Elden Ring Guide | Best Gazing Finger Build

Here's a guide on how to make the best Gazing Finger build in Elden Ring.

Game Guide by Ragib Rawnak on Aug 24, 2025

The Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC introduces the Gazing Finger, a new Colossal weapon that stands out due to its unique Kowtower's Resentment Ash of War.

This weapon offers impressive crowd control capabilities and burst damage potential when utilized correctly.

You can get the most out of it in both PvE and PvP situations by learning how it works and how to build it the best way in Elden Ring.

Elden Ring Guide, Best Gazing Finger Build

Kowtower's Resentment Mechanics

The Kowtower's Resentment Ash of War is the main thing that draws people to the Gazing Finger.

When you successfully land the initial strike portion of the ash, it automatically combos into an area-of-effect attack that launches enemies into the air in Elden Ring.

This mechanic makes it particularly effective as a trading tool against aggressive opponents, as the launched enemies become stunned upon hitting the ground while taking substantial damage.

You can enhance the initial strike damage by equipping the Shard of Alexander.

However, the Area of Effect portion of the Ash of War does not receive enhancement from this Talisman, limiting its effectiveness.

Shard of Alexander increases damage from 952 to 1,024, making it worthwhile when focusing on burst damage strategies in Elden Ring.

Charging Mechanics and Range

The Ash of War can be fully charged to increase its effective range. This charging mechanic catches opponents off guard, particularly when you alternate between charged and uncharged versions during combat.

The uncharged version produces a smaller Area of Effect radius, but the charged version extends your reach significantly.

Elden Ring Guide, Best Gazing Finger Build

Unfortunately, the Godfrey Icon does not enhance this Ash of War, so you should avoid using this Talisman specifically for the Gazing Finger.

Scaling and Stat Requirements

The Gazing Finger requires 20 Intelligence to wield, but its scaling distribution creates some complexity in build planning in Elden Ring.

Your primary damage output comes from Strength investment, as this attribute provides the most significant damage scaling for the weapon itself.

The Intelligence requirement does not offer substantial damage bonuses compared to Strength investment, making it primarily a prerequisite rather than a scaling focus.

The Ash of War scales with Faith rather than the weapon's primary attributes. If you want to maximize the Area of Effect damage output, investing points into Faith will increase this specific component's effectiveness.

However, testing demonstrates that a Strength-focused build with moderate Faith investment outperforms a Faith-heavy build at equivalent levels in Elden Ring.

Elden Ring Guide, Best Gazing Finger Build

Best Build Configuration

When playing invasion between levels 125 and 150, make Strength your main attribute investment.

This method ensures your weapon does the most damage possible, working the same way for all types of attacks.

Once you've met the 20 Intelligence prerequisite and reached your preferred Strength level, put the rest of your points into Faith to boost the Area of Effect component damage in Elden Ring.

The Strength-focused approach proves more efficient because you will not rely solely on the Ash of War during combat.

Regular weapon attacks provide a lot of damage, and their damage scales mostly with Strength.

A balanced method that puts weapon damage first and gives the Ash of War a second boost works better overall than specialized Faith builds at the same level range in Elden Ring.

Also, check our Elden Ring Review, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review, and other guides below: