Top 5 best Ashes of War in Elden Ring for melee characters and where to find them

Ashes of War is one of the most important aspects in Elden Ring in relation to combat.

The introduction of this feature changed the way players approached boss fights and thought about weapons. Ashes of War adds unique properties to weapons that further enhance their performance.

However, apart from adding special attacks, Ashes of War alter the weapon stats as well. This includes changes to dex, strength, arcane and other areas.

Note: Ashes of War usage depends on the players and it can change depending on playstyles.

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Best Ashes of War that players should chase for melee builds in Elden Ring

It is important to realize that Ashes of War does not work with special weapons. This includes weapons like Bloodhound's Fang, Hand of Malenia and other special weapons.

In short, weapons that require somber smithing stones to level up cannot be equipped with Ashes of War. Apart from that, the Ashes of War provided here are focussed towards both dex scaling as well as quality (dex and strength combined) scaling, as most melee builds are centered around those.

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Finally, it should be remembered that while each of these Ashes of War will initially have just one scaling, once players obtain a Whetblade, the number of options increases.

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1) Ash of War: Stormblade

Stormblade is a really good Ash of War against normal enemies (Image via EternityInGaming/Youtube)

Stormblade is one of the best Ash of War for managing groups of enemies. It can also work quite well on single enemies that are not bosses. This particular Ash of War throws a gust of wind towards the enemy dealing damage.

Apart from that, it provides dex and strength scaling to the weapons.

Location: Can be bought by Knight Bernahl at Warmaster's Shack, drop from the Grave Warden boss at Limgrave.

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2) Ash of War: Phantom Slash

Phantom Slash is a great Ash of War in Elden Ring for dealing heavy amounts of damage in dex builds (Image via EternityInGaming/Youtube)

Phantom Slash is another great Ash of War that is extremely good for melee builds. This Ash of War summons a phantom who moves forward and slashes at the enemy with a greataxe.

Obviously, the players themselves do not need a greataxe to use it. Rather, it primarily works with polearms and twinblades.

Location: Can be obtained after defeating a Night Cavalry boss in Forbidden Lands.

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3) Ash of War: Double Slash

Double Slash in Elden Ring allows players to deal insane damage in a short duration (Image via FredchuckDave/Youtube)

Double Slash is a great Ash of War that allows a player to land two very swift hits in a short interval of time. This Ash of War works very well with polearms and swords that are capable of slashing.

One important thing to consider regarding this particular Ash of War is that it strictly provides dexterity scaling. This means that using this one will reduce the strength of the character and base damage of the weapon.

Location: Dropped by a Teardrop Scarab in Sellia, Town of Sorcery.

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4) Ash of War: Stormcaller

Stormcaller creates a vortex that can help to clear groups of enemies (Image via EternityInGaming/Youtube)

If players have cleared Stormveil castle, they will remember this particular Ash of War. When used, it summons a vortex around the player and leads to aoe (area of effect) damage. It is extremely good when dealing with mobs and groups of enemies.

Location: Dropped by Teardrop Scarab in Stormveil Castle.

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5) Ash of War: Vaccum Slice

Vaccum Slice allows players to release an attack that cuts through enemies in Elden Ring (Image via 100% Guides/Youtube)

This is the Ash of War where the weapon throws a massive traveling wave, damaging everything up front. This particular Ash of War has quality scaling and works on both swords and axes.

Location: Can be obtained at Deeproot Depths.

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