Elden Ring is 2022’s Game of the Year and it has so many different gameplay elements and mechanics that it can be easy to get a bit lost in all of the game data. So, here is a list of some of the game’s best Sorceries to help anyone going for a Mage build in the game.
Elden Ring’s Intelligence-Based Magic: Sorcery
Elden Ring is a robust game with so many different aspects to it that new players can struggle to keep up. On top of that, in typical From Software style, the game does no hand-holding, meaning it doesn’t give many tutorials or information straight out of the gate to players in order to teach them everything. Instead, it focuses on letting players learn on their own, which can be quite frustrating at times.
Elden Ring’s magic is complex and full of interesting details. Sorceries are a type of magic in Elden Ring that are based on the intelligence stat. There are many different schools of sorcery that each have a different theme and set of spells that cause different effects. For example, the gravity sorceries can cause enemies to be pulled towards the player.
Sorceries cost FP, which is Elden Ring’s Magic Meter. Focus points are based on the character’s Mind stat – the higher this stat, the more FP the player has to work with. The more basic sorceries, like Glintstone Pebble, do not cost much FP. But the more higher power sorceries, like Ranni’s Dark Moon, cost quite a lot of FP to cast. For a mage to be able to stay in a fight long enough to be triumphant, FP management is a must.
Because there are so many to choose from, the sorceries allow players to create different builds based on their favorite sorceries. The Sorceries listed here are in no particular order and do not represent the greatest sorcery lineup of all time – they are just a few spells that seem to have a lot of good use within the game.
Crystal Torrent
FP Cost: 24 | Required Stats: 47 Int
Crystal Torrent deals purely magic damage and can be channeled to deal damage for a prolonged period of time, as long as the player has enough FP to do so. At higher levels, an FP cost of 24 is not that bad. The Intelligence stat requirement is quite high, so players may want to spec appropriately if they are looking to use this spell.
If players decide to spec into Mind and Vigor much more in the early game, these spells that require higher Int may not be usable until the mid-game because players just won’t have the attribute points required to put the points in. However, players should know that after they defeat Rennala at the Raya Lucaria Academy, they will be able to use Larval Tears in order to respec their character however they wish.
Glintstone Icecrag
FP Cost: 12 | Required Stats: 15 Int
This sorcery can be bought from Seluvis (or from the Twin Husks after giving them Seluvis’s bell bearing) and every mage build should keep this in rotation. Bosses in Elden Ring can have hefty health bars and can take a long time to take down. However, the Frostbite status effect can really turn this around and give players the edge they need in order to cut down a boss’s health much faster.
The Frostbite status effect causes the target to take extra damage from all sources for a period of time. So, if players take the time to cast Glintstone Icecrag a few times first in order to proc the Frostbite status effect, they will then be able to do extra damage with their harder hitting spells afterwards. Not only that, but their spirit summons and even collaborators will be able to do extra damage to the target as well.
This low cost and low requirement spell is extremely helpful for new players trying to gain the upper hand on bosses that are difficult to handle.
Loretta’s Greatbow
FP Cost: 32 | Required Stats: 26 Int
Loretta’s Greatbow is won from the Loretta boss battle at the end of the Carian Manor Legacy Dungeon located in the Northwest part of the Liurnia of the Lakes region. This sorcery has a medium level Int requirement, but quite a hefty FP cost at 32. Fortunately, the power of the sorcery definitely makes up for it.
This sorcery allows the player to fire off a huge magic arrow at a locked on target. The shot rarely misses its target and deals quite a lot of damage. On top of that, the sorcery can be charged, allowing players to fire off even harder hitting shots at the same FP cost.
The casting time for this, especially the charged version, is quite long, which means that it can be a great start of a fight when a target is further away, but after that, mages will have to do some clever positioning in order to use it again.
Stars of Ruin
FP Cost: 32 | Required Stats: 43 Int
This legendary sorcery is a PVP favorite for Elden Ring players due to the fact that it is near-impossible to dodge. The many different projectiles that shoot out fly at breakneck speeds and have incredibly good tracking, making them quite difficult to dodge.
Not only that, this sorcery was slightly buffed by reducing both its FP and Stamina costs. This means that players are able to spam this spell even more and for longer periods of time in order to get more DPS done to their targets.
Terra Magica
FP Cost: 35 | Required Stats: 20 Int
Terra Magica allows players to place a large sigil on the ground within which their magic attack is increased. The sigil actually has quite a large area of effect, letting players strafe in and out of it quite easily. In this way, mages can continue dodging projectile attacks while still getting off their own powerful spells.
The 35 FP cost is quite large, but by the time players get to the point of being able to use this spell, their FP pool and flask charges should allow them to get past this hiccup. Also, the Int requirement is quite low at 20, so most players that are putting points into several different attributes should still be able to use this sorcery in the mid-game section of Elden Ring.
Rock Sling
FP Cost: 18 | Required Stats: 18 Int
Rock Sling is an early game sorcery that deals purely physical damage, which is quite unique for sorceries in Elden Ring. The physical damage makes it a great option for mages when they are going through Raya Lucaria or Carian Manor, both places that have a lot of enemies that are resistant to magical damage.
The FP cost is very low, as is the required intelligence – both at 18. If players follow a guide to get the Meteorite Staff early on, then they will be able to do quite a lot of damage with this spell.
Night Comet
FP Cost: 24 | Required Stats: 38 Int
The relatively low FP cost allows players to spam this invisible projectile sorcery quite often. The fact that it is invisible makes it quite over-powered, because enemies, even NPCs that are able to track button inputs, are completely unable to dodge it. They will just continue to be hit by the comet over and over again.
Players can use the Staff of Loss to boost the power of this sorcery by another 30%, making the damage even more deadly.
