Here are the best Elden Ring spells (and how to find them)

Who needs weapons when you have spells?

While melee combat has always been the most common way that players approach FromSoftware's fantasy RPGs, magic spells have always been very powerful as well. This hasn't changed in Elden Ring. Whether you're bombarding enemies with powerful sorceries or using incantations to crowd control a horde of foes, magic in Elden Ring is arguably better than it has ever been. One of the primary reasons for this is because the game has a huge variety of powerful and effective spells for you to discover, unlock, or purchase from vendors.

We've searched every nook and cranny of the Lands Between to find powerful spells for our mage characters here, and after testing them all out extensively, we've put together a definitive tier list of sorceries and incantations that highlights what the best spells in the game are. Additionally, we'll also go over what each spell does in-depth and where (or how) you can obtain them.

Jump to:

• Tier lists
• Best sorceries
• Best incantations

Elden Ring: Best spells tier lists

While most spells in Elden Ring are effective in the right situation, there are several spells that are, for the most part, better than others. These spells typically have a more efficient damage per Focus Point (FP) ratio, are easier to land, or are harder to dodge in PvP scenarios. Since there are two different schools of magic in Elden Ring — sorceries and incantations— we've put together individual tier lists of the spells available for each type of magic.

Note that just because a spell is ranked lower on the tier lists than others doesn't mean that spell is worthless. It just means that it's more difficult to use or uses more FP than more efficient alternatives.

Here's our tier list for the best sorceries in Elden Ring:

And here's our tier list for all of the best incantations in Elden Ring:

Elden Ring best sorceries: Locations and requirements

Below you'll find a list of what we think are the top five sorcery spells in Elden Ring, as well as where you can find them and what their stat requirements are.

Glintstone Pebble

• Stat requirements: INT 14
• FP cost: 7

Believe it or not, the spell that the sorcery-focused Astrologer class begins with is also one of the best sorceries in the entire game. Glintstone Pebble isn't as flashy as most other spells in the game, but its ridiculously low FP cost coupled with its surprisingly high damage makes it a fantastic spell throughout the entirety of a playthrough. The tracking isn't as good as other spells and its easy for players to dodge in PvP, but since you can spam it constantly without even using up a ton of your FP, these drawbacks are worth dealing with.

If you didn't start as an Astrologer, you can buy Glintstone Pebble from Sorceress Sellen at the Waypoint Ruins in central Limgrave, east of Agheel Lake. The spell costs 1,000 runes.

Magic Glintblade

• Stat requirements: INT 14
• FP cost: 12

When facing off against enemies that dodge standard magic spells like Glintstone Pebble, Magic Glintblade will prove itself as one of Elden Ring's best spells. When used, it slowly creates a magic sword projectile that then launches itself at enemies you're targeting. Enemies are coded to dodge as soon as they see you casting, so they'll dodge before the projectile forms. The projectile will then shoot at them and hit them. This, paired with the spell's low FP cost and strong damage, makes it a superb spell to keep on hand. It's good in PvP, too, as the delayed timing makes avoiding the spell tricky.

The Prisoner class starts off with the Magic Glintblade spell, but if you started the game with a different class, you can buy it from Miriel, Pastor of Vows at the Church of Vows in northeastern Liurnia of the Lakes. The spell costs 3,000 runes.

Carian Slicer

• Stat requirements: INT 14
• FP cost: 4

There are many different melee sorceries in Elden Ring, but the best of them is Carian Slicer. With a crazy low FP cost, good damage, and a fast casting speed, the Carian Slicer is a balanced, powerful spell that you can use to shred enemies to pieces. It doesn't have the greatest range compared to spells like Carian Greatsword or Carian Slicer, but it makes up for that with high DPS.

To get Carian Slicer, you'll need to get the Royal House Scroll from a corpse near one of the large structures in southern Limgrave. You can then take the scroll to Sorceress Sellen in the Waypoint Ruins and buy Carian Slicer from her for 1,500 runes.

Rock Sling

• Stat requirements: INT 18
• FP cost: 18

Rock Sling is one of the few sorceries in Elden Ring that deals physical damage. It allows you to use gravity magic to send three large boulders flying at opponents, doing solid damage to health and a ton of damage to enemy and boss stances. This often results in frequent "staggers" and stance breaks, allowing you or an ally to land a devastating critical riposte with a melee weapon. The boulders are tough to dodge, too, making this spell a good choice in PvP.

To get Rock Sling, head to the northern part of the Street of Sages Ruins in central Caelid. You'll find the spell in a chest within an underground cellar there, surrounded by poison mages. Make sure you also get the Meteorite Staff nearby, as it's Elden Ring's best early and mid-game staff for sorcerers.

Comet Azur

• Stat requirements: INT 60
• FP cost: 40

One of the best sorceries to use in the late game is Comet Azur, which you can use to assail enemies with a massive magic energy beam that does super high health and stance damage. This spell can often stagger most enemies and bosses with ease, and it's pretty good in PvP, especially if your opponent doesn't see it coming.

To get Comet Azur, you'll need to go to the Hermit Village in eastern Mt. Gelmir and then head north, past the Demi-Human Queen miniboss. There, you'll find the Primeval Sorcerer Azur Site of Grace with Azur's corpse, and the spell, nearby.

Terra Magicus

• Stat requirements: INT 20
• FP cost: 20

Terra Magicus is one of Elden Ring's most unique spells, as it allows you to create a zone on the ground that boosts the power of all allied sorceries by 35% for 30 seconds. The zone is static, so it's difficult to use when fighting enemies or players that force you to stay mobile. However, in boss fights or in PvP situations where you're able to attack opponents from afar with your magic, the buff provided by Terra Magicus can make your already powerful spells even more lethal.

To get Terra Magicus, you'll need to enter and complete the Academy Crystal Cave dungeon, which is found just west of the Raya Lucaria Academy. At the end of the cave there will be an elevator that takes you to a tower in the Raya Lucaria Academy, and you'll find the Terra Magicus spell at the top of that tower.

Cannon of Haima

• Stat requirements: INT 25
• FP cost: 45

Cannon of Haima is one of the best sorceries in Elden Ring if you want to take down a clump of enemies, and it's also incredibly effective in PvP against grouped up players. It essentially allows you to fire a large magical mortar towards your target, dealing huge area-of-effect damage to anyone caught in its blast radius. It also does strong damage to many of the bosses in Elden Ring, though we recommend summoning one of the best Elden Ring Spirit Ashes beforehand so they can distract the boss while you bombard it with this spell.

To get the Cannon of Haima spell, you'll need to travel to the Converted Fringe Tower in northeastern Liurnia of the Lakes. Once there, you'll need to solve the puzzle in the tower by performing the Erudition gesture while wearing a Glintstone Crown. This will spawn a grotesque "ball of faces" enemy; once you defeat it, go up the newly-unlocked elevator and open the chest to get the Cannon of Haima spell.

Elden Ring best incantations: Locations and requirements

Below are what we believe are the top five incantation spells in Elden Ring, including where and how you can obtain them and the stats you need to cast them.

Lightning Spear

• Stat requirements: FAI 17
• FP cost: 14

The classic Lightning Spear is back in Elden Ring, and it's more powerful than it ever was in the Dark Souls games. The thrown lightning spear does a ton of damage and has great range. While it's easy to dodge in PvP, most enemies generally won't avoid it and the low FP cost of the spell makes it very spammable. You can also choose to charge it up by holding down your casting button, improving the damage of the spell and making the spell's timing harder for enemy players to predict.

To get the Lightning Spear, kill the Leyndell Knight wandering around just south of the Artist's Shack in eastern Liurnia of the Lakes. You'll get a Dragoncult Prayerbook from him, which you can then take to Miriel, Pastor of Vows in the Church of Vows in northeastern Liurnia of the Lakes.

Beast Claw

• Stat requirements: FAI 8
• FP cost: 10

Beast Claw was nerfed in the full game after players discovered how overpowered it was in the Closed Network Test, but the spell is still one of the best offensive incantations in the game. When used, it sends out five magical claws in front of the caster that tear through the ground and send any enemy it connects with flying into the air, dealing strong damage. Not only is this spell tricky to avoid in PvP, but it's also an excellent tool for controlling large groups of mobs. It also does a ton of damage to bosses since they're typically very large, making it easy for all five of the magic claws to connect.

To get Beast Claw, you have to give Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman five Deathroot items within the Bestial Sanctum, located in northeastern Dragonbarrow. You can get Deathroot by killing Tibia Mariner minibosses throughout Elden Ring's open world. Note that Gurranq will go mad after you give him four Deathroot and attack you, so you'll need to beat him into submission by reducing his health to 80% before you can talk to him again, give him the fifth Deathroot, and obtain Beast Claw.

Erdtree Heal

• Stat requirements: FAI 42
• FP cost: 65

The best overall healing incantation in Elden Ring is Erdtree Heal, which is a massive area-of-effect heal that restores a huge amount of HP for both you and your allies for a sizable chunk of your FP. It's not the cheapest healing spell available, but since it can be difficult to get healing spells like this off in the middle of combat, you'll want to get the best healing possible when you do.

You can find Erdtree Heal near the Queen's Bedchamber Site of Grace in the southeastern part of Leyndell, Royal Capital once you've progressed the story past the Mountaintops of the Giants area.

Blessing's Boon

• Stat requirements: FAI 24
• FP cost: 23

Blessing's Boon is a powerful buff that allows you to give you and your allies auto-restoring HP for 90 seconds. It's not as potent as Blessing of the Erdtree, but it's also much more FP efficient, making it our preferred spell. This is a great support spell to cast before boss fights or PvP battles, as the passive health regeneration can help players save on healing flasks and survive attacks that may have killed them otherwise.

Blessing's Boon can be purchased from Miriel, Pastor of Vows at the Church of Vows in northeastern Liurnia of the Lakes. The spell costs 4,000 runes.

Frenzied Burst

• Stat requirements: FAI 22
• FP cost: 24

The best PvP incantation is Frenzied Burst, an incredibly strong laser beam attack that deals heavy damage and inflicts the Madness status effect. This status effect stunlocks enemies and deals a large chunk of damage to foes when built up, making it very powerful in both PvP and PvE. The laser beam itself is also hard to dodge due to how fast it travels, making it an excellent spell for killing players. You can charge it up for more damage and Madness buildup, too.

You can get the Frenzied Burst spell by killing a golden Teardrop Scarab located in northeastern Liurnia of the Lakes, just south of the Church of Inhibition.

Giantsflame Take Thee

• Stat requirements: FAI 30
• FP cost: 32

Giantsflame Take Thee is, more or less, the incantation version of the powerful Cannon of Haima sorcery. This incantation allows you to hurl a gigantic fireball at your enemies, which will then explode and deal huge area-of-effect fire damage once it impacts a surface. It's excellent for taking down large groups of foes, and it can be extremely effective in PvP whenever multiple enemy players are clumped up together. Note that you can throw it farther than usual by manually aiming up before casting, though it will be more difficult to line up targets this way.

To get the Giantsflame Take Thee spell, you have to travel to the Guardians' Garrison fort in the center of the Mountaintops of the Giants region and make your way to the top of it. There, you'll find a chest that contains the Giant's Prayerbook. Take this book to Miriel, Pastor of Vows in the Church of Vows in northeastern Liurnia of the Lakes, who will then sell Giantsflame Take Thee to you for 13,000 runes.

Rotten Breath

• Stat requirements: FAI 15, ARC 12
• FP cost: 36

The best dragon incantation in Elden Ring is Rotten Breath, which allows you to blanket a huge portion of the area in front of you with deadly Scarlet Rot clouds. Not only do these clouds deal direct damage to enemies or players that stay in them, but they also rapidly inflict the Scarlet Rot status effect that deals severe damage to enemies over time. It's very powerful against regular enemies and bosses alike, and it's also very strong in PvP since the Scarlet Rot gas is difficult to avoid.

You can get the Rotten Breath incantation by purchasing it at the dragon altar in the Cathedral of Dragon Communion, which is found in southeastern Dragonbarrow. You'll need one Dragon Heart to get the spell, which you can get by killing one of the many dragon bosses found in the Lands Between.

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Elden Ring ... oh, Elden Ring!

Elden Ring is FromSoftware's latest fantasy epic, featuring a focus on open-ended design in a universe created by both FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin.