An Elden Ring player and Star Wars fanatic found a character build worthy of a true Sith Lord. Combining specific weapons and enchantments, they created a character that effectively transforms their Tarnished into Darth Sidious, complete with simulated force lightning and medieval lightsaber.
In a video shared on the Elden Ring subreddit, user Nomadianking shows off the build. They are able to fire bolts from their hands in imitation force lightning, knock their enemy back by channeling an invisible force, and imbue their short sword with a red glow to give them a lightsaber effect.
To top it off, they decked out his character in a black cape, hood, and robes for that ultimate Dark Jedi effect, and his face was sculpted to look like Darth Sidious actor Ian McDiarmid. Plus, John Williams' classic Duel of the Fates has been added to the video's soundtrack along with the odd quote from Darth Sidious, just for that extra Star Wars twist.
darth_sidious from r/EldenringAs for how to build the character, Nomadianking seems to use the short sword combined with Vyke's Dragonbolt, which makes your right hand weapon glow red, and Lansseax's Glaive, which creates a glowing red polearm in the air to sweep enemies.
For lightning attacks, they seem to use the Elder Dragon Lightning Lance and Elder Dragon Lightning Strike. Both casts produce red lightning attacks. If you want your version of Darth Sidious to be more authentic, try the Frozen Lightning Lance which fires icy blue lightning visually closer to Palpatine's.
If Vyke's Dragonbolt isn't helpful, you can also use the Bloodflame Blade enchantment to make your weapon glow a deep red. And if you don't have access to lightning attacks, the Honed Bolt spell is another Sith-type attack.
While Nomadianking's combination of spells and armor looks decidedly stylish, it's unlikely to be a true winner on the battlefield. The enchantments they used are slow to perform and can be easily dodged by most enemies. Give it a try if you're obsessed with the dark side of the force, but don't expect to find it easy. You better find the best Elden Ring armor sets in the Lands Between.
You don't have to look far through Reddit comments to find users praising Nomadianking for the build, and many do what all good Star Wars fans on the internet do best: recycle quotes and memes from the original movies. Mentions of "unlimited power", letting "hate wash over you", and disclaimers that the video does not, in fact, feature Darth Sidious but the Senate are not uncommon.