A common aspect of each of FromSoftware's Souls games are the dual magic systems of sorceries and miracles, a system mimicked across many of their games in some form. In Elden Ring, this comes in the place of Sorceries and Incantations, both incredibly deep and varied systems that require unique weapons to utilise.
Elden Ring's sorceries are of particular interest, with an incredible variety of spells at your disposal, and all of them a visual treat. That said, plenty of them veer from the standard of Glintstone that most of the make establishes, and the stats required for many of them can speak more to their lore than you might expect.
Updated August 7th, 2024 by Hilton Webster: With Shadow of the Erdtree, plentiful new spells have entered the game. While the majority of these new spells fall into the already plentiful Incantations present in the game, some new Sorceries have also graced us alongside some intriguing new lore.
What Are Sorceries?
Before discussing each individual school, it is important to establish what exactly a sorcery is in the context of Elden Ring, and what links them together. For starters, the main stat for the majority of sorceries is Intelligence, while for incantations it is Faith. This is important because some sorceries require use of Faith, some even negating the need for Intelligence entirely. As a result, it's important to know what then defines it as a sorcery.
For one, sorceries require the use of a staff beset with Glintstone. This is a definitive fact. Though not every stave within the game is said to contain Glintstone, they all hold some special stone which are shown to harness the celestial power within The Lands Between. With this in mind, it can be said that sorceries are all those channelled through Glintstone, even those that do not directly use Glintstone as part of the sorcery itself.
Though the instances are limited, there are some sorceries, such as those of the Scadutree, with no connection to Glintstone or celestial powers at all, at least in what is directly said.
Scadutree Sorceries
Locked away in the Realm of Shadow is the Scadutree, what may well have been the manifestation of the Erdtree before Messmer's Crusade burned it to ash, and the current Erdtree was erected. These sorceries were born of that tragedy. Not to faith in the Scadutree or the Erdtree, but the twisted image of that which was once holy.
Sorcery of those who abandoned the practice of incantations after devout faith rewarded them with only despair.
Because of the religious heritage of these sorceries, they still require Faith to be used unlike the majority of sorceries in the game. Interestingly, the Glintstone association with these sorceries seems to be non-existent, implying a different means through which it is cast. Rather than through religious belief, but actual physical manifestation of the Scadutree's very roots.
Interestingly, Scadutree sorceries scale off the same equipment as Aberrant sorceries do, hinting at a shared heritage in the Scadutree, and hence why they require faith.
Finger Sorceries
The Fingers play a major role in the base game of Elden Ring. They are seen as emissaries of the Greater Will, a form of representative that communicates their will. As Shadow of the Erdtree cares to inform you, however, this may not be quite so true, and they relate to a greater truth of the Void Beyond instead.
A finger sorcery of Count Ymir, aspiring mother of fingers.
Count Ymir studies this deeply, looking at the Fingers less as a representation of faith, but instead as a truth. The Fingers are the reality of what lies beyond the stars, and so he has crafted that belief into sorceries manifesting their power in a way not dissimilar to Glintstone and Gravity sorceries.
Of the four Finger Sorceries present in the game,
Glintstone Nail and
Glintstone Nails are found seen in practice within the various Finger Ruins, while
Cherishing Fingers and
Fleeting Microcosm are creations of Ymir's own.
Through the Mother of Fingers, the Fleeting Microcosm is believed to be the portal through which the Greater Will communed to them, and so it remains a symbol of hope to the forlorn Fingers of their origins.
Aberrant Sorceries
Used only by the Thorn Sorcerers situated mainly within the Mountaintop of the Giants, Aberrant sorceries are ones of punishment. There are only two Aberrant sorceries, Briars of Sin and Briars of Punishment. Within their descriptions, they are shown to have been discovered by the Guilty who were punished. Cruel as it may be, they turned their own torture into a strength.
The guilty, their eyes gouged by thorns, lived in eternal darkness. There, they discovered the blood star.
Due to the revilement expressed by both the Academy and the Golden Order, little can be said definitively about Aberrant sorceries. However, the
Staff of the Guilty boosts the power of these sorceries and has a Glintstone empowered by blood. There is also mention of the 'Blood Star' discovered by its practitioners, which may have an association with the Formless Mother due to the connections with both blood and darkness. This is furthered by the fact that Aberrant sorceries require only Faith to be cast.
Carian Sorceries
The Carian Nobles are a prestigious group, once the proud rulers of the region of Liurnia. They helped found the Academy of Raya Lucaria and were indeed pioneers of the study of Glintstone and its derived sorceries. However, the house of Caria was loyal primarily to itself, and this caused a wedge within institutions.
The Carian knights never waver.
The sorceries utilised by those of the house of Caria are indeed derived from Glinstone, though come with the blessing of Rennala's moon. They are styled to be a knightly retinue, focused on giving sorcerers the means to fight in melee combat, an advantage missed by plenty of more standard Glintstone sorceries This is true for all of their sorceries but one,
Magic Downpour . This sorcery sprays pure magic over the surrounding area and was taught to the Carian nobles due to their allegiance with the Crystalians.
Loretta's Sorceries
There is also a subsection of sorceries known as Loretta's sorceries, focusing on her spells that summon
Loretta’s Greatbow . These spells are also distinctly Carian in their use, summoning an actual weapon of a magical nature.
Claymen Sorceries
Deep beneath The Lands Between are the rivers Siofra and Ainsel which connect to the ancient cities of the Nox, Nokron, and Nokstella. Much of what we see here is in ruins and labelled as blasphemous and intentionally secretive. One of the most common sights here is the enigmatic Claymen. In truth, next to nothing is known about the Claymen. Beyond being described as priests seeking the old dynasty, there's nothing.
The claymen search for lost oracles within their bubbles.
Even their sorceries, of which there are only two, give few hints. They summon bubbles that have no discernible connection to any other known source of magic, though they supposedly use them for a form of divination. Interestingly, they both require Arcane, the only sorceries to need as such. Arcane has a tendency to be associated with more ancient, heretical powers typically unassociated with Glintstone altogether such as Dragons and Blood. It only adds to the mystery of the Claymen.
Cold Sorceries
Ranni is a core figure within the story of Elden Ring, yet the sorceries most ly associated with her, Cold sorceries, have little if any connection to her family or upbringing. Where Ranni grew up in a household focused on the Moon, Glinstone, and the Golden Order, her true tutor seems to be the Old Snow Witch, an otherwise unmentioned character.
There are five Cold sorceries, three of which are directly from the Snow Witch's own repertoire. In their descriptions, it is said she taught Ranni to fear the dark Moon. A logical summation, as ushering in the Age of Star leaves the world in a frozen darkness. It was perhaps more an omen than a mere warning.
The snowy crone taught the young Ranni to fear the dark moon as she imparted her cold sorcery.
Notably, two Cold sorceries are separate from her. One of these is
Adula’s Moonblade of the self-same Glinstone Dragon that Ranni enlisted in her service. More interestingly is the
Zamor Ice Storm . This is used only by the Zamor in the Mountaintop of the Giants, and implies something of a connection between the Snow Witch and the Zamor. Indeed, the Zamor were also heretics in the eyes of the Golden Order, and it would make sense that Ranni had an interest in their magic.
Crystalian Sorceries
The study of celestial bodies is central to the history of The Lands Between. The Academy of Raya Lucaria would have you believe this is only a study of the stars, though that is far from the truth. While the majority of sorceries derive from Glinstone, many sorcerers seek the Primeval Current, to become one with the very essence of Glinstone and its magical properties. To this end, the Crystalians are revered.
The Crystalians are inorganic beings, yet they live. They cleave to the ideals of the primeval current, and as such, they are revered guests of the sorcerers.
Though it is never stated when the Crystalians arrived in The Lands Between, it can be assumed that they simply came along with many other Fell Star beasts from the Void Beyond. Crystalians are believed to be pure Glinstone, the st force to the Primeval Current. They are in many forms a primitive life, yet are still life. The three sorceries they have imparted upon The Lands Between are all rather direct, focused on summoning and attacking with an onslaught of crystals. The Carian Nobles made a concord with the Crystalians, a mutual agreement to share knowledge and offer safe refuge.
Death Sorceries
Death is a central theme of Elden Ring. Though no one can actually, truly die, the Rune of Death is central to the past and future of The Lands Between. Yet while we are through about Death existing through the Rune of Death, it would seem that Death was a central part of The Lands Between in a period beyond the Greater Will.
Of the many Death sorceries, the majority are directly connected to the concept of Ghostflame. This is only shown briefly directly in the game itself, described as a deathly cold flame that burns the bodies of the deceased to ash. You can directly utilise the Ghostflame through sorcery and summon the departed souls of those burned by the Ghostflame as well.
In the time when there was no Erdtree, death was burned in ghostflame. Deathbirds were the keepers of that fire.
Finally, there are the
Tibia’s Summons and
Fia’s Mist . These are more recent sorceries that concern Those Who Live In Death, a people created rather directly by the corruption of Death within the Erdtree's roots. Though not of the same Ghostflame used in the past, they are both connected through their association with Death. Notably, they require split Intelligence and Faith, showing that these sorceries are revered not just in a utilitarian way, but in a ritualistic manner.
Putrescence Sorceries
As you descend the Stone Coffin Fissure beneath the Cerulean Coast, you will be met with the many stone coffins lining this chasm, and the seething globs that emerge from them. They are the very essence of putrescence, the remnants of those burned by Ghostflame.
The two Putrescence sorceries,
Mass of Putrescence and
Vortex of Putrescence , pull from Death as well, though this time through Ghostflame. In how they become putrescence, however, implies some disconnect from those typically burned by Ghostflame of which no remains are to be found.
Full Moon Sorceries
Though the Academy of Raya Lucaria is dedicated to the study of Glinstone, it is difficult to divorce them from their foundations with the Carian Manor when they were dedicated to the study of all celestial bodies, not just the stars. For Rennala, her true fascination was with the moon, culminating in her sorcery,
Rennala’s Full Moon .
This moon was encountered by a young Ranni, led by the hand of her mother, Rennala. What she beheld was cold, dark and veiled in occult mystery.
So infatuated with the Moon was she that she introduced her daughter Ranni to it as well. Ranni was not as bewitched by the Moon as her mother, though revered it all the same and saw it as freedom from the control expressed by the Greater Will. To this end, Ranni created the sorcery
Ranni’s Dark Moon , a vision of the Moon as she saw it in contrast to her mother's own vision.
Rennala also had a sister, Rellana who too had a vision of the moon. This resulted in the
Rellana’s Twin Moons sorcery, though this would become unique to Rellana, being exiled from the Carian Manor for her participation in Messmer's crusade.
Glintstone Sorceries
At the heart of the majority of all sorceries within The Lands Between are Glinstone sorceries. In truth, all sorceries utilise Glinstone in some form, though Glinstone sorceries themselves are the only ones to truly use the latent power of Glintstone to its fullest extent.
Future generations will learn. They will know the foolishness of the sneering sorcerers who ridiculed this theory, little realizing that it was in fact a discovery worthy of a new conspectus of the academy.
Discovered by astronomers in eons past and researched extensively by the academy of Raya Lucaria, Glinstone sorceries are far and wide in their distribution. They are offensive and defensive, ranged and melee, purely crystalline or inhabiting a form. By nature of their existence, they all use exclusively Intelligence and are continually being created anew. Yet for fear of turning towards the Primeval Current, an aspiration by many but officially shunned by the Academy, many Glintstone sorceries are more grounded than others.
Stonedigger Sorceries
Two sorceries exist within the primary Glintstone sorceries, dedicated exclusively to the Stonediggers of the various tunnels throughout the Lands Between. These sorceries,
Rock Blaster and
Shatter Earth , were marks of the Stonediggers, and their failed affinity with higher forms of Glintstone sorceries.
Thops' own sorcery,
Thops’s Barrier , fits in a similar vein to the Stonedigger sorceries, being ridiculed by the Academy of Raya Lucaria despite its great potential.
Gravity Sorceries
While many uses of sorcery within The Lands Between are Glintstone with all others being shunned as blasphemous, Gravity sorceries flaw into a fascinating niche. They are not of Glintstone, but still of the stars. They are used aplenty by the Fell Star Beasts of the Void Beyond, with Radahn being a particularly potent adherent of their spells.
A manifestation of the power with which Astel leveled the Eternal City.
Gravity sorceries come from the Void Beyond and are used by Fell Star Beasts and Astel, though they were taught to Radahn by an Alabaster Lord. In an effort to create his own pride as a warrior, he wished to hold up the very stars with magic that no one else had mastered. And to his credit, he truly did succeed.
Gravity magic can also be seen in other scenarios as well. It is used in a destructive manner by the Onyx Lords and even destroyed an Eternal City through the power of Astel.
Magma Sorceries
Of the many that chose to defy the Erdtree and the rule of the Greater Will, it is interesting that its greatest proponents came from the children of Rennala, whom Radagon scorned to become Elden Lord. The most vocal of these in their plans was Rykard, who amassed an army of Recusants at the Volcano Manor of Mt. Gelmir.
However, Mt. Gelmir was also home to an ancient people of Serpents who praised the Great Serpent. It is not known if the Great Serpent is an Outer God, or indeed a deity naturally of The Lands Between. However, within Mt. Gelmir are ancient hexes that utilise the power of the volcano that Rykard brought back into existence as sorceries.
This sorcery is held to represent the fury of the volcano, but the arrogance of attempting to harness it is solely that of men and serpents.
Due to their ancient nature as reverence, both to the Great Serpent and Mt. Gelmir itself, Magma sorceries require the use of both Faith and Intelligence.
Messmer wields fire as incantations and houses within himself the Abyssal Serpent. It is entirely possible that the Great Serpent of Gelmir and the Abyssal Serpent, and their flames, are related.
Night Sorceries
Of all the forms of magic within The Lands Between that have been turned into sorceries, the magic of Sellia is perhaps the most fascinating of all as it draws from many sources. The Night sorceries of Sellia, ultimately, are tools of assassins. They are focused on espionage and misdirection, attacking an opponent with devious tricks before they're even aware of a threat.
The Sellian sorcerers were assassins, and it is said that they often hunted their fellows.
This links interestingly with the presence of Nox warriors within Sellia, as the Black Knife assassins are likely made up of Nox warriors. Second is that Sellia itself is built atop the Eternal City of Nokron, with much of their magic pulling from that place. Finally, Radahn himself studied there briefly, and so it can be assumed that perhaps his presence there is what prompted him to halt the very stars to stop their acts.
Primeval Sorceries
Within Elden Ring, there is the concept of the Primeval Current. This is studied by sorcerers and seen as the ultimate form of magic and its source. This is why Crystalians are so beloved because of their ness to the Primeval Current. That said, despite the Academy happily accepting the discoveries related to the Primeval Current, they also gleefully punish its research.
The eldest primeval sorcery, said to have been discovered by an ancient astrologer.
There are three distinct Primeval sorceries within the game, each related to the Primeval Current itself. These are Lusat's
Stars of Ruin ,
Founding Rain of Stars , and the self-named
Comet Azur . Each of them grants deep insight into the history of the stars and ultimately drives their discovery into becoming something akin to Glintstone itself.
