My main character was a sorcerer, so you could say I have some inside “intelligence.” After playing around with all the sorceries in Elden Ring, I have carefully curated this list of the best sorceries in the game. Unlike incantations, there are only a few worthwhile sorceries, and I’m here to direct you to them.
You’d be surprised how many of the spells you put away in your storage are the ones that proved their superiority against the baddies of Elden Ring. This is a strictly PVE-centric list.
7) Fleeting Microcosm
Fleeting Microcosm, introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, makes a serious impact. This spell is easily one of the top area-of-effect options in the game, thanks to its high damage output, massive AOE, and impressive range.
When cast, it summons a large energy ball beneath the target’s feet, and enemies generally don’t react to it. While the spell takes a moment to detonate, it has a staggering effect just before the explosion, which stuns smaller enemies. This makes the follow-up explosion almost guaranteed, leading to substantial damage.
If you pair it with the Maternal Staff and Finger Robe, both of which further boost the spell’s damage, Fleeting Microcosm becomes even more devastating. You can also fully charge it for increased damage, especially when combined with Godfrey Icon.
This spell excels when dealing with smaller enemies that can be staggered, allowing you to push them back or even send them flying. It’s a great way to clear the room easily when facing multiple enemies at once. For only 26 FP, it’s a steal for how much damage and utility it brings.
In my opinion, this is the best AOE projectile spell you can get for PVE, easily outshining others like Gravitational Missile and Cannon of Haima, which I used a lot.
6) Shard Spiral
Shard Spiral is hands down the best sorcery to melt down large bosses, and it does so reliably. While it’s not as effective against smaller enemies, and you might get more mileage from spells like Comet when dealing with NPC invaders or standard foes.
Shard Spiral truly shines when you’re up against massive bosses like dragons(especially Dragonlord Placidusax) and similar-sized threats. Just cast it and spam away, and you’ll watch their health bar disappear quickly.
Other sorceries, like Meteorite of Astel, might deal comparable damage but have drawbacks. Meteorite of Astel requires the Cerulean Hidden Tear to be fully effective, and it’s much riskier because of the long casting animation.
In contrast, Shard Spiral only costs 14 FP per cast, has a quick casting time, and allows you to move while spamming it, making it a much safer and more efficient option.
Its slow flight and decent tracking also make it ideal for more enormous bosses, as it can hit multiple times while it travels through their bodies, slowly shredding their innards. You can even charge it up and utilize Godfrey Icon to steamroll the bigger bosses.
5) Zamor Ice Storm
Zamor Ice Storm is a must-have for any Intelligence-based build in Elden Ring that doesn’t rely on a frost-based weapon. If you need a frost spell, this one is the top choice, in my opinion. It delivers the most damage, the fastest Frostbite buildup, and significant stance damage.
With the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, pairing Zamor Ice Storm with the Enraged Divine Beast talisman and Divine Beast Helm can further boost its power since it counts as a storm-based attack.
Zamor Ice Storm is a short-range AOE spell that can be fully charged. It’s not too overwhelming when uncharged, building up around 300 frost damage, still enough to instantly proc frost on some bosses while also dealing about 18 stance damage.
However, when fully charged, it’s on another level. It builds up a massive 700 frost damage, which will proc frost on almost any enemy while also increasing the radius of the spell considerably. It deals incredible damage, delivers 40 stance damage, and only costs 17 FP, making it light on the Mind pocket.
The only real downside is the lack of hyper-armor, meaning you can be staggered while casting. But if enemies surround you and you manage to charge the spell fully, it’s game over for the mob. They’ll be stun-locked and hit with instant frost buildup, which is one of the best status effects in the game; it reduces enemy damage by 20% and increases the damage they take by 10%.
And yes, I’d argue that it’s even better than Adula’s Moonblade for long-range frost attacks. While Adula’s Moonblade is excellent at close range, Zamor Ice Storm outclasses it in many situations. So, if you’re not using a frost-based weapon, I recommend leading off battles with Zamor Ice Storm for a snappy and devastating frost proc.
4) Rings of Spectral Light
When Shadow of the Erdtree first launched, Rings of Spectral Light was pretty underwhelming, but after the recent patch, it’s now a banger of a sorcery. The patch significantly increased both its damage and frostbite buildup, making it a standout option.
In my testing, when fired uncharged, it generates around 100 frost buildup, and when fully charged, it jumps to 140. That’s comparable to Glintstone Icecrag and Adula’s Moonblade, but Rings of Spectral Light deals more overall damage, and best of all, it has an unparalleled range.
At this point, I’d consider it an S-tier spell, thanks to the recent damage buffs. You can also pair it with the Gravebird Helm to boost its damage by an additional 15%. You can augment it further with Godfrey Icon.
If you’re running a sorcery build, I’d highly recommend including this spell in your loadout because it’s hands down one of the best long-range sniping options available. It’s incredibly easy to spam, costing only 14 FP, and the slight delay from casting to launching makes it harder for enemies to dodge.
The frost buildup it provides is substantial, and when fully charged, you’ll see even more significant damage output. It’s surprising that such a powerful and versatile spell only costs 14 FP, but that’s what makes it so effective. From now on, whenever I need a reliable, hard-hitting, long-range sorcery, I will turn to Rings of Spectral Light.
3) Carian Slicer
Of all the sorceries in Elden Ring, Carian Slicer is the one I underestimated the most. It’s essentially the best R1 spamming “weapon” in the game, except it’s actually a spell. For only 4 FP per cast, it outputs absurdly high DPS.
Each swing does a surprising amount of damage and has breakneck-fast casting. Not to mention, it almost feels like it has its own melee move set, including running and jumping attacks.
Carian Slicer’s low FP and stamina cost, along with its quick recovery frames, make it the least risky close-range spell in the game. It’s hands down the best in terms of DPS. You get access to it early in the game, with only a 14 Intelligence requirement, and it can carry you from start to finish, even against bosses.
The only reason it’s not ranked as the absolute best is that you need to be in close range to use it, which means you’ll have to actively dodge enemy attacks and stay in the thick of the fight.
This is the reason why I put it away after using it a couple of times. But then I quickly fell in love when I saw it dish out some mind-boggling damage in the blink of an eye.
Carian Slicer is so effective that I often use it to replace the Moonveil Katana in my right hand. Now, that speaks volumes if you know what I’m talking about.
2) Night Comet
This is another sorcery I initially overlooked because I thought regular Comet was better. But after actually reading Night Comet‘s description, my opinion completely changed, and I haven’t looked back since. Night Comet is the best sorcery for its range and spam-ability for consistently high DPS.
While it might not do as much raw damage as the regular Comet, Night Comet has three key advantages that set it apart. First, it’s cheaper, costing only 21 FP per cast.
Second, it can be boosted by a staff; unlike regular Comet, if you equip the Staff of Loss in your offhand, you get a 30% damage boost, which actually makes Night Comet deal more damage than regular Comet in that setup.
But the third and best part is that it’s invisible. Enemies won’t see it coming, so they won’t dodge it, parry it, or react to it in any way. They’ll just take the hit every single time.
This makes it one of the most foolproof spells in the game. You can sit back and spam R1 from a distance, dealing amazing damage and melting bosses without much effort.
If you want, you can charge it too for more damage (Godfrey Icon comes in handy in that case), but its real value is in its spamming. This sorcery is the king of single-target spells.
1) Blades Of Stone
Much like Rings of Spectral Light, Blades of Stone sorcery from Shadow of the Erdtree started out as fairly mediocre but has now reached the pinnacle status of best sorcery in Elden Ring. Initially, I had to set this spell aside due to its meh performance, even though I liked it. However, the improvements have made me a believer.
The uncharged version now deals significantly more damage, and when fully charged, the damage distribution across all hits has been reworked. The first hit does the most damage, the spell travels farther, and it even comes out faster.
With these changes, I now consider this to be the best physical-damaging sorcery in the game, which is a huge deal because when picking your spells, you want good variety, including different damage types.
Previously, I leaned towards Rock Sling as the go-to physical sorcery. But now, Blades of Stone does more damage in its uncharged version alone than Rock Sling, consumes the same amount of FP, is quicker, and is more consistent at closer ranges, with a larger AOE.
While Rock Sling still has the edge for longer ranges and hitting dodgy enemies due to its delayed effect, Blades of Stone packs more oomph, especially with its fully charged version.
When fully charged, Blades of Stone can deal up to three times the damage and also acts as a great stun-locking tool. Against smaller enemies or groups, you can charge it up and continuously stagger them. The only real downside to this spell is that it takes up two spell slots, but it makes up for that.
It is an AOE, a single-target projectile, a stun-lock tool, and a damage powerhouse, all for just 18 FP.
Honorable Mentions
Before we wrap up this list, there are some sorceries that I constantly cling to throughout my run. These sorceries may lack the finesse of the ones mentioned above, but you never know when you’ll whip them out. Best to have them in your magic kit:
- Terra Magica: This is THE buff to carry as a sorcerer. Just plop it where you stand and watch as your damage gets boosted by 22.5%. You will have to stand in a circle, which is a bummer, but the output is sound.
- Rock Sling: As mentioned before, this was the go-to physical spell before Blades of Stone. It has a surprising amount of sniping potential and remarkable staggering capabilities.
- Ranni’s Dark Moon: This is the opening silo of any engagement, especially bosses. The casting time is very long, but the damage, frostbite build, and magic resistance debuff are not to be taken lightly. You probably won’t use it multiple times during a fight.
- Comet Azur: Speaking of opening silo, Comet Azur is the poster child of this tactic. You pop the Cerulean Hidden Tear, stand on a Terra Magica circle, and shoot an endless beam of pure magic. Pray that your target doesn’t step to the side, and this laser will annihilate the poor soul.
In the beginning, sorceries in Elden Ring were unmatched. However, with nerfs and lack of damage, variety really impacted this spell category, and only a handful of spells are worth talking about. Nonetheless, the sorceries that remained good have very little competition.