Elden Ring is finally out in the wild and quickly gained a large player base. With the tons of content to explore and a vast open-world for the first time in Soul-game, players could not keep themselves away but to get the hands-on experience of the game. Although, Elden Ring has a painfully hard learning curve. But with the plenty of resources available on your side, players can definitely make the most out of the playthrough.
You will be utilizing armors, weapons, magic, and different skills to gain maximum advantage and ensure the safety of your character in the hauntingly beautiful world. However, with dozens of items available in the game, players often juggle to make choices like best Elden Ring skills that are a must-have for a smooth experience.
Key Takeaways
- Skills are crucial in shaping character builds in Elden Ring, which provides upperhand in fighting when it comes to stealth and protection.
- Barricade Shield offers optimal defense against damage, helps to dodge enemy attacks for a duration of 15 seconds at a cost of 8 FP, to achieve it, players should defeat the Bloodhound Knight Darriwil or the Night’s Cavalry boss.
- Shield Bash is for players who focus on using Greatshields, featuring a strong charge that can disrupt enemies and trigger critical hits. It can be found in the Demi-Human Forest Ruins.
- The Charge Forth skill is a non-chargeable skill that comes with a high FP cost, and it is exclusive to Winged Spears, Lances, and Golem’s Halberd.
- Carian Greatsword is a favorite skill that turns a regular sword blade into a massive greatsword, allowing players to inflict massive damage on the enemies.
- Oath of Vengeance boosts all attributes by 5 for 30 seconds, but it costs 20 FP and is exclusive to the Grafted Blade Greatsword.
- Prelate’s Charge unleashes massive flames and allows the player to charge through enemies. It can be obtained by acquiring the unique Colossal weapon Prelate’s Inferno Crozier or by finding the skill in a specific location on the map. It costs 20 FP.
- Spinning Weapon lifts the player’s weapon in mid-air, causing it to spin quickly and deal damage to nearby enemies. It costs 12 FP and can be obtained by buying the skill from Sorcerer Rogier for 1000 Rune or by finding the Carian Regan Scepter from a boss.
- Glintblade Phalanx creates four magical Glintblades to attack enemies while the player stays at a distance. It costs 10 FP and only works with Swords and Polearms. It can be obtained from Rogier’s Rapier and used with other swords.
- Thunderbolt summons lightning by raising the player’s armament and only costs 10 FP. It is easy to acquire in the game.
- Seppuku enhances the attack power of Swords and Polearms and causes enemies to suffer blood loss, with a low FP cost of 4, and can be obtained by defeating an invisible Scarab in the Freezing Lake area.
As said earlier, there are numerous options available to players to pick the skills for their character that align with their character build. These skills will be benefiting your character in a variety of ways. Be it the fast-paced combat, stealth, or extra defense, skills are a great addition to the character build in Elden Ring. You might not want to head into the Lands Between of the game with no protection or skills to fight the dark powers.
If you are also struggling to find some good skills for your character, then you are in the right place. This guide entails all details you need to know for the top 10 best Skills In Elden Ring and where you can find them. With that said, let’s get right into it.
Best Elden Ring Skills
FromSoftware, the developers of the Elden Ring has added many new features to give players a fresh start. These features combine to give a unique experience to Soul-game that not only impacts the storyline but also enhances the combat. Elden Ring might be a head start for avid Dark Soul players. It is the main reason why they might not have issues digesting the story lore quickly and deciding what is best for their characters.
Meanwhile, early-level players face challenges to make the most out of the best weapons. That is only possible by upgrading the melee weapons with skills to deal heavy damage and also dodge the strikes from the bosses. It is worth noting that not every melee weapon will allow players to use skills. Plus, some weapons have default skills that can not be replaced with another. For that instance, you might have to make your decisions carefully for skills that meet your character and playthrough requirements. Let’s have a look at the top 10 best skills in Elden Ring.
Barricade Shield
The first and the most vital skill that you need for your character is Barricade Shield. As the name implies, this skill affects the shields to offer the best damage defense to players. As said earlier, as soon as you enter the Elden Ring, you are in for some of the worst enemies you can not even imagine.
Barricade Shield was designed with perfection by Sir Neidhardt, which allows you to dodge the enemy strikes by putting a prime focus on the shield. For a temporary time, you will be able to harden the Shield blocking all enemy strikes. To put it simply, this skill will make your shield completely impenetrable, thus making your character overpowered.
Shields are an important part of the combat and do a great job in enhancing your defenses and allowing you to pull some of the best combat moves. For instance, you can consider pulling the Parry maneuver in Elden Ring to block the strike and staggering the enemy. On top of that, you will gain a tactical advantage to make your move and deal heavy damage to the enemies.
The stats of the skills reveal that it involves a total of 8 FP costs. For those who do not know what FP is are your Focus Points that will be used in the Stats of your character. In essence, it acts as the energy fuel that will be used for skills and spells. Moreover, this skill will be usable for over 15 seconds and will not be chargeable.
Meanwhile, getting the Barricade Shield is not much difficult. There are two ways to pursue the Barricade Shield skill for your character in Elden Ring. You can either defeat the Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in Forlon Hound Evergaol at Stormhill. Or you can kill Night’s Cavalry boss at Weeping Peninsula. Both bosses will be dropping the Barricade Shield. So it is up to you to pursue the approach that seems easy for your build.
| FP Cost | 8 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | Small Shield, Standard Shield |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Barricade Shield |
| Ash of War Affinity | None |
Shield Bash
Another best entry in Shield skills is Shield Bash. Especially, the characters that focus on Shield must utilize these skills to maximize the performance rather than dying every time. It is a regular skill that will affect the Shields in the game. Unfortunately, it affects only Greatshields but for a very good reason.
Unlike standard Shields in the game, Greatshields focus on strength to offer decent damage defense. Plus, it is really heavy, which is why we are going to use Sheild Bash skill. It will allow players to brace on the back of the shield and charge with immense power to week the stance of the enemies, even staggering them. This is where you can make your second move to get a Critical Hit and easily kill the enemies.
Although it comes in the Ash of War skills series, but it is not chargeable. Plus, Shield Bash has an FP cost of 10, which is a little higher. But the effect it grants to players makes it the best investment during critical combat. There are various ways to get the Shield Bash for your character. But first, you will need a Greatshield to apply the skill. Chargeable
For that instance, first, let’s discuss how can you find a Greatshield to apply and use the Shield Bash skill. All you need to do is to visit Demi-Human Forest Ruins. Head northwest of the South of Lookout Tower. Here you will encounter different enemies that you need to avoid at all costs. Search for an underground basement within the Ruins and here you will find a chest. Opening this chest will give you the best Shield of Guilty that comes with Shield of Bash skill.
Or you can farm on Beetle, which can be found on the island under the broken bridge. This bridge can be found in Raya Lucaria Academy. If that seems easier, you can pursue the farming approach to get the Shield Bash skill.
| FP Cost | 10 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | Small Shield, Medium Shield, Greatshield |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Shield Bash |
| Ash of War Affinity | None |
Charge Forth
Charge Forth as another non-chargeable skill that will greatly benefit players during combat. Although it is a regular skill in the game, it is exclusively available for Winged Spears, Lances, and Golem’s Halberd. It allows players to lean back to put armament on their character’s hip and then charge with all power to thrust the weapon into the enemy.
As for the stats, Charge Forth comes with a huge FP cost of 16. Another important thing to note is that Charge Forth is also associated with the Ash of War skills, thus causing devastating damage to the enemies.
Getting the Charge Forth skill is also easy. You will have to find Teardrop Scarab enemies that are found attached to the ceilings. Visit the particular location on the map and kill this enemy with a ranged weapon. It will drop the Ash of War Charge Forth skill.
| FP Cost | 13 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | Thrusting Polearm, Heavy Thrusting Sword, Twinblades |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Charge Forth |
| Ash of War Affinity | Balances Strength and Dex Scaling Reduces Base damage |
Carian Greatsword
Apart from the Greatshield, Carian Greatsword is the players’ favorite skill to inflict massive damage to the enemies. Diving into the game, you will encounter all kinds of enemies that can easily overwhelm beginner players.
Carian Greatsword will turn your regular sword blade into a Greatsword. Striking this Greatsword will deal huge damage to enemies without needing any incantations. Players can apply this Ash of War skill on Swords and Colossal Weapons. Even better is that you can charge this weapon to enhance its power and get more damage in your combat.
Sadly that comes with a cost of 16 FP. But at the end of the day, that investment is definitely worth it. Another downside of the Carian Greatsword is that it is only obtainable by purchasing it for in-game currency known as Runes. You can go to the Roundtable Hold to meet Sorcerer Rogier. Here you can purchase Carian Greatsword Skill for 2,500.
| FP Cost | 14 |
| Chargeable | Yes |
| Eligible Equipment | Swords, Colossal Weapons |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Carian Greatsword |
| Ash of War Affinity | Increases Magic Damage and Intelligence Scaling Reduces Physical Damage, Strength, and Dex Scaling |
Oath of Vengeance
If you are seeking a unique skill for your character, then the Oath of Vengeance is the prime consideration. This skill is exactly what it sounds like and will make your character overpowered for a certain amount of time. Moreover, it is not chargeable, but it does have a unique effect on the character that is definitely worth a try.
Players that want to push the boundaries of their character build can use this skill to raise all attributes by 5 for over 30 seconds. Players can use this skill only on the Grafted Blade Greatsword. While executing the skill, your character will swear an oath for the clan to raise all the stats along with the Poise. Meanwhile, the only downside of the skill is the FP cost of 20.
This means you will have to obtain the Grafted Blade Greatsword to utilize the skill. For that instance, you will need to go to Castle Morne. You will have to fight through tons of enemies, so bring your famous co-op partner or good weapons to deal with these enemies. You will be fighting your way all the way from Castle Morne to Morne Moangrave. Here you will be fighting a boss Leonine Misbegotten. Defeating this boss is going to reward players mightily Grafted Blade Greatsword with Oath of Vengeance skill.
| FP Cost | 20 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | Grafted Blade Greatsword |
| Ash of War | None |
| Ash of War Affinity | None |
Prelate’s Charge
Prelate’s Charge is also a regular skill that can be only used in Colossal weapons. These include any Colossal hammer or axes. Sadly it also has an FP cost of 20. So you might want to use it at the right time to make your way through the storm of enemies.
Prelate’s Charge enables slamming the armaments on the ground that will release huge flames and then you can charge in staggering all the enemies. At this moment you can make your strike to dish out the best damage with your favorite Colossal weapon. The cherry on top is that you can hold down to continue the charge.
Now there are two ways to get this effective skill for your character. You can either pursue a unique Colossal weapon “Prelate’s Inferno Crozier”. Or you can visit a particular location on the map to obtain only the skill. For that, you can visit a Fire Monk campsite in Forbidden Lands, just the south of Whiteridge Road grace. After passing two rows of spikes you will see a dung beetle on the top of the tree. Once again you will be using a ranged weapon to drop it and kill it. It will reward you with Ash of War Prelate’s Charge skill that you can apply to your favorite Colossal weapon.
Or if you are considering the boss fight approach, you will have to go to Fort Laiedd to get the Prelate’s Inferno Crozier weapon along with the skill. The choice depends on your ease of access and character level.
| FP Cost | 20 |
| Chargeable | Yes |
| Eligible Equipment | Colossal Hammers and Axes |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Prelate’s Charge |
| Ash of War Affinity | Increases Fire Damage and Faith Scaling Reduces other Scalings |
Spinning Weapon
Spinning Weapon was used by none other but the Carian princesses in Elden Ring. This skill lifts up the weapon in mid-air and allows them to spin with speed. Anything in the vicinity of spin will get violent damage from the weapon. Like other skills, Spinning Weapons is also a regular skill from Ashes of War.
On the other side, the stats reveal that Spinning Weapon is not chargeable. Additionally, it will cost around 12 FP, which is not something that you need to worry about as an early-level player.
Getting the Spinning Weapon skill involves both farming and purchasing strategy. You can purchase the skill from Sorcerer Rogier for 1000 Rune. He can be found at the Stormveil Castle and Roundtable Hold. Or you can pursue Carian Regan Scepter from a boss. The only problem is that it is an endgame item after a boss fight, so you might not want to spoil it earlier. You can wait to progress in the storyline to achieve this weapon along with the Spinning Weapon skill.
| FP Cost | 12 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | Sword, Axe, Hammer, Glintstone Staff, Spear |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Spinning Weapon |
| Ash of War Affinity | Adds Magic Damage and Intelligence Scaling Reduces Base Damage, Strength, and Dex Scaling |
Glintblade Phalanx
Glintblade being a regular skill can only be used on Swords and Polearms. It is used mostly by the enchanted knights of the Carian Royal Family. However, that does not mean tarnished can not benefit from the nightly skill. Upon activation of skill, players will be able to form four magic Glintblades that will attack the enemies while you keep the distance.
It’s like you have turned the swords into ranged weapons and inflicting the best damage to the enemies. The main aspect of the skill you need to know is that you can also utilize the thrusting capability of the weapons with this skill. Additionally, the Glintblade Phalanx is non-chargeable and will require 10 FP costs.
On the other side, you will have to acquire it from Rogier’s Rapier. This is only possible after you have killed the might Godrick the Grafted. After that, you can find him available for dialogue in the Roundtable Hold. Here he will be rewarding you with his Rapier, which you can use for your other Swords to utilize the Glintblade Phalanx skill.
| FP Cost | 20 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | All Swords, Spears, Halberds, Daggers, Katanas |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Glintblade Phalanx |
| Ash of War Affinity | Adds Magic Damage and Intelligence Scaling Reduces Base Damage, Strength, and Dex Scaling |
Thunderbolt
Want to pursue the gameplay like Thor? Say no more. Thunderbolt will allow you to call lightning by raising your armament. It was famously used by Dragon’s Cult in Capital. The lightning strike is both a beautiful sight as well as a damaging shock to the enemies.
Thunderbolt is not chargeable but it has the best FP cost of only 10. On the other side, it is also fairly easy to acquire in the game. You do not have to fight any boss or pass dialogue checks to claim it for yourself. All you need to do is to Leyndell, Royal Capital, and reach the Avenue Balcony. Here you will see a Teardrop Beetle. Killing it will give you Thunderbolt that is usable for all melee weapons.
| FP Cost | 10 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | All Melee Weapons |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Thunderbolt |
| Ash of War Affinity | Adds Lightning Damage Reduces Base Damage and Strength Scaling |
Seppuku
Last but not least, Seppuku also counts as one of the best skills in Elden Ring. It is another regular skill that is only usable on Swords and Polearms. However, what it lacks in the uniqueness it makes up for the damage on the enemies. It has a really low FP cost of 4 making it the best option available to players.
Seppuku is all about stabbing yourself with a blade to stain it with blood. This will allow your sword or Polearms to increase the attack power and also enhance the blood loss of enemies. It is as cool as it sounds but the amount of damage you can gain from this skill is completely off the charts.
To acquire this skill, you will be going to Freezing Lake. But first, it is important to make sure you are at least mid in the game. Otherwise, you have not discovered the location yet, and going out alone is not recommended because of the stronger enemies. After reaching the Site of Grace, take the straight path into the lake. Here you will see footsteps on the lake as if something invisible is walking on it. You will have to track the footsteps on where this thing is moving and then attack it. It is an invisible Scarab that will be dropping Seppuku.
With different skills usable by your character, you can easily dive into your ideal playthrough and gain a better experience. It might take a little experimentation and practice to get a hold of these skills. But once you do, your playthrough will be a lot easier in the Lands Between.
| FP Cost | 4 |
| Chargeable | No |
| Eligible Equipment | All Swords, Spears, |
| Ash of War | Ash of War Seppuku |
| Ash of War Affinity | Adds Bleed Adds Arcane |
That is about it for the best Elden Ring skills. Do you find this guide helpful for the top skills in Elden Ring? What are your go-to best Skills in Elden Ring? We will love to hear your thoughts in the comments section down below.
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