While it isn't uncommon for developer FromSoftware to showcase themed builds through NPCs, Elden RIng is unique in using bosses like Royal Knight Loretta to accomplish the same thing with characters who are larger-than-life. It's in the smaller details of bosses like Malenia or especially Loretta that FromSoftware is sometimes able to take attacks available to the player and explain exactly how they are meant to be used.
This boss becomes a showcase of how both versions of Loretta manage to utilize halberds while mounted, as well as her specific collection of magic reserved for Carian royalty and their nights. The result is a blueprint for making a mage build in Elden Ring that combines ranged spells with the variety of close-quarter tactics available among the list of sorceries.
How Elden Ring's Loretta Makes Use of Sorceries
The first step to understanding what the variety of Elden Ring's magic can do for a player is seeing the extent of these spells outside of standing back and away from bosses while casting a blue light show of attacks. This comes down to the two main spells that Loretta shows off in both of her fights, namely the Carian Phalanx and Loretta's Greatbow, replaced with Loretta's Mastery in the later encounter. For one of these spells, Loretta utilizes a more passive strategy, backing away and allowing the Carian Phalanx to take effect as she fights more conventionally, and charging Loretta's Greatbow for a high-risk/reward effort.
In the case of the Carian Phalanx, this is one of many options that Elden Ring introduces to give a passive buff that can act as a supplemental attack or defense. For Loretta, this means that the player is forced to take an evasive strategy as they head in to deal damage since attacking wildly will end with being bashed around with magic swords. Likewise, a magic build using the more martial arms style of Elden Ring's Carian sorcery can use the same spell to keep enemies at bay or have a magical bodyguard watching their back while besieged by a crowd.
As for Loretta's Greatbow, this spell does exactly what the name implies, summoning a greatbow that will launch a powerful arrow made of magic directly at the player. The way that Loretta herself makes use of this is to back far away from the player as quickly as possible before charging the attack to full strength and firing. Failing to get close enough for the arrow to miss often means resetting the fight with Elden Ring's Loretta thanks to how much damage charged magic often does in the game. It's a great example of how to best make use of that type of magic as a player, while also showing off how an enemy breaking the distance too quickly when staying committed to the charge will likely end with a missed spell and getting countered.
Loretta's War Sickle to Supplement Magic with Melee
Even though ranged attacks can be extremely powerful in Elden Ring, the windup time for unleashing spells from a distance can lead to quickly being countered by enemies, as is often the case for Loretta with her Greatbow spell. Being able to effectively keep the pressure on up close is important to any build, which Loretta accomplishes with her halberd, rightfully dubbed Loretta's War Sickle. In Loretta's hands, this can lead to an Elden Ring player dying to a devastating combo that is especially aggressive thanks to the range of the attack that can catch attempts to roll away.
The versatility of a magically enhanced weapon can be a huge part of a successful intelligence build in Elden Ring. Loretta shows this off impressively, by wiping the floor with under-leveled players who aren't prepared to take on such a versatile build. In classic FromSoftware style, the stomping Loretta delivers becomes the best showcase for this style of build.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
