To make progression and boss encounters easier in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, you will be able to get your hands on some of the best Spirit Ashes early. These summons will be able to tank bosses and other mobs for you, giving you more room to heal up or hit them with your hardest-hitting abilities.
Additionally, some Spirit Ashes can deal a lot of damage as well. So if you are lacking the necessary build to take down a boss, a good Spirit Ash will be able to DPS them for you.
So if you are struggling with progression in the Land of Shadow, here is a list of some of the best Spirit Ashes that you can get early in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.
Best early game Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree and where to find them
1) Demi-Human Swordsman Yosh
Yosh is a nimble and agile swordsman who will let you cheese through most content in the early game. He will be very hard to pin down by the enemy and the Demi-Human comes with a great deal of damage allowing him to chunk out a boss’s HP bar.
He takes 95 FP to summon and can easily solo an entire encampment if you have upgraded him to +10. To get Yosh, you will need to beat the Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze in Belurat Gaol.
This boss is found at the very bottom of the dungeon and to reach it, you will need to find the entrance to the Gaol by heading west from Belurat Tower Settlement.
Onze can be challenging because of how fast he is. So just keep your distance and keep bating its moves during the fight.
2) Bloodfiend Hexer
The Bloodfiend Hexer is another amazing Spirit Ash that you can get early in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. The summon uses a spear and enables it with bloodflame hexes to deal a massive amount of damage to the enemy.
However, instead of FP, you will need HP to summon the Spirit. It takes 500 HP to summon it, which is a fair trade-off considering what he brings to the table.
To obtain Bloodfiend Hexer, you will need to defeat the Chief Bloodfiend Boss. who can be found inside Rivermouth Cave. To reach the cave itself, you will need to make your way south from the Temple Town Ruins. You can also get there by heading southwest from the Norther Nameless Mausoleum.
3) Black Knight Commander Andreas
The Black Knight Commander Andreas is one of the best tank Spirit Ashes Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. He was the first leader of Messmer’s army and used massive equipment in battle.
Not only will be able to soak up a lot of damage in battle, but the hammer that he wields is also amazing at dealing significant posture damage to the enemy. If you are going for a Riposte build, you will be able to use him to break the enemy’s poise more often.
You will be able to obtain Black Knight Commander Andreas by making your way through the Fog Rift Catacombs. As you venture through the area you will meet a black knight guarded by three Messmer Soldiers.
Once you take them out and move past them, you will need to jump on top of a spike trap that falls from the ceiling and use it to cross into the corridor on the left. You will find a coffin there with the Spirit Ash on it.
4) Black Knight Captain Huw
The Black Knights were the primary force in Messmer’s army, and you get to summon their captain Huw after obtaining him. The Spirit Ash uses a Twinblade and can even use certain Crucible magic spells making him quite versatile in boss encounters.
He can even clear out encampments and mobs with his spells, however, you will need to upgrade him for him to be effective.
You will be able to find Black Knight Captain Huw in the Scorpion River Catacombs. You will need to reach the end of the L-shaped corridor which has crushing spike traps.
The Scorpion River Catacombs are located in Rauh Ruins. You can get here by making your way southwest from Ravine North’s Site of Grace.
5) Fire Knight Hilde
Fire Knight Hilde is an incredible Spirit Ash summon to have in the early game of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. She uses a greatsword with great stagger potential and can also cast certain fire incantations.
You will find the summon in Shadow Keep. From the Storehouse, Loft Site of Grace take the elevator up and then turn left, and then turn left once more. Then take the next right till you come upon a bat hanging from the ceiling.
Reach the other side to find a ladder going up, take it, and then turn left to move towards an area where there is a gear. Once there, fall down behind the column (you will get the Wrath from Afar Incantation here) and then jumo towards the next platform and reach the ladder on the left.
Climb it once once you reach the top you will need to take the wooden beam on the left to head to the lift that is on the right.
Activate the lift and then roll back to the platform. Another lift will take its place, do the same thing, by activating it and rolling back. This time you will need to jump onto the roof of the first lift.
When it stops, jump across to the platform and you will reach a corpse on the other side, and you can loot it to obtain the Spirit Ash.
These are some of the best Spirit Ashes that you can get early in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. They each have unique movesets that can help you through the initial hurdles in FromSoftware’s latest expansion.
