Elden Ring DLC: Cleanrot Sword Strength Build-The Ultimate Pierce-Damage Trading Machine

Strength builds have always dominated Elden Ring's meta-whether in the base game, the DLC, or the PvP arenas. But in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, one weapon class continues to surprise players with just how brutally effective it can be: thrusting swords. And at the top of that category sits one of the most underrated bruisers in the game-the Cleanrot Sword.

Despite its light weight and slender profile, this weapon hits with devastating force when fully optimized. For players willing to lean into counterhit mechanics, poise trading, and aggressive spacing, the Cleanrot Sword becomes a lightning-fast dueling monster with some of the best punishment potential in the entire game.

Today, we break down a dedicated Strength-focused Cleanrot Sword build-one crafted around trading blows, staggering opponents, make Elden Ring Items and shredding them with counter-thrust damage. Then we'll walk through real invasion highlights that showcase just how oppressive this setup becomes in the frenetic chaos of the DLC.

Why the Cleanrot Sword?

Thrusting swords have always been deceptively strong, but the Cleanrot Sword stands out for several reasons:

• Extremely fast attacks

Thrusting swords recover quickly, allowing you to play aggressively without being punishable.

• High counterhit damage

Pierce weapons innately get enhanced damage when striking an enemy mid-attack. Combine that with the Spear Talisman and two-handing bonuses and you get enormous burst potential.

• Light weight

Unlike colossal weapons or greatswords, thrusting swords leave plenty of equip load for heavy armor-critical for poise trading.

• Excellent spacing tools

Their lunges, recovery cancels, and quick sidesteps let you weave in and out of danger effortlessly.

When optimized, the Cleanrot Sword becomes a weapon that thrives on controlled chaos: baiting swings, trading favorably, and striking back twice as hard.

Build Overview: A Strength-Based Pierce Punisher

This build focuses primarily on Strength, with heavy investments in Vigor and Endurance to support tankiness and heavy armor.

Key Stats

 High Strength-Maximize AR and strengthen counterhit damage.

 High Vigor-Mandatory for trading builds.

 High Endurance-Required for the extremely heavy armor setup.

 Minimal investment in Mind/Dex-Only what's necessary to wield the weapon and cast utility skills.

With all buffs active-Exalted Flesh, Uplifting Aromatic, and greases-the Cleanrot Sword reaches 835 AR while retaining the speed of a light weapon. That power-to-speed ratio is rare in Elden Ring and absolutely deadly in PvP.

Gear Setup

Weapon

Cleanrot Sword (Heavy affinity)

Fast, relentless, and lethal on counterhits. Works especially well with:

Ashes of War Used:

 Bloodhound Step-Not a damage tool, but essential for repositioning, chasing wizards, and avoiding AoE pressure.

 Storm Blade (for swap situations)-Great for poking casters or breaking recovery from range.

Since these don't rely on the Shard of Alexander, you're free to use stronger defensive talismans.

Armor: Solitude Set

A Cleanrot Sword may be light, but that only means you can go full juggernaut with your armor.

The Solitude Set boasts:

 Huge poise

 Top-tier physical defenses

 Reliable trading capability

In PvP, poise lets thrusting swords shine. You can tank a greatsword hit, retaliate mid-swing, and instantly win the damage trade via counterhit bonuses.

Talismans

This build's power comes largely from its talisman synergy:

1. Spear Talisman

The cornerstone of the build. Boosts counterhit damage on thrusts-your bread and butter.

2. Two-Handed Sword Talisman

Enhances two-handed damage, which further amplifies your thrust power.

3. Erdtree's Favor +2

A staple. Increases HP, stamina, and equip load-all mandatory for a heavy-armor bruiser.

4. Bull-Goat's Talisman

Massive poise increase, essential for playing aggressively and trading confidently.

This combination gives you a perfect balance of survivability, poise, and raw damage potential.

Buffs & Consumables

To maximize your output:

 Exalted Flesh-Flat physical boost

 Uplifting Aromatic-AR boost + damage reduction

 Weapon Greases-Any elemental flavor you want; fire and magic greases shine the most on thrusting weapons

 Boiled Crab / Defense Gourds-Optional but strong in invasions

With everything stacked, the Cleanrot Sword hits extraordinarily hard for how fast it swings.

Invasion Performance-The Build in Action

One of the best ways to evaluate a build is to see it perform under real pressure. And the Cleanrot Sword does not disappoint. Across numerous engagements-from 1v1 duels to high-chaos 3v1 invasions-the build demonstrates impressive consistency, trading power, and burst potential.

Below are highlights from various encounters, showcasing how the build handles different situations.1. Piercing Through Colossals and Casters

In early invasions, the build quickly shows how well thrusting swords deal with large, slow weapons. Even against Colossal Sword users, the Cleanrot Sword wins trades because:

 You swing first

 You recover faster

 You hit harder on counter

Aggressive casters also get shut down. With Storm Blade for ranged interruption and Bloodhound Step for dodging magical nukes, spell-heavy hosts often fall to simple thrust punishes.

One opponent was stunned to be two-shot by a thrusting sword, not realizing how much damage spear-boosted counterhits can do.

2. Moonlight Greatsword Duels & Frostbite Pressure

Moonlight users are always popular in DLC invasions. Their frostbite, ranged beams, and sweeping projectiles make them dangerous-but predictable.

The Cleanrot Sword user freezes them back using Cold grease, stacking Frostbite on top of their own buildup while using quick thrusts to interrupt animations.

When they overcommit, a single counterattack chunked them for absurd damage, often forcing panic rolls that led straight into follow-up pokes.

3. Staircase Trading-A Thrusting Sword Playground

On narrow staircases in Crumbling Farum Azula, thrusting swords shine. Enemies can't dodge sideways, meaning:

 Every poke lands

 You control spacing

 Trades always favor you due to poise

Rivers of Blood users learned this the hard way; their AR wasn't enough to break through heavy armor before getting pierced repeatedly.

4. Fog Rift Catacombs Ambushes

One hilarious stretch saw a host AFK while multiple blues entered the world. Each blue was ambushed and deleted instantly, creating a bizarre cycle of unprepared phantoms spawning just to be farmed.

When the host returned-Garfield, fittingly-they were promptly traded down by the same thrusting pressure that killed their blues.

5. Lightning Casters, Death Blades, and Wizard Gauntlets

The DLC introduces many lightning and death-imbued spells that create constant chip pressure in invasions. But the Cleanrot build deals with them by:

 Hugging walls

 Using Bloodhound Step to break projectile tracking

 Rushing casters the moment their recovery starts

In one long battle, the Cleanrot player tanked Stars of Ruin repeatedly while circling walls until finally eliminating the caster in a burst punish.

Heavy lightning users learned too late that their dragon breath and grand incantations left them wide open to thrusting sword pressure.

6. Dragon Barrow Cave Bear Encounter

Invading near the cave bear is always chaos. In this encounter, the invader actually tries to protect the host from the bear-only to watch the host get flattened anyway. Afterward, the Cleanrot Sword effortlessly cleans up the remaining phantom.

7. Dealing With Runners, Rollers, and Panic Casters

Even extreme rollers (the "roly-poly" players who spam dodge endlessly) can't escape forever:

 The Cleanrot Sword's reach catches roll recoveries

 Bloodhound Step closes gaps instantly

 Light stamina drain means you can chase indefinitely

Eventually, even evasive players get clipped, and one or two pierce counterhits finish the job.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

 Incredible counterhit burst

 Fast and safe pressure tools

 High poise allows dominating trades

 Light weapon + heavy armor synergy

 Strong into mages and jump attackers

 Versatile Ash of War swaps

Weaknesses

 Struggles in 3v1 without AoE

Flaming Strike helps, but thrusting swords lack wide cleave.

 Bleed ganks can overwhelm if not spaced well

High poise helps you trade, but repeated bleed procs still hurt.

 Requires discipline and spacing

Trading recklessly into multiple opponents is a bad idea; this build thrives on precision, not spam.

Final Thoughts-A Monster of a Strength Build

The Cleanrot Sword is easily one of the most dominant thrusting weapons in the Elden Ring DLC when built around Strength, Elden Ring Runes, poise, and counterhit mechanics. While it lacks the explosive AoE necessary for 3v1 crowd control, it absolutely shreds in 1v1 and small skirmishes.