Magic has always been an element in FromSoftware's fantasy worlds, but in Elden Ring, it really feels like a cornerstone of gameplay, rather than a niche build choice. The sheer amount and diversity of sorceries within the world are astonishing compared to past Soulsborne titles.
Sorceries can make the game intimidating at first as you decide which to grind for to ensure you're best equipped for the punishing fights ahead. These sorceries are some of the most useful spells in Elden Ring, including a diverse range of useful options to fit any play style.
Updated on July 6, 2023, by Andrew Scariati: Elden Ring continues to receive support via balance patches that have shaken up the best spells Elden Ring has to offer. With many changes following The Colosseum PvP update, it's time to memorize some new spells that will enhance your already powerful arsenal.
With Shadow of the Erdtree fast approaching, now is the best time to familiarize yourself with this new set of Elden Ring's best spells.
13 Crystal Torrent
If you like Comet Azur, then you may want Crystal Torrent in your back pocket as a fun alternative. It's very similar to Comet Azur in terms of functionality, shooting a straight beam of energy forward that prohibits other movements until you're finished casting.
Luckily, Crystal Torrent costs far less FP and only takes up a single memory slot. The drawback is that it does less damage, but only slightly so. Despite the reduced damage, Crystal Torrent is well worth the added flexibility if you're struggling with timing or learning how to aim it properly.
12 Glintstone Icecrag
You should take any advantage you can get over a boss with an intimidating health bar, and Glintstone Icecrag presents an advantage that's hard to turn down. This sorcery inflicts Frostbite, a status condition that makes the afflicted take increased damage from all sources. The amount inflicted was increased from 80 to 100, making this spell even more dangerous than it once was.
If you can inflict an enemy with Frostbite and then get a few hits in before it wears off, that bonus damage can save you a lot of time and stress. Without a doubt, it makes this extremely useful and diverse, capable of assisting you with nearly every enemy type.
11 Loretta's Greatbow
If you like being an archer in Elden Ring, adding a magical bow to your arsenal is not such a bad idea. Loretta's Greatbow is one of the simplest and best sorceries Elden Ring has to offer. It generates a magical bow and arrow and fires like a regular one. Only this arrow deals big damage and shoots incredibly long-range with great accuracy.
A patch also reduced the FP cost of this sorcery from 28 to 24, making it even more viable as a spell that can be used repeatedly throughout longer battles where you want to keep your distance.
10 Stars Of Ruin
If you're having trouble with a boss that's tricky to hit due to high movement speed or confusing patterns, then you need Stars of Ruin. This is a homing spell, which is the perfect trick for any enemy you have trouble locking on; all you need to do is cast and dodge and let the stars do the rest.
Stars of Ruin's FP cost was reduced from 38 to 32, and Stamina usage followed suit, falling to 29 from a previous 33 cost. It is one of the most broken Elden Ring sorceries available due to its quick recovery and reduced costs, making it easy to spam.
9 Carian Slicer
If you're craving a little melee action in your mage's life, then look no further than the Carian Slicer. Elden Ring sorceries are capable of more than just hurling strange blobs of energy at your enemies, as you'll discover upon receiving this spell from Miriel, AKA Turtle Pope.
Before you get to slashing, make sure to acquire the Carian Glintstone Staff from the Carian Study Hall — it's easily one of the best staves in Elden Ring. Once your build is set, enjoy the powerful slashes that will chunk HP bars with each swing. This sorcery is excellent in PVE, but be aware that its efficacy was nerfed in PVP to discourage overuse.
8 Magic Glintblade
Magic Glintblade has had a long road to this point, as it was once too weak to really warrant usage in the second half of the game. However, patch 1.07 improved this sorcery's poise damage, attack power, and stamina attack power against guarded enemies when charged.
With its newfound powers, Magic Glintblade can function as a mainstay sorcery against most enemies, especially with its efficient 14 FP cost. The 27 Intelligence prerequisite does require some investment, but won't be much of a roadblock. The best way to use this spell is by approaching your target slowly and casting as many times as you can just as you enter the sorcery's effective range.
7 Night Comet
This sorcery is perfect for a high Intelligence build as its 38 Int requirement keeps it exclusive to those brave enough to fully invest their level-ups into the attribute. When combined with the Staff of Loss, this easily becomes one of Elden Ring's best sorceries and might be the best of the Comet spells (excluding a certain unique variant).
It is easier to use than it once was, having seen a decrease in FP consumption from 24 to 21 points per cast. In addition, the semi-invisible status of the sorcery makes it impossible for NPCs to predict and dodge — yes, including mobile bosses like Malenia. This spell will replace Crystal Torrent's niche and serve as a bridge between that sorcery and Comet Azur.
6 Magma Shot
Magma Shot is a staple sorcery for starting fires and setting enemies ablaze with molten-hot liquid magma. Much like Carian Glintblade, Magma Shot was also improved via patch 1.07, which decreased FP cost from 18 to 16 and also increased its attack power. The bar of entry is fairly low, requiring only 19 Intelligence in addition to ten Faith.
This explosive magma lump can burn enemies, causing fire damage and even allowing you to reset frost buildup on any foe hit by this. You may wonder 'Why would I want to reset an enemy's frost meter?' Well, resetting the buildup will allow you to inflict the Frostbite effect multiple times in succession, causing massive damage. Unfortunately, the repeated Frostbites will not stack its damage negation effect.
5 Rock Sling
Rock Sling easily ranks among the most powerful sorceries Elden Ring has ever had for a number of reasons. It's simple, effective, and ready to be spammed over and over again, summoning three rocks and launching them at your foes. Repeated hits will cause considerable stance damage to most foes.
Not only does it inflict decent damage on enemies, but it can also stagger them, making this a very useful sorcery for crowd control. Pair that with a low intelligence requirement and FP cost, and this is something even non-magical builds will want to have up their sleeve.
4 Terra Magica
Terra Magica makes the most sense for anyone aiming to have fun with a magic-focused build. If you want to go the route of blasting every enemy in Elden Ring with a plethora of spells, there's not a single reason to miss out on Terra Magica. This sorcery places a sigil at the caster's feet, giving a massive buff to all magical damage.
The main downside is that the buff no longer applies once you're outside the sigil. Considering this is a game where you'll often be dodging, it can be difficult to stay in the sigil, but if you can work around the limitation, you'll be dancing around enemies with ease.
3 Ranni's Dark Moon
Bonus points to this sorcery for being possibly the flashiest looking in all of Elden Ring. It doesn't get much better than shooting a moon at foes. Ranni's Dark Moon (named after the Snow Witch from one of the game's best endings) does a good deal of damage and is even more efficient after its FP cost per cast was reduced from 62 to 57.
The magical moon this sorcery unleashes is somewhat slow-moving, but if you get the timing right, the results speak for themselves. It does less damage than Rennala's Full Moon, a similar sorcery, but Ranni's Dark Moon can inflict Frostbite – a very potent status effect.
2 Shard Spiral
Shard Spiral has made its name as one of the most unexpected HP destroyers in the game. You could argue that it's the best sorcery for bosses in Elden Ring, especially those like Radahn or any of the many dragon bosses, as the spiral causes massive damage the more chance it has to pass through their physical forms and thus their hitboxes.
Shard Spiral was yet another beneficiary of patch 1.07, receiving a much-needed attack power increase that made it one of the best sorceries in Elden Ring. The 27 Intelligence requirement is a bargain considering the amount of help this sorcery provides against difficult bosses. The one drawback is that enemies with smaller bodies won't take much damage, so stick to the big targets to maximize this sorcery's damage.
1 Comet Azur
If you enjoy playing Elden Ring with others, the Comet Azur strategy is one of the most popular to execute with friends. This sorcery deals massive damage in a continuous, long-lasting beam – provided you have the time and space to cast it. In order to acquire it, you'll have to head to the Hermit Village in Mount Gelmir. In addition, acquiring this sorcery is also part of one of the most missable quests in Elden Ring.
The one downside to Comet Azur is that you're vulnerable to attacks from multiple sides during your cast, and if the enemy you're targeting moves too far to one side, then you've wasted a shot. However, if you can work with one or two other Tarnished who distract the enemy while you cast, you can reduce a health bar to zero in no time. No matter who you ask, Comet Azur ubiquitously remains near the top of Elden Ring's best sorceries.