Here are the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring
Looking for the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring?Not to be confused withSpirit Ashes(summonable spectres that can aid you in combat), Ashes of War are unique skills that can be applied to weapons and shields inElden Ring.
Whether it’s your first time playing Elden Ring or you’re looking to try a different build before theShadow Of The ErdtreeDLC releases, picking the right Ashes of War can be imperative for a successful playthrough.
Below, we’ve gathered the best Ashes of War for a range of weapons and stats so that there is something for everyone. This includes the best Ashes of War for Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, Arcane, Quality and PvP builds. We’ll also go through how you can equip new Ashes of War and what affinities mean in the game.
In this guide:
Best Strength build Ashes of War
TheLion’s ClawAshes of War is a skill in which players will crouch and then perform a somersault, which strikes a heavy blow to foes afterwards. This strike delivers stance damage and cannot be parried but cannot be charged. When preparing the move, you are granted some invulnerability.
The Lion’s Claw Ashes of War works best with aStrength build, kitted out with a Greatsword or Colossal weapon. This is due to the stance damage output which scales with the size and type of weapon it is paired with. Straight Swords and Katanas will usually deal 30 stance damage, whilst Colossal weapons deal upwards of45 stance damage.
This skill is relatively easy to perform, effective when dealing with shielded foes and holds up well into thelater areasof the game.
The Lion’s Claw Ashes of War comes already attached to the Claymore (located in a chest, within Castle Morne). Otherwise, you can pick it up from defeating theLion Guardian in Fort Gael, Caelid (south of the Rotview balcony). The creature will be prowling within the outer courtyard.
TheBlack Flame TornadoSkill is a series of weapon spins that emit black flames in a torrent around you, followed by a plunge attack which casts further flames. This Elden Ring Skill can be charged andcannot be parried, as long as you have a supply of FP to fund it.
This Skill also appliesfire damagewith every hit as well as33 stance damage, enabling you to stagger susceptible foes. This skill particularly works well withFaith buildsas it will apply Faith scaling to your weapon along with the added Fire damage.
The Black Flame Tornado Skill is dropped upondefeating the Godskin Duoinside the Dragon Temple within the Crumbling Farum Azula region. These pesky bosses can offer quite the challenge, so be sure to check out ourGodskin Duo boss guidefor tips and tricks, along with our step-by-step onhow to get to the Crumbling Farum Azularegion in Elden Ring.
This Skill was further improved with the1.07 Elden Ring patchwhich increased the bleed status buildup, attack power and decreased the delay between performing the skill and subsequent actions.
As a ‘Blood’ type Ashes of War, it’s a solid choice for anybleed buildorArcane build(the stat of which will increase with this Ashes of War). Additionally, the skill cannot be parried as long as you have a viable portion of FP to perform it. Be wary though, as the skill will still take your HP even if you don’t have the FP to successfully emit the attack.
The Bloody Slash Ashes of War can be retrieved upondefeating a Godrick Knight, located at the top ofFort Haightin Limgrave. You’ll come by this region naturally if you’re following the Kenneth Haightsidequestwhich can be picked up in the north-east of Limgrave, near the Third Church of MarikaSite of Grace.
TheWaves of Darknessis classified as a ‘Magic’ affinity Ashes of War, meaning it will increase the Intelligence stat scaling of the weapon it is grafted to, but will decrease physical attributes like Strength and Dexterity. As such, this Ashes of War is best suited for a predominatelyIntelligence-based build.
The Waves of Darkness Weapon Skill enables your Tarnished to plunge their weapon into the ground and emit three large waves of energy, followed by a strong attack and swinging attack. For this reason, it’s a fantastic choice for crowd control when faced with multiple enemies at once.
The Skill can deal upwards of34 stance damage, with more damage output the higher your Intelligence is.
You can get the Waves of Darkness Ashes of War by trading theRemembrance of the Naturalbornwith Enia at theRoundtable Hold. This means you must defeat one of the toughest bosses in the game, Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. Luckily, we have a guide full of tips for taking on theAstel boss fight, which will require you to journey throughRanni’s questlinetowards Nokstella, Eternal City.
TheBloodhound’s StepAshes of War is a firm favourite amongst players looking to optimise aDexterity build- and for good reason. This Weapon Skill in Elden Ring can essentially turn playersinvisiblefor a short time whilst they dodge at an increased speed. As you can imagine, this is a particularly effective skill against singular enemies and bosses, as it will allow you to gain a better vantage point and avoid incoming attacks.
The Bloodhound’s Step is extremely versatile across playstyles as it can be applied to virtually any weapon as long as they’re melee-based. What’s more, if you’re out of FP it will simply take more of your stamina instead, to perform the move.
The distance you can dodge with the Bloodhound’s Step is about twice the amount of a medium roll and in that time, you have access to vitalinvincibility frames.
The Bloodhound’s Step Skill is dropped by aNight’s Cavalryon a bridge,north of Lenne’s Risein Dragonbarrow, Caelid. Due to the limited space on the bridge, we recommend tackling this foe whilst on foot. When de-seated from horseback, this enemy is vulnerable to critical hits.
As a ‘Quality’ type Ash of War, Elden Ring’sStorm BladeSkill is perfect for players looking to divest equal points into both Strength and Dexterity.
The Storm Blade Skill essentially summons a small whirlwind which can be propelled towards enemies at a distance, providing a ranged attack for melee players. When struck, enemies will take10 stance damageapiece, leaving them open to follow-up attacks.
This skill cannot be parried and cannot be charged. As per the1.07 patch, the skill was further boosted with an increase in speed, range, and damage detection. Furthermore, the delay between performing the skill and subsequent actions was decreased.
You can buy the Storm Blade Ashes of War fromKnight Bernahlat theWarmaster’s Shackon Stormhill in Limgrave for 1,800 Runes.
When it comes to PvP, preferred Ashes of War will change depending on your build and playstyle. TheSpinning SlashAshes of War is fairly versatile and can be applied to most Swords, Axes and Polearms.
This Skill allows players to unleash a flurry of blows in a 360-degree turn, followed by a strong attack. The speed of the attacks will increase depending on the lightness of your weapon and the attacks can deal upwards of33 stance damage.
As per the 1.07 Elden Ring patch, poise damage was increased further against enemies equipped with either a Greatsword, Curved Greatsword, Twinblade, Greataxe, Spear, Great Spear, Halberd, or Reaper.
Genreally, the best PvP Ashes of War is heavily contested within the Elden Ring community, but most agree that the Spinning Slash andRoyal Knight’s Resolveare top contenders. The Royal Knight’s Resolve applies a buff that increases the bonus damage of your next attack. Unfortunately, as per the1.09 patch, this damage buff went from 80% to 40% (for PvP only), hence why Spinning Slash takes the top spot on this list.
The Thunderbolt, Square Off, Endure and Carian Retaliation Ashes of War are also fantastic contenders for PvP.
The Spinning Slash Ashes of War can be bought fromKnight Bernahlat theWarmaster’s Shackon Stormhill in Limgrave for 1,200 Runes. It is also the default skill for many armaments in Elden Ring such as the Gargoyle’s Halberd, Draghon Halberd and Nightrider Glaive.
Each Ashes of War in Elden Ring can be applied with anAffinity, which dictates which stats they affect. This can either buff or nerf the stat scaling of the weapon it is attached to. This means, for example, if you are playing with a Dex build, you’ll mostly likely want ‘Keen’ Ashes of War that increase Dexterity scaling.
We’ll go through each Affinity below and which stats they affect so you can make an informed choice when selecting Ashes of War for your build.
To equip new Ashes of War in Elden Ring, you canvisit anySite of Graceand select the ‘Ashes of War’ option. From here, you can apply Ashes of War to equipped armaments and weapons within your inventory.
When selecting a weapon and the Ash of War you wish to infuse it with, you’ll be offered a list of Affinities to choose from which will increase and decrease speficic stats (see above for a rundown of all Affinity types).
You’ll receive the option to apply Ashes of War once you have obtained theWhetstone Knifefrom inside a chest beneath theGatefront Ruinsin Limgrave. If you have missed this chest, you can also purchase a Whetstone Knife from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold for 500 Runes.
There is currentlyno way to upgrade Ashes of War, so their baseline damage and active effects will remain the same. Luckily, it doesn’t cost anything to change Ashes of War, so you can try out new ones and swap them between weapons as much as you like, so long as the weapon supports it.
That rounds off our guide to the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring and where to get them. For more Elden Ringtips and trickssee ourbest weapons,best armor,Talismans,buildsorboss locationsguides.
