How to Summon Spirits in Elden Ring: A Complete Guide

Summoning spirits is one of the most powerful and misunderstood mechanics in Elden Ring. Whether you're struggling against a boss or want to add firepower to exploration, understanding exactly how the system works — and what controls it — makes a meaningful difference in how you play.

What Spirit Summoning Actually Is

In Elden Ring, Spirit Ashes are items that let you call forth ghostly allies — skeletons, wolves, jellyfish, knights, and dozens more — to fight alongside you. Unlike multiplayer summons, these are single-player companions that don't require other players or an internet connection.

Each Spirit Ash is a unique item with its own summon, stats, and behavior. Some are aggressive melee fighters. Others hang back and cast spells. A few provide buffs or distraction. The variety is wide enough that different ashes suit different playstyles and encounters.

The Core Requirements for Summoning Spirits 🔮

You can't summon spirits from the moment you start the game. Two specific conditions must be met first:

1. Obtain the Spirit Calling Bell This is the most commonly missed prerequisite. You need the Lone Wolf Ashes and the Spirit Calling Bell — both given by Ranni the Witch. She appears as a spectral figure at the Church of Elleh in Limgrave, but only after you've rested at the Site of Grace there after nightfall.

If you miss her early appearance, you can still obtain the bell from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold — but you need to have spoken to Ranni first to trigger the item appearing in their shop.

2. Be Near a Rebirth Monument This is the mechanic most players don't realize exists. Spirits can only be summoned when you're within range of a Rebirth Monument — a small stone marker found in specific outdoor areas and boss arenas. When you're in range, a small gravestone icon appears on the left side of your screen.

Without that icon visible, attempting to summon will do nothing. This is why spirits feel inconsistent when you first start using them — you can only call them in designated zones.

How to Actually Summon Once You Have Everything

Once you have the Spirit Calling Bell and a Spirit Ash in your inventory:

• Assign the Spirit Ash to your quick item slots (or pouch slots for faster access)
• Make sure the gravestone icon is visible on your HUD
• Use the item like any consumable

Your spirit will appear nearby and immediately engage enemies. You can only summon one spirit at a time, and once it's dismissed or dies, you cannot resummon during the same encounter. The exception is a specific late-game upgrade that allows one resummon under certain conditions.

Upgrading Spirit Ashes With Grave and Ghost Glovewort

Spirit Ashes level up through a crafting system at Roderika, the Spirit Tuner at Roundtable Hold. Upgrading requires:

• Grave Glovewort — found in catacombs, used for most standard ashes
• Ghost Glovewort — rarer variants found in specific underground locations, used for higher-tier ashes

Upgraded spirits deal more damage, have more HP, and in some cases gain new behavior patterns. The difference between a base-level spirit and a fully upgraded one is substantial — especially for boss encounters.

The FP Cost Variable Most Players Overlook

Every Spirit Ash has an FP cost displayed in its item description. Some summons are cheap — costing 40–60 FP. Others, particularly powerful or visually complex ones like Mimic Tear (which costs HP instead) or Black Knife Tiche, have noticeably higher costs.

Your Mind stat controls your FP pool. Players who put no points into Mind may find their FP bar too small to summon certain spirits at all. This creates a real build consideration: investing in Mind purely to enable more powerful summons is a legitimate and effective strategy, particularly on strength or dexterity builds that otherwise ignore that stat.

Factors That Change How Useful Spirit Summons Are 🎮

Not all spirits work equally well in all situations:

• Boss type — Summons that stagger enemies are more effective against humanoid bosses than large, high-poise dragons
• Arena layout — Tight corridors limit spirit pathing; open arenas let them roam freely
• Your own build — A summon's value changes depending on whether you need a tank, a distraction, or additional damage
• Upgrade level — A heavily upgraded common ash often outperforms an un-upgraded legendary one
• Spirit behavior — Some spirits prioritize aggression; others are defensive or erratic

The Mimic Tear copies your own loadout, making it dramatically better or worse depending on what you're wearing and wielding. A caster using it gets a caster copy. A bleed build gets a bleed partner.

What Determines the Right Spirit for Your Situation

Every player encounters the spirit summon system differently. Melee builds lean on tanky spirits to share aggression. Casters may want fast distractors to buy time. PvP-adjacent areas affect which ashes feel most rewarding to invest in. The upgrade path requires consistent catacomb exploration — which not every player prioritizes.

The spirit summon framework is consistent and learnable. How it fits into your specific playthrough — your build, your progress through the map, and which bosses are giving you trouble — is where the variables diverge into something only your own run can answer.