The Best Ashes Of War For Shadow Of The Erdtreen DLC in Elden Ring

The Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Expansion promises to challenge all players, implementing its own level scaling system to prevent those who have over-leveled from steamrolling the new content. However, that does not mean the gear and skills you have acquired so far through the base game will become useless, as many of them are incredibly versatile for all situations. Ashes of War that remain useful no matter the circumstance is what you should prioritize, as the expansion will contain moments that test your mettle.

While there are plenty of new Ashes of War to pick up and try out, none of them should be so strong that they will completely outpace the old skills that you have come to know and love. As such, you should tackle the expansion’s content once you have a solid build. Your Ashes of War are the strongest part of any build, so choosing the right skills is very important.

Best Ashes Of War For Each Build

Focus On Your Build

Depending on what kind of build you have made for your character, your Ashes of War should reflect your build’s strengths. For example, the Royal Knight’s Resolve Ash of War is phenomenal for all Strength builds, as it will boost the attack power of the following strike. This is great for Strength builds, which focus on landing single hits, as opposed to a Dexterity build, which prioritizes hitting multiple times.

Some of these Ashes of War can be used in multiple builds, such as a Strength/Faith build using two weapons, one with Flaming Strike and the other with Royal Knight’s Resolve.

Niche Ashes of War

More Specific, But Still Worthy

Some Ashes of War can be incredibly strong but only when used with very specific setups. For example, the Ash of War Sepukku is powerful, but only once you have reached an Arcane stat of at least 45, which is the softcap. This is because blood loss buildup is tied to your Arcane stat, so a character with low Arcane should not use this skill to increase their bleed damage.

Other Ashes of War like Sacred Ring of Light are directly tied to your character’s Faith stat. No matter what your Strength or Dexterity stat may be, the Sacred Ring of Light’s damage will only be increased by leveling Faith, making it a perfect option for pure Faith casters. This Ash of War combos greatly with Scythes, given their massive range.

New Ashes Of War

The New Stuff

A variety of new Ashes of War have been added with The Shadow Of The Erdtree expansion, some of which are looking to be incredible tools. One of the most long-awaited skills, Aspect of the Crucible: Wings, has made its way into the game as an Ash of War as opposed to an incantation, like its counterparts. The Ash of War Dryleaf Whirlwind is a completely new kind of skill for hand-to-hand weapons, for those who would like to build a monk character.

New items and skills are still being discovered, so keep exploring The Land of Shadow for new possibilities to uncover!

Keep an eye out for any new skills that you come across in your journey through the expansion. Some might have interesting uses for combating the new enemy types that appear across the land. No matter the Ashes of War you decide to use, make sure to have fun exploring The Land of Shadow in Elden Ring.

Video Credit: YouTube/Rusty.