Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree - Best New Sorceries, Ranked (2024)

FromSoftware's acclaimed Souls series is well-known for its wealth of possible character builds, and a mainstay of the series has always been the spell-slinging wizard. Based on the Intelligence stat, these wielders of devastating ethereal power have often been powerful to the point of broken - one need only look at the Dark Bead spell from the original Dark Souls or the infamous "pushed" Talisman of Beasts setup in Demon's Souls to confirm this.

Even Elden Ring's base game includes spells like Comet Azur that can drain a boss' health bar in seconds with the right combination of stats, gear, and prep. Well, adherents of the glintstone arts and seekers of the Primeval Current continue to eat well in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which features a lot of interesting new spells to study. That said, some of the new Sorceries in Shadow of the Erdtree are arguably better than others.

6 Miriam's Vanishing

Disappear And Teleport Away To Fool The Enemy

• Requires 26 Intelligence to cast.
• Purchased from Count Ymir at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.

For the mischievous magician who values classic misdirection, Miriam's Vanishing is sure to pique any conjurer's interest. Part of the Carian school of sorceries, casting this on oneself causes the Tarnished to disappear briefly in a haze of glintstone and materialize a short distance away, determined by the direction they're facing. It's a useful trick for certain situations that any mage can keep in their back pocket.

It's fairly similar to both the Ash of War: Raptor of the Mists and the Unseen Form spells from the base game, with the added benefit of a short-range teleport. It's great for throwing an enemy off and potentially has some very interesting applications in PVP. Miriam's Vanishing requires 26 Intelligence to cast and can be purchased from Count Ymir at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.

5 Mantle Of Thorns

Invoke Spectral Thorns To Add Damage To Dodge Rolls

• Requires 20 Faith to cast.
• Obtained after defeating the Lesser Ulcerated Spirit in the Shadow Keep.

If the two thorn-based spells from the base game felt a little lackluster, then the Mantle of Thorns Sorcery is something of a redemption arc for the Aberrant school of magic. It covers the Tarnished in a thick coating of twisted thorns that adds damage to their dodge rolls and causes the bleed status effect to build up on enemies. It's basically a pocket version of the Briar Set set that Intelligence builds can pull out for an extra attack that's surprisingly good at staggering opponents.

Inventive players can even use this Sorcery with the Briar set along with an altered dodge like Bloodhound Step or the Ash of War: Lightning Ram for a very different type of build. And since it's classed as a unique buff, players are able to stack it with spells like Golden Vow for even more damage. Mantle of Thorns requires 20 Faith to cast, costs 50 HP to cast, and lasts for 30 seconds. It drops from a Lesser Ulcerated Spirit near a large tree in the Shadow Keep.

4 Glintblade Trio

Conjures Three Magic Spears To Strike Enemies

• Requires 28 Intelligence to cast.
• Looted from a corpse in Castle Ensis.

A must for any aspiring Carian knight on errantry across the Land of Shadow, Glintblade Trio conjures three ethereal spears above the caster's head that wait to strike any who dare approach. This spell works similarly to existing Sorceries from the base game, including Magic Glintblade and Glintblade Phalanx - this is a great upgrade for magical swordsman builds.

This spell requires 28 Intelligence to use, which should be well within reach of magic and melee hybrid builds. Players can squeeze even more damage out of it by using the Magic Scorpion Charm and the Graven-Mass Talisman , and those lacking the required Faith can use the Ash of War: Golden Vow instead of the Incantation. It can be found by looting it from a corpse inside Castle Ensis by climbing to the roof of the chapel and dropping off a ledge on the north side.

3 Rellana's Twin Moons

Incarnate Two Magical Moons That Decimate Foes

• Requires 72 intelligence to cast.
• Obtained by trading the Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight with Enia at Roundtable Hold.

The fight against the Twin Moon Knight to obtain this spell is worth the effort alone. Rellana, sister to the Carian Queen of the Full Moon Rennala from the base game, poses a daunting challenge for even the hardiest of Tarnished. Upon her defeat, players can trade her Remembrance for Rellana's Twin Moons , which fires two magical moons to strike the enemy.

It's the superior version of her sibling's similar spell, but it also requires a staggering 72 Intelligence and two free memory slots to cast. That means only dedicated mage builds stand a chance of wielding it. The other downside is that players will miss out on Rellana's Twin Blades unless they duplicate her Remembrance at a Wandering Mausoleum.

2 Blades Of Stone

Summons Sword-Shaped Shards Of Rock Around The Caster

• Requires 28 Intelligence to cast.
• Obtained by trading the Remembrance of the Wild Boar Rider with Enia at Roundtable Hold.

There are plenty of references to Radahn in Shadow of the Erdtree for various reasons, but among them is the expansion of Gravity Sorceries, specifically Blades of Stone . This spell manipulates the ground to pull shards of sword-shaped rock upwards in an area around the caster, dealing physical damage and staggering opponents.

It's a handy way for magic-based builds to deal with crowds and stop themselves getting overwhelmed. The Tarnished needs 28 Intelligence to cast this spell, and it can be charged to increase its damage and radius. To get it, players will need to defeat Commander Gaius to obtain the Remembrance of the Wild Boar Rider and trade it with Enia at Roundtable Hold.

1 Mass Of Putrescence

Spews A Rancid Mass That Rains Down Ghostflame

• Requires 28 Intelligence and 22 Faith to cast.
• Found northeast of the Fissure Waypoint Site of Grace.

As hybrid Intelligence and Faith spells, Death Sorceries have always inhabited a strange niche in Elden Ring. They can be very effective with the right build, but they need pure dedication. Adding to the arsenal of the undead, Mass of Putrescence flings a mass of rancid coffin juice forward that rains down Ghostflame on the area, dealing magic damage and building up the frostbite status effect - much like Explosive Ghostflame from the base game.

Mages who wield both Sorceries and Incantations together will require 28 Intelligence and 22 Faith to cast this spell, and it's a great opener to quickly proc frostbite for increased damage until the status wears off. It can also be paired with the Sword of Night and Flame or Rellana's Twin Blades for an effective hybrid build that can continuously cause and reset frostbite for massive damage. Mass of Putrescence can be found in the Stone Coffin Fissure northeast of the Fissure Waypoint Site of Grace.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

June 21, 2024

Developer(s)

FromSoftware

Genre

Soulslike , RPG