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Elden Ring boasts a ton of utility items. Items ranging from Spirit Ashes to craftable materials help turn the tide of the battle. Spirit Ashes are an item unique to Elden Ring that can be found all throughout the Lands Between. These items summon the corresponding spirit that is attached to them.
The spirits that are summoned can be extremely useful as a distraction or a straight-up damage-dealing machine. These items are reusable but can only be used in certain parts of the map.
There are a lot of Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring. They are tied heavily into the lore of the game and have incredibly useful utility. Players are encouraged to try out all the different Spirit Ashes in the game, which can range from being hilariously useless or having tremendous potential to go along with a build.
This list takes a look at the strongest Spirit Ashes in the game that can be useful for any build.
5 powerful and dynamic Spirit Ashes that are useful for any build
1) Radahn Soldier Ashes
The lands of Caelid lie east of Limgrave. The region was the sight of the most brutal war the Shattering had seen. It was here that the two Demigods, Malenia and Radahn, fought to a standstill.
The land is now blighted with Scarlet Rot and threatens to engulf everything around. The remains of Radahn’s army attempt to burn the Scarlet Rot away and this can be seen all around Caelid as Redmane Knights and Radahn Soldiers use fire to battle the Scarlet Rot.
Radahn Soldier Ashes can be found after defeating Starscourge Radahn and unlocking the corresponding grace site. The ashes can be found inside the War-Dead Catacombs, which is a challenging dungeon.
The Radahn Soldier Ashes summons two Radahn Soldiers and each wields a long sword paired with a torch and the other wields a greatsword. The summons have a relatively low cost and they are one of the most aggressive summons in the game.
The Radahn Soldier Ashes are incredibly useful throughout all sections of the game. They can inflict fire damage and can easily handle a mob of enemies. They are susceptible to being stagger locked and can easily be stance-broken. This does not make them too viable against bosses and thus should be utilized when fighting lesser enemies.
2) Greatshield Soldier Ashes
The city of Nokron, along with its inhabitants, were exiled away from the Lands Between and could be found deep below the ground. They angered the Greater Will and were subsequently attacked by a cosmic being that stole away the sky.
Nokron is now but a husk of its former self. Corpses litter the streets and they are also packed with Mimics who mindlessly kill any who trespass. Some of the other defenders that the players can find in these lands are a faction of the Fallen Hawk Soldiers.
The Greatshield Soldiers are members of the Fallen Hawk Soldiers who specialize in cornering their opponents and overwhelming them with numbers. Their name comes from their iconic greatshield that they use to surround opponents. The soldiers are available for summoning and their Spirit Ashes can be found within Nokron.
When used, the Greatshield Soldier Ashes summon fives soldiers who use their giant shields to push opponents back. They are primarily a defensive summon as they can effectively lock in single foes and can defend against physical attacks extremely well.
They sometimes lob pots of Ghostflame at the target inflicting frost damage and are an excellent defensive summon that is very useful against lone enemies.
3) Vulgar Militia Ashes
The Lands Between can be a brutal place for both big and small creatures. The smallest of the lot are especially despised and have formed their own militia to prove their mettle.
The Vulgar Militia is one such documented group of beings that are small, nimble, and can overpower players with their number and trickery. They utilize smokebombs and bestial incantations to catch their target off guard. They can be rather annoying foes when encountered and players are advised not to take them lightly.
The Vulgar Militia can be summoned as Spirit Ashes which are found in the Auriza Hero’s Grave. This dungeon is challenging to get through and requires the utmost patience from players.
The Vulgar Militia Ashes summon three militiamen who wield long serrated hatchets which deal Blood Loss to enemies. The summons are incredibly good at landing powerful hits on targets. They can also use the Beast Claw incantation which is useful for stopping fast foes in their tracks.
The Vulgar Militia Spirit Ashes are best used against enemies that are susceptible to being staggered. They can lack speed and coordination amongst themselves but can effectively tackle mobs easily. The summons don’t cost much and are viable in almost all situations.
4) Cleanrot Knight Finlay Ashes
Malenia is an Empreyan of great power and potential. Her status as an Empreyan means that she is a suitable vessel for an Outer God much like her brother and mother. The Outer God that has chosen Malenia is the Scarlet Rot, which is extremely volatile in nature.
It immediately destroys almost anything that it touches and Malenia is susceptible to losing herself completely to the call of the Scarlet Rot. It is so powerful that when Malenia bloomed in Caelid, it completely wiped out the region and completely destroyed Radahn, who now remains a former husk of himself.
After Malenia bloomed, she went into a deep coma and was vulnerable to threats around her. She was carried back to the Haligtree by one of her dedicated Cleanrot Knights, Finlay, who battled all manner of foes to safely transport Malenia back to the Roots of the Haligtree. Cleanrot Knights are rumored to be all-female, but this has not been confirmed by FromSoftware’s lore.
Cleanrot Knight Finlay is a highly powerful Spirit Ash summon that can decimate most bosses alone. She is armed with the trademark Halo Scythe and a thrusting sword that pairs extremely well together.
She can use range attacks that can stagger most foes and her melee attacks are extremely powerful. Her ashes can be found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, and she is easily one of the more popular Spirit Ashes in the game.
5) Black Knife Tiche Ashes
The Black Knives are a faction of all-female assassins that have been made famous for their actions in the Night of the Black Knives. This is the most integral event in the game’s lore and everything that has transpired since then has been tied to what happened on that fateful night.
The Black Knives used a piece of the Rune of Death and with it killed Godwyn. He was the first of the Demigods to die and this sent the entirety of the Lands Between into turmoil.
The Elden Ring was shattered soon after his death and the Black Knife Assassins were largely blamed for the incident. One of their leaders is found in an Evergaol and this is where the player will acquire the Black Knife Tiche Ashes as well.
This Spirit Ash is easily the strongest summon in the game. When used, it summons the spirit of Tiche, a Black Knife Assassin responsible for directly killing Godwyn. Her god-slaying prowess has not dulled in the slightest as she can solo endgame bosses quite easily. Her blade cuts at the lifeforce of targets as it also saps away health every second.
Black Knife Tiche is responsible for getting many players across the finish line and she deserves the title of Elden Lord more than any other Tarnished.
Note: This article reflects the author's views.
