The Waves of Darkness Ash of War is one of the most devastating area-of-effect skills available in Elden Ring, particularly for heavy weapon builds. By plunging your weapon directly into the ground, this weapon skill releases three continuous shockwaves of dark magic before allowing a powerful follow-up sweeping strike. Understanding where to obtain this skill and how to maximize its unique mechanics can transform how you handle large crowds and tough combat encounters.
Where to Find the Waves of Darkness Ash of War
Acquiring the Waves of Darkness Ash of War requires players to venture deep into the underground regions of the Lands Between. You must progress through Ranni's questline to reach the Lake of Rot and defeat the formidable boss, Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. Once Astel is defeated, take the Remembrance of the Naturalborn to Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold to trade it for this powerful skill.
Skill Mechanics and Elemental Effects
When activated, your character slams their weapon into the earth to trigger three successive waves of magic damage. By default, applying this Ash of War grants the Magic affinity to your weapon, though it can also be infused with Cold or Heavy options depending on your stats. Additionally, pressing the heavy attack input right after the third shockwave executes a wide sweeping attack with massive reach and hyper armor.
Best Weapons and Build Compatibility
This skill can only be equipped on heavy armament classes, including Greataxes, Great Hammers, Great Spears, Colossal Weapons, and Colossal Swords. Intelligence-focused strength builds benefit the most from its scaling, especially when paired with weapons like the Greatsword or Zweihander. Infusing a heavy weapon with Cold scaling allows the waves to rapidly build up frostbite on surrounding targets within seconds.
Optimal Combat Strategies and Practical Uses
In player-versus-environment combat, Waves of Darkness excels at controlling groups of aggressive enemies or staggering large bosses. The lingering area-of-effect zones act as a protective barrier, keeping aggressive foes from closing the distance while dealing continuous poise damage. In player-versus-player scenarios, turning around during a retreat to cast this skill often catches overzealous chasers off guard.
