Summary
The long wait is over, and players can once again hop into the world ofElden Ringwith a slightly different coat of paint.Nightreignposes a whole new set of challenges and mechanics, along with a set of unique characters, each withtheir own playstyle that needs to be learnedand perfected to have the best chance of taking down a Nightlord.
TheDuchessis a fast, flashy Nightfarer that brings some extra style and flair to the intensity of the combat. One of the best ways to unlock her full potential is by equipping a solid set of relics that buff her skills and fighting capabilities with simple passive boosts. Relics and relic combinations come in a variety of forms, but there are a few that the Duchess can make the most of to feed into the assassin fantasy.
Nothing Scarier Than A Tanky Assasin
Relic Effects:
The Blessed Iron Coin is a great relic choice for anyone looking to boost their damage potential, while adding some defensive stats to keep them alive in the chaotic open plains. Being able to consistently restore health over time is a massive bonus to the player’s survivability, and combining it with some extra vigor right from the start, they become virtually unkillable even at level one.
The relic also comes with a Duchess-specific bonus that applies a damage boost when the invisibility skill is active. This means that players can go into stealth and tear through enemy health bars, while healing in that undetected state. Damage boosts are always a great way of clearing through the final stages of a rune, whetherfrom smithing stonesor another source, so having it built into the Duchess' most powerful skill makes it all the more rewarding.
Poisoned Daggers That Hit Even Harder
Night of the Wise grants players a powerful status effect bonus that lets them deal significant damage the second they load into the map. This relic is great on the Duchess because the player will likely be using a dagger for most of the run. This makes applying the poison incredibly easy, which then adds another damage bonus to let her Restage skill pop off.
Poison weapons and effects are pretty easy to come by, which means that even if the player wants to swap out their starting weapon for something more flashy, they can still benefit from the power that this relic provides. It also has great synergies with the Duchess' playstyle, where a lot of the combat revolves around hit-and-run tactics. This relic means that in the downtime, the enemy will still take heavy damage.
Stealth And Frost All In One
Night of Miasma brings an extra level of stealth to a character that already loves the concept of sneaking around undetected. By applying frost at the rate she does, players can play a game of cat and mouse with the enemy, obscuring themselves from view while they heal up or reposition for another set of attacks before a hefty Restage.
Even better, when working with teammates who are going for a frost-based build, the Duchess player can still benefit from the bonus damage without having to apply the effect herself. Soan allied Ironeyecould snipe those chilly arrows from afar, and allow the Duchess to get up close and reap the rewards, whilst having another status effect of her own if needed.
Permanent Invisibility For All
Cooldowns are the Duchess' bread and butter, as the power of invisibility is hard to match with any other skill in the game. Being able to build it up significantly faster, just by standing around, means that resurrections are far easier to pull off, elevating the team’s overall safety.
The key is allowing the Duchess player to execute the critical strikes on bosses when they go down. This allows her to recoup the long cooldown much faster and have a better chance down the line at bringing the team back from the brink of despair. It also offers the added benefit of faster Restages, increasing her damage output and supportive capabilities at the same time.
Elemental Power And Burst Potential
Golden Dew is a simple yet powerful relic that feeds directly into the Duchess' core gameplay mechanic. The cooldown for Restage is already super short, so buffing a spammable ability in a pretty major way allows players to demolish squishy enemies and take larger chunks off of boss health bars in a single use.
Also, one of the core mechanics of the game is the elemental weaknesses that each Nightlord boasts. Whether it be Lightning, Holy, or something else entirely, players will want to tailor their build in a way that targets that weakness in order to have the best chance at taking them down at the end of a run. A relic that makes this strength even stronger is a no-brainer.
Dagger Damage On Another Level
The Duchess’s starting weapon is a dagger, and her playstyle and general gameplay flow benefit from a fast-attacking weapon like it. Having the Crown Medal equipped turns those smaller slashes into monstrous blows that shred through enemies evenat the start of a run. It also applies to all daggers and not just the starting weapon, allowing players to swap to stronger alternatives and still maintain the skill.
But the biggest boon of this relic is the first effect. This allows the player to attack multiple times in quick succession, only to be rewarded with additional damage in a similar way to the Restage ability. This passive can then be combined with the active skill, resulting in significantly more damage at all stages of the game.
Backstabs Become Oneshots In No Time
Night of the Baron is an assassin’s best friend, benefiting critical attacks in a massive way. When the player is as quick and agile as the Duchess, pulling them off is more than a walk in the park. The benefits gained go far beyond some extra damage, as having a stamina recovery boost lets players jump in for the heavy hit and quickly escape without fear of running out of energy.
Being able to significantly restore the Finale skill is an incredible passive, especially considering how important that ability becomes later in the game. It’s a great relic that slots into any kind of playstyle, but really plays into the fantasy of a sneaky backstabber looking for their next kill.
Rune Generation And Allied Healing
When compared to the other Nightfarers, the Duchess does struggle to deal substantial damage numbers on her own and normally relies on her teammates to make the most of her skills. But there arecertain relic combinationsthat can change how the player engages with their team, turning the character into a support that can be a lifesaver when the going gets tough.
Supportive Drizzly Scenes offers extra healing and a bonus to runes, all while keeping the core gameplay loop of the Duchess intact. A lot of her playstyles already revolve heavily around weaving in attacks and supporting how she can, so it makes perfect sense to lean into it even more and give the player all the tools they need to be the support that any team would dream of having.
