In this Elden Ring Hand-to-Hand Build guide, I’m going to be showcasing my Frost-Fu Monk build, which utilizes the new Hand-to-Hand weapon. This weapon has garnered significant interest since the pre-launch gameplay trailers, and in this guide, I’ll demonstrate how I use it, what strategies work best with it, and provide a quick tutorial on how to acquire it swiftly within the game. Finding this weapon can be tricky if you don’t know where to look, but I’ll make it easy for you on the Elden Ring Map.

Elden Ring Hand-to-Hand Build – Frost-Fu Monk

In this Elden Ring Build Guide, I’ll be showing you my Hand to Hand build. This is a Shadow of the Erdtree build that takes place after level 150. If you’ve been looking for a Kung Fu build that uses both your hands and feet to deals unrelenting damage to anything and to anyone then you might want to check this build-out.

• Class: Any
• Flask Spread: Equal Charges
• Main Weapon: Dryleaf Arts
• Shield: N/A
• Armor: Dane’s Hat, Messmer Soldier Armor, Horned Warrior Gauntlets, Horned Warrior Greaves
• Talismans: Blue Dancer Charm, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Bull-Goat’s Talisman, Shard of Alexander
• Alternate Talismans: Millicent’s Prosthesis, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Godfrey Icon, Claw Talisman
• Primary Stats: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence Vigor
• Secondary Stats: Endurance
• Skills: Divine Beast Frost Stomp
• Spells: N/A
• Crystal Tear: Greenburst Crystal Tear, Thorny Cracked Tear
• Great Runes: Godrick’s Great Rune or Radahn’s Great Rune

We have over 110 Elden Ring builds. Each one is meticulously crafted to offer unique playstyles, strategies, and experiences, ensuring there’s something for every adventurer in the Lands Between. Whether you seek the raw power of heavy weapons, the finesse of spellcasting, or the versatility of hybrid builds, our collection has you covered. Explore the depths of the game’s mechanics and unleash your full potential with our diverse array of builds.

Elden Ring Hand-to-Hand Build – Frost-Fu Monk: Equipment

The weapon we’re using for this build is called Dryleaf Arts, which you can obtain from Dryleaf Dane, one of the NPCs in the game. Apologies for the slight spoiler, but to acquire this weapon, you’ll need to locate this character. Dryleaf Dane is found in the Moorth Ruins, southeast of the Site of Grace that appears after exiting the other side of Castle Ensis. This Site of Grace is called Highroad Cross. At Highroad Cross, there is an item or gesture you need to pick up. When you reach the Moorth Ruins, use that gesture on Dane to trigger a fight. Once you defeat him, you’ll obtain the weapon.

Alternatively, if you prefer not to go through Castle Ensis, which involves a major boss fight, you can skirt around the side of the castle into the swampy area and use the Spiritspring to reach Fort of Reprimand. From there, you can go through a tunnel to arrive at the same location. I haven’t tested this route personally, so I’m not sure if the NPCs will be present, but it’s worth trying if you want to avoid the boss fight or get the weapon early.

I’ve tested this weapon and its skill, Palm Blast, and found several notable aspects. Dryleaf Arts scales equally with both Strength and Dexterity. I tested different infusions: Quality, Heavy, and Keen. Heavy performed slightly better than Keen and Quality for pure physical damage. However, I chose the Cold Infusion for a few reasons. The damage scaling with Cold is similar to Heavy, and it adds a Frostbite buildup on enemies, causing them to take more damage and often flinch during your combos. This can be particularly useful against tougher enemies.

For the Ash of War, I switched from Palm Blast to Divine Beast Frost Stomp, a new Ash of War obtained by trading in the remembrance of the Divine Lion Beast boss from Belurat Tower Settlement. This change was made because Divine Beast Frost Stomp benefits more from Cold Infusion than Heavy Infusion.

Palm Blast has a long animation that deals significant damage in a small area around you, but it requires close range and interrupts your rapid attack sequence. In contrast, Divine Beast Frost Stomp hits enemies from a distance in a cone shape, preventing them from reaching you. It’s versatile, effective for clearing groups of enemies, and can interrupt bosses. Charged, it deals extra damage and range, making it a great addition for versatility in combat.

This weapon excels in a two-handed setup, functioning almost like a paired weapon. The two-handed attack pattern includes a rapid sequence of hits, while the one-handed pattern is different. I prefer the running R2 combo for its punch-kick sequence and the jumping R2 attack for its double kick, which feels reminiscent of Mortal Kombat’s Kung Lao. These moves deal solid damage, move you forward slightly, and deal good stance damage.

While I don’t use an offhand weapon, you could equip something like the Sacrificial Axe for FP recovery or a boost from items like the Great Turtle Shell. Notably, this weapon only weighs one unit, making it an excellent candidate for the Blue Dancer Charm, which boosts damage when your equip load is low. Pair it with light armor to maximize this benefit.

Shadow of the Erdtree enemies hit like an absolute freight train, especially if you haven’t collected many Scadutree Fragments. In successive playthroughs, once you know their locations and can quickly collect them, wearing lighter armor becomes more feasible. However, I don’t recommend light armor in the DLC because the enemies hit so hard that you’ll likely die very quickly. One advantage of not wearing light armor and avoiding the Blue Dancer Charm route is that having 51 poise allows you to continue attacking through enemy hits and maintain your long combo chains.

For armor, I’m using Dane’s Hat, Messmer Soldier Armor, and Horned Warriors Gauntlets and Greaves, which contribute to my desired appearance. These armor pieces can be obtained early in the DLC. There might be better armor sets for this style later in the game, but my builds are aimed at players in the middle or early stages of the DLC who haven’t defeated all the bosses or collected all the items. This setup allows for a quick build assembly.

The downside is that this armor doesn’t naturally provide 51 poise, so I use the Bull Goat’s Talisman to achieve that. I favor the fashion of this armor, which has a monkish, roguish look. If you were min-maxing, you’d choose armor that offers 51 poise or more by default, especially if you’re opting for protection over the Blue Dancer Charm route. This would free up a talisman slot, but I prioritize fashion, so it is what it is.

Elden Ring Hand-to-Hand Build – Frost-Fu Monk: Talismans

For Talismans, I have the Bull-Goat’s Talisman equipped. You could replace this with Rotten Winged Sword Insignia or Millicent’s Prosthesis. Both work well because they increase attack power as you stack hits.

Shard of Alexander is another excellent choice for boosting weapon skill damage, potentially allowing you to one-shot enemies depending on your Scadutree Fragments count.

Other useful talismans include the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman for added protection. Even if you’re not using heavy armor, it provides significant defensive benefits.

However, if you prefer lighter armor and are using the Blue Dancer Charm, it’s even more essential. If you find yourself charging up your Ash of War often, consider the Godfrey Icon, which boosts charged spell and skill damage. Pairing it with Shard of Alexander can significantly enhance your weapon skill damage.

Additionally, the Claw Talisman is great if you frequently use the jump R2 attack while dual-wielding or two-handing this weapon. It boosts the damage of jump attacks, which are excellent for closing gaps and dealing significant damage. If you favor this attack style, consider using Raptor’s Black Feathers or another DLC armor set that boosts jump attack damage.

Elden Ring Hand-to-Hand Build – Frost-Fu Monk: Recommended Attributes Distribution

Vigor: 50 – This is the minimum to ensure survival. If you opt for the light armor route and use the Blue Dancer Charm, you’ll want to increase this to around 60-65.

Mind: 29 – This is higher than necessary. You can likely drop this to 20, especially if you aren’t using Divine Beast Frost Stomp frequently. During testing, I found that 20 Mind is sufficient without causing FP issues.

Endurance: 30 – This attribute is crucial due to the high stamina consumption from attack combinations. If you lower Mind to 20, you can boost Endurance to 40, providing even more stamina and allowing for heavier armor for added protection.

Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence: 35 each – This balance is optimal for the build’s scaling across these stats. During testing, increasing any of these stats by five points resulted in the same attack rating improvement. This spread is ideal for playing as a martial artist.

Faith and Arcane: You don’t need any faith or arcane for this build.

Elden Ring Hand-to-Hand Build – Frost-Fu Monk: Final Tips

For the Flask of Wondrous Physick, I use the Thorny Cracked Tear to increase damage with rapid attacks, which is essential for a fast attack build. If you encounter stamina issues, you might opt for Greenburst Crystal Tear instead. While I typically don’t have stamina problems, another good option is the Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear to boost the damage of your Divine Beast Frost Stomp. Since Divine Beast Frost Stomp deals 100% magic damage, this tear significantly enhances its effectiveness.

When it comes to Great Runes, Godrick’s Great Rune is an excellent choice as it boosts six out of the eight stats you use in this build. Radahn’s Great Rune is another good option, providing extra health, stamina, and FP. If you choose Radahn’s, you can likely lower your Mind even further, reallocating those points to damage stats, endurance, or health.

That wraps up my Frost-Fu Monk build. I hope you enjoyed this one. I know many were eager for a hand-to-hand combat build, and this weapon has quickly become one of my favorites. It looks cool, feels great, plays well, and is highly effective. As always, let us know if you have questions or other tips in the comments below. We have a ton more builds coming for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree so stay tuned for those. If you need help finding the spells, items, or equipment in this build, and securing some personal objectives, make sure to check the Elden Ring Map.