Ashes of War in Elden Ring fundamentally shape how your weapon behaves in combat. Whether you’re building around dexterity, strength, or faith, the right Ash can make a modest blade into a powerhouse. The system also allows for mixing and matching affinities, so you’re rarely locked into one path. Here are ten of the most effective Ashes of War in the game and how best to wield them.
1. Bloodhound’s Step
Type: Keen
Best For: Fast-paced melee builds
Use: This Ash grants a near-instant dodge with absurd invincibility frames, making it invaluable for both PvP and boss fights. It allows players to close gaps quickly or retreat with near impunity. Best paired with light equipment for rapid repositioning.
2. Flaming Strike
Type: Fire
Best For: Quality or strength builds looking for elemental damage
Use: Buffs your weapon with fire and delivers a quick flame slash. It’s highly effective against enemies weak to fire and works well in both PvP and PvE. Ideal for aggressive sword-and-board users.
3. Glintblade Phalanx
Type: Magic
Best For: Intelligence-based melee hybrids
Use: Summons homing magical blades that pressure enemies while you close in for a strike. Effective on thrusting swords and rapiers. Creates space in PvP and can interrupt weaker foes.
4. Hoarfrost Stomp
Type: Cold
Best For: Area control
Use: Sends out a shockwave of frost across the ground, building Frostbite rapidly. While nerfed since launch, it remains useful in PvE for crowd control and staggering enemies from mid-range.
5. Flaming Strike
Type: Fire
Best For: Straight swords and curved swords
Use: Quickly adds a fire effect and follows up with a powerful slash. It’s one of the quickest buff-and-attack Ashes and works best when spammed in short, sharp encounters.
6. Seppuku
Type: Blood
Best For: Bleed builds
Use: Deals damage to the user in exchange for massively buffed bleed buildup. This is essential for arcane builds using weapons like Nagakiba or Rivers of Blood. Timing its reapplication mid-fight is key.
7. Thunderbolt
Type: Lightning
Best For: Faith and dexterity hybrids
Use: Launches lightning bolts at range with no wind-up, making it one of the best ranged Ashes for agile builds. It has solid stagger potential and decent damage for interrupting cast-heavy foes.
8. Loretta’s Slash
Type: Magic
Best For: Intelligence builds wielding polearms
Use: A sweeping magical strike that scales well with INT. Use it to maintain spacing while dealing magic damage from mid-range. Useful in areas where enemy density prevents safer spellcasting.
9. Giant Hunt
Type: Heavy
Best For: Greatswords and colossal weapons
Use: Launches a powerful upward thrust with huge stagger potential. Excellent for breaking enemy posture or punishing large foes with slow wind-ups. Best on strength-focused characters.
10. Quickstep
Type: Keen
Best For: Dagger builds or lightweight dexterity setups
Use: Offers nimble sidesteps that cancel recovery frames, allowing you to maintain pressure or disengage fluidly. It’s effective in PvP duels and boss fights where timing matters more than blocking.
How to Equip and Customise Ashes of War
To apply an Ash of War, visit a Site of Grace or speak with Smithing Master Hewg in Roundtable Hold. Some weapons come with fixed skills and cannot be modified unless duplicated with a Lost Ashes of War. Also remember, the Ash determines your weapon’s scaling and affinity if not overridden by another effect or seal. Think tactically about whether you need added elemental damage, improved scaling, or a specific status effect.
Closing Tip
Test your Ashes in low-risk areas before relying on them in boss encounters. The right Ash, properly used, can redefine your build and keep your combat fluid and reactive without forcing reliance on magic or summoning.
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