There are many different Elden Ring summons which come in various shapes and sizes, from single-player NPCs to online companions from other worlds.
Summoning help doesn’t always have the best reputation, but there are many challenging bosses where an extra pair of hands can make all the difference. Especially when some bosses outnumber you by two or even three to one. As such, it’s best to know how to summon to give yourself the option when you need it.
Here’s our guide of how to summon in Elden Ring, with all of the most relevant points covered including the Spirit Calling Bell location.
- RELATED: Elden Ring Review (spoiler-free)
How to summon Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring
The most common way of summoning is in the form of Spirit Ashes. These are ghost-like NPC apparitions who can be conjured in certain areas. When you enter a summon-friendly area, an icon will appear to tell you Spirit Ashes can be utilised.
The icon looks like this: 
These summons can be used in single-player mode and effectively act like AI teammates until they are defeated in battle or you leave the designated summon area. Here’s how to summon Spirit Ashes:
- Acquire the Spirit Calling Bell item (see below)
- Acquire some Spirit Ashes
- Enter an area where the summon symbol appears on the bottom left of the screen
- Assign the Spirit Ashes of choice as a quick-item from the Inventory menu
- Use the Spirit Ashes like an item
- NOTE: You do not need to equip the Spirit Calling Bell – simply having it in your inventory will be enough
Generally, the summon symbol in the bottom left will appear when you enter most boss arenas, and sometimes out in the open world when particularly difficult foes emerge. There’s nothing you can do to trigger summon availability other than simply being in these predetermined areas which are specifically designated by the game designers.
Furthermore, there is generally no stat or attribute requirement to use a summon other than the FP (or occasional HP) cost. Check your inventory by hovering over the Spirit Ashes in question, which will tell you how much it will cost. Early in the game these Spirit Ash summons will often require more FP than you have, incentivizing you to increase your FP when you level up.
Where to find the Spirit Calling Bell
The Spirit Calling Bell is crucial for Elden Ring summons. You simply cannot summon Spirit Ashes without it, and it can be obtained in two different ways.
Early in the game, rest at multiple Sites of Grace until Melina appears to provide the Spectral Steed Whistle to summon Torrent. After this point, head to the Church of Elleh in western Limgrave during nighttime (map location pictured above). If it’s day, pass time at a Site of Grace.
You should encounter a witch who identifies herself as Renna. Talk to her and after confirming you can summon Torrent she will present you with the Spirit Calling Bell along with the Lone Wolf Ashes. The best part is that this is completely free of charge. Unfortunately, if you wait too long and progress too far into the game, Renna will stop appearing. But if you cannot find her at the Church of Elleh, don’t panic.
Simply fast travel to Roundtable Hold (unlocked after resting at three Sites of Grace) and locate the Twin Maiden Husks merchant. If you have progressed too far for Renna’s appearance then you will find the Spirit Calling Bell for sale here, costing just 100 runes. The Lone Wolf Ashes will also be available for 500 runes. Both are an absolute bargain, so accumulate the necessary runes and purchase these as soon as possible.
If the items are not for sale, then Renna is likely still around and you visited the Church of Elleh at the wrong time.
What are the best Spirit Ash summons?
There is a huge array of Spirit Ashes within Elden Ring, with a host of excellent options. We’ll run through some of the most notable and useful Elden Ring summons here.
Early on in the game, I actually think you can do a lot worse than the Lone Wolf Ashes. The threesome can help stunlock weaker enemies if you work in tandem. The Spirit Jellyfish is also a great HP tank who can sustain some serious damage and draw the enemy’s aggro, obtained for free from Roderika in Stormhill Shack. Meanwhile, the Rotten Stray Ashes is a useful option to poison enemies with Scarlet Rot including many bosses. Find him near the Sellia Under-Stair Site of Grace bang in the middle of Caelid.
A little riskier is Banished Knight Oleg, who can be acquired very early on and is an excellent summon option. Return to the Stranded Graveyard just after the early-game ‘tutorial’ section in Limgrave (ie. just before you emerged into the open world). Use two Stonesword keys to open the path to Fringefolk Hero’s Cave. Getting to the end is quite difficult, involving dangerous traps and defeating an Ulcerated Tree Spirit. However, Oleg is a suitable reward and can hold his own until the latter part of the game.
As you approach the endgame, there is one Spirit Ash summon that stands head and shoulders above the rest – the Mimic Tear. These Spirit Ashes will conjure a clone with an identical build to yours, who has a lot more health once sufficiently levelled up. It is acquired in Nokron, the Eternal City, which can be unlocked after defeating Radahn and a path is opened into the underground map.
Another popular late-game summon is Black Blade Tiche, who is an incredibly quick assassin also capable of dealing significant damage. Since the Mimic Tear is a clone of the player, Black Blade Tiche is actually a superior option if you are underlevelled. Obtain this by completing Ranni’s questline and conquering the Ringleader’s Evergaol. This is no mean feat, but may be worth your while.
How to summon other players in Elden Ring
The next option is to summon real-life players into your world to help you out. You can either call specific friends, or random players out in the world kind enough to lend their aid (like the legendary Let Me Solo Her). You can summon two players at a time, but bosses will buff up with each summon.
Summon another player by using a Furlcalling Finger Remedy in a place where summoning is permissable (bosses will generally allow summon assistance). This item will show summoning signs in the area, which have been placed by other players online at the time. Interact with one and you’ll have the option to summon the player into your world. These items are consumable, but are fairly easy to craft with common ingredients.
If you wish to summon a specific friend, then your friend can set a password in the ‘Multiplier’ section of the menu, ensuring that no-one else snatches their aid while you are locating their summon mark. Simply insert the password when you have used your Furlcalling Finger Remedy and found their mark on the floor.
As the Host of Fingers, you must stay alive for the duration of a co-op battle. If you die, everyone will be banished from your world and you would have to use up another Furlcalling Finger Remedy to summon your next cooperator.
In my own experience as a summon cooperator, it is a double-edged sword. Summoning companions will significantly scale up the boss’s strength, HP and resistances. If the host is underlevelled and vulnerable, it might actually make it harder to survive against bosses who have wide-ranging attacks and high speed or teleportation. Against such bosses, I would advise you to at least be able to hold your own before you summon companions.
How to summon NPCs in Elden Ring
There’s a final type of Elden Ring summon that can also prove invaluable. In certain areas, there are glowing red summon signs that can be utilised to bring forth a bespoke NPC companion. These are red marks on the ground which are not to be confused with the summon statues or the summon icon in the corner of the screen. The difference between these and Spirit Ashes is that you have no choice over who is summoned, and they must be summoned from specific spots.
NPC summons are quite rare, but are available for some of Elden Ring’s trickiest boss battles. For example, against Margit the Fell Omen, there is a summon sign on the right-hand side of the tunnel just in front of the door. Touching this will summon Sorcerer Rogier who will appear to help you out, fully controlled by the AI.
Other examples include Godrick the Grafted if you happen to find Nepheli Loux beforehand. Starscourge Radahn is a one-off with a host of summon signs on the battlefield, enabling you to summon a small army of up to six teammates to help you defeat him.
Simply keep an eye out for these signs, which typically appear before boss doors. Again, these are totally optional and seem to be there as a failsafe if you are struggling to beat bosses. For Elden Ring’s brutal difficulty, there are certainly ways to mitigate the immense challenge if you wish.
This Elden Ring summon guide should explain how to summon in Elden Ring, as well as providing the Spirit Calling Bell location.
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