Elden Ring is an excellent RPG set in a dark world created in collaboration with George R. R. Martin.
This title was developed by FromSoftware and, like most games from this studio, belongs to the demanding soulslike subgenre, which players love for its deep and complex storyline, combined with challenging battles and engaging quests.
It is these complicated skirmishes and tough tasks that make games like Elden Ring (along with this year’s DLC release) completely immersive, yet they require players to be well-prepared for every journey and task.
We must skilfully build our character’s abilities as well as their equipment. Sometimes, however, choosing the best greatsword and solid armour isn’t enough. That’s when Ashes of War come into play!
What are they? Ashes of War are special items that allow us to upgrade or, more precisely, enchant our gear with magical powers which can provide either more damage to the enemies or special abilities for our hero.
Thanks to them, we can burn and strike our victims, make our blows more destructive, became invisible or surround ourselves with magic whirlwinds protecting us.
How to use Ashes of War? How to find them, and which ones are the best for long, solo journeys across the Lands Between?
Today, we present you with a tier list of the best weapon skills in Elden Ring, tailored for every build!
Top 10 Best Ashes of War Elden Ring
Lion’s Claw
The Lion’s Claw Ash of War can be found in Fort Gael, as one of the loot items obtained after defeating the Lion Guardian. Interestingly, it is also the default skill on the Claymore (a Greatsword scaling with Dexterity and Strength, which can be found in Castle Morne in a chest).
This skill works well with heavy melee weapons, enhancing stance damage output — though it depends on the size and type of weapon.
For lighter weapons, like Katanas, Axes, and Straight and Curved swords, it adds about 30 additional damage, whereas for Great Hammers and Colossal Hammers, stance damage can increase by 42-45.
It’s an ideal Ash of War for Strength build — Lion’s Claw allows for delivering forceful and sudden attacks. Interestingly, this skill can neither be parried nor charged, giving your character an additional advantage in confrontations, including against shielded opponents. Its cost is only 20 Focus Points.
Black Flame Tornado
Black Flame Tornado is an Ash of War assigned to the Godskin Apostle’s weapon — the Godskin Peeler Twinblade, obtained after defeating the Godskin Duo Boss inside the Dragon Temple area.
This skill costs 30 FP, but if you have at least that much, attacks with Black Flame Tornado cannot be parried, though they can be charged. It can be used with ranged weapons typical for mages — Polearms, Twinblades, Spears, Great Spears, Halberds, and Reapers.
This is an ideal Ash of War for Faith builds — after attack, it creates a tornado of black flames around the character, dealing Fire damage to enemies along with an additional 33 stance damage.
Bloody Slash
Bloody Slash is an Ash of War you can find relatively early in the game. It’s usually loot dropped by defeated Godrick Knights, with the first one encountered at the Gatefront Ruins in Limgrave.
This is an Ash of War that (after Patch 1.07) can be applied to most swords and blades, including Daggers, Straight and Curved Swords, Greatswords, Katanas, Twinblades, and Thrusting Swords.
It increases stance damage, which, like Lion’s Claw, depends on the weapon type. For small blades, like Throwing Blades and Daggers, it’s 4-6, whereas the heaviest swords, like Greatswords or Great Katanas, gain up to 11 stance damage. This skill cannot be charged and can’t be parried, and it costs only 6 FP.
It’s a great choice for Arcane and Bleed builds, which, by sacrificing a bit of your character’s HP (0.05 x your max HP 50), can deal powerful, enhanced hits and build up Blood Affinity, quickly finishing off enemies!
Waves of Darkness
Obtaining Waves of Darkness is slightly more complex than other Ashes of War. First, you need to acquire the Remembrance of the Naturalborn (a consumable item), which is a reward for defeating Astel, Naturalborn of the Void (one of the tougher bosses in the game). This item can then be exchanged with Enia at Roundtable Hold for Waves of Darkness.
Waves of Darkness Ash of War provides Magic affinity, meaning it raises the Intelligence stat scaling of the weapon but decreases physical attributes like Strength and Dexterity.
Interestingly, it can be applied to large weapons, such as Great Hammers, Greataxes, Colossal Weapons, and Great Spears.
This skill is excellent for battles against multiple opponents — striking the ground with the weapon equipped with it emits three massive waves of energy, dealing 34 stance damage to enemies.
Importantly, the higher your character’s Intelligence, the greater the stance damage! This makes it an ideal Ash of War for Intelligence builds.
Bloodhound’s Step
Bloodhound’s Step is an Ash of War you can obtain for defeating Night’s Cavalry at the bridge in front of the Lenne’s Rise tower (Dragonbarrow).
This Ash of War can be combined with all types of melee weapons (even if you prefer the less popular Whip), so regardless of your armament of choice in the game, you can use it.
Note, however, that the recommended affinity for this skill is Keen, and it works best with Dexterity builds, though fans of other classes will also appreciate it! The cost of this skill is 5 Focus Points and 12 Stamina, but when you run out of FP, you can still use it, consuming only Stamina (which then costs 19 per use).
What makes it unique? It allows your character to momentarily become invisible while dodging and move at a much faster pace. It’s excellent for direct confrontations with powerful opponents, where you can confuse them and quickly strike from behind.
Storm Blade
This is the first Ash of War on our list that isn’t a reward for defeating an enemy or tied to a long quest. You can simply purchase it in two locations: from Knight Bernahl at the Warmaster’s Shack or from Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold after giving them Bernahl’s Bell Bearing.
This Ash of War can be applied to all standard slashing weapons, including Daggers, Swords, and Katanas of various sizes.
The cost to use this skill is 10 FP, and it’s great for both Strength and Dexterity builds — it delivers hits with an additional 10 stance damage and allows players who prefer classic heavy knights to deal ranged damage. How?
The weapon summons a small whirlwind that you can aim even at distant enemies. These attacks cannot be charged, and their power and range were increased in Patch 1.07.
Spinning Slash
Spinning Slash is one of those Ashes of War you can find in many places.
It’s the default skill on several weapons available in the game (including the Falchion, Grossmesser, Dragon Halberd, Guardian’s Swordspear, and Rotten Crystal Sword), and it can also be purchased, just like the above-mentioned Storm Blade, from Knight Bernahl or Twin Maiden Husks.
Spinning Slash has Keen Affinity and can be applied to many weapons, including Swords, Axes, and Polearms — only Colossal Weapons are excluded, making it useful for many builds. Its cost varies depending on the weapon, ranging from 6-12 FP. It cannot be parried or charged, and it delivers an impressive 33 stance damage!
An attack using this Ash of War generates a storm of blows rotating around your character, followed by a powerful melee strike. Spinning Slash works excellently in both direct battles with bosses and PvP encounters.
Gravitas
Gravitas is a skill permanently assigned to the Meteoric Ore Blade, which can be found in a chest in Caelid Waypoint Ruins. Another way to obtain it is by defeating the Lesser Alabaster Lord, located on the beach near the Seaside Ruins Site of Grace, south of Limgrave.
This Ash of War can be used with almost all melee weapons, except for Whips and small Blades.
Gravitas uses Magic Affinity, making it popular among players aiming for magical builds, but not exclusively. It’s versatile and useful for those who enjoy spectacular spells, as well as fans of more traditional melee combat. It costs 13 Focus Points, cannot be charged, and can’t be parried, delivering a substantial 26 stance damage!
This unique Ash of War creates a gravity field that draws your enemies in, then pushes them back, dealing significant damage. It’s excellent for fighting multiple enemies at once or for when your character needs to distance from an enemy temporarily, for example, to heal.
Glintblade Phalanx
Glintblade Phalanx is a skill default to the weapon Rogier’s Rapier. This unique Thrusting Sword can be obtained from Rogier at Roundtable Hold as a reward for defeating Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle.
Glintblade Phalanx can be used with many types of weapons, from Daggers to various types of Swords and Katanas, to Spears and Halberds, with the exception of the Whips and Colossal Weapons.
It provides Magic affinity, adding Magic damage to your weapon and attacks, as well as Intelligence scaling for your character.
However, it’s not only for magic-based characters! Players aiming for Strength or Dexterity builds who want to add a touch of wizardry to their fights and deal Magic damage to enemies can also use it effectively.
Glintblade Phalanx creates a ‘crown’ of magic blades around your character’s head, dealing damage to anyone who comes too close!
Thunderbolt
Finally, one of the most ‘explosive’ Ashes of War. Thunderbolt can be obtained as loot after defeating a Teardrop Scarab in Leyndell, Royal Capital.
This skill can be added to all types of melee weapons, from Blades, Fists, and Claws to Swords, Hammers, Axes, Spears, Whips, and Colossal Weapons. Thunderbolt provides Lightning affinity, adding Lightning Damage and 5 stance Damage per strike, and it costs only 10 FP per use.
Thunderbolt is an excellent, ranged attack that allows you to knock down enemies with a literal lightning bolt ‘out of the sky’ (like Thor, Storm or Raiden did it!), with impressively wide range.
This Ash of War is suitable for all builds and most enemies, enabling you to shock them with the power of lightning, whether in direct combat or while lurking in ambush.
Summary
Ashes of War are a great way to enhance our battles with new effects and powers that give our character an advantage over enemies.
This is extremely important in the brutal world of Elden Ring, where opponents lie in wait at every turn, ready to swiftly end our adventure. Whether you prefer playing a character focused on magic, brute strength, or agility, you’ll definitely find an Ash of War that suits your preferences!