Summary
- New Spirit Summons in Elden Ring offer players powerful allies for boss fights.
- Banished Knight Oleg provides relentless combos, making him a formidable summon option.
- Horned Warrior is a regular summon with staggering immunity, high damage, and good survivability.
Summoning has been a feature in FromSoftware's soulsborne games for a while at this point, with Elden Ring continuing it. However, a new summoning system was introduced with Elden Ring, namely Spirit Summoning, allowing players to summon for boss fights with a predetermined list of numerous allies. All of these new summons can be found throughout the Lands Between, with naturally more powerful choices emerging.
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With Shadow of the Erdtree, even more Spirit Summons have been introduced, some proving to be extremely strong. In addition to the new summons is the difficulty level of Shadow of the Erdtree, with many summons finding use in taking down the tough bosses present in the DLC. Some from the base game remain the best for defeating bosses, while some newer additions have proved to be arguably even stronger, and players should hunt these down if they are experiencing a challenging time against a boss.
1 Banished Knight Oleg
Turning The Tables With His Seemingly Unending Combos
- Obtained from the Fringefolk Hero's Grave after the stonesword key door and defeating the Ulcerated Tree Spirit
- Can be useful against major bosses, but his knock susceptibility, and the requirement to charge up some combos, leave him better suited for non-major bosses
There's always a discussion about the disappointment when a tough enemy sides with the player, and for some reason, is nowhere near as powerful. Banished Knight Oleg laughs at this, remaining as powerful as the same Banished Knight variant notorious for killing players in Castle Sol.
He is an aggressive summon that can keep the attention of a boss. More importantly, he can deal powerful damage with his combos, with never-ending attacks and whirlwind moves that turn him into a beyblade. Fans can plague enemies with a foe that plagues them just as much in Castle Sol.
2 Nightmaiden And Swordstress Puppets
Two Spirit Summons To Bully Enemies With
- Obtained from a chest behind a stonesword key door in Nokstella, Eternal City
- Can be useful against harder bosses, but are stronger against non-major bosses as they are susceptible to knockback, and don't have too much health
Double spirits are going to be more of a hassle for bosses to deal with than one, and the Nightmaiden and Swordstress Puppets are comprised of two summoned puppets. Each has its own health and can be somewhat difficult for enemies to vanquish given their agility.
Both can deal melee damage, but that is more so in the realm of the Swordstress, attacking with a Nox Flowing Sword, which has a long reach. The Nightmaiden uses the Night Maiden's Mist sorcery and melee attacks with a dagger, with both puppets dealing good damage, but are at their best when the player is also dealing damage.
3 Lhutel The Headless
An Annoying Summon For Enemies To Deal With
- Obtained from the Tombsward Catacombs by defeating the Cemetery Shade
- Useful against most bosses due to her survivability, but can struggle with high-tier bosses due to her knockback susceptibility
For those who don't want a summon to completely trivialize boss fights, Lhutel the Headless is one of the better options. She can deal respectable damage via different attacks, as well as possessing good survivability.
She deals melee damage most of the time, but can also attack from range by throwing her spear, grabbing the attention of the boss from the player. She can be difficult to kill as well, as she can teleport, in addition to her heavy armor and greatshield, with which the latter can negate damage, making for a great ally on the battlefield.
4 Omenkiller Rollo
A Chance To Fight Alongside A Capra Demon
- Obtained from the Fell Twins
- Strong against most bosses, major or non-major, but performs better against slower or bigger bosses, such as the Golden Hippopotamus, due to his own limited speed
While Omenkiller Rollo might not exactly be the Capra Demon, he nonetheless shares similarities in his moveset that will make any Dark Souls fan want to acquire him. Overall, he is an aggressive summon that can easily help the player in tough situations.
He can hit like a truck and is even able to deal bleed damage to the target, clearly a powerful ability. He also has high poise damage and can stagger and break the stance of normal-sized enemies quite easily. Additionally, he has a ranged fire breath attack that can hit bosses.
5 Jolan And Anna
Summons Dedicated To Killing Bosses With Bleed
- Obtained after completing numerous steps involving both Jolan and Anna, involving Rabbath's Rise, Count Ymir, and the Shaman Village
- Strong against enemies who are weak, or susceptible to bleed, such as Midra, as their gimmick revolves around causing it
Bleed is one of the most notorious status effects in Elden Ring, being extremely powerful, and a way to easily harm bosses. Jolan and Anna indulge in such a build, being summons meant to deal bleed damage to enemies.
As there are two summons, dealing bleed damage can be done quite easily, especially with the player attacking. The two aren't too defensive and don't deal too much damage without blood loss on their own, but combined with the player dealing damage, it can make for a strong team, particularly if the player can keep the attention of the boss.
6 Ancient Dragon Florissax
A Great Summon For Those Wanting A Support Ally
- Obtained after going through a long questline involving giving her Thiollier's Concoction and killing Bayle the Dread
- Useful against all bosses as she buffs the player, being a summon to help the player win via support abilities and less about damage
A hyper-aggressive summon that can deal damage isn't always desired, and at times, a support ally is all that's needed. Florissax works well in this regard, focusing more on support than dealing enormous damage.
She can decrease damage received to herself and the player with the new Dragonbolt of Florissax incantations, making for a valuable summon. On top of that, she works well with lightning builds, as her weapon, the Flowerstone Gavel, decreases the lightning damage negation of an enemy. However, she is quite weak herself, not dealing too much damage, and is not too sturdy.
7 Latenna The Albinauric
Paired Best With Melee Players
- Obtained after talking to Latenna at the end of the Lakeside Crystal Cave after receiving the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right)
- Useful against bosses as a support DPS, but slower and bigger targets will be easier for her to hit, such as the Golden Hippopotamus
Latenna can be an awkward summon for specific reasons, being she has to be put in a good area where she can get a shot on the boss. She doesn't move from where she's placed, so positioning is a key aspect when summoning her.
However, if she's set up correctly, she can be a monster, constantly barraging a boss with ranged attacks. If the player keeps up the pace on the boss with melee attacks, she won't draw the attention of the boss, keeping her alive and valuable.
8 Black Knife Tiche
A Pocket Maliketh
- Obtained from Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader in the Ringleader's Evergaol
- Strong against any boss due to the ability to instantly chip off the first 10% of their health, and apply a DOT effect
Throughout the game, the player will face off against the Black Knife Assassins, possessing extremely fast and agile movesets. Tiche, as a Black Knife Assassin, also has access to this moveset when summoned, easily zipping around bosses.
However, what makes her powerful is her ability to attack with Destined Death, instantly taking off the first 10% of a boss's health bar. If that wasn't enough, it also applies a damage-over-time effect, proving invaluable against tough encounters.
9 Dung Eater Puppet
A Strong Tank Summon
- Obtained from Seluvis after getting the Dung Eater to drink Seluvis' Potion
- Strong against any boss due to his usage as a tank, being a general summon to help players avoid damage while negating a boss' damage
While the Dung Eater has been rendered a comical figure by the community, his Spirit Summon can be quite effective. It can be a hassle to obtain him, as it involves going through several quests, but the reward is worth it.
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He can serve as a strong tank, wielding some of the most defensive Armor in the game, on top of having a high health pool. He can also draw a boss' attention via his ranged and Ash of War attack, the latter of which debuffs enemies. And if that wasn't enough, his weapon can cause blood loss, making for an extremely powerful summon.
10 Horned Warrior
Extremely Powerful For A Regular Spirit Summon
- Obtained in Enir-Ilim on three corpses after navigating through various staircases near the Spirit Rise Site of Grace
- Powerful against a lot of bosses due to his stagger immunity, good survivability, and decently fast speed
There's always going to be a powerful item that isn't regarded as a legendary or rare acquisition by a game. The Horned Warrior fits the bill in Shadow of the Erdree, being an extremely strong summon.
For a regular summon, the Warrior can deal high amounts of damage and can break the stance of enemies often. He also never seems to get staggered, easily shrugging off attacks from foes and continuing his assault. Since the Warrior is a regular summon, it only requires Grave Glovewort and not Ghost Glovewort, making it easy in the way of upgrading.