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Elden Ring features plenty of Ashes of War for players to collect and use to make their own unique character build. One of the most potent Ashes of War is the Seppuku one that grants players a fascinating skill that is highly useful for almost the entirety of Elden Ring. Find out everything you need to know about it in this Seppuku Elden Ring guide.
Seppuku is one of the best skills you can obtain from the Ashes of War since it is quite versatile. Nearly every boss you’ll fight in Elden Ring will be vulnerable to aspects of this skill and there is an opportunity to make it better. While it isn’t quite as potent as it was at launch, due to a patch nerfing it slightly, it is still one skill you should consider. Find out why in this Seppuku Elden Ring guide.
Bottom Line Up Front
Seppuku is one of the many skills you can get from an Ash of War. The Ash of War: Seppuku item can be found as a drop from a particular invisible scarab enemy that is hidden in a specific location in The Lands Between. If you use this skill, it will do precisely what its real-world counterpart is.
The player will attack themselves and sacrifice some health to gain an unbelievably powerful boost that is effective against most bosses in Elden Ring. This is one of the most popular and recommended skills for players who want to make some boss fights a bit easier.
Seppuku Elden Ring Overview
If you study Japanese culture, you likely know a bit about the fabled samurai from Japan’s past. One of the key parts of the Bushido law and culture surrounding the famous samurai is Seppuku, which is Japanese for the act of someone (I apologize in advance for this subject; you’ve been warned) taking themselves out in a ritualistic manner.
In Japan’s past, Seppuku was an act that was considered honorable for many samurai. There is a lot that goes into this particular piece of the Bushido code, but, essentially, the idea was that the samurai should commit this act as a last resort in certain situations. For instance, it was more admirable to do this than get caught by enemies.
In the case of Elden Ring, Seppuku is mostly the inspiration for a skill that is somewhat similar but acts quite differently. The idea of a samurai taking their sword and turning it on themselves is the same in this game, with an animation that features that very act happening onscreen.
The in-game description for the item describes the Ash of War as a “forbidden” skill that comes from the Land of Reeds. This particular ritual was used by certain warriors from that location.
Unlike the original ritual act for samurai in Japan, though, this skill won’t end the life of your Tarnished character. Instead, you’ll sacrifice something to gain something in combat. This trade-off is undoubtedly more than worth it. In turn, Seppuku is honestly one of the best Ashes of War skills you can find in the entire game.
How to Unlock Seppuku
Before you can ever use Seppuku in those classic boss fights in Elden Ring, you’ll need to unlock the skill. To do this, you need to go to a specific location in The Lands Between and find the right Ash of War item there. Furthermore, you’ll need to take out a particular enemy in this spot to get this item as a drop.
Where to Find the Invisible Scarab Enemy
The enemy you need to take out to get the Ash of War: Seppuku item is the teardrop scarab. This is a unique invisible enemy that is found in The Lands Between. The specific place you need to head to is the Freezing Lake, which is in the snowy region of the open world.
The best way to find the teardrop scarab is to head east from the Freezing Lake Site of Grace while avoiding that Borealis dragon in the area if you haven’t taken it out yet. The idea here is to get to the eastern end of the lake and look for the trail of the teardrop scarab.
The problem with this enemy is that it is invisible, and you won’t usually be able to see it. However, what you can do is hear the scarab’s movements and see the trail it’s left behind. Once you find its prints, be sure to stay in this area, and the scarab will eventually make its way to you.
It goes in a set pattern near the lake, so if you stay in one spot, it will eventually return to where you are. When it does, you’ll be able to fight it. Once you take out the invisible teardrop scarab enemy, the Ash of War: Seppuku skill can be a drop that it will leave behind after defeat.
How the Seppuku Skill Works
Now that you have the Seppuku skill in your possession, here’s what you need to know about it to make it even better and use it correctly in battle. For starters, this is an Ash of War skill, so this means it will cost you some to use it in combat.
In terms of FP, it only costs four points, which isn’t a ton, in all honesty. The reason behind this relatively low cost is that there is another cost associated with this skill. Taking after the original ritual that samurai would commit, this skill uniquely also takes away some of your HP.
These days in the current patch of the game, using Seppuku takes away 100 health points plus 15% of whatever your current maximum health is. For instance, if you have 900 health points, you’ll lose 235 HP every single time that you use Seppuku in a fight.
That is a hefty amount of HP, especially depending on your current Vigor attribute level. But the benefit of this skill may be worth the risk for some players. Seppuku lasts for a whopping 60 seconds after the animation happens when the user attacks themselves.
What the buff does is take the blood lost from the player and then embed that into their blade, letting them now have a significant boost to the general strength of the weapon. These days, it adds a base level of 30 to the attack power of the weapon and 30 bleed build-up.
This is the base version for both of these buffs, but it can increase if you follow specific steps. Not only will you land stronger attacks for a minute, but you’ll have a much higher chance of causing the enemy to bleed. Bleeding is one of the best statuses in this game, so it is well worth using.
How to Make Seppuku Better
Now, there is a way to make Seppuku even better. The base buffs are nice, but they are far from the overpowered buffs they used to be in Elden Ring before being nerfed. Seppuku is tied to the Arcane stat, so raising this stat to a certain point will increase the potency of the skill.
The higher your Arcane stat is (to its soft caps, of course), the more build-up you’ll have for the bleed status and the more powerful your strikes will be for the 60 seconds it is active. It doesn’t change the general sacrifice you have to give with your health, which is far higher than it used to be.
It was likely nerfed due to the fact that the Seppuku skill was way too OP in the past, and it was pretty popular because of this. Even still, it is a highly useful skill but only for specific builds, such as ones that prioritize Arcane.
Example Bleed Build for Seppuku Explained
Seppuku is best used for nearly every fight in Elden Ring, including and especially boss fights. Almost every single central boss in all of Elden Ring, including some of the required ones you need to face in the main story, is vulnerable to the bleeding status.
If you create a proper bleed build with this skill, the right weapons, gear, and a decently high Arcane stat, you can pretty much bank on the bleed status as your primary mode of damaging enemies. While you may not be able to break the game as much these days with this build, due to some of the patches after launch, it can be pretty practical for nearly every boss.
Because this is a weakness of pretty much everyone in Elden Ring, this is a highly recommended method of taking down some of the most formidable foes in the game. As such, if you are looking to use the Seppuku skill in your Elden Ring playthrough, which I presume is the case if you’re here learning about it, here is a bleed build that I think would do you wonders.
Here are the basic equipment items you should consider for this bleed build and some details about each of them further below:
- 2 Scavenger’s Curved Swords (it isn’t a legendary so it is relatively easy for later game players to get two)
- Ash of War: Seppuku on both swords
- Headpiece: Nameless White Mask
- Gloves: Bull-Goat Gauntlets
- Chestpiece: Raptor’s Black Feathers
- Legpiece: Bull-Goat Greaves
- Greenburst Crystal Tear
- Thorny Cracked Tear
When it comes to this gear, the goal here is two main things: to increase your damage output and your bleed skill. Seppuku is all about making the opponent bleed and this gear is custom-built to ensure that you are getting the highest chances of blowing up that bleed meter for the enemy.
All of the items from the armor you wear to the tears you’re carrying around will give you the best possible bleed. But there is a secondary part to this with your overall damage. Both of the Scavenger’s Curved Swords are two of the best weapons in the game that don’t have the legendary status.
The reason you want to use these is because they have solid damage and bleed alike. So, when you go up against the few bosses that are immune to bleed, you can still use this entire build because you’ll be dealing decent damage either way.
As for your attributes, this is a bit more freeform and up to you. But here are the attributes I would aim for in this build to keep in mind the soft caps for stats and the like. I would focus first and foremost about Arcane so that you can get the most out of Seppuku. I would reach 80 with it as soon as possible, which is its final soft cap that benefits Seppuku the most.
Secondly, you want to focus on Vigor so that you have the most health and can survive for a long time since you are already at a disadvantage for sacrificing health. The third stat to come after that would be Endurance, which is for the extra stamina to constantly fight, followed by Strength for more damage output, and whatever else you prefer after that.
FAQs
Question: Where is the Seppuku in Elden Ring?
Answer: You can find Seppuku in Elden Ring by heading to the Site of Grace near the Freezing Lake. Head east of here and then track the invisible scarab enemy to take it out and drop the Seppuku skill.
Question: How does Seppuku work in Elden Ring?
Answer: Seppuku is a weapon skill you can use where it takes away some of the health of the character in exchange for a massive boost to your damage as well as the possibility of inflicting bleed. It is one of the best weapon skills in the game.
Question: Is Seppuku or Bloody Slash better?
Answer: Seppuku and Bloody Slash are certainly different skills, but if I had to pick one to be better than the other, I would say that Seppuku is the better overall skill. Bloody Slash is powerful, but the added bleed status from Seppuku makes it a welcome addition.
Find the Best Weapon to Use Seppuku On
Seppuku is undoubtedly one of the best skills for players to find and use in Elden Ring. It is one of the strongest examples of how powerful the bleed status is in this game, and you can build your entire character around this single Ash of War item.
A bleed build in Elden Ring is one of the most effective, even if it has been nerfed quite a bit in recent patches. While Seppuku may not be as potent as it once was, it is still among the best Ashes of War skills you’ll ever find in this entire massive open-world game.
If you want to find the right weapon to pair with this skill, thankfully, you’re in the right place. We’ve already gone over the best weapons in Elden Ring to find throughout The Lands Between. No matter what you prefer to use in the action RPG, there is something for everyone there. This even includes those who want a weapon that works best with the Ash of War: Seppuku skill.
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