Ashes of War Explained: Best Customization Combos for Your Build in Elden Ring
One of Elden Ring’s most powerful—and Elden Ring Items often overlooked—mechanics is the Ashes of War system. This mechanic allows you to customize your weapons not only with unique active skills, but also change their damage scaling, opening up countless possibilities to tailor your arsenal to your character’s build. Whether you're a bleed-focused Dex build or a spellblade hybrid, mastering Ashes of War can dramatically enhance your power.
In this guide, we’ll break down how Ashes of War work, how to apply them, and share some of the best Ash + Affinity combos for popular builds.
What Are Ashes of War?
Ashes of War are items that allow you to customize the weapon skills and scaling of your armaments. These skills are the special attacks you trigger using L2/LT, replacing the default weapon skill if applicable. Many Ashes also let you choose an Affinity, which alters the weapon’s base damage type and stat scaling.
For example:
Applying Flaming Strike with the Fire Affinity removes Dexterity scaling but increases Strength and Fire damage.
Using Blood Blade with the Blood Affinity adds Arcane scaling and bleed buildup.
How to Apply Ashes of War
To apply an Ash of War:
Visit a Site of Grace.
Select "Ashes of War" from the menu.
Choose a weapon and an Ash of War from your inventory.
Pick an Affinity (e.g., Standard, Keen, Heavy, Blood, etc.).
Note: You’ll need Whetblades (like Iron or Black Whetblade) to buy Elden Ring Runes unlock additional affinities.
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