Sure, sure, you’ve seen black flame builds, but how did that treat you in Shadow of the Erdtree? This build is a modified version of the Black Flame Build that has been updated to help you get through some of the toughest content in the game. Is it the strongest? No. Will it make you look super cool while melting bosses? You bet your sweet 
Bloody Finger it will.
Starting Class
As this build mostly revolves around strong incantations and the faith stat, might as well go with the Confessor.
Build’s Purpose
You’re probably familiar with how the Black Flame incantations do damage based off a percentage of the enemy’s health; this makes it better for bosses generally. However, the late-game Godslayer Evolved build is tweaked to give you more protection when needed, and different crowd control options that levels out its general-use effectiveness. For these reasons, it’s a great build for cruising through the DLC or a new-game + while blasting black flames around like Hiei.
Stat Priority
Level 195 Stat Distribution
- Faith – 72
- Dexterity – 33
- Mind – 43
- Vigor – 58
- Endurance – 36
- Strength – 14
- Arcane – 7
- Intelligence – 9
Weapons and Seal
When you get to the DLC and start exploring the realm of shadows, there is a magnificent secret sword for this build that you can acquire called the Sword of Darkness. You can only get it towards the end of the DLC in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh. It’s honestly not the best for damage, but it has an apt weapon skill named Darkness that suits the build perfectly. If you’re going for effectiveness, go with Milady (the light greatsword), but make sure to give it a “sacred” Ash of War, so that it scales with faith.
Something that is kinda wacky is that you can also keep the 
Black Knife on you. This allows you to use its skill, Blade of Death, with the weapon, then you can also use the incantation, 
Black Blade, and both of the attacks will take down a boss’s health by 10%. That means that you can attack a boss with two ranged attacks – that aren’t really that expensive in FP – and 20% of their health will be gone!
For the Seal, there’s only one choice for us black flame lovers, the 
Godslayer’s Seal. It boosts the damage of Black Flame Incantations, and it also scales quite nicely to a higher faith stat.
Talismans
This is where the Build starts to get more customizable for certain situations. For the most part, we will be looking at Talismans that protect us, buff our incantations, and make spell use easier.
Protection Talismans
Always keep the best 
Dragoncrest Shield Talisman that you have equipped. It’s the best general purpose defense Talisman out there because it protects against physical damage. Depensing on the boss, I will usually switch out another talisman below for a different protection Talisman. For example, when dealing with Messmer, I like to put on a Firedrake Talisman to protect against his firey attacks.
Incantation Buffing Talismans
An essential item that you’ll want to squeeze out all the damage you can from your incantations is the 
Flock’s Canvas Talisman; this is one that I don’t switch out with others. However, one that is sometimes worth taking off for more protection is the 
Cerulean Amber Medallion +3. It is a good one for boosting your store of FP, but it’s obviously not worth it if you find a boss is killing you before you can use all your FP.
The last one that can actually increase your DPS with spells is the 
Radagon Icon. It allows you to cast spells quicker; a great way to counter quick bosses who leave you no quarter to throw your 
Black Flame. Speaking of which, let’s move onto incantations.
Incantations
These are the bread and butter of the build of a faith build. Some of these incantations you can find in the early game, and others will only be obtainable after the final boss of the DLC, but they are what make the build tick. Switch them out as needed for different situations.
- Black Flame — You are probably thinking that all these incantations will be offensive Godslayer Incantations, but actually, this is the only one! Whether you are spamming it at a boss, or tossing a flaming ball at a gargoyle, it never ceases to be satisfying. It does an initial burst of fire damage, then shaves of 2.5% of your enemy’s health over time. Use often and regularly.
- Black Blade — It was already referenced above, but it’s a great incantation that will take away 10% of a boss’s health. This alone makes it worth keeping in the back pocket.
Erdtree Heal — While it’s nice to have a contingency plan if you run out of flasks, there are a lot of times that your trusty 
Mimic is the only reason you’re having opportunities to rain Black Flame down on the boss. Be a good summoner, and keep that Mimic alive!
Golden Vow — It’s always good to do more damage and take less, and 80 seconds lasts a lot longer than most people think… Anyway, use this at the beginning of a boss fight, and you’ll notice a difference.
Black Flame’s Protection — 35% damage negation for 70 seconds. It’s cool to stay alive. This also stacks with Golden Vow, making it more effective.
Scarlet Aeonia — This is the real ace up the sleeve, and it kinda fits the aesthetic of the build with damage-over-time characteristic. Launch yourself at a boss and if they are infected with Crimson Rot from this spell, the boss will take tick damage that eventually takes away a third of their health bar! Just look at what it did to Messmer!- Light of Miquella — The endgame incantation is really fun for taking out swarms of enemies. If you can land it on a larger enemy, it does pretty significant damage too.
Using This Build
With a build like this, you have a lot of options while in any situation. Also, because it is such a late-game build, you can work up to it throughout a whole play through and have something to look forward to. The real ultimate philosophy behind it, though, is to look awesome while also being able to melt bosses.
Dungeon Crawling
When fighting groups or exploring, it’s always best to have the Black Flame locked and loaded. While enemies are closing the gap, give them a taste of flame, and you’ll be surprised how low their health is by the time they reach you. If you’re running low on flasks, then you can rely on your Erdtree Heal, which can make longer explorations much more manageable. Lastly, have fun with Light of Miquella and use it on the huge swarms to see how many foes you can vanquish in one attack.
Boss Battles
Depending on the boss, you’ll want to start out the attempt with some buffs, so try to cast Golden Vow and Black Flame’s Protection if you can. Then you will want to start the dance of evading the boss’s big attacks, while looking for openings to pepper them with Black Flame. It usually isn’t worth it to charge the incantation unless it’s a really slow boss.
If it’s a boss with a second phase, then feel free to bust out the Black Blade and Black Knife to get through the first phase quicker. Yet, in most cases, you will want to save these two attacks for around the halfway mark. If you’re on a difficult boss, try getting in a cheeky Scarlet Aeonia. This measure is best reserved for the most difficult part of the fight, since after they’re infected, you can simply focus on dodging or defense. The last piece of advice, which I’ve already noted above, is to use Erdtree Heal to keep yourself and your Mimic alive. This can be a game changer in more protracted fights.
If you liked the build, give it a high rating. If you didn’t, then I hope you at least had fun throwing black fireballs and being cool.
