Elden Ring is the most accessible From Software game to date. Solo players must opt-in to invasions, mounted combat gives player unprecedented mobility, and spirit ashes allow players to call for backup whenever the need arises. If you've been on the fence about trying a Soulsborne title, Elden Ring is the perfect starting point.
Spirit ashes might be the strongest mechanic for solo players in the entire game, allowing you to summon ethereal allies during key sections of the game. These spirits can distract enemies, dish out a solid amount of damage, all while taking an immense amount of punishment. In this guide, we'll be going over what Spirit Ashes are, how to obtain and summon them, and we'll give you a few recommendations for some great early-game spirits.
This article contains minor spoilers for Elden Ring. Spoilers are nested into expandable sections for your convenience.
How To Use Spirits
Early on your journey, you'll obtain a Spirit Calling Bell that allows you to summon spirits. The spirits you summon are determined by which Spirit Ash you use. You can equip Spirit Ashes as you would any other consumable item in Elden Ring, but you can only have one type of spirit summoned at a time.
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HOW TO OBTAIN THE SPIRIT CALLING BELL |
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Once you've obtained Torrent, your trusty mount, head back to the Church of Elleh. A witch named Renna will ask you if you own a mount named Torrent. Say yes. She'll give you the Spirit Calling Bell and the Lone Wolf Ashes as a gift. Should you miss this encounter, you can purchase the bell from the Twin Maiden Husks in Roundtable Hold. Subsequent Spirit Ashes will need to be found in the open world.
While standing near a Rebirth Monument (denoted by a tombstone icon on the left-hand side of your HUD), you'll be able to summon one Spirit Ash for a hefty FP cost. Once summoned, your spirits will fight alongside you until they die, you perish, or you leave the nearby monument. You can have spirits and AI phantoms fight alongside you for boss fights. Once your spirits die, you'll be unable to resummon them at the same Rebirth Monument until you rest at a Shrine of Grace.
Spirits behave just like friendly phantoms. Buff effects and healing spells apply to your spirits as well.
Spirit Ash Restrictions
There are a few noteworthy restrictions when it comes to spirits:
- You cannot summon spirits while another player is in your world. This also applies if you're a phantom in another player's world.
- A Rebirth Monument must be nearby when you summon your spirits. If you walk away from the monument, the spirits will despawn.
- You can only have one group of spirits active at any given moment.
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Sufficient FP is needed to summon them.
- This seems strange to note, but later Spirit Ashes require more FP than most classes start with.
- Increase your Mind attribute to summon stronger spirits.
Spirit Ashes
There are many Spirit Ashes you will obtain during your journey through the Lands Between. Most of the spirits you'll find will come from optional dungeons, although a few can be found by progressing the main quest. Should you find a Spirit Ash you particularly like, there's an NPC who can upgrade your spirits in Roundtable Hold—a hub area that unlocks fairly early within your playthrough.
We haven't found every Spirit Ash as of writing this article, but there is no shortage of spirits for you to choose from. We'll list a few notable Spirit Ashes below.
The table below contains early-game spoilers.
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GREAT EARLY-GAME SPIRITS |
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Spirit Ash |
Details |
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Lone Wolf Ashes |
Effect: Summons three lone spirit wolves. |
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Cost: 55 FP |
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Location: Given by Renna the Witch |
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Godrick Knights |
Effect: Summons two Gordick soldier spirits. |
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Cost: 54 FP |
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Location: West Limgrave graveyard |
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Marionette Soldier Ashes |
Effect: Summons two marionette soldier spirits. |
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Cost: 67 FP |
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Location: Academy of Ray Lucaria |