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FromSoftware’s latest action RPG Elden Ring features the new Ash of War system that lets you equip special skills into different weapons. Although not all weapons can be imbued with Ash of War, this mechanic definitely opens up various kinds of playstyle in the game. Without further ado, here are the 20 best Ashes of War that you can find in Elden Ring for mid to late-game and a few early-game ones.
1. Hoarfrost Stomp
- Location: Dropped by a Teardrop Scarab in Liurnia of the Lakes. Read more details about it in our Hoarfrost Stomp guide.
Hoarfrost Stomp was undoubtedly one of the most popular and overpowered Ashes of War that you can find in Elden Ring. Not just that you can find it early, it deals a good amount of AOE damage and is cheap, costing only 10 FP. However, the keyword here is was since (un)fortunately FromSoftware has nerfed Hoarfrost Stomp to the ground per patch 1.03. While no longer OP, it is still pretty good for a Dex build.
2. Flame of The Redmanes
- Location: Dropped by an invisible Teardrop Scarab near the Fort Gael North Site of Grace.
This one is slept on quite a bit, but people are starting to notice its usefulness, especially after Hoarfrost Stomp nerf. Flame of The Redmanes deals huge Poise damage over a pretty wide range only for 14 FP. Dishing out 2-3 hits of this will stun any enemies, including huge bosses and giant dragons, giving you an opening for a Critical attack, as seen in Kibeth’s video above.
3. Bloody Slash
- Location: Dropped by a Godrick Knight in Fort Haight.
Another one of the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring. As you can expect from its name, this one lets you attack an enemy while applying Bleed affinity to your weapon. Using only 6 FP, Bloody Slash is a good way to deal with mobs and eat chunks of the harder enemies’ health.
4. Seppuku
- Location: Dropped by an invisible Scarab, east of the Freezing Lake Site of Grace.
Talking about Bleed and the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring, I think I have to also recommend Seppuku. Taken from the Japanese ritualistic suicide, Seppuku has you stabbing yourself in the stomach to coat your weapon with blood, applying Bleed into it for 60 seconds. Of course, compared to Bloody Slash, this one has the drawback of reducing your health, but the buff is still worthwhile.
5. Bloodhound Step
- Location: Dropped by the Night Calvary in the northeastern part of the Caelid region. Read more details about it in our Bloodhound Step guide.
A very cool move that turns your dodge into an invisible dash. Bloodhound Step is highly recommended for bosses that have devastating combo attacks, such as the infamous Malenia, Blade of Miquella, for example. But prepared to be ridiculed if you use it in PvP. See how it works in EternityInGame’s video above.
6. Golden Vow
- Location: Dropped by a mounted Godrick Knight above the Deathtouched Catacombs, southwestern part of Limgrave.
For Tarnished with a Faith build, you might want to check this one out. Golden Vow gives you the Sacred affinity for 90 seconds, which adds Holy damage and Faith scaling and a 15% damage increase and 10% damage reduction for you and your allies. It doesn’t sound like much, but it really adds up, see the buff effects for yourself in Video Games Source’s video above.
7. Carian Retaliation
- Location: Sold by Pidia, Carian Servant at Caria Manor.
Like carrying around a shield and parrying attacks? Then this one is definitely the best Ash of War for you. Works for Small and Medium Shields, Carian Retaliation lets you parry incoming Sorceries and Incantations then transform them into magical blades that will fly at the enemy from afar. It scales with the level of your shield, and with a maxed-out one, you can easily deal a whopping 3,000 damage.
8. Barricade Shield
- Location: Dropped by Night’s Cavalry at Weeping Peninsula.
Despite also getting nerfed in patch 1.03 (now lasts for 6 seconds and costs more FP), Barricade Shield is still pretty good for a tanky build and used as some sort of parry. While you need to two-hand your Sword to use your weapon’s Ash of War, if you manage to master switching between styles, the Barricade Shield combo can be really devastating. Most of the time, people use it for spear-poking like in GlitchBeard’s video above, but I think it’s best combined with Ashes of War that can deal AOE damage.
9. Blood Tax
- Location: Dropped by a Teardrop Scarab found in a cave near the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace in the Moghwyn Dynasty area.
Another Bleed-inflicting Ash of War that you can play around with. When using this skill, you will make a repeating thrust attack but with a Bleed and health stealing effect. Blood Tax is compatible with any weapon-type capable of thrusting attacks except Colossal Weapons. Check where to find it and how it works in EternityInGame’s video above.
10. Giant Hunt
- Location: Dropped by Night’s Cavalry at north Liurnia.
Spear users shouldn’t miss this one out. This is one of the best Ashes of War if you need to launch smaller enemies or deal both normal and Poise damages to bigger bosses. It is also compatible with Twinblades and Colossal Weapons capable of thrusting attacks.
11. Lion’s Claw
- Location: Dropped by the Lion Guardian in Fort Gael.
Costing 20 FP, Lion’s Claw is a somersault attack that gives you a huge amount of hyper armor that not many enemies can easily break. This rather underrated skill works great for a risk-taking Tarnished with a Strength build since it has the Heavy affinity bonus.
12. Glintblade Phalanx
- Location: Speak to Sorcerer Rogier in Roundtable Hold after defeating Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle to get the Rogier’s Rapier.
Requiring 22 points of Intelligence, this is one of the best Ashes of War for Astrologer or any Int-based builds. It creates a number of magic blades that automatically attack nearby enemies, which is good for crowd control or chipping away a boss’s health and Poise.
13. Carian Greatsword
- Location:
- Sold for 2,500 Runes from Sorcerer Rogier at Stormveil Castle or the Roundtable Hold after defeating Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle.
Another one from Rogier’s inventory is an Ash of War that transforms your sword into a magical blade for 16 FP. The basic attack already deals quite massive damage, and it can still be charged for even more power. It’s also a pretty good skill for fighting on a horseback, as seen in Fredchuckdave’s demonstration video above.
14. Glintstone Pebble
- Location:
- Sold for 1,500 Runes from Sorcerer Rogier at Stormveil Castle or the Roundtable Hold.
- Sold by Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold after handing them the Rogier’s Bell Bearing.
If you need something good to help whittle down enemies’ health from range, then Glintstone Pebble can be your friend. Scales with Intelligence and upgrade level, this skill shoots out a small blue orb that inflicts decent magic damage rather quickly for 8 FP.
15. Gravitas
- Location: Dropped from the Slender Wayfarer near the Seaside Ruins Site of Grace in Limgrave.
Mobs in Souls game are extremely annoying, and thankfully there is a skill to help you with dealing with them. When using Gravitas, you will create some kind of gravity well that pulls any nearby enemies. One of the best crowd control-type Ashes of War in Elden Ring. Watch how it works and where to find it in Jay.f.k plays’s video above.
16. Ice Spear
- Location: Dropped from a Night’s Cavalry in eastern Liurnia near the broken Gate Town Bridge.
Costing 15 FP with a Frostbite effect, this is one Ash of War that gives polearms and Twinblades users even more range, launching the namesake frozen projectile at troubling enemies. Watch where to find it and the skill in action in EternityInGame’s video above.
17. Wild Strikes
- Location: Dropped from a Teardrop Scarab in the path between Stormhill Shack Site of Grace and Castleward Tunnel Site of Grace.
These last few Ashes of War are very basic ones but extremely effective considering their costs and when you acquire them. Although it’s not flashy by any means, Wild Strikes lets you deal a consistent amount of damage in succession. Definitely, one of the best and most reliable early-game Ashes of War you can get for Elden Ring melee weapons.
18. Mighty Shot
- Location: Dropped from a Teardrop Scarab in the path between Limgrave to Weeping Peninsula.
The equivalent of Wild Strikes for Light Bows and Longbows. Costing 6 FP per use, Mighty Shot significantly increases your Bow damage. Nothing fancy, but very practical for early-game.
19. Impaling Thrust
- Location:
- Sold for 1,000 Runes from Knight Bernahl at Warmaster’s Shack. Read more details about it in our Warmaster’s Shack guide.
- Sold by Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold after handing them the Bernahl’s Bell Bearing.
Impaling Thrust is one of the best early Elden Ring Ashes of War for polearm users. Due to the ridiculous range, good stagger damage, and guard piercing attribute, this skill is excellent for a hit-and-run strategy or chipping away at shielding enemies’ health.
20. Ground Slam
- Location: Dropped from a rolling Teardrop Scarab west of the Mistwood’s Minor Erdtree.
Ground Slam is definitely the best Ash of War to use if you just want to goof around in Elden Ring. Doing a Ground Slam-only run like what Caoslayer did in the video above could be a nice and comedic challenge for your latest playthrough. Or maybe use it to humiliate your PvP enemies. Your choice.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
