In this Elden Ring magic primer guide, we’ll go deeper into each of these requirements, so you can start casting spells to your heart’s content.
How to Use Magic in Elden Ring
Using Magic Step 1: Have the Stats & a Casting Tool
Before you can so much as think about using magic in Elden Ring, you need to have the correct stats. Sorceries and the staves you need to cast them require that you level Intelligence, so put at least a few points into that to get started.
Incantations, which encompass every other type of magic, use Sacred Seals and are baked primarily on the Faith stat. A few Incantations and Seals also take a smaller amount of either Intelligence or Arcane as a secondary stat. The values for the latter two requirements are universally far less than the core stat being used for magic, but it’s worth noting.
Using Magic Step 2: Have the Spell in your Inventory & Equip It
Not surprisingly, if you don’t have the spell you want to cast in your inventory, there’s no way to cast it. Once you have a spell, sit at a Site of Grace and select “Memorize Spell,” then equip the spell in an open slot.
The majority of Elden Ring’s spells, such as the powerful Comet Azure, are out there in the world of the Lands Between, waiting to be discovered. A handful of magic abilities can also be purchased from various NPC merchants, such as Rogier, Corhyn, or Sellen, in the Roundtable Hold or elsewhere.
Our best spells guide has the location of some of the good ones, but there are so many more. If you run out of memory slots and want to cast some fire magic or a powerful ranged column of energy, the Sword of Night and Flame is a good choice for Intelligence and Faith builds.
Using Magic Step 3: Have the Memory Slots
There’s no stat in Elden Ring that governs how many spells magic users can equip. Instead, you collect Memory Stones from the various Rise buildings scattered throughout the world. Some of these, such as Ranni’s Rise, which you’ll visit during Ranni’s questline, are in Liurnia of the Lakes, for example.
Every Memory Stone you find increases your spell capacity by one. There are at least 10 Memory Stones available right now and far more magic spells than that to equip.
Using Magic Step 4: Equip a Casting Tool & Press the Primary Attack Button
If you meet all the above requirements, all that’s left to do is have the spell selected in the top slot of your quick bar in the menu at the bottom-left of your HUD while playing. Press Up on the D-Pad to change to a new spell, sorcery, or incantation.
Once you’ve got the spell you want ready to go, have your casting tool in either hand, then press the attack button assigned to that hand. The spell will go off in whatever form it takes. Remember that you can charge certain spells to power them up or simply press the button for the fastest possible cast.
That’s everything you need to know about getting started with magic in Elden Ring. Experiment with as many options as you can find, and be sure to upgrade your casting tool to get the most out of the spells you cast. Find out how to get those upgrade materials with our Bell Bearing guide and look good while you’re casting with our best armor guide. Our Elden Ring guides hub has even more.
