If you want to become unbeatable on the Elden Ring battlefield, you need to master the use of Ashes of War. Let’s explore what’s so special about these items, and how you can efficiently use them in combat.
What do Ashes of War do in Elden Ring?
In Elden Ring, Ashes of War are tools that let you tweak your weapon skills and affinities and how they work with your character’s abilities. They add new strengths and capabilities to your weapons and shields, helping you adapt your gear to different situations and how you like to play.
Each of these Ashes of War possesses an Affinity that alters the weapon’s stat scaling or grants additional damage bonuses.
To unleash the special power of Ashes of War, simply press L2 or LT on your gamepad, or use Shift+Right Click on your keyboard and mouse. When you do this, your character will perform a special move.
Can you change Ashes of War in Elden Ring?
You can change your Ashes of War at any Site of Grace. First, you need to collect the Whetstone Knife in order to be able to change your Ashes of War. Infuse your weapons with the Ash that works best with your stats, playstyle, and goals.
- Visit the Site of Grace.
- Select the Ashes of War menu.
- Preview the effect of the Ash on your Weapon or Shield.
- Infuse it with your weapon.
Weapons you cannot infuse with Ashes of War
The following weapons cannot be infused with Ashes of War:
- Glintstone Staves
- Sacred Seals
- Dragonscale Blade
⇒ Learn more: Elden Ring: How to replenish FP fast
Where to find Ashes of War
There are three ways you can get Ashes of War in Elden Ring: collect them from dead enemies and bosses, buy them from NPCs or loot them off corpses.
The good news is that the place where enemies and bosses drop Ashes of War are always the same. This means you can go back to the respective locations whenever you need some extra Ashes of War.
Are Ashes a one-time-use in Elden Ring?
You can infuse one Ash of War to one particular weapon or shield at a time. To reassign the same Ash of War to a different weapon or shield, you need to remove it from the current weapon, move it back to the Ashes of War tab, and then infuse it into a different weapon.
How to duplicate Ashes of War
You can duplicate any of the Ashes of War available in your inventory using a special Ash called Lost Ashes of War. You can get this special item from the blacksmith. You can then exchange Lost Ashes of War to duplicate another Ash of War you have in your inventory.
Which Ashes are the best in Elden Ring?
The Glintblade Phalanx and Giant Hunt are two of the best Ashes of War that you can use in Elden Ring. Use the Glintblade Phalanx with swords and you’ll get four additional swords to deal major damage to your enemy’s stance.
If all four swords hit the target, you only need one or two casts of Glintblade Phalanx to break your enemy’s stance and defeat them.
Infuse thrusting-capable colossal weapons, spears, and twinblades with Giant Hunt Ashes and use them against gigantic enemies and bosses. You can then use momentum to deliver strong upward hits.
Practical tips to effectively use Ashes of War in combat
Before using Ashes of War, understand your preferred playstyle. Are you a melee warrior, a spellcaster, or a ranged attacker? Choose Ashes that complement your style and character build.
Adapt to the Situation
Ashes of War can be changed at Sites of Grace, so adapt your Ashes to suit the situation. If you’re facing a tough boss, consider Ashes that enhance your defense or provide special attacks.
If your character build has changed, don’t hesitate to respec your Ashes of War to match your new stats and abilities.
Weapon Synergy
Pay attention to the weapon you’re using and choose Ashes that synergize with it. Some Ashes work better with specific weapon types, so maximize their potential.
Balance Offense and Defense
Balance your Ashes between offensive and defensive capabilities. Having a mix of Ashes that boost your damage output and ones that improve your survivability can be effective.
Keep an Eye on Enemy Weaknesses
Some Ashes of War may exploit specific enemy weaknesses. If you know the weaknesses of your foes, choose Ashes that capitalize on them.
Upgrade Your Ashes
If possible, upgrade your Ashes of War at a blacksmith. This can make them more potent and give you an edge in combat.
List of Ashes of War, effects, and weapon compatibility in Elden Ring
| Ash of War | Effect | Weapon Compatibility |
| Assassin’s Gambit | Mask your presence at the cost of a self-inflicted wound | Small and medium straight swords and thrusting swords |
| Barrage | Fire a rapid succession of shots faster than the speed of light | Light bows |
| Barricade Shield | Focus energy into the shield to deflect strong blows | All Shields |
| Beast’s roar | Unleash a strong roar that turns air itself into a projectile | All melee weapons |
| Black Flame Tornado | Summon a raging vortex of black flames | Polearms and twinblades |
| Bloody Slash | Coat the weapon blade in your own blood to increase the damage | Swords, except colossal weapons |
| Carian Grandeur | Turn your blade into a magical Greatsword | Swords, except colossal weapons |
| Charge Forth | Use momentum to deliver quick charges |
Thrusting-capable polearms, heavy thrusting swords, and twin blades
|
| Chilling Mist | Coat weapon in frost, and spread frigid mist | Melee weapons, except whips, fists, and claws |
| Cragblade | Reinforce weapons with earth and make them stronger | All melee weapons, except whips |
| Determination | Power up your next attack | All melee weapons |
| Enchanted Shot | Infuse arrows with a spiritual essence to follow the target | Light bows and longbows |
| Endure | Brace for incoming attacks, reduce damage during attacks | All melee weapons |
| Eruption | Spawn lava on the ground | Colossal swords, axes, and hammers |
| Flaming Strike | Coat your weapon in fire | Melee weapons, except colossal weapons and whips |
| Giant Hunt | Use it against gigantic enemies, use momentum to deliver strong upward hit |
Thrusting-capable large and colossal weapons, spears, and twin blades
|
| Glintblade Phalanx | Bring glintstone blades over your head and attack nearby enemies | Thrusting-capable polearms, except colossal weapons |
| Glintstone Pebble Skill | Glintstone sorcery |
Swords and thrusting-capable polearms except for colossal weapons
|
| Golden Parry | Increase parry power | Shields |
| Golden Slam | Jump and slam on the ground to send a shockwave | Melee weapons, except whips, fists, and claws |
| Golden Vow | Increase your and your allies’ attack power and defense | All melee weapons |
| Gravitas | Pierce the ground to create a surge of gravity that draws enemies in | Medium-sized melee weapons |
| Ground Slam | Jump into the air, crash down, and release a powerful shockwave | All melee weapons |
| Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker | Slam both hands onto the ground and unleash a strong shockwave | All melee weapons |
| Hoarfrost Stomp | Create freezing mist on the ground and enable frost status effect | All melee weapons |
| Impaling Thrust | Strong thrust that pierces the enemy’s guard | Thrusting-capable weapons except colossal weapons |
| Kick | Deliver a high kick to break the enemy’s stance | All melee weapons |
| Lifesteal Fist | Slow, controlled punch to render human-build enemies unconscious and steal their HP | Fists and claws |
| Lightning Ashes of War | Deliver lightning attacks with your sword | Colossal swords |
| Lightning Ram | Tumble forwards clad in lightning | All melee weapons |
| Lightning Slash | Deliver explosive attacks | Swords, axes, and hammers |
| Lion’s Claw | Jump forward and quickly strike enemies |
Swords, axes, and hammers, except small weapons and thrusting swords
|
| Loretta’s Slash | Infuse the blade with glintstone, and deliver a sweeping slash | Polearms and twinblades |
| Mighty Shot | Deliver strong archery strikes to penetrate the enemy’s guard | Light bows and longbows |
| No Skill | Use the skill of the other weapon | Shields and torches |
| None | Empty Ashes of War, Smithing Master Hewg can use it to recreate other ashes | N/A |
| Parry Skill | Deflect enemy melee attack and break their stance |
Daggers, curved swords, thrusting swords, fists, claws, small and medium shields
|
| Poisonous Mist | Coat your weapon in poison, and spread toxic mist | Melee weapons, except whips, fists, and claws |
| Prayerful Strike | Restore HP to self and nearby allies | Axes and hammers |
| Quickstep | Circle around lock-on targets | All melee weapons |
| Repeating Thrust | Twist to build power, and unleash a flurry of thrusts | All thrusting armaments except colossal weapons |
| Sacred Blade | Infuses holy essence and fires off golden blade projectiles | All melee weapons |
| Sacred Order | Infuse weapon with holy essence | All melee weapons |
| Sacred Ring of Light | Create a sacred ring of light and then fire it forward | Polearms, except great spears |
| Seppuku | Stain weapon with your own blood to increase blood loss on enemies |
Swords and thrusting-capable polearms, except small and colossal weapons
|
| Spinning Slash | Spin your body delivering a powerful attack | Swords, axes, and polearms, except colossal weapons |
| Spinning Weapon | Bring the weapon to mid-air, make it spin, and deliver successive attacks |
Small and medium swords, axes, hammers, polearms, staves, except great spears
|
| Square Off | Slash upwards through the enemy’s guard or perform a running thrust | Straight swords |
| Stamp (Sweep) | Get into a low stance and then deliver a strong sweeping strike | Big swords, axes, and hammers |
| Stamp (Upward Cut) | Get into a low stance and then deliver an upward strike | Big swords, axes, and hammers |
| Storm Assault | Deliver fast and powerful blows | Swords |
| Storm Blade | Wrap your weapon in a stormy blade and fire it successively | All standard slashing weapons |
| Storm Stomp | Stomp on the ground to create a temporary storm | All melee weapons |
| Storm Wall | Swing your shield to create a wall of storm winds and deflect arrows and projectiles | Small and medium shields |
| Sword Dance | Spin upward slashes combined with a final downward slash |
Swords, axes, and polearms capable of slashing, except colossal weapons and great spears
|
| Thops’s Barrier | Create a forcefield with your shield to deflect sorceries and incantations | Small and medium shields |
| Thunderbolt | Call down a bolt of lightning | All melee weapons |
| Unsheathe | Perform a swift slash attack | Katana |
| Vow of the Indomitable | Use a shield to infuse yourself with golden power and gain momentary invincibility | Shields |
| War Cry | Give a war cry, increase attack power |
Melee weapons except daggers, thrusting swords, and whips
|
| Wild Strikes | Swing weapons and deliver strong attacks | Axes and Hammers |
And now you know.
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Updated in November 2023 to include new info and more details.