10 best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring and where to get them
Discover the best Spirit Ashes and learn how to use them in Elden Ring
Looking for the best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring? If you're struggling in Elden Ring, Spirit Ashes will prove to be your best friend. You can call upon these spectral summons to assist you in battle, which may prove crucial for beating certain late-game bosses. However, you'll want to pick the best Spirit Ash to ensure you're ready for the hardest bosses in Elden Ring.
In this guide, we'll break down the 10 best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring and where to find them. We'll also cover how to use Spirit Ashes and how to upgrade them, in case you're an Elden Ring beginner.
The best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring
There are over 60 Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring, and narrowing them down into a top 10 list isn't simple. Below, we've selected the 10 best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring that are viable in the widest range of scenarios. They have varying attack patterns that make them formidable against most bosses, ensuring that you can usually rely on them to assist you in a tough fight.
10. Lone Wolf Ashes
- FP Cost: 55
- Location: Church of Elleh, Limgrave.
The Lone Wolf Ashes are found much earlier than the other Spirit Ashes mentioned below, but that doesn't make them useless. They might not offer the same damage potential as the Radahn Soldiers and other spirits, but the Lone Wolf Ashes are fast, nimble, and able to easily hold enemy aggression while avoiding damage. This makes them excellent distractions that will give you plenty of time to breathe, heal, and reposition during tough boss fights.
Like the Nightmaiden and Swordstress Puppets mentioned further down, we found that the Lone Wolf Ashes are able to consistently interrupt enemies to keep them stun-locked for long periods of time. When you add in your own damage and attack speed to contribute to the stun-lock effort, certain enemies and bosses become a piece of cake.
You'll get the Lone Wolf Ashes from Renna at the Church of Elleh. This interaction will occur after Melina gives you the Spectral Steed Whistle, so it should be during the opening hours.
9. Radahn Soldiers
- FP Cost: 71
- Location: War-Dead Catacombs, Caelid.
The Radahn Soldiers are relentless attackers. They'll instantly gain aggression on a nearest enemy and pursue them until dead. The Radahn Soldiers might not always follow the enemy you expect when out in the field, but their ruthlessness makes them excellent allies in boss battles.
While Bloodhound Knight Floh, mentioned below, might deal more damage, the Radahn Soldiers come in a pair and have better defence. This means they won't suffer from the same stunning issues as Floh, making them formidable distractions. You can use them to soak up hits and deal some fiery melee attacks while you dash out of range to heal or use other items.
You'll find the Radahn Soldiers in the War-Dead Catacombs, a dungeon near the shoreline in Starscourge Radahn's boss arena. Inside, head past the fighting spirits and use the back-right stairwell to get to the upper level. Follow the path through the door and to the end of the corridor, past the soldier with a longbow. Continue following the path around until you pass another soldier and head into a chamber. Jump through the nearby window and go upstairs to find the Radahn Soldiers Spirit Ashes on a corpse.
8. Bloodhound Knight Floh
- FP Cost: 95
- Location: Gelmir Hero's Grave, Mt. Gelmir.
Bloodhound Knights are infamous in Elden Ring, and Bloodhound Knight Floh is a rabid attacker. Fortunately, he's ready to fight with your Tarnished as a powerful ally, and he sure is strong. Bloodhound Knight Floh will attack immediately when summoned and deal constant damage with relentless melee strikes. These build up the bleed effect on enemies, allowing Bloodhound Knight Floh to inflict huge damage in a short amount of time.
While Bloodhound Knight Floh is powerful, he also has fairly low health and gets stunned easily by enemies. To deal with this, you'll need to match his ferocity and work hard to pull enemy aggression away. If you manage to strike the perfect balance between protecting Floh and letting him unleash chaos, most enemies won't stand a chance.
Bloodhound Knight Floh is rather simple to get. Just head to the Gelmir Hero's Grave Dungeon and kill the Red Wolf of the Champion boss within to get this Spirit Ash.
7. Banished Knight Oleg
- FP Cost: 100
- Location: Fringefolk Hero's Grave, Limgrave.
If you've fought Commander Niall, Banished Knight Oleg might seem familiar. Niall summons two spirits to assist in his boss battle, and the Banished Knight Oleg Spirit Ash allows you to recruit one of them to your team. This powerful ally wields two swords that he uses for fast melee attacks, while also using a whirlwind ability to deal some area of effect damage. However, Oleg's strength doesn't only lie in his damage. Oleg also has plenty of health, making him a strong tank, and will constantly focus on attacking enemies. This makes him an excellent support in any fight, as he will hold enemy aggression and easily build up damage while you take a quick break to heal.
Oleg is available after defeating the Ulcerated Tree Spirit in Fringefolk Hero's Grave, a dungeon located through a stonesword key door in the Stranded Graveyard. This technically makes him one of the earliest Spirit Ashes you can find. However, you'll need to spend some time levelling up to defeat this boss, as it is much more difficult than most other enemies in Limgrave. We recommend coming back here after defeating Godrick the Grafted.
6. Nightmaiden and Swordstress Puppets
- FP Cost: 97
- Location: Nokstella, Eternal City.
Many of the spirits mentioned in this guide are powerful solo supports, but that isn't the case for every Spirit Ash. The Nightmaiden and Swordstress Puppets are a deadly duo that you can summon to crush enemies with fast, strong attacks. They don't have lots of health initially, but they're able to move quickly to avoid taking damage.
As they dart around the map, they'll use a mix of spells and melee attacks to deal consistent damage to enemies. They also tend to tag team opponents, constantly switching from long to short range positions. This can easily stunlock enemies, leaving them vulnerable to a quick, easy kill.
Upon reaching +10, the Nightmaiden and Swordstress Puppets are truly unstoppable. Their health receives a huge boost, transforming them from glass cannons into formidable allies. However, it's worth noting that they perform best at short-medium range. If you need a long-ranged attacker to deal with bosses and enemies that fight across large arenas, consider using Latenna the Albinauric as mentioned below.
You can find the Nightmaiden and Swordstress Puppets in Nokstella, Eternal City. This is a secret area that you can access by taking a coffin down a waterfall from the Nameless Eternal City Site of Grace in the Deeproot Depths and passing through Ainsel River Main. When you reach Nokstella, continue climbing the stairs until you reach a balcony with a stonesword key door leading into a tomb. Open a chest within to find the Spirit Ashes.
5. Latenna the Albinauric
- FP Cost: 74
- Location: Slumbering Wolf's Shack/Village of the Albinaurics.
Latenna the Albinauric uses a bow to attack from a distance, but she doesn't have a melee option. In fact, Latenna will struggle to get close to enemies at all, as she can't move when summoned. This might make her a controversial pick, as she won't be able to easily track faster bosses and enemies in tight areas.
However, when you're against foes that occupy larger arenas, such as Rennala or Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, you'll find that Latenna absolutely destroys them from a distance. Since these are some of Elden Ring's toughest bosses, Latenna's help will prove invaluable. Her attacks are very powerful, so she's an absolute powerhouse in the right situation.
It's also worth noting that Latenna has a secret mechanic that many might not spot. If an enemy wolf approaches Latenna, she can hop on top and use it as a mount. This allows her to move freely and, while it is incredibly situational, makes her even stronger.
To get Latenna, you must first go to Slumbering Wolf Shack. There, Latenna will agree to join you, but she cannot fight. To get her Spirit Ashes, head to the Village of the Albinaurics in the southwest of Liurnia and speak with Albus to get a piece of the Haligtree Secret Medallion. When you have this item, Latenna becomes a spirit that you can summon.
4. Lhutel the Headless
- FP Cost: 104
- Location: Tombsward Catacombs, Weeping Peninsula.
Like many other spirits in this guide, Lhutel the Headless offers a variety of melee and ranged attacks that make them useful in most situations. They use a lance that deals the death status effect for their melee, and occasionally launches them towards foes to strike from a distance. Either of these attacks deal plenty of damage, making Lhutel a powerful support in any boss battle.
Lhutel's ranged attacks allow her to keep the pressure on enemies from a distance, which lets them maintain enemy aggression. This might sound dangerous, as losing your Spirit Ash early in a fight might leave you vulnerable, but Lhutel has plenty of defensive options that make them an excellent tank. Their heavy armor and shield make it easy to soak up the damage, while their teleport ability allows them to lead enemies around the arena while you take a break to recover or charge up a powerful attack.
Surprisingly, Lhutel is one of the easiest Spirit Ashes to find on this list. Simply go to the Tombsward Catacombs, a relatively early-game dungeon in the Weeping Peninsula, and kill the Cemetery Shade boss within. You will receive the Lhutel the Headless Spirit Ash as your reward.
3. Dung Eater Puppet
- FP Cost: 118
- Location: Seluvis' Rise, Liurnia of the Lakes.
The Dung Eater Puppet is hard to get, but incredibly powerful. The Dung Eater is a key NPC throughout Elden Ring and, through a series of quest steps involving them and Seluvis, you can recruit them to your team as a Spirit Ash. Like Black Knife Tiche, the Dung Eater has a variety of attacks that make him suitable for any occasion, and even capable of tearing through some bosses alone.
For their melee attacks, the Dung Eater Puppet uses a greatsword that inflicts the bleed effect. This makes them an obvious pick for anyone using a bleed-focused build, such as our Rivers of Blood, Arcane Blood Lord, or Dexterity Bloodhound builds. Their ranged attacks send out ghostly wraiths towards enemies, allowing the Dung Eater Puppet to remain effective from a distance.
The Dung Eater Puppet is harder to unlock than most, but this brief summary covers the essential steps:
- Meet Ranni at Ranni's Rise behind Caria Manor. After this, do not progress further in her quest (completing further steps of Ranni's quest will prevent you from gaining the Dung Eater Puppet).
- Speak with Seluvis in his tower.
- Get Seluvis' Potion and then progress the Dung Eater's quest until he goes to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds.
- Give the Dung Eater Seluvis' Potion. Enter Seluvis' secret lab in the ruin near his tower.
- Chat with him about the secret lab and ask for your own to unlock the option to buy some, including the Dung Eater Puppet, for Starlight Shards.
Unfortunately, getting the Dung Eater Puppet Spirit Ash will lock you out of his questline, preventing you from reaching his ending. If you want to use the Dung Eater Puppet, you'll need to set your sights on another of Elden Ring's many endings.
2. Black Knife Tiche
- FP Cost: 132
- Location: Ringleader's Evergaol, Liurnia of the Lakes.
Black Knife Tiche comes equipped with a range of options that allow her to deal melee and ranged damage. This assassin-like spirit somersaults around the field to close the distance and strikes with her Black Knife or bow, both of which deal huge damage. She will also use an ability that can knock enemies down to the ground, giving you an easy advantage in tough fights.
While she doesn't have enough health to be an obvious choice as a tank, Black Knife Tiche also manages to dodge lots of attacks while moving around the field. Her speed and quick reflexes make her an ideal summon for holding enemy aggression without immediately dying, making her an unexpectedly strong support character.
The only downside is that you won't find Black Knife Tiche until late in your Elden Ring adventure, as she's located in the optional Moonlight Altar area in Liurnia. To reach the Moonlight Altar, you must progress to the end of Ranni's questline. Then, head to the Ringleader's Evergaol and kill Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader. You will get the Black Knife Tiche Spirit Ash as your reward.
1. Mimic Tear
- HP Cost: 660
- Location: Night's Sacred Ground, Nokron, Eternal City.
The Mimic Tear is undoubtedly the best Spirit Ash in Elden Ring. It is essentially a copy of your character, spawning with the weapons and armor you have equipped when summoned. This means those using the best weapons and best spells in Elden Ring will suddenly be able to duplicate their damage. Since this Spirit Ash is so customisable, it also offers unparalleled damage type variety, making it a fantastic choice for any fight. You may have heard that the Mimic Tear received some nerfs post-launch, ending my complete and utter infatuation, but they're still a brilliant choice for every scenario.
The Mimic Tear is also a rather tanky summon, with plenty of health allowing it to soak up hits from bosses. This makes it a useful damage sponge that will protect you while healing or equipping items, giving you time to breathe in an otherwise tense situation. Bear in mind, though, that the Mimic Tear does leech health from you when summoned - it costs 660 HP to call, rather than FP.
To get the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash, you must head to Nokron, Eternal City. After descending into this underground region from Limgrave's Mistwood, continue through until you find the Mimic Tear boss. Kill them and head along the bridge. Follow the path down to the left and continue northwest until you reach the Night's Sacred Ground Site of Grace. From there, follow the nearby rooftops along until you reach a bridge over to an open window. Drop into the temple below and find the stonesword key door, which you can pass through to find the Mimic Tear ashes in a chest.
How to use Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring
To use Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring, you first need to get the Spirit Calling Bell from Renna the Witch. Renna will spawn in the Church of Elleh after you receive Torrent from Melina. If you don't meet Renna at the start of the game, the Spirit Calling Bell will be available for purchase from the Twin Maiden Husks in the left wing of the Roundtable Hold.
To summon a Spirit Ash, you need to equip it to your quick items bar or pouch. Once the Spirit Ash is equipped, you'll be able to summon it to help in challenging fights. However, you can't just summon them wherever you want. You must be near a Rebirth Monument, which is a small stone tower near the ground. These tend to be hard to spot, but just look in the lower-left corner and check if there is a small gate symbol. If there is, you can use Spirit Ashes.
There are a few limits that you should know about with Spirit Ashes. Firstly, you cannot use more than one Spirit Ash at a time. You also can't use Spirit Ashes in multiplayer, as you already have help from your online allies.
How to upgrade Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring
If you notice your Spirit Ashes are getting weak as you advance, don't panic. You can upgrade them to become stronger and have more health, but you'll need to complete Roderika's quest first.
Shortly after proceeding through Stormgate, you will arrive at Stormhill Shack. Here, a girl with a red hood speaks about the Spider in Castle Stormveil. This is actually a Grafted Scion that you will find wandering around a hall in the castle shortly after the Rampart Tower Site of Grace. In an outside area connected to this hall, you will find dogs munching on a pile of bodies. Loot the Chrysalids' Memento from these bodies and return it to the girl, who reveals her name to be Roderika.
Roderika will then travel to the Roundtable Hold, so fast travel there and speak to her again by the fire. Then, you need to run back and forth between her and Master Hewg, the blacksmith at the Hold, a few times and exhaust any dialogue options. Eventually, Roderika will find her calling and become a Spirit Tuner. Roderika will now upgrade your Spirit Ashes in exchange for Ghost Gloveworts, which are ghostly flowers that you will find in dungeons and underground caves.
That wraps up our list of the 10 best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring. To grow even stronger, take a look at our list of the best armor and best builds in Elden Ring. If you want to fight through the main quest with your Spirit Ash companion, check out our Elden Ring walkthrough. To put them to the test with a nearby challenge, take a look at our Elden Ring boss locations guide.
