15 Best Code Vein Builds, Ranked (2024)

Code Vein is an action RPG from Bandai Namco that came out in 2019. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic cityscape where the survivors, all bio-engineered vampires called Revenants, attempt to survive while not being tainted by the Miasma and becoming one of the Lost. It draws a lot of inspiration from Dark Souls and definitely falls under the category of Soulslike albeit with a lot of anime stylization.

RELATED: The Best Outfits In Code Vein

As an action RPG with a high difficulty curve, players are definitely going to have to pick a build that works best for them. A wrong choice could leave the player feeling helpless for most of the game. Code Vein's "Blood Codes" do allow more versatility than most action RPGs, but it's still possible to make the wrong choices when unlocking new Gifts throughout the game. It's good to know which of the Code Vein builds you are aiming for.

Updated By Cameron Miller On May 9, 2023. For as long as Code Vein has been playable, players have been crafting more and more fantastic character builds. It seems that the options of how to tackle this game are endless, and the diverse set of builds on offer only reinforces that fact. Every player has their own ways they prefer to play through their games, and luckily, you can find just as much success with magic as you can with devastating blunt force. Since the choice is in your hand, there’s never anything wrong with having as many options as possible that way you can experiment and find new ways to play your favorite game.

15 Silver Spellblade Is A Hybrid Build That Uses Light Gifts

The "Silver Spellblade" is in the rare class of hybrid Code Vein builds. The idea behind this particular build is that your character becomes a swift and savage fighter capable of jumping into melee combat and then backing away to cast some spells at the enemy. This makes the player very versatile, and it allows you to adapt to many different kinds of combat situations throughout the game. Here are the stats:

• Blood Code: Eos, with Ranger, Prometheus, and Darkseeker being good choices until Eos is unlocked
• Blood Veil: Noble Silver
• Weapon: Iceblood, but most good one-handed swords such as Enduring Crimson or Hanemukuro will work
• Gifts: Bridge to Glory, Blood Sacrifice, Lightning Barrage, Ice Barrage, Swift Destruction, Dexterity Up, Mind Up, Light Impulse, Savvy Evasion

14 Bayonetta Overdrive Is A Ranged Combat Bayonet Build

Many of the community of players that surround this game are generally not a fan of the bayonet class of weapons, and that is why there aren't many bayonet-centric Code Vein builds. That said, it's a fairly distinct weapon in the realm of action RPGs, so it's disappointing that it doesn't get more use (even if it is generally a weaker weapon. However, the "Bayonetta Overdrive" build (named after the cult videogame icon, Bayonetta) turns the bayonet into a ranged combat powerhouse with the following choices:

• Blood Code: Queen, but Caster, Artemis, and Harmonia are recommended until then
• Blood Veil: Night Claw, but Noble Silver is also an option
• Weapon: Brodiaea and Libertador
• Gifts: Blood Sacrifice, Gift Extension, Ranged Impact, Overdrive, Swift Destruction, Bayonet Mastery, Mind/Willpower Up, and Dexterity/Willpower Up

13 Sword Spam Summoner Is A Great Ichor Build

If you want another great magic-based option, it’s hard to go wrong with the Sword Spam Summoner build. This build is all about managing Ichor and bashing enemies with sword-summoning Gifts. Pretty much all other gifts should be slotted to restore Ichor or mitigate consumption while also improving mobility. With some personal tuning to your own unique tastes, this build can be devastating to any enemies thanks to how fast you’ll be spamming powerful gifts.

• Blood Code: Queen's Throat
• Blood Veil: Suicide Spur
• Weapon: Sunset Sword
• Gifts: Crimson Moon, Dusk Edge, Aurora Flash, or Jupiter's Blade. Cognitive Zeal, Ember Reversal, Swift Destruction, Ichor Reduction, Dark Impulse, and Savvy Evasion.

12 Red Shockwave Is Among The Most Popular Builds

"Red Shockwave" is among the most commonly-praised Code Vein builds. It is a build that focuses on hammer weapons and dealing out as much damage as possible, including to any and every wolf-life creature. In fact, the "Queen's Hammer" build discussed later is actually a modified version of "Red Shockwave." However, this is the preferred build for players who want a big honking weapon that deals lots of damage.

• Blood Code: Fionn, with Fighter and Atlas being used until Fionn is unlocked
• Blood Veil: Noble Silver
• Weapon: Huge Hammer, with Queenslayer Hammer being a good alternative until the Huge Hammer is obtained
• Gifts: Adrenaline, Overdrive, Blood Sacrifice, Gift Extension, Bridge to Glory, Dragon Lunge, Red Shoes, Impact Wave, Swift Destruction, Hammer Mastery, Mind/Willpower Up, and Survival Instinct

RELATED: The Ultimate Code Vein Gift Guide

11 "Queen's Gambit" Lets The Player Make Use Of Stun Effects

The "Queen's Gambit" is a powerful one-handed sword build that aims to deal out swift damage while keeping enemies disabled and unable to strike back. If you're interested in a build that lets you tear through much of the game with little resistance, this one will make you feel like pure royalty.

• Blood Code: Queenslayer, but the Ranger and Prometheus are recommended until unlocking Queenslayer.
• Blood Veil: Noble Silver.
• Weapon: Any one-handed sword as long as it's Stun.
• Gifts: Swift Destruction, One-Handed Sword Mastery, Mind/Willpower Up, Opportunism, Bridge to Glory, Blood Sacrifice, Circulating Pulse, Phantom Assault, Stun Shot, Numbing Mark, Gift Extension, and Final Journey.

10 Judgments Shadow Is Walking Destruction

If you want to feel like you’re a walking mass of destruction without trying too hard, you might want to check out the Judgements Shadow build. The whole purpose of this one is to make you an immediate threat to any foe thanks to a number of fantastic buffs. You’ll be able to mix and match preferred gifts, so long as you focus on making yourself as strength-based as possible and Night Fog Veil so that you can one-shot enemies without them ever knowing you were around.

• Blood Code: Hades
• Blood Veil: White Vestment
• Weapon: Judgement Edge
• Gifts: Flashing Fang, Adrenaline, Blood Sacrifice, Night Fog Veil, Survival Instinct, and Two-Handed Sword Mastery

9 "Adrenaline Rush" Is A Swift Spear Build

See Also

Code Vein Builds: Queen's Gambit (Queenslayer)

The "Adrenaline Rush" is a powerful and lightning-fast halberd build that doles out fast combo attacks to put the enemy into an early grave. There's something beautiful at being able to take on our enemies with a bit more comfort, and this build does just that.

• Blood Code: Scout, but Fighter, Prometheus, and Queenslayer are recommended until Scout is unlocked.
• Blood Veil: Noble Silver, but White Vestment is ideal for boss battles.
• Weapons: The Impaler and the Argent Wolf Poleaxe are the two recommended weapons, with Impaler being more all-purpose and the Argent Wolf Poleaxe being what is used when you want something dead very fast.
• Gifts: Swift Destruction, Halberd Mastery, Mind/Willpower Up, Increased Gift Speed, Adrenaline, Overdrive, Blood Sacrifice, Gift Extension, Bridge to Glory, Final Journey, Chariot Rush, and Shadow Assault.

8 "Poppy Shot" Makes Use Of The Maligned Bayonets

The bayonets of Code Vein are often considered the weakest weapons in the game, but the "Poppy Shot" build makes use of the ranged capabilities of the weapon. If you've spent most of your playthroughs ignoring the many bayonets, now might be the time to reconsider not having used them.

• Blood Code: Queenslayer.
• Blood Veil: Ivory Grace.
• Weapon: The Libertador.
• Gifts: are Bayonet Mastery, Swift Destruction, Strength/Dexterity Up, Mind/Willpower Up, Final Journey, Ranged Impact, Overdrive, Adrenaline, Flashing Fang, Cleansing Light, Blood Sacrifice, Time Crunch.

7 The "Bloodletter Build" Is The Fashionable Choice

The "Bloodletter Build" is an ideal build for someone who wants to dole out high damage with a one-handed sword and look good while doing it. It's not meant to be one of the best, but it aims for fun and aesthetics. Besides, the more practice you get with the build, the more devastating its flashy style will become.

• Blood Code: Queenslayer, but Ranger and Prometheus can be used until it's unlocked.
• Blood Veil: Night Claw or Noble Silver.
• Weapon: The Enduring Crimson.
• Gifts: Final Journey during boss battles (swapped for Adrenaline during exploration), Blood Sacrifice, Cleansing Light/Gift Extension, Circulating Pulse, Hasten, Bridge to Glory, Overdrive, Blood Weapon, One-Handed Sword Mastery, Strength/Dexterity Up, Mind/Willpower Up, and Swift Destruction.

6 "Harmonia All Or Nothing" Is Meant to Wipe Bosses From Existence

This build is intended to spam spells at enemies until they stop moving, with an eye on being able to obliterate bosses as soon as possible. For how ignored magic can be in this game, this is a great build to give a try. It's also recommended to have Mia as a companion while using this build, but it's not required.

• Blood Code: Harmonia.
• Blood Veil: Ivory Grace.
• Weapons: The weapon choice doesn't matter for this build. The spell Ember Reversal is meant to be shot at the enemies as much as possible, with Dancing Blaze to be used while Ember Reversal is cooling down.
• Gifts: Swift Destruction, Vitality Up, Increased Gift Speed, Vow of Ichor, Shifting Hollows, Gift Prowess, Dancing Blaze, Ember Reversal, Iron Will, Supernatural Blood, Cleansing Light, and Blood Awakening.

RELATED: Code Vein: Every Ending And How To Unlock Them All

5 "Deliverance Tank" Is Meant To Absorb All The Damage For Your Allies

This is a quintessential tank build intended to keep your allies alive while the player absorbs otherwise lethal amounts of damage. It's intended as a support build for cooperative play. It can still be used solo, something that might actually create an interesting challenge for veteran players.

• Blood Code: Ishtar.
• Blood Veils: Noble Silver, Winter Mantle, or White Vestment.
• Weapon: Argent Wolf King's Blade, Zweihander, or Oni Blade.
• Gifts: Deliverance, Two-Handed Sword Mastery, Revenant's Ambition, Improved Regeneration, Strength/Vitality Up, Bridge to Glory, Flame Barrage, Lightning Barrage, Cleansing Light, Antibody Regeneration, Panacea's Essence, Regenerator, and Blood Sacrifice.

4 "Queen's Hammer" Is A Smashing Piece Of Player Strategy

The "Queen's Hammer" build is intended to put one of the several laughably big hammers the game throws at the player to use. If you manage to use this hammer well, pretty much every enemy in the game becomes a helpless nail. It is a modified version of another popular build called "Red Shockwave."

• Blood Code: Queenslayer.
• Blood Veil: Noble Silver.
• Weapon: Huge Hammer.
• Gifts: Swift Destruction, Hammer Mastery, Mind/Vitality Up, Weapon Drain Rating Up, Impact Wave, Dragon Lunge, Adrenaline, Bridge to Glory, Final Journey, Overdrive, Blood Sacrifice, and Gift Extension.

3 The "Dark Mage" Is The Pinnacle Of Caster Builds

The "Dark Mage" is a more well-rounded caster build. Unlike the "Harmonia's All or Nothing," the Dark Mage isn't as much of a glass cannon and is more of a well-rounded sorcerer. Anyone who struggled to build a strong magic build will feel right at home with this fantastic setup.

• Blood Code: Harmonia, and Caster then Artemis can be used until Harmonia is unlocked.
• Blood Veil: Blackblood Liberator or Suicide Spur.
• Weapons: Weapon choice isn't relevant for this build.
• Gifts: Strength/Dexterity Up, One-Handed Sword Mastery, Dexterity/Willpower Up, Vow of Ichor, Max Ichor Boost, Strength/Willpower Up, Blood Shot, Blood Sacrifice, and Volatile Storm, with the rest of the Blood Gifts being up to player preference.

2 "Immortal Blade" Fulfills The Need For A Strong Tank

"Immortal Blade" is another tank build, but this one is more intended to fight back than the Deliverance Tank. This build wants to be able to block attacks with little to no damage until it's ready to fight back, though dodging is still a necessary tactic at times.

• Blood Codes: Isis or Fionn, with Fighter, Berserker, and Atlas can be used until those are unlocked.
• Blood Veil: GXL Defender is possibly the best Blood Veil, but it's found extremely late game, so Night Claw can be used until then.
• Weapons: Two-handed swords of any sort, with Zweihander being the most recommended.
• Gifts: Stamina Boost, Balance Up, Resilient Focus, Two-Handed Sword Mastery, Guard Stability, Iron Will, Royal Heart, and Guard Reversal with other Gifts being up to the player's choice.

1 "Jenova's Wrath" Is A Versatile DPS Build

"Jenova's Wrath" may very well be the best DPS build while still having a lot of versatility and the ability to dodge most attacks. Speed and damage are the name of the game. If you're already a master of Code Vein, this build might actually make things too easy as it really can be that overpowered.

• Blood Code: Queenslayer.
• Blood Veil: Noble Silver.
• Weapon: Blazing Claw or Iceblood.
• Gifts: Swift Destruction, One-Handed Sword Mastery, Strength/Dexterity Up, Mind/Willpower Up, Final Journey, Severing Abyss, Cleansing Light, Blood Sacrifice, Bridge to Glory, Overdrive/Gift Extension, Flame Weapon, and Frost Weapon.

NEXT: Code Vein: The Best Bosses