Elden Ring Summoning Guide - RPG Informer (2024)

Elden Ring is the newest Soulsborne game from genre pioneers FromSoftware. While each of the studio’s entries in the genre incorporates its setting, mechanical tweaks, and stylistic changes, plenty of mechanics and features remain consistent across the entire catalog. This helps FromSoftware ensure that the games feel consistent with one another so that fans are satisfied and allows the studio to iterate on their formula with every release. One of the most critical of those common mechanics is summoning.

Key Info Up Front

Summoning is an Elden Ring mechanic that allows players to summon extra help for bosses or challenging encounters. It allows players to summon spirits, NPC fighters, and other players for cooperative or competitive play. Each option has its systems for players to master and has many different options to choose from.

NPC Summoning Overview

Summoning NPC characters to aid you is a staple of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne titles. The system works the same as it does in their previous titles, with players being able to find summon signs near the fog gates to boss battles to bring the characters into their world to help them out as long as you have completed the required side quests and interactions beforehand. Each of these characters has a particular loadout they can use. Some characters that can be summoned can even be called in multiple locations or can be found throughout Elden Ring’s world. To build a small squad for the fight, particular boss fights even have multiple summoning signs near their fog doors. However, the NPCs are not immortal, and if they take too much damage, they die, requiring players to summon them again if they die during that attempt. Thanks to the new Spirit Ashes summoning mechanic, these summons tend to be used less than they used to be.

Spirit Ashes Summoning Overview

Spirit Ashes summons are a compelling mechanic in Elden Ring. These summons are largely preferred over regular NPC spirits because of the player’s ability to pick a specific one that works the best with their build and skills. To summon each one, players have to find their Spirit Ashes and then use a Spirit Calling Bell at the cost of either FP or HP.

To start being able to use Summoning Ashes, players have to meet with Renna the Witch in the Church of Elleh Grace checkpoint to get the Spirit Calling Bell. Renna can be found in the eastern part of Limgrave, directly north from where you first enter the area. She will give you the bell and your first spirit to summon, but you can get plenty more from other sources and even upgrade them. To upgrade each Spirit Ashes, you have first to help Roderika at the Stormhill Shack.

To find Roderika in Limgrave, you’ll want to go to Stormhill Shack just off the main path leading to Stormveil Castle, next to a Site of Grace. She will ask you to get her the Chrysalid’s Note when you talk to her there. This is found after you defeat Margit, the Fell Omen, and gain access to the Rampart Tower Site of Grace. Go outside along the walls and across the rooftops until you come to a ladder. Climb down the ladder where you can see a knight down below and take a right into a dining room lit with a fireplace.

You’ll then be able to find a room with a giant’s corpse hanging from the ceiling, and below it is the Chrysalid’s Note. Once you get your hands on it, you’ll want to travel to the Roundtable Hold to talk to Roderika next to the fireplace in the first room. Talk to her, and she’ll give you a Golden Seed. Take that to Smithing Master Hewg in the Hold and talk to him through the new dialogue option. Exhaust that dialogue and then return to Roderika before going back to Hewg. Then, next time you go to Roundtable Hold, Roderika will have set up shop next to Hewg to upgrade your Spirit Ashes with runes and Grave Glovewort.

The Spirit Ashes, their information, and where to find them are listed below.

Player Summoning Overview

Players who want to play with one another can also summon each other for some help or to battle it out and test their skills against one another. when players are summoned into another player’s world. It is only temporary. If the host or visiting player dies or they defeat a boss together, the visiting player is returned to their world. If you want to get some help from other players, the first thing you need to do is find a Martyr Effigy. These are small statues of a person in a Y-shape scattered across the game map near boss fights. Once you interact with one of these statues, it will activate its summoning pool that groups players who want to be summoned to help others in that area of the game.

If you want to go to the worlds of other players, you can use an item called a Tarnished’s Furled Finger to draw a sign on the ground that will appear for other players near that summoning pool if you want to help them. If you instead want to put yourself out there for PvP, you use the Duelist Furled Finger. Then, any player can accept your summoning sign and you will be teleported to their world. If you want to invite another player into your world, on the other hand, you’ll need to use an item called Furlcalling Finger Remedy to be able to see the summoning signs of other players.

Gold signs are those for players who will come into your world to help you, while red ones are for PvP encounters that will see you have to kill the player you summon. Both of the fingers to put your signs down are given to the player early in the game. At the same time, Furlcalling Finger Remedies can be dropped by numerous enemies throughout the world while also being craftable with just two Erdleaf Flowers.

FAQs

Conclusion

Summoning plays a more significant role in Elden Ring than in any Soulsborne games before. Not only are the spirit Ashes often tantamount to defeating the game’s most challenging bosses, but the game’s multiplayer is also what will likely help keep the game’s community alive for years following its release. Many fans have voiced their disappointment at Elden Ring not featuring a covenant system similar to that inDark Souls. Still, itsomission does help keepElden Ring’sonline elements as accessible as possible for all players.