Did you feel like Elden Ring: Nightreign needed a character focused on support? The new Forsaken Hollows update adds two characters, including Scholar. He’s unique because, instead of dealing a lot of damage himself, he specializes in helping teammates and weakening enemies.
It can be challenging to learn how to effectively use Analyze and time Nightreign’s powerful Ultimate Art. Understanding how the Nightfarer class scales with Arcane can also be confusing. But don’t worry – we’ve put together the best tips for creating a strong Scholar build in Elden Ring: Nightreign.
Scholar’s Skill Overview
The Scholar class has a unique ability called Bagcraft. It allows you to carry more of each item and also improve those items over time. You’ll still have four slots in your pouch, but you can now hold up to four of the same item – other classes can only carry two. As you use your items, they’ll become more effective, and may even gain additional benefits.
Starlight Shards become more powerful as you upgrade them. A level 2 Shard refills your FP more than a basic one, and a level 3 Shard actually increases your maximum FP. You can’t upgrade Shards past level 3 – that’s the highest possible level for any item.
You’ll be notified when your item improves, and a colored mark will always be visible on the item to show its current level.
Your item choices might vary depending on how you like to play, but it’s especially important to focus on different items when playing as the Scholar. Also, using relics that grant starting items will help you upgrade them more quickly.
Scholar’s Skill, Analyze, is very powerful. When you use it, circles will appear over both enemies and your teammates. As you focus on enemies, the circles around them will fill with red. Once analyzed, you can press the right trigger to give yourself a buff, or the left trigger to weaken those enemies.
You can also make Analyze applicable to allies if you have the correct relics. More on this later.
What buffs and debuffs are given will depend on how much the enemies are scanned.
- If it is less than half the circle, you will receive a Stamina boost, or the enemies will get an Attack debuff.
- Half or more of the circle filled, and you’ll get a better Stamina boost while you’re enemies receive a bigger Attack debuff.
- At full circle, enemies will also get a Defense debuff while you get the chance to perform a parry in a two-second window by just receiving an attack.
Okay, so I learned the hard way that I can’t use Analyze on myself and the enemies at the same time – it’s one or the other. Plus, when I’m casting Analyze, I’m pretty open to attack, but thankfully I can still dodge if I time it right.
Okay, so the Scholar’s final Ultimate is called Communion: Taboo Knowledge, and it’s seriously cool! Basically, you want to use it when you’re right near both your teammates and the enemies. It’s an area-of-effect spell that marks everyone caught in it. The best part? Whenever anyone on your team heals themselves, everyone in your group gets healed! But it doesn’t stop there – the enemies now take linked damage. That means if you hit one enemy, the others take 20% of that damage too. It’s a fantastic way to both support your team and really punish the opposition!
Okay, as a fan, let me tell you, this Ultimate Art is amazing for taking on groups of enemies, like bosses with adds, or just quickly clearing out enemy camps. If you use it with the Analyze skill, you’ll be stacking buffs and debuffs like crazy, and then you can really unleash some serious damage! It’s a game-changer, honestly.
Scholar will be invulnerable for a few seconds while activating his UA.
The Best Weapons For Scholar
Looking at Scholar’s abilities, he only excels in Arcane magic, and he favors Thrusting Swords in combat. Don’t expect to see
There are several weapons that get stronger as you level up (like the Eleonora Poleblade), but it’s not required. Investing in Arcane power significantly improves your status effects, making weapons that cause effects like Blood Loss, Frostbite, Scarlet Rot, and Poison much more effective.
Naturally, this also includes items that apply those ailments. Take advantage of Scholar’s Passive!
This character doesn’t need to inflict huge amounts of damage to be helpful in fights (unless you’re playing by yourself, which isn’t a good idea!). However, if you want to maximize your effectiveness, the Antspur Rapier (which causes bleeding) and the Frozen Needle (which causes frostbite) are both excellent choices among Thrusting Swords.
The Twinblade Eleonora Poleblade, which causes blood loss, would also be a great choice for this character.
The Best Relics For Scholar
It’s best to finish this character’s Remembrance Quest quickly to get two important relics that give them special benefits. For instance, after Chapter 5, you’ll earn the Cleansing Tear, a red relic that improves your damage resistance, fills your Art gauge by defeating enemies, and continuously damages enemies you’ve trapped with your Ultimate Art.
Once you complete the quest, you’ll get the “My Dear Successor” note, a powerful yellow relic. This relic shortens the time it takes for your skills to recharge and allows you to strengthen your allies with the Analyzed buff. Use it after scanning your teammates to significantly increase their damage.
For the third slot in your urn or chalice, consider Augur’s relic. It allows you to heal your teammates whenever you use a flask. Plus, it shares the benefits of your item with them each time you use it.
If you’re struggling with this boss, the Grand Drizzly Scene from the Small Jar Bazaar offers a low-cost way to get a similar benefit to using those items.
Some relics can help you progress more quickly by giving you a starting bonus, like a boost to a specific damage type. For instance, Arcane increases the effectiveness of Blood Loss and Poison, making those good options. Completing the Sentiest Pest expedition will reward you with a Nightlord’s relic that starts you with a Poison effect.
Tips For Playing As Scholar
Scholar can be very powerful later in the game, but be cautious when you first start playing, particularly in the early days. Scholar is best played as a support character, meaning you should focus on helping your teammates and controlling the battlefield rather than trying to deal a lot of damage right away.
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While using Analyze, you can’t attack, but you can still dodge. If you quickly reactivate the skill, some of the progress you made on enemies will be retained, though this resource drains quickly unless you have an item to slow down the depletion.
Bosses often have powerful, unavoidable attacks that can hit you from far away. It’s best to save your strongest, invincible move for these attacks to completely avoid any damage or negative effects.
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2025-12-30 00:36