

Weapon: Lazuli Glintstone Sword or Carian Knight’s Sword

For your last talisman, you could use Primal Glintstone Blade for FP reduction, or any other talisman you choose. For talismans, the Graven Mass buffs sorceries, the Radagon Icon reduces cast time, and the Magic Scorpion Charm increases magic damage. You’ll need to head to Caria Manor anyway to purchase Cold sorceries from Seluvis. There are Frost weapons in the form of the Frozen Needle and Icerind Hatchet, but they primarily scale with dex and don’t line up stat-wise with the Darkmoon Greatsword. Since Cold Sorceries are all about frost buildup, you’ll also want a weapon that applies it, and there’s no better than the Darkmoon Greatsword you get at the end of Ranni’s quest.įor something a little earlier on, it’s best to grab the Chilling Mist or Hoarfrost Stomp Ashes of War near Caria Manor and add them to a strength-scaling weapon. There is no staff that boosts Cold sorceries, but the Carian Regal Scepter has great intelligence-scaling, and will boost Ranni’s Dark Moon. Gone are the days of Hoarfrost Stomp being used by every invader, but Cold Sorceries are still pretty darn good-if you specialise in them you also get a reason to wear Ranni’s fancy-looking witch hat. Talismans: Graven Mass Talisman, Radagon Icon, Magic Scorpion Charm, Primal Glintstone Bladeīest spells: Ranni’s Dark Moon, Adula’s Moonblade, Freezing Mist

The Carian Regal Scepter is a good replacement. Since the Meteorite Staff doesn’t upgrade, you’ll also need to change staff eventually to keep up those damage gains. That said, neither are available at the start of the game, so you’ll want anything that boosts intelligence or FP, such as Marika’s Scarseal in Siofra River. In terms of talismans, you have a lot of choice: Graven Mass or Graven School are a must since they buff sorceries, and the Radagon Icon improves cast time. Whack this onto most weapons for intelligence-scaling and a cool skill that flattens flying enemies. You can also grab the Meteoric Ore Blade from the Caelid Waypoint Ruins, or just defeat the Onyx Lord on the beach next to where you start for his Ash of War: Gravitas. It’s easy to build right from the start of the game, too, since you can grab the Meteorite Staff in the Swamp of Aeonia for its strong intelligence-scaling, and get Rock Sling from the Street of Sages ruin. Like beast spells, these deal physical damage, and are amazing at breaking poise and staggering enemies. Talismans: Graven Mass Talisman, Primal Glintstone Blade, Radagon Icon, Moon of Nokstellaīest spells: Rock Sling, Collapsing Stars, Meteor of Astelįor those that get jealous of faith builds and their Bestial Incantations, Gravity Sorceries are the perfect salve. Armor: Any Glintstone Crown and sorcerer robe
