Where to find spells in Elden Ring
Everything you need to know about sorceries and incantations.
Looking for all the Elden Ring spells? The magic in Elden Ring is pretty similar to past FromSoftware games, but with a power level rivaling the ridiculous strength of Demon's Souls' spells. If you're struggling with Elden Ring's melee combat, attacking with Sorceries or Incantations may be more to your liking. Additionally, you can find many great Elden Ring Weapons which scale with Intelligence or Faith (the primary spellcasting stats) instead of Dexterity or Strength.
You'll find spells throughout the game and from a variety of vendors. You can also increase your memory slots by finding memory stones, and by wearing certain magic boosting talismans. We've begun our guide by breaking up the best Sorceries and Incantations by stage of the game, and then proceed into vendors and spell/prayerbook locations.
Best Early Game Sorceries
Rock Sling
Finding the Rock Sling sorcery takes a bit of legwork, but will net you not only one of the best early game sorceries, but a powerful staff as well, one of the best Elden Ring weapons to have at the start of the game. Both are feasible to acquire as soon as you have Torrent.
You'll want to follow our guide on where to find the Meteorite Staff, most easily accessed early-on by opening up the chest that sends you to hell. From the Street of Sage Ruins, go east until you see the stairway underground pictured at the end of the gallery above.
In the chest at the end of the tunnel, you'll find the Rock Sling sorcery, a powerful variant of the projectile spells like Glintstone Pebble. Rock Sling takes a bit longer to cast, but sends three, powerful, homing projectiles that do higher than average poise damage, all at a very reasonable FP cost. Additionally, it counts as a "Gravity Sorcery," so it is further strengthened by the Meteorite Staff you just found.
Carian Greatsword
Not to be confused with the "Carian Greatsword" ash of war sold by Rogier in Stormveil Castle, the sorcery also called Carian Greatsword is much more useful, and can see you through to the mid game and beyond. It is sold for the very hefty price of 10,000 runes by the merchant in the Church of Vows, located in east-central Liurnia.
Though most players only make it to this area after beating Stormveil, it is possible to get to Liurnia early by following the main road of Limgrave north instead of west to Stormveil's gates.
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Carian Greatsword provides a fast, wide, AoE melee attack with high damage that is also capable of interrupting enemies—very useful for a sorcerer backed into a corner.
Best Mid-game Sorceries
Loretta's Greatbow
The Caria Manor mini-dungeon is the source of two of the best mid-game sorceries in Elden Ring. You can refer to our full guide on Ranni's questline if you'd like to know more about the zone and the quests associated with it. The Loretta's Greatbow sorcery will be your reward for defeating the boss of the dungeon, Royal Knight Loretta, and it is well-worth it.
Loretta's Greatbow lets you charge up a shot in the style of the game's massive longbows. It's far too slow for use in pitched combat, but this has been my preferred spell for eliminating enemies at range or kiting them away from groups.
Glintstone Icecrag
Glintstone Icecrag can be bought from the Sorcery vendor, Master Seluvis, who becomes available after you defeat Royal Knight Loretta and begin Ranni's Quest.
I've found this to be an excellent "lunch pail" spell for Elden Ring's mid-game onward. It has a similar low cost to Rock Sling or Glintstone Pebble, does respectable damage, and also builds up the game's Frostbite status effect. Similar to Bleed, Frostbite causes a burst of damage on successful buildup, while also slowing enemy stamina regeneration.
Rennala's Full Moon
Rennala's Full Moon is one of the items you can acquire from Finger Reader Enia by trading her the Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen which you get for defeating Rennala, the boss of Raya Lucaria Academy.
I opted for the Carian Royal Scepter instead, an excellent mid-to-late game staff for mages, but you can secure both through the completion of one of Elden Ring's Walking Mausoleum puzzles. Rennala's Full Moon is a slow cast, slow moving AoE projectile attack that will lower enemies' resistance to magic damage.
There is also another variation on this spell, Ranni's Dark Moon, obtainable from Chelona's Rise after following her quest to completion, but the puzzle for Chelona's Rise seems to be bugged for some players (including me).
Comet Azur
If you're looking for that crazy meme laser beam spell which resembles Warlocks' Chaos Reach from Destiny, I can direct you towards our breakaway guide on how to get the Comet Azur spell in Elden ring. Make your way to Mt. Gelmir, talk to Primeval Sorcerer Azur, and let the fireworks begin.
Best Early Game Incantations
Flame Sling
The most easily accessed of Elden Ring's best early incantations is Flame Sling, sold by Brother Corhyn in Roundtable Hold. Most players reach the Hold after defeating Margit, but I was invited for the first time before achieving victory, so it's not clear what the exact trigger is.
Regardless, Flame Sling is a versatile, low-cost incantation that provides reliable ranged damage for a faith build.
Lightning Spear
The Lightning Spear incantation is fairly easily acquired early on in Liurnia. Starting from the Artist's Shack site of grace, there will be a knight enemy patrolling the road immediately south. He'll be a bit on the tougher side in the early game, but luckily he hangs out this close to a site of grace so some patience, strategy, and maybe a summon or two will win you the day eventually.
Take the Dragonskin Prayerbook he drops to either Miriel or Corhyn, and they'll sell you the incantation. It's Elden Ring's riff on a Souls series classic, a fast-moving, damaging projectile that will let you perform your best Solaire impersonation.
Aspects of the Crucible: Tail
Aspects of the Crucible: Tail can be won from the first of many Crucible Knights you can fight in Elden Ring. This boss battle at the Stormhill Evergaol gave me a lot of trouble when I attempted it in the very early hours of my playthrough, and this Crucible Knight's combination of delayed combos and surprising range proved tough to adjust to. Keep at it, or take a breather to come back later, either way the incantation you'll be rewarded with is worth it. The same AoE draconic tail swipe the Crucible Knight kept punking you with is now yours to do with as you please.
Black Flame
Black Flame is an extremely powerful incantation for Elden Ring's early to mid game. It can also be purchased from Brother Corhyn, but first you have to acquire the Godskin Prayerbook for him from Stormveil Castle. The Prayerbook can be reached from the Rampart Tower Site of Grace, or more easily from the Liftside Site of Grace.
Either way, it is located in the central grassy courtyard filled with exile soldiers. From the entrance to the courtyard after the great hall patrolled by a Grafted Beast, exit into the courtyard, then make an immediate hard left and go down the stairs. The Prayerbook is behind an Imp mechanism-locked fog gate requiring a Stonesword Key, one of the best keepsakes in Elden Ring and a rare find in the open world.
The reward for your efforts is essentially a vastly improved Flame Sling that does more damage as well as damage over time, for a similarly low FP cost to Flame Sling.
Dragonfire
Have you been tantalized by that island off the southwest coast of Limgrave, but unable to reach it? You'll want to go to the Coastal Cave, highlighted in the map above, defeat the dungeon's boss, but instead taking the shortcut back to the dungeon's entrance, continue deeper, and you'll find the Coastal Cave has a second entrance on the island!
Here you can find several dragon-themed incantations for sale for one dragon heart apiece. If you haven't yet, go kill Agheel in the marshes by Limgrave (and consult our guide to Elden Ring's bosses if you're having trouble.) I would recommend using this first dragon heart on the Dragonfire incantation, a powerful AOE fire attack.
Best Mid-Game Incantations
Fortissax's Lightning Spear and/or Death Lightning
The best Incantations I've found in gameplay up to and including the Altus Plateau both derive from the Remembrance of the Lichdragon awarded on defeat of Lichdragon Fortissax. Fortissax is the final fight of Fia's Questline, a long and opaque sequence which rivals Ranni's in complexity and lack of overt direction.
Your reward turning in the ancient dragon's Remembrance is a choice of two formidable AoE lightning spells. Of the two, I would prioritize Death Lightning first: it can inflict the Death Blight status effect, and has a classic cast pattern reminiscent of Demon's and Dark Souls' Firestorm spells. If you're still looking for some Lichdragon spellcasting action, use a Walking Mausoleum's boon to secure Fortissax's Lightning Spear as well.
Vendors
Elden Ring sorcery vendors
If you're looking to purchase sorceries, here's a list of some of the characters who'll help:
Sorcerer Rogier: You can find him in the chapel accessible through the back way into Stormveil Castle. From the Rampart Tower Site of Grace head along the wall with the barrel throwing Storm Hawks, then down the stairs to drop through the hole in the bell tower to find him in a small chapel. Exhaust his dialogue and he'll head back to Roundtable Hold to sell you sorceries.
Selen: Found in the Waypoint Ruins in East Limgrave. Head south along the road from the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace to find them. Fight the Mad Pumpkin Head boss and you'll be able to unlock the door behind containing her study. Say you'll be her student and she'll teach you sorceries.
Seluvis: Found in Seluvis's Rise behind the Caria Manor in the north of West Liurnia. You'll have to fight the Loretta boss to gain access in the manor itself. This will also unlock the Elden Ring Ranni quest.
Thops: Located in the Church of Irith, just west of where you enter Liurnia after beating Godrick. He only sells basic sorceries but will give you the hint about getting the Elden Ring Glintstone Key for the Raya Lucaria Academy.
Elden Ring incantation vendors
Here are the incantation vendors we've found so far:
Brother Corhyn: Accessible when you first enter the Roundtable Hold, giving you a variety of prayerbooks to increase his spell range. After he leaves in search of the Noble Goldmask, you can find him on the road leading northwards in the Altus Plateau, very close to the map pillar. He'll have even more incantations if you visit him there.
D: This hunter of the undead sells a couple of incantations. To unlock him, head to Summonwater Village in East Limgrave, talk to him just to the west, then defeat the Tibia Mariner boss. Talk to him after and he'll give you the location of the portal that leads to the bestial sanctum. After this, he'll appear in the Roundtable Hold
Gurranq - In the Bestial Sanctum, you'll find the beast cleric, Gurranq. He doesn't sell you sorceries, but will give you beast sorceries in exchange for the Deathroot you get from defeating undead Elden Ring bosses like Tibia Mariner, or Black Knife Assassin in the Deathtouched Catacombs of West Limgrave.
Church of Dragon Communion - When you defeat a dragon in Elden Ring, you'll receive its heart, which you can trade for an incantation at the Church of Dragon Communion, on the island to the southwest of where the game begins. As you defeat more dragons, the selection will increase. You can get to this island through the Coastal Cave dungeon just to the west of the Stranded Graveyard, on the beach.
Aspects of the Crucible - You can learn some very powerful incantations by defeating Crucible Knights and bosses throughout the world. If you get to the Deeproot Depths, you can also get an armour set that boosts these. The first can be found in Stormhill Evergaol in West Limgrave, north of the Church of Elleh on the hill.
Scrolls and Prayer Books
Where to find Sorcery Scrolls and Prayer Books
Sorcery Scrolls increase the selection of spells provided by a sorcery vendor, while Prayer Books do the same for incantations. Here are some of the ones we've found so far:
- Assassin's Prayerbook: Behind the second Stonesword Key door in the basement of the Roundtable Hold
- Godskin Prayerbook: In Stormveil Castle. Near the start of the flamethrower courtyard, head down the steps through the cellar door into the room with the rats to find an Imp statue. Unlock it with a Stonesword Key to gain the Godslayer Seal, and the Godskin Prayerbook, which you can give to Corhyn.
- Academy Scroll: Find this to the northwest of the Church of Irith where you find Thops. It's located beneath the main grave at the end of the graveyard. Watch out for the scythe-wielding skeletons. Give it to Selen to learn more sorceries.
Memory stones
Where to find Memory Stones
Memory Stones increase your magical memory. Here are places we've found them so far:
- Dropped by the Red Wolf of Radagon boss in the Raya Lucaria Academy.
- One is located at the top of Seluvis' Rise.
- The Moon of Nokstella talisman increases memory slots and can be found in the underground city of the same name.
Magical items
Here are some strong magical items for a spell build
Here we'll go through some strong magical items that you might want to get if you find yourself playing a spell build.:
- Moon of Nokstella: A talisman that increases memory slots. Gain access to it and the city by pursuing Ranni's quest.
- Darkmoon Greatsword: If you want to be more of a battlemage, or want a great intelligence-scaling weapon, the Darkmoon Greatsword is a good pick. You can get it by completing Ranni's quest.
- Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen: By beating Rennala, you can exchange her remembrance for some powerful sorcery-related items including a very good staff and a strong spell. Heading to Raya Lucaria, in general, is a good idea if you're interested in sorceries.
- Marika's Scarseal: You can find this talisman under the waterfall behind the Dragonkin Soldier boss in Siofra River. Head to the Worshippers' Woods grace in the northeast, and look for the fallen down pillar by the ancestral archers. Climb it to find a portal and gain access to the boss. This talisman raises mind, intelligence, faith, and arcane.
- Cerulean Hidden Tear: If you mix this Elden Ring Crystal Tear into your Flask of Wondrous Physick, you can eliminate FP consumption entirely for a short period, which is crazy strong, especially if you are summoning with the Spirit Calling Bell. You can find the tear by defeating the Ulcerated Tree Spirit near the map pillar in Mt. Gelmir.
- Ancestral Spirit's Horn: By defeating the Regal Ancestor Spirit boss, you gain its remembrance, which can be exchanged for this talisman. It's strong since it restores FP when you defeat enemies. That should take a load off your flasks.
You can also gain sorceries from bosses, as with Loretta's Greatarrow, and just scattered throughout the world, so it's worth keeping an eye out.
Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.
- Ted LitchfieldAssociate Editor