Whatever, Let's Rank the Spirit Ashes...

[@Rusty._]

🌎 Get an Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➡ nordvpn.com/rustyvpn It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!☝ *EDIT for clarification:* The way I explained this in the video suggested that simply having a vpn can just increase your internet speeds no matter what. A vpn CANNOT do this by itself, but it CAN prevent internet service providers from pulling a fast one on you and trying to limit your internet speeds. I did casually pay lip service to this in the very beginning, when in hindsight it should've been more clearly explained.

[@rudalph529]

Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN, Nord VPN...

[@kylen9954]

Omenkiller better than mimic?

[@bloodstainedchasm]

yo im not about to call u a shill for vpn ads ... but im gonna call u a liar for telling people it makes their internet faster. there are good uses for vpns. speeding up your internet connection itself is not one of them. i hate to be that guy but its just throws unnecessary shade at u and nord vpn. if they told u to tell people that using a vpn does do that then they were lying or thinking about a very small subset of cases while being intentionally vague. #triggered xD

[@logizom5335]

@@bloodstainedchasm That's the whole point of him talking about ISPs at the beginning. Service providers will throttle your bandwidth whenever they want and having a vpn actively prevents that. No they don't inherently "increase your speed" but that's how a shitload of people have fixed slow internet, more than just a small subset...

[@Rusty._]

@@bloodstainedchasm I'll try explaining things a little more clearly in future videos then. A vpn does nothing to your internet speeds by itself, but as one of the other comments already pointed out, having a vpn does prevent your internet service provider from limiting your bandwidth, which has become an increasing issue as more people are staying inside nowadays. I pointed this out in the beginning but I guess the explanation I was going for didn't quite come across. But yeah I'll put a correction up in the pin for now and I'll try and clarify this point better in other vids.

[@boneman-calciumenjoyer8290]

I remember seeing the demi-human ashes used by a friend. He exclusively summoned them at night with the battlecry: "gank him boys, bring me his shoes!" I'm not sure why, but I find this utterly hilarious.

[@glomorailey106]

The demi-humans desire the demi-foams

[@gardenturtle4878]

"They got me for my foams, Morgott"

[@boneman-calciumenjoyer8290]

I came to the conclusion, that my friend is most likely the reason that most of the bosses in the lands between are not wearing any footwear.

[@Aurelius_unofficial]

@@boneman-calciumenjoyer8290 you're probably correct

[@zyriantel9601]

I can understand it, in the early game when all I’ve got is my wolves, I have a habit of going “Bite their nuts off!” as I unleash them into the fight.

[@TheValiantBob]

They should have made it so once you complete Latenna's sidequest with talking to her giant sister, that if you actually go back to her hut where Lobo's body is she gets upgraded to have the wolf mount. And have that carry over into NG+. Would have been a really cool reward for her sidequest.

[@JoeDower101]

Wow that's a solid idea!

[@terrantabula9847]

Or maybe by doing her quest again in NG+ you get Lobo. It would be a great reason to go into NG+ if you had the chance to get upgraded versions of your Spirits.

[@nathreetimesnineequalstwen7172]

Hell, even just an upgraded wolf 3x Wolves vs 1x MEGA GIGACHAD WOLF

[@nathreetimesnineequalstwen7172]

@@brandonharmon9958 that's basically useless, in what boss fight do you have random wolves lying around

[@JoeDower101]

@@brandonharmon9958 that only works with a specific kind of wolf, which are found in like two locations none of which are boss arenas

[@someweebkid9826]

Rollo can knock Malenia out of waterfowl, you could have just said that. Everything else is a bonus Edit: okay I get that it was just the bleed that knocked her out of WF, but still he seems like a very interesting and unique alternative to tiche or mimic

[@thesongbird1679]

Yeah, that alone makes Rollo one of the best counters to malenia in terms of summons. Its crazy.

[@janner2006]

Didn’t he just get a lucky bleed though? I think it was just the bleed stagger that did that and not his actual attack because you can do the same thing with a freeze pot when she leaps into the air.

[@jasondress56]

You know you can just throw a pot at her to knock her out of waterfowl, right?

[@ysera6072]

Its not specifically rollo though. He can proc bleed and bleed knocks her out of waterfowl. When he said that I was like "No F#!KING way," rewound the footage and it was a bleed proc which is consistent with malenia. Any status proc (iirc) will stop her waterfowl which is why people use freeze pots on her.

[@jaysmith6466]

ROLLO ftw

[@wolfsraynefan]

Great vid, bit sad you didn't mention the ultra powerful summon that is the Giant Rats. -O FP cost -More rats as you increase level thresholds -Free Rats

[@ASpaceOstrich]

Also you have a fun little game as to whether they appear right next to the boss or in fucking narnia.

[@quill7889]

@@ASpaceOstrich lolll

[@joseypheonix2984]

Friends

[@KINGOFTHESPARKS755]

Way too many fucking rats lmao

[@Gavyyn]

All right everyone tuck your pants into ya socks

[@ButterNuss.]

Funfact: With the Infinite Mana Physik, you can summon any Ash, even if it exceeds your maximum FP. Meaning you can use every ash on any build you want.

[@HappyIsaac0420]

Actually a good tip, thank you!

[@ButterNuss.]

@@HappyIsaac0420 No problem champ :P

[@genuinejoe2103]

That is both fun and a fact. Many fun facts proposed online are usually only one of these LOL. Thanks MrButternuss

[@thefoxwolfdraconis]

I applaud you! Honestly Ive been just using that to spam Siluria’s Woe - right build that skill can hit like a truck Xd

[@chankthetank817]

if this dosnt work, you might be useing a summon with an hp cost :)

[@SRFriso94]

I would like to give an honorable mention to the Skeletal Militiamen. No, they aren't super tanky and they don't do a lot of damage, but they can revive, so long as they don't get hit during the revive. You get them for killing the Tibia Mariner in Limgrave, so super early game. Also, they have a very low FP cost, pretty sure every starting class has enough to summon them. Not great throughout the entire game, but they can definitely save your ass early on.

[@Leo90187]

Definitely! Those two carried me pretty much from Limgrave to Leyndell.

[@moley249]

i'm level 77 and still only use them

[@abuckarooboyo7104]

Saved my ass on my first playthrough against the valiant gargoyles

[@Slender_Man_186]

Eh, better off going for the Jellyfish early game, only 31 FP cost, decently tanky, is ranged, applies poison, and even has some decent poise damage.

[@Gensolink]

worth noting they wont get aggro'd while raising again

[@craigauclair4026]

Tiche and Mimic Tear may be my most used summons, but Rollo is definitely a beast.

[@eetfuk3571]

I kept saying Dung Eater is one of the best summons ever. I'm glad people pay attention to him now because of this video. Dung Eater shreds bosses and can tank. I am not actually a fan of summoning especially on demigods bosses, I only use summons on open world bosses or dungeon bosses.

[@datiger39]

Mimic tear sucks in RL1 lol but yea it’s OP on lvl chars

[@sciocaflad-al9883]

@@datiger39 RL1?

[@Evarakeus]

@@sciocaflad-al9883 Rune Level 1. Play as wretch and never level up

[@sciocaflad-al9883]

@@Evarakeus oh okay thx

[@miracledang3025]

Perfumer Tricia is my new favorite. You know that crystal bubble tear everyone uses that negates one instance of damage? Tricia can give you that multiple times. She doesn’t do a lot of damage, but she’s quite tanky and reapplies the buff every 30 seconds or so.

[@enlongjones2394]

It’s also the effect of the Uplifting Aromatic item that you can craft into perfume bottles.

[@floop953]

Craft an uplifting aromatic, give it to your mimic, boom, you have tricia, but it can actually fight

[@RuneKatashima]

@@floop953 Yeah but randomly instead of consistently. I've been giving it to my Mimic but I think it has cast it a total of three times. Once where I got it, and twice in the same fight right after having just used it both on only itself, lmao.

[@mee091000]

She's very questionable on her own though

[@floop953]

@@RuneKatashima make sure you have nothing else on the equipment bar, it'll 100% guarantee the mimic using the uplifting aromatic when in battle, instead of something else like a fire bomb that you might have equipped

[@AlastorAltruistGaming]

My favourite underrated Ash Summon is Stormhawk Deenh; that thing at +10 may’ve gotten beaten up in later fights, but it definitely carried me throughout the game & was pretty good against Malenia. I’d be remiss to say that Deenh survived until the end of Malenia’s 2nd phase.

[@sieghardtofcatarina7827]

And the swagger it carries 💯💯

[@honeykrisp16]

Deenh is definitely one of my favorites it's the reason why I beat ghost loretta on my first fight,it flew in front of me and took an attack I wouldn't be able to dodge cause I whiffed an attack

[@calebnixon4307]

Doesnt it also have a scream that boosts attack power for a little bit too?

[@honeykrisp16]

@@calebnixon4307 yeah

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

Deenh is very distracting, and includes a player buff immediately so gives you value even at +0.

[@MiniKiller3103]

00:00 Intro 1:57 #10 Demi human ashes 3:17 #9 ancestral spirit ashes follower 4:33 #8 Crystalian 6:02 #7 warhawk ahes 7:20 #6 Rotten stray( rot doggo ) ashes 8:50 #5 Luthel the headless 10:09 #4 Lattena the Albinauric 11:30 #3 Stormhawk dehh ( the annoying bird ) 12:56 #2 Dung eater puppet 13:45 honorable mensions . 14:04 #1 Omen killer Rollo Ur welcome !

[@staticbadgers690]

I'm surprised it took you that long to call the crystal guy a beyblade

[@logizom5335]

impulse control

[@RealKingCrabgonII]

@@logizom5335 I have zero

[@desertwynd30]

Let it rip

[@Andlekin]

I like the Marionette Archers. If Latenna is a sniper, those two are a machine gun nest. Pop them up at the edge of the battlefield, and they will just constantly stream arrows. They aren't as fast as the rail gun arrows, but the sheer number and constant barrage makes up for it.

[@srlong1123]

They are one of my favorites if for no other reason than they are the second best thing in the game for dealing with the invisible black knife assassins, after the torch that makes them visible. Every time they get hit they become visible for a short amount of time, and with how many arrows the marionettes are sending out, the assassin will end up spending more time visible than invisible

[@RosieAnims]

They’re also just an instant win button against Gideon Ofnir if you’re struggling against him. Like most NPC bosses he’ll try to dodge anything ranged, but if there’s just so many arrows being fired at him he doesn’t have much time for anything else.

[@LimpyBizkit4356]

I love the marionettes for their constant damage as well. They don't hit hard, however they are constant and just steadily drop health bars

[@memes_the_dna_of_the_soul5487]

So, Dakka.

[@Hexagonaldonut]

Chip damage is still damage!

[@paladin-ksai7667]

My favorite ash is swordstreass and nightmaiden , until early endgame they're very Good, tanky, take Agro and deal good enough dmg to not be the only noticable damage dealer

[@cinders5305]

I like wearing the nightmaiden set and using both their weapons when I summon them so we can act like a team

[@MrGoul78]

It's also funny to watch them beat themselves if you summon them in their boss fight in Sellia

[@aeternusgaming8050]

I really dislike them, they seem way too passive compared to my usual picks.

[@Gonourakuto]

Yeah I adore this summons too because of their look but tbh they are pretty bad sadly , they are easily knocked over , they are decently squishy , they are pretty passive and also have some really shit moves « the nightmaiden and her mist » idk why but the npc version of this spell is so over nerfed , she legit does more damage stabbing ennemies than using her mist and also she takes forever to cast it

[@paladin-ksai7667]

@@Gonourakuto it honestly depends on the rng, for me they're quite useful for duos and trios,like the crystalians in Rey lucaria cave

[@Billonator117]

The greatshield soldier ashes are one of my favorites, right behind Latena and Tiche. They hold agro like crazy, and they're the ones that finally allowed me to beat Radagon and The Elden Beast. All you have to worry about is your own damage, because they will hold agro and they take forever to kill, they don't do much damage though

[@bendtvanbekkum4304]

Fully agree, expected this to be on the list

[@BigWillTheMill]

They are my Ride or Die. I prefer them over Tiche or my Mimic honestly.

[@SRFriso94]

They're a bit too niche, I think? They can tank a rather obscene amount of damage, plus there's five of them, but they do struggle against large bosses, or against anything that does elemental damage. Also, I think they're too commonly agreed upon to be good to really be considered for this list.

[@Billonator117]

@@SRFriso94 against bosses with aoe elemental attacks like dragons they're not the best for, and against Malenia they're terrible because she gets healed even if she hits them on block, but I used them to beat so many bosses including the final boss, malekith, and that guy who slams the ground and looks like he's from Azuras Wrath. And not only that but they turned those fights into easy mode because I basically just had to attack repeatedly as they tanked all the annoying moves.

[@DakkaBert]

I was waiting for someone to mention the shield bois, hands down my favorite summon, just don't take them against bosses with elemental AoEs

[@NightfallNhilist]

When I did my first run I maxed out Banished Night Engvall and I constantly imagined us as a duo of normal knights in a world of magic and incredible beasts. He was a homie, from the tales of us slaying the Rennala to us him assisting me in my battle against the Elden Beast. Love you Engvall

[@k1cksforbra1ns]

Engvall the wind lord lol. Only summon I ever used, and nobody ever mentions him. Miss you big E

[@zyriantel9601]

@@k1cksforbra1ns Hey now! I used him to kick Radagon’s dog! In my defense, the dog had previously been kicking me.

[@diegodelao2967]

No fr, Engvall is my bsf n that gave. I never do a boss fight without him. Surprised he wasn’t mentioned here

[@soulreaper1461]

That's silly af man... but that's the way I play too. The summon must have a connection with ur character lorewise; otherwise it's a complete mad world

[@StanleyG23]

Fun Fact: With your support, the Mausoleum Soldier Ashes +10 can beat Radagon and the Elden Beast without you needing to do any damage to the actual bosses. P.S. the Dung Eater Puppet can be inflicted with Death Blight. The more you know.

[@themanofman1892]

Can't summon spirits during radann without mods.

[@StanleyG23]

@@themanofman1892 Read my comment again, I said Radagon. Don't forget to put your glasses on this time! (Sorry if you're actually dyslexic).

[@LtSanchez.]

Yeah its bs that the dung eater can get death blighted

[@rhysofsneezingdragon1758]

Most summons are immune to status effects

[@johnapple6646]

When i fought wormface, OIeg died suddenly from full health. It was probably to deathblight. I think most of them can

[@twinarcher8123]

Did not know stormhawk deneeth gave you an attack buff. I used him for the whole game and never realized this

[@revaronsdemise5366]

I used Rollo in my run and when I watched other people I wondered “why is nobody using him he’s so good”. Glad to see him finally get some recognition

[@cosmalade]

I've literally watched Rollo stagger Malenia so many times, it's absurd. All of his attacks are guaranteed to at least flinch her, and that triple jump attack is the most effective method of breaking poise I've seen on a summon.

[@VileLasagna]

I actually really like that Luthel is so inconsistent in getting aggro. If you're a caster, this creates a nice flow where you wait until she gets aggro and then go ham with something big, getting the aggro back. But because she doesn't necessarily get the aggro back immediately, this means that she survives WAY more than anyone else, since she'll stay out of harm's way a bit. This ends up enabling her to go on much further into the fights and she creates more opportunities for you to go in like that

[@kerianhalcyon2769]

The Warhawk ashes are great. He and Deenh help me live out my "battle falconer in a fantasy world" fantasy that I occasionally have. And watching him go toe to toe with other flying enemies, especially bats, feels almost cinematic. Like you're watching a tried and true battle of the ages between two opposing rivals that's gone on throughout history since the dawn of time. Edit - Also, not going to lie, Lhutel carried me through most of the game my first runthrough. She holds a special place in my heart just for that.

[@rizzystardust2404]

Oracle Envoy ashes! They have *so much* health, they do silly damage! they are a bit slow so maybe not the best at swooping in to save you but I still feel like they are super underrated, so fun to use. Also the free rats! they're free!

[@bantatepon7015]

free rats: cost no fp to summon, cost no runes to upgrade 👍

[@darthplagueis13]

Lhutel also has an entirely obsolete mechanic: Her attacks inflict deathblight. This does not actually matter however, as to my knowledge there is literally not a single situation in the game where she can actually use it. The only things that can be hit with Deathblight are tarnished, meaning very specific NPCs and other players. You cannot use spirit ashes in multiplayer and to my knowledge there is not a single situation in the entire game where you have access to Spirit Summons and an opponent that is actually vulnerable to Deathblight.

[@goldenwind_IV]

Sir Gideon is the only one I think 🤔

[@SophisticatedGoat222]

At least it gives a cool effect to the tip of her spear, I think that's worth it.

[@xavierbostwick6191]

Fia champions?

[@LanguidWyvern]

Dung Eater if you want to kill him in his cell

[@Neirean]

Inb4 she breaks the game in the dlc

[@christiankettlewell]

Latenna is my waifu. I used her in my first playthrough and at +10, she’s a monster. She shoots three arrows and it’s such a morale boost to see those arrows flying into the boss throughout the fight. I love love love her

[@SonicSanctuary]

best girl

[@firestoneandcollusionthely2648]

She's like a little sister ^^

[@joemogley]

Yall r bizare

[@mark0183]

​@@joemogleyoh god that albinarussy hit different 😩🥵👌 I'm sorry 😔

[@doomraven0]

Easily my favorite summon in the game. From early to late game she just shreds most health bars. Plus it is like a minigame in itself finding the best spot in the arena to drop her.

[@gengarisnotinsmash...]

I don't know what the general consensus on the skeletal militia is, but for such an easy to aquire summon it is actually kinda insane, simply because, with proper strategy, they become completely immortal. Let them draw some aggro for a bit while you buff, heal, or set up a spell/weapon art, watch them die, smack the boss to quickly take aggro, and wait for them to regenerate. They essentially give you a timer on when you can take a break from combat, and get insanely good at this if their deaths are staggered. Because they regenerate, upgrades are optional, and they have a lower fp cost too. As long as the boss doesn't regularly use massive, sweeping, low attacks, they will stick around and keep you alive.

[@nicknyethesaxguy894]

But once you get to leyndell they pretty basically worthless bc shit damage

[@zyriantel9601]

@@nicknyethesaxguy894 No, but that’s what OP was saying: they’re not meant to fight the boss on your behalf. That’s why OP says upgrading them is optional. They’re literally just there for you to abuse their regeneration mechanic. You send them in to give yourself some breathing room for healing and buffs while they commit suicide, then you pull the aggro and actually fight the boss, and ideally, by the time you need to back off and heal again, they’ll be up to pull aggro back and die again for you. Maybe upgrade them so that they don’t die immediately the second Morgott or whoever glares at them, but that’s really the only reason you would.

[@HYDESDM]

I have been using skeletal militia for some time and yeah, so long as the enemy doesn't use radiant damage, they'll keep coming back since they instantly lose aggro once they go down, only to revive with full hp. I genuinely believe that the reason there's only two is because having even one more would make them too busted.

[@adsileo3400]

Lhutel was my first choice of summon before i got my mimic tear, it feels like you gotta fight like you're playing co op with a friend, absolutely amazing summon, makes the journey feel less lonely admittedly.

[@ezzzzyyy]

Latenna was my companion for most of the early game and she'll always hold a special place in my heart

[@SereTheDoggoUwU]

Cleanrot knight finlay has always been one of my favorites. She’s a great support, ranged holy damage, can proc bleed, hp regen buff, and decently mobile Edit: also I’ve never used gigachad rollo before but I’m definitely convinced to try him out

[@Thebigfinal]

Finlay also has a vomit attack that can proc rot

[@Havic101-atc]

That buff Finlay uses also massively increases your Fire Resistance. So if you're up against something that uses a lot of that, she's good to have around. Especially since she uses it again pretty much as soon as it wears off, so long as she gets a moment to cast it.

[@SophisticatedGoat222]

To be fair I don't think Finlay is underrated. She's one of the legendary summons, and is only available near the end of the game, so I have to imagine most people at least tried her out at some point and saw her usefulness.

[@jameswarkentin540]

Fun fact: Latenna can ride wild direwolves. The big white furred wolves? The ones that look like her partner Lobo. Summon her close to one or lure one to her and she'll climb on its back and ride it around. Makes the consecrated snowfields slightly less awful. Especially when after killing everything nearby she'll start shooting her mount in the back of the head, which is hilarious

[@ulokuun7323]

The ancestral follower is really special to me because I used him during most of my first playthrough the fact that he is both melee and range is just really handy, plus he is surprisingly tanky so yeah and then I found mimic tear ...

[@anagoth9]

The fact that you can get him SO early in the game is also a bonus. Comes in clutch for low level runs.

[@yvesgomes]

@@anagoth9 My pre-mimic one was Lhuthel.

[@Noblepeanut]

I’m so so glad you mentioned the demi human ashes. easily my favorite summon in the game, just because it feels like I’m rolling up into boss rooms with the whole squad behind my back. And they are REALLY good in the early game. Having that many surprisingly durable allies fighting alongside you trivializes many of the early game fights, as the boss will rarely ever be aggroed on you. I love them lots.

[@StiffyGriffy]

The redmain knight is just a better ancestral spirit, he does more poise damage (which is the only damage that really matters) and is much tankier at melee range

[@ricegod7812]

Ogha is my all time favorite, it just sucks that he doesn't follow you when he's not fighting anyone.

[@Bucket_Buffoon]

I ended up using the Demi-Humans on repeat/mini bosses or just around the world, solely on the grounds that I adore goblins. It's like a Souls version of the Rieklings from Skyrim, I LOVE IT.

[@WretchedRedoran]

Dude, same! I like the Demi-Humans specifically because they're fucked up chimp goblins, because it reminds me of the goblins in TES4 which are also fucked up chimp goblins, which are my favourite goblins in any game ever (I even modded Oblivion so I could have a goblin follower).

[@NaimHrustanovic]

When you know Rollo's lore, watching him fight like a man possessed becomes almost heartwrenching. Go get 'em, you madman.

[@kingofstrangeness7014]

Whats his lore

[@Clussyking]

@@kingofstrangeness7014 "Omenkiller Rollo. Once a famous perfumer, Rollo imbibed a physick to rid himself of emotion, thus enabling him to enact his nightmarish labor, hunting the Omen"

[@sameerdodger]

​@@ClussykingAm I missing something here, because that doesn't sound 'heartwrenching' at all. He rid his emotions so he doesn't have to deal with the guilt of genociding a sect of people that were born disfigured. Not exactly a hero's tale.. he's still cool tho

[@Clussyking]

@@sameerdodger man idk, that's the description I found

[@jordancave3089]

⁠@@sameerdodgerI don’t think he meant heart wrenching because he felt bad for the summons lol I think he’s saying the guy is a dirtbag

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

Lhutel is not much use for glass cannons or casters, since they can't hold aggro or take damage for even seconds, but if you have a reasonably self-sufficient character I like her for it. You get some tanking and attention but not too much, some damage but not too much, a LOT of health plus a shield, and a ranged attack. She's really good for just giving you a hand without taking over your fights the way the truly OP spirits do.

[@Blakobness]

Latenna is pretty dope, I love her. It very much is like a knight and princess kind of situation. It helps a lot to keep a ranged option like a crossbow on hand to grab back aggro in a pinch if the boss makes it past you and you know you won't catch up. I think she's the most helpful because just the volume of arrows she puts down range, which practically never miss, means the boss' poise gauge never recovers. So as long as you make sure you're still putting attacks in, you will get criticals constantly.

[@tthornclownn]

Just finished the game and the Demi-Humans, Latenna and Rollo were my go to summons for the whole thing, good to see them getting some love. Latenna specially carried me a lot, was funny realizing each and each fight how much further I could set her up and still be in range.

[@robrib2682]

Yeah I always kind of just use that rotten stray thing early game so that I don't have to worry nearly as much about some of the early game bosses being more designed for you to have gone to the weeping peninsula first at the very least Edit: personally I have the most luck with it when I go for a great weapon (specifically in my experience the great axe you get in lingrave) because sometimes it's behavior will have it skulk around the sides of the arena until there is a guaranteed opening from a stagger and at that point you just keep charging r2 hits on the boss to keep it staggered as it gets it's rot to proc.

[@xirlos7013]

11:37 YES. Holy SHIT yes. Deenhhhhhhhhhh has always been my go-to summon throughout every goddamn playthrough I've done because of the mix of utility and hands-off nature he has. The amount of times he's saved my ass by power-drill-diving through the air and interrupting the boss attack is...like, twice? Which is low enough to make me feel like my own playstyle matters while still allowing for absolute hail-mary moments to feel possible. Also he makes cute squeaky noises while he's just hovering around after a fight. Beeg birb.

[@Diamon_Boots]

Shoutout to Aurelia the jellyfish! As one of if not the first summon you get, they perform surprisingly well. Of course, they deal no damage at all (I think the max I ever saw them doing was 47), but they can poison, which can help againt bosses who are either weak to it or who have them big healthbars, in adition to being honestly perheaps a lot tankier than they have any right to be. You can easily just run around for a bit, let Aurelia spit at the boss untill they get aggro, restock, heal, buff and when you get back in the fight chances are jelly is still good to go for another 3 or 4 rounds of getting punched by the boss. Also, it's pretty funny whenever they actually get the finishing blow on a boss.

[@tomhank896]

I love Latenna so much. She's the perfect partner for hunting dragons.

[@bishop2286]

Ogha is definitely my favorite, all around solid choice, no real weaknesses and works perfectly with any build

[@mihailstratan343]

His greatarrows also can keep knocking Malenia on the ground

[@bishop2286]

@@mihailstratan343 every time I died to her he would send her flat on her ass, it was very cathartic

[@noirscape_]

Dolores also has a surprising amount of potential. She doesn't deal much damage but she inflicts sleep, which is *amazing* for any enemy or boss that doesn't outright resist it, and even most that do can still be slept when stunned. Oh and unlike most of the archers, she fires more or less from the hip so she can keep her distance on her own and can even dodge roll if needed.

[@extraknight2490]

My favorite underrated ash is by far Caarman, he boosts u, poisons the enemy, attack on mid range and he can drink fucking estus

[@extraknight2490]

Idc he’s not on the list, he’s better than most of the stuff that actually was on the list

[@hoodiegal]

i don't recall a spirit summon named that...?

[@maximshmelev3458]

@@hoodiegal he's like the annoying depraved prefumer dudes in Shaded Castle, I think you get him in Volcano Mannor

[@hoodiegal]

@@maximshmelev3458 oh! I might have to try that one out, those perfumers are super annoying with their dodging and fire powder and healing. thanks for the tip!

[@jd21000]

Yes

[@drenin777]

Watching these summons always reminds me that Fromsoft made a game all about summons called lost kingdoms. Kinda give me hope they might a new one, considering a fair few people liked the summons.

[@MegaRhettButler]

I've stopped using summons (mostly) but the jellyfish is great and was a personal favorite while I was learning to play. It staggers enemies out of their attacks with its poison squirt and draws aggro brilliantly, allowing you to attack the back. It's also really tanky when you upgrade it and it doesn't move around much so enemies are easier to hit with weapon arts because they aren't running around chasing it. The poison rarely procs but it's sort of helpful when it does too. It's still a great way to SL1 Margit if you just want your talisman pouch and 12k runes right away.

[@AndrewB_73]

Hey Rusty, this video here really made me catch on as a fan of your channel. I've tried Rollo and Latenna based on your recommendations, and they've been absolute slam dunks I never would've thought to get were it not for you. Also, just in general, on all your videos I find myself consistently impressed with your deep knowledge of the game and quality, intelligent and humorous delivery in your content. Great stuff!

[@pharaohbubbles1547]

HOLD THE PHONE! How'd you get ashes in an evergaol??????

[@EJI253]

He probably messed with the params lol

[@aetrem50]

Deenh is the one summon I always go back to in every playthrough. He’s just so much fun it’s genuinely like having a support next to you.

[@viviolet7]

lhutel is my go-to, not for real strategic reasons she just looks cool

[@dustinsterling3248]

Winged Hussar hype

[@zyriantel9601]

@@dustinsterling3248 THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRI- *teleports away* *reappears elsewhere in the arena* THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED

[@rud5101]

Avionette Soldier ashes are one of my favorites. Those little guys go absolutely insane in mob fights, and are good at inflicting bleed by themselves.

[@logansmithers5480]

Glad someone else rocks those crazy little fuckers haha

[@RamadaArtist]

Counterpoint on Lhutel: pulling aggro means you get regular reprieves from highly aggressive bosses; just enough time get a heal, or recover your stamina. Immediately breaking aggro means she doesn't get stomped on, and has much more longevity in the fight. She's the perfect backup for someone who actually wants to fight a boss, but doesn't simply want to spend five minutes dodging between attacks. Also Ogha is just flat out good. My go to summon for bosses when I don't feel like racing the black blade effect's timeout when summoning Tiche. Basically a MUCH better version of the Ancestral Follower (which is sad, because I like the follower.) Probably the best summon available for Placidusax, and is my default summon when fighting Mohg proper.

[@bobmcbob49]

Demihumans are so entertaining to go up against Rennala with. Take a look around the chamber and each corner has a different demi human beating a child.

[@cake_knight183]

I summon Latenna as soon as I enter Mohg's fight, and she can pretty much pepper him with impunity as long as you aren't super passive.

[@RamadaArtist]

@@cake_knight183 I mean it depends on the build. My first two characters who got to Mogh were faith casters using dragon communion spells, and you need good long openings to make that work. Ogha is perfect for that because she'll pull aggro from across the arena, but can actually standup to Mogh when he goes to pummel her. I was surprised later to find that the fight was much easier with my melee builds.

[@UltraxEmerald]

Dung Eater is my favorite summon. Not because of the debuff, I just like the idea of using him as a puppet.

[@uncleflansy5621]

The Rotten Stray soloed Margit for me the first time I played. I had no idea what people were talking about when they said Margit was super difficult.

[@xaeoxic7328]

Idk what they're saying easy. My first run he wasn't too bad, I have less then 100 hours and he's just... Easy.

[@xaeoxic7328]

@@liamwarren1302 I mean I use kristof he's maybe plus 5, but I just had double discounters with blood loss. It was just me waiting for his ridiculously long abilities and I could usually get 2 double swings off. Wasn't before long before he'd get knocked over. I don't think kristof or what's her face did a whole lot aside from take agro a hand full of times, but the boss targets whoever is damaging them so it's like he would attack them after he did an attack or just run across the arena away from me so if didn't really do me any justice. My whole build relies on reading the boss dodging until an opening to hit some slow worth while attacks that hit hard. I mean a jumping heavy into a swing with both of my swords then just back pedel was kinda free. Easy boss imo

[@yannaedc5934]

The first one is one of my favorites. The Demi Humans. I call them The Homies. The skeletons are funny too, the two skeletons that keep respawning. I forgot about the dog and why it was special but that is why I am here :)

[@schar7162]

If you ever end up talking about Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff I think his ability to stun Malenia with his thunderbolt move is a neat thing to swing in his favor. It mostly works when she's walking towards you in a threatening fashion, but he can also chain thunderbolts together meaning she just sits there getting struck by lightning. I don't know how well he works in phase 2 because I only ever beat phase 2 once and it was pure chaos

[@reizak8966]

I relied on mimic way too much on my previous playthroughs, so now I'm doing a pure melee strength build and the only summon I use is the Stormhawk Dinah. Birdie bird is so good but doesn't draw too much aggro and gives a nice buff, so I don't feel like she's doing the fight for me.

[@Neirean]

Deenh fr best birb

[@brianbumble]

Latenna can solo the fire giant. That alone puts her in the top 3. Terra magica buffs her further. Literally my fav summon. We need more wolves in the game. Let me pick her up and place her on Torrent and ill lose my mind

[@joshhayes3433]

Latenna is fantastic on Astel - summon her by the door and all you have to do is keep the boss from killing her while she puts in the work, seriously fantastic and underrated. I feel the greatshield soldiers are fantastic as well, but I don't know if they're popular.

[@gabadaba5436]

Marionette soldiers are really good. The amount of damage they can pump is amazing, and they can consistently draw aggro and give you breathing room. They're my go-to for most bosses I can't be brothered to have a serious fight with but still want to feel like I'm not completely taking the easy way out

[@Zefra_Sol]

lhutel was my spirit ash for my entire playthrough and you effectively summarized why she's great as a partner. you take turns attracting aggro making for a slightly less stressful experience while also still feeling like you are fighting and doing your part in a boss fight

[@cubeofsoup]

I'm confused I didn't think you could summon spirit ashes in any of the evergaol fights?

[@sasaki999pro]

Hold on- WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS?? You shouldnt be able to! I never found an evergaol that let me use spirits, WTF is going on??

[@Thunderlord_Tozn]

I think there’s some kind of bug. Bcuz I have noticed during my first play-through that sometimes when I enter a boss fight for the first time I’m able to summon ashes but then if I die and comeback I can’t do it anymore. Very strange tbh.

[@rezataghdisi6762]

I think he is using a mod on pc

[@greebly6011]

One of my favorite support summons was the perfumer, because they would just constantly give you damage resistance but wouldn't fare too well on their own

[@AT7outof10]

I wanna see one of those mod channels do a boss run with just Tiche, Rollo, and Finlay as a three-man DnD party. (maybe Latenna as the fourth if the add in her dog wheelchair)

[@skiddytrippy7189]

So funny story for me I started using Lhutel the headless as spirit summon at a very early level(40 ish) and before late game(lv 120 ish) I was rocking brass shield and naginata with like 20 vigor that I never leveled until I am like lv90, so I got vigor checked, like a lot, and since Lhutel was not that upgraded she could only take like 6 or 7 hits instead of 10 or 20. So as I used her in almost all tough battles or battles with repeating bosses that I am not that interested in fighting alone, a genuine feeling of bonding developed. It helped that she has a shield and spear, and I also had a shield and spear and before late game our damage was comparable with mine being slightly higher. It really felt like we were fellas in arms. I guess it also helped that I liked when aggro was on me so i can learn the right way to evade and attack windows, but my damage is low enough most of the time that I was fine with losing aggro to get some stray hits in. Of course when I got the bolt of gransax and went all dual spear the dynamic shifted a little but Lhutel is basically still the only spirit ash I ever summon and I see her as an always reliable comrade.

[@N7Tigger]

So it would be more accurate to say "Let's Rank About 14% Of The Spirit Ashes."

[@IliumGaming]

for bleed builds, the fanged imp and vulgar militia ashes are incredible for proccing effects. they struggle on large bosses with AOE but between them and Rollo you’re gonna be getting off a lot of bleed.

[@charles4283]

Demi human ashes: ‘it’s chewsday innit’ *chefs margit up for chilling in their ends*

[@OisirM]

I watched a good friend of mine play through the game with Rollo, and I swear every time he would be fighting... pretty much anything, I fully expected him to T-pose to assert dominance after staggering an enemy, that's the kind of energy that summon gives off. I don't know, he's just a big dude that slaps things really hard in a variety of ways, I feel like that's a very satisfying dynamic to have for a summon.

[@pieoverlord]

YES. Glad my boy Rollo gets the praise he deserves. Swear to god, I was getting ready to jump down here and whinge on his exclusion. Hard carried me through the game. Point you didn't mention was that he builds a solid amount of bleed, so you can double up and shred things or just appreciate the boss popping every now and then. Plus he's always smiling!

[@HarfelJ]

Actually, he comments on bleed around 15:07. I don't use summons much but I find them fun to watch, definitely will give this guy a try!

[@pieoverlord]

@@HarfelJ Woops, missed that. Too busy beaming with pride. Look at 'im go!

[@Nineball459]

I always loved the Mausoleum soldier ashes, being able to summon 5 tanky bois that do shit tons of poise damage makes it feel like I have a small army at my disposal

[@kappants]

How are you using Ashes in evergaols?

[@Colossobm]

Man, I discovered your channel by accident and I just can't wait to see more and more rank "anything" 🤣🤣🤣I do watch even the ranks I didn't want to know. I don't know wether I Thank you or not, but you did a great job!!!

[@lawmanlawman2210]

Nice to see my boy Oleg getting an honorable mention, love that guy

[@smokinggnu6584]

Can confirm, the Crystalian summon is my best friend, as a caster. If i can survive the 20 seconds after summoning him against a boss i win the fight. 2 Magma Wyrms waaayyy out of my weight class already taken down, for starters.

[@ShiranuiLoki]

I think Page summon is pretty good. It can use explosive bolt to stunlock mini to humansize enemies.

[@SonicSanctuary]

oh yeah the Paige is like having a back up homie.

[@hask620]

Main use for lhutel as far as I see it is when you're playing a pure melee build, a bruiser strength type, and you're pretty decent at dodging anyway. Lhutel is just free damage that won't get itself killed that way, and often makes the boss turn away for just long enough to get an extra charged heavy attack in when it counts

[@VB-92]

My honorable mention would be the Kaiden Mercenary. He will help flinch/stun lock everything that can't pass the poise check he brings. Summoning him for phase 2 Rennala is kind of funny.

[@dannyboi5887]

Seconded. Fucking love charging into a group of enemies with him and just going ham, dude's a bro in every sense of the word. I think the reason he doesn't get much attention is because of being the reward for beating Cliffbottom Catacombs, one of the more annoying dungeons in the game on top of being kinda hard to find if you aren't scraping every inch of the map.

[@colorgreen8728]

Dung eater also has some passive bleed and his flurry attacks do that well. I wish so bad we had an omen summon imo. Rollo slams bosses so well, love rollo

[@jorgecorea7528]

I love Latenna, she's my cute sniper support. Set her up in a good perch, preferably where she can have a headglitch and keep aggro on yourself. I like using her because she helps me without giving me the feeling that someone else is fighting my battles, you know what I mean?

[@finnaldredge-byars7578]

Lhutel was the main summon I used for my run, and her grabbing aggro at the start really helped me get off my dragon incantations.

[@hask620]

Marionettes have pretty fantastic poise damage, if nothing else. I've watched them solo the second phase of lunala more than once

[@minespatch]

Yeah, been depending on them on most of my playthrough. They can be decent tanks once upgraded to +4.

[@WUZLE]

I've gotten fond of the greatshield soldiers when playing my mage. They don't do much damage but they often block in even late game bosses and give me time to fire off spells.

[@hugollywood7331]

Where is my son pumpkin head, he is a fucking tank sponge, does great dmg, can bleed and have a cool helmet AND WHERE ARE MY SKELETON BOYS, THEY CARRIED MY FIRST PLAYTHROUGH! They are fucking infinite agro machine (Also great video)

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

Skeleton lads are aggressive enough to hold a boss' aggro, deal surprisingly good poise damage... and, y'know, have the ability to *respawn indefinitely.* Way better than demi-humans, imo

[@asmosisyup2557]

I used that fire knight combo for a very large part of the game, and the other knight combo earlier. Having a summon with a shield can be pretty huge early on and the fire knights do decent damage to most things.

[@Knights_of_the_Nine]

Luhtel's teleport is what makes him the best. Lost aggro? Whatever. He draws aggro constantly and WONT DIE.

[@Svoorhout85]

I defeated the Elden Beast with Amon of the Black Flame. I read on the wiki that black fire deals bonus damage to god type enemies. He did well enough to survive the entire fight.

[@enlongjones2394]

Great shield soldiers are hilarious. They just take very little damage, and they can just bully bosses forever sometimes.

[@raptorxrise5386]

its so funny. one time they get instantly one shot by some elemental aoe attack and the next they are bullying malenia.

[@cubeofsoup]

rolling up with the squad is good times

[@justnomad0]

I started using Latenna after watching this video and now she's my favourite summon. That sniping is just chef's kiss, especially against dragons.

[@omegaweapon116]

She destroyed Astel for me

[@rangopistacho6928]

if omenkiller Rollo can knock malenia out of waterfowl, he is instantly the best summon in the game

[@zombieslayer2016]

I know I'm a little late here but it bears mentioning that he only knocked her out of waterfall because of a bleed proc You can achieve the same results a frostbite pot

[@alchemy5750]

Mausoleum soldiers are super underrated in my opinion. Most other similar ones like the radahn soldiers or the godrick soldiers give you like 2-3 units per use, but with the Mausoleums, you get 5 teleporting soldiers that can switch between ranged and since some come with a warpick, can also break poise quite effectively. With commander's spear buff they literally soloed Radagon for me, all I needed to do was heal them a couple times.

[@wallydjinn1255]

This is Giant Rats erasure and I won't stand for it

[@dontcallme5551]

I like the Putric Corpses Spirit ash, simply because they are tanky as hell and keep agro enough for me to just spam the boss from a safe distance. This a really slept on spirit, simply because they basically do no damage. But, if you have a mage build, use dragon communion spells, or have a bow build, they can be surprisingly usefull.

[@zviyeri9117]

isn't it ironic how the "best" summons are the most despicable people in the game who you're using against their will

[@bgtyhn9323]

Nah bro Rollie is a hero, after Leyndell sewers I fully support omen genocide

[@bgtyhn9323]

*rollo

[@DeltDelt-j6n]

In a build where I use placidusax weapon with 80 dex the mimic is just not replacable because it use the ash of war that does 3000 damages, you leggit one shot malenia if you use it at the same time as the mimic

[@kingsaccountability]

I used the 3 wolves>stormhawk>demi humans>lhutel>mimic. Lhutel is a beast but with the teleporting vs late game bosses she often teleports into big attacks so fights become r&g how long she lives. Demihumans were awesome at breaking human sized/medium sized boss stances and taking aggro but have like 500hp each even at max level.

[@mannydani9180]

I haven't played with them for long, but the skeletal militiamen have been really helpful. They hold the sort of dynamic of pulling agro from each other that you were talking about with one exception, you pull agro when they're low health so they can revive. It doesn't always work but when it does, oh man is it helpful

[@foxman2373]

Stormhawk Deenh is my personal favorite and was my most prominent summon in my playthrough after I got her, and I agree that she was a very good summon for a "player who doesn't want to feel like they're being carried". My build involved spamming Fallingstar Beast's Jaw's ash of war, and I'm not sure if Deenh's buff applies to that, but regardless I just loved fighting with a surprisingly tanky and low-cost birb who constantly made me stronger :)

[@cubeofsoup]

Fanged Imps early game if you start Samurai (for the bleed weapon) are really strong because they proc bleed and you can take them as your keepsake and start summoning them as soon as you get the bell. They are get out-scaled similar to Rot Dog except even easier to access, especially if the idea of venturing into Caelid early game is spooky to you. Bit of a similar situation to the greatshield soldiers where it feels fun to roll up with the homies.

[@Yharim_The_Impaler]

My personal go-to is either Oleg or Kristoff. Oleg is just a machine with the intent of cutting down whatever is in his field of vision without caring about being damaged. Kristoff is probably the tankiest of all summons and his lightning attacks can do some sizable damage to certain bosses. His rejection incantation can knock back smaller foes and he can keep aggro for however long you want him to.