This best elden ring dlc spells give your build a gigantic step forward and add up-to-date ways to play, but not all of Shadow of the Erdtree’s spells are worth respecing. A handful of spells and sorceries have a lot more to offer than the likes of Crucible: Bloom or whatever the hell a finger shield spell is supposed to do, although some of them are also harder to find.
Our List of the best spells in the Elden Ring DLC shows you the most critical spells and enchantments in Shadow of the Erdtree, including where to find them and what stats you need to get started.
Elden Ring DLC: Best Spells
It’s safe and sound to say that Elden Ring’s spells had their best moment in the base game, as FromSoft added a few up-to-date spells and some of rather questionable value. There are still a few worth building, including one that makes the final boss a much easier challenge.
Impenetrable thorns
Impenetrable thorns is one of the most broken spells in Shadow of the Erdtree, so much so that we even created an entire Impenetrable Thorns build. Like other thorn spells, this one scales on faith and uses a portion of your HP to summon thorns. Unlike the other two thorn spells, Impenetrable Thorns actually targets an enemy or fans out if you don’t block the target. It deals multiple damage and builds up blood loss quickly. Most enemies are susceptible to hemorrhaging in Shadow of the Erdtree, even the final boss, so it’s a great spell to have on hand even if you’re not using a hemorrhage build.
Impenetrable thorns are on body near the top of Shadow KeepGo down the stairs from Messmer’s chamber, drop down to the balcony below, where a bat is sitting on the ledge and behind you, against the wall, you’ll see a corpse.
Fleeting microcosm
Fleeting Microcosm throws a ball of energy at a target that stops for a second and then explodes for two damage. The aiming and placement of the ball can be a bit finicky, but that’s less of an issue if you’re dealing with mobs. You can also cast Gravity Well or Gravitational Missile to keep targets in place before using this, although the setup time is a bit long.
Count Ymir sells you the Fleeting Microcosm after you complete the task.
Stone Blades
Blade of Stones summons multiple pointed rocks from the ground in a circle and deals several instances of high damage with a high chance to stun the target per second. Combine with Meteorite Staff for best results.
The Stone Edge comes from In Memory of Commander Gaius. Gaius is located behind Shadow Keep, so to get through the church district of the keep and exit through the back entrance, you’ll need the Prayer Room Key.
A mass of rot
- Intelligence: 28
- Faith: 22
Mass of Putrescence throws a giant ball of slime at the enemy that explodes and sets the ground on fire. The initial ball of slime deals decent damage and is especially helpful against vast enemies. The flame effect is a bit weaker, but is useful for catching groups of enemies.
The mass of rot is hidden in Stone coffin slotnorth of the Fissure Waypoint Site of Grace.
Rings of Spectral Light
- Intelligence: 24
- Faith: 18
Rings of Spectral Light is modestly one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s best spells. It builds up the enemy’s Frostbite meter and usually triggers it after a few hits – more if they have high resistance – and while it takes a bit longer than Glintstone Icecrag, it has two major advantages over Glintstone. It can be charged, and Spectral Light’s range is much longer. It also tracks enemies quite aggressively, which works well with the longer range of the spell.
Spectral Light Rings are located nearby a giant tombstone protected by the Grave Birds in the Charo’s Hidden Grave locationbefore you reach the Death Ritual Bird.
Glintstone Nails
Glintstone Nails doesn’t do as much damage as you’d expect from throwing a bunch of pointed objects at high speed, but it does have a fairly quick throw animation. Repeated hits will break the posture of even the toughest enemies, so as long as you have some distance between yourself and the target or someone to watch you as you throw, it’s an effortless way to quickly take down tough enemies.
You can buy it here Manus Metyr Cathedral after completing one part of Count Ymir’s quest.
The Twin Moons of Rellana
Intelligence: 72
This one does what it says on the label and gives you Rellana’s ultimate spell. The downside is that it has drastically reduced range compared to the version she uses against you in the boss fight with Rellana, so you have to be pretty close to the target for it to work well. Three hits do take a fair chunk of HP out of each enemy’s health bar, though, so it’s worth the risk.
You will need Trade in Rellana’s Memory to get the Twin Moons spell. Make sure you run it with Carian Regal Scepter, because this staff has excellent spell scaling AND increases the power of full moon spells.
Elden Ring DLC: Best Spells
FromSoftware has definitely prioritized Elden Ring spells in Shadow of the Erdtree, likely due to thematic reasons, so you’re not compact of choices. Here are our favorites, though.
Spirit Flame Breath
Ghostflame Breath is one of the better Dragon Incantations thanks to its multiple hits and quick cast time. It spits out a ghostflame from a summoned dragon’s head, and the breath attack deals damage at least twice, depending on the target’s position relative to you, and almost certainly deals Frostbite if the enemy is tender to it. The damage is pretty high anyway, so the combination of these two things makes it one of the more powerful spells on our list.
The Spirit Flame Breath comes from The Great Altar of the Dragon Communion outside the Dragon’s Den and costs three Dragon Hearts.
Golden Arches
Golden Arcs throw three arcs of golden lightweight at a single target, which sounds pretty basic, but deals a surprising amount of damage. They also tend to stun enemies and interrupt their attacks, assuming they’re not heavily armored, so it’s a solid option to have around to keep mobs under control. It may not have the area-of-effect range of the Giant Golden Arc, but it casts faster and ultimately deals more damage.
Golden Arcs is in building at the foot of the Moorth ruins.
Messmer’s Ball
Messmer’s Orb lets you perform the Messmer’s opening attack. You generate a fireball, fly forward, and hit the ground with an explosion, then the orb explodes and deals damage in a larger area. The wide area of effect and the fact that the initial attack doesn’t even have to land next to an enemy for the explosion to damage them make up for the tardy cast time of the spell.
You can exchange Messmer’s Memories for this spell.
Fire Serpent
Fire Serpent is a less flashy but still effective spell that tracks enemies and deals a lot of damage. It’s the same spell that the Fire Knights and shadows in Shadow Keep operate against you at every turn. Its range is a bit compact, but it’s much more effective than the base game’s Fire Incantations.
The Fire Serpent is on corpse on the balcony on the lower levels of the Specimen Storage.
Spears against pests
Pest-Thread Spears finally lets you operate those rot spears on your enemies, and they work just as effectively. After a quick throwing animation, you send sticky spears—just don’t think about it—flying into your enemies. The range is exceptional, the damage scaling is high, and the enemies’ HP bars melt away.
Pest-Thread Spears are in caves of decay under the church of Bud in the ruins of Rauh.
Knight’s Lightning Spear
Knight’s Lightning Spear has a gigantic advantage over the base game’s Lightning Spear, as it throws multiple bolts at a target – and with speed. The damage scaling is high, and if the target dodges the main bolt, they’ll likely get hit by follow-up attacks, making it great for PvP and against bosses. Just remember that you have to be facing the target you want to hit for the follow-up bolts to work. Otherwise, they’ll just fly off in the direction you’re facing.
The Knight’s Lightning Spear is in Scorpion River Catacombs.
Midra’s Flame of Rage
Midra’s Flame of Frenzy is the only good Frenzy spell. It basically just sends out bolts of frenzied flame in random patterns, but since the area of effect is quite petite, you’re almost guaranteed to hit your target – especially if the target is vast. It builds your frenzy meter, so make sure you have a lot of focus, but it also deals a lot of fire damage and uses a few frenzy-specific gear.
You can obtain it by trading Memories of Midra after getting through the Abyssal Forest and defeating him.
Multi-layer ring of lightweight
The Multi-Layered Ring of Light is a gigantic step up from the basic Discus of Light. It casts a vast, well, multi-layered ring of lightweight that stays in place for a few seconds and deals repeated damage. Smaller and lower-balanced enemies get trapped, you can throw multiple discs at once, and the range is fantastic. This one is vital for any Faith build.
Multi-layer ring of lightweight Dropped by Misbegotten Crusader in Stone Coffin Fissure.
If you need more aid, check out our Hornsent, Redmane Freyja, and Ansbach quest guides to make sure you don’t miss anything.
