You’ve seen the "Git Gud" crowd. They’re all over Reddit and Twitter, claiming that if you used a summon to take down Malenia, you didn’t actually beat the game. It’s a weird, elitist hill to die on. Honestly, spirit ashes Elden ring mechanics are some of the most innovative things FromSoftware has ever added to the Soulslike formula. They aren't just a "difficulty slider" for people who can't parry. They are a core tactical layer that changes how you engage with the Lands Between.
Don't let the purists get in your head.
The reality is that Hidetaka Miyazaki and the team at FromSoftware designed these encounters with summons in mind. Ever wonder why some boss arenas are the size of a football field? Or why certain gank fights—looking at you, Godskin Duo—feel nearly impossible to manage alone without losing your mind? It’s because the game expects you to use the tools it gave you.
The Mechanics of Summoning: More Than Just Meat Shields
Spirit Ashes aren't just NPCs that swing a sword until they die. They're a resource. You spend FP (or HP in some cases) to bring them into the fold. This creates a trade-off. If you're a glass-cannon mage, spending a huge chunk of your blue bar on a summon means you have fewer casts for your big spells. It’s a gamble.
Most players grab the Lone Wolf Ashes early on and assume that’s the vibe. Three dogs. Low damage. Mostly just a distraction. But as you progress, the complexity ramps up. You start finding ashes that provide buffs, ashes that inflict status ailments like Frostbite or Scarlet Rot, and ashes that are literally just a guy with a big shield who refuses to move.
The Mimic Tear is the one everyone talks about. For good reason. It’s you, but with a massive health pool and no fear of death. It’s basically a mirror match where you get to be the boss. But even after the nerfs that dropped its damage and changed its AI behavior, it remains a staple because it scales with your build. If you have a bad build, your Mimic is going to be trash. That’s just the truth of it.
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Why Some Summons are Basically Trap Choices
Not all ashes are created equal. You’ll find things like the Noble Sorcerer and wonder why he’s even there. He has about twelve health and does the damage of a wet noodle. But even he has a niche—aggro. In Elden Ring, the AI is programmed to prioritize the last thing that hit it. Sometimes, all you need is a flimsy sorcerer to take a hit so you can chug a Flask of Crimson Tears.
Then you have the legendary ones. Black Knife Tiche is arguably better than the Mimic Tear against certain bosses. She’s incredibly mobile. She has a percentage-based health drain. She actively dodges. Watching Tiche solo a late-game boss while you sit in the corner and reconsider your life choices is a core Elden Ring experience.
- Lhutel the Headless is a tank who teleports, making her great for survivability but annoying if you need her to hold aggro consistently.
- Cleanrot Knight Finlay provides a massive buff and can hold her own in a scrap.
- Dung Eater Puppet is a monster of a tank that applies debuffs, but getting him requires a morally questionable questline.
The variety is staggering. You aren't just picking a helper; you're picking a partner that compensates for your build's specific weaknesses. If you're playing a slow Colossal Sword build, you need something fast to keep the pressure on. If you're a nimble rogue, you need a brick wall like Kristoff to stand in the way.
Addressing the Difficulty Discourse
There’s this persistent myth that using spirit ashes Elden ring makes the game "easy mode." It doesn't. It makes it different. When you summon, boss health doesn't increase like it does in co-op. However, the boss's AI can become unpredictable. They might switch targets mid-animation, leading to you getting clipped by an attack meant for your summon.
It’s a different kind of skill. Instead of just memorizing a 12-hit combo rhythm, you’re managing positioning. You’re timing your attacks to capitalize on the moments when the boss is looking at your summon. You’re also managing your summon’s health. If they die in the first phase, you’re stuck with a boss that is now fully focused on you, and you’re down the FP you spent to bring them in.
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The DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, doubled down on this. The bosses there are so aggressive, so relentless, that the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash upgrades became mandatory for most people. The game is telling you, loudly and clearly, that these summons are a fundamental part of the ecosystem.
Finding the Legendary Ashes
You can't just stumble into the best stuff. The game hides them behind some of its toughest challenges. You want the Mimic Tear? You have to beat General Radahn, find the crater, descend into Nokron, and fight yourself. You want Tiche? You have to beat one of the hardest Evergaols in the game on the Moonlight Altar.
This progression matters. It feels like a reward. When you finally upgrade your favorite summon to +10 using a Grave Great Glovewort, it’s a moment of power. You’ve invested in this companion. They’ve been with you through the Lake of Rot and the Mountaintops of the Giants. There’s a weirdly emotional connection to these silent, ghostly figures.
The Most Underrated Summons You Should Try
Everyone knows the "Big Three" (Mimic, Tiche, Rollo), but there are others that absolutely shred if used correctly:
- Greatshield Soldiers: These guys are hilarious. It’s five dudes with massive shields who just corner the boss. They don't do much damage, but they turn the fight into a chaotic bar brawl where the boss can't even move.
- Ancestral Follower: He’s a sniper. He stays back and pelt enemies with arrows that have insane tracking. Great for keeping stance pressure up from a distance.
- Nightmaiden & Swordstress Puppets: These two are aggressive as hell. They use flowing weapons that have great reach and keep the boss flinching constantly.
- Stormhawk Deenh: If you want a support build, Deenh is your bird. He gives you a physical damage and poise damage buff. It's like having a permanent aura.
How to Actually Optimize Your Summons
If you want to get the most out of your spirit ashes Elden ring experience, you need to stop treating them like a "set and forget" button. Think about the boss's resistances. If you're fighting a boss that is weak to bleed, bringing a summon that applies bleed—like the Omenkiller Rollo—is going to cut the fight time in half.
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Check your equipment too. Certain items, like the Sentinel’s Torch or specific spells, can change how summons interact or how enemies see you. If you wear the Shabriri's Woe talisman, get the boss's attention, and then swap it off once your summon is out, you can manipulate the aggro table in ways the game doesn't explicitly tell you.
Also, remember that your spirit's level is tied to your progress in the game's underground areas. The Siofra River, Ainsel River, and Deeproot Depths are where the best upgrade materials hide. If your summon feels like it's dying too fast, it’s not because summons are bad; it’s because you’ve neglected your Glovewort farming.
The Cultural Impact of the Summon
It's rare for a mechanic to be so polarizing yet so universally used. Even the people who complain about them usually used them on their first playthrough. They’ve become iconic. We have memes about the Mimic Tear being the "real Elden Lord" while the player just watches from the sidelines. We have lore theories about who these spirits were before they became ashes.
Spirit ashes are FromSoftware’s way of opening the door to a wider audience without compromising on the complexity of the boss design. They allow for "impossible" bosses to exist because there is a built-in way to mitigate the chaos. It’s brilliant game design, even if it hurts the pride of a few hardcore veterans.
If you’re struggling with a boss, don't feel bad about ringing that bell. The game gave it to you for a reason. Whether you're using a tiny jar man or a legendary dragon knight, you're playing the game exactly as intended.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
To truly master the use of Spirit Ashes, follow these specific strategies:
- Prioritize the HP/FP Balance: Check your Mind stat. If you don't have enough FP to summon the legendary ashes (some cost over 100), consider using the Cerulean Hidden Tear in your Flask of Wondrous Physick. This allows you to summon any ash for zero FP cost for a short window.
- Farm the Right Glovewort: Grave Glovewort is for "dead" things (humans, skeletons), while Ghost Glovewort is for "spirit" things (puppets, non-humans). Knowing the difference saves you hours of wandering around catacombs.
- Match the Summon to the Arena: In tight spaces, avoid large summons like the Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff as they can clip into walls or block your view. Use smaller, more agile summons like the Man-Fly or Skeletal Militiamen.
- The Infinite Summon Trick: Use the Skeletal Militiamen against bosses that don't have a lot of ground-slam or AoE attacks. They will keep resurrecting indefinitely unless they are hit while they are down on the ground, providing an infinite distraction.
- Strategic De-Summoning: You can actually dismiss your spirit ash if the situation changes. While rarely used, it can be helpful if you want to switch to a different strategy mid-fight during a multi-phase encounter where the summon is just feeding the boss's lifesteal (like Malenia).
The Lands Between are brutal. The lore is tragic. The bosses are gods. Use every advantage you have. Ring the bell, summon your spirit, and take the throne. That’s what an Elden Lord does.