Elden Ring DLC Guide: Sorceries Tier List and Best Staff Weapons for Them

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion revolutionizes magical combat with an arsenal of new sorceries and specialized staff weapons that transform both PvE exploration and PvP encounters. These additions provide unprecedented strategic depth, allowing players to customize their approach based on preferred playstyle, stat allocation, and combat scenarios. Understanding the synergy between spells and their optimal casting implements is crucial for maximizing effectiveness in the challenging Lands Between.

Strategic spell selection can dramatically impact your success rate against different enemy types. Area-of-effect sorceries like Rellana’s Twin Moons excel in crowd control situations, while precision spells such as Glintblade Trio offer tactical advantages in player-versus-player combat. The right staff choice can amplify specific spell categories or provide universal benefits depending on your build requirements.

Rellana’s Twin Moons

• Intelligence Requirement: 72

• Focus Point Cost: 47

• Strategic Application: This devastating sorcery unleashes twin lunar projectiles that create massive area-of-effect magical explosions, perfect for clearing dense enemy clusters or dealing catastrophic damage to large bosses. The spell’s wide coverage makes it invaluable when surrounded, though its high stat requirement limits accessibility to dedicated intelligence builds.

• Acquisition Method: Obtainable as a Remembrance reward after defeating Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. This places it among the most powerful magical artifacts available in the expansion.

Vortex of Putrescence

• Intelligence Requirement: 32

• Faith Requirement: 26

• Focus Point Cost: 29

• Combat Mechanics: Creates a persistent swirling vortex that inflicts continuous damage over time to any enemies trapped within its radius. The spell’s duration and area coverage make it exceptionally effective against bosses with multiple hitboxes or large enemy groups that tend to cluster together.

Pro Tip: Combine Vortex of Putrescence with mobility spells to control battlefield positioning, forcing enemies into the damaging area while maintaining safe distance.

Glintblade Trio

• Intelligence Requirement: 28

• Focus Point Cost: 19

• Tactical Advantage: Projects three magical blades that activate with deliberate timing delays, creating unpredictable attack patterns that confuse human opponents in PvP. The delayed activation allows for strategic positioning and timing mixups that can catch experienced players off guard.

• Location Discovery: Found on a corpse positioned at the church roof’s edge within Castle Ensis. This positioning requires careful platforming and awareness of environmental hazards.

Rings of Spectral Light

• Intelligence Requirement: 28

• Faith Requirement: 18

• Focus Point Cost: 12

• Elemental Synergy: Launches multiple enchanted rings that accumulate Frostbite status on contact. This enables powerful combo potential when paired with fire-based spells like Rykard’s Rancor, as fire damage resets the frostbite cooldown for repeated application.

Advanced Technique: Master the timing between frost application and fire reset to maximize damage output against tanky enemies and bosses vulnerable to status effects.

Miriam’s Vanishing

• Intelligence Requirement: 26

• Focus Point Cost: 9

• Functional Utility: Projects multiple frost-imbued rings that build up Frostbite status, though its description appears duplicated from Rings of Spectral Light in the original.

• Acquisition Method: Available for purchase at 10,000 Runes from Count Ymir within the Cathedral of Manus Metyr. The relatively low cost makes it accessible for mid-game progression.

Gravitational Missile

• Intelligence Requirement: 32

• Faith Requirement: 22

• Focus Point Cost: 25

• Crowd Control Application: Fires a potent projectile that generates a gravitational pull effect upon impact, drawing enemies toward the detonation point. This creates excellent setup opportunities for follow-up area attacks or environmental hazards.

Common Mistake: Players often underestimate the positioning requirements for Gravitational Missile, failing to account for the pull distance and duration. Practice in safer areas to master the effective range before deploying in critical encounters.

Blades of Stone

• Intelligence Requirement: 48

• Focus Point Cost: 35

• Combat Limitations: Conjures substantial stone blades that inflict heavy physical damage, but suffers from noticeably extended casting animations that limit effectiveness in rapid combat situations requiring quick reactions.

• Strategic Consideration: The extended cast time makes this spell vulnerable to interruption against aggressive enemies. Consider using it during boss attack recovery windows or with hyper armor buffs active.

Cherishing Fingers

• Intelligence Requirement: 36

• Focus Point Cost: 20

• Support Function: Provides healing restoration to both the caster and allied players within proximity, establishing valuable cooperative support capabilities during group play sessions.

Optimization Tip: While Cherishing Fingers occupies a lower tier for solo play, it becomes significantly more valuable in coordinated multiplayer scenarios where sustained group survival outweighs pure damage output.

Selecting the appropriate staff weapon dramatically influences your spellcasting effectiveness, with each option catering to specific build archetypes and combat preferences. Understanding scaling mechanics and passive effects is essential for optimizing your magical arsenal.

1. Lusat’s Glintstone Staff

• Location Acquisition: Discovered within a chest in Sellia, Town of Sorcery, situated in central Caelid region.

• Scaling Proficiency: S-tier Intelligence scaling

• Stat Prerequisites: 52 Intelligence

• Special Effect: Elevates spell Focus Point consumption by 50% while providing exceptional sorcery scaling potential (reaching 413 at maximum upgrade level).

• Performance Advantage: Delivers unmatched damage output for dedicated intelligence-focused builds, making it the premier choice for players prioritizing maximum spell potency above resource efficiency.

• Access Method: Progress through the area where you encounter the Nox Swordstress and Nox Priest boss fight. Note that accessibility requires igniting all ceremonial braziers scattered throughout Sellia first.

2. Azur’s Glintstone Staff

• Location Source: Academy of Raya Lucaria in Liurnia of the Lakes

• Scaling Proficiency: S-tier Intelligence scaling

• Stat Prerequisites: 52 Intelligence

• Special Effect: Increases spell FP cost by 20% while providing modest casting speed acceleration.

• Combat Utility: Strikes an effective balance between damage output and casting velocity, suitable for combat situations demanding rapid spell deployment.

• Acquisition Technique: After vanquishing the High Page enemy guarding the entrance on the runway’s opposite side, the weapon will be located on the ground.

3. Prince of Death’s Staff

• Location Discovery: Deeproot Depths area

• Scaling Attributes: S-tier in both Intelligence and Faith

• Stat Requirements: 18 Intelligence, 18 Faith

• Enhancement Focus: Amplifies Death Sorceries including Ancient Death Rancor and Explosive Ghostflame.

• Build Versatility: Excellent for hybrid intelligence/faith configurations, strengthening both sorcery and incantation capabilities simultaneously.

4. Staff of Loss

• Location Source: Sellia, Town of Sorcery in Caelid

• Scaling Level: A-tier Intelligence scaling

• Stat Prerequisites: 12 Intelligence

• Specialization: Enhances Night Sorceries such as Night Shard and Night Comet

• Strategic Advantage: Ideal for stealth-oriented sorcery builds, specifically boosting night-themed magical abilities.

• Obtaining Method: Located on a corpse atop a building structure, accessible via rooftop traversal and precise jumping maneuvers.

5. Albinauric Staff

• Location Discovery: Volcano Manor on Mt. Gelmir

• Scaling Attributes: A-tier in both Intelligence and Arcane

• Stat Requirements: 10 Intelligence, 10 Arcane

• Passive Enhancement: No specific passive bonuses

• Build Flexibility: Offers substantial scaling potential for intelligence/arcane hybrid configurations, enabling diverse sorcery and arcane combination possibilities.

6. Maternal Staff

• Location Source: Cathedral of Manus Metyr

• Scaling Proficiency: S-tier Intelligence scaling

• Stat Prerequisites: 20 Intelligence

• Performance Boosts: Enhances sorcery damage output while providing minor casting speed improvements.

• Acquisition Method: Dropped by Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers upon defeat.

Mastering advanced sorcery techniques requires understanding spell sequencing, timing optimization, and situational awareness. These strategies separate competent spellcasters from truly dominant magical combatants.

PvP Dominance Tactics: Utilize Glintblade Trio’s delayed activation to create pressure and force opponent mistakes. The unpredictable timing makes it difficult for adversaries to perfect their dodging rhythm.

Boss Fight Optimization: Against large bosses, position Vortex of Putrescence to cover multiple hitboxes simultaneously, maximizing damage output while maintaining defensive positioning.

Resource Management: With staffs like Lusat’s increasing FP costs by 50%, consider incorporating Cerulean Hidden Tear in your Flask of Wondrous Physick to eliminate FP consumption temporarily during critical damage windows.

Common Pitfall Avoidance: Many players underestimate the importance of casting speed in late-game content. While Azur’s staff provides a good balance, for pure speed consider the Radagon Icon talisman combined with the optimized weapon setups that complement your magical approach.

Build Synergy: Your staff selection should align with both your primary stats and preferred spell categories. Hybrid builds benefit tremendously from the Prince of Death’s Staff when incorporating both sorceries and incantations.

These spells and magical implements provide diverse benefits tailored to different build philosophies and combat preferences. Whether emphasizing raw destructive power, casting velocity, or specialized spell enhancements, thoughtful integration with your overall class specialization ensures optimal performance across various encounter types.

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