Shadow of the ErdtreeintermediateUpdated: 8/12/2026

ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition DLC Sorceries: Best Spells

Find the best DLC sorceries in Shadow of the Erdtree, from new glintstone spells to their locations across the Land of Shadow for your build.

The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dramatically reshapes what Intelligence builds can do, and the new elden ring dlc sorceries are the reason why. From the Glintstone Kris weapon skill to Rellana's twin moon spells, the Land of Shadow hands sorcerers a toolkit that finally competes with the raw power of melee builds at endgame. If you are tired of the same old Comet Azur setup and want to know exactly which spells are worth your memory slots, this breakdown covers every major sorcery, where to find it, and how it performs against the expansion's toughest fights, including the elden ring promised consort radahn encounter that caps off the elden ring dlc ending. With your memory slots covered, this breakdown covers every major sorcery, where to find it, and how it performs against the expansion's toughest fights, including the elden ring promised consort radahn encounter that caps off the elden ring dlc ending, and while that final clash demands raw spell power, the earlier gauntlet of veteran knights can be just as punishing—so if you're struggling to survive long enough to cast, our Elden Ring How To Beat Commander Niall guide breaks down the exact positioning and spirit-ash timing you'll need to clear that gatekeeper without burning through your flasks. For more detail, see how Scadutree Fragments boost your DLC build, covered in our related guide.

Best DLC Sorceries Sorted by Combat Role

Not every new spell deserves a spot in your loadout, and the gap between the best and worst options is surprisingly wide. After extensive testing across the Land of Shadow, the community has settled on a clear hierarchy that separates the must-have sorceries from the situational picks and the outright traps. The following tier list reflects both raw damage output and practical utility in real boss fights, based on player reports from the first months after release.

TierSorceryBest ForKey Strength
SRellana's Twin MoonsBoss meltingMassive AoE + frostbite buildup
SGlintstone KrisRanged pressureWeapon skill fires a fast projectile
AImpenetrable ThornsCrowd controlIgnores shields, staggers humanoids
ABlades of StoneStance breakingHigh poise damage per cast
BMiriam's VanishingEvasionTeleport creates distance instantly
BVortex of PutrescenceStatus stackingRot buildup in a wide arc
CGravitational MissileNiche setupsSlow but hits hard from above

The S-tier options dominate because they solve the two biggest problems sorcerers face in the DLC: enemies close distance fast, and boss poise values are brutal. Rellana's Twin Moons, which you earn by completing Rellana's questline in Castle Ensis, deals enormous damage while also applying frostbite, making it the single best opening move against almost any boss. The Glintstone Kris, meanwhile, is technically a dagger with a unique skill, but it functions as a sorcery in practice because its ranged slash scales entirely with Intelligence and costs FP rather than stamina.

What makes this tier list particularly useful for the elden ring dlc quest guide angle is that several of these spells are missable. If you rush through the main path without exploring the optional dungeons in Scadu Altus, you will permanently lose access to Blades of Stone and the Vortex of Putrescence on that playthrough. That is why most experienced players recommend a thorough sweep of each region before tackling the final legacy dungeon, because the sorceries you find there directly determine how viable your build feels against the elden ring how to beat the dlc final boss challenge.

Where to Find Every New Sorcery in the Land of Shadow

The Moonblade and Rellana's Twin Sword Moon Spells

Rellana's twin swords introduce the Moonblade sorcery, a powerful projectile that leaves a lingering magic trail, ideal for controlling space in narrow corridors. Unlike the base game's Adula's Moonblade, this DLC variant fires a wider, slower arc that can hit multiple times on larger targets like the Furnace Golems. Its true strength lies in its synergy with the Twinblade Talisman, which boosts the damage of the final hit of a combo. This makes it a superior choice for crowd control over the base game's Glintstone Cometshard, which is purely single-target and lacks the area denial utility.

Location hunting is half the battle in Shadow of the Erdtree, and the sorceries are scattered across every major region rather than concentrated in one area. This deliberate design choice forces Intelligence builds to engage with the full map instead of beelining to the final boss, which is a welcome change from the base game where most good spells clustered around Raya Lucaria. The table below breaks down each sorcery's location and the requirements to claim it.

SorceryRegionLocation DetailsRequirements
Rellana's Twin MoonsCastle EnsisReward for defeating Rellana, Twin Moon KnightNone, boss drop
Glintstone KrisCastle EnsisFound in a chest after the boss arena14 Intelligence
Impenetrable ThornsShadow KeepHidden room behind a fake wall in the church27 Intelligence
Blades of StoneScadu AltusDropped by the Stone Golem in the eastern ruins23 Intelligence
Miriam's VanishingGravesite PlainSold by the nomadic merchant near the starting area2,500 runes
Vortex of PutrescenceAbyssal WoodsChest guarded by a Putrescent Knight31 Intelligence
Gravitational MissileRauh BaseBehind the sealed door requiring two Stonesword Keys25 Intelligence

The Shadow Keep location deserves special attention because it holds two of the most impactful sorceries in the entire expansion. Impenetrable Thorns, which players have dubbed the "anti-shield answer," ignores blocking entirely and staggers most humanoid enemies, making it invaluable for clearing the Messmer soldiers that swarm the keep's lower levels. The second sorcery, Miriam's Vanishing, is technically a utility spell that creates a brief teleport, but its real value comes from the i-frames during the animation, which lets you dodge attacks that would otherwise require perfect timing.

According to the official ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition page, the DLC was designed to give Intelligence builds "substantial new options for both damage and utility," and the sorcery distribution reflects that philosophy. Unlike the base game where sorcerers had to choose between raw damage and survivability, the Land of Shadow offers spells that cover both roles simultaneously. The Vortex of Putrescence, for example, builds rot buildup while also dealing respectable direct damage, which means you can apply a status effect and chunk the boss's health bar in the same cast.

How DLC Sorceries Compare to the Base Game's Best Spells

The question every returning player asks is whether these new spells actually replace the old favorites or simply sit alongside them. The honest answer is that the DLC sorceries are not universally better, but they fill specific niches that the base game's arsenal never addressed. Comet Azur still holds the crown for raw single-target damage, and Stars of Ruin remains the best option for tracking fast-moving enemies, but the new spells introduce mechanics that fundamentally change how sorcery builds approach combat.

SorceryFP CostDamage per CastUtility ValueVerdict
Comet Azur (Base)60Very HighChanneling riskStill the boss melter
Rellana's Twin Moons (DLC)48High + FrostbiteAoE coverageBetter for crowds
Glintstone Pebble (Base)7LowSpammableStill the workhorse
Glintstone Kris (DLC)12MediumFast projectileBetter FP efficiency
Stars of Ruin (Base)38MediumTrackingStill the PvP king
Impenetrable Thorns (DLC)22MediumShield piercingBetter vs. guards

The FP efficiency comparison is where the DLC sorceries really shine, because several of them deliver competitive damage at a fraction of the cost of their base game counterparts. The Glintstone Kris, for instance, costs only 12 FP per use but fires a projectile that travels faster than any standard glintstone spell, making it the ideal tool for punishing boss recovery windows without draining your entire FP bar. This matters enormously in the DLC because boss health pools are significantly larger than the base game, and the elden ring how to beat promised consort radahn fight specifically punishes players who run out of resources mid-combat.

What the community has discovered through extensive testing is that the best loadouts mix old and new rather than committing entirely to one generation of spells. A typical endgame sorcery build might use Rellana's Twin Moons to open a fight, Comet Azur to punish a staggered boss, and Glintstone Kris for sustained pressure between big casts. This hybrid approach maximizes damage while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to different boss patterns, which is exactly what you need for the elden ring dlc ending gauntlet that follows the final boss fight.

Building the Optimal Sorcery Loadout for the Final Boss

The elden ring promised consort radahn fight is the ultimate test for any sorcery build, and it exposes every weakness in your loadout. Radahn's second phase introduces light-based attacks that close distance instantly, his poise values resist most standard spells, and his aggression leaves almost no room for long casting animations. This is why the community has converged on a specific set of strategies that prioritize mobility and burst damage over sustained casting.

Stat Allocation and Talisman Choices

Your stat spread matters more than your spell selection because the DLC's final boss punishes glass cannon builds mercilessly. The recommended baseline is 60 Intelligence for damage scaling, 40 Mind for FP sustainability, and 30 Vigor as the absolute minimum for survival. Talismans should prioritize casting speed and damage negation, with the Radagon Icon and Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman being the two most commonly cited choices in player reports.

Spell Rotation That Works

The winning rotation, according to community testing, follows a predictable pattern that exploits Radahn's recovery windows. Open with Rellana's Twin Moons while he is still spawning, then switch to Glintstone Kris for chip damage during his melee combos. When he enters his second phase and becomes more aggressive, the Impenetrable Thorns spell becomes your primary damage tool because it staggers him out of his light attacks, creating openings that would not otherwise exist.

PhaseRecommended SorceryWhy It Works
Phase 1 OpeningRellana's Twin MoonsMassive burst while he is idle
Phase 1 SustainedGlintstone KrisFast cast, low FP, safe range
Phase 2 TransitionImpenetrable ThornsStaggers his new attacks
Phase 2 PunishComet AzurOnly during his long recovery

The elden ring how to beat the dlc final boss question ultimately comes down to resource management rather than raw damage. Players who succeed are the ones who conserve FP during the first phase so they have enough for the second, and who save their strongest spells for the moments when Radahn is locked into a long animation. The Glintstone Kris is the key to this strategy because it lets you deal consistent damage without committing to a long cast, which means you can maintain pressure while also staying mobile enough to dodge his follow-up attacks.

Advanced Sorcery Techniques and Community Discoveries

Glintstone Kris: The Ranged Slash Weapon Skill and Its FP Efficiency

The Glintstone Kris, found in the Land of Shadow, is more than a standard dagger; its unique weapon skill delivers a ranged slash projectile that scales with Intelligence. This provides Intelligence builds with a much-needed mid-range option that does not consume a memory slot. Compared to casting Glintstone Pebble, the Kris's skill offers superior poise damage and a faster recovery window, allowing for aggressive follow-ups. For optimal damage, pair it with the Magic Scorpion Charm and Godfrey Icon, as the skill is fully chargeable, boosting its already substantial damage output by up to 15%.

Beyond the straightforward spell rankings, the community has uncovered several advanced techniques that push DLC sorceries beyond their intended use cases. These discoveries are not documented in any official guide, but they have been verified through extensive player testing and shared across the major Elden Ring communities. Understanding these interactions can dramatically improve your performance against the hardest content in the expansion.

The frostbite stacking exploit is perhaps the most significant discovery, because it allows sorcerers to apply frostbite multiple times in a single fight by combining Rellana's Twin Moons with the Chilling Mist weapon art. Normally frostbite can only trigger once per enemy until the status wears off, but the twin moons' unique damage profile resets the timer, enabling a second application almost immediately. This effectively doubles your damage output against bosses with high health pools, which is exactly the kind of advantage you need for the elden ring how to beat promised consort radahn encounter.

Another technique that has gained traction is the gravity cancel trick using Gravitational Missile. When cast from a cliff edge or elevated platform, the missile's trajectory changes in ways that allow it to hit enemies below you that would normally be out of range. This is particularly useful in the Abyssal Woods, where several enemies are positioned on ledges that are difficult to reach with standard spells. Players have also discovered that the missile's explosion radius is larger than the visual effect suggests, which means you can hit enemies hiding behind pillars or walls.

The Impenetrable Thorns shield bypass deserves special mention because it completely changes how sorcerers approach the DLC's many shield-wielding enemies. Unlike the base game where shield users required either a guard break or a spell with piercing properties, the thorns spell ignores shields entirely and staggers the enemy on contact. This makes it the single best tool for clearing the Messmer soldier camps and the knight-heavy areas of the Shadow Keep, and it has become a staple in most endgame loadouts.

For players who want to understand the full scope of the expansion's challenges, the Elden Ring community wiki maintains detailed records of boss behaviors and spell interactions, though the most current discoveries tend to surface on the Elden Ring subreddit first. The community's collective testing has been remarkably thorough, and new interactions are still being found months after release, which suggests that the DLC's sorcery system has more depth than even the developers may have intended.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best elden ring dlc sorcery for boss fights?

Rellana's Twin Moons is the strongest boss-killing sorcery because it combines massive damage with frostbite buildup in a single cast. The spell covers a wide area, making it effective even when the boss moves unpredictably, and its frostbite application creates additional damage over time that stacks with your direct hits.

How do I unlock the elden ring dlc ending?

The elden ring dlc ending requires you to defeat Promised Consort Radahn after completing Miquella's questline. You must gather all of Miquella's scattered memories throughout the Land of Shadow and interact with the final altar before the boss arena. Missing any memory locks you out of the true ending on that playthrough.

What is the best way to beat Promised Consort Radahn as a sorcerer?

The elden ring how to beat promised consort radahn strategy for sorcerers relies on mobility and burst damage. Use Glintstone Kris for sustained pressure, save Rellana's Twin Moons for his recovery windows, and switch to Impenetrable Thorns in phase two to stagger his light attacks. Keep your FP above 50 percent entering the second phase.

Are the DLC sorceries worth using over base game spells?

Yes, because the DLC sorceries fill niches that base game spells cannot cover. Impenetrable Thorns pierces shields, Blades of Stone breaks poise efficiently, and Miriam's Vanishing provides emergency mobility. While Comet Azur still wins on raw damage, the new spells offer better FP efficiency and utility for the DLC's tougher enemies.

Can I respec my build to use the new sorceries?

Yes, respec at Rennala using Larval Tears — the DLC adds no new respec items, so farm them from Ainsel River's giant ants or buy from the Church of Vows merchant. Before the final legacy dungeon, allocate Intelligence for new picks like the Glintstone Kris or Rellana's Moonblade.