In this guide, we’ll break down the best spells in Elden Ring, covering both sorceries and incantations, and then provide a full list of every spell and details on where to find them. Be warned that the information below does cover where to find certain spells, so there may be brief spoilers for endgame areas and events. If you want to find any of the areas, NPCs, or enemies that we mention, take a look at our full Elden Ring walkthrough, Elden Ring side quest guide, and all Elden Ring boss locations.
Elden Ring best sorcery spells
Sorceries are the type of spells used by the Academy of Raya Lucaria. They predominantly scale with Intelligence and require a staff to cast. Below, you can find the best sorcery spells in Elden Ring.
Adula’s Moonblade
Attribute requirement: 32 Intelligence FP cost: 26
While it isn’t as cheap as Carian Slicer, making it less effective for consistent use, Adula’s Moonblade is a phenomenal spell for tough enemies and bosses that you encounter in the late-game. It deals lots of damage with each melee hit and also fires out a ranged arc of magic damage to enemies that are further away. Most importantly, Adula’s Moonblade also inflicts frostbite with each hit, which deals a massive chunk of damage to the enemy and makes them weaker to further strikes. To find Adula’s Moonblade, you must progress through Ranni’s sidequest until you reach the southwestern cliffs in Liurnia (above the Village of the Albinaurics) known as the Moonlight Altar. Once there, go to the Cathedral of Manus Celes, where you will find Glintstone Dragon Adula, a boss that you previously fought behind Caria Manor. Kill Adula to gain the Adula’s Moonblade spell.
Ranni’s Dark Moon
Attribute requirement: 68 Intelligence FP cost: 62
Ranni’s questline has many rewards, but the Ranni’s Dark Moon spell is one of the best. When cast, it summons a large, dark moon that has multiple effects. It deals huge amounts of magic damage to enemies, while also inflicting the frostbite effect. On top of that, it also reduces their magic damage negation, making enemies weaker to subsequent spells, and cancels any other spells in its path. To get Ranni’s Dark Moon, head to Chelona’s Rise in the Moonlight Altar and complete the puzzle to unseal the entrance. This tasks you with slaying three giant spectral turtles scattered across the Moonlight Altar plateau. Once complete, you can head inside and grab the Ranni’s Dark Moon spell.
Carian Slicer
Attribute requirement: 14 Intelligence FP cost: 4
Carian Slicer is a sorcery that you get much earlier in your adventure, but it is no less valuable than the other spells mentioned so far. Carian Slicer allows you to slash forwards with a magical sword. If used in quick succession, it will strike multiple times in a melee combo. This allows you to correct one of the biggest issues with magic builds, as it makes you much more competent in close-quarters situations. If you’re surrounded by enemies or can’t quite land a ranged attack, Carian Slicer should make short work of most foes. You can buy Carian Slicer from Sellen in the Waypoint Ruins after giving her the Royal House Scroll, which you’ll find South of Agheel Lake South. When you have the scroll, take it back to Sellen and hand it over to unlock the Carian Slicer spell, and then buy it for 1500 Runes.
Rock Sling
Attribute requirement: 18 Intelligence FP cost: 18
Rock Sling is another early spell that absolutely dominates the Elden Ring meta. Rock Sling is a gravity spell that throws 3 boulders towards the targeted enemy, dealing lots of strike damage. However, the best part about Rock Sling is its ability to easily stagger enemies. Cast Rock Sling a few times and it should stagger even the most powerful bosses, giving you chance to follow up with other spells without needing to dodge attacks or avoid damage. This also makes Rock Sling a great option for melee/mage hybrid characters, as you can easily stagger enemies and then perform a visceral attack. Rock Sling is found in the northwest of Aeonia Swamp in Caelid, near where you can find the Meteorite Staff. Within the Street of Sages Ruins, you will find a staircase that leads down to a small underground basement. Here, you will find a chest that contains Rock Sling.
Comet Azur
Attribute requirement: 60 Intelligence FP cost: 40
Comet Azur essentially became the stuff of legends when Elden Ring launched, as it allowed players to effortlessly breeze through most bosses. It unleashes a beam of glintstone energy that deals a massive amount of magic damage. Despite recent nerfs, it is still incredibly powerful and one of the best spells in Elden Ring. That’s mainly thanks to the way it combines with the Hidden Cerulean Tear, which you can use in the Flask of Wondrous Physick to temporarily cancel any FP costs for spells. This makes Comet Azur free to cast for a short period of time, allowing you to rip through bosses without even needing to drink an FP potion. To get Comet Azur, you must travel to Mt. Gelmir in the northwest of the Altus Plateau. Follow Seethewater River towards Ft Laidd and then head through the nearby soldier camps. You will find a pool of lava in which you can fight a Magma Wyrm boss. After defeating this enemy, head past the lava and follow the path along until you reach another boss, named Demi-Human Queen Maggie. Kill them and then head over to the crystallised sorcerer in the boss arena. Interact with their body to get the Comet Azur spell.
Elden Ring best incantation spells
Incantations are more varied than sorceries, with some allowing you to apply buffs or debuffs instead of regular damage. Incantations usually scale with Faith and require a seal to cast. Below, we’ll list the best incantation spells in Elden Ring.
Unendurable Frenzy
Attribute requirement: 31 Faith FP cost: 42
Unendurable Frenzy is the key incantation that we mention in our Elden Ring mech build. This is a more powerful version of Flame of Frenzy, allowing you to blast fire out of your eyes as you move towards enemies. Like Comet Azur, Unendurable Frenzy becomes unquestionably overpowered when paired with the Hidden Cerulean Tear. As you stomp towards enemies and spew flames from your eyes without even spending a point of FP, you’re sure to be the most powerful being in the Lands Between. You will find Unendurable Frenzy in the Yelough Anix Ruins, located in the southwest of the Consecrated Snowfield. Head down the stairs in the ruins to find a cellar with a treasure chest that contains the Unendurable Frenzy incantation.
Golden Vow
Attribute requirement: 25 Faith FP cost: 47
Golden Vow is the most important buff incantation, making it one of the best spells in Elden Ring. It increases the attack and defense stats of yourself and any allies, so you can team up with friends and use this to make short work of Elden Ring’s most fearsome bosses. Golden Vow applies the buff immediately when cast, meaning you don’t need to stand in a certain area to receive the effects of this spell. To get Golden Vow, you must head to the Corpse-Stench Shack in the northeast of Mt. Gelmir. You will find the spell on the corpse inside, but be careful as you approach, as a hostile NPC named Anastasia, Tarnished Eater will invade your world and attack.
Ekzykes’s Decay
Attribute requirement: 23 Faith, 15 Arcane FP cost: 48
Ekzykes’s Decay is one of our favourite Elden Ring spells, featuring heavily in our Elden Ring Faith build. It allows you to unleash a poisonous cloud that inflicts the scarlet rot effect on any nearby enemies, dealing lots of damage over time. Since this effect lasts for a while, you can use Ekzykes’s Decay and then spend most of the fight avoiding attacks and blocking damage while enemies slowly whittle away and die. While there are many incantations that inflict enemies with scarlet rot, we think Ekzykes’s Decay is the best thanks to its range. You can use this to spew scarlet rot over a group of enemies while standing at a safe distance, which isn’t possible with most other rot incantations, such as Scarlet Aeonia, which is the reward for defeating Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Ekzykes’s Decay is an incantation that you purchase from the Cathedral of Dragon Communion in Caelid, but you must defeat the Decaying Ekzykes boss first. This is a dragon that you’ll encounter on the main path that leads through this region, in the area known as Caelid Highway South.
Swarm of Flies
Attribute requirement: 11 Faith, 16 Arcane FP cost: 14
Bleed is one of the best status effects in Elden Ring and the Swarm of Flies spell allows you to easily incorporate it into any Faith build. While it might not be as strong as our Elden Ring bleed build, Swarm of Flies is an incredible spell that you should use. It sends out a flurry of bloodthirsty flies that feed on enemies, dealing plenty of damage and building up that bleed effect. To get Swarm of Flies, you must head to Mohgwyn Palace. This is where you find Mohg, Lord of Blood, but you won’t need to defeat that boss for this. Instead, simply head to the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace and head down into the swamp of blood. Look for a cave on the East side of this blood swamp and loot the corpse inside to get the Swarm of Flies spell.
Black Blade
Attribute requirement: 46 Faith FP cost: 26
Malekith, the Black Blade is a tough late-game boss that you’ll encounter in Elden Ring, but defeating him grants you a powerful reward. Take the Rememberance of the Black Blade to Enia in the Roundtable Hold to get the Black Blade incantation. When cast, your character will leap forward and slash with a blade, dealing melee damage and sending out a wave of light that will damage enemies in the distance. Black Blade is an excellent melee option for purely Faith-based spellcasters, but its ability to drain enemy health for a short amount of time after each hit makes it exceptional. With the Black Blade incantation, you can keep pressure on the enemy and keep damaging them between hits. It also lowers the maximum health of enemies, which prevents opponents from healing back to full health.
All Elden Ring spells: a full list of every spell in Elden Ring
There are lots of other spells available in Elden Ring that you might want to try. Below, we’ll list every Elden Ring spell, their requirements and FP cost, and brief details on where to get them. That covers the best spells in Elden Ring and every spell that you can get in the game. If you want to use these spells, we recommend using our Elden Ring memory stone locations guide to unlock more spell splots. To upgrade your character further, take a look at our Elden Ring Sacred Tears and Golden Seeds guides. If you want to try out other Elden Ring builds, make sure you know how to respec in Elden Ring.
