Ashes of War in Elden Ring is an item that when acquired will grant new skills onto your weapons and shields. This Ashes of War Guide will tell you everything you need to know about them.
Ashes of War is a weapon attachment that can be applied to a weapon at Sites of Grace. This weapon attachment unlocks new skills, powers and abilities, along with stat changes and perks to scaling. There are several ways in which you can acquire Ashes of war, you can get them as rewards for killing bosses and enemies, providing they are the right type of enemy. It is also possible to find Ashes of War by looting corpses throughout the game. Keep in mind that these drop placements are at the same location in every game You can go straight there and loot them. The easiest way in which to get Ashes of War if you want to save time is to purchase them from certain merchant NPCs, but this is costly.
In order to apply the Ashes of War you will first need to obtain the Whetstone Knife. You will be able to acquire this item early in the game by going to the Gafefront Ruins in Limgrave and finding the underground area in the camp where it will be in a chest along with Strom Stomp Ashes of War. Now that you have possession of the Whetstone knife you will be able to apply your Ashes of War onto your weapons and shields. Keep in mind that there are different types of Ashes of War and some are more suitable for weapons than others so be sure to check their stats and ranking grades. Bows, Light Bows, Glintstone Staves and Sacred Seals cannot be infused with Ashes of War. If at any point you do not want the Ashes of War on your weapon you can un-enchant it at a Site of Grace.
Every Ash of War in Elden Ring has an affinity that is independent of the skill it provides, they also have a second base affinity you can choose to change its scaling. Applying affinities to weapons changes their properties the following way.
Fire
Weakens default scaling, splits damage into Physical and Fire.
Heavy
Boosts Strength scaling at the cost of all other attributes.
Keen
Boosts Dexterity scaling at the cost of all other attributes.
Quality
Equalizes Strength and Dexterity scaling at the cost of all other attributes.
Poison
Enhances Dexterity, Strength and Arcane scaling. Also adds Poison build-up to your attacks.
Lightning
Enhances Dexterity scaling but weakens default scaling. Splits damage into Physical and Lightning.
Blood
Adds Arcane scaling but weakens default scaling. Also adds Bleed build-up to your attacks.
Sacred
Adds Faith scaling but weakens default scaling. Splits damage type to Physical and Holy.
Occult
Adds Arcane scaling but weakens default scaling. Stops undead enemies from reviving automatically.
Magic
Adds Intelligence scaling but weakens default scaling. Splits damage type to Physical and Magic.
Cold
Adds Intelligence scaling but weakens default scaling. Also adds Frostbite build-up to your attacks.
Take a look at our Weapon Tier List to find out what the best weapons are in Elden Ring.
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