Elden Ring Blasphemous Blade Weapon Skill Guide: Taker's Flames Explained

Look, if you've been sleeping on the Blasphemous Blade, stop. Taker's Flames is the whole reason to push a Faith build, and it's not even close. It chunks bosses, washes whole rooms in fire, and heals you while it does it. I built one on my second playthrough and basically never swapped it out. Want a weapon skill that feels like you stole a boss move? This is the one.

What Is Taker’s Flames?

Taker's Flames is locked to the Blasphemous Blade. No removing it, no slapping it onto a cooler sword. Hit L2/LT and the blade lights up. You sweep it wide, then drive it down into the ground and the fire detonates right in front of you.

It burns 25 FP per use. Anything the flames touch gives you a little HP back, and that alone makes it a beast in PvE. Don't confuse it with the sword's passive lifesteal on kills - this is separate. Land the skill and you heal mid-fight, which is how you survive pulling a whole pack at once.

What Makes Taker’s Flames So Good?

It's an AoE fire swing with real reach. One L2 press and an entire group eats it. Poise damage is solid too, so most trash enemies just stagger for you. The cherry on top? You heal while you cast. That combination makes it one of the safest skills in the game for PvE.

The catch is the wind-up. Once you commit to L2, you're along for the whole animation. Miss it, whiff it, or let someone roll through it and you're eating a punish - in PvP especially, because every decent player knows exactly how to roll through Taker's Flames.

How to Get the Blasphemous Blade and Use Taker’s Flames

None of this matters until you actually own the sword. It comes out of the Remembrance of the Blasphemous, which means you're killing Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy first.

How to Get the Blasphemous Blade

Work your way into Volcano Manor. You can push through Mt. Gelmir or just follow Rya's questline - either gets you there. Then take down Rykard. Pro tip I wish I'd known on day one: grab the Serpent-Hunter spear sitting in the boss arena. It makes that fight way less miserable.

Claim the Remembrance of the Blasphemous after. Heads up - if you also want Rykard's Rancor, duplicate the Remembrance at a Walking Mausoleum before you cash it in, or you're choosing. Then go to Roundtable Hold and hand the Remembrance to Finger Reader Enia. She'll trade you the blade.

You need 22 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 21 Faith to wield it. Two-handing knocks the Strength requirement down to 15 thanks to the two-hand bonus, but you're still on the hook for 15 Dex and 21 Faith.

New player warning: Don't yolo into Volcano Manor underleveled just for this sword. Rykard will paste you if you're not ready, and yeah, the Serpent-Hunter helps, but it doesn't make you invincible.

Step-by-Step: Use Taker’s Flames Correctly

Put the Blasphemous Blade in your right hand. Glance at your FP bar - you need at least 25 FP or the skill won't fire. Running a shield in the left hand? It has to carry the No Skill Ash of War, otherwise L2/Lt just triggers whatever the shield does. I learned this the embarrassing way.

Line up your target. Tap L2/LT once and let the whole animation finish - don't cancel it. After the explosion, R1 or R2 if something's still standing. Roll out if you're about to get clobbered.

New player warning: If your shield has Parry on it, you're not casting Taker's Flames at all. You'll just parry air and get clapped. Slap No Skill on that shield before you try this in a real fight.

Blasphemous Blade Weapon Skill Combos and Tactics

Taker's Flames rewards setup more than reaction. It's slow, so you want a safe opening or a stagger before you spend the FP. These are the strings I actually run in PvE and PvP.

PvE Combos

L2 -> R1 - The bread and butter. Burn the group down with the skill, then R1 sweep up whatever survived.

Jump R2 -> L2 - Leap in with a jumping heavy to close distance and build poise damage. If they stagger, hit L2 and let the full explosion land while they're frozen in place.

L2 -> L2 - You really can just spam it in PvE. The heal and stagger pressure are that oppressive on most bosses and big enemies, just keep an eye on your FP bar. I cheesed the Haligtree prayer room mobs with this and it turned a nasty stretch into a breeze.

L2 -> Charged R2 - Tanky survivor takes the explosion but stays staggered? Charge an R2. It catches them right as the skill recovery ends and finishes the job.

PvP Tips

Never open with Taker's Flames in PvP. The animation drags, and a good opponent just rolls behind you and backstabs you for free. Save it as a punish - when they whiff a big swing or get greedy with a roll attack, drop L2 while they're stuck recovering.

Try free-aiming the explosion. When someone rolls sideways, break lock-on. Lead the roll a little, because that delayed ground slam catches them right as the roll ends.

No Skill on your offhand shield. That's it. It makes L2 always fire Taker's Flames so you never accidentally parry instead of healing yourself with a fireball.

Best Stats and Upgrade Path for Taker’s Flames

The Blasphemous Blade scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith, but not evenly. Faith does the heavy lifting for this skill. Strength boosts your regular melee swings, and Dexterity barely moves the needle.

Suggested Faith Build Stats

• Vigor: 50 to 60. You're in their face constantly, so you need the HP buffer.
• Mind: 25 to 30. Enough FP to throw Taker's Flames several times in a row.
• Endurance: 25. Swings, rolls, and whatever armor you want to wear.
• Strength: 22. Minimum to one-hand the thing.
• Dexterity: 15. Leave it right at the requirement.
• Faith: 50 to 60. Your actual damage stat - this is what makes Taker's Flames hurt.
• Intelligence and Arcane: Whatever your starting class already gives you.

Roll Prophet or Confessor if you want a smoother Faith build around this sword.

Upgrade Path

This weapon runs on Somber Smithing Stones, not the regular kind. Push it from +1 to +9 with Somber Smithing Stones, then the final +10 needs a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.

Weapon skill damage rides your upgrade level, so don't drag a half-upgraded Blasphemous Blade into the late game. Get it as high as you possibly can.

You can also feed the skill damage by mixing the Flame-Shrouding Cracked Tear into your Flask of Wondrous Physick and running the Fire Scorpion Charm. That charm cranks fire damage but makes you take more damage too, so don't get cocky. Throw on the Shard of Alexander or the Warrior Jar Shard and the skill gets even chunkier.

New player warning: If you're already squishy, don't stack the Fire Scorpion Charm with every other damage talisman you own. The extra damage you take turns a bad trade into a one-shot.

Common Mistakes Players Make With Taker’s Flames

Spamming L2 in PvP. It's strong, sure, but it's loud and obvious. Mash it in PvP and you're getting parried or backstabbed. Make them eat it when it actually matters.

Firing a shield skill by accident. Got Parry, Bash, or anything else on your shield? L2/LT uses that instead. No Skill the shield. Done.

Skipping Faith. People see a giant greatsword and dump everything into Strength. Don't. Taker's Flames feels garbage if you ignore Faith - that stat is the whole point.

Hitting fire-resistant enemies with it. The skill deals fire damage. Up against something fire-resistant and you'll watch the numbers shrink. Swap to physical or pull a different weapon for those fights.

Panic rolling instead of healing. Low on HP? A landed Taker's Flames gets some of it back. You don't always have to chug a flask first. Sometimes the right move is to press L2, connect, and heal off the damage you just dealt.

Taker’s Flames FAQ

Does Taker’s Flames heal you?

Yep. It restores HP for every enemy it hits, which is exactly why it's so good in PvE. You heal by attacking, so you can keep the pressure on bosses and mobs instead of backing off to recover.

Can I put Taker’s Flames on another weapon?

No. It's the Blasphemous Blade's unique skill. You can't change it, strip it off, or copy it onto something else with an Ash of War.

Should I build Strength or Faith for the Blasphemous Blade?

Faith is where you want to be for Taker's Flames. Strength still helps your normal attacks, but Faith is what cranks the fire skill damage and pushes your overall damage up.

What upgrade materials does the Blasphemous Blade need?

Somber Smithing Stones get it from +1 to +9. That last +10 needs a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.