Group Admins
The cosplay invasion scene in Elden Ring is one of the most creative corners of the game’s community. What follows is a blend of nostalgia, raw power, and chaotic fun, all wrapped into one of the most entertaining invader setups seen in recent memory.
Recreating Smough in the Lands Between Elden Ring Items
Smough is one of Dark Souls’ most recognizable bosses-a grotesquely loyal executioner with a hammer large enough to crush gods.
The centerpiece of the build is the Giant Prelate’s Hammer, easily one of the most visually appropriate weapons to represent Smough’s massive golden maul. The weapon’s size, weight, and thundering attacks perfectly match the spirit of the original executioner-even if the color palette doesn’t line up exactly.
Ashes of War-Crafting Smough’s Moveset
To fully sell the cosplay, Chase combines several Ashes of War that mimic Smough’s iconic attacks from Dark Souls:
Ground Slam: The signature move of any Smough imitation. The AoE burst perfectly represents his earth-shaking jumps.
Prelate’s Charge: A clever way to mimic Smough’s charging smash from the original boss fight-hammer raised high, barreling forward before bringing it down.
Lion’s Claw: A stylish front flip followed by a crushing slam that “pancakes” enemies into the ground. This gives the build both flair and function, letting you overwhelm groups and create breathing room.
Paired with Drawstring Lightning Grease, the effect feels remarkably close to Smough’s phase two visuals and theme.
Stats and Scaling-Strength Above All
As with any Smough tribute, this build is pure muscle. Chase focuses heavily on Strength to maximize the Giant Prelate’s Hammer damage, while keeping Faith at 21 to meet Dragonbolt Blessing’s requirements. The rest of the points go into Vigor and Endurance to survive long fights and maintain poise.
Since the armor set and weapon weigh a ton, Great-Jar’s Arsenal is non-negotiable.
In total, the stat spread makes the Smough build both tanky and devastating, capable of trading blows with multiple opponents and emerging victorious with one well-timed slam.
Armor-The Smough Aesthetic
The Dark Souls executioner was known for his rotund, ornate golden armor, and while Elden Ring doesn’t have an exact match, the following setup gets shockingly close:
Head: Guardian Mask-bulky and dome-shaped, giving the illusion of Smough’s round helm.
Chest: Fire Prelate Armor (Altered)-it’s not gold, but it carries the same massive silhouette and detail-heavy texture.
Gauntlets: Gascoigne Gauntlets-solid, layered, and thick enough to match the proportions of the chest piece.
Legs: Fire Prelate Greaves-perfectly tied to the chest for a uniform, intimidating look.
The result is a heavy, towering figure with a perfect silhouette for role-playing one of Dark Souls’ most iconic villains.
Talismans-Power, Poise, and Load Management
The talisman setup enhances both survivability and offense:
1.Great-Jar’s Arsenal-Mandatory. The only way to handle the sheer weight of this setup without fat rolling.
2.Bull-Goat Talisman-Pushes poise through the roof, allowing Chase to trade confidently against dual katanas, sorcery spam, and jump attacks.
3.Two-Handed Sword Talisman-Boosts damage output while two-handing the colossal hammer.
4.Retaliatory Cross Talisman / Shard of Alexander-Chase swaps between these depending on playstyle. The Cross Tree enhances crouch attacks, while Shard of Alexander amplifies Ash of War damage for devastating ground slams and charges.
With these equipped, every swing feels weighty and punishing, capable of staggering even the most aggressive co-op gank squads.Performance and Practicality
Surprisingly, this isn’t just a meme cosplay-it’s a viable invader loadout. The Giant Prelate’s Hammer remains one of the strongest colossal weapons in Elden Ring, and with the correct buffs, it can one-shot glass cannon mages or delete half a host’s HP with a jump heavy.
The high poise and defense from the Fire Prelate set mean you rarely get interrupted, while Dragonbolt Blessing and bubble buffs let you tank at least one full combo before dying. Against gank squads, you can bait attacks with Ground Slam, roll catch with Lion’s Claw, and punish heal attempts with long-range hammer swings that hit like trucks.
Even the “butt slam” (Ground Slam’s alternate animation) becomes a crowd-control tool-knocking enemies flat or forcing panic rolls that set up follow-up hits.
Faith and Strength-A Legendary Duo
While pure Strength builds are common, adding just a splash of Faith for Dragonbolt Blessing changes the feel dramatically. The golden glow adds spectacle, the buff gives real durability, and it visually sells Smough’s divine charge-up phase.
Faith hybrids like this might be the most underrated niche in Elden Ring’s invasion meta-they can hit hard, self-buff, and look incredible while doing it.
A Cosplay Done Right
More importantly, it perfectly balances cosmetic accuracy with gameplay performance-something most cosplay builds struggle to achieve.
From the Guardian Mask to the lightning-charged hammer swings, every detail sells the fantasy. Smough might not be golden, but he’s every bit as terrifying as his Dark Souls counterpart Elden Ring Runes.
Final Thoughts-The Spirit of Smough Lives On
Executioner Smough cosplay build is a masterclass in how to combine theme, mechanics, and personality in Elden Ring. It’s goofy, brutal, cinematic, and surprisingly strong-exactly what a cosplay build should be.