Best Ashes of War in Elden Ring: From Corpse Piler to Braggart’s Roar

The amount of Ashes of War in Elden Ring can be overwhelming, and players might feel confused about which ones to pick, so here are the ones we’d recommend using to dominate your foes in The Lands Between.

Ashes of War in Elden Ring are special moves that can be performed when you have them infused with a weapon. Many Ashes of War can be added to various weapons, allowing you to tailor your build around a weapon type and skill, while others come readily built-in to certain weapons. In this instance, you’ll need to use that weapon to take advantage of that Ash of War in the game.

There’s no right or wrong way to use Ashes of War in Elden Ring; some players prefer creating custom builds by mixing different moves with different weapons, while others may choose to use a particular weapon to take advantage of the Ash of War that comes with it. Most of these skills complement and enhance the weapon they’re attached to and are designed with certain builds in mind.

Ashes of War are special skills in Elden Ring that could come in various forms.

Best Ashes of War in Elden Ring

Remember, Ashes of War are different from spells and incantations, although some of them resemble these spells at times. They can be used alongside them though.

Here are nine of our favorite Ashes of War in Elden Ring:

Corpse Piler

Corpse Piler is one of the most overpowered Ashes of War in Elden Ring and can make an already powerful bleed build even more deadly. The skill can only be used by those wielding the Rivers of Blood katana and is exclusive to that weapon, but it allows the user to slash an enemy from a fair distance while also causing bleed build-up.

It’s incredibly effective in PvP and PvE, making it an excellent all-round Ash of War. However, it does force you to use Rivers of Blood, which is great if you’re already a bleed build, but frustrating if you’d rather use a different weapon.

The Bloody Slash Ash of War is similar and can be added to a range of weapons, so this is a useful alternative – although it’s not as powerful as Corpse Piler and doesn’t have the same range.

Both Rivers of Blood and Corpse Piler can be found after defeating Okina when he invades, right before the Fire Giant boss. Fun fact, both are super effective tools against this foe too.

Rivers of Blood is needed to perform Corpse Piler.

Bloodhound’s Step

In the right hands, Bloodhound Step is easily one of the best Ashes of War in all of Elden Ring. It does no harm to an enemy itself, but it allows you to evade attacks and outflank enemies in PvP and PvE by turning you invisible for a couple of seconds while you enter a fast-dodge animation.

This Ash of War essentially makes you an incredibly evasive opponent and much harder to hit with any attack. It takes some getting used to, but those who master this move will become very slippery and difficult opponents in combat. It’s used by various enemies in the game, including the Black Knife Assassins.

You can unlock the skill by killing the Night’s Cavalry boss who guards the bridge in front of Lenne’s Rise tower in Dragonbarrow.

Hoarfrost Stomp

This Ash of War was so overpowered in the early days of Elden Ring is was essentially broken. It’s been nerfed a few times since then, but still remains a powerful move. It also allows melee characters to use an effective spell that harms enemies from a distance. This is especially useful against enemies that are weak against ice, but it’s great for crowd control too.

While it’s not the powerhouse it used to be, Hoarfrost Stomp is still one of the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring. It can be acquired by killing an invisible Teardrop Scarab found in a pool of water southeast of Caria Manor.

The Hoarfrost Stomp still remains a powerful Ash of War, despite the nerfs.

Seppuku

Seppuku essentially increases attack power and bleed build-up for 60 seconds – but at the cost of some of your own health. A good way to counteract this is to perform the skill before a boss fight, heal quickly, and jump in. The move is often used by those using bleed builds to maximize their damage output, but it can also be used by a variety of melee builds.

This Ash of War can be found on the Frozen Lake east of the Site of Grace in the Mountaintops of The Giants by killing an invisible scarab. The scarab leaves a trail on the ice, so is easy to spot. Just look out for the dragon patrolling the area!

Taker’s Flames

Taker’s Flames is a powerful move that sees the wielder of the Blasphemous Blade shoot a burst of fire towards their enemies. It’s also a great way for those using a Strength build to add some fire damage to their arsenal without pumping Intelligence or Faith.

The move may seem underwhelming to those who’ve built powerful mage characters, but to those who’ve gone down the melee route, Taker’s Flames is an excellent way to damage enemies from a distance and put your FP to good use.

This Ash of War is exclusive to the Blasphemous Blade, so to use it you’ll need to first beat Rykard, then trade his Remembrance for the sword with Enia at the Roundtable Hold. The sword heals you as you kill enemies too.

Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy holds the Blasphemous Blade.

Black Flame Tornado

As the name suggests, this Ash of War causes a whirlwind of black flame to appear around that player that harms any enemies in the vicinity. It’s hard to dodge in PvP and is great for crowd control in PvE. Black Flame is also very powerful against demigods and especially deadly to the final boss in Elden Ring.

You can find this Ash of War in Crumbling Farum Azula after killing the Godskin Duo boss. There’s a reason the game gives you this skill now, as it’s designed to be used to slay any gods that have outstayed their welcome in the Lands Between.

Waterfowl Dance

The Waterfowl Dance is that move Melania used to kill you 700 times. Having this Ash of War means you’ll now be able to use that same deadly move on others – just imagine the possibilities.

It’s not so effective in PvP, as it’s well-telegraphed during wind-up and can be blocked much easier than when a certain demigod used it. However, the move still shreds in PvE, especially for those who’ve created a powerful Dexterity build.

To unlock this Ash of War, you’ll need to have beaten Melania and traded her Remembrance for her sword, the Hand of Melania with Enia at the Roundtable Hold.

Malenia is one of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring.

Braggart’s Roar

Braggart’s Road is a move used by Blackguard Big Boggart when he helps you in boss battles – or if you decide to attack him and make him hostile. This is a great Ash of War for those using melee builds as it raises your attack power, defense, and stamina recovery speed for a short time.

You can take this Ash of War from Boggart’s Iron Ball weapon on his dead body either by killing him yourself (which risks failing several quests) or after he succumbs to the wounds inflicted on him by Dung Eater during that quest.

If you choose to save Boggart by either killing Dung Eater, leaving him locked in his cell, or turning him into a puppet, then the Ash of War can also be found on the Battle Hammer weapon that’s dropped by the hammer-wielding Duelists by the colosseum in Leyndell Royal Capital. You may need to farm it by killing them multiple times.

Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker

This powerful Ash of War can only be unlocked at the very end of Elden Ring’s story once Hoarah Loux has fallen to you in battle. Remember, this is after the second battle with Godfrey, where he sheds his godhood and battles you as his human self.

Once he’s defeated, trade his Remembrance of Hoarah Loux with Enia at Roundtable Hold for this Ash of War. It essentially allows you to perform his Earthshaker move which is not only devastating to PvE enemies but can also cause PvP opponents a headache.

The move allows you to derail an enemy’s attack, and if you’re quick, trap them in your combo before they can counter. Never forget, there was a reason why Hoarah Loux was chosen to become the golden god Godfrey – his moveset defeated all his enemies.

Godfrey / Hoarah Loux will need to fall to claim this Ash of War.

So, there you have it, the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring. If you’re looking for more ways to overcome the many difficult challenges in Elden Ring, we’ve got plenty of other guides to help.

You can find them by clicking here or clicking the individual links below.

Elden Ring Stonedigger Troll | Elden Ring Margit the Fell Omen | Elden Ring Tree Sentinel | Elden Ring Grave Warden | Elden Ring Pumpkin Head | Elden Ring Soldier of Godrick | Elden Ring Godrick the Grafted | Elden Ring Red Wolf of Redagon | Elden Ring Rennala | Elden Ring Flying Dragon Agheel | Elden Ring horse guide | How to beat Radahn | How to Beat Godfrey