One of the best things about Elden Ring’s DLC PvP scene is how creative weapon combinations have become. Instead of relying solely on traditional meta setups Elden Ring Runes, players are constantly discovering unique pairings that create entirely different playstyles. Some combinations focus on overwhelming aggression, others specialize in spacing and pressure, and a few manage to blend both into one dangerous setup.
This particular dexterity build does exactly that.
Centered around the Urumi whip in the main hand and Rockshasa’s Great Katana in the off hand, this invasion build combines long-range roll catches, hyper armor trading, and relentless pressure into a surprisingly effective PvP setup. After extensive invasions across multiple DLC areas, the build proved itself capable of handling everything from shield turtles and aggressive melee players to spell-spamming wizards and coordinated gank squads.
At first glance, the weapon pairing looks unusual. Whips traditionally excel at spacing and harassment, while great katanas are more focused on trading and burst damage. But once the synergies begin to click, the combination becomes incredibly difficult for opponents to predict or properly counter.
Why the Urumi and Rockshasa Combo Works
The core strength of this build lies in how the two weapons complement each other’s weaknesses.
The Urumi provides excellent range control, unpredictable attack timing, and powerful heavy attacks capable of catching panic rolls from surprising distances. Its charged heavy attack, in particular, becomes a major threat because of how delayed and awkward the animation feels for opponents trying to dodge it consistently.
Meanwhile, Rockshasa’s Great Katana adds something the whip normally lacks: hyper armor and close-range dominance.
That changes everything.
Whenever opponents attempt to aggressively push through the whip pressure, the off-hand katana can immediately punish them with armored attacks and heavy stagger potential. The result is a build that constantly forces enemies into uncomfortable guessing situations.
Do they challenge the whip spacing and risk getting hyper-armored by the katana?
Or do they back away and risk getting clipped by delayed whip attacks and roll catches?
Throughout the invasions, many opponents clearly struggled to understand how to approach the setup. Because the combination isn’t commonly seen, most players didn’t immediately recognize the timing windows or pressure sequences.
That unfamiliarity became one of the build’s greatest strengths.
The Dexterity Build Setup
The stat distribution for the build is fairly straightforward, especially at level 200.
The primary focus is maximizing Dexterity to scale both weapons as effectively as possible. High Endurance is also important because the setup relies heavily on maintaining pressure, trading hits, and wearing heavier armor for survivability.
The armor choice was the full Verdigris set, which prioritized poise and defense over fashion. While the appearance may not be flashy, the defensive value matters tremendously for this kind of aggressive trading playstyle.
The extra poise allows the player to survive through smaller attacks while setting up devastating counter pressure with the great katana.
The talisman selection also plays a major role in maximizing the build’s effectiveness:
Axe Talisman boosts charged heavy attacks from the Urumi, making roll catches significantly more dangerous.
Rotten Winged Sword Insignia synergizes perfectly with the rapid successive attacks possible through whip pressure and katana follow-ups.
Erdtree’s Favor +2 provides additional stamina, health, and equip load.
Bull-Goat’s Talisman pushes the build over critical poise breakpoints for stronger trades.
The overall result is a setup that feels extremely durable while still maintaining the speed and mobility expected from a dexterity-focused character.
Roll Catch Potential Is the Real Star
One of the biggest discoveries during the invasions was just how deadly the roll-catching potential became with this setup.
The Urumi already excels at catching panic rolls thanks to its range and delayed attack timing. However, pairing it with Rockshasa’s Great Katana opens up entirely new pressure sequences.
Several fights showcased situations where the whip stunned opponents long enough to threaten immediate katana follow-ups. Even when certain combos weren’t technically guaranteed, the psychological pressure forced enemies into panic reactions.
Players frequently rolled early, attempted reckless counterattacks, or backed themselves into terrible positioning.
Against fleeing opponents, the setup became especially dangerous.There were multiple invasions where repeated L1 pressure from the whip forced opponents into predictable escape rolls, allowing perfectly timed follow-up attacks to secure kills. Once opponents started running, the build could maintain pressure from surprisingly long distances.
In many ways, the setup felt designed specifically to punish hesitation and panic.
Handling Wizards and Spell Spam
Like many high-level DLC invasions, a significant portion of the fights involved dealing with magic-heavy groups.
Night Comet, Dragon Breath, Stars of Ruin, lightning spam, and massive anime-style projectile attacks appeared constantly throughout the gameplay sessions. Fortunately, the build handled those situations surprisingly well thanks to its mobility and flexible pressure options.
Instead of charging recklessly into spellcasters, the invasions often relied on terrain and environmental cover to neutralize ranged pressure.
Trees, rocks, cliffs, and elevation changes became critical tools.
Against Dragon Breath users, spacing and positioning were essential. In one invasion, repeated Dragon Breath spam was countered by carefully retreating around obstacles before punishing the caster with perfectly aimed thrown pots.
The build’s mobility also helped tremendously against slower spell setups. Because the Urumi allows constant pressure from mid-range, many wizards struggled to safely cast without risking immediate punishment.
One particularly satisfying moment involved baiting an entire team into overcommitting with spell spam before punishing them all at once during a chaotic close-range exchange.
The invasions reinforced an important truth about Elden Ring PvP: patience and positioning often matter more than raw aggression, especially against coordinated caster teams.
The Shield Matchups Were Surprisingly Difficult
While the build excelled against many opponents, heavily defensive shield users created some problems.
Dueling shields, greatshields, and guarded counterattack setups often forced awkward engagements where the whip struggled to create meaningful pressure. Because the Urumi lacks strong guard-breaking potential, opponents willing to turtle behind shields could slow down the pace considerably.
This is where Kick became incredibly important.
Several invasions demonstrated that shield users became much easier to handle once guard pressure entered the equation.
Breaking stance with Kick opened opportunities for heavy punishes and prevented shield players from comfortably sitting behind constant protection.
Still, the matchup remained one of the build’s weaker areas overall.
Fortunately, many shield users eventually became impatient and started overextending into trades, allowing Rockshasa’s Great Katana to punish them hard.
Hyper Armor Completely Changes Close-Range Fights
One of the most noticeable strengths of the build was how powerful the hyper armor felt during chaotic invasions.
Normally, whip users struggle when opponents aggressively collapse on them at close range. But the off-hand katana solved that problem beautifully.
There were countless situations where enemies attempted to pressure too aggressively, only to run directly into armored counterattacks.
The hyper armor fundamentally changed how opponents had to approach the fight.
Instead of freely rushing forward, enemies were forced to respect the possibility of immediate trades. That hesitation created openings for whip spacing, delayed heavies, and movement-based mixups.
In team fights especially, the build became extremely difficult to overwhelm.
Even when surrounded by multiple opponents, the combination of poise, hyper armor, and wide-reaching whip attacks allowed the build to maintain pressure while surviving chaotic exchanges.
Some of the Most Memorable Invasions
Several invasions stood out as perfect examples of how versatile and entertaining the build could be.
One battle in the Ancient Ruins turned into a prolonged war against multiple spellcasters using Dragon Breath and Stars of Ruin.
Through careful positioning, defensive play, and well-timed punishments, the entire team was eventually wiped out in spectacular fashion.
Another invasion in the Forbidden Lands showcased how effective environmental awareness could be. Spellcasters repeatedly slammed projectiles into trees and obstacles while the build patiently waited for openings to strike.There was also a hilarious encounter involving a player named Super Beef near Dragon’s Pit. The duel became an extended mind game focused around delayed attacks, stamina management, and roll-catching pressure. Unlike many opponents, this player adapted extremely well and avoided panic rolling consistently, leading to one of the most skill-intensive fights of the session.
These invasions highlighted something important about the build: it thrives in dynamic, unpredictable encounters.
The setup rewards adaptation, creativity, and understanding of spacing rather than simply relying on raw burst damage.Finalxcellent mix of range control, hyper armor pressure, roll-catching potential, and survivability. While it requires some practice to fully understand the timing of the whip attacks and manual aim setups, the payoff is absolutely worth it.
Most opponents simply don’t know how to properly react to the combination.
That unfamiliarity creates constant opportunities for mixups, delayed punishments, and pressure sequences that traditional PvP setups can’t easily replicate.
The build also performs well in the current level 200 invasion environment, where aggressive spellcasters and coordinated teams dominate many encounters. Between the mobility, poise, and flexible offensive options, it has tools for nearly every situation.
For players looking to experiment with unconventional dexterity builds that still remain highly competitive, this setup is easily worth trying buy Elden Ring Runes. It may not follow the standard meta formula, but sometimes the most dangerous builds are the ones opponents never expect.
