Elden Ring stands out from previous Soulsborne games, not only with its impeccable world-building but with its new mechanics. These new mechanics prove to be a boon for those who are new to FromSoftware games and find themselves in a bit of a tough spot. The innovative Ash Spirit Summons are great additions, with some classed as Legendary.
You might have noticed the Ash of War skill, with many offering a different array of abilities. There are so many of them littered about the game that we feel it would be fitting to pick out some of the absolute best available in the Lands Between. Seriously, these Ashes of War are just the gift that keeps on giving.
Updated on June 28, 2024 by Lucas Ellinas: Elden Ring’s DLC is finally here, and it is a brutal challenge, even for experienced players. As such, you might be looking for some different Ashes of War to combat these new enemies. Luckily for you, we’ve updated this list with some powerful options that can help you fight your way through them, along with one you can find within the DLC itself.
20 Gravitas
You can grab this Ash of War pretty early in the game as it's by the Seaside Ruins in the southern part of Limgrave. By the coast, you'll find a Slender Wayfarer wandering about, and you can see him use this Ash of War, so defeating him will grant you the skill.
As the name suggests, Gravitas creates a gravitational force field that draws your enemies in, before releasing a surge that either one-shots or deals massive damage. So if you ever find yourself overwhelmed by large groups of enemies, Gravitas has got your back.
19 Flame Of The Redmanes
Flames of the Redmanes is an Ash of War that goes above and beyond in assisting the Tarnished. A useful offensive asset in your arsenal, the Flames of the Redmanes cause you to unleash a burst of flame, which almost always stuns all enemies.
Giving you the golden opportunity to inflict critical damage, this Ash of War is found in the early areas of Caelid. To actually get this Ash of War, however, you'd have to chase after an invisible Teardrop Scarab pottering about near the Fort Gael North Site of Grace.
Flame of the Redmanes was once the most powerful Ash of War in the game, but significant nerfs made it more balanced.
18 Wild Strikes
The Wild Strikes Ash of War causes you to swing your weapon aggressively in front of you. It gives you an impressive amount of hyper armor, allowing you keep attacking even while getting hit. That makes it especially strong with weapons that deal Pierce damage, like the Rusted Anchor, which get a significant buff if they hit an enemy that is in the process of attacking.
If you want to get wild, you can find the Weapon Skill very early in the game. It drops from a Teardrop Scarab on the road leading to Stormveil Castle, right before the Margit fight.
17 Unsheathe
Unsheathe is an easy Ash of War to underrate, since you can get it so early in the game. The Samurai class already has a weapon with it equipped, and you can find the Ash of War by killing a Teardrop Scarab in Limgrave, on the southeastern end of Agheel Lake.
But that just means it can start carrying you sooner. When using Unsheathe, you adopt a stance, then strike in either an overhead or sweeping slash. The attack comes out surprisingly fast, deals solid damage, and can stagger enemies surprisingly effectively given that it can only be equipped to Katanas.
16 Cragblade
Hitting things very hard is a valid strategy in Elden Ring, and Cragblade lets you hit them even harder by coating your weapon in rocks. It increases both the Physical damage of your weapon and its ability to stagger enemies, opening them up for a critical hit.
You can run straight to the Ash of War at the start of the game, although you’ll need to venture into Caelid. It’s near the Impassable Greatbridge Site of Grace, which sits next to the massive bridge leading to Redmane Castle.
15 Carian Sovereignty
Carian Sovereignty is one of the standouts from the DLC, and it does everything you want from an Ash of War. It’s basically a bigger version of Carian Grandeur from the base game, just turned up to 11. You strike multiple times with a giant magical sword, dealing a ton of damage in a wide range, breaking enemy stances easily.
The Ash of War can be tricky to find, though. It’s hanging from the ceiling in a cave, southwest of the Cathedral of Manus Metyr. You’ll need some sort of ranged attack to knock it down.
14 Bloody Slash
Probably the most overpowered Ash of War ever created in Elden Ring, Bloody Slash has ascended to legendary status. By swinging your blade in a certain way, a wind slash made out of blood will slice through the bodies of your enemies.
In fact, obtaining Bloody Slash is possible very early in the game. Found in Limgrave's Fort Haight, this Ash of War is dropped after defeating the resident Godrick Knight. It deals massive Bleed damage, so you can inflict blades of crimson blood on your foes that are nigh-on unbeatable.
13 Raptor Of The Mists
Although quite similar to Bloodhound's Step, Raptor of the Mists is an Ash of War that works more as an evasive tactic rather than an offensive one. It could certainly help with the latter, helping you conserve your HP throughout boss fights — a key advantage.
It's obtained as part of Yura's questline, by going to Raya Lucaria Academy and helping Yura defeat his foe. Once that's done, and you return to your world, you will immediately receive this Ash of War as one of the rewards. With the ability to dodge with ease, while maintaining your HP, this is one handy Ash of War.
12 Black Flame Tornado
Reminiscent of Blackflame Friede in Dark Souls 3, Black Flame Tornado is an Ash of War that deals massive melee and AoE damage. A pretty self-explanatory Ash of War, it imbues the Tarnished's chosen weapon with the ability to swirl about in a whirlwind of black flames, which can one-shot or severely cripple any boss.
Although it's a special skill built into the Godskin Apostle's weapon, the Godskin Peeler, getting this Ash of War is still definitely recommended. As it's found in a later game area at the Crumbling Farum Azula, you'll unfortunately have to vanquish the formidable Godskin Duo first.
11 Ice Spear
Another handy, highly practical Ash of War, the Ice Spear is quite powerful indeed. Using this Ash of War wreathes your weapon in an icy mist as you twirl it about, before launching an ice spear at the intended target.
Obtained after defeating the Night's Cavalry boss near the Gate Town Bridge Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes, the Ice Spear is indeed a great Ash of War to have for some speedy takedowns.
10 Prayerful Strike
An Ash of War that can deal damage and restore HP is definitely one to have in your armory, and Prayerful Strike indeed lives up to its name. When using this Ash of War your weapon will glow golden, and with every smash a significant amount of HP will be restored.
To get this Ash of War, you'll have to take down another invisible Teardrop Scarab. As it's located outside Leyndell, Royal Capital, you'll need to head from the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of Grace down a ravine near the Sealed Tunnel. You'll see the sparkly footprints of the Teardrop Scarab running around the bottom.
Prayerful Strike also heals allies, which means if you use the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash, you can heal each other.
9 Bloodhound's Step
The Bloodhound's Step is the ideal Ash of War if you're looking to upgrade your evasion tactics. This Ash of War makes you fade in and out of reality, so it's real easy for you to dodge the blows coming your way.
If you need to get past a path lined with annoyingly hard-hitting foes, then Bloodhound's Step is the one for you. You won't be taking any more damage than necessary when you're making your way to a boss arena. You can pilfer this Ash of War from the Night Cavalry Boss at Lenne's Rise.
8 Thunderbolt
This Ash of War is as simple as it sounds. By thrusting your weapon to the sky, you can summon a lightning bolt that strikes any enemy of your choosing. This is extremely convenient if you don't want to get to some heavy-hitters to conserve HP.
Although it does cost a teensy bit of FP, Thunderbolt is well worth obtaining. Located in Leyndell, Royal Capital, it is to the Avenue Balcony site of grace. Once more, you'd have to kill a scarab to get it.
7 Seppuku
Although the Seppuku Ash of War might sound a bit horrifying at first, stabbing yourself in the gut will result in a big boost for your weapon. For a small amount of HP, your weapon will now be able to inflict bleed damage and buildup, which cuts a large portion of an enemy's health in a few hits.
A dex weapon paired with this Ash of War is positively deadly. So if you'd like this Ash of War, it is located in the Freezing Lake in the Mountaintops of the Giants. Kill the invisible teardrop scarab skittering about and get this treasure.
Seppuku did get nerfed, dealing more damage to you and reducing the amount of Bleed buildup granted, but it remains one of the best options for fast-attacking Bleed builds .
6 Lightning Ram
This Ash of War borders on both the comical and the bizarre. You might have noticed that the rams in Elden Ring curl up into a ball and roll away as soon as they see you — this is just like that but ten times more powerful.
Like an overpowered armadillo, the Lightning Ram tears through enemy lines like nothing else. It can even work on mounted foes as well, knocking them off of their horses. It's definitely handy for barreling through a group of enemies. To get this, simply ride into the empty plains between the Sainted Hero's Grave and Rampartside Path, and kill the rolling scarab.
5 Hoarfrost Stomp
This Ash of War is a veritable treat to use, as this ability is so reminiscent of Sister Friede in the Dark Souls 3 DLC. As soon as you add this attribute to your chosen weapon, you simply stomp your foot onto the ground, after which a path of ice spikes appears before shattering and dealing huge amounts of damage.
As you can probably tell, Hoarfrost Stomp is perfect for dealing with numerous enemies simultaneously, as well as the catacombs' bosses. To obtain this Ash of War, go to the southeastern part of Caria Manor, where a small pool is located. There will be an invisible teardrop scarab which you must kill, after which it'll drop Hoarfrost Stomp.
4 Golden Land
Golden Land is one of the best area of attack Ash of Wars in the game. By planting your weapon to the ground, you will create a golden circle that unleashes a surge of golden light that deals damage. But that's not all, as there's a follow-up of golden shards of light to kill off more enemies.
To get this absolute treasure of a skill, teleport to the Great Waterfall Crest site of grace in Deeproot Depths. Follow the path to the end of the road, where you will find a scarab. Kill it, and gain Golden Land.
3 Prelate's Charge
Like a blazing comet, Prelate's Charge allows you to skid past your enemies while bathed in flame. By planting your weapon on the ground, you can then run, leaving a trail of fire wherever you go, before pulling your weapon out and causing massive, fiery damage.
To get your hands on this Ash of War, it is located in the Forbidden Lands in the form of a beetle hanging from one of the trees in a Fire Monk campsite. Just fling a throwing knife, bone dart, or whatever ranged weapon you have and the Prelate's Charge is yours.
Prelate's Charge hits multiple times while active, making it great with weapons that have on-hit healing effects , like the Great Stars.
2 Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker
Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker is obtained pretty late into the game. This Ash of War is exactly as its name suggests: you emit a loud cry, before slamming your hands down, causing the earth to fracture and shake, and performing another delayed slam for maximum damage.
You can only get this Ash of War as soon as you defeat Hoarah Loux in the main storyline. After you do that, go to the Roundtable Hold to speak with Enia, where she'll give you this Ash of War in exchange for Hoarah Loux's Remembrance Rune.
1 Waves Of Darkness
Waves of Darkness is quite similar to Gravitas, but with an extra 'oomph', giving it more power. As you build up a mass of purple on your weapon, bashing it down will cause three waves of darkness to slam your opponents onto the ground in quick succession.
Like Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker, you must find Enia after defeating Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. Exchange the latter's Remembrance Rune for this powerful Ash of War.
