The world of Elden Ring is brimming with spells to learn and cast. These spells fall into two groupings: Sorceries and Incantations. While incantations usually rely on high faith scores and good arcane scores, sorceries are fueled almost entirely by intelligence ratings. There are a few exceptions, but players looking to cast sorceries should be ready to pump points into intelligence and find the best staff for the job.
With so many sorceries to choose from, there are a few that stand apart from the rest. Some sorceries in Elden Ring can melt through certain boss fights, while others are better suited for controlling mobs of angry enemies. No matter the situation, there's sorcery to be used!
Updated May 10, 2022 by Joe Barbieri: Elden Ring continues to stay popular with gamers. Many players have moved onto New Game Plus modes while some are taking their time to meticulously scour the game's beautiful world for every item and collectible. FromSoftware isn't done with the game either, and it is still receiving updates that tweak weapons, enemies, and bugs in the game.
At the end of April, Elden Ring received a pretty big balancing patch, with tons of changes for colossal weapons and sorceries. With this balance patch, there are a few more sorceries that players should consider adding to their arsenals, as well as some buffs to already powerful spells.
12 Rock Blaster
Previously, this melee range sorcery was a bit underwhelming. This sorcery scales well with the Digger's Staff, which can be gained fairly early on in a playthrough of Elden Ring. Before the late April balance changes, Rock Blaster was simply too slow and inefficient. Enemies could easily hit players out of the cast and as it is a close-range spell, this happened quite often.
Now, Rock Blaster has been buffed so that casters can "more easily withstand enemy attacks while casting." As such, Rock Blaster has become a decent close-range option for casters, especially those using the Digger's Staff.
11 Oracle Bubbles
Oracle Bubbles was already a decent budget AoE. It didn't match up with many of the other AoE sorceries in the game, though, thanks to its slow casting time and slow recovery. Thankfully, the late April balance patch has buffed Oracle Bubbles on both of these points. With increased casting speed and better recovery time, Oracle Bubbles is a good sorcery for players looking to deal damage to multiple enemies on the screen.
10 Magma Shot
Fire and fire effects are usually reserved for incantations in Elden Ring. Sorceries usually focus more on magic damage and frost as opposed to fire, but the Magma Shot sorcery is a rare exception. Some of the more powerful magma sorceries require high faith scores, but Magma Shot is good for players who want to dabble because of its forgiving requirements.
Players need 19 intelligence and 10 faith in order to cast this sorcery. The spell itself does decent fire damage and explodes on impact for a small AOE damage burst. It's the perfect sorcery for dealing with hordes of weaker enemies all at once. Players looking to get this sorcery should head for the Volcano Manor and begin the questlines there.
- Magma Shot was buffed with a decreased FP cost on April 24, 2022. It also received an increased casting speed.
9 Carian Greatsword
Typically speaking, wizards and mages are reserved for ranged combat roles in most RPGs. While full magic builds can certainly fit this bill in Elden Ring, casters can also get up close with a myriad of melee-style sorceries. One of the best is the Carian Greatsword cast, which can be purchased from Miriel at the Church of Vows.
The Carian Greatsword cast emits a large magical sword from the caster's staff and allows the caster to sweep forward in a wide arc. The sorcery can be chained together, given the player has both the FP and stamina for it. While this spell might seem underwhelming compared to the powerful strength weapons of the game, it scales well with intelligence and can easily wipe out hordes of enemies up close with a few well-timed magical slices.
- Carian Greatsword was buffed on April 24, 2022, with an increased casting speed for sorcerers at lower Dexterity scores.
8 Meteorite
Gravity sorceries are often marked by purple icons on the sorcery screen. Meteorite is one of the best gravity sorceries in the game, allowing players to punish enemies from afar with three high-damage meteors that fall from the sky. This sorcery is a good option for initiating a fight, as its slow casting time makes it a bit difficult to pull out in the middle of an ongoing battle.
The sorcery takes 30 FP to cast, so repetitive spamming will be difficult for some casters. It deals good damage though and is effective at staggering larger enemies or enemies with high armor values. This sorcery can be found in the Royal Grave Evergaol after defeating the Alabaster Lord there.
7 Briars Of Sin
Sorceries are almost always fueled by intelligence, but Briars of Sin might as well be an incantation with its requirements. This sorcery requires 24 faith to cast, which isn't exactly a low number. Full magic builds should have no trouble balancing high intelligence values and high faith values, but those going for pure sorcery builds might have to pass on this particular sorcery.
For those that can cast it though, Briars of Sin is an incredible AOE spell that can absolutely shred attacking enemies. This sorcery has a low FP cost and deals rapid AOE damage to enemies all around the player. It's good for getting rid of proximity mobs and giving the player a chance to breathe. Players can find this sorcery in Lirunia after defeating a mob northwest of the Artist's Shack site of grace.
6 Carian Piercer
Like the Carian Greatsword, the Piercer transforms the caster's staff into a magical weapon for a quick attack that can be chained. While the Carian Greatsword attacks in a wide horizontal sweep, the Piercer stabs directly forward. It has great range and is a fantastic option for zoning boss fights and heavily armored enemies.
The Carian Piercer can be charged upon casting for even greater range and damage values and can even be used on horseback so long as the player has their staff in the right-hand slot. This sorcery can be found in the Caria Manor after defeating a scarab behind the garden area.
5 Night Maiden's Mist
Night Maiden's Mist flies somewhat under the radar for most Elden Ring sorcerers. The spell can be bought from Gowry after completing his quest in Selia, Town of Sorcery. Night Maiden's Mist emits a grayish cloud that deals damage over time to anyone standing in it. That's right: this sorcery can be dangerous because it harms enemies, friends, and even the player themselves.
With careful placement and timing though, Night Maiden's Mist can quite literally melt bosses in minutes. If the player keeps the boss corralled in the mist, they will take continuous damage plus whatever other damage the player can sling out. This sorcery can be used to great effect against slow-moving hordes as well.
4 Glintstone Icecrag
Among the many status effects in Elden Ring, Frostbite is perhaps the best for the player to inflict on foes. Frostbite makes an enemy (or player)take increased damage from all sources, which is hugely beneficial for boss fights with hefty health pools. On top of this, enemies will enter a brief stun animation when afflicted by Frostbite, allowing players a second of their own time.
This spell can be bought from Seluvis after beginning Ranni's quest from behind the Caria Manor. It is a great option for a player's primary offensive spell, and the Frostbite procs work against nearly every enemy in the game. Be sure to take advantage of them
3 Glintstone Arc
Glintstone Arc is a starting sorcery for the Astrologer class and can be learned very early on from Sellen for a mere 1500 runes. No tedious rune farming will be needed for this sorcery, and that accessibility is part of what makes it one of the best in the game.
Glintstone Arc is a fantastic option for fighting hordes of foes or just swatting down annoying flying enemies. The arc of the spell widens the longer it goes forward until it eventually dissipates. Learning the range of the arc to maximize damage brings out the true potential of this low FP cost sorcery. Players won't have to worry about flying enemies again thanks to this sorcery's ability to hit, even when they dodge in midair.
2 Rock Sling
Rock Sling is a great item to get in the early game. It deals great damage and staggers foes with ease, leading to more devastating critical hits. It can be found fairly early for players willing to risk exploring Caelid's Street of Sages Ruins location. Players can run through many of the poison mages there to grab the sorcery. There is no boss protecting it.
Rock Sling summons three large rocks from the ground and slings them forward towards a target. They move fairly slowly and have a bad turning radius, so particularly deft foes will be able to dodge them with ease. Larger enemies or small groups of foes will fall easily to Rock Sling though, and the stagger from repeated casts makes this easily one of the best sorceries in the game.
1 Glintstone Pebble
One of the best all-around sorceries inside Elden Ring also happens to be one of its most basic. The Glintstone Pebble sorcery is a base kit item for the Astrologer class and can be easily purchased by Sellen or Thops for 1000 runes. When it comes to basic bread-and-butter offense, there is perhaps no better sorcery than Glintstone Pebble. It has a low FP cost and grows stronger with higher intelligence.
This spell can be cast quickly, leading to a higher DPS rating than a slow sorcery with a bigger single hit. It can also interrupt enemies with low poise and stun-lock them into a chain of magical pebbles. Somehow, the best sorcery in the game isn't an incredibly high-cost flashy spell with advanced casting; instead, t's the basic magic missile found across nearly every RPG magic system.
Elden Ring is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
