Elden Ring’s fabled expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, focused heavily on the Faith side of the spell-slinging spectrum, but that doesn’t mean Sorcery was completely neglected. Though there weren’t nearly as many Sorcery spells added, a few of the ones that were are actually worth casting at a moment’s notice.
Best Sorcery Spells in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
As someone who used a Strength/Intellect build for my playthrough of Shadow of the Erdtree, I was on the constant lookout for new Sorcery spells worthy of slotting into my spellbook. The following spells were consistently worthy of every FP I spent on them.
Fleeting Microcosm
One of the four Finger Sorceries you can get in the expansion, Fleeting Microcosm opens up a brief portal and spawns an orb. This orb pulses once, dealing moderate damage to enemies nearby it before exploding in an even larger area. The explosion’s damage is immaculate, which is why you cast this spell during AoE (Area of Effect) engagements. What’s better is that this this spell can be cast at a pretty long distance from your target, and still land. Charging this spell amplifies the damage, the size of the orb, and the explosion at the cost of a slightly slower payoff, but it’s worth it if you can do so.
If you want to pick up this Sorcery for yourself, you must participate in the questline offered by Count Ymir, located at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr. The spell is one of the rewards you get for doing so.
Gravitational Missile
Arguably one of the most useful new Sorcery spells, Gravitational Missle offers a wide spectrum of useful utility depending on how you decide to cast it. When you perform a basic cast of this spell, it summons a purple orb that travels forward from you slowly, pulsing several times before exploding in a large AoE. Each of these pulses deals very minor damage, but, more importantly, each pulse also pulls enemies toward its center. The pull effect isn’t very significant, but it does interrupt enemies that can be affected by it by staggering them. This opens up many opportunities for you to dish out damage while the orb is active.
Now, if you charge up Gravitational Missle, you get more of the above, just bigger, wider, and more potent. The explosion damage is more powerful and often immediately lethal to enemies caught within it. This larger orb dishes out even more damage while it actively staggers foes within its incredibly large pull radius. This was a key strategy for me while dealing with the final invasion encounter before meeting the last boss face-to-face.
The most significant thing about Gravitational Missile is how the orb itself interacts with collision. When it touches any surface, the orb will explode, dealing its damage immediately, and knocking back or down enemies within the radius. This is useful because the direction of the orb is determined by your target or the direction your character is facing. So, if you face toward the ground, the orb will instantly explode on the cast, triggering the previously mentioned effects. Gravitational Missile can be cast extremely fast compared to most spells of its type, making this spell very useful for player-centered AoE and crowd-control. It is no slouch on damage either, as even an uncharged cast aimed at the ground will kill most enemies in only a few casts. I found this aim-at-the-ground casting to be the most useful application of this spell.
You too obtain Gravititional Missle by slaying the Fallingstar Beast in the crater located on Fingerstone Hill.
Impenetrable Thorns
When it comes to spells built for pure offensive onslaught, Impenetrable Thorns is probably the best added in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. It functions very similarly to the Blood-themed Briar spells of the base game. However, the main difference is that Impenetrable Thorns simply does significantly more damage, being able to three-shot some bosses in the DLC through powerful blood lost procs. Its improved range also outclasses the Briar spells, making it an exceptionally good opener to a majority of encounters throughout the DLC. As far as offense goes, Impenetrable Thorns easily tops the list of excelling Sorcery.
If you want to get your hands on Impenetrable Thorns, you can find it on a corpse in Shadow Keep, within the Storehouse, Seventh Floor. You’ll first need to rotate the beams so make sure the pull the lever first to reach the corpse’s location.
Mass of Putrescence
If you recall the base game spell, Cannon of Halma, then this spell functions in a similar regard in terms of how it is cast. However, Mass of Putrescence is more closely associated with the base game spell, Rolling Magma, only better in most cases. With Rolling Magma, you always needed to cast it so that the projectile did not hit an enemy to get its full effect. This is not the case with Mass of Putresence. Direct hits with this spell will still cause it to properly explode for its core effect. Despite this, the ideal usage of this spell is still to cast it like Rolling Magma: Avoid direct hits.
Now, what is Mass of Putresence? When you cast this spell, you lob a foul glob of magic through the air like a mortar. When it hits a surface, it explodes, projecting ghostflame across a wide area. Enemies hit by the flames are subject to Frostbite build-up, which is why this spell is so excessively strong at picking off groups of enemies from a distance.
You can find Mass of Putrescence in the Stone Coffin Fissure, the furthest you can go south in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The spell is found on a corpse near the Fissure Waypoint Site of Grace. You’ll need to do some careful platforming by dropping down a nearby cliff, so use caution when hunting this spell.
Rellana’s Twin Moons
The final spell on this list, Rellana’s Twin Moons is a third variety of the Moon spells from the base game. Unlike the base game versions, Rellana’s Twin Moons are cast at your position. You float into the air and slam two Moons into the ground, causing Moon-level AOE explosions, concluding the spell cast with a shockwave slam that also deals big damage. This spell is extremely powerful, just like all Moon spells, but it does come with the caveat of needing significant Poise if you want to use it in close combat with enemies, This is because this spell is easy to interrupt. It isn’t uncommon to be thrown out of the air mid-cast by enemies hitting you with merely a stick. Nevertheless, this spell is very strong and is easily one of the best in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
To get Rellana’s Twin Moons, you must first slay Rellana, Twin Moon Knight located within Castle Ensis, to earn her Remembrance. Take her Remembrance to the Finger Reader at the Roundtable and exchange it for this spell.
