How to Apply Ashes of War: A Comprehensive Guide
Ashes of War are a game-changing aspect in the Soulsborne genre, allowing players to further customize their weapons and improve their combat efficiency. For those new to the franchise, understanding how to apply Ashes of War can seem daunting, but don’t worry – we’re here to walk you through it.
What Are Ashes of War?
Before diving into how to apply them, it’s essential to understand what Ashes of War are. Ashes of War are special tokens that hold the essence of ancient warrior artifacts, which can be used to modify the statistics and capabilities of your weapon. By applying Ashes of War to your weapons, you can enhance your combat effectiveness, increase damage output, or improve durability.
Gathering Ashes of War
The first step in applying Ashes of War is, of course, gathering them. There are multiple ways to acquire Ashes of War:
- Rewarded from the Battle-Able Enemies: Defeated battle-able enemies like Tarnished and Graveborne carry a chance of dropping Ashes of War when defeated. These enemies typically have specific Ashes of War attached to their drops, making farming a viable strategy.
- Purchasing from Merchant: Players can also buy Ashes of War from certain Merchants who wander the Lands Between, typically found in larger cities. These Ashes are usually more common and not as rare as those found from battle-able enemies.
- Found through Exploration: By exploring specific locations and areas, players might stumble upon rare Ashes of War in hidden niches or hidden rooms.
- Inheritance System: Players can also obtain Ashes of War from inheritance, when a peer-to-peer transaction occurs through the Inheritance System, found in major cities and specific locations.
Selecting the Correct Ashes of War
When searching for Ashes of War, it’s crucial to ensure you have the right Ashes to apply. Here’s what you should know:
| Parameter | How to check |
|---|---|
| Effect Type | Check the effect description of the Ashes of War. Not all Ashes of War work on every weapon! |
| Weapon Categories | Ashes of War work on specific weapon categories, such as Straight, Curve, Great, et al. |
How to Apply Ashes of War
Finally, now that you’ve gathered or obtained the right Ashes of War, it’s time to apply them to your weapon:
- Equipped Weapons: From your inventory, select a weapon you’d like to enhance.
- Ashes Menu: Highlight the weapon in your equipped screen and press L2/LT or the left analog stick to bring up the weapon’s info screen. The Ashes of War icon will be visible within.
- Allocate the Ashes: On the weapon info screen, hover over the Ashes of War slot and click or press to allocate an Ashes to the empty slot.
- Remove Ashes: Same steps as before, select an Ashes of War already applied, and delete it by confirming the yes or "Unapply Ashes of War" prompt. Some Ashes can also be removed once they expire, which typically requires some time, usually linked to the in-game system time.
Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Using Ashes of War Effectively
With this overview on how to apply Ashes of War, some important tips come to light:
- Experiment, Experiment, Experiment: Be cautious when testing Ashes, as most Ashes cannot be reapplied for some time (see note about Ashes that can expire).
- Prioritize High-Benefit Ashes: Pay attention to high-potential Ashes, offering unique effects for your builds or playstyles.
- Keep Experimenting: Be prepared for unexpected drops, and regularly check areas to find that one critical Ashes War that alters the game dramatically.
- Keep Alternate Builds or Presets Ready: Set aside alternate characters or copy specific builds when exploring unknown strategies or wanting to ‘clean slate.’
