Today we're breaking down one of the most chaotic and devastating PvP builds to emerge from the Elden Ring: the Madding Hands Strength/Faith build.

If you've been looking for a build that hits like a truck Elden Ring Items, melts through phantoms, and uses one of the flashiest Ashes of War in the game, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know-from weapon choices and stats to talismans, armor, and invasion tactics.

Why the Madding Hands?

The Madding Hands are fist-class weapons that scale evenly across Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith. However, this build leans heavily into Strength for two reasons:

1.Higher damage output: Strength scaling gives the most efficient damage boost for this weapon, allowing you to delete enemies with a single combo.

2.Better defense and poise: Investing in Strength lets you wear heavier armor while keeping a solid poise threshold-essential for trading hits with meta weapons.

The moveset is deceptively powerful:

 Running Light Attack: Fast and hard to react to, perfect for chase-downs.

 Charged Heavy Attack: A devastating overhead slam that comes out faster than many players expect.

 Ash of War-Madding Spear Handstrike: This is the centerpiece of the build. When it connects, it builds up madness on your opponent, often leading to a guaranteed fully charged heavy into uncharged heavy combo-enough to one-shot a phantom with the right talismans.

Core Build Setup

Stats

Here's the recommended stat spread at level 150–160:

 Strength: 63

(The main source of weapon damage and poise.)

 Faith: 20

(Required for the Madding Hands, and allows minor incantation utility.)

 Intelligence: 13

(Minimum requirement for the weapon.)

 Dexterity: 18

(Optional for weapon variety.)

 Vigor, Mind, Endurance: Spread remaining points to balance health, FP for Ash of War spam, and stamina for trading hits.

This build prioritizes survivability and raw melee power, but you'll still have enough Faith to run utility buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength if you want to push damage even higher.

Talismans

The talisman loadout focuses on maximizing the Madding Hands' burst potential:

1.Shard of Alexander-Increases Ash of War damage, which directly enhances the Madding Spear Handstrike.

2.Axe Talisman-Boosts fully charged heavy attacks, a key part of the madness combo.

3.Lord of Blood's Exultation or Faithful's Canvas Talisman-Replaceable slot, but if you want to capitalize on the madness buildup, this is your best bet.

4.Erdtree's Favor or Great-Jar Arsenal-For increased equip load and stamina. Swap this with Rotten Winged Sword Insignia if you want to gamble on combo damage stacking.

Armor

Armor choice is flexible, but poise and defense are crucial.

 Solitude Armor Set-Balanced defense with high poise for fist trading.

 Wing Serpent Helm-Chosen for aesthetics and weight management when the full Solitude set is too heavy.

If you prefer function over form, you can mix and match armor pieces to hit a poise breakpoint of 61 or higher, allowing you to tank through smaller weapons without stagger.

How the Build Works in Combat

The Madding Hands thrive on aggressive momentum. The weapon's fast animations make it difficult for opponents to react, while the madness buildup punishes defensive play.

Main Combo

 Ash of War (Madding Spear Handstrike) → Fully Charged R2 → R2

This three-hit chain is brutal. If the madness proc triggers, it staggers and chunks health so hard that even bulky invaders or phantom summons crumble instantly.

Neutral Game

 Use running L1 or L2 for chase-downs.

 Don't spam the Ash blindly-it's punishable. Instead, bait attacks, then counter with Madding Spear Handstrike to trigger madness buildup.

 Invasions and 1vX

Fist weapons shine in close quarters. With high poise and quick attacks, you can punish enemies who try to trade with slower weapons like greatswords or katanas.

 In 1v2 or 1v3 situations, focus on picking off phantoms first. A single madness combo can remove them from the fight instantly.

 The weapon is also excellent against gank squads who underestimate the reach and speed of fists.The build's adaptability also showed during fights with multiple blues (hunter summons). While blind-spot Ash of War attacks from enemies were tricky to counter, careful spacing and burst combos allowed him to dismantle groups one by one.

PvE Considerations

While this is primarily a PvP-focused build, the Madding Hands are no slouch in PvE:

 Boss Fights: The Ash of War can stagger humanoid bosses when madness procs, creating openings for heavy follow-ups.

 Mob Clearing: While fists have shorter range, their speed makes them excellent for tight dungeons and castle corridors. Buffing with Flame, Grant Me Strength further boosts their damage.

Why This Build Works

The success of the Madding Hands build lies in its dual-threat nature:

 High Physical Damage: Strength scaling ensures strong base damage and poise.

 Madness Burst: A single well-timed Ash of War can delete phantoms or force players to retreat.

Other fist weapons lack the ability to chain a guaranteed one-shot combo, which is what sets the Madding Hands apart. It's a weapon that rewards both precision and pressure.

Tips for Mastering the Build

1.Learn to bait rolls: Madding Spear Handstrike has a slight delay, making it great for punishing panic rolls.

2.Mix heavy feints: Start charging an R2 to bait a reaction, then cancel into Ash of War for a surprise madness hit.

3.Target phantoms first: In invasions, the burst potential ensures you can remove a phantom quickly, reducing the pressure of 1vX.

4.Watch your FP: The Ash is FP-hungry. Carry a Cerulean Flask or a Mixed Physick with FP regen to stay in the fight.

5.Respect resistances: Players wearing high-madness-resist gear like the full Solitude set may need multiple procs. In those cases, rely on raw R2 combos.

Final Thoughts

The Madding Hands Strength/Faith build is a refreshing addition to the Elden Ring meta-versatile, flashy, and brutally effective Elden Ring Runes. While it shines brightest in invasions and duels, it's also a viable choice for PvE content if you enjoy close-range, aggressive combat.