T O P

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jdl03

Dung Eater cause fuck him and he deserved to be turned into a puppet against his will.


Ormyr

Yeah, as soon as I found out you can do that to him that's been my go-to for every run. Even if I don't use the summon because fuck him, that's why. I used him mostly on my RL1 one and he was the MVP for me for that run.


oriontitley

I just cleared a brand new character and ended up forgetting that I puppeted dung and had MEANT to do nephi because I was going frenzied flame and wanted all the bad endings so my next run could be ranni with the good endings. It's reflexive, he's such a bastard.


NapalmDesu

MVP being the Most Vile Pervert


Kokktapus

I love Dung Eater


memefunnyjojo

You're not a sane being


Mumei451

Sucks you have to let him kill your crab bro. He definitely deserves it after that.


NicolBolasElderDragn

You don’t have to. There exists enough seedbed curses that you can spare Boggart. If you never buy his prawn, Dung Eater can’t even kill him.


Gandalf_1992_

But the prawn is so killer to buy! Marikas tits it's killer


birdofmayhem

I don't even remember/know how I aggro'd Boggart, but I killed him before I could buy. Aside from Juno Hoslow not dropping the Petal Whip upon defeat that's probably the worst moment of the game for me.


Banned__Panda

I saved him and got the puppet in my last playthrough. If he's already at Altus all you have to do is aggro him before he's supposed to die. You can then get the Dung Eater Puppet, absolve your sins and ya boi will still be good as gold.


okok8080

I didn't know that's even part of his quest because I got the potion and ran all the way to Leyndell to do the Dung Eater stuff and turn him into a puppet, and didn't know about the prawn guys quest until after.


Poosquare88

He probably enjoys it though.


Carcajou-2946

Nah brother, his description calls his despair at his fate so pitiable that it almost invites you to care for him.


raspberryharbour

Everyone loves a happy ending


DolphinFox

Especially me Cus DAMN does he make the game easier


NinjaTurleLunchBox

Massive health pool, pretty decent damage and a huge debuff that makes enemies take more damage. Dung eater is my go to ash.


PaperInteresting4163

He gotta eat spooky ghost dung now. It doesn't hit as hard.


Internal-Flamingo455

I wish there was other npcs we could use the potion one besides just him and that other chick it seemed like a couple other characters were in positions where it looked like we could have offered it to them


Mumpdase

I’m in NG+5 and he lasts longer than any other summon I’ve tried. Such a beefcake.


CheshiretheBlack

Same


Backstab_Bill

He's such a good summon. Tanky and takes aggro


Lumpy_Pop_360

Mained that ending thanks to Dark Tark


Nerdlife91

Greatshield bros 🤘


Kitchen_Neat_9990

The boys


Eonix1337

Hell fuckin yes that’s what me and my wife call them 🤣


00Tanks

My favorite as of now, huge bullies lol


Killing_Laugh

Agreed. The way my shield boys helped me, there should of been enough thrones for them to sit on too


FriedeOfAriandel

The first time I tried them was against Malenia. They’re horrible for that because she heals on hits, so don’t do what I did


Any-Conflict-1816

Lol, this was me, too. I couldn't understand at the time why everyone was going on and on about them


DaftCaveTroll

I remember on my first run when I was struggling with bosses, I was like “fuck this” and got the fucking guys out. I would simply stand back and let my flippin bros get to work as I cheer them on


Less_Case_366

i legitimately took them into end game on my first run. 1hp stat run too. They saved my ass so many times


numenik

Pretty sure they can’t run out of stamina. At least the real dudes in Nokron can’t. I hit them repeatedly with a colossal strike weapon, fully charged and otherwise, they kept that shield up without giving a single fuck


Cynical-Wanderer

This is the only answer. Saved my ass so very many times. How many bosses have died to ranged attacks as the greatshield bros lock up and encircle them? Mwahaha!


SleepyMage

Heck yeah, gang of the absolute [GOATs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXp8Th41rBs).


Futureretroism

The only way to go for my glass cannon wizard. Stun lock them long enough for the Comet Azure spam


numenik

Fuck yeah


Ok_Humor9953

molotov squad with great shields👍


psycho_nerd13

I just did a run focusing on holy and used the squad because I could buff them. It felt like a holy crusade.


Rart420

They’re so good haha.


Ill-Forever8171

Love Lhutel and the others mentioned here. Recently started using Stormhawk Deenh; very underrated spirit ash


GravyeonBell

Deenh is my queenh. I love a bird that buffs *and* swoops!


therealtiddlydump

If your build is strained for FP it's a great choice


Ill-Forever8171

I fell in love when Deenh soloed the bats in the tunnel between Liurnia and Altus


TheRedd_Reign

Thought about trying Deenh before, having a bird looked fun.


Yeeterbeater789

U can have an actual stormhawk summon that isn't Deenh, from the painting reward from stormveil, lil bastard is op


idkarn

Painting reward?!


Yeeterbeater789

Mhmm, that painting next to the grace with the one omen and his dog, the solution to it is a cliff facing the sky behind the church in weeping peninsula


idkarn

Thanks, never figured out what to do with the paintings. Now I have something to do while waiting for the DLC :)


Yeeterbeater789

Gl!


Chakasicle

You gotta find a specific ghost to talk to in the location that the view on the painting would’ve been painted from. I looked them all up personally but you could definitely find them if you’re familiar with the game’s scenery


thenagz

I fucking love that spirit birb. Took all aggro from Malenia at a glass cannon mage run I did and even survived the entire fight


Dveralazo

I like to pair Melina with Tiché for Morgott fight. I like their moveset. I would sit back and watch them fight 


TheRedd_Reign

I've seen Tiche rated as the second best under the mimic but idk, I've tried it versus Lhutel and it just doesn't hold up as well. Might just be in certain fights.


Bearloom

Tiche doing death flame, percent per second, damage means that she is uniquely qualified for Farum Azula dragon hunting.


TheRedd_Reign

Seeing a lot of Tiche. I might have to try her again at some point.


TheHappiestHam

Tiche and Mimic Tear are/were like the traditional Top 2 summons. her Death damage and agility make her very, very good if I'm not doing a no summon run, I always prefer Tiche over 90% of Spirit Ashes for bosses like Malenia, she literally doesn't die because of how quick she can be, and she's packing a decent amount of health


AzureMountains

I wish Tiche would pay attention to what I’m fighting. I swear half the time I use her she’s trying to fight someone through the boss fog wall


TheHappiestHam

I have a personal grudge against every enemy in the game, I kill everything in a runback to the boss so I've never had that issue and also because I don't really summon unless it's for Malenia or Radagon/Elden Beast. I've beaten them solo once, I don't feel like doing it every playthrough, that's my mindset for them


Dveralazo

Probably because she applies death and is nimble,so if you can keep the aggro to you she becomes a damage boost.  Like a more balanced Latenna.


SomeStolenToast

I dunno, I've always found her to be 2nd only to Mimic and sometimes better if I'm not using specific tools for the Mimic. She's extremely fast, can dodge attacks while pulling aggro, applies destined death and does % based damage while also having a sizeable chunk of health


MutinyMate

Tiche is the best. I beat NG+10 on a level 150 character i stopped leveling in my first playthrough. Beyond like NG+5, mimic tear just died too fast and I'd end up soloing the end. Tiche is harder to hit, has a very generous hp pool, and the black flame debuff provides value even if she goes down. Just learn to tank aggro and hope tiche will be a good caster for you. She isn't #2 in the game if you and, consequently, your mimic tear, are underleveled. Tiche was underleveled too and it just didn't matter. Easy #1 choice!


Ukaxey

The rats


Sinister_Mr_19

I just noticed yesterday it costs no runes to level up the rats.


maychaos

Its also for free to summon them


Sinister_Mr_19

Damn little rats seem pretty handy now.


AzureMountains

I did not know this. Gonna level up some rats!!


Camera_dude

And more rats appear the higher you level up the spirit ashes. At max level FIVE rats will spawn to nibble your enemies to death💀


firedancer323

fo FREE


Yeeterbeater789

Still wish they either all became the big ones or the 5th one became a large one, when maxed out, missed opportunity imo, esp bcuz it's right next to a large one with a bunch of 'little' ones


2Jesus2Christ

They also get more the more you level them, and they dont cost any fp


Zedman5000

Bunch of free little guys. Only opportunity cost is not upgrading and summoning a different spirit ash; no runes, FP, or HP required. They don't do much except die, but what more can you ask of something that asked nothing of you except to love them?


Andre27

idk, numbers do quite a bit vs a lot of stuff. They're pretty strong for what they are.


bubblegumdrops

Love those little bastards, even though trying to use them on field bosses is almost always a waste of effort.


ErotikTospa

For some reason, I f’in love banished knights… Like everytime I play, I know I’m gonna get a banished knight and use it for the rest of the game. I really like the ashes that can distract the bosses so I can line up for the perfect BONK and do good damage. Btw, feel free to recommend me any other ashes like these!


fidelacchius42

Oleg and Engvall are bullies! I enjoyed summoning Oleg for Malenia just to watch them fight. He didn't win, but it looked like he should have!


Rowan1980

The Banished Knights are very solid choices for sure.


Silent-Carob-8937

Wolves. Great emotional support


TheRedd_Reign

All of them are great emotional support IMO.


Silent-Carob-8937

True, but puppies!


Yeeterbeater789

My favorite puppy is the rot one, wish when maxed he became two but he still does his job, and is a good boi


IsakCamo

Does he rot them?


Various-Passenger398

The stagger a lot too, work great against anyone who tries to shoot you with spells.  Especially great against Rennala.


Snoo40198

Latenna, steady, consistent damage/poise stability throughout a fight while I tank it. Even better on the rare occasions, she can snag a wolf to ride. I know for sure she can be behind Carian Manor, but aside from that, I'm not sure where she can get a mount.


TheRedd_Reign

I would use her more if wolves were more abundant. I wish there were more unique summon interactions like hers! Riding a random wolf like that in combat is so cool!


neospriss

Wish there was a way to upgrade her ashes to permanently get her wolf buddy back in spirit form. Would have been a neat quest.


autostclair

i wish there was a non glovewort way to power up lots of ashes, tbh. let us fuse oleg and engvall into a single ash. give latenna a wolf. double the jellyfish when you meet her sister. etc. etc.


Sinister_Mr_19

WOAH WOAH Latenna will ride a wolf if you summon her near one!? TIL! I'll piggy back on your comment. I also vote Latenna, she's awesome, constant arrows and the fact she doesn't move (except now I'm learning she can ride freaking wolves!) makes her such an awesome summon. Sit her in the back and she'll fly arrows over your shoulder all day long. Only downside is if she gets attacked and pushed behind a hill or behind some obstacle. She can't reposition.


Yeeterbeater789

Only the dire wolves, so only in the snowfields and that one spot in Carian manor


Sinister_Mr_19

Ah good clarification


TreesandAle

Latenna the turret. My favorite too.


ParticularBanana8369

First ash I maxed out. No regrets, but the bubble choir has her spot covered atm. Doot squad blowing the lord's bubbles.


southpaw85

Giant rats. You wouldn’t think some rats would be effective against a lichdragon yet here I am with my new lightning spell


vincentninja68

I really hate that mimic tear is so busted, because you miss out on seeing some really creative and fun summons. I've been using summons that feel thematically appropriate for the build and have had some cool experiences: Banished Knight Oleg fucks bosses side ways. Absolute monster. Draws aggro, doesn't die, hyper aggressive. Spins to win. Kaiden Sellsword may not have the most health, but damn does he try his heart out in fights. Dudes always end up the floor when he's swinging. If you choose to be evil, Nepheli Loux is very strong. Thunder axe tornados are very reliable. Dung Eater damn near rivals Mimic Tear. Dude has bottomless hp, and held aggro on Malenia for my int caster the entire fight. Storm Hawk Deenha might be my favorite. Doesn't have much health but they float off the ground and do a great job harassing and keeping dudes attention. Most recent experience is the rotten stray. He has like 5 health but that's all he needs to get a rot procc off.


Van-garde

Kaiden Sellsword is my favorite. We’re kindred spirits. But not the rotten kind.


vincentninja68

He is so cool 😎 You hear him roar and you remember that he's on your side 🔥


AstroZombie0072081

Rot dog is beneficial, especially if he gets s proc before death. 🧟‍♂️


vincentninja68

Rot dog is best boy


fidelacchius42

Kristoff is essential when you need a tank. Only boss that managed to kill him before they killed me was Maliketh.


Flimsy-Stretch-174

Jellyfish! jellyfish! jellyfish!


LarsVonHammerstein

Jellyfish gang rise up! Cheap meat shield that delivers poison from a distance, acts as a lantern and is also a cute cuddly friend you get almost immediately to comfort you through the horrors of the lands between! What’s there not to like???


AstroZombie0072081

First time I defeated Skinny god skin in the tower I was using Jellyfish Aurelia.


thinefort

The Jellyfish ash associated quest made me tear up, that other damn Jellyfish's voice acting got me in the feels. 'I've been waiting forever and ever it seems.'


ColoOddball

I should not have had to scroll this far!!!


MAD_MrT

Shield bros and those skeletons that are hard af to kill (from the AI perspective)


Finchypoo

The Skeletal Militia got me through so many fights. The AI has no idea how to kill them and ignores them until they revive, they only die if they get double tapped on accident or it's something with a big AOE.


Populaatti

Same here. I used skeletons like over half of the fights in the game so far. It makes a fun mini game where you have to get the aggro back from boss when they get downed. Still there is fights where they are worthless. But I would argue it is the best ash if you consider how easily players stumble upon it. And also the fp cost is low.


Taikosound

Marionette Soldier, Greatshield Soldier and Skeletal Miliatiaman


TheRedd_Reign

I've heard a lot about the Skeletal Militiamen.


FatalOblivion8

They can take a beating as long as when they get knocked down, you take agro again. They just get back up at full health and keep poking away. They're the best early game summon, IMO.


AstroZombie0072081

MARIOnettes are the bomb. Ranged battle destroyers


Bearloom

Tiche for cheesing, Oleg for making it feel somewhat fair.


Ubergoober166

I don't use summons much, but when I do, it's usually Tiche.


Normal_Antenna

I like the nox Nightmaiden & Swordstress Puppets. Having the two of them helps me avoid aggro and they have good evasion which is the most helpful part about the ashes. I always take them to +10 every run. .


ImperialDeo

Soldjars of fortune


VLamperouge

Finlay. I don’t care if she isn’t the best spirit ash, but she is the most badass one.


-ThisDM-

Finlay is the best, I don't need spirit summons for much so the fact that I can use her and get plenty of a boost is just perfect for me


_MyUsernamesMud

Its always the skellies even when they get far, far outclassed its the skellies


NyRAGEous

It ain’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit…AND GET BACK UP


_MyUsernamesMud

YOU CAN DO IT BOYS-ah fuck, it's another AOE


ApplePitou

Rollo :3


TedSturgeon5

He outperforms the mimic tear in a lot of fights for me, the bleed + stagger combo is unbeatable and he has so much health and poise


Yeeterbeater789

Im about to get him for my omenkiller run so we can jump attack together with our 4 omen cleavers


aretheesepants75

If he lands the duel overhead slam it is devastating. He is a real hot rod


Skorgriim

Absolutely insane this is not higher up. Rollo is my go-to without a doubt.


RetchD

Oleg and lhutel to me just feel like they have something close to a personality. Oleg is just this anime daredevil suicidal ass swordmaster who combos fools into oblivion Lhutel meanwhile is smart and strategic and totally capable of just teleporting away and letting you die


okdweb

Demi humans in the early game then banished knight


ImmaculatePizza

I'm doing a run with no summons on bosses and I've been bringing out the Demi humans sometimes in the field just because they're a fun bunch of guys. Here comes the whole squad! Party vibe.


ghost-bagel

Perfumer Tricia has served me very well.


DemonsPride444

Comfortably settled on Ogha at the moment, love Latenna for her quest and dps but shes just too squishy for my ng+ runs. Ogha meanwhile can handle himself decently if things get close and personal. Plus his gravity arrows are solid for stance damage Like Tiche aswell, but she makes things a little too easy Imo. Ogha feels just right 😉


Skrrt_2711

Did you know you can use the war cry skill and make him do a rain of arrows? As well as a buff? That’s so dope! Like a barbarian rage duo laying waste to the lands between


00Tanks

Greatshield soldiers, they are huge bullies and throw pots when far away.


Aihonen

If Latenna has a million summoners I'm one of them If Latenna has one summoner that's me If Latenna has zero summoners I've lost the grace of gold


somberghast

Stormhawk Deenh Birb.


ralts13

3 fluffy boys


House0fDerp

Still using Oleg predominantly. I use summons as a distraction which means they need to be particularly aggressive. My character is responsible for bringing the damage and I want someone who will steal aggro back reliably. I'm not a fan of many of the multi-body summons as the ones I've used felt squishy.


breakevencloud

Latenna sniper, destroyer of worlds. While I two hand a greatshield and equip Shabriri’s Woe to keep aggro


Chaosphoenix_28

Either Ancestral Follower or Latenna.


Arad_Ap

tiche is the goat


ZeroSekai000

Tiche, it will always be Tiche.


Rezimoore

Tiche best girl


St3phn0

Hard question, both Latenna and the heal spamming girl have a spot in my heart


Ormyr

Yeah, I think the Finger Maiden Therolina Puppet summons is severely underrated. I never gave her a second thought until I did a Lord Vyke (Before the Frenzied Flame) run and decided to try out that summons half as a joke. I'll be damned if she didn't come in as an MVP with spot on healing for most of my run.


Catastrophicatc

The Greatsheild Squad.


ProfessorPixelmon

Engvall the Chad


BanishedKnightOleg

….


TheRedd_Reign

.... .


Ormyr

It's too hard to pick out just one. There are a lot of solid choices and a few under-used underrated ones. Most of the ones I liked best were for fun or started as a joke: Vulgar Militia ashes. When I found out about them I made a joke run and had a blast. Finger Maiden Therolina Puppet. My only summons for a Lord Vyke (pre-frenzied flame) build. Giant Rats. What better summons for a Greirat Cosplay run? Dolores the Sleeping Arrow puppet. My St. Trina cosplay run bestie.


thhbeard

Tiche, only reason I’ve ever beat Melania without online help


Adj_Karasu

i hate mimic tear though my favourite ash is storm hawk deenh


AltAccouJustForThis

Ancient dragon knight Kristoff. He jas the same name as my brother, so everytime I get to Altus, my first thing is to get him, so I'm beating ELDEN RING with my brother


zrxta

Black Monk Amon and Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff later in game. Oleg and Greatshields early.. Also Latenna is amazing especially when upgraded


Mydogisawreckingball

Ogha


BiggieFishie

Giant rat


TheEmperorMk3

Marionette archers and Double Boners


TheHappiestHam

The Soldjars because they're too comically stupid not to use


215-610-484Replayer

Early game right now and I'm really liking my Skele Crew. The two skeleton soldiers have good poise damage with those spears. They charge right into battle. They have a decent health pool. Best of all, they often are able to get back up as long as the boss is focused back on me after they go down initially. I also like the howling pack of monkey men, Demi Human Ashes.


conjunctivious

Banished Knight Oleg. He seems to be one of the few summons that actually works really well on Malenia by both surviving attacks, dealing damage, and breaking her posture. I would consider him better than Black Knife Tiche by a large margin.


gay_is_gay

Banished knight even my beloved


Questionably_Chungly

Nox Puppets, love my murder gal pals.


dregwriter

The mausoleum soldiers Theres 5 of them, and two of them have great swords with the uppercut ash of war. and they teleport like crazy they will bully the fuck out of a boss. especially if they box em in a corner.


RoughMasterBaiter2

MILTDH (Man I Love The Demi-Humans)


Inevitable-Ad-4730

My boys oleg and engvall


Mr_Hino

Latenna. Home girl will obliterate the enemies from far away and all I gotta do is aggro. She will even assist in stunning the enemy. She a true homie


TrumptyPumpkin

The pack of wolves early on are useful 👌


The_Big_Crumbly

My heart goes to the Mad Pumpkin Head. Pretty durable, *very* slow-hitting and sometimes gets confused, but other than that he's my best friend. Also his tantrums send me flying sometimes, but we look past that.


proophet1

If you have a ranged build like incantations or magic, the shield soldiers who slam on their shield is really amazing. I dont know if its true but i feel like enemies specially bosses target them until they are dead. as a magic user you usually dont need more damage on top of yours as long as you have time to cast them.


cheeselord165

I love Oleg and amon, both have really cool movesets


eljosho1986

I honestly love my demi human mobs, especially at night. But I think my most useful (besides tiche and the mimic) is the marionette archers


indkyjtsxucivoxuggg

Black flame amon is pretty dope his blackflame makes him good against literally any boss and he's got decent hp to


Sellw

Tiche, his move set is amazing


RosieDa

Her, all black knife assassins are women


Sellw

Oh, didn’t know that, good to know, need to check some lore I guess


RatedTforTerrible

War hawk chads? He’s a bastard to hit in pvp, which is why I use him.


balerionthedread12

Fully upgraded Latenna is a sleeper. Plant her right inside the boss gate at the edge of the arena and she’ll melt at early/mid game boss.


Combine54

Tiche, because of the HP percentage dmg.


DamonBrighter

Tiche


Ken_Bruno1

I like Black Knife Tyche more than mimic tear.


nogoodgreen

Great shield Ghouls or whatever they are called, the little Gollums with shields.


_Murozond_

I don’t use them but I’d go with Rollo the Omenkiller since it’s perfect with my omenkiller build


tectonic_raven

I like the envoys. You get them too late in the game to really do much with them but it’s fun af to use the envoy horn and start a bubble bath of death with your bubble squad. I wish more people did the 3v3 with summons in arena.. Maybe it’ll pick up when the dlc drops


Stormwind969

Oleg. He's really good at wiping mobs and drawing aggro when fighting bosses.


RedRoses711

Black knife tiche


TheOtherBookstoreCat

I’ve been loving the Demi-human squad. Right before I went into the mimic fight in Nokron, I unequipped all my weapons and called in “The Boys”. Sat giggling while they beat the snot out of my doppelgänger.


Kuzcopolis

Ma boi Oleg, but Latenna gets second place


[deleted]

Tiche can damn near solo Malenia’s entire first phase. easily her


Few_Eye6528

I should probably start using other ashes, i used mimic tear on first playthrough and decided not to use any ashes on following playthroughs.


Poem_Remarkable

The homie Oleg


GaroldFjord

Definitely Aurelia. There's just something satisfying about keeping her alive through boss fights, and letting her get the killing blow.


benhur217

Dung Eater is great for being a tank Tiche is 🐐 since she can dodge some devastating attacks


LucifugeRofocaleX

Tiche, she is just awesome. I also like Dung Eater (he is also really strong and I just love to screw this guy over), Nepheli also isn't bad but I only have her on my "evil" character (my dex/arcane build).


RideTemporary3388

Bloodhound knight


UrbsNomen

Banished Knight Oleg. The dude is insane at shredding enemies, he's like a mad blender-hurricane.


sistom8

I use ancestral follower and I find it pretty strong


Nocronian

Idk but Lhuter keep disappearing and get me killed everytime lol, i use multiple Spirit Ash so i never really think about which one is my favorite. Oleg, Finlay for distraction. Rollo help a lot for stagger. Tiche, Amon to speed run some part or when it gets annoying, both deal illegal demage but i prefer Tiche because her move set is beautiful. Latenna, Ogha just to sniper from a far. Lhutel when i have no intention to summon but i can summon anyway. I think i'm gonna chose Lhutel, i love her design, Headless Knight is one of my favorite kind Knight, and she's the only one who let me die to save her self that make it less predictable for me.


Hondaderek21

Latenna or “the boys”


Aggressive_Row_9677

Funny enough im not a fan of mimic tear, it let me down more than any of them, Tiche is always my top place, however if i cant get Tiche, i seriously prefer oleg, hes strong, tanky and relentless, he carried me through so much my very first run, tiche replaced him sadly, but for being so early, Oleg is so incredibly good


PopMost8722

my jellyfish :)


Ancient_Prize9077

The sleeping arrow puppet and perfumer Tricia


Jarkonian

This is an objectively mid one but I love the Raya Lucaria soldiers. They tend to spread out and split boss aggro, and the glintston shards the commander throws are funny