Best Ashes of War

This guide will cover the best Ashes of War to pick up in Elden Ring and where to find them! Read on to learn the locations and characteristics of the best Ashes of War!

Ashes of War Guides
Best Ashes of War	All Ashes of War

Best Ashes of War for Weapons

Jump to an Ash of War!
Seppuku	Glintstone Pebble	Flame of the Redmanes
Bloodhound's Step	Thunderbolt	Lion's Claw
Sword Dance	Ice Spear	-

Seppuku

How to Get	Defeat the Invisible Scarab near the Freezing Lake Site of Grace in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

This is a skill that applies blood loss buildup to a sword or thrusting polearm and grants it Arcane scaling. When used with a sword that already has blood loss buildup, this increases the amount of buildup, making Hemorrhage easier to trigger.

Seppuku is mostly used by those two-handing weapons like Katanas or Twinblades because a powerstanced L1 jumping attack has a chance to immediately trigger blood loss if it hits an enemy.

Seppuku Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Glintstone Pebble

How to Get	Can be purchased from Rogier at Stormveil Castle in Limgrave.

While the cast range for this Ash of War is short, the pebble can deal high Poise damage and can roll catch other players in PvP. The follow-up attack can also one-shot enemies after they are staggered.

This is a good Ash of War for those with Intelligence builds.

Glintstone Pebble Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Flame of the Redmanes

How to Get	Defeat the Invisible Scarab near the Fort Gael North Site of Grace in Caelid.

One of the most powerful Ashes of War, Flame of the Redmanes can stagger most if not all bosses in the game in about 3 casts even on a weapon that's not upgraded.

While it is easily avoided in PvP, it can be a good distraction tool for a follow-up attack.

Flame of the Redmanes Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Bloodhound's Step

How to Get	Defeat the Night's Cavalry boss on the bridge near Lenne's Rise in Caelid.

This is a really good combat move for those running Dexterity builds or just want more mobility in their character. Not only does it travel further and moves your character faster than Quickstep, but it was also turn you invisible for a moment, making it hard for you to be tracked by other players if used in PvP.

Bloodhound's Step Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Thunderbolt

How to Get	Defeating a Teardrop Scarab northwest of the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace in Leyndell, Royal Capital.

This skill scales very well with Dexterity and can kill enemies in both PvE and PvP in a few shots because of this. It can roll catch enemies in PvP and can be used as a ranged attack when trading is dangerous.

It can also be spammed and has good tracking, which makes avoiding this attack difficult.

Thunderbolt Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Lion's Claw

How to Get	Defeating the Lion Guardian at Fort Gael in Caelid.

Primarily for Strength builds, this Ash of War deals high Poise damage and can stagger enemies in one hit if put on a colossal weapon. Not only does it deal a lot of damage, but it also has good tracking and hyperarmor.

This makes it difficult to get interrupted while casting the skill itself and it has the potential to one-shot players in PvP.

Lion's Claw Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Sword Dance

How to Get	Defeating the Teardrop Scarab northwest of the Converted Tower in Liurnia of the Lakes.

Good for builds that utitlize long weapons, this can serve as a discount Waterfowl Dance. It can apply blood loss to enemies if they're using a weapon with blood loss buildup.

It can stagger and stun low Poise enemies both in PvP and PvE. Paired with Bloodhound's Step, it can be used as a surprise attack against other players.

Sword Dance Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Ice Spear

How to Get	Defeating the Night's Cavalry near the Gate Town Bridge at Liurnia of the Lakes

This Ash of War inflicts frostbite buildup and its damage also scales with Intelligence. It bypasses shields from enemies in PvE and PvP, and can be used as an initial attack to stagger before following up.

However, Ice Spear does not give hyperarmor, which means that the cast can be interrupted. Unlike Glintstone Pebble, it can be cast from a bit further from the target.

Ice Spear Weapon Skill and How to Use

Best Ashes of War for Shields

Ashes of War for Shields
No Skill	Barricade Shield
Parry	Golden Parry

No Skill

How to Get	Can be purchased from Knight Bernahl at the Warmaster's Shack in Limgrave.

At first this looks like a huge loss for not having an Ash of War on a shield, but actually, this allows you to use the Ash of War equipped to your weapon without needing to two-hand it.

This makes it easier to keep your defense up by guarding with the shield, while also having access to your weapon's Ash of War.

No Skill Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Barricade Shield

How to Get	Can be purchased from Knight Bernahl at the Warmaster's Shack in Limgrave.

This Ash of War hardens your shields, raising their ability to ward off blows. For a medium shield, for instance, it gives the block power of a greatshield.

Due to this, it's a great Ash of War to have to those that utilize Guard Counters. It's also the default skill for the Great Turtle Shield, which is one of the best shields for the early game.

Late game, this Ash of War can be used on something like the Fingerprint Stone Shield to completely eliminate the Stamina drain from attacks.

Barricade Shield Weapon Skill and How to Use

Parry

How to Get	Can be purchased from Knight Bernahl at the Warmaster's Shack in Limgrave.

A Souls game classic, Parrying is deflecting an attack, opening the enemy up for you to perform a powerful riposte. As an Ash of War, it's still immensely useful, as perfect timing will result in critical attacks that can end fights quickly.

However, keep in mind that not all attacks can be parried.

Parry Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Golden Parry

How to Get	Defeating a Teardrop Scarab on the staircase leading at the Capital Outskirts outside Leyndell, Royal Capital.

A more forgivable form of Parry, this Ash of War allows the user to parry incoming attacks even from a slight distance. This means that unlike regular parries, being up close is not required.

This is extremely useful against those that use Rivers of Blood in PvP because Corpse Piler can be parried.

Golden Parry Ash of War Location and Compatible Weapons

Elden Ring Related Guides

List of All Ashes of War

Ashes of War
Assassin's Gambit	Barbaric Roar	Barrage
Barricade Shield	Beast's Roar	Blood Blade
Bloodhound's Step	Bloody Slash	Carian Grandeur
Carian Greatsword	Carian Retaliation	Chilling Mist
Determination	Double Slash	Earthshaker
Endure	Eruption	Flame of the Redmanes
Flaming Strike	Giant Hunt	Glintblade Phalanx
Glintstone Pebble	Golden Land	Golden Parry
Golden Slam	Golden Vow	Gravitas
Ground Slam	Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker	Hoarfrost Stomp
Holy Ground	Ice Spear	Impaling Thrust
Kick	Lifesteal Fist	Lightning Ram
Lightning Slash	Lion's Claw	Loretta's Slash
Mighty Shot	No Skill	Parry
Phantom Slash	Piercing Fang	Poison Moth Flight
Poisonous Mist	Prayerful Strike	Prelate's Charge
Quickstep	Rain of Arrows	Raptor of the Mists
Repeating Thrust	Royal Knight's Resolve	Sacred Blade
Sacred Order	Sacred Ring of Light	Seppuku
Shared Order	Shield Bash	Shield Crash
Spectral Lance	Spinning Slash	Spinning Strikes
Spinning Weapon	Square Off	Stamp (Sweep)
Stamp (Upward Cut)	Storm Assault	Storm Blade
Storm Stomp	Storm Wall	Stormcaller
Sword Dance	Thops's Barrier	Through and Through
Thunderbolt	Unsheathe	Vacuum Slice
Vow of the Indomitable	War Cry	Waves of Darkness
White Shadow's Lure	Wild Strikes