If you are not going for a typical physical Strength or Dexterity build in Elden Ring and like to explore the fun side of this game, then you should be looking into the magical world. That sounds very Disney-esque, but it’s further from the truth as this magic can destroy anyone that might stand in your way.
To make your decision easy, we will discuss the best incantations in Elden Ring so you can choose which school to specialize in. The top Incantations are Flame, Grant Me Strength, Golden Vow, Lightning Strike, Pest Threads, and Swarm of Flies.
There are many Incantations, and it is also divided into distinct schools, so each has its flavor to add to the mix. And depending on your preference and playstyle, you will most likely be sticking to some specific brand of Incantation.
1. Flame, Grant Me Strength & 2. Golden Vow
Both these Incantations serve a similar purpose and can be stacked upon each other hence they are mentioned together.
- Flame, Grant Me Strength is a buff that raises physical and fire-based attacks by 20% in PVE and 15% in PVP. It lasts a total of 30 seconds and can be stretched by using the Old Lord’s Talisman. It requires 28 FP to cast and 15 Faith to use it.
- Golden Vow is another buff that increases attack power by 15% in PVE and 7.5% in PVP, along with a damage-received reduction of 10% in PVE and 5% in PVP.
Both these buffs can be stacked upon each other, giving the player an insane boost before going for a fight. Using them both before a boss fight is a viable tactic to steamroll most confrontations.
Flame, Grant Me Strength can be found on a body behind Fort Gael in the Caelid region. Two of those flamethrower tank enemies will guard it, so approach carefully. The exact map location is marked below.
Golden Vow be found on a dead body in the Corpse-Stench Shack in Mt Gelmir. You will be invaded when you reach this shack by an NPC, Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater, and defeating her will reward a weapon too. The exact location is marked below.
3. Lightning Strike
An attack type Incantation which belongs to the Dragon Cult Incantation school. It costs 21 FP and requires 28 Faith levels to be utilized.
It first spreads lightning in a straight line on the ground before you and summons a lightning strike from above at the end. The best thing about this spell is its two-step damage, the first damage it inflicts is from the lightning spread on the ground, and the second is huge damage proc from the lightning strike from above.
It can easily dispatch PVE enemies when they are lined up and charging toward you, and you can easily spam it with its quick casting so you can keep the pressure on PVP opponents, too, just be aware of the FP meter. That last lightning strike is especially helpful in boss and large enemy encounters.
Found in a crevasse in Weeping Peninsula sandwiched between the Minor Erdtree and Frenzy flame village. This requires you to platform your way down on some headstones sticking from the side of the cliff. At the bottom, there will be a scarab which you can kill and get this Incantation.
The area with the scarab is constantly getting struck by lightning, and there will be many giant bats, so tread carefully.
4. Pest Thread
If you have faced those huge prawn enemies, the homing projectiles they attack you with from a distance, this is that attack essentially. It belongs to the Servants of Rot Incantations school and uses up to 19 FP to launch and requires 11 Faith to use.
This is one of the most annoying attacks to get hit with as you launch many projectiles at once, and all of them seek the target very effectively, even if they are moving or dodging. Even if some of their lands are on the enemy, their HP bar will be depleted immensely.
The range on these is extraordinary so you can launch them from a very comfortable distance from your target, and they will reach you. These can even stagger some huge targets if you spam them. It’s like a homing machine gun.
In PVP, enemy players will be panic dodging everywhere just to get out of their reach; even then, there is a chance some of these threads will land, and in this situation, you can either spam some more or go in for a hit or two.
An NPC Gowry can buy this Incantation in Caelid just before Sellia, Town of Sorcery; the location is marked on the map below. You won’t be able to buy it immediately as it’s connected to Millicent’s questline.
The quest can be followed along with the video attached as well. Gowry will start selling some incantations once you move along the quest, and after a few initial steps, revisit him for him to update his stock with this particular incantation.
5. Swarm Of Flies
One of the best Incantations for the Blood Incantations school and for those who want to delve into a bleed build. It uses 14 FP to release these flies and requires 11 Faith and 16 Arcane both to use it in the first place.
Another homing incantation but this time, these are slow and do a small explosion when they reach their destination. Though they are slow, they track very well and are known in the community as “Blood Bees.”
They stick to the target before exploding, and both these states inflict bleed build-up with the explosion further speeds up the meter, and we all know how devastating bleed procs are.
This proves to be deadly in both PVE and PVP because of its bleed potential from a distance. You can spam it in PVE; the flies will eat large enemies and the bleeding procs they induce. In PVP, they can panic the opponent to make some stupid decision and fall into your trap.
This Incantation is found on a corpse along the east wall, in a shallow Mohgwyn Palace blood swamp cave.
The exact location is marked on the map below. You can get to Mohgwyn Palace by following Varre’s questline early on in the game or through a portal gate in the Mountaintops of the Giants. You can see the ways to get here by checking this link.
These are some of the best and highest damage-dealing Incantations in Elden Ring, which can be utilized in both PVP and PVE due to their amazing versatility. The first ones are amazing at buffing before entering a fight, while others present surprising offensive plays.
A good incantation becomes a driving force for your overall build, and we have given you some right here to focus your playstyle better. Incantations like Lightning Strike have many other lightning-based spells, so you can easily specialize in this elemental damage; the same goes for bleed.