On release and after the many patches since then, Sorceries in Elden Ring have always been very powerful. A straight Intelligence build can make you a glass cannon that makes very short work of even the strongest bosses in The Lands Between.
With the world of Elden Ring being so massive, it's easy to pass over many items and spells that can make the game much easier for you. While most spells in Elden Ring are worth your time, some stand far above the rest. Certain spells can be amazing only in the right situation, while others are always a solid choice. Here are the best sorceries you can get in Elden Ring.
Updated On April 24, 2023, By Joshua Leeds: Elden Ring has a wide array of spells of magic users to choose from. As you gain more memory slots, you'll be able to bring more spells with you into battle. All available spells in Elden Ring have their own unique uses, and knowing them and bringing them accordingly is the key to a sorcery-focused build.
15 Ambush Shard
Many early-game spells in the SoulsBorne series will have you only firing a single small magic bolt at your enemies, which is quickly replaced with stronger spells. Ambush Shard proves that even a small bolt of magic, when used right is incredibly powerful.
Ambush Shard is very difficult for both NPCs and other players to dodge, eliminating the time it takes for the bolt to travel to the enemy and casting it behind their back. Despite the trickery, this spell still deals a significant amount of damage.
14 Roiling Magma
All types of hard-hitting fire magic are satisfying and useful options. Despite Roiling Magma's slow travel time, this spell easily makes up for where it lacks in its total damage and ability to leave magma behind.
This magma can be used to alter sections of the area you're fighting in or deal a constant further stream of damage to the target after your initial cast. Getting the timing and aiming down may take a bit of work, but it will quickly make this spell incredibly powerful.
13 Great Oracular Bubble
Much like the previous spell, Great Oracular Bubble is another slower-moving yet powerful spell. Its larger size will help ensure this spell will hit your enemy and is even more successful in narrow hallways where your enemy won't have anywhere to run to.
This spell can be charged to deal even more damage and is able to hit other nearby enemies, making it a decent AOE spell. This spell does require arcane to memorize, making it difficult to use for intelligence-focused builds.
12 Terra Magica
Magic-focused builds are always looking for new ways to increase their total damage output. Terra Magica is one of the easier ways for magic builds to significantly increase the damage of their spells, but it will require you to stand in a small area and make you an easier target.
While you may be an easier target, that may not be an issue if you take down your enemy easily. While standing in Terra Magica's sigil, your total spell damage will be increased as long as you stay within, which is rarely an issue for those casting Comet Azur.
11 Founding Rain Of Stars
Founding Rain of Stars is a spell that does precisely what players may think, raining magical stars on your enemies. This spell is a great AOE spell, and with the spells raining from above, it will easily deal damage even to enemies with a shield.
This spell can only have one spell active at a time and has a decently long delay between casting and the raining stars, but the damage and total effects of this spell make it more than worth the risk.
10 Crystal Torrent
Some spells in Elden Ring can be continuously cast if you have the FP to do so. Crystal Torrent fires a barrage of crystal bolts in a small cone for a decent range in front of the caster. This spell only deals magic damage and can deal high amounts of damage for a prolonged period of time.
If you can keep enemies from interrupting you, this spell can quickly wear down health bars. The Intelligence cost of this spell is relatively high but not as high as some of the later game spells, making this a great intermediary spell for the middle of the game.
9 Glintstone Arc
Glintstone Arc only requires 13 Intelligence to memorize and 9 FP to cast. It is a very early game spell, with the Astrologer class starting with it. This spell has a cheap stamina and FP cost to cast, making it perfect for multi-casting against larger groups of enemies.
Each arc has a wide area of effect, making it perfect for dealing with the many groups of enemies you'll find in The Lands Between. The arc is also ideal for PVP battles as it is not as easy to dodge as smaller bolts of magic that can only hit a small area.
8 Carian Greatsword
Many magic builds suffer from the lack of close-range options. The Carian Greatsword is not only a good backup option, but it affects a wide area for high damage, allowing brave mages to fight on the front lines in battle. This spell can also have a boost to damage when using the Carian Glintstone Staff.
This spell requires 24 Intelligence to memorize and 12 FP to cast. It does magic damage only -- despite being a melee attack. Its area of damage is a wide arc in front of the caster, significantly increasing your chances of hitting even a dodging target while also doing a high amount of damage.
7 Carian Phalanx
Veteran Souls players may recognize this re-skinned Homing Soulmass. This spell excels in protecting the caster or attacking your enemy to combo the stun effect with another spell. After casting this ability, the blades will wait until an enemy is near before targeting and firing, allowing you to cast it preemptively before danger is too close.
This spell requires 34 Intelligence to memorize and 24 FP to cast. It has a relatively quick cast time, allowing it to be spammed when enemies come into range. This spell is also perfect for mages who use melee combat, offering additional damage when you charge in.
6 Ranni's Dark Moon
While this spell does take a long time to cast, a giant moon being launched at enemies and dealing massive amounts of damage is both satisfying and effective. This spell does high amounts of magic damage and applies a high Frost build-up, with the possibility of instantly applying the effect on weaker enemies.
This spell does require a whooping 69 Intelligence to memorize and costs 57 FP to cast. It can further be boosted by the Carian Regal Scepter and the Snow Witch Hat to multiply its damage output further. While the long cast time can be challenging to work with, enemies hit by this spell usually won't last much longer.
5 Stars Of Ruin
Stars Of Ruin has the caster firing off multiple bolts that will seek out the targeted enemy when the spell is cast. This tracking helps limit the instances where this spell misses its mark. While it may not do as much damage as other spells on this list, it can be cast faster than larger spells with minimal aiming-- thanks to the tracking missiles.
This spell requires 43 Intelligence to memorize and 32 FP to cast. This spell's damage can be boosted should the caster have Lusat's Glintstone Crown equipped. This spell is further effective in PVP, as it is challenging to dodge every missile from a barrage.
4 Meteorite
This spell summons meteors above your enemy that crash down, dealing significant damage. Meteorite is effective at a long-range, as the meteors spawn above your enemy. This also helps negate environmental cover should they be hiding from your other spells or if you'd like to fight from a safe distance.
This spell requires 30 Intelligence to memorize and 30 FP to cast. Meteorite deals both magic and physical damage, helping diversify your damage output. While some enemies may have high magic defense, having this spell as an alternative will help circumvent that defense.
3 Comet
Not only can this spell be cast relatively quickly, it also does massive damage and pierces through enemies to hit those behind them. This spell can be cast back-to-back, allowing you to quickly deal high amounts of damage to multiple enemies -- or focus on just one.
Comet requires 52 Intelligence to memorize and costs 24 FP to cast. Comparing the FP cost to damage output, in addition to it only taking up one memory slot, makes this spell a must-have -- if you have enough Intelligence to cast it. Additionally, it can be charged with each cast to increase its damage.
2 Rock Sling
This spell seems to be the precursor for Meteorite but shows that sometimes you can't beat the original. This spell does incredibly high damage for its low requirements, offers a great area of effect, and deals both physical and magic damage.
Rock Sling requires 18 Intelligence to memorize and 18 FP to cast. The higher FP cost at this level is justified by its damage output. Using the Meteorite staff further buffs the damage of this spell, and its tracking capabilities make it nearly unstoppable.
1 Comet Azur
Think the Death Star, but magical and firing a mixture of magic and stars. Comet Azur does tremendous damage and can be continuously cast as long as you have the FP to use it. This spell can shred enemies, and with high Intelligence, can finish off many bosses in seconds.
This spell requires 60 Intelligence to memorize and 40 FP to cast. Continuously casting this spell drains your FP bar in a matter of seconds. Boosting your FP and Intelligence can allow you to cast this spell for longer and make sure no enemies can outlive it. Equipping the Azur's Glintstone Crown further boosts the damage of this already incredible spell.