Like most everything else in Elden Ring, perhaps save fast travel, summoning spirits with spirit ashes is somewhat convoluted. The game tells you the high-level points but never delves into the details of it all, leaving you to figure that out for yourself. But having a spectral wolf or jellyfish fighting alongside you can be a saving grace.
This Elden Ring guide will peel back the curtain and tell you how to summon spirits with ashes.
How to Summon Spirits in Elden Ring
First of all, you need the Spirit Calling Bell. You can get this from the Witch Renna at the Church of Elleh after speaking with Melina for the first time. This passive Key Item gives you the power to summon spirits to you, assuming you have enough FP to do so and meet a few other criteria.
You’ll also need spirit ashes, of course. You can find these throughout the world of The Lands Between. Renna will give you the Lone Wolf ashes, while you can find Wandering Nobel Ashes in Stormfoot Catacombs and receive the Noble Sorcerer Ashes from defeating the Erdtree Burial Watchdog in the same dungeon.
Once you have ashes in your inventory, assign them to a consumable slot.
Next, you must be in an area that allows summoning. You can’t summon spirits from spirit ashes at will in Elden Ring. For the most part, these are areas with a high density of enemies or within boss fights. If you’re in an area that allows summoning, a purple gravestone icon will appear on the left side of the screen.
Until that symbol appears, all of the ashes in your consumable slots will be greyed out, indicating they can’t be used. Try to, and your character will reach to their waist, looking around perplexed.
To summon spirits, press the Use Item button/key. Your character will perform an animation, and the spirits will appear around you, each with its own life bar (individuals in groups also have their own individual life bars). And in true Souls fashion, you can be hit, damaged, and interrupted during this animation.
To dismiss spirits, press the Use Item button/key again. You will be asked if you want to continue with the action of sending them back to the beyond. You can choose “Yes” to banish them or “No” to keep them around.
You can perform both of these actions while on Torrent.
It’s also important to note: it appears you can only summon spirits in a singular, specific area once before having to rest at a Site of Grace. Whether you dismiss them or they get killed after summoning, the gravestone symbol will disappear once summoning has occurred.
For example, if I summon spirits at the Gatefront Ruins and they die, or I dismiss them, I must rest at a Site of Grace before I can summon at the Gatefront again. However, I can summon anywhere else that allows it without resting in the interim. But once I do, that area, too, is locked until I rest.
And that’s that for summoning spirits with spirit ashes in Elden Ring. Some of these helpful NPCs are worth using, while others simply aren’t. You can upgrade them later in the game, making them more useful, but don’t rely on them to defeat a tough boss or get you out of a bind. For more tips, head over to our Elden Ring hub.
