Currently, some of the best spells in Elden Ring consist of Comet Azur (Kamehameha) and the lowly Glintstone Pebble. Following the meta is fun and all, but meta spells or items are often at the mercy of the developer's balancing. And what happens if a player's favored boss killer or cheese mechanic gets nerfed to the ground? That's why it's great to have backups.
Some backups can be just as good or just as effective as the meta spells in Elden Ring. Thanks to the large amount of Sorceries in the game, some are bound to be overshadowed by the most accessible or the most popular ones. Still, one can't go wrong with these underrated Sorceries. They won't make players top students at Raya Lucaria Academy, but they're a good way to win Ranni's heart.
8 Carian Slicer
- FP Cost: 4
- Requirement: Int: 14
- Location: Sorceress Sellen in Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave
Speaking of backups, the Carian Slicer is a handy spell for when things go south for a ranged mage. It's a melee spell that produces a swift and agile small blade that can be repeatedly used in quick succession. The damage is good, and the poise damage is decent.
In fact, the spell is good enough to have its own setup built around it. Since it's considered a combat move, the spell also functions like a normal melee attack, meaning it can be used for jump, roll, and crouch attacks. That makes the Carian Slicer more versatile, especially for battlemage or spellblade builds.
7 Adula's Moonblade
- FP Cost: 26
- Requirement: Int: 32
- Location: Glintstone Dragon Adula, located at the Cathedral of Manus Celes in Moonlight Altar, Liurnia of the Lakes
Adula's Moonblade is the beefier and costlier version of the Carian Greatsword, except it has much better utility. Apart from Magic damage, it also Deals Cold and builds up Frostbite. It also hits twice; the first hit is the melee range with the long blade, and the second is the Frost projectile fired off by the blade.
That alone makes it more powerful than Carian Greatsword. But what makes it even better all the way is its impressive potential for clearing hordes of enemies thanks to the Frost projectile. The downside is that it has a longer windup and costs more, but that's easily excused.
6 Ambush Shard
- FP Cost: 16
- Requirement: Int: 23
- Location: Jail in Witchbane Ruins in Weeping Peninsula
Ambush Shard gets easily dismissed due to its low damage, especially when compared to something like Glintstone Pebble. What players may not realize, though, is that it's not meant to be used as a direct damage spell. Rather, players are supposed to find utility in it by disrupting shielded enemies.
It's especially useful against shielded opponents in PvP. Other uses include chipping away at an enemy's health even when they're behind environmental cover. Since Ambush Shard also has delayed damage, PvE enemies don't dodge it, making it great for dealing that small final blow against agile bosses.
5 Greatblade Phalanx
- FP Cost: 35
- Requirement: Int: 29
- Location: Bols, Carian Knight in Cuckoo's Evergaol in Liurnia of the Lakes
The more popular Phalanx Sorceries are the lighter ones — Carian Phalanx, in particular, is well-known for ending fair PvP fights prematurely. However, Greatblade Phalanx has much better utility in PvE, especially during boss fights.
Because this spell deals incredible poise damage, it is a great tool for staggering bosses such as Malenia or even the bigger ones like Maliketh. To that end, players can safely ignore the damage values for this Sorcery, as it's mostly sought after for its stagger potential.
4 Rock Blaster
- FP Cost: 25
- Requirement: Int: 21
- Location: Chest in a shed in Sellia Crystal Tunnel in Caelid
Looking for a fairer alternative to Comet Azur as the workhorse spell? Rock Blaster is a worthy replacement. It deals similar damage and can be held before it explodes, essentially acting like a magical drill that staggers enemies and continuously damages them.
Pair it with the Cerulean Hidden Tear and like Comet Azur, it becomes an 8-second boss-killing superweapon. There also seems to be some kind of bug or unintended interaction with this weapon where equipping the staff on the right hand makes it cost zero FP. That interaction may or may not get removed in the future.
3 Swift Glintstone Shard
- FP Cost: 5
- Requirement: 12
- Location: Sorceress Sellen in Waypoint Ruins when she gets the Academy Scroll
The default Glintstone Shard is difficult to replace, but it's not the best spell for panicking wizards. It's still a little too slow for casting then rolling out of harm's way. For that, the Swift Glintstone Shard is a much safer and more affordable spell.
It's a weaker but significantly faster version of the Glintstone Shard. It also has a shorter range, but it's still advantageous when trading Sorcery potshots against mage enemies or even archers. Also, the damage isn't that bad considering the spell's cost and rapid-fire potential. It's a pretty good choice in a ranged-only fight against Malenia.
2 Unseen Form
- FP Cost: 20
- Requirement: Int: 16
- Location: Mirage Rise in Altus Plateau after completing the puzzle
Unseen Form is a Sorcery spell that makes its caster semi-invisible. While that has a 50/50 chance of working in PvP against astute and sharp players, it's a literal lifesaver in PvE. The AI in Elden Ring is easily tricked using such spells.
In fact, players can even use this spell to breeze through an area without attracting much aggression. A disclaimer is in order though: enemies can still see and hear the players, they'll just react to the player's presence a lot slower depending on the distance. For avoiding sniper archer sights, however, it's a godsend.
1 Ranni's Dark Moon
- FP Cost: 62
- Requirement: Int: 68
- Location: Chelona's Rise in Moonlight Altar in Liurnia of the Lakes
The high Intelligence requirement paired with the staggering FP cost might dissuade players from using it. But merely think of it as a once-per-fight spell, something that isn't meant to be spammed. Players are meant to use it in conjunction with other faster and cheaper Sorceries.
In addition to dealing tons of Magic damage and Frostbite buildup, Ranni's Dark Moon also reduces an enemy's Magic resistance. That's assuming they get hit by this spell. If players can time it well enough, they can also use this spell to "jump through" some ground stomp or shockwave attacks. Of course, it's also Ranni's spell, so that's enough reason for many players to use it.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.