When it comes to iconic intelligence weapons in Elden Ring, few armaments carry the legendary weight of the Dark Moon Greatsword. Known across FromSoftware titles under many variations of "Moonlight," this spectral blade returns once again in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC with devastating power-especially when optimized around fully charged heavy attacks.

Today's build focuses entirely on bringing out the maximum potential of this weapon in PvP invasions, you can make Elden Ring Items and using a pure intelligence setup designed for explosive burst damage, frostbite pressure, and unparalleled style.

Why the Dark Moon Greatsword Still Dominates in DLC PvP

The defining mechanic of the Dark Moon Greatsword is its unique Moonlight Greatsword Ash of War. Activating the buff coats the blade in glowing frost magic, massively boosting its attack rating and adding a ranged projectile to all fully charged heavy attacks. Here's what makes it truly dangerous:

1. A Free Projectile With Every Charged Heavy

Once the buff is active, your charged R2 swings launch a massive crescent beam-without costing FP. All you need is stamina and space. The only FP cost comes from initially activating the Ash of War, making this playstyle extremely efficient during longer invasion fights.

2. Massive AR When Fully Buffed

When optimized, the Dark Moon Greatsword can easily reach 935 AR, and the projectile scales directly with intelligence and charge-based talisman bonuses. Even single phantom hits can chunk a third to half of an opponent's HP bar.

3. Frostbite Buildup for Burst Combos

Not only do you hit hard-you force frostbite procs frequently. And in Elden Ring, frostbite:

 Deals instant damage when triggered

 Applies a 20% damage taken debuff for 30 seconds

This means your next heavy attack hits even harder.

4. Strong Greatsword Moveset With Hyper Armor

Even ignoring the projectile, the standard greatsword toolkit delivers:

 Hyper-armor trades on light attacks

 A chase-down running R1

 An excellent crouch attack mix-up

 Safe roll-catches on panicked phantoms

Pair all of this with the ranged R2 beam, and suddenly you're dangerous at every distance.

Stat Allocation: Pure Intelligence Power

To maximize the weapon's output, this build prioritizes intelligence above all else. Here's the recommended spread:

 Strength: Just enough to wield the Dark Moon Greatsword

 Dexterity: Minimum requirement only

 Intelligence: 70–80+ (the core stat-max it out)

 Vigor: Enough for at least 50–55 in PvP scenarios

 Endurance: As needed to support greatsword swings and medium roll

Because this is a true INT build, there's no split scaling dilution from strength or dexterity. Every point invested pumps the weapon's magical damage and projectile potency.

Talismans for Maximum Heavy Attack Burst

To empower the charged R2 beam, the build uses:

 Shard of Alexander

Boosts attack power of skills.

The charged R2 projectile counts as a skill when fully charged, granting a huge damage increase.

 Godfrey Icon

Increases damage of charged spells and skills.

A perfect synergy-your charged heavy is both.

 Magic Scorpion Charm or Graven-Mass Talisman

For raw magic damage amplification.

 Utility Slot (Swap Depending on Situation)

Most players rotate between:

 Crimson Seed Talisman for faster flask recovery

 Ritual Shield Talisman for survivability

 Claw Talisman if incorporating jump-attack mixups

These talismans combine to push your projectile damage into truly absurd territory.

Flask of Wondrous Physick Setup

For this build, the most important crystal tear is:

 Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear

Boosts magic damage for 3 minutes.

Since nearly all of your damage is magic-weapon AR, projectile, frostbite proc bonus-this single buff dramatically amplifies your threat level.

Pair it with:

 Opaline Bubbletear (optional)

Gives you a free hit, incredibly useful during invasions where you may eat ranged pressure or panic rolls.

Armor: Fashion Meets Function

 Navy Hood-signature intelligence aesthetic

 Scaled Armor

 Scaled Gauntlets

 Bull-Goat Greaves

You can swap pieces freely, but the priority is:

 Medium roll

 Enough poise to withstand light trades

 Maintain the mystic INT caster look

How to Play the Build: Invasion Strategy Breakdown

This build thrives in PvP invasions, where chaos, spacing, and burst damage all play a major role. Below are the key play patterns used in actual DLC invasion scenarios.Phase 1: Weapon Buffing

Always buff the weapon before engaging. This is your entire damage identity. If you get caught early-especially by gank squads-kite around terrain, line-of-sight magic, and rebuff safely.

Phase 2: Projectile Pressure at Mid Range

Once buffed, your charged R2 beam becomes the star of the show.

Tips for landing the beam:

 Aim at opponents healing or buffing

 Punish predictable rolls

 Fire through teammates when phantoms line up

Use elevation for safer charges

 Fake melee approaches to bait aggression

Opponents can't jump the beam reliably-many players try, and many players die.

Phase 3: Close-Range Brawling With Hyper Armor

When enemies push in aggressively:

 Use hyper-armor R1 trades

 Mix running R1 for quick catches

 Use crouch R1 for fast vertical hits

 Swing at roll timings to keep frostbite pressure

Your melee isn't just filler-it's a real threat.

Phase 4: Frostbite Combos

Once frostbite procs, enemies panic.

That's when you:

 Immediately fire another charged R2

 Or chase with running attack into beam combo

 Or roll-catch with crouch R1 → beam

Frostbite amplifies your next hit by an enormous amount.

Highlights From the Invasion Showcase

The recorded invasion footage offers several memorable encounters that show off the build's adaptability and destructive power:

1. The "Two-for-One" Catacombs Ambush

Foes trying to set up ambushes behind corners get blasted by a surprise charged R2-instantly deleting one phantom and staggering the host. Even weird lock-on moments can't stop the damage output.

2. Ring Around the Rosy with Lightning Buffers

Some squads attempt to circle, corner, and overwhelm you.

This build neutralizes that by:

 Constant repositioning

 Projectile spacing

 Punishing blind aggression with frostbite combos

A perfectly timed backstab adds style points.

3. The Sunflower-Helm Gank Squad

Against scythes, lightning weapons, and backhand blades, the build shines thanks to its ability to burst down a phantom whenever they overcommit. The frostbite roll-catch was especially clean.

4. Dark Moon Duel vs. a Fellow Moonlight User

Few moments are more satisfying than a projectile duel between two Moonlight sword wielders. With spacing, dodging, terrain usage, and precise timing, the beam-to-beam showdown ends in victory.

5. Boss Fight Chaos Invasions

Sometimes you spawn into players already fighting a boss.

Sometimes you accidentally kill the host.

Sometimes the boss one-shots them before you do.

Either way, the spectacle is peak Elden Ring energy.

Strengths & Weaknesses of the Dark Moon Build

Strengths

 Enormous ranged burst damage

 Free projectiles once buffed

 Frostbite pressure forces panic

 Great poise trades with melee

 Versatile at all combat distances

 Excellent anti-gank potential

Weaknesses

 Slow charged attacks require spacing

 Needs frequent buff maintenance

 Struggles against extremely tanky faith builds

 Vulnerable if caught in tight, crowded spaces

Master spacing, and this weapon becomes monstrous.

Final Thoughts: A Legendary Weapon Worth Revisiting

The Dark Moon Greatsword remains one of the most satisfying and stylish weapons in the entire game-especially in the DLC's expanded PvP scene. While many players gravitate toward hybrid INT-strength or INT-dex builds, going pure intelligence truly unlocks the full potential of this iconic blade.

The combination of:

 Free, buffed projectiles

 High AR scaling

 Frostbite burst

 More Elden Ring Runes

 Hyper-armor melee

 Incredible talisman synergy

…makes this one of the strongest and most enjoyable builds for invasion content.

If you haven't revisited the Dark Moon Greatsword in the DLC yet, now's the perfect time to give it another swing-preferably one that launches a glowing blue projectile through two panicking phantoms.