With Elden Ring, From Software fundamentally changed the weapon art system with Ashes of War. Not only can you customize any weapon (with the exception of Unique Weapons) with whatever special attack (i.e. Skill) you want, you can even change its Affinity to match your build. This has opened the door for greater depth of play style customization than ever.
There are tons of Ashes of War to find throughout the Lands Between, and almost all are viable options… if you know how to build around them, at least. With so many weapons and spells at your disposal, you can usually find some powerful synergy to combo with even the most mundane Skill.
On the other hand, some Ashes of War don’t need synergy so much as they require practice and skill. Parry, for example, is about as basic as it gets; it is the default Skill for multiple different starting classes’ Shields. But if you know how to time it right, it will remain a powerful battle tactic all the way through the end of the game.
That said, certainly not all Ashes of War are created equal. There are some that don’t require much–if any–synergy or skill, and stand alone in terms of sheer power level. These are the ten best Ashes of War in Elden Ring.
