After using the Dragonburnt Ruins teleporter trap to get to the Sellia Crystal Tunnel inElden Ring, players eventually make their way back to the surface and find themselves in an ominous, red hellscape. It’s not flames thattaint the land of Caelid, though – it’s the Scarlet Rot.
Elden Ring’s Scarlet Rot is the birthright (and birth curse) of the demigod Malenia, and in her battle against General Radahn she laid waste to the land of Caelid with this curse. Needless to say, it’s powerful stuff, and with the right build players can bend this curse to their own will and lay waste to PvP opponents and endgame bosses alike.
Updated July 18, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: The best Elden Ring Scarlet Rot builds can be extremely powerful, especially against humanoid opponents and enemies weak to Scarlet Rot. Builds can vary quite a lot, but the best Scarlet Rot build is pretty rigid in what is required to make it effective. There are relatively few Scarlet Rot build weapons, useful spells, and other equipment in Elden Ring, so maximizing your effectiveness is reliant on acquiring these pieces of gear and using them to their fullest. This guide has been updated with two important new recommendations for the best Scarlet Rot build – tips on choosing the best Scarlet Rot armor (the Mushroom Crown), and a new weapon from the DLC recommended as one of the best Scarlet Rot armaments.
Recommended Stat Allocation for Scarlet Rot Builds
The most important stat for Scarlet Rot builds is Faith, as this is the primary stat that determines Incantation strength and thus the effectiveness of your Rot spells. The chart below was created for a Level 150 character who started as a Wretch.
45
28
12
10
22
80
A 45 in Vigor is just above standard for Level 150, and a 28 in Mind means getting more spells out with every use of the Cerulean Flask. 12 in Endurance gives you some wiggle room for armor and weapons. 10 in Strength and 22 in both Dexterity and Intelligence exceeds the minimum requirements for the Rotten Crystal Spear. A high 80 in Faith reaches the soft cap for this stat, while Arcane only has 10 because it does not affect Scarlet Rotbuildup like it does Bleed, Poison, and Madness buildup.
Seals and Armaments for Scarlet Rot Builds
There are two choices when it comes to Scarlet Rot seals: the regular, standardFinger Seal, or the Dragon Communion Seal. There isn’t a Scarlet Rot-specific Seal inElden Ring, but these two options work just fine. The Finger Seal is basic but has good scaling across the board, and the Dragon Communion Seal boosts Dragon Incantations, which includesRotten Breath.
There are a few choices for Armaments with a Scarlet Rot build, but the best is arguably theRotten Crystal Spear. It pokes fast, its skill Charge Forth can close the gap between you and a spellcaster PvP opponent, and it builds Scarlet Rot with every hit. You can also try the new Poleblade of the Bud, which drops from Romia, Saint of the Bud, a new Remembrance boss in theShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion.
Weave attacks with this weaponin your Incantation cycleto throw off enemies.Consider picking up a Bow to use Rotbone Arrows, which can help to continually build the enemy’s Scarlet Rot without being in close quarters. Arrows come out fast, and nobody expects a spellcaster to whip out a Shortbow.
Best Scarlet Rot Armor
When it comes to the best Scarlet Rot build armor options, there’s really only one piece of armor that boosts Scarlet Rot: theMushroom Crown. Like other status effect-based items, the Mushroom Crown will increase your damage by 10% when Scarlet Rot occurs near you. This can proc from any Scarlet Rot buildup, including enemies who have become infested with it after walking through the Scarlet Rot swamp in Caelid.
The effect lasts for a whopping 20 seconds, and will proc again if the target continues to take Scarlet Rot damage. If you are in PvP, and your opponent doesn’t have a Preserving Bolus or a way to get rid of Scarlet Rot, this is essentially a free 10% damage boost for the whole fight.
Unfortunately, this is the only piece of armor in the whole game that boosts Scarlet Rot builds. For your armor, legs, and gloves slots, consider wearing armor that raises your own resistance to Rot, or other status effects, as the Mushroom Crown is one of the highest-resistance pieces of armor in the game and will complement other status effect resistance effects well.
Talismans for Scarlet Rot Builds
The best Talisman for a Scarlet Rot build is undoubtedly the Kindred of Rot’s Exultation. This Talisman increases the player’s attack power whenever Scarlet Rot damage occurs in the nearby area. This means that whenever you get the ailment to proc on an enemy not only do they take damage over time, you also deal more damage to them for the duration of the effect.
Other useful Talismans for thisbuild include the Radagon Icon, which reduces casting speed, thePrimal Glintstone Blade, which reduces the FP cost of spells, and theFaithful’s Canvas Talisman, which makes all Incantations stronger across the board. Pair these Talismans with the Mushroom Crown, which has the same effect as theKindred of Rot’s Exultation, and the Scarlet Rot damage output and ailment buildup skyrockets.
Scarlet Rot Incantations In Elden Ring
There are three major Scarlet Rot incantations: Rotten Breath, Ezykes’s Decay, and Scarlet Aeonia. Rotten Breath unleashes a cloud of Scarlet Rot over the battlefield and rapidly builds up theaffliction in targets. Ezykes’s Decay does the same thing, but stronger and from above where it’s harder to be staggered. These two spells will be your bread and butter until getting Scarlet Aeonia.
Scarlet Aeonia was once considered a trash-tier Incantation, but after buffs to spells across the board it’s very viable now.Scarlet Aeonia is the spell Malenia, Goddess of Rot casts at the beginning of her second phase. In the player’s hands it gives both Scarlet Rot build up in an AoE area and a highly damaging explosion after impact, though it does cost a fair bit of FP.
