No maiden? No problem. Just pour all that time, effort, and Runes into becoming a powerful wizard in Elden Ring. Apparently, Raya Lucaria Academy is always admitting new prospects with nearly 100 percent off the tuition fee— though there's a fine print in the papers, something about school hazards. But that doesn't matter since a magic build in Elden Ring is all the rage right now.
It's currently the most overpowered aspect of combat and gameplay; full cheese tactics and spells that break the game. Sure enough, this over-tuning of magic has bled over to multiplayer, particularly in PvP. Now, before budding Elden Ring wizards fill their heads with dreams of teabagging those Colossal Weapon Chads or Dex Edgelords, they have to know which magic spells or Sorceries can help them achieve that. Meanwhile, those on the dangerous end of the wizard's staff might want to watch out for these spells.
Updated May 15, 2022, by Sid Natividad: Elden Ring's PvP scene is now less chaotic with FromSoftware tuning and balancing mechanics left and right. Some Elden Ring PvP spells got hit considerably, but it's usually for the best since a lot of them were being used as exploits. It's just that there are so many great spells in Elden Ring that it gets hard to pick which ones are the best. Hence, an update to this Elden Ring best PvP spells list is warranted. Some spells are now working as intended and have thus wedged their own place in the meta. So, when it comes to the best spells in Elden Ring, players should check out these new additions to make Ranni even more proud.
14 Ranni's Dark Moon
- FP Cost: 62
- Intelligence Requirement: 68
- Location: Chest in Chelona's Rise
Ranni's Dark Moon is a handier version of Rennala's Full Moon. While it costs more compared to its sister spell, Ranni's Dark Moon comes with a truckload of debuffs and conditions that will make any PvP enemy panic. It's slow, however, so players shouldn't expect it to hit every time.
Instead, players should be using this spell as an opener; enemies will be busy trying to dodge it and that's when players can pepper them with cheaper, faster spells. The explosion radius is also big enough that some players end up getting caught in the Frostbite burst which also gives them a debuff against magical attacks.
13 Carian Piercer
- FP Cost: 19
- Intelligence Requirement: 27
- Location: Teardrop Scarab in Caria Manor
Carian Piercer is one of the most deceptive spellblade sorceries in the game. Its range is highly advantageous and can even catch many players off-guard. Since it's also a straight jab, Carian Piercer has both a fast animation and also a quick casting time.
Each hit will also flinch or stagger enemies well enough for some follow-ups. Charging it can get dangerous and should usually only be reserved for boss fights, but, in its regular state, the spell should be more than enough to take away big chunks of a PvP enemy's HP.
12 Swift Glintstone Shard
- FP Cost: 5
- Intelligence Requirement: 12
- Location: Sorceress Sellen after she gets the Academy Scroll
Glintstone Pebble is already one of the best sorceries in Elden Ring, but an even better PvP-focused variant of it is the Swift Glintstone Shard. It's a smaller, faster, and weaker version of the Glintstone Pebble with a considerably shorter range.
However, casters can spam it reliably and still hit enemies who are panic-rolling to avoid it. It's also best paired with the above-mentioned spells such as Ranni's Dark Moon. Because of its rapid casting time and the number of projectiles, targets are bound to be hit one way or another.
11 Thops's Barrier
- FP Cost: 7
- Intelligence Requirement: 18
- Location: Thops's body at the end of his questline in Raya Lucaria Academy
What happens if magic-users start facing their own kind or those vigilant Faith builds that keep spamming Lightning Spear? Surely there's a way to defend against them until their FP runs out, right? Enter Thops's Barrier.
It's a lovely defensive magic shield that deflects any spell, including Incantations. Players can also hold it to keep casting it against spells that don't have fast projectiles or ones that are also charged. This way, players can cover all of their bases.
10 Glintstone Pebble
- FP Cost: 7
- Intelligence Requirement: 10
- Location: Sorceress Sellen in Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave/Thops in Church of Irith in Limgrave
The Astrologer class really doesn't need to do much as they come out of the cave equipped with one of the most basic yet effective spells for casters. The Glintstone Pebble is basically a magic arrow that's a lot less tedious to use compared to a physical bow and arrow setup.
It does fall off a bit in high levels (around 100 or so) but it's still great for catching PvP opponents off-guard since the cast time is decent and the follow-up cast after the first is almost instant. It's great for trying to snipe away at the final sliver of health enemies have without endangering oneself.
9 Carian Phalanx
- FP Cost: 26
- Intelligence Requirement: 34
- Location: Preceptor Seluvis at Seluvis's Rise after completing his quest
Turns out there's a great reward in store for those who managed to endure Seluvis' arrogance and that would be the Carian Phalanx spell which he'll sell. It's arguably the best version of the Phalanx Sorcery in the game. The spell allows the caster to summon numerous magic swords that home in on a target.
There are other Phalax sorceries but the Carian Phalanx is notorious for the number of swords it spawns, making it nigh-impossible to dodge or roll through. In short, it's the perfect spell for ending an opponent in PvP, especially if they only have barely a quarter of their HP left, or even fewer.
8 Gavel Of Haima
- FP Cost: 37
- Intelligence Requirement: 25
- Location: Top of the Converted Fringe Tower in Liurnia of the Lakes
But what if those melee classes get too close for a clobbering? What then? Well, here's the answer. The Gavel of Haima is more than just a contingency since it hits enemies like a truck. The spell conjures a huge magical and almost comedic hammer. It deals high and disruptive amounts of area damage.
Pair that with the fact that most melee-oriented armor in the game has poor magic resistance, well, you wizards can probably do the math. Some masterful bonks of this magic hammer have resulted in as much as half the HP struck off a bold melee assailant. Just time it well, of course, since the wind-up is slow.
7 Stars Of Ruin
- FP Cost: 50
- Intelligence Requirement: 43
- Location: Given by Master Lusat in Sellia Hideaway in Caelid
That FP cost is dangerously high but the Stars of Ruin are worth it. The spell fires off twelve fast projectiles each of which deal more damage than a Glintstone Pebble. So it's practically the angry and desperate edition of Glintstone Pebble.
Much like Carian Phalanx, Stars of Ruin is also infamously difficult to dodge due to the speed and number of projectiles. So players can expect what will happen if they combine the two aforementioned spells. PvP enemies get showered with enough magic to cleanse their whole existence.
6 Collapsing Stars
- FP Cost: 18/24
- Intelligence Requirement: 36
- Location: Chest located at the War-Dead Catacombs in Caelid, near the Starscourge Radahn Site of Grace
Apparently, General Radahn used this magic to challenge the stars because he's the greatest of all time. Now, wizards in Elden Ring can mimic a fraction of his power with this spell. It summons several gravitational projectiles that home in on the enemies and anyone hit will be staggered and pulled closer to the caster.
Granted, it's not as damaging as other homing barrage spells like Stars of Ruin but the combo potential with Collapsing Stars is staggering (no pun intended). Pull enemies closer while damaging them to set them up for a Gavel of Haima or the next spell below and it will not just damage them badly but also disorient them and make them panic.
5 Adula's Moonblade
- FP Cost: 26
- Intelligence Requirement: 32
- Location: Glintstone Dragon Adula near the Cathedral of Manus Celes in the Moonlight Altar, Liurnia of the Lakes
Apart from Gavel of Haima, players can also employ another melee magic spell that not only comes with high damage but also has a ranged projectile that inflicts Frost. That's Adula's Moonblade and it's quite a handful. It's a frost and projectile-shooting version of the Carian Greatsword.
Sure enough, it costs more to cast compared to that but Adula's Moonblade practically deals double damage. The first is from the frost blade itself and the second is from the crescent frost projectile. The only downside is the wind-up slow but this violent and mighty popsicle slash can end PvP fights prematurely.
4 Ambush Shard
- FP Cost: 16
- Intelligence Requirement: 23
- Location: A corpse in the underground jail in Witchbane Ruins, Weeping Peninsula
Sick of enemies hiding behind greatshields or even worse, utilizing that busted Erdtree Greatshield turret build? Well, give them a taste of the ol' back spanking with Ambush Shard. It conjures up a projectile behind the target so that they'll get hit from the back, rendering their shield useless.
It's quite situational in that regard but the Erdtree Greatshield turret meta is quickly becoming popular, so this is a viable countermeasure for that. Moreover, it doesn't require line of sight; it can also flinch enemies and disrupt their casting or wind-ups.
3 Comet Azur
- FP Cost: 40/46
- Intelligence Requirement: 60
- Location: Primeval Sorcerer Azur near Hermit Village in Mt. Gelmir
Of course, it's here. That blasphemous laser spell that one-shots slow bosses, Comet Azur, is also very much viable in PvP. For the uninitiated, this spell unleashes a straight magic beam that consumes a lot of FP if held constantly.
Players can't expect to use it like that in PvP, unlike how they use it with bosses. Instead, it works well as a high-damage ability that can punish charging players. Those who don't want to bother with the spell or want to test out its efficiency in PvP before committing can do so using the Sword of Night and Flame as it has a built-in Comet Azur for its weapon skill.
2 Loretta's Mastery
- FP Cost: 12/50
- Intelligence Requirement: 46
- Location: Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree in Miquella's Haligtree
Why settle for one great magic arrow when four will do the job better? That obscene amount of ranged damage is brought to spellcasters by Loretta and her awesome spell, Loretta's Mastery. In fact, she even uses the spell liberally during her boss fight.
It's a slow-charging magic great arrow spell that can easily deceive those who think they're good enough to dodge it. Each of the four arrows also deals massive damage, especially against players with low magic resistance. In any case, Loretta's Mastery is the perfect companion for the next spell.
1 Terra Magicus
- FP Cost: 20
- Intelligence Requirement: 20
- Location: Atop a tower accessed by the elevator in the boss room of Academy Crystal Cave dungeon
Terra Magicus and the plethora of ranged magic spells will surely have dictated the spellcaster's playstyle in PvP by now. For the record, Terra Magicus is a magical buff sigil on the ground. Anyone who stays in it gets bonus sorcery damage.
So really, all wizards have to do in Elden Ring PvP is cast Terra Magicus, stay inside it, and spam their aforementioned ranged spells. Does the enemy decide to step into the magic sigil? Whack and dice them with the hammer or frostblade.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.