Best Elden Ring Nightreign Executor build

What is the best Elden Ring Nightreign Executor build? Everyone loves a soulslike samurai, so it should come as no surprise that there's a dedicated class for it in FromSoftware's spin-off. This melee Nightfarer wields a cursed katana, and favors the same deflection-driven combat style as seen in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Executor is the most difficult Nightreign class to master, but it's also the most rewarding. Its high skill ceiling proves an excellent challenge for seasoned soulslike game fans who like to parry and deflect damage, then break a foe's stance to inflict a fatal critical hit. With our best Executor build under your belt in Elden Ring Nightreign, you can transform this silent samurai into a beast on the battlefield.

Executor is the most powerful Nightfarer on paper, but it's also the one with the highest skill floor. It's a class catered to FromSoftware's hardcore audience, and all but requires Sekiro's deflection mastery combined with experience fighting the featured bosses from Elden Ring and Dark Souls. It's a tall order, but the best build for Executor can help minimize the steep consequences of misplays.

Executor belongs on the frontline, but his best allies depend on your skill level. An Executor at the top of their game can hold consistent aggro with careful stamina management, guarding, dodging, and retreating as needed. In these cases, an Ironeye, Recluse, and a Revenant can all provide long-range support, letting Executor focus on nailing those timings.

However, the average Executor is likely to need a breather, and that's where a Raider or Guardian can take the heat. In this formation, Executor can focus on pulling off backstabs, applying blood loss, and taking opportune moments to deflect, rather than sitting in a high-risk position that's likely to get them killed.

Here are Executor's base attributes:

• HP: B
• FP: D
• Stamina: B
• Strength: C
• Dexterity: S
• Intelligence: D
• Faith: D
• Arcane: S

Hand of Melania is the best weapon for the Executor. This legendary weapon puts Melania's Waterfowl Dance in your hands, giving you a close-range AoE that can shut down most enemies. It also includes the Power of the Undefeated passive, which temporarily gives your attacks restorative powers after you take damage. This Bloodborne-style health recovery facilitates an aggressive playstyle, allowing you to throw caution to the wind and take your revenge.

Executor's cursed sword can't build or trigger status ailments, which means you're forced to rely on regular weapons to take advantage of his high Arcane. The go-to weapons are obviously in the katana family, not just because they're thematically appropriate, but also because the vast majority inflict blood loss. Rivers of Blood or Nagakiba can set you up for a successful run; together, they're unstoppable.

Executor can wield dexterity-based swords and daggers in a pinch, but we consider these weapons a temporary measure until a decent katana comes along. The only exception would be if these weapons inflict blood loss as well. Reduvia is an excellent off-hand weapon for Executor, as are the Raptor Talons and Star Fist. They don't have as much flat damage as a katana or sword, but all three are fast enough to interrupt attacks and conserve the blood loss gauge when a slower weapon just won't cut it.

While katanas are the obvious weapon match for Executor, his dexterity allows him to wield a bow to great effect. We highly recommend keeping one in reserve, especially if you're due to fight a Nightlord that prefers to remain out of reach of melee fighters. The Serpent Bow is a great choice for Executor since his Arcane scaling can enhance the effects of its poison build-up, but be mindful that an Ironeye may need it more than you.

With all this blood loss, it should come as no surprise that Lord of Blood's Exultation is the best talisman for this Executor build. It gives a hefty attack bonus when blood loss is in the vicinity - in this case, it's a near-permanent buff. Assassin's Crimson Dagger adds even more HP conservation on top of your best relics, while Green Turtle Talisman can replenish your stamina to survive another round of guard counters. Finally, Shard of Alexander or Warrior Jar Shard can bolster your weapon skills, which do a lot of the heavy lifting when your cursed sword is sheathed.

That brings us to consumables. Kukri is an effective one-time use weapon that can draw aggro while also getting a headstart on blood loss build-up before you've even come into contact with your target. Blood Grease adds value to your weapon's blood loss output, though you should still prioritize grease that corresponds to the weakness of your expedition's Nightlord. Boiled Crab brings some welcome physical damage negation in cases where you have to work the frontline defense. Executor isn't a tank, but when you're the only melee character in the group, you might not have a choice.

Best Executor relics

The best Executor relics offer the following passives:

• [Executor] While character skill is active, unlocking use of cursed sword rewards HP
• [Executor] Roaring restores HP while Art is active
• Dexterity +3
• Ultimate art gauge +3
• Attacks inflict Blood Loss +2
• Defeating enemies fills more of the arts gauge
• Stamina recovers with each successful attack +1
• HP restoration upon katana attacks

The best Nightreign relics for Executor are all about negating his natural squishiness while empowering his core abilities. His ultimate is one of the most powerful in Nightreign, letting you bully bosses and pull aggro, so relics that can speed up the ultimate arts gauge will give you more opportunities to push that emergency button during a run.

Relics that ensure all attacks inflict blood loss can help you get this build off the ground before you get a weapon with a dedicated status ailment, then expedite its build-up once you do. Stamina recovery is also an excellent investment, minimizing the chance for enemies to break through your guard with extended combos. With health, stamina, and ultimate arts cooldown all covered by your relics, you've closed the gap on Executor's major weaknesses.

Elden Ring Nightreign Executor abilities

The Executor's abilities are best served in one-on-one combat encounters with powerful foes, but his ultimate makes for handy crowd control in a pinch. He also has the highest damage output right out of the gate, and we consider him a solid pick for venturing into Nightreign solo.

Here are Executor's abilities:

• Passive Ability - Tenacity
• Character Skill - Suncatcher
• Ultimate Art - Aspects of the Crucible: Beast

Executor Tenacity

Executor's core passive bestows a combined attack and stamina recovery buff every time he triggers or cures a status effect, so whether you're running a full blood loss build or staving off poison, you'll feel the benefit regardless. The buff lasts for less than half a minute, but this short uptime only means that you can trigger it regularly. It's effectively like you've got the Lord of Blood's Exultation and Green Turtle Talisman equipped from day one, which is certainly helpful if neither drops during your run.

Executor Suncatcher

The Executor's cursed blade is what separates him from all other melee Nightfarers, which makes mastery over it essential for optimal play. When activated, the Executor can deflect enemy attacks at the cost of a fraction of his stamina, stopping the assault in its tracks and dealing unseen stance damage.

The Executor's movement is severely hampered when Suncatcher is active, which makes aggressive Nightreign bosses your ideal adversaries - you can just wait until they come to you. That said, the sheathe animation itself boasts parry frames, making it possible to 'switch parry' between your regular weapon and the cursed blade on the fly. The keybindings for this skill might make it a little more finicky to land than a standard parry, but doing so gives you all of the benefits with none of the drawbacks.

Executor Aspects of the Crucible: Beast

The Executor's ultimate is a 15-second transformation into a primordial beast that disrupts the battlefield with its sheer size and aggression. Its moveset is largely comprised of multi-hit slashes with its front limbs, but don't overlook its roar. This long-range AoE can stagger crowds of enemies, and can also revive fallen allies without the need to waste time moving to their position. All in all, this ultimate art can single-handedly turn the tide of battle, clearing the field and resurrecting your fellow Nightfarers in just a quarter of a minute.

It's tempting to trigger the Executor's ultimate the moment it's ready to go, especially if you've got the relic affixes to cut down its cooldown time. However, this is where prior combat knowledge once again separates an amateur Executor from a veteran. For all its aggression, the beast's raw damage output isn't that impressive; its power lies in its ability to stunlock, pull aggro, and provide an immediate shot of health. Assess the current health, phase, and attack sequence of your foe to weigh up whether you can make use of the Executor's ultimate for these purposes, or whether it's better to save it to tank a powerful blow.

Now that you've got the best Executor build in Elden Ring Nightreign, discover the man behind the mask with Nightreign Remembrances. We've also got the full list of Nightreign skins and how to unlock them, including a surprise throwback to a beloved Dark Souls boss. Finally, our Elden Ring Nightreign review delivers our consensus on FromSoftware's roguelike game formula.