Elden Ring: Best Spirit Ashes and How to Use Them in Boss Fights

Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring are one of the game’s most powerful mechanics, allowing you to summon spectral allies to fight alongside you. Whether you’re a melee bruiser, a nimble dexterity fighter, or a sorcery-focused mage, the right Spirit Ash can turn the tide of a difficult boss battle. However, not all summons are created equal, and knowing which to use—and Elden Ring Runes when—can make the difference between victory and yet another “You Died” screen.

This guide will cover the best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring, explain their strengths, and give you strategies for using them effectively in boss fights.

Understanding Spirit Ashes

Spirit Ashes are items that let you call forth spectral allies in exchange for FP (Focus Points). They can only be summoned in areas marked by a glowing gravestone icon on your HUD—usually boss arenas and dangerous overworld locations. Summons vanish when they die or when the boss is defeated.

Notably, Spirit Ashes scale with upgrades from Roderika at Roundtable Hold, who can strengthen them using Spirit Glovewort or Grave Glovewort. A +10 upgraded summon is dramatically stronger than its base form, so investing in upgrades is crucial.

When choosing a Spirit Ash, consider:

Tankiness: Can it survive long enough to distract the boss?

Damage: Does it deal meaningful damage or scale with your stats?

Utility: Does it inflict status effects, heal, or provide other support?

FP Cost: Can you afford the summon without crippling your ability to cast spells or use skills?

Best Spirit Ashes for Boss Fights

1. Mimic Tear Ashes

Why It’s Strong: The Mimic Tear summons a copy of your character, complete with your weapons, armor, and consumables. It doesn’t cost FP but instead uses 660 HP, making it perfect for low-FP builds.

Best Uses: Because it mirrors your setup, the Mimic Tear excels if you’re well-equipped and have a versatile build. In boss fights, it effectively doubles your DPS and draws aggro.

Tips: Before summoning, optimize your loadout. Equip high-damage weapons, status-inflicting gear, or buffs so your Mimic uses them. Avoid consumables you don’t want wasted.

2. Black Knife Tiche

Why It’s Strong: Tiche is a fast, aggressive summon with the ability to chip away at boss HP using the Black Knife’s Blade of Death, which reduces max HP temporarily.

Best Uses: Excellent against tanky bosses with huge health pools like Malenia or Godskin Duo. Tiche’s high mobility allows her to dodge many attacks and stay alive longer than bulkier summons.

Tips: Keep bosses distracted by staying close yourself, giving Tiche opportunities to slash uninterrupted. Works well in fights where you need a consistent DPS ally.

3. Latenna the Albinauric

Why It’s Strong: Latenna doesn’t move but unleashes powerful ranged barrages with her bow. She has unlimited ammo and incredible range, melting bosses from afar if she’s kept safe.

Best Uses: Great in arenas with lots of open space or bosses that focus primarily on you. She shines against large, slow-moving bosses like dragons or Erdtree Avatars.

Tips: Position yourself to keep the boss focused on you. Latenna is fragile—if the boss targets her, she’ll die quickly. Summon her at the start of fights to establish her position.

4. Banished Knight Oleg

Why It’s Strong: Oleg is a hulking knight who wields two greatswords and is extremely tanky. He excels at drawing enemy attention, giving you breathing room.

Best Uses: Best for glass-cannon players who need time to cast sorceries or faith spells. He’s reliable against aggressive bosses like Crucible Knights or faster humanoids.

Tips: Let Oleg take aggro while you pelt the boss with ranged damage. Upgrade him early for maximum durability.

5. Dung Eater Puppet

Why It’s Strong: A rare puppet summon, Dung Eater is surprisingly sturdy and dishes out strong melee damage.

Best Uses: Works well against mid-sized bosses where his aggression can match the boss’s speed.

Tips: Dung Eater’s high survivability makes him useful in extended battles, though acquiring him requires completing Seluvis’ Puppet questline.

6. Skeletal Militiamen

Why It’s Strong: They revive after death unless struck while down, effectively giving you two persistent minions.

Best Uses: Ideal against bosses with slow attack animations that don’t “finish off” summons. Great for attrition-based fights.

Tips: Keep bosses distracted so your skeletal allies can revive safely. Excellent choice for conserving FP while maintaining presence.

Strategies for Using Spirit Ashes in Boss Fights

Summon Early: In most fights, summon your Spirit Ash right away to establish aggro control. This allows you to fight aggressively without immediately becoming the boss’s sole focus.

Match the Summon to the Boss: Use tanky summons for aggressive, high-DPS bosses, and ranged summons for massive or slower bosses. Mimic Tear is universal but not always optimal.

Upgrade Consistently: A +10 Spirit Ash can rival a co-op player in effectiveness. Farming Glovewort in catacombs ensures your summons scale into late-game content.

Use Status Synergy: Pair Spirit Ashes with your own status effects. For example, let Black Knife Tiche chip away while you build bleed stacks with a katana.

Stay Active: Don’t let your summon do all the work. Boss AI shifts frequently; keep pressure on the boss to prevent your ally from being overwhelmed.

Final Thoughts

Spirit Ashes are one of the defining features of Elden Ring. They aren’t just “AI companions”—they’re strategic tools that shape how you approach each boss fight. From the versatility of the Mimic Tear to the relentless aggression of Black Knife Tiche or the sheer tankiness of Banished Knight Oleg, each summon has its place.

The key is to treat Spirit Ashes as extensions of your build, not replacements. With the right choice and buy Elden Ring Runes proper strategy, they can turn even the most punishing encounters into triumphs.