knight of solitude Also what is the correct endurance to wear the whole armor cause I always get stuck wear ing everything but the helmet also I'm at lol 150
I know you like your crossbow, but what about throwing pots for applying frostbite and saving some weight? Would that enable you to run Curved Sword talisman full time instead of Erdtree's Favor and get the benefits of stacked guard counter damage AND boosted ash of war damage?
That's not a bad consideration, but I think that the animation time on throwing pots can be a little long for some of the boss fights (range might also be a concern in some cases), and I think I'd also just miss the health + stamina boost that talisman provides. I think the switch I mention is effective because most bossfights I'd either go all-in on the guard counters or would be spamming the ash of war a lot, I rarely ever did an even balance of both.
@@lexdtv Totally get you on range consideration for throwing pots when locked on, but what if you free aim the throw? Wouldn't work for agile bosses, but maybe for the bigguns... Regarding throwing animation, I wonder what the status application per second is for the full throw animation vs fire/ reload/ fire for pulley crossbow. I think you said you needed 2 volleys to apply frostbite, right? Finding time to reload sometimes can be tricky. If the pot can apply in one throw vs 2 crossbow volleys, might get you a bit more efficiency. Health and stamina boost from Erdtree's Favor are real though, and point taken on committing to ash vs guard counter for specific encounters. I just love optionality and hate swapping talismans around.
@@JoshBerkowitz that's fair lol I don't LOVE switching around talismans as well, but at least this is a little easier than in the middle of a fight; I usually just equip what I think is the best set BEFORE I step through a fog gate. Yeah I'm not sure about the throwing animation, but I think that it's probably longer than JUST a fire and JUST a reload, and I like the ability to be able to "fire now, reload later" so you can split up that animation time as you see fit. I also like being able to buy Burred Bolts for bleed in unlimited capacity rather than having to purely craft bleed pots or something. All this said though, I think you should try your build out! I think this one is pretty flexible so I could see your version working, while hopefully freeing up some Endurance + that talisman slot like you are pondering.
Lol this is still mostly unchanged, though I'll have to check out the effectiveness of the Spread Crossbow in PvP now that it was slightly nerfed. The patch DID effect the video that's coming out soon, my "storm" build; seems like it was buffed overall!
Make sure it's fully upgraded, make sure you have a bunch Strength (at least 54), make sure you have enough DEX to wield the weapon (13), and you should be good!
QUICK CORRECTION: Two-Handed Sword Talisman boosts damage by ~10% damage instead of 15% in PvP, which... honestly isn't too bad, I may consider running it in duels and invasions.
This one is a little late guys, but I promised you the updated build so hopefully this will help y'all that are still soldiering through the DLC! Personally I think this is the (actual) best version of the Greatsword of Solitude build, statting heavy into Endurance for additional options while still taking advantage of the insane damage from its Strength scaling. This improved version is better for PvE progression but also is wayyyy better for PvP in my personal opinion, enjoy y'all
Great sword of solitude enjoyers are rejoicing rn
I am so obsessed with the weapon I NEEDED to perfect the build for it lol
@@lexdtv the whole set is just really cool. Haven't finished the dlc yet cos of work (and partially because I wanted to wait for the updated build haha). Been using the first one the whole time and it is the most fun I've had in any game in a long long time. Rellana, the dancing lion were an absolute blast with it. I also went back into the main game where I discovwred I never actually fought placidusax. This weapon absolutely destroyed him, took me 2 tries (never fought him in my life before then) great build and weapon thanks man
@@qwikscopez6619 lol that's so great to hear man, I'm glad the first version treated you so well! I definitely think this one is more optimized so I hope you enjoy it if you end up running it
Fellow gs of solitude enjoyer here, cheers!
Best greatsword in the game imo, and tbh one of the best weapons they've ever designed lol
@@lexdtv agree, not too OP, just perfect
dude ur the goat thank you. ive done the dlc about 10 times now, but wanted a good solitude build bc of the tankiness and the aesthetic. best vid on this honestly. you rock man, subbed!
Thank you! Yeah I try to optimize and spend a good chunk of time with each build video I make so you're definitely getting a decent version of each lol
The quality and depth of your videos are so refreshing. Please keep making builds-would love to see more of your perspective and breakdown!
Thanks man, and yeah I plan on making some more build videos... I have a "fun" one in mind for the next lol
Started running this build before I saw your videos not knowing if it was gonna be viable, your videos made me really excited to keep going in the dlc~!
Awesome man, and yeah it's more than viable, I'd say it's actually SUPER strong for the DLC, the last boss in particular!
This is the best ER vid I've seen in quite some time. Awesome stuff!
This is awesome bro
THANK you brother. Been experimenting with other weapons to make videos on and have been having a lot of fun but, Greatsword of Solitude still might be my favorite weapon lol
@@lexdtv I keep hearing about it. For me however I’m a dex main or arcane. For some odd reason str has never been my jam. I feel like dex and faith got all the love in the dlc too lol
@@Buddyguy1988 yeah Strength enjoyers got SOME love... but not as much as others for sure
@@lexdtv yea true that bro
Another great vid! Thanks for sharing about the frost bolts I almost asked you about your strategy for those on one of your last vids. I ran a similar build at a higher level through the DLC ( around 175) but am now at 200 where I'm going to stay for NG+ and PVP. I tried running a scarlet rot dagger with frost for some more status buildup after bleed from the pulley with mixed success but I've have had fun with it. Going to try crafting some frost bolts today!
Yes if the Scarlet Rot bolts weren't such a nightmare to farm I'd probably include a bit about them in my videos but alas, they are very annoying to craft lol. That said, Scarlet Rot is probably one of the best status effects you can apply to a boss for sure.
And yes, feel free to ask anything; TH-cam is basically my main social media platform so I'll more than likely get back to you. Til then, enjoy the freezy bolts!
Nice video and expertise👍
Thank you! One of my favorite weapons in the game so it deserved a thorough review lol
I hate how much i love this sword. I'm a dex user mainly, but i legit switched to strength just for this sword on one of my toons
This was the first DLC weapon I found, and thought it was worth respeccing for to "try out."
...then I just used it for the whole playthrough LOL
welcome to the club
Which one, the "I beat the DLC" club? lol
@@lexdtv that and to all the people using this amazing weapon, love this build btw carried me though the game
@@anticotter7363 same man, it's actually so strong. Super happy that FromSoft gave us a way to use 2-handed guard counters more legitimately lol
@@lexdtv love the content too, pointed me in the right direction when i started no bs but fun to watch
Yeah I’m about to run this exact build fuck it
It's a good one brother; how'd it go
Knight of solitude is my favorite build i mess around with others but i always miss what this sword and build can do
P.s i like the star light katana but hate relying on the ash ow war maybe if i treat it like this sword i get better results and i love rellana twin blades but not blocking worh out a shield sucks to me
That's the beauty of this sword right? It works so well as a shield too, I love it, and your guard counters hit SO hard since you're two-handing it!
U are absolutely right there is no other build that gives great damage and can take a guard impact and still retaliate with more damage but with his insane pose I wounder will the starlight katana ash of war combo be un breakable ?
And lastly im on second play i also us blind spot in one hand and solitude in the other talk about agile knight of solitude
Also what is the correct endurance to wear the whole armor cause I always get stuck wear ing everything but the helmet also I'm at lol 150
P.s i just made a two sword of solitude build with almost ur build it hits really hard
@@givemeverything it really does lol, best greatsword in the game. The Strength scaling is just insane
I know you like your crossbow, but what about throwing pots for applying frostbite and saving some weight? Would that enable you to run Curved Sword talisman full time instead of Erdtree's Favor and get the benefits of stacked guard counter damage AND boosted ash of war damage?
That's not a bad consideration, but I think that the animation time on throwing pots can be a little long for some of the boss fights (range might also be a concern in some cases), and I think I'd also just miss the health + stamina boost that talisman provides. I think the switch I mention is effective because most bossfights I'd either go all-in on the guard counters or would be spamming the ash of war a lot, I rarely ever did an even balance of both.
@@lexdtv Totally get you on range consideration for throwing pots when locked on, but what if you free aim the throw? Wouldn't work for agile bosses, but maybe for the bigguns...
Regarding throwing animation, I wonder what the status application per second is for the full throw animation vs fire/ reload/ fire for pulley crossbow. I think you said you needed 2 volleys to apply frostbite, right? Finding time to reload sometimes can be tricky. If the pot can apply in one throw vs 2 crossbow volleys, might get you a bit more efficiency.
Health and stamina boost from Erdtree's Favor are real though, and point taken on committing to ash vs guard counter for specific encounters. I just love optionality and hate swapping talismans around.
@@JoshBerkowitz that's fair lol I don't LOVE switching around talismans as well, but at least this is a little easier than in the middle of a fight; I usually just equip what I think is the best set BEFORE I step through a fog gate.
Yeah I'm not sure about the throwing animation, but I think that it's probably longer than JUST a fire and JUST a reload, and I like the ability to be able to "fire now, reload later" so you can split up that animation time as you see fit. I also like being able to buy Burred Bolts for bleed in unlimited capacity rather than having to purely craft bleed pots or something.
All this said though, I think you should try your build out! I think this one is pretty flexible so I could see your version working, while hopefully freeing up some Endurance + that talisman slot like you are pondering.
Hi Lex, thanks for the video.
What about the last update ? 🤓
Lol this is still mostly unchanged, though I'll have to check out the effectiveness of the Spread Crossbow in PvP now that it was slightly nerfed. The patch DID effect the video that's coming out soon, my "storm" build; seems like it was buffed overall!
Why mine greatsword only + 177
Make sure it's fully upgraded, make sure you have a bunch Strength (at least 54), make sure you have enough DEX to wield the weapon (13), and you should be good!
50 endurance doesn’t get you anywhere near 170 stamina
How about 50 END and the erdtree favor +2 🤷♂️