Spirit Ash Summons#

Spirit Ash Summons

Spirit Ash summons are Elden Ring’s core support system for single players — call spirits to fight beside you at special sites. From common soldiers to the legendary Mimic Tear, ashes can cut boss difficulty by more than half

Ash System Overview#

Attribute	Notes
Unlock condition	After reaching Roundtable Hold, get the Spirit Calling Bell from Ranni at the Church of Elleh (at night)
Usage condition	Summoning is only possible where a tombstone icon appears — available in most boss fights
Summon cost	FP (most) / HP (some special ashes)
How to upgrade	Have Roderika at Roundtable Hold upgrade them — using Grave Glovewort (regular) or Ghost Glovewort (special)
Legendary ashes	6 legendary ashes in total — collecting them all earns the “Legendary Ashes” achievement
Multiple summons	Some ashes summon multiple units (e.g., Greatshield Soldiers x5) — watch the high FP cost

Core mechanic: Do ashes inherit your weapon upgrade level? No — ashes are affected only by their own upgrade level. A +10 ash and a +0 ash are two completely different things

Full Ash List#

Ash	Type	Summon Cost	How to Get	Rating
Lone Wolf	Wolves x3	34 FP	Church of Elleh — gifted by Ranni	★★☆☆☆
Spirit Jellyfish	Jellyfish x1	24 FP	Liurnia — Road’s End Catacombs	★★★☆☆
Fingercreeper	Healing support	38 FP	Roundtable Hold — purchase	★★★☆☆
Rotten Stray	Rot dog x1	30 FP	Caelid — near the Lake of Rot	★★★☆☆
Guardian Hawk	Hawk x1	40 FP	Stormveil Castle — chest	★★☆☆☆
Ruin Slug	Slugs x5	12 FP	Limgrave — Drifting Graveyard catacombs	★☆☆☆☆
Archers	Archers x3	50 FP	Liurnia — purchase	★★★☆☆
Greatshield Soldiers	Greatshield soldiers x5	66 FP	Limgrave — Gatefront catacombs	★★★★☆
Wandering Noble	Noble x1	15 FP	Limgrave — Forlorn Hound Evergaol	★☆☆☆☆
Mad Pumpkin Head	Pumpkin soldier x1	42 FP	Limgrave — before the Forlorn Hound Evergaol	★★☆☆☆
Land Octopus	Octopus x1	40 FP	Liurnia — purchased from a merchant	★★☆☆☆
Fire Monk	Fire monk x1	53 FP	Mountaintops of the Giants — dropped by a Fire Monk	★★★★☆
Battlemage	Sorcerer x1	70 FP	Raya Lucaria — chest	★★★★☆
Leyndell Soldier	Knight x1	62 FP	Leyndell — purchase	★★★★☆
Heavy Knight	Heavy knight x1	66 FP	Altus Plateau — merchant	★★★★☆
Man-Serpent	Man-serpent x1	30 FP	Volcano Manor — chest	★★☆☆☆
Vulgar Militia	Militiaman x1	40 FP	Carian Manor — chest	★★★☆☆
Twin Sorcerers	Sorcerers x2	80 FP	Ainsel River — chest	★★★★☆
Bandit	Slinger + thieves x2	47 FP	Mt. Gelmir — merchant	★★★☆☆
Spirit-Calling Snail	Snail (summons spirit knights)	34 FP	Liurnia — end of a side path	★★★★☆
Claymen	Claymen x2	40 FP	Siofra River — chest	★★☆☆☆
Mimic Tear	Copies the player	660 HP	Nokron, Eternal City — chest	★★★★★

Ash	Type	Summon Cost	How to Get	Rating
Bloodhound Knight Floh	Knight x1	62 FP	Limgrave — Forlorn Hound Evergaol	★★★☆☆
Fallen Perfumer Carman	Ranged support	39 FP	Nokron, Eternal City	★★★★☆
Lhutel the Headless	Javelin knight x1	56 FP	Limgrave — end of the Tombsward catacombs	★★★★★
Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff	Shield-and-spear knight x1	56 FP	Leyndell — behind the Erdtree Sanctuary	★★★★★
Black Knife Tiche	Assassin x1	132 FP	Haligtree branch — west of Ordina	★★★★★
Redmane Knight Ogha	Greatbow knight x1	86 FP	Caelid — cemetery behind Redmane Castle	★★★★★
Banished Knight Engvall	Twin-greatsword knight x1	75 FP	Limgrave — catacombs	★★★★☆
Song of Night and Flame	Twin fairies x2	64 FP	Nokstella — chest	★★★★☆
Albinauric	Archer x1	44 FP	Liurnia — underground region	★★★☆☆
Fingercreeper	Healing support	30 FP	Roundtable Hold — purchase	★★★☆☆
Demi-Human Squad	Demi-humans x5	42 FP	Limgrave — Coastal Cave	★★★☆☆
Skeleton Squad	Skeletons x3	32 FP	Limgrave — catacombs	★★☆☆☆
Skeleton Marksman	Skeleton archer x1	30 FP	Liurnia — catacombs	★★☆☆☆

Legendary ashes achievement: 6 legendary ashes in total — Mimic Tear, Black Knife Tiche, Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff, Redmane Knight Ogha, Lhutel the Headless, and Song of Night and Flame — collect them all to earn the “Legendary Ashes” achievement

Upgrade Materials and Route#

Level	Material	Early Source	Unlimited Purchase
+0 to +3	Grave Glovewort [1]-[3]	Limgrave catacombs	Sold at Roundtable Hold
+3 to +6	Grave Glovewort [4]-[6]	Liurnia — Road’s End Catacombs	Grave Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [1]
+6 to +9	Grave Glovewort [7]-[9]	Altus/capital catacombs	Grave Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [2]
+9 to +10	Great Grave Glovewort x1	Various regions — about 9 per playthrough	Cannot be purchased

Level	Material	Early Source	Unlimited Purchase
+0 to +3	Ghost Glovewort [1]-[3]	Liurnia — the lakes	Sold at Roundtable Hold
+3 to +6	Ghost Glovewort [4]-[6]	Eternal Cities — plentiful	Ghost Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [1]
+6 to +9	Ghost Glovewort [7]-[9]	Deeproot Depths — plentiful	Ghost Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [2]
+9 to +10	Great Ghost Glovewort x1	Various regions — about 9 per playthrough	Cannot be purchased

Upgrade Priority#

Rank	Ash	Upgrade Value	Fully Upgraded Effect
1	Mimic Tear	★★★★★	Copies all your equipment, consumables, and weapon skills — effectively a 2v1
2	Black Knife Tiche	★★★★★	Superb mobility + percentage HP damage — a dodging master
3	Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff	★★★★☆	Shield defense + ranged lightning spear — the strongest survivability
4	Lhutel the Headless	★★★★☆	Javelin ranged attacks + teleport dodges — lasting combat power
5	Greatshield Soldiers	★★★★☆	5 greatshield soldiers forming a shield wall — group-fight god tier
6	Redmane Knight Ogha	★★★★☆	Greatbow shots + sword melee — strong at every range

Deep Dive: The Strongest Ashes#

1. Mimic Tear#

Attribute	Value
Type	Special ash — upgraded with Ghost Glovewort
Cost	660 HP (not FP — great for mages)
How to Get	Nokron, Eternal City — chest before the Night’s Sacred Ground
Minimum requirement	HP > 660 (usable below 660 too — but you pay the HP yourself)
Recommended level	50+ (the level you get it)

Why it’s the strongest:

Copies every weapon, armor piece, talisman, Ash of War, and consumable you currently have equipped
Adapts automatically to your build — the mage version casts Comet, the bleed version uses weapon skills
At +10 its toughness is astonishing — it usually survives to the end of the boss fight

Weaknesses:

Gets one-shot by bosses with heavy AOE (like Radagon)
Never dodges — pure stand-and-trade output
Costs 660 HP — low-HP mages can’t afford to summon it

2. Black Knife Tiche#

Attribute	Value
Type	Special ash — upgraded with Ghost Glovewort
Cost	132 FP (high — but worth it)
How to Get	Haligtree branch — Ordina — reward after defeating the Night’s Cavalry
Recommended level	150+ (Haligtree area)

Strengths:

Superb mobility — backsteps, side dodges, aerial attacks — bosses almost never touch her
Her weapon carries Destined Death — deals percentage damage of the target’s max HP
Blistering attack speed — relentlessly grinds down the boss’s stance bar
Very high HP at +10 — exceptional survivability

3. Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff#

Attribute	Value
Cost	56 FP (amazing value)
How to Get	Leyndell — after defeating the Erdtree Sanctuary
Recommended level	90+

Strengths:

Holds his shield up constantly — extremely high defense
Uses Lightning Spear for ranged attacks
Draws enormous aggro — the boss targets him nearly the whole fight
Low FP cost — any build can summon him

Where to Find Every Legendary Ash#

Ash	Location	Detailed Steps	Prerequisites
Mimic Tear	Nokron — Night’s Sacred Ground	From the Nokron entrance, move forward — leap across the many rooftops — enter the great cathedral — chest sits before the altar at the end	Defeat Starscourge Radahn — his meteor carved the crater
Black Knife Tiche	Haligtree branch — Ordina
Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff	Leyndell — Erdtree Sanctuary	From the capital rampart terrace, head west to the Erdtree Sanctuary — defeat the Wandering Mausoleum spirit — the chest appears	Reach Leyndell, Royal Capital
Redmane Knight Ogha	Caelid — behind Redmane Castle	Defeat Radahn — teleport to Redmane Castle — walk to the cemetery behind the castle — chest	Defeat Starscourge Radahn
Lhutel the Headless	Limgrave — catacombs
Song of Night and Flame	Nokstella — underground city	Enter Nokstella from Ainsel River — chest inside the great domed building	Reach Nokstella

Recommended Ash Pairings#

Build	Best Ash	Alternative	Notes
Strength	Mimic Tear	Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff	The Mimic copies your greatsword and Lion’s Leap — jumping attacks side by side
Dexterity	Black Knife Tiche	Lhutel the Headless	Both are fast attackers — they match Dexterity builds’ high-speed output
Intelligence	Mimic Tear	Twin Sorcerers	The Mimic copies your staff and casts spells — double Comet Azur
Faith	Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff	Redmane Knight Ogha	Kristoff’s Lightning Spear complements your lightning incantations
Arcane bleed	Mimic Tear	Black Knife Tiche	The Mimic copies Rivers of Blood — double bleed buildup
Newcomers	Greatshield Soldiers	Lhutel the Headless	5 greatshield soldiers block everything — plenty of time to land safe hits

Tactics With Ashes#

Tactic	Description	Best Ashes
Tank line	Summon the ash, let it take all the boss’s attention — you attack from behind	Greatshield Soldiers, Kristoff, Engvall
Double damage	Attack alongside your ash — drain the boss’s HP fast	Mimic Tear, Black Knife Tiche
Healing support	Use the Fingercreeper or a self-healing ash — you attack safely	Fingercreeper, Spirit Jellyfish
Group aggro split	Against multiple enemies, summon group-type ashes to split their fire	Greatshield Soldiers, wolves, skeletons
Ranged attrition	Summon a ranged ash — you cast spells or shoot from afar	Redmane Knight Ogha, Twin Sorcerers

Ultimate tactic: apply all your buffs outside the boss fog (Golden Vow + Flame, Grant Me Strength + Flask of Wondrous Physick) — summon the Mimic Tear the moment you enter — your copy spawns with all buffs active — instant overwhelming advantage

FAQ#

Question	Answer
When can I summon?	When the tombstone icon appears on the left side of the screen — most boss and elite fights allow summoning
How do I switch ashes?	Equip different ashes to the quick slot — press E/Square in combat to use them
Can ashes be upgraded?	Yes — see Roderika at Roundtable Hold — using Grave Glovewort (regular) or Ghost Glovewort (special)
How do I get Roderika to Roundtable Hold?	Meet her in Stormveil Castle — after talking to her, rest at a grace — she appears at the Roundtable
Can ashes die?	Yes — ashes have their own HP bar — once it’s empty, they vanish
Can I use ashes in co-op?	No — co-op mode forbids using Spirit Ashes
Which ash costs the least?	Ruin Slug — only 12FP — but it is very weak
Why does the Mimic Tear cost HP?	It copies your very existence — HP is the price

New Ashes in the DLC#

Shadow of the Erdtree adds a variety of new ashes — including entirely new summon types

Ash	Type	Cost	How to Get	Rating
Black Knight Squad	Knights x2	98 FP	Shadow Keep — chest	★★★★☆
Fire Knight	Fire mage x1	65 FP	Gravesite Plain — defeated drop	★★★★☆
Divine Bird	Flying unit x1	55 FP	Belurat, Tower Settlement — chest	★★★☆☆
Horned Knight	Heavy knight x1	75 FP	Ensis Castle — defeated drop	★★★★★
Ancient Dragon-Man	Dragon-humanoid x1	120 FP	Dragon’s Pit — defeat the boss	★★★★★