Raider is Elden Ring Nightreign’s take on the classic berserker playstyle, benefitting massively from taking damage as much as dealing it.
Packing the highest Strength scaling of any Nightfarer, Colossal Weapons – defined by their ridiculous size – are Raider’s preferred weapon, enabling him to effortlessly stagger enemies, opening them up for high-potency critical attacks.
To accommodate the bonk-first-ask-questions-later playstyle, his abilities are about boosting offence and augmenting it further by intentionally taking damage. That risk/reward strategy is offset somewhat by Raider’s ability to survive otherwise fatal damage when he’s up against the odds.
Not sure if this character’s for you? Check out our character tier list for Nightreign.
Best character build for Raider
How to play Raider
Naturally, Raider’s highest-scaling attributes are HP, Stamina, and Strength. While these enable him to stay on the frontline where he should always be, large stores of health don’t make him invincible.
Colossal Weapons play their part in keeping the brawler always swinging away with their high stagger damage. On smaller enemies, just one or two swings are often enough to cripple a foe and leave them open to counterattack, with even larger, armored foes being susceptible to a lesser degree.
Likewise, Raider’s extremely high Poise makes him difficult to interrupt by all but the strongest attacks. All of these combined give him all the tools he needs to stay in the action uninterrupted.
While he can take a breather and heal if needed, Raider benefits massively from teaming up with Guardian or Revenant to provide defence and healing, respectively.
Raider Abilities & Attributes
Not dissimilar to Wylder, Raider’s passive ability allows him to avoid what would otherwise be certain death. Fighter’s Resolve leaves him with a sliver of health whenever he would otherwise take fatal damage.
Additionally, every hit he takes will increase the potency of Retaliate. When used, this makes Raider adopt a bare-handed stance and deliver a high-damage attack guaranteed to knock down most standard enemies.
Finally, Totem Stela conjures a gigantic slab of stone from the ground, granting a damage increase to all party members. The structure can be utilized in other ways, too, such as blocking projectiles and providing a vantage point to avoid certain attacks.
Abilities
- Passive: Fighter’s Resolve – Increases the potency of Retaliate when taking damage and reduces Raider’s health to the minimum when taking fatal damage.
- Character Skill: Retaliate – An uninterruptible attack that deals high stagger damage and knocks down most foes.
- Ultimate Art: Totem Stela – Conjures a massive tombstone that deals an initial burst of damage and boosts all party members’ strength. Blocks projectiles and can be climbed.
Attributes
| Stat | Scaling |
|---|---|
| HP | A |
| FP | D |
| Stamina | A |
| Strength | S |
| Dexterity | C |
| Intelligence | D |
| Faith | D |
| Arcane | C |
Best Relic Effects for Raider
Unashamedly one-dimensional, the best Relics for Raider are those that improve everything he already excels at. More damage, health, stamina, and defence are a must for the frontline attacker, especially in the latter portion of an Expedition as enemies become increasingly dangerous.
Likewise, any Relics that increase damage based on the amount taken are a must, indirectly making Raider’s Retaliate ability even stronger. As he’ll often be at low health, Relics that trigger regen when critically low should be considered high priority.
Early Game
- Increased Health
- Increased Endurance
- Increased Strength
- Taking attacks improves attack power
Late Game
- Slowly restore HP for self and nearby allies when own HP is low
- Standard attacks 1 level stronger
- Improved Attack Power with Colossal Weapons
Unique Relic Effects (Raider only)
- An aura surrounding the Raider’s Totem Stela that grants increased Poise
- Damage taken while using Retaliate improves attack power and stamina
Best Weapons for Raider
As their primary gimmick is dealing extremely high physical and stagger damage, Colossal weapons, as a category, aren’t as diverse as others. With that said, there are some specific weapons you’ll want to keep an eye out for while exploring Limveld, especially Great Stars, which can inflict Bleed for additional damage.
Early Game
| Weapon | Base Attack | Level Requirement |
|---|---|---|
 Zweihander |
79 (Physical) | — |
 Rusted Anchor |
104 (Physical) | 3 |
 Executioner’s Greataxe |
101 (Physical) | 3 |
Late Game
| Weapon | Base Attack | Level Requirement |
|---|---|---|
 Beastclaw Greathammer |
121 (Holy) | 7 |
 Axe of Godrick |
140 (Physical) | 10 |
 Winged Greathorn |
140 (Physical) | 10 |
 Ruins Greatsword |
131 (Magic) | 10 |
Check out the best weapons in Elden Ring Nightreign here.
Other build guides
If you’re not super happy with the Raider, you can check out other builds:
