Elden Ring Nightreign Guide: Tips for Playing as Duchess

If you’ve chosen the Prisoner, Bandit, or Warrior class while playing Elden Ring, you’re in for a treat. The combination of Dexterity and Intelligence returns in Nightreign with the character Duchess, a skilled thief who plays a pivotal role in the game’s story. You’ll frequently encounter her at the Roundtable Hold, even outside of her playable sequence.

Duchess is integral to the narrative, first appearing during the tutorial phase when you save her, then later as a Priestess at the Roundtable Hold. However, this guide focuses on her potential in combat and how to harness her abilities effectively against formidable bosses.

Under the right conditions, Duchess can be a remarkably strong character. Conversely, without proper understanding, she may underperform in battle. This article will outline effective strategies, recommend weapons and relics, enabling you to leverage her skills to dominate foes.

Understanding Duchess’s Abilities

Ability

Type

Description

Magnificent Poise

Passive

This passive ability minimizes stamina depletion during evasive maneuvers or attacks, allowing Duchess to dodge twice in quick succession.

Rest

Character Skill

Restage records damage inflicted on nearby foes in the last few seconds, permitting Duchess to transfer nearly 50% of that damage to a target.

Finale

Ultimate Art

Duchess becomes invisible mid-fight, disorienting enemies, and positioning her perfectly for backstabs or healing opportunities.

Unlike other characters who roll to evade, Duchess lunges, covering more ground and facilitating a follow-up lunge that creates significant distance from adversaries. This allows her to regenerate stamina quickly, re-entering encounters better prepared.

Duchess’s Restage ability is arguably more beneficial than her ultimate. While typical characters rely on damage-dealing Ultimates, Duchess’s Restage skill can strike critical blows through cunning application. It becomes easier to use this with the right awareness of your surroundings.

Coordinating with your team will enable you to maximize Restage’s effects; timing it in conjunction with teammates’ attacks will yield optimal results. Conversely, her Finale ability, although it renders her invisible, is powerful when used strategically to escape enemy attention and set up ambushes.

During boss battles or encounters with Nightlords, utilizing Finale allows you to regroup, heal, and strategize without enemy interference. These tactical advantages prove essential, especially early on while leveling up.

Optimal Weapons for Duchess

Duchess boasts impressive ratings, with a B in Dexterity, an A in Intelligence, a B in Faith, and a C in Arcane, offering varied build opportunities. For maximum damage output, the Dex/Int approach is advisable.

The most effective weapon choices for Duchess include Daggers, Curved Swords, Fists, and Staffs equipped with sword-based Carian sorceries. When selecting staves, prioritize those featuring Carian Slicer, Carian Piercer, Carian Greatsword, or Adula’s Moonblade.

For melee options like daggers or swords, seek out weapons that apply status effects such as Poison, Scarlet Rot, Bleed, or Frost. Notable suggestions include the Venomous Fang (Poison), Star Fist (Bleed), Antspur Rapier (Scarlet Rot), and Frozen Needle (Frost).

Recommended Relics for Duchess

Duchess excels at inflicting ailments on opponents. Therefore, when choosing relics during relic rites, opt for those enhancing her elemental damage or granting status effects to her starting armament. If you’re struggling with relic selection, prioritize those elevating Dexterity, Intelligence, Stamina, and Mind.

Many relics provide stat boosts when you hold more than three weapons of a specific class. Fortunately, simply having them in your inventory triggers these buffs. However, cooperation with your team is crucial to ensure you collectively obtain the necessary weapon types.

One advantageous aspect of Elden Ring is the absence of an equip load limitation, allowing players to amass numerous weapons without the risk of hindering mobility.

Strategies for Expedition with Duchess

Duchess is not a straightforward character to master despite her high Dexterity. A lack of understanding of her abilities can be detrimental, potentially hindering both your performance and that of your team. Here are several essential tips to optimize her combat efficacy:

• Utilize Restage to inflict status ailments: While Restage is often highlighted for its damage transfer capability, it can also hasten the application of status effects. When an opportunity arises for a flurry of strikes, leveraging Restage can turn the tide of battle.
• Choose weapons with mobility skills: As a Dex/Int character, Duchess possesses a wealth of FP. Acquiring weapons with skills like Quickstep or Bloodhound’s Step can provide valuable mobility, enhancing your control over engagements.
• Employ Finale for reviving teammates: Although Finale lacks offensive power, it is remarkably stealthy, granting Duchess the opportunity to revive fallen allies undetected during chaotic battles.
• Remember, Finale doesn’t confer invincibility: Duchess is still vulnerable during her invisibility. Engage Finale after creating sufficient distance from foes to prevent unexpected damage.

Optimal Team Composition

Below are the best characters to pair with Duchess:

Raider

Raider is an ideal companion for Duchess due to his exceptional strength rating. raider favors a straightforward combat strategy, wielding powerful Colossal Weapons or Great Hammers to crush opponents. Recommended choices include the Giant-Crusher, Troll’s Hammer, Brick Hammer, Rotten Battle Hammer, or Serpent Hunter.

His Ultimate, Totem Stela, empowers nearby allies, synergizing well with Duchess’s hit-and-run style. This combination can significantly enhance damage against bosses.

If survivability becomes a concern, consider substituting Raider for Guardian, or if health is stable, Wylder may also complement Duchess’s gameplay.

Revenant

Despite her low HP, Revenant brings invaluable support capabilities to the team.While Raider and Duchess engage with enemies, Revenant can provide crucial backline support through powerful incantations. Her spells, such as Erdtree Heal for healing or Black Flame for attacking, bolster teamwork significantly.

Revenant’s Ultimate Art, Immortal March, is instrumental in saving allies from imminent danger. If you desire more reliable ranged support, consider switching her out for either Ironeye or Recluse depending on the enemy’s weaknesses.

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