Spells

Magic in Elden Ring comes in two flavours that share almost nothing. Sorceries are the academic magic of Raya Lucaria and the Carian royals: cast from a glintstone staff, scaled by Intelligence, mostly projectiles, blades and gravity. Incantations are prayer: cast from a sacred seal, scaled by Faith and sometimes Arcane, and spread across a dozen schools from the healing of the Two Fingers to dragon fire, black flame, blood and frenzy. A character can learn both, but the stat split means most stick to one side, and the schools within each side decide which staff or seal you should be holding.

This guide is organised by school. It opens with how casting works, then lists every sorcery on our wiki grouped by tradition, then every incantation the same way. Each table gives the attribute requirement, the FP cost where our page records it, and where the spell comes from, with the name linking to a full page that covers the location route and how to use the spell in combat. A short set of roundups and a FAQ close it out.

How casting works

Every spell asks three things of you. First, the right catalyst in hand: a glintstone staff for sorceries, a sacred seal for incantations, both covered in the weapons guide under staves and seals. Second, the attribute requirement, which is the minimum Intelligence, Faith or Arcane needed to cast at all; the Glintstone Pebble asks for 10 Intelligence, the Meteorite of Astel for 55. Third, a free memory slot. You begin with two and can reach twelve by collecting Memory Stones and the Moon of Nokstella talisman, as How To Increase Memory Slots explains; the biggest spells such as Founding Rain of Stars occupy two slots at once.

Casting costs FP, refilled by the Cerulean flask, and often a surprising amount of stamina. Damage comes from the catalyst's scaling number multiplied by your attribute, so a better staff raises every sorcery you own, and many catalysts add a flat bonus to one school on top: the Carian Regal Scepter for Full Moon sorceries, the Gravel Stone Seal for Dragon Cult incantations, the Godslayer's Seal for black flame. Our Best Staffs and Best Sacred Seals roundups match catalysts to schools. Talismans layer on again: the Graven-Mass Talisman raises sorceries by 8 percent and the Flock's Canvas Talisman does the same for incantations.

Most spells are bought rather than found. Sorceries come from Sorceress Sellen, Preceptor Seluvis and Thops; incantations from Brother Corhyn and Miriel, Pastor of Vows. Their stock grows when you hand them scrolls and prayerbooks such as the Academy Scroll, the Dragon Cult Prayerbook or the Golden Order Principia. Dragon Communion incantations are the exception, bought with Dragon Hearts at the two dragon churches. The rest drop from Teardrop Scarabs, bosses and quest rewards. All Sorcery Locations and Incantations Locations are the checklist versions of what follows.

Sorceries by school

Glintstone and Academy sorceries

The bread and butter of Raya Lucaria: fast, cheap projectiles that a sorcerer casts a thousand times, then the heavy comets and star showers that end a boss fight. The Comet Azur beam that deletes bosses in one cast sits here, and so do the two buffs that make a battle mage work.

Terra Magica deserves a note: it lays a circle that raises all magic damage inside it by 22.5 percent, or 15 in PvP, and every stationary sorcerer should be standing in one. The Glintstone Cometshard is the comet that outgrows the basic Comet once your Intelligence reaches 36, and it is the mid-game projectile most Academy builds settle on.

Carian sorceries

The royal family's magic conjures weapons out of light: swords to swing, phalanxes of blades that hang over your head and strike on their own, and a greatbow. These are the sorceries for a mage who wants to fight at melee range, and the Carian Glintstone Staff boosts the sword spells by 15 percent.

Gravity sorceries

Meteorite magic pulls enemies in or drops rocks on them, deals a large share of physical damage, and is boosted by the Meteorite Staff found in the same Caelid swamp as the first of these spells.

Death, night and other sorceries

Ghostflame magic asks for Faith alongside Intelligence and is boosted by the Prince of Death's Staff. Night sorceries are hard for enemies to track and are the domain of the Staff of Loss.

Unseen Blade is the odd sorcery out: it turns your right-hand weapon invisible for a short while so an opponent cannot judge its reach, which is why PvP players keep it memorised. And note that Law of Regression, despite needing 37 Intelligence, is a Golden Order incantation that cures every status effect and reveals Radagon's secret, so it is listed with its school below.

Incantations by school

Two Fingers and Erdtree incantations: healing and protection

The support spine of every Faith build. Heals scale from the 8 Faith Urgent Heal to the 42 Faith Erdtree Heal, the fortifications cut one damage type by a third or more, and Golden Vow is the all-purpose buff that even melee characters pick up a seal for. The Erdtree Seal is the catalyst of choice.

Golden Order incantations

Fundamentalist magic scales with both Intelligence and Faith, which is why the Golden Order Seal asks for 17 of each. These spells hunt those who live in death and bend the rules of the fight itself.

Immutable Shield is the school's defensive spell: it coats whatever shield you hold in the Light of Regression and raises its non-physical guard values, which turns a medium shield into a wall against sorcerers and dragons for the length of the buff.

Giant's Flame and Fire Monk incantations

Fire is the easiest offensive incantation tree to start. Catch Flame and Flame Sling cost almost nothing, and at the top the 41 Faith Flame of the Fell God drops a fireball the size of a house. The Giant's Seal boosts the Giant's Flame spells by 20 percent, though our pages note that Catch Flame and Flame Sling are excluded.

Dragon Cult incantations: lightning

Leyndell's knights worshipped the ancient dragons and their red lightning. These spells are the best answer a Faith character has to dragons, wet enemies and anything with a big hitbox, and the Gravel Stone Seal boosts them by 15 percent. Most are bought after handing in the Dragon Cult Prayerbook or the Ancient Dragon Prayerbook.

Lightning Spear is the workhorse of the school, a thrown bolt cheap enough to spam from 17 Faith, and its ancient cousin trades speed for a red lightning spear that splits on impact and hits several targets at once. Together they carry a Dragon Cult build from Liurnia to the credits.

Dragon Communion incantations

Eat a dragon's heart and you can breathe like one. These spells scale with Faith and Arcane, cost a Dragon Heart each at the Church of Dragon Communion in Limgrave or the Cathedral of Dragon Communion in Caelid, and the Dragon Communion Seal boosts them by 15 percent. Our Dragon Communion Incantations page lists all fourteen.

Godslayer and black flame incantations

Black flame burns a percentage of the target's maximum health, which makes these spells scale into the endgame better than almost any other fire. The Godslayer's Seal from Stormveil boosts them, and our Godslayer Incantations page rounds up the whole family.

Blood, frenzy, bestial and rot incantations

The outsider schools. Mohg's blood magic pairs Faith with Arcane and feeds bleed builds, the Frenzied Flame spells build madness on you as well as the target and want the weightless Frenzied Flame Seal, Gurranq's bestial spells are boosted by the Clawmark Seal, and Pest Threads is the Servants of Rot spell that melts bosses for 11 Faith.

The Frenzied Flame Seal that powers this school comes from embracing the Three Fingers beneath Leyndell, a route covered in How to Reach the Flame of Frenzy; be aware that doing so also commits you to the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending unless Miquella's Needle undoes it.

Which spells to chase first

• New sorcerer: Glintstone Pebble and Glintstone Arc from the start, Great Glintstone Shard once you have the Academy Scroll, Carian Slicer for anything that gets close, and Rock Sling from the Caelid swamp as the first spell that staggers bosses. Best Sorceries ranks the rest.
• New Faith caster: Catch Flame or Urgent Heal from the class, Flame Sling and the fortifications from Corhyn, Lightning Spear from the first Dragon Cult Prayerbook, and Rotten Breath as soon as you own a Dragon Heart. Best Spells covers both sides.
• Boss killers: Comet Azur with Terra Magica and a Cerulean Hidden Tear for sorcerers; Pest Threads, Black Flame Ritual and Flame of the Fell God for incantations. The Comet Azur Build and Black Flame Build show the full setups.
• Buffs everyone wants: Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength before a boss door, Scholar's Armament or Electrify Armament on a standard weapon, and a fortification matched to the boss's element.

Elden Ring spells FAQ

What is the difference between a sorcery and an incantation?

Sorceries need a glintstone staff and scale with Intelligence. Incantations need a sacred seal and scale with Faith, with some also using Arcane or Intelligence. The two pools are memorised together but cast from different catalysts.

How many spells can I equip?

Two memory slots at the start, ten after all eight Memory Stones, and twelve with the Moon of Nokstella talisman. A few large spells take two slots each.

Where do I buy spells?

Sorceries from Sellen in the Waypoint Ruins cellar, Seluvis at his rise and Thops at the Church of Irith; incantations from Brother Corhyn at the Roundtable Hold and Miriel at the Church of Vows. Scrolls and prayerbooks you find expand what they sell.

What is the strongest spell?

For raw damage, Comet Azur on the sorcery side and Black Flame Ritual or Flame of the Fell God among incantations. For effect on a boss fight, Rotten Breath and Pest Threads punch far above their low Faith requirements.

Can a melee character use spells?

Yes. Buffs such as Golden Vow, Flame, Grant Me Strength and the weapon enchantments need only 15 to 25 Faith, and the heirloom talismans can bridge the gap without spending levels.