Elden Ring’s Ashes of War are enchantments scattered throughout The Lands Between and can be applied to Weapons and Shields to grant them new abilities. Ashes of Wars can be equipped at Sites of Grace and used repeatedly for weapons if you duplicate them.
A single Ash of War can only be infused with a single weapon at any moment. To use another Ash of War on your weapon, you must first remove the one that is currently equipped on your weapon. This guide will walk you through how exactly you can do this.
How to remove Ashes of War from weapons in Elden Ring
Removing an Ash of War from a weapon is the same as equipping it in Elden Ring. To remove an Ash of War, select the Undo Enchantment option.
The first two steps to remove any Ash of War from a weapon are the same as applying the Ash of War i.e., you have to rest at a Site of Grace and then look for the Ashes of War menu.
Now, select the weapon you want to remove the Ash of War from and click on the ‘’Undo Enchantment” option to remove the Ash of War and revert the weapon to its original stats and condition.
How to remove Ashes of War from shields
Removing an Ash of War from a shield is somewhat different from removing it from a weapon. For Shields, you must buy the No Skill Ash of War that removes the infused Ash of War from your desired shield.
The No Skill Ash of War can be purchased from Knight Bernahl, a merchant NPC. To visit him, head to the Warmaster’s Shack, a hut in front of the woods of Stormhill.
Here, you will come across Knight Bernahl, who will sell you the No Skill Ash of War for 600 Runes. You must opt for the Learn Skills option and select this Ash of War to acquire it.
This Ash of War can also be bought from the Twin Maiden Husks, an immobile NPC at the Roundtable Hold.
After obtaining the No Skill Ash of War, the next steps to remove an Ash of War from a shield are similar to the ones you take to remove it from a weapon.
You must look for the nearest Site of Grace and visit the Ashes of War menu by resting there. Choose the shield first and then the No Skill Ash of War, after which you only need to opt for the Standard Affinity option, which will revert the shield to its original form.
Can you remove Ashes of War from a special weapon?
Some special Elden Ring weapons come with their pre-applied Ash of War. Usually, the ability granted by the Ash of War is in keeping with the theme/lore of the weapon. Sometimes, this Ash of War is tied to the weapon and can not be removed or swapped. Rogier’s Rapier is an example of this.
In other cases, the game allows you to remove the Ash of War from a special weapon. This means you can swap it out for another Ash of War of your choice or entirely equip it with another weapon. The Bloodhound’s Fang is an example of this.
If you encounter an issue where you cannot remove an Ash of War from a weapon, it is likely a special weapon with a unique, nonremovable Ash of War.
Do you lose Ashes of War after removing?
If you wonder whether you will lose an Ash of War in Elden Ring after removing it from a weapon or a shield, the answer is no.
Ashes of War are special items that can be removed and reapplied as many times as you like, so there is no way you can lose them. However, you need to remember that an Ash of War applied to a certain weapon disappears from your inventory because it can be applied to only one weapon or shield at once.
Once it is removed, it reappears in your inventory. You can duplicate it if you do not wish to remove the Ash of War and still want to use it for another weapon or shield.
