Elden Ring: Best Ashes of Souls for PvP Arena Battles

The new PvP arena in Elden Ring features a mode that lets players summon Spirit Ashes to battle opponents. These are the best spirits to use.

The latest update for FromSoftware's dark fantasy role-playing game Elden Ring adds the long-awaited arena combat mode, allowing players to enter three arenas in the game's open world and fight each other in duels, dogfights, and team matches. In some of these arena matches, players can even use Spirit Ashes to summon NPC allies, adding new depth to the PvP gameplay first introduced in Dark Souls. Elden Ring veterans should think twice before simply calling Mimic Tear into the arena, though; the meta for Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring PvP is different than it is in single player.

In addition to pioneering FromSoftware's classic RPG design philosophy of challenging enemy encounters and frequent deaths, Demon's Souls introduces a unique multiplayer mode in which players enter other people's game worlds to assist or fight them all. However, the Dark Souls DLC first introduced a special arena area that players could visit and duel each other, a tradition that would continue in its two sequels. The Land Between setting in Elden Ring contains 3 arena arenas that players can visit to unlock the new PvP duel mode, visit the Caelid Wilds Colosseum to unlock PvP matches with Spirit Ashes enabled, and There is a whole new set of tactical considerations.

Elden Ring's Mimic Tear Isn't Always The Best PvP Summon

The Mimic Tear in Elden Ring is one of the most popular Ashes of Spirit items among players trying to beat the single player campaign. Using it essentially summons a copy of the player's Tarnished along with all their currently equipped gear and spells, allowing the player to double the potency of their current character build (or pull off clever attacks like equipping a rare consumable before summoning or Equip a different weapon afterwards). Mimic Tear is almost always a good Ember of Souls to summon to fight Elden Ring bosses, and it deals and absorbs a lot of damage with the player. At the Caelid Colosseum, things are much more complicated.

There are two reasons why Elden Ring's powerful Mimic Tear is less powerful in Elden Ring arena combat. First, players enter these arenas with the goal of killing other players' Defilers--opponents with minds of their own who can strategize and adapt. Against these enemies, Mimic Tears is nothing more than a bootleg copy of the player who summoned it, with more predictable behavior and attacks that deal less damage. Additionally, every time Mimic Tear is summoned, the Players have 660 HP, forcing them to use one of their few healing vials (or their magic energy) to regenerate during PvP matches.

Mob-Type Spirit Ashes Aid Defense In Elden Ring's Colosseum

Some players use Glintstone Sorceries from the Elden Ring or ranged weapons to attack from a distance in Colosseum combat, while others prefer to lure other players and counter their attacks with parries. These players should consider leveling up and using Ashes of Souls that summon hordes of hostile mobs. Even if individual units in Spirit Ash mobs are weak or slow, players can use them as shields or distractions, with their Tarnished hiding behind or circling their team as needed.

The Greatshield soldier's ashes, found in the Eternal City of Norkrone, are particularly suitable for this purpose due to their massive large shields and jars of frost that can be hurled at distant enemies. Tomb Soldier Ashes are also durable in a different way, thanks to their random teleportation across the map.

Long-Range Spirit Ashes Help Offensive Elden Ring PvP Playstyles

Each Colosseum in the Elden Ring update has a very large circular arena space, allowing players to easily keep distance from dangerous close range Spirit Ashes such as Oleg the Banished Knight with his twin swords or with his Omenkiller Rollo double knife. Because of this, Elden Ring players who like to knock down their opponents and kill them at close range in PvP matches are better off using Spirit Ash summons that can keep up with them. That means finding Spirit Ember summons with fast, aggressive moves, powerful ranged attacks, or both.

Archer-level Ashes of Spirit, such as Albinauric's Latenna, Page, Ancestral Follower, Dolores the Sleeping Arrow, or Marrionete Soldiers, can weaken enemies with ranged arrows in Elden Ring PvP matches. Latenna in particular can hit enemies with her arrows from an impressive distance. Spirit Ashes like Glintstone Sorcerer, Twinsage Sorcerer or Battlemage Hugues can also support Elden Ring players with continuous magical attacks.

While they each cost a lot of Focus Points to summon, the Elden Ring's Legendary Ashes of Souls - Black Knife Tiche, Lhutel the Headless, Redmane Knight Ogha, Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff, and Cleanrot Knight Finlay - may are terrible supporters. Each of these summons is extremely durable, deadly in melee, and has ranged magic attacks to punish players who run away blindly.

Elden Ring Spirit Ashes With Low Summoning Costs Are Flexible In PvP

Following the Elden Ring's Colosseum update, some Elden Ring players have developed a flexible PvP playstyle that can easily switch from offense to defense and back again. Others may not like summoning spirits at the start of Colosseum Trials, and only do so when they need a distraction or need to harass a weakened enemy. Either way, it's possible to equip Ashes of Soul at a very low summoning cost.

The Giant Rat Spirit Ash is by far the most economical Ash in the Elden Ring, costing zero HP and zero FP to activate and summoning five Rat Spirits when upgraded to max. Stormhawk Deenh, Rotten Stray, Spirit Jellyfish, Winged Misbegotten, Putrid Corpse, Skeletal Bandit, and Skeletal Militiamen are all Spirit Ashes that cost less than 50 FP to summon. Finally, Elden Ring Spirit Ashes, such as Soldjars of Fortune, Landsquirt, and Miranda Sprout, each summon less than 200 health points.