new Nightreign players; his ive ability, Sixth Sense, allows him to cheat death exactly once. His main skill is a grappling hook that can pull smaller enemies towards him (or pull him towards larger enemies), effectively removing the need for positioning. His Ultimate Art, Onslaught Strike, is a simple yet powerful burst of damage.

Wylder is pitched as an easy character to play, and, depending on your playstyle, that may or may not be true. What he certainly is, though, is easy to understand. His abilities revolve around simple attack and defense, and there's scarcely a bad time to use them. He's probably the most versatile of the eight Nightfarers; where the Duchess sort of demands light, quick daggers, or the Recluse the use of magic, you can slap a much wider variety of weaponry on Wylder, and he'll do just fine. Even so, here are some recommendations for Wylder's loadout.

Best Relics For Wylder

Best Relics & Combinations

The central conceit of Elden Ring Nightreign is that you can never guarantee what gear you get. To some extent, your loadout is always randomized. However, in order to ensure your build plays to your strengths, you can use Nightreign's relics to help guarantee certain aspects of your character build. Relics can have a wide variety of effects, and you find them everywhere, so there are many potential combinations. But because relics, too, are randomized, it's hard to recommend specific ones.

Wylder starts with a relic urn that allows him to use two red relics and one blue one. You can gain more urns later by beating certain bosses.

Ideally, you'll want to equip Wylder with relics that boost his Strength or Dexterity, as he primarily uses weapons that scale with these attributes (see below). You can also create interesting synergies by using relics that turn his base weapon damage into a different type of damage, then combining them with weapons that grant a boost to the same damage type. Personally, I'm a big fan of relics that increase his critical hit damage, because Wylder is great at breaking enemy guard. Otherwise, generic relics that increase things like resistances, max HP, or boost item functionality are fine.

Unique Relics For Wylder

Now, you'll occasionally come across relics that have unique effects when equipped by certain Nightfarers, indicated by that character's name in the brackets before the effect. Of course, any relics you find with the [Wylder] modifier should go straight to him. These relics interact with the character's unique skills, perhaps granting them extra uses with each charge, or improving the damage of their Ultimate Arts, for example.

Other than that, though, you should tailor your relics to the individual expedition more so than your chosen Nightfarer. That's especially true when playing as Wylder; weapon and armor-wise, you never really know what you're going to get. Try to pick relics that give you items or damage types that you can use to exploit the Nightlord's weakness. If you know they use fire attacks, for example, equip a relic that gives you resistance to fire.

Best Weapon Types & ives For Wylder

Wylder Prefers Swords & Shields

As a general rule, you should try to prioritize weapons similar to your Nightfarer's starting loadout. For Wylder, that's greatswords and shields. Always be on the lookout for one of the two that's better than your current equipment, paying attention not only to the damage, but also to the ives you get just by picking them up.

You get the ive effect of all the weapons in your inventory even when you're not using them.

However, I'd recommend focusing more on swords than on shields. Maybe I'm just not the biggest fan of sword-and-shield builds, but I generally found that two-handing Wylder's greatsword worked better for me. Wylder is plenty mobile, so you don't need to worry too much about parrying, especially if you're a newer player or aren't used to a parry build.

Of course, Wylder's greatest strength is his, well, Strength, so any Strength-scaling weapon will do. I often end up using axes as Wylder, and he does just fine with them; there's something incredibly satisfying about hooking onto an enemy, reeling right up to them, then smashing them with a massive overhead blow. Wylder's not bad with Dexterity, either, so things like thrusting swords, short swords, and katanas suit him well, too.

Best Weapon ives For Wylder

As far as weapon ives go, you'll want to look for perks that boost Wylder's natural strengths. Some weapons have improved guard break; this is excellent for Wylder, as his grappling hook can also damage the enemy's guard. This will ensure you're frequently lining up critical hits, which, if you have a relic or weapon that boosts crit damage equipped, will be even more powerful.

In general, though, you should aim to optimize your gear not just for your particular character, but for the expedition you're on, too. There are lots of considerations involved, and you'll have to balance your Nightfarer's individual strengths with those of the rest of your team, as well as the Nightlord you'll be fighting. Balancing all three aspects will ensure that your Wylder build can handle any challenge that Elden Ring Nightreign throws at you.