how to · Items
Best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring and How Summoning Works
Choose Spirit Ashes by role, unlock summoning and upgrades, understand Rebirth Monument restrictions, and compare Mimic Tear with other strong options.
Answer first
Quick Answer
The best Spirit Ash depends on the job: Mimic Tear copies your equipped loadout and costs HP, Black Knife Tiche brings mobile percentage-based damage, Lhutel is durable, Greatshield Soldiers distract groups, and low-cost wolves pressure early enemies. Summoning requires the Spirit Calling Bell, a summon-enabled area, and enough FP or HP.
On This Page
Key Takeaways
- The blue gravestone icon shows when a Rebirth Monument allows Spirit Ash summoning.
- You normally summon once per monument area and cannot summon while a multiplayer cooperator is present.
- Grave Glovewort upgrades standard ashes; Ghost Glovewort upgrades renowned ashes.
- Roderika becomes the spirit tuner at Roundtable Hold after her early quest dialogue and Hewg's involvement.
- “Best” means matching cost and role to the encounter, not one permanent damage ranking.
Spirit Ash roles
| Ash | Strength | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Lone Wolf Ashes | Early pressure from three bodies | Area attacks remove them quickly |
| Skeletal Militiamen | Can revive if not hit while reforming | Holy or follow-up damage can prevent recovery |
| Lhutel the Headless | Durable, evasive distraction | Teleports can make aggro less predictable |
| Greatshield Soldier Ashes | Excellent physical crowd distraction | Elemental and wide-area attacks punish the group |
| Black Knife Tiche | Mobile offense and strong boss pressure | High FP cost and late quest requirement |
| Mimic Tear | Uses your equipped weapons, items, spells, and armor | Costs HP and performance depends on the prepared loadout |
Unlock and upgrade
- Obtain the Spirit Calling Bell from Renna at the Church of Elleh at night after receiving Torrent; if missed, buy it from the Twin Maiden Husks.
- Equip an ash in a pouch or quick slot.
- Enter an area displaying the summoning icon.
- Ensure no cooperator is active and you can pay the FP or HP cost.
- Progress Roderika to spirit tuning at Roundtable Hold.
- Spend the matching Glovewort type and test the summon before investing rare final upgrade material.
How to choose
Use multiple bodies against slow single-target enemies, a durable shielded unit to hold physical pressure, a mobile legendary ash against bosses that punish stationary summons, or Mimic Tear when your own loadout offers survivability and useful actions. Remove consumables or spells you do not want the Mimic to select before entering the arena.
Common Mistakes
- Trying to summon outside a Rebirth Monument area.
- Keeping a multiplayer summon active and expecting Spirit Ashes too.
- Upgrading with the wrong Glovewort family.
- Calling Mimic Tear with a cluttered or unusable loadout.
- Ranking an unupgraded ash against a fully upgraded one.
Troubleshooting
Why is the ash crossed out?
Check the monument icon, multiplayer state, summon limit, and resource cost. Leaving and re-entering an area does not always reset the encounter state; resting usually does.
Why won’t Roderika upgrade ashes?
Advance her dialogue at Stormhill Shack and Roundtable Hold, speak with Hewg about her aptitude, and reload the Hold after completing the dialogue sequence.
FAQ
Is Mimic Tear still good?
It remains exceptionally flexible because it copies the build, but it is not automatically best. Encounter behavior and loadout preparation determine performance.
Can Spirit Ashes be used everywhere?
No. Only areas governed by a nearby Rebirth Monument permit them.
Do ashes increase boss health?
Spirit Ashes do not apply the same multiplayer boss-health scaling as summoned human cooperators.
Version Scope
Verified through Elden Ring Patch 1.17. Rankings are role-based to avoid presenting balance as permanent.
See the dedicated Mimic Tear guide or return to the Elden Ring hub.
How this answer was checked
Sources & Verification
- Bandai Namco starter guideofficial
- Elden Ring Wiki Spirit Ashescommunity source
More verified answers
Related Guides
Elden Ring Golden Seeds, Sacred Tears, and Flask Upgrades
At any Site of Grace, use Golden Seeds to increase the total number of Crimson and Cerulean flask charges, and use Sacred Tears to increase how much HP or FP each charge restores. Golden Seeds commonly sit beneath small golden saplings; Sacred Tears are found at churches. Allocate charges separately after upgrading.
Verified guide
Ranni Quest Guide
This Elden Ring page establishes the source-backed scope for Ranni Quest Guide. It provides the direct guide URL, current-version verification note, and links to the next relevant topics without presenting an unsupported ranking or patch-sensitive recommendation as permanent fact.
Verified guideElden Ring Boss Order: Main and Recommended Route
A clean base-game route is Margit → Godrick → Red Wolf → Rennala, then Draconic Tree Sentinel → Godfrey’s golden shade → Morgott → Fire Giant → Godskin Duo → Maliketh → Gideon → Godfrey/Hoarah Loux → Radagon and Elden Beast. Only part of that list is strictly required, and another Great Rune can replace Godrick or Rennala before Leyndell.
Verified guideElden Ring Map Fragment Locations: All 24 Maps
Elden Ring has 19 base-game map fragments and five more in Shadow of the Erdtree. On an unrevealed overworld map, the small pillar icon marks the region's map stele; underground fragments are collected from named corpses or structures instead. A fragment reveals terrain, not every Site of Grace or collectible.
Verified guideElden Ring Memory Stone Guide: All 8 Locations
There are eight Memory Stones: buy one from Twin Maiden Husks; loot tower chests at Oridys's Rise, Testu's Rise, Lenne's Rise, Converted Tower, and Seluvis's Rise; defeat Red Wolf of Radagon; and defeat Demi-Human Queen Maggie. They raise the base two memory slots to ten; Moon of Nokstella can add two more while equipped.
Verified guide