Today we're breaking down a brutal Elden Ring DLC build centered entirely around the Matting Hand, a fist weapon that turns aggression into an instant death sentence. This setup revolves around landing its Ash of War Elden Ring Items, triggering Madness, and capitalizing on the guaranteed stun window to unleash a devastating fully charged heavy-to-heavy combo. When executed correctly, this sequence doesn't just chunk enemies-it can one-shot them outright.

This is a high-risk, high-reward invasion build. The Ash of War is slow and telegraphed, but if your opponent overextends or trades at the wrong moment, the punishment is absolute. Let's walk through how the build works, why the Matting Hand shines in the DLC meta, and how to optimize it for maximum lethality.

The Core Idea: Madness into Charged Heavy Destruction

The Matting Hand's Ash of War applies Madness. When Madness procs, enemies are locked into a distinct animation-long enough for you to line up a fully charged heavy attack, followed immediately by another heavy. That window is the heart of the build.

On its own, the combo already deals impressive damage. With proper optimization-talismans, Physick buffs, and stat investment-it becomes lethal. The beauty of the build is that it doesn't rely on extended strings or perfect reads. You need one clean Ash of War. After that, the enemy does the rest for you by standing still.

Talismans: The Engine Behind the One-Shot

Every talisman in this setup has a specific role, and together they turn a good combo into a death sentence.

Axe Talisman

This is non-negotiable. The Axe Talisman greatly boosts charged heavy attacks, which are the main source of damage after Madness procs. Since the combo revolves around fully charged heavies, this talisman does enormous work.

Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

Despite using heavy attacks, the Matting Hand's heavy-to-heavy combo counts as consecutive hits, meaning it procs this talisman. The damage ramp from successive strikes pushes the combo into one-shot territory.

Shard of Alexander

The Ash of War is half the build, so boosting its damage is essential. Shard of Alexander increases Ash of War damage significantly, helping ensure Madness procs quickly and consistently.

Aged One's Exultation

This talisman boosts your damage when Madness is present. Since your Ash of War applies Madness right before the combo, this buff activates at the perfect moment-right as you begin charging your heavy attacks.

Together, these four talismans synchronize perfectly: Ash of War damage, Madness activation, charged heavy amplification, and consecutive hit scaling.

Physick Flask: Pushing Damage Over the Edge

To further optimize the build, the Flask of Wondrous Physick plays a major role.

Spiked Cracked Tear

This tear increases charged heavy attack damage, stacking directly with the Axe Talisman. With both active, your fully charged heavies hit absurdly hard.

Thorny Cracked Tear

This tear boosts damage with consecutive attacks, once again synergizing with the heavy-to-heavy combo. Since the Matting Hand's follow-up heavy counts toward consecutive hits, this tear adds another layer of multiplicative damage.

When combined with the talismans, the Physick essentially guarantees that if the Madness stun lands, the target is living on borrowed time.

Stat Allocation: Strength Takes the Lead

The Matting Hand scales relatively evenly across multiple stats, but testing reveals that Strength provides the best overall damage return. As a result, this build heavily prioritizes Strength investment while meeting only the minimum requirements for other stats.

This approach maximizes the damage of your charged heavies without wasting levels. The build doesn't rely on spell scaling, hybrid casting, or niche requirements-just raw physical pressure backed by Madness.

Armor and Poise: Surviving the Trade

Armor choice is flexible, but poise matters. Since the Ash of War is slow and often used in trade scenarios, you want enough poise to avoid being interrupted mid-animation.

In this setup, the goal was to reach 88 poise without relying on the Bull-Goat's Talisman. That threshold allows you to tank many common attacks long enough to land the Ash of War. You can push higher poise with more Endurance, but that comes at the cost of stat efficiency elsewhere.

The takeaway: wear what you like, but prioritize poise. If you get staggered before Madness procs, the build falls apart.

Consumables: Securing the One-Shot

Two consumables elevate this build from "deadly" to "unfair":

 Uplifting Aromatic-Provides a damage boost and extra survivability.

 Exalted Flesh-Increases physical attack power.

While the Matting Hand isn't purely physical, Exalted Flesh still meaningfully boosts your damage output. Together, these consumables increase the likelihood that the combo outright kills rather than leaving enemies at sliver health.Invasions in Practice: Aggression Punished

In actual invasions, this build thrives on enemy impatience. Overly aggressive players-especially those sprinting in with great katanas, Rivers of Blood, or heavy weapons-are prime targets.

The Ash of War's slow startup can be baited beautifully. Many players see fist weapons and assume they can trade safely. That confidence gets them stunned by Madness and deleted by a charged heavy combo.

Spacing is critical. The Ash of War is easier to land when opponents run into you rather than when you chase them. Corners, choke points, ladders, and elevation changes all help funnel enemies into bad decisions.

Dealing with Groups

Against multiple opponents, the build becomes more tactical. Teammates often save each other from the Madness combo, forcing you to reposition and reapply pressure.

Line-of-sight breaks are your best friend. If you can isolate one enemy-even briefly-you can land the Ash of War and remove them instantly. The build excels at turning 3v1 situations into 2v1s with a single successful hit.

Projectile pressure, throwing pots, and environmental hazards help control space and force mistakes. The Matting Hand may be a fist weapon, but this build rewards battlefield awareness as much as mechanical execution.

Limitations and Counters

This build is powerful, but not unstoppable.

 The Ash of War is slow and obvious. Skilled players can roll it on reaction.

 High Madness resistance armor (such as certain heavy sets) can delay or prevent Madness procs.

 Passive opponents who refuse to trade can force you into a slower, more methodical fight.

That said, Elden Ring invasions are full of aggressive players, and this build preys on that mindset. When someone commits too hard, the punishment is immediate.

Why the Matting Hand Works So Well

Fist weapons already thrive on pressure and close-range mind games. The Matting Hand elevates that playstyle by giving you access to a true combo kill condition. You're not chipping away at health bars-you're waiting for one mistake.

The psychological impact matters too. Once enemies see Madness proc and a teammate vanish instantly, hesitation sets in. That fear creates even more openings.

Final Thoughts buy Elden Ring Items

The Matting Hand Madness build is one of the most satisfying DLC setups available. It's flashy, punishing, and deeply rewarding for players who enjoy baiting aggression and capitalizing on mistakes.