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Incantations in Elden Ring can be learned from a number of NPCs throughout the game world, and some can be found hidden in certain locations around the map. Players would do well to prioritize these Incantations wherever and whenever they can be found, as their benefits can be quite useful.
Updated May 10, 2022, by Thomas Hawkins: Now that Elden Ring has been out for over two months and numerous patches and updates have been released, along with numerous new discoveries by players, the best Incantations in the game have changed a little, and new spells have been located that are well worth considering. As such, this list of the best incantations in Elden Ring has been updated to reflect these changes to the meta.
15 Rejection
A useful spell for pushing back large groups of enemies (which can be especially prevalent in Elden Ring’s open world) is Rejection. This spell unleashes a shockwave that pushes enemies back and knocks weaker enemies down while doing a small amount of damage.
Despite the low damage output, Rejection can be a very versatile spell when used for crowd control and can be purchased from Brother Corhyn in Roundtable Hold for 600 runes.
14 Darkness
An unconventional but useful spell for faith users is Darkness. While it deals no damage, it de-aggroes any enemy that enters the cloud it conjures, causing them to lose track of the player and leaving them open to backstabs. This spell has great utility as both an escape tool and as a means of fishing for critical hits by circling an enemy affected by the spell to hit them from behind.
Darkness is learned from either Brother Corhyn or Miriel, Pastor of Vows after giving them the Assassin’s Prayer Book. The Prayer Book can be found in Roundtable Hold, behind the second Imp Statue door in the basement.
13 Barrier of Gold
This powerful defensive spell is highly useful, allowing players to greatly reduce the damage they and their allies take from magic damage for a while. This makes it excellent for facing off against enemies and bosses that make use of magic, like the Glintstone Dragons and Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon.
Acquiring it is no easy feat, however, requiring players to enter Leyndell, Royal Capital, and defeat the specter of Godfrey, First Elden Lord.After doing so, the Incantation can be found on an invisible teardrop scarab by taking the stairs and then riding the elevator down.
12 Aspects Of The Crucible: Tail
Another spell that is useful for utility rather than its raw damage output is Aspect of the Crucible: Tail. This spell allows players to manifest a spectral tail to swipe at foes, which is highly useful for stun-locking opponents and knocking them to the ground when fully charged. The spell does deal some damage but is best used for strategic knockdowns and crowd control.
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This spell can be learned by defeating the Crucible Knight boss, who resides within the Stormhill Evergaol. The Crucible Knight is a difficult encounter that might be best saved for later in the game, despite appearing in an early game area.
11 Lord’s Heal
A fantastic healing spell that can be found once Altus Plateau is reached is Lord’s Heal, which heals an enormous amount of health to the player and nearby allies (which includes other players and also spirit summons). This spell is exceptionally useful in conjunction with any method of regaining FP without using flasks of Cerulean Tears (Like the Sacrificial Axe dropped by the Deathbird bosses) since it can improve the player’s survivability and allow them to travel further between rests without needing to spend as many Flasks of Crimson Tears on Healing.
To acquire Lord’s Heal, players must locate the Two Fingers’ Prayerbook, found in the Fortified Manor (on the first floor) in the Leyndell Royal Capital.
10 Erdtree Heal
Another exceptionally powerful healing spell, obtainable far later in the game than Lord’s Heal, is Erdtree Heal. This spell is expensive but restores a massive amount of health to the player and allies when cast.
Much of the same advice given about Lord’s Heal can also apply to this spell, though obtaining it will require players to reach the Queen’s Bedchambers in Leyndell, Ashen Capital. This necessitates defeating the Fire Giant.
9 Catch Flame
An excellent general use damaging spell, Catch Flame allows players to create a burst of flame directly in front of them and can be charged up for extra damage. While it has an incredibly short effective range, Catch Flame’s tremendous damage and quick casting time make it perfect for use throughout the game.
Catch Flame is a starting spell for the Prophet Class and can be learned from Brother Corhyn at Roundtable Hold for a mere 600 Runes.
8 Lightning Spear
Another excellent general use damaging spell, Lightning Spear allows players to conjure and throw bolts of lightning at their foes. When charged up, it brings the bolt down on the foe from above, dealing lightning damage in a small AOE around the target. Interestingly, this spell does not provoke enemies into dodging like many other projectile spells. This makes it invaluable for dealing with foes who might sidestep other damaging spells.
Lightning Spear can be acquired after retrieving the Dragon Cult Prayerbookfrom a knight that patrols just south of the Artist’s Shack, in Liurna of the Lakes. After giving the Prayerbook to Brother Corhyn or Miriel, Pastor of Vows, the spell can be purchased for 6,000 Runes.
7 Golden Vow
A fantastic spell for hybrid melee/faith builds, Golden Vow allows the player to boost their attack and defense, along with that of their allies, when cast. An easy spell to use right before a boss encounter, Golden Vow supplies a bit of extra attack and defense for those critical fights. Reapplying it during battle can sometimes be tricky due to the casting time, though this can be mitigated with a good dexterity stat.
Golden Vow can be found at the Corpse-Stench Shack in Mt Gelmir, guarded by Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater. Players should note that this invader needn’t be defeated to claim the spell, as it is possible to run into the shack and grab it while she is in the process of invading the player’s world.
6 Honed Bolt
An excellent spell for hitting foes that might otherwise be difficult to strike, Honed Bolt allows the caster to create a bolt of lightning from above a target. This allows it to hit foes from behind cover, terrain, or from height differences that would cause targeting problems for other spells.
This is an invaluable spell in the player’s arsenal of damaging spells, and it can be cast repeatedly in quick succession for extra damage. Much like Lightning Spear, this is acquired from Brother Corhyn or Miriel, Pastor of Vows, after giving them the Dragon Cult Prayerbook.
5 Glintstone Breath
As one of the few means for faith casters to deal magic aspect damage, Glintstone Breath can be an excellent addition to their repertoire for handling foes that would be resistant to fire or holy. Much like Dragonfire and Dragonice (further down this list), Glintstone Breath can be maintained for an extended period by holding the cast button down, though it costs a lot of FP to do so.
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Glintstone Breath can be learned at the Cathedral of Dragon Communion in Caelid at the cost of 1 dragon heart.
4 The Flame Of Frenzy
A fantastic spell for damaging enemies in a wide area, or dealing tons of damage to a single large target, The Flame of Frenzy is a must for anyone who wants to deal damage with Incantations. It is a chargeable spell that launches dozens of bolts of yellow flame from the caster’s eyes, building up the madness status effect on enemies and the caster while dealing damage.
The spell can be found in the Callu Baptismal Church in the Weeping Peninsula, guarded by rats whose eyes burn with the Flame of Frenzy. Charging the spell increases the number of bolts and the range of the spell without any difference in Focus Point cost, making the spell very versatile in its usage.
3 Dragonfire & Dragonice
These two spells are remarkably similar, with their element being the only difference between them. By conjuring the head of a dragon, this spell allows the caster to spew flame and frost breath attacks with excellent range. The spells both use a lot of FP if maintained for longer than a short burst but deal excellent damage over a wide area, making them perfect for sweeping through groups of enemies.
Learning these spells will require 1 dragon heart each, which can be acquired from any of the boss dragons in the game, with Greyoll the mother of dragons dropping five hearts on her defeat. Easier targets for new players would be Flying Dragon Agheel in Limgrave, and Glintstone Dragon Smarag at Liurna of the Lakes. With a Dragon Heart, players can learn Dragonfire from the Church of Dragon Communion in Limgrave. Learning Dragonice requires a journey into Caelid to find the Cathedral of Dragon Communion. The Cathedral allows players to purchase all Dragon Communion spells, while the Church has a more limited selection.
2 Greyoll’s Roar
Another spell learned from Dragon Communion is Greyoll’s Roar, an expensive spell to cast, but excellent for dealing with groups of strong enemies. When cast, this spell unleashes a roar that reduces the attack and defense power of all enemies in range. Using this spell when confronted with a large group can render them far less dangerous and give the player an edge in combat.
Greyoll’s Roar can be learned by spending three Dragon Hearts at the Cathedral of Dragon Communion in Caelid, once Greyoll has been defeated. Greyoll can be found in Caelid, surrounded by lesser dragons, and drops 5 Dragon Hearts when slain.
1 Beast Claw
Easily one of the best incantations in Elden Ring, the Beast Claw is a spectacular damaging AoE spell that unleashes a wave of rending claws in a cone. This spell is excellent for clearing crowds of enemies and staggering survivors and can be charged up for more power and greater range.
Gaining Beast Claw requires players to complete Gurranq’s questline by giving them 5 Deathroots, which can be found all across Elden Ring’s open world (often as drops from undead bosses). Since Gurranq becomes hostile and must be beaten into submission after receiving the fourth Deathroot, players must be careful to ensure they do not kill him when pacifying him, so that they can give him the fifth Deathroot necessary to acquire this powerful Incantation.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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