Magic is a powerful tool in Demon's Souls, as many enemies are weak to it. Not only that, but it also has the ability to provide great utility, allowing players to specialize their resistances to certain types of damage or even heal allied spirits during co-op. Because of this, getting more magic spells is going to be a bit priority for a lot of players, but it isn't entirely clear how to do that early on in the game. In other Souls games, players can find spells while adventuring, but in this game the only way to get spells is to purchase them.
Naturally, that means spending Souls. This can sometimes be a difficult choice since it means delaying leveling up a bit, but usually the utility or damage capability of a spell outweighs the few stat points players could get instead. There are also certain spells that can only be learned by trading boss souls. To get these, players will need to defeat specific Demon's Souls bosses and claim their souls for themselves. Regardless of the method, learning new spells is very important for magic characters, so it's equally important to know where they all are and what they all do.
Freke's Apprentice
There are three NPCs that can sell spells to the player, the first of which being Freke's Apprentice. He can be found in the Nexus as soon as players arrive, even before beating the Phalanx, and offers a grand total of seven spells that players can learn. All of these spells are learned by simply trading souls with Freke's Apprentice, so players don't have to worry about hunting down boss souls for these ones. Freke's Apprentice also allows players to set which spells they have attuned, a useful feature that will ensure players have the right spells for the right situations at the ready.
- Soul Arrow | 1000 Souls | This is the most basic of Magic Spells, firing off a single bolt of soul energy at a target. Magic classes like Royalty start with Soul Arrow. Though it may seem simple, it's low cost, good range, and magic damage makes it incredibly useful in certain situations.
- Flame Toss | 1000 Souls | An alternative to Soul Arrow, this spell doesn't have quite as much range but deals fire damage instead. This can be useful when fighting enemies that are weak to fire such as the Phalanx boss in world 1-1.
- Protection | 5000 Souls | One of the two most expensive spells sold by Freke's Apprentice, Protection lowers the physical damage a player takes by 30% when equipped. In certain cases, this can mean the difference between life and death, and it even will allow low armor characters to survive a hit from the Dragon God boss.
- Enchant Weapon | 5000 Souls | The Enchant Weapon spell imbues the player's right-hand weapon with additional magic damage, allowing mage characters to keep up with Strength and Dex builds even with weaker weapons. Since so many enemies are weak to magic in Demon's Souls, this is a powerful option.
- Familiar's Prank | 500 Souls | This is a situational spell, but creative players may find good use for it. It creates a noise that acts as a distraction for enemies in range.
- Water Veil | 500 Souls | Another buff spell, Water Veil drastically increases the player's Fire Resistance. This is especially useful in the second world (Archstone of the Digger King).
- Cloak | 500 Souls | This spell makes it harder for enemies to detect the player, but doesn't make them invisible. It's useful for sneaking up on enemies or luring enemies away one at a time.
Sage Freke
Players that venture into the third Archstone will find themselves in the Prison of Hope. After dealing with an onslaught of Mind Flayer like creatures, they'll have the opportunity to rescue Sage Freke. He will sell the player any spell that his apprentice can but will also trade Boss Souls for unique spells that can't be obtained in any other way.
- Homing Soul Arrow | Yellow Demon's Soul | This costs significantly more MP than Soul Arrow, but creates up to five floating orbs around the player (depending on magic stat). When an enemy gets near, they will all fire off at the target.
- Soul Ray | Doll Demon's Soul | An upgraded Soul Arrow, this spell has longer range, deals more damage, and pierces targets. Costs two attunement slots.
- Fire Spray | Hard Demon's Soul | Fire Spray is unique because casters can keep moving while casting it. It does about the same amount of damage as Soul Arrow but is faster and more cost efficient.
- Fireball | Dragon Demon's Soul | This spell lobs a ball of fire towards an opponent, dealing full damage to it and everything in the radius of effect. Costs two attunement slots.
- Warding | Iron Demon's Soul | An upgraded version of the Protect spell, Warding decreases physical damage by 70% but requires a lot of MP to cast. Costs two attunement slots.
- Death Cloud | Pureblood Demon's Soul | Spawns a cloud that inflicts Plague on anything that enters, draining their HP rapidly. This effect lasts for a long time, and is effective in PVP. Costs two attunement slots.
- Poison Cloud | Wriggling Demon's Soul | Similar to Death Cloud but it inflicts Poison instead. This will deal less damage overall but is more versatile as many bosses are immune to Plague.
- Acid Cloud | Eroded Demon's Soul | The final Cloud spell, Acid Cloud corrodes armor and weapons of players that are inside the area.
- Light Weapon | Silver Demon's Soul | An upgraded version of Enchant Weapon, this spell greatly increases the damage dealt at the cost of more MP. Even magic characters can devastate in melee with this spell equipped.
Yuria the Witch
The final merchant that can teach the player spells is Yuria the Witch. Players unlock her after reaching world 1-3 by defeating the Tower Knight and one other Archdemon. They must first find the Bloody Iron Key in the same area before opening a gate down an alley at the very beginning of this level. This will lead to a tower that the players must make their way up. Once at the top, equip a full set of Official armor and a path will open allowing the player to go even higher. Defeat the Fat Official in this room, remove the armor, and talk to Yuria and she'll head back to the Nexus. Yuria also only deals in Boss Souls.
- Firestorm | Dragon Demon's Soul | One of the most powerful spells in Demon's Souls, Firestorm causes several pillars of flame to erupt dealing heavy fire damage to enemies nearby. Costs three attunement slots.
- Ignite | Hard Demon's Soul | Ignite is similar to Fireball, but it deals about 30% more damage and has an extremely short range. The casting time is almost instant, making it easy to surprise enemies. Costs two attunement slots.
- Cursed Weapon | Silver Demon's Soul | Another weapon buff, Cursed Weapon can be even stronger than Light Weapon but at the cost of HP drain. While active, players will lose 1% HP per second, but their weapon's physical damage increases by 50%. Costs three attunement slots
- Soul Thirst | Yellow Demon's Soul | Soul Thirst gives players 50% more Souls when an enemy dies within 30 seconds of casting the spell. This effect stacks with other Soul boosting effects. Costs three attunement slots.
- Relief | Pureblood Demon's Soul | This spell heals an ally to full health and removes all negative status effects. It's a great option for co-op whether as a phantom or a host. Costs two attunement slots.
- Soul Sucker | Maiden in Black's Demon's Soul | When used against standard enemies, players will get twice the amount of souls for defeating them. Against players, it drains their highest stat by one, causing them to lose a soul level. The spell has a very short range but deals intense damage. Costs three attunement slots.
Demon's Souls is available now on PS5.
