What Is A Witch Hunter?
As some of you may be curious or confused on the idea I'm going for here, a Witch Hunter is typically seen as an Agent of the Church or someone specifically tasked with hunting down and eliminating or capturing and executing not only Witches/Warlocks but also Cultists, Vampires, Liches, and the like.
So in regards to Elden Ring, us Witch Hunters specifically will be targeting Mages, Witches, Vampires, and any unholy vile disgusting unbaptized metagamers looking to abuse their faux power in PvP. (with afkers being free game)
Primarily in games or series like Witcher or Warhammer, you'll get the idea of what a Witch Hunter truly is, however my idea specifically takes notes from the Witchers in the Witchers series as well, and not just the Witch Hunters in The Witcher 3. Besides those two main influences, over the years I've also taken some other influences ranging from the Belmonts from Castlevania, Van Helsing, the Dawnguard from Skyrim, and of course Witch Hunters from our own history more importantly.
With the sole build idea I'm going for is a holy-based anti-caster hybrid build that revolves around protection buffs and dispells along with Crossbow and Bomb stuns/staggers and fast melee attacks and counters, there's a dash of duelist or fencer thrown in there as well for good measure given that we're going to be using Rapiers or any good thrusting or curved swords especially.
Witch Hunter Build: What To Start With & Naming(Optional)
What you're going to want to use is start out with when making your character is either Confessor, Prophet, or Bandit as they have the closest starter equipment and gear you'll need starting out for the build, along with having some of the highest starting stats you're going to be striving for with your build.
However, if it's not too much trouble you can do the same thing I did and change your current character's appearance and name from the mirror in Fia's Room and use a Larval Tear at Rennala to respec your character's stats properly.
As a minor optional step you can take as well if you wish to fulfill the build/covenant fantasy, when you are making or changing your character's name, set it as "Witch Hunter" or Witchhunter" or even just "Witch Hunter (insert name)" so people will already know what you're about when they see your name, and does help solidify the custom covenant idea but you really don't have to.
Witch Hunter Build: Stats And Playstyle
The main stats you want to be striving for are Dexterity, Mind, Intelligence, and Faith or Arcane as these 4 stats are most vital and important to the build as many of the weapons and tools you'll be using rely on them. With Strength, Endurance, and Faith being minor stats you won't need to lvl up too much, only up to around 18 to 28 each depending on your build, though Faith you'll want to be at least 28 at max. However, you're going to want to make Vigor your highest stat above all at around 45-50 or so around the 125-150 lvl range.
As a Witch Hunter, you're to be using a very evasive holy and status effect based around versatility and a "Jack Of All Trades" playstyle with applications for nearly any kind of encounter or enemy while you're primarily using your crossbows to counter spellcasting or stagger and weaken enemies at a distance, along with catching your opponents off guard by pressuring them with fast melee attacks and counters along with using incantations to fight fire with fire. As most casters don't wear armor, they don't have much poise to withstand shots from your crossbows, and you're going to be using special or hard hitting bolts to stagger and or build up status effects on them, but you should also have some magic protection or negation on you at all times given your playstyle as well. Of course since you can't always solely rely on ranged combat for all scenarios, you should still try and keep at a distance for the most part against the person you're fighting unless they happen to have no application or defensive options for melee, which should allow you to get in close in order to pressure them.
Equipment IntroductionSo what you're going to need for your weapons and setup however, is at least one Crossbow obviously and usually 3 different types of swords of 3 different damage types in your inventory for different scenarios and encounters, of course similar to a Witcher with their steel and silver swords, and especially Geralt with his crossbow in Witcher 3 as well. But given your faith stat, you're also going need a holy-based seal for fire and holy incantations for counterattack and protection spells to aid you in combat.
In this next section, I'll show you exactly what you need to get for the basic set up of weapons and tools you'll want to go for and why.
Witch Hunter Build: Equipment & Toolkit - Primary Weaponry
Crossbows
As your primary weapon in most cases, Crossbows will become your best friend with this build and will always be there for you even when you think you don't need them. If you wish to primarily engage in melee combat from the jump, never be afraid to pull out your crossbow from time to time to punish people for trying to keep a distance, or if they wish to stay at a distance at all time but want to try to fire upon you at a distance, it won't be hard to stagger or stun them once you get the hang of it.
Ideally you never want to rely on the same thing over and over, but if it works, it works, and boy does it work, at all times when using your crossbow on your opponent, you want to be stay fast on your feet and get ready to either shoot or dodge, but most importantly, you also want to make sure they don't bait your shots too much as you can only hold so much ammo on you at one time, and you're going to need as much as you can get.
For the crossbows you're going to be using, there's thankfully only a few you need to focus on...
The Pulley Crossbow is pretty key for this build, but it's even better if you choose to dual wield two of these, given how it's semi-automatic by firing 3 shots in a row just like the old Avelyn from Dark Souls you really can't go wrong here, though the only downside I'd say is the damage, but that's easily mitigated with the right setup and ammo. However, in order to get this one you need to reach the Volcano Manor, so it may take a little while to get there.
Basically the "Sniper Crossbow" of the game, sadly it lacks a scope like the one in DS3, but is a good option for longer range sniping in combination with the Arrow's Reach talisman, plus you can get it super easily from the gargoyle door in the Roundtable Hold.
A special Crossbow you can find only at the top of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, you may not think much of it at a glance, but it has a special function with magic bolts which increase the damage with them when used with this specific Crossbow, and also has a pretty cool reload animation as well to match. Good to use especially if you're needing to use magic damage on an enemy, but will require you to use Meteor Bolts for them.
One of the more obscure crossbows in the game originally but a returning one from DS, the Arbalest is the highest damage crossbow in the game yet the heaviest, just barely beating the Black Key Crossbow in damage but lacks the range of it. If you happen to prefer the look of this crossbow and don't mind a slight damage increase or the heavier weight, then feel free to use it instead.
If you wish to use a rare hardly used Crossbow with some style, the Heavy Crossbow isn't as good as the ones above but it does make up for it in it's design and lower weight compared to the Arbalest or Black Key Crossbow.
Optionally there are two other Crossbows you could Dual Wield, the Soldier Crossbow, and the Light Crossbow, but I figured I'd leave them out of the line up considering they aren't too good compared to the other ones.
SwordsAs some of the inspirations for this build weren't clear enough, you're not going to be using only Crossbows, but you'll also be using several types of swords as well, along with some other weapons types if you choose those are better for you and your build.
The primary melee options you're going to be using with the build consistent of 3 different swords ranging from Straight Swords, Curved Swords, Thrusting Swords, and smaller Greatswords, not only to fit the class fantasy but also for their versatility when it comes to certain ashes of war along with their damage and speed applications, and the reason you're going to want to be using 3 different ones is for different scenarios and encounters you'll be facing.
Of course akin to witchers with their steel and silver swords, instead we're going for a steel sword for human foes, a silver or blessed sword for undead foes, and an enchanted sword for larger foes.
Thrusting or Curved Swords
Thrusting or Curved Swords with bleed or keen infusions for dealing with tankier enemies or to use in combination with certain crossbow bolts, primarily to be used for fast attacks when chasing down a caster or for quick and precise attacks against an armored opponent. Typically you'd want to add Quickstep to these or another ash of war to increase their attack potency like Determination or Royal Knight's Resolve.
(Also for this reason too given the whole build idea...)
Straight Swords
Straight Swords specifically with sacred or lightning infusions in mind to use against enemies weak to holy or lightning damage, you can however instead go for magic damage if you really wish, but many of the faith buffs you're primarily going to want to use on your Straight Swords for quickly taking out undead/unholy enemies or to buff your holy attacks when using certain holy damage bolts from your Crossbow.
Greatswords
Despite what you might think, you aren't going to use some of the higher end Greatswords as they require too much endurance and strength to wield, which you'll lack with the build, but it's fine since there are a few notable Greatswords that you can use for a 3rd main melee option, primarily the Bastard Sword.(Also because it looks like it could be a Witcher's Sword as well)
Typically you're going to want to be using either a keen or quality infusion on your Greatsword as you're going to want to be using your weapon grease buffs on them, while you can also have a alternative attack option from certain ashes of war, primarily Flaming Strike for good damage and utility.
(And of course for the class fantasy as you can use it as your own personal Igni sign...)
Optional Weapons
Flails
Primarily if you wish to play a more armored tankier variant of a Witch Hunter and want to stagger enemies with ease, you can't go wrong here as Flails are fun to use with certain ashes of war, ESPECIALLY Wild Strikes.
Scythes
You of course can't go wrong with a Scythe if you want to rp as a Demon Hunter or bootleg Dante from Dante's Inferno, then for this specific build, it is a must that you use the Winged Scythe especially. Not only because the scythe has natural holy damage on it which should suit you just fine, but it's custom ash of war attack gives those it hits the same effect as the Albinauric pots to prevent enemies from using flasks to heal, which will limit you having to use Albinauric pots on your opponents and possibly wasting em all, which is a win win in my books.
Bows
Not typically notable or common, but thankfully Bows are a valid option now for builds in Elden Ring unlike in prior Souls games, and some Witch Hunters in other media have used bows before, so it can work as well I suppose.
Witch Hunter Build: Equipment & Toolkit - Secondary Tools
Whips
Your typical Castlevania reference or build idea, some builds I've noticed can be quite nasty with whips so I would advise trying it out, though I can't speak for it myself given how I've hardly ever used them for my build. However, Whips can be especially useful with rollcatching as I've seen as well as being handy when it comes to pressuring your opponents, makes it even worse that you can't be parried when attacking with a whip either, which is a big bonus there.
Daggers
Primarily you're going to be using daggers like the Erdsteel Dagger for pocket buffing with Shared Order which will allow you to deal holy damage on any weapon you attack with even after you put the dagger away, you can still use some daggers for when you stance break or parry an enemy for a nasty critical attack. Who's to say you CAN'T stake an unholy demon?
Torches
Of course every Witchburner has to have one of these on their person, though the Beast-Repellent Torch is by far what you should be striving for above all to keep those nasty beasties at a distance.
Shields
Though originally not considered for the build as the build typically doesn't have much use for shields really, luckily I managed to find this baby and considered it as it looks like it can be used as just a large priestly tool to negate evil, but it is most important in order to get easy access to countering/cancelling spells, either through the Carian Retalliation ash of war which is the more effective option, or the Thops' Barrier ash of war which costs no FP. Personally I prefer the Pillory Shield for the Shield option as it does in fact increase resistance to death blight and it does suit the priestly-feel to the build.
Seals
Quite important if not one of your primary tools or weapons as you'll be using this to cast your incantation spells and buffs on the regular. But if you find yourself wanting to do more fire damage, instead go with the Giant's Seal over the Golden Order Seal, though you'll need to settle for the Golden Order one sooner as the Giant's Seal is only accessible later on in the game.
Consumables
Bombs/Pots
All the pots you want to use are the Albinauric and Giantsflame Fire pots for your Ritual Pots, Holy Water pots for some of your Cracked Pots to use on undead enemies, and primarily Oil for increasing fire damage on foes after they get the debuff, Sleep to be used along with your grease or bolts, or Volcano pots for most of your Cracked Pots
Greases
It depends but you may wish to diversify your options by have any and working from there, but I typically tend to have Fire Grease, Sleep Grease, Poison Grease, Magic Grease, and Blood Grease on me to use on my Bastard Sword when needed.
Perfumes
The ones you wish to use specifically are the Uplifting Aromatic, Spark Aromatic, and Bloodboil Aromatic but try to be very careful with them by not wasting them as they are rather expensive, with except to the Spark Aromatic.
Throwing Knives
Until they add more of these into the game, you can probably just use Kukri or Fan ones for now, or Poisonbone Darts if you're really desperate for more posion.
Oh and of course the most important item you'll need...
Flask of Wondrous Physick
Quite simple and important for the build, given that you're going to be playing a similar build to a Witcher, it wouldn't hurt you to have an option to not only increase your mobility and stamina capabilities, but to feel lighter on your feet especially. The Crystal Tears you use can personally be changed for your own convenience, but the primary option I choose to go with for faster movement would be both the Winged Crystal Tear and the Greenburst Crystal Tear.
With the Greenburst Tear you can have greatly enhanced stamina regen, whereas with the Winged Tear you can have light equipmennt load, which in turn not only slightly increases your movement speed, but also improves your dodge rolls speed and distance all without sacrificing anything.
However, these two tears are optional at best and you can still choose some better options like the Thorny Crystal Tear, Holy-Shrouding Crystal Tear, Stonebarb Crystal Tear, Opaline Hardtear, Speckled Hardtear, ect.
Witch Hunter Build: Equipment & Toolkit - Ammunition
A section dedicated to your crossbow(s) only, these are basically the only crossbows you should be using with your build, with exception to some cheaper bolts like the regular one or the Lordsworn bolts of course for you to use on the side or just for PvE when farming.
Bolts
Blessed Bolts
Quite possibly your main ammunition type if not one of your main ones, primarily to use against undead or unholy enemies that are weak to holy damage, you can also increase the power of these via holy grease upon an non-special infused sword or weapon. Makes for good boner begone.
Burred Bolts
Extremely important for not only PvE but PvP especially given your build, you will want to focus on status effects given the foes you'll be up against, so you can never have enough of these, just don't waste them.
Bloodbone Bolts
For when you DO waste or DON'T want to waste your Burred Bolts, be sure to have plenty of these on hand as backup.
Flaming Bolts
Self-Explanatory, works well with your Oil Pots and especially good against enemies weak to fire damage.
Explosive Bolts
Another important ammo type you'll be needing, especially for dealing high damage or stagger enemies, you can't go wrong with these as they are also extremely good against foes weak to fire damage too.
Meteor Bolts
Mainly just for the Full Moon Crossbow if you choose to use it, having some of these on the side can be quite helpful as you'll be faced up against some enemies that are especially weak to magic damage, wouldn't hurt to keep these on the side.
Poisonbone Bolts
Basically the ONLY poison crossbow bolts in the whole game(as of this moment), be sure to have some of these in your pocket for some encounters but tend to work best with poison attacks from your melee weapons as well.
Sleepbone Bolts
By far your most coveted crossbow bolts in the game, and of course the only sleep bolts in the game as well, these are extremely essential for witch hunting or for dealing with really tough enemies, allowing for a quick escape or a strong attack. They also work best when used with sleep grease applied to your melee attacks.
(Optional)
ArrowsIf you did happen to go with a bow as your main ranged option due to personal preference, you might find your ammo choices to be a tiny bit different but you can basically find some options for arrows that exist for Bolts as well, granted with some better options for bows mind you, as you can have Serpent Arrows or Stormwing Bone Arrows which are really good for builds like this.
Witch Hunter Build: Equipment & Toolkit - Incantations
Which Incantations or Spells would a Witch Hunter use?
Typically given your focus on countering magic, or even combating darkness within the world often caused by Witches or Cults. First, you'll of course be using some mild and cheap costing flame incantations that'll do the job for you without you having to rely on them, and second you'll want some holy-based buffs or debuffs to cast as well to counter certain damage types or provide complete protection for most scenarios. All of course at somewhat of a budget given that you're not at all a mage or caster, nor a full-fledged priest, so your options will be limited, but where you make up for it is in your application and what you can do with so little.
Surge, O Flame
Quite a cheap costing incantation yet useful in the right situation, you can hold back certain foes weak to fire damage with a stream of fire or use it it when you desperately need to set something on fire like Oil from your pots but don't want to waste a bolt to do so. Also for this reason as well, kind of obvious
Whirl, O Flame
Same reason as above really ^
O, Flame
Somewhat cheap and pretty good for rollcatching, but isn't at all necessary if you have flaming strike on one of your weapons to properly pull this off.
Urgent Heal
You may not be a total holy priest but you can still pray for yourself to get yourself a bit of health back when you truly need it, just don't rely it for everything.
Bestial Sling
Basically to make up for the lack of Emit Force from DS3, mainly for this reason.
Rejection
Another thing to use for the lack of Emit Force from DS3, though at least with this you can charge it up and knock foes back when you need to. Feel free to force back evil spirits and denizens at will as long as you have enough space and FP to do so.
Wrath of Gold
Another you can use for endgame if you happen to level up a lot of faith and want a stronger and better Rejection, you really can't go wrong here, though you will need to level up your faith a bit higher to get this one for your setup.
Blessing's Boon
Really good for group play or even solo play if you really want it, definitely worth it even as a cheaper version of Blessing of The Erdtree.
Magic Fortification
Quite needed as a Witch Hunter, especially if you're going to be hunting down casters constantly, you're going to need plenty of this up at one time, better have enough FP and the right talisman for it.
Flame Fortification
Pretty self-explanatory as well, can use instead as a replacement or alternative to Magic Fortification.
Barrier of Gold
Probably the only higher level Faith spell you'll need for this build especially given the protection you'll need, you can't go wrong here and it provides the same protection to allies around you as well. You can also replace Magic Fortification with this one.
Dragonbolt Blessing
A good protection spell to use against light attack spam or for swarming mobs, you can't go wrong here, also a good alternative to get early for the next spell in the line up.
Law of Casuality
One of the two reasons why your build requires such a high intelligence stat in the first place, you can't go wrong with this spell here as it is basically your very own Quen protection bubble to use at any time, make sure to keep this up as well whenever you need, just don't waste the cast if you think you won't need it however.
Law of Regression
The Second reason why your build requires such a high intelligence stat in the first place, this spell is basically what makes this build complete as it cancels enemy buffs and spells, as well as healing all status effects on you. This spell is quite literally required for this build especially.
Witch Hunter Build: Equipment & Toolkit - Talismans
As a list of Talismans you're going to use for your build, you want to consider your playstyle and equipment, but do keep in mind that you have only 4 slots for talismans so don't be afraid to switch them out periodically as well, especially for different opponents or situations.
Primary Talismans
Arrow's Reach and Arrow's Sting Talismans
Kind of obvious considering out build relies on crossbows to do half, if not most of the damage for us as these are some of the tools that have helped ranged builds prosper in this game. However, don't be afraid to periodically use Arrow's Reach for long range shots while hidden or from afar.
Spear Talisman
Despite us not really using spears in our build here, this talisman is especially useful as it increases damage of thrusting or piercing-type attacks, which of course counts towards not only Rapiers but also your Crossbow Bolts as well!
Old Lord's Talisman
Given that you aren't a dedicated spellcaster, you're going to need this for some of your buffs, also because you won't have a massive amount of FP to cast them all, so might as well make them last as long as possible.
Millicent's Prosthesis
This one you really can't go wrong with, increases your dexterity and gives you a damage increase from repeatedly striking an enemy more than twice, which also counts towards your Crossbow Bolts especially with the Pulley Crossbow.
Flock's Canvas Talisman
Another good addition to your build, this one will be especially useful for using your flame incantations along with boosting the strength of your spells overall.
Carian Filigreed's Crest
Quite useful for hybrid builds like this, you'll definitely want to be spending less FP when using skills from your weapons, especially when some vital parts of your build rely on your weapon skills and when you also have to cast spells at the same time.
Shard of Alexander
Probably one of the best Talismans out there, you really can't go wrong with choosing this one within your build if you happen to rely on your offensive weapon skills on your swords or other melee options.
Concealing Veil
Especially good for invasions as this really only has applications for PvP only, this'll help you scout out who you're fighting or even letting you get a good shot at a target from a distance, just make sure to stay crouched and stay well hidden, but be ready to replace this talisman for something else when you do get spotted.
Secondary Talismans
Spelldrake Talisman
If you feel like you need a bit more protection, primarily against magic-based foes, look no further then here, but just be sure to get the +2 version if you can.
Fire Scorpion Charm
Quite possibly one of the charms you may or may not overlook, this talisman does have it's uses in this build considering it can buff your fire-based melee attacks or fire incantations, but it can also increase the damage of your fire-based consumables like your Pots or Perfumes.
Green Turtle Talisman
Especially good for dexterity builds, or almost any build really, you'll find this talisman to be quite useful when chasing down enemies or dodging enemy attacks while trying to counterattack them.
Perfumer's Talisman
Only really good if you like using your perfume items a lot, I tend to overlook this one quite a lot but it can be useful in the right situation.
Primal Glintstone Blade
Useful to decrease the cost of your spells which will be greatly needed, and you won't have to worry too much about losing too much HP as it doesn't tend to take away too much if you're at least 50 vigor or so.
Lord of Blood's Exultation
Good if you're relying on bleed attacks for your build, you really can't go wrong here at all, if you so happen to get a bleed proc off on your 1st or 2nd shot from your Pulley Crossbow with Burred Bolts, then you'll do a lot more damage on the 2nd or 3rd shot, possibly killing your enemy instantly if you're lucky.
Rotten Winged Sword
Another good option to use with Lord of Blood's Exultation and Millicent's Prosthesis, this might cause you to be super OP with your crossbow bolts if they happen to hit, or with strong attacks from a thrusting sword that attacks more than once.
Blue Dancer Charm
Mainly for use in combination with your Wondrous Physick Flask if you happen to use it to greatly lower your equipment load, this can greatly help you in a fight along with other talismans that increase your damage, essentially tripling your damage by quite a lot.
Companion Jar
Quite useful if you like using your pots and find they aren't doing enough for you, grab one of these and enjoy, typically every throwable build uses this talisman so it is certainly welcome here.
Ritual Sword Talisman
Possibly another perfect option to use while in stealth and need to do more damage to take down your opponents, look no further and equip this along with your Concealing Veil, Milicent's Prothesis, and Arrow's Sting or Blue Dancer Charm Talismans to utterly destroy your enemies from afar.
Dagger Talisman
Only really good if you rely on parrying and need to put down a heathen or bloodthirsty Vampire, this will be of massive help to you in taking down bloodthirsty people being too aggressive with you, can't go wrong with staking your enemies.
Witch Hunter Build: Equipment & Toolkit - Attire
Typically when making your outfit, you want to consist of using primarily medium-type armor with some moderate protection with some metal plating here and there if you so wish, such as leggings, gauntlets, or even shoulder or chest pieces. But with that said, you'll never be rocking full on platemail nor anything too heavy given your focus on keeping light on your feet at all times, and because it's expected that you never go above Heavy Load in any souls game for the most part.
Think of almost any Witch Hunter from any series for your typical Witch Hunter look, including some influence from the likes of the Witcher Series, Warcraft, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Skyrim, Warhammer, or even Berserk.
As such, stuff you'll want to wear include either large brimmed type hats or hooded cloaks or cowls, long coats or jackets, some protection on the leggings and boots, and either some armored gloves or heavy leather-type gloves to match with your boots. As a good example of a setup similar to what you want to be aiming for to complete the look would be this armor from Dark Souls 3, it is a shame we don't have very many if any armors from the other Souls series in this game but gotta work with what you're given I suppose.
As some outfit ideas you can pull off, here are some outfits I've made around halfway through the game(though I'm missing one vital headpiece)...
Witch Hunter Build: Witch Hunter Variant Builds(Optional)
As I've already stated before, there are other ways to play this build and not everyone is going to have the exact same setup, and of course I've also come up with some variant builds people might like to try out as well.
Vigilant Witch Hunter
Loosely inspired by the Conquerors from For Honor, these Witch Hunters are sanctioned or redeemed criminals taken in by the church to go forth and seek out the enemies of the church within domestic regions of their respective kingdom or domain, typically being sent to raid and take down suspected witch covens or cultist hideouts, quelling village or city riots from rebellious heretics and heathens during inquisition investigations or raids, while also protecting the Inquisitor Priests during said activities.
As most of these bruisers are typically just sanctioned muscle with no, if any, faith or emotional ties to the church, only being hired if they repented for their ways and vowed to do the lord's work, they are not trained in the ways of holy incantations like other Witch Hunters, but do specialize in close combat especially, as they actively use shields and heavier armor to aid them in combat as well. However, whereas they have no applications for incantations or spells, they do make up for it in their use of anti-magic wards or divine accessories, along with using their explosive bombs to either deal with crowds of aggressive heretics or to stun foes to aid in easily overpowering them. Despite their classification as Witch Hunters as well, they do use Crossbows but they typically don't use Swords as they prefer more blunt weapons such as Maces or Flails for either crippling or stunning their targets to capture them for execution, or specifically for options provided to them with Flails to wrap around a target's limb to aid in overpowering them, which often leads to them being executed on the spot if they so happen to resist once they have bound them.
For this build you'll want to focus on Dexterity, Strength, and Vigor being your main stats, along with Endurance, Mind, and Arcane being your secondary stats, with Faith and Intelligence being your lowest stats, with Intelligence possibly being your lowest stat here.
Inquisitor Witch Hunter
These Witch Hunters typically work alone for the most part but are dedicated agents of the church, caring out it's will throughout the world to track and hunt down any suspecting groups of witches or cultists hideouts within remote or foreign territories. Almost your typical version of a Witch Hunter, except these ones tend to use lighter dual Crossbows over using swords in their mainhand with a Crossbow in their offhand, as such they prefer to stay at a distance but have no problem getting out of danger given their superior wards and flexible attire that lets them feel light on their feet.
Despite their reliance on ranged combat however, they typically don't use offensive incantations and only use defensive ones to ward off attacks to punish those getting too close or to help them get away from their aggressors, they also prefer to use their bombs or traps to help keep their opponents at a distance as well.
For this build you'll want to focus on Dexterity, Arcane, and Endurance being your main stats, along with Mind, Intelligence, Faith, Mind, and Strength being your secondary stats respectively.
Occultist Witch Hunter
Somewhat your typical Witch Hunter, however these Witch Hunters tend to be either sanctioned or unsanctioned vigilantes of the Church or some obscure hidden organization hellbent on taking down unholy threats or the source of these threats entirely. As such, these hunters are well-versed in the occult and the supernatural, so much so that they've taken up the mantle of studying the dark arts as well to combat others using the same arts to bring about doom and death within the world, whereas most other Witch Hunters would never think of doing so as they prefer to use holy spells and incantations to aid against the unholy, which tends to cause dissent and distrust towards the Occultists from most agents of the Church and it's followers, as not all Occultists openly work with the Church for various reasons.
Unlike other Witch Hunters, Occultists prefer melee combat as most of them tend to use either Greatswords or Scythes in their work, as such they don't have much room on their person to actively use Crossbows, but they are known to carry many different tools to aid them, mainly throwing weapons or warding tools to aid against magical spells or attacks. But because they research and study the dark arts, they not only use their holy-based incantations but also use darker more forbidden arts and spells in combination with their holy magics, often resulting in them being highly successful and effective at their work if not somewhat shunned and distrusted for doing so, but none would ever doubt their devotion or spirit
For this build you'll want to focus on Dexterity, Mind, Arcane, and Faith being your main stats, along with Endurance, Intelligence, Strength, and Vigor being your secondary stats respectively.
Your Witch Hunter Build Is Now Complete!
If you have done all the other steps and have settled on a build and a look, then you are finished with this guide and you can enjoy your new build to experience the game with at your leisure!
If you happened to like this guide or like the build idea, feel free to rate it up or favorite it for viewing later, though both aren't required at all as I figured I'd do something like this for the community anyway.
Oh and of course,
HAPPY HUNTING!
Witch Hunter Covenant Guide(Optional)
This step is completely optional, but in regards to a Covenant to work with our build there are certain things that need to set and ruled...
As an invader, it is always important to at least scout who you're invading if you can and see how you can get the upperhand on them, especially since you'll be by yourself for the most part, and you're specifically supposed to go after casters for the most part, or other unholy heathens who like to cheese or fight with broken/OP stuff in the game(which we will consider Vampires aka Bloodhound Step users or as demonic possessed/corrupted foes).
As such, if you happen to come into contact with non-casters, or holy-based builds, you aren't supposed to be going after them to kill them but you are free to defend yourself if pressured, but if you happen to find a rival invader who is a valid target, you can instead go after the other invader to take them out instead of the host, or leave in search of other players who are valid targets. However, if the host or his summons are valid targets then you'll have to work together with the other invader against them even if one of the summoned players is running a holy-based build, as they are working with the enemy technically.
Lastly, not only will you need to make your name "Witch Hunter(insert name)" or something like that,
but you'll also need to have your own custom covenant color to go with the idea, just like the past Souls games exactly. But given the lack of colors you can really pick in this game, you might be a bit limited, but I find this talisman will fit you perfectly to help color-coordinate the unofficial covenant idea.
Not only that, but besides gold/yellow typically being used as a holy color in most other rpg games, it does play on the idea of past souls games with Sunbro Invaders who with a red body and gold shine around them.
Of course this entire part is not at all required and is really only to fit the covenant idea, and you might need some extra space on your talisman slots for something revolving around your build or that might help you in a invasion.
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2796218149
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