Incantations can be one of the most adaptable spell kinds in Elden Ring due to there being a wide-ranging array of uses for incantations, such as lightning bolts, dragon breath, clutch heals, and pre-fight buffs. However, figuring out how to utilize incantations in Elden Ring is often difficult due to the initial messiness due to the requirements of everything being: Sacred Seals (needed for the actual casting), the minimum value you must have in the required stats (usually Faith; Some spells require Arcane too), and the 4 available memory slots; These elements of the system must meet certain requirements before anything can be cast at all! This in-depth guide on how to use incantations in Elden Ring will give you the method for setting up a Faith build without going through all of the normal trial and error required of Elden Ring's game mechanics, from initial setup to using incantations in a true combat setting.

Getting the Sacred Seal

The first step in the process of casting incantations is obtaining a Sacred Seal (a Sacred Seal is what is capable of casting incantations; the function of a Sacred Seal is to use incantations). Incantations use a Sacred Seal as their catalyst (just like how sorceries use Glintstone Staffs; while sorceries use Glintstone Staffs for casting, incantations use Sacred Seals for casting; The way that Sacred Seals work is that they scale by either Faith or Faith + Arcane).

The minimum value of your Faith stat must be equal to or greater than the minimum requirement of the spell before being able to use it, as is the case with most incantations; If you are using a Dragon Communion Incantation, you may also be required to have an Arcane value equal to or greater than the minimum requirement before being able to use the spell.

The other problem with casting incantations is that they will cost you FP (you will see the cost of FP to cast a spell located in the blue bar under your HP). FP can be restored using the Flask of Cerulean Tears or by resting at a Grace site; Incantations also consume stamina while casting, which is something that a lot of newer players do not realize is very important.

If you have no stamina left before trying to cast, you may be stuck in an animation and unable to cast, and possibly eat a punishment from your target as a result.

When it comes down to comparing incantations to sorceries, it's important to understand how they differ. Sorceries scale with Intelligence and are cast using a staff; they also tend to focus on dealing damage or controlling the battlefield at range. Incantations will typically scale with Faith (and possibly Arcane) and provide you with more options in terms of what they can do; while Sorceries are mostly ranged, Incantations allow options for healing, buffing, fire, lightning, insanity(aka frenzy), poisoning, and dragon-based attacks.

Although neither one is intrinsically superior than the other, they play differently.

Set Up Incantations in Elden Ring

To cast an Incantation in the open world, you have to Memorize the spell at a Site of Grace. At any Site of Grace, select the "Memorize Spell" option and select which available spell you want to put in one of your memory slots. If the spell was not placed in a memory slot, it cannot be cycled to during a combat encounter despite the fact you own it.

You will have a limited number of memory slots in the beginning of the game and thus it is important to find Memory Stones throughout the Lands Between, as each Memory Stone increases the overall number of Memory Slots available for use. Some of the more powerful Incantations use 2 Memory Slots for themselves. Among the earliest useful pickups are the Memory Stone obtained by completing the "three wise beasts" puzzle at Oridys's Rise in the Weeping Peninsula and the process of getting another from the Twins Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold. If you plan to have a full casting load out, then getting all eight Memory Stones should be your top priority.

To cast a spell, your Sacred Seal must be equipped in the hand you plan to cast with (either your right or left hand). One way players cast is to have a melee weapon equipped in their other hand and then separate the two. One of the safest early pickups is the Finger Seal, which Twin Maiden Husks sell for 800 runes. The Finger Seal scales positively with Faith, making it a good general-purpose choice. As of 2026, following the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the seal meta has become broader, with the Fire Knight's Seal granting a 15% damage increase to incantations that cast Messmer's Flame spell and the Spiraltree Seal providing a 20% bonus to incantations that use the Spiral Tower spell.

How to Cast Incantations in Elden Ring

The actual button press for casting an incantation will depend on what platform you are playing on; on PlayStation, if you have your seal equipped in your right hand, you would press R1 for a light casting or R2 for a charged casting; if you are casting with the seal equipped in your left hand, R1 becomes L1 and R2 becomes L2; on Xbox, RB will be used every time for a light casting and RT will be used for charging and using RB as a button for both types of casting is done similarly as on PlayStation; but with LB being used for casting a spell using a Sacred Seal. Mouse input is the default control method for PC, though many players still prefer to use a controller because it allows for smoother movement and targeting throughout a boss fight.

To cycle through your memorized incantations use either the D-pad or the equivalent key on your keyboard to go up or down. While this may seem easy to do, spell order has a significant role to play in how quickly you can react during fast fights. If you need your emergency heal or key buff and cannot find them due to spell location, you will quickly get frustrated. It is best to position your loadout so that the spells you use most often are easily accessible without having to panic scroll through them.

Being locked onto a target with R3, RS, or middle mouse will alter the way incantations perform. Most offensive incantations will automatically track the target you are locked onto. This is generally the safer option for dealing with mobile bosses. On the other hand, free-aiming has its own importance. When you are free-aiming you are able to more accurately place projectile and AoE spells (e.g., area of effect), allowing for optimum usage when fighting multiple targets or as in the case of bosses that are not behaving normally.

When you keep your finger on the cast button, as opposed to hitting it once, you initiate a charged cast. A considerable amount of powerful incantations such as Frenzied Burst and Lightning Spear will have improved damage output and/or range when charged, but they do come with the price of an extended animation delay. This is the point at which you will either gain numerous successes/get flattened (killed). Learning which spells should be charged and when you are provided with the opportunity to charge based on boss capability is going to be a crucial factor in successfully implementing spells. Once you get the timing down, it's very easy to chain a buff into a quick punish spell.

Sacred Seals: Best for Incantations in Elden Ring

Choosing the right Sacred Seal is much more important initially than it seems. Each Sacred Seal has its own Incantation Scaling; many of them have passive bonuses related to certain incantation families. The following patch for Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, in 2026, features the current top contenders for each of these options:

For most characters that are brand new, you will want to start with a Finger Seal as it is very affordable and easily attained while also allowing you to be competent in almost any standard Faith build. However, if you reach a very high Level of Faith (60 and up), your choice will likely be the Erdtree Seal due to its exceptional high-end scaling. For those who want to specialize in spells associated with dragons (like Dragonfire or Rotten Breath), the Dragon Communion Seal is your best choice since it provides an additional 15% boost to this type of spell and is also affected by Arcane scaling.

The more advanced technique here is dual sealing; equipped with one seal in your casting hand and another in your off-hand, the game will apply the Incantation Scaling of your seal in the casting hand. In addition, any passive bonuses from the off-hand seal can be applied as well. This means you can use a seal that has very high scaling to cast whilst still receiving bonuses to that spell type from another seal. A good example of this would be equipping the Erdtree Seal to cast and also equipping the Dryleaf Seal in the off-hand. The Dryleaf Seal provides you with a 15% increase to your golden rings of light spells. This means you would cast using the Erdtree Seal but receive the bonuses of the Dryleaf Seal from your second seal.

Incantation Builds and Combat

Typically, incantations serve three types of functions - damage dealing, support, and healing. Understanding which role each is fulfilling during casts will help you to manage special points especially in long fights. Buffing before entering boss gates is typically considered normal, and also one of the significant benefits to Faith builds. For instance, Golden Vow grants you an increase in damage dealt and negation of damage returned to you via the act of casting for 75-90 second after casting, while Flame, Grant Me Strength will provide you with increases to both physical and fire damage dealt, thus making both spells great to cast prior to passing the fog wall, as the duration of each spell will allow you enough time to pass through without worry about having time to recast. Some of the great incantations that you can find when you're starting off in the game:

• Catch Flame: Is only 10 FP, quick to come out, and does decent damage if you use it up close

• Lightning Spear: Costs 18 FP, provides great mid-range pressure, and can also be charged very effectively

• Bestial Sling: Can be cast quickly, can stop enemies in their tracks, and can be used as quick hits.

This group of incantations will help cover most of your early and mid-game experiences. The Catch Flame spell will help give you some options when punishing players at close range, the Lightning Spear will allow you to deal damage at a distance, while the Bestial Sling is great if you need to do a lot of damage quickly.

Your best casting opportunities while fighting bosses will usually be just after you dodge successfully, while the enemy recovers from whatever they just did. You can fit both Catch Flame and Bestial Sling, into small windows to maximize the damage that you can get in without taking much of a risk. Heavier spells will require that the boss has a longer animation lock before you cast a spell like a fully charged Lightning Spear or a Frenzied Burst. In addition, there are several incantations, including many that are part of the Aspects of the Crucible, that will provide you with hyper armor while you are casting. This means that you can use these spells when there is a very short window to cast them and not get hit, as opposed to a typical spell where you run the risk of being interrupted.

In addition to using a variety of incantations, your flask setup will also impact how successful your incantation build will be. If you are using a dedicated incantation build, you will usually split charges between Cerulean and Crimson charges, typically 4:5 or 5:4 will occur based on which charge use runs out first in a given fight. Talismans help make it possible to continue with the creation of an endless and ongoing amount of FP:

• Cerulean Amber Medallion will give you a higher maximum FP than normal.

• Primal Glintstone Blade will reduce the cost of casting spells using your FP by 25%, but will also lower your maximum HP by 15%.

If you have enough Vigor built into your character, the second talisman can be a big deal. Combine it with your pre-fight buffs and you can continue to be active longer before needing to take a drink.

FAQ: Why won't my incantation work?

I can't cast my incantation.

The most likely reason for this would be that you don't have enough of the required stats to cast the incantation. If the required stat is either Faith or (in some cases) Arcane then you won't be able to cast the spell until you have enough of that stat. The memorize menu will highlight any spell that you don't have the required stats to cast in red, so check that first.

Another reason your incantation isn't working could be caused by the catalyst you are attempting to use to perform your incantation. A Glintstone Staff will not work for casting incantations and therefore a Sacred Seal will not work for casting sorceries. Please ensure the item you have equipped in your right hand is actually a Sacred Seal.

Lastly, your character needs to have enough FP in order to cast your spell. If you used all of your FP and your blue bar is empty, you will not be able to cast any spells until you drink a Cerulean Flask or rest at a Site of Grace.

My Incantations don't seem strong enough.

The most common reasons that your incantation damage could be too low can be attributed to 3 major factors: Your Sacred Seal isn't upgraded enough. Each time you upgrade your Sacred Seal, you reach a higher potential for Incantation Scaling. There is an incredible difference between the base function of a +0 and +25 Sacred Seal.

You're using the wrong Sacred Seal for the spell you're trying to cast. If you want to cast an incantation in the Giants' Flame spell category, you cannot use the Finger Seal. You have to use the Giant's Seal; otherwise, you'll be missing out on a 20% bonus from the category.

Your Faith is too low. For most incantations, once you reach 40 to 50 Faith, they start to feel more powerful; by the time you reach 80 Faith, you're at the highest point for scaling to take full effect.

Check these three things first if your damage seems off; that is usually where the issue lies.

Memory Slot Issues

If you have a lower number of memory slots than you expected, you need more Memory Stones. Most base classes only start with two to three Memory Slots, so in the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, you will have to find additional Memory Stones to expand your Memory Slot capacity.

If you remove a spell from the Site of Grace but forget to re-memorize it, it won't now be accessible during combat, although you still have it. Go back to the “Memorize Spell” menu to re-memorize the spell.

Conclusion

Once you understand the simple checklist to cast incantations successfully in Elden Ring, you can follow it easily: equip a Sacred Seal, reach the required Faith or Arcane stats, memorize the spell at a Site of Grace, and use the proper input to cast the spell with the correct hand. The simplest way for a new player to start is to buy the Finger Seal from the Twin Maiden Husks, max their Faith until they can use the incantation that they purchased, memorize it at Grace, and then practice casting it against regular field enemies before heading into a boss fight.

If you are new to the Faith Casting playstyle, that is definitely the fastest way to increase your character's power; an upgraded Finger Seal at +12 or higher feels very different than an un-upgraded Finger Seal, and that can be the difference between using incantations as a secondary tool or as a legitimate damage source. Once you build your character correctly, activate Golden Vow before you cross the fog wall, use healing and ranged pressure during the fight, and use the correct Sacred Seal for the type of spell you are trying to cast, Faith is one of the most fun builds to play in the game.