Elden Ringis in many ways a spiritual successor to theDark Soulsgames, but it has some significant differences as well. One of the most notable is the addition of a Stance system. If you hit enemies with an attack or spell that does a lot of Stance damage, they will be put into a vulnerable state, opening them up for a critical hit or a slow, powerful ability that would be hard to land otherwise.
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When Elden Ring launched, the Fallingstar Beast Jaw’s weapon skill and the Flame of the Redmanes Ash of War were immediately great at doing this, as they could be spammed on a loop to keep bosses near-permanently stunlocked. However, both have since had their Stance damage nerfed into the ground. Fortunately, there are still plenty of ways to break enemy Stances.
10The Flame of Frenzy
In many circumstances, TheThe Flame of Frenzyis a weaker version of the similarly-named Unendurable Frenzy. Both cause you to launch arcing beams of Madness, but Unendurable Frenzy can be channeled.
But one area where The Flame of Frenzy wins out is in terms of Stance damage. You wouldn’t think magic beams would hit so hard but cast The Flame of Frenzy a few times and watch your enemies crumble.
And even though the Incantation can’t chain cast, at just 16 FP, you’ll be able to use it many times in a row. It can also be acquired early in the game at the Callu Baptismal Church, on the Weeping Peninsula.
9Envoy’s Long Horn: Bubble Shower
You wouldn’t think a shower of bubbles would be enough to break enemy Stances (or do much of anything at all, really), but the unique Weapon Skill of the Envoy’s Long Horn, Bubble Shower, is a great example of how misleading first impressions can be. The rain of Holy bubbles it creates can deal a massive amount of damage and shred enemy Stance.
However, there is a pretty significant caveat: they are shot in a pretty widespread group. Against small enemies, other entries on this list will do a better job.
But against the giant-sized bosses, few things in the entire game can compete with Bubble Shower. The Envoy’s Long Horn drops from the Large Oracle Envoy’s that wield it in Leyndell, Royal Capital, and Miquella’s Haligtree.
8Meteorite Of Astel
Despite Comet Azur’s reputation,Meteorite of Astelmight be the best boss-killing Sorcery in Elden Ring. It has many drawbacks, from high FP and Intelligence requirements to the fact that, thanks to its wide target area, you need to be standing right next to your enemy for all the meteorites to hit, and even then, the enemy needs to be really big.
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That said, there are quite a few bosses where that exact scenario occurs, and slamming a bunch of meteorites into their heads will deal both a substantial amount of regular and Stance damage. And while the health damage is usually the more important component, breaking the boss' Stance makes sure the rest of the meteorites can land.
Notably, this Sorcery is not dropped by Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, who you fight duringRanni’s questline, but rather the similarly named Astel, Stars of Darkness, the boss of the Yelough Anix Tunnel in the Consecrated Snowfield.
7Ash Of War: Ice Spear
Ice Spear Skillis an incredible Weapon Skill for a wide variety of reasons. It’s fast, has decent range and damage, costs just 15 FP, and causes Frost buildup.
Most importantly for this list, it has impressive Stance damage, enough down many enemies in a few hits. Given how many things Ice Spear is good at, it’s Stance-breaking abilities are more of an added bonus than a main feature, but “being strong generally” isn’t enough to keep Ice Spear off this list.
you may get it by killing the Night’s Cavalry in Liurnia of the Lakes, southeast of the Gate Town Bridge Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes.
6Ash of War: Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker
When usingHoarah Loux’s Earthshaker Skill, you put away your weapon, scream at the sky, then slam the ground multiple times, creating massive shock waves. Unsurprisingly, causing literal earthquakes will have a destabilizing effect on your opponents.
You’ll have to use this Weapon Skill carefully against bosses, though. Its hyper armor makes it difficult for enemies to knock you out of the animation, but you’re able to still die in the time it takes to get through the full cast. Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker is also a late-game-only option, since to get it you need to killGodfrey, First Elden Lord, and trade his remembrance with Enia at the Roundtable Hold.
5Gavel Of Haima
If you are looking for a Sorcery to break Stances,Gavel of Haimamight be your best option. That probably shouldn’t be surprising, since it summons a big hammer to smack your enemy with, and can be followed up with a second strike for even more power.
And unlike Meteorite of Astel, you’re unlikely to spend your entire FP bar and miss small enemies entirely. It’s not the boss-shredder that Meteorite of Astel is, but Stance-breaking is basically what it was designed for.
You can find the Gavel of Haima in a chest at the top of the Converted Fringe Tower, in Liurnia of the Lakes. To actually get inside, you’ll need to put on a Glintstone Crown and use the Erudition gesture you get duringThop’s questline.
4Ash of War: Cragblade
If you don’t like the idea of using a fancy ability to break enemy stances, theCragblade SkillWeapon Skill is what you’re looking for. It coats your weapon in stone, increasing your physical damage by 15 percent and your Stance damage by 10 percent.
Take the heaviest weapon you can find, slap Cragblade on it and wind up some charged heavy attacks, or use it on a fast-hitting weapon and break your enemy Stance with rapid strikes. Either way, you’ll shred through both their Stance and their health.
To get this Ash of War, head just west of the Impassible Site of Grace, in Caelid, where you’ll find the Teardrop Scarab that drops it.
3Aspect Of The Crucible: Tail
Aspect of the Crucible: Tail lets you grow a tail and whack your enemies with it. When charged, you’re able to follow up with a second attack that hits in a wider range.
The majority of the Stance damage comes from the second strike, so just landing that will knock down many enemies, but hitting with both can down even the largest enemies in a few casts.
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Interestingly, one of Aspect of the Crucible: Tail’s sister Incantations, Aspect of the Crucible: Horns, also deals substantial Stance damage, creating the potential for a Crucible Knight build focused on breaking enemy Stances. The Incantation is dropped by the Crucible Knight trapped in the Stormhill Evergaol, in Stormhill.
Crucible Knights are tough to beat even at higher levels, though, so good luck if you try to take this one down right out of the gate.
2Ash of War: Lion’s Claw
The default Weapon Skill on the Claymore, the Lion’s Claw Ash of War can be obtained by killing the Lion Guardian in Fort Gael, Caelid. When used, Lion’s Claw causes your character to do a frontflip and slam dunk your enemies into the ground, dealing high Stance damage per hit.
It’s not the cheapest Weapon Skill, costing 20 FP, but it has a low recovery time, and while you can still take damage during the animation, it’s almost impossible for you to get knocked out of once you start it. So if your FP bar is large enough, you can spamLion’s Claw Skillover and over again.
Just equip it on a Colossal weapon, and frontflip away.
1Ash of War: Glintblade Phalanx
Glintblade Phalanxis the name of both a Sorcery and an Ash of War. Despite their shared names and similar appearance, they are very much not the same.
The Sorcery version creates one more magic sword but doesn’t deal anywhere close to as much Stance damage. Another Carian Sorcery, Greatblade Phalanx, has similar stance damage to the Ash of War, but costs 30 FP and requires 29 Intelligence.
Meanwhile, the Glintblade Phalanx Ash of War is 20 FP cheaper, has no requirements whatsoever, and actually deals slightly more stance damage. Combine those bonuses with its relatively quick casting speed and the fact that you don’t need to get into melee range to use it, and Glintblade Phalanx is perhaps the most efficient way to break enemy stances.
It isn’t difficult to get, either, although you have to go through some steps. You can take it off of Rogier’s Rapier, which Sorcerer Rogier gives you after you’ve defeated Godrick the Grafted.
