As a dedicated Elden Ring player who has spent countless hours optimizing builds and testing various weapon combinations, I’ve found that weapon affinities are one of the most impactful yet often misunderstood mechanics in the game.
Today, I want to break down how affinities work, how they synergize with Ashes of War, and how to choose the right combination for your build.
What Are Weapon Affinities?
Affinities in Elden Ring are special properties that can be applied to weapons, altering their damage scaling and sometimes adding elemental or status effect damage. When you apply an Ash of War to a weapon at a Site of Grace, you’re often presented with multiple affinity options that can dramatically change how your weapon performs.
The base affinities available in the game include:
- Standard: The default affinity with balanced physical damage scaling
- Heavy: Enhances Strength scaling while reducing other scaling factors
- Keen: Enhances Dexterity scaling while reducing other scaling factors
- Quality: Provides balanced scaling between Strength and Dexterity
- Magic: Adds Intelligence scaling and Magic damage
- Fire: Adds Fire damage with some Strength scaling
- Flame Art: Adds Fire damage with Faith scaling
- Lightning: Adds Lightning damage with Dexterity scaling
- Sacred: Adds Holy damage with Faith scaling
- Poison: Adds Poison buildup with Arcane scaling
- Blood: Adds Blood Loss buildup with Arcane scaling
- Occult: Primarily scales with Arcane
- Cold: Adds Frost buildup and Intelligence scaling
The Synergy Between Affinities and Ashes of War
The relationship between a weapon’s affinity and its Ash of War creates one of the deepest customization systems in the game. Here’s how they work together:
1. Damage Type Synergy
When you pair an Ash of War with a matching affinity, you create a powerful synergy. For example, applying the “Hoarfrost Stomp” Ash of War with a Cold affinity creates a weapon that not only deals frost damage with regular attacks but also unleashes a powerful frost-based skill.
This synergy becomes particularly potent when facing enemies with specific weaknesses. Against fire-vulnerable enemies, a Flame Art affinity paired with a fire-based Ash of War like “Flame of the Redmanes” creates devastating damage potential.
2. Stat Scaling Optimization
The affinity you choose determines which of your character’s attributes will influence the weapon’s damage output. This is where build optimization really shines:
- Intelligence Builds: Magic or Cold affinities pair excellently with Ashes of War like “Glintblade Phalanx” or “Carian Grandeur”
- Faith Builds: Sacred or Flame Art affinities work wonderfully with “Golden Vow” or “Flame Spear”
- Strength Builds: Heavy affinity maximizes damage for pure strength characters
- Dexterity Builds: Keen affinity ensures your high dexterity stat is fully utilized
- Hybrid Builds: Quality affinity works best for balanced Strength/Dexterity investments
3. Skill Amplification
Some Ashes of War perform significantly better with certain affinities because the skill damage scales with the same stats as the affinity. For instance:
- “Bloodhound’s Step” with a Keen affinity on a dexterity build provides both mobility and optimized damage
- “Wild Strikes” with a Heavy affinity gives strength builds powerful continuous attacks with maximum damage scaling
- “Black Flame Tornado” with a Flame Art affinity scales doubly with Faith—both for the weapon damage and the skill itself
Practical Examples and Build Recommendations
Let me share some of the most effective affinity and Ash of War combinations that I’ve found particularly effective:
For Intelligence Builds: A Moonveil Katana (which has innate Magic affinity) combined with its default “Transient Moonlight” Ash of War creates a perfect synergy where both your regular attacks and weapon skill scale with Intelligence.
For Blood Loss Builds: Applying “Seppuku” Ash of War with a Blood affinity to dual Uchigatanas creates an incredibly potent blood loss setup. The affinity adds blood loss buildup to regular attacks, while the Ash of War temporarily increases this effect even further.
For Pure Strength Builds: A Greatsword with “Lion’s Claw” Ash of War and Heavy affinity ensures that your massive Strength stat is fully utilized for both regular swings and the powerful leaping attack.
For Faith Casters: A Clayman’s Harpoon with “Black Flame Tornado” and Flame Art affinity creates a devastating combination where your Faith stat amplifies both your regular attacks and the powerful spinning flame attack.
Choosing the Right Combination for Your Playstyle
When selecting an affinity and Ash of War combination, consider these factors:
- Your primary attribute investments: Match your affinity to your highest stats
- Enemy weaknesses: Certain bosses and areas favor specific damage types
- PvP considerations: Some combinations are particularly effective against other players
- Playstyle preference: Pick skills that complement how you like to engage in combat
Remember that you can freely change your affinity and Ash of War at any Site of Grace, so experiment with different combinations until you find what works best for you.
Common Pitfalls When Using Weapon Affinities in Elden Ring
Even veteran Tarnished can find themselves making suboptimal choices when it comes to weapon affinities. After hundreds of hours of gameplay and countless respecs, I’ve identified several common mistakes that can significantly impact your combat effectiveness. Let’s explore these pitfalls so you can avoid them in your journey through the Lands Between.
The Split Damage Trap
One of the most misunderstood aspects of elemental affinities (Magic, Fire, Lightning, etc.) is how split damage works. When you apply an elemental affinity to a weapon, its physical damage is reduced, and elemental damage is added. This seems beneficial at first glance, but there’s a crucial hidden mechanic at play: enemy defense calculations apply separately to each damage type.
What this means in practice:
- A pure physical weapon with 500 AR (Attack Rating) might deal 400 damage to an enemy
- A split weapon with 300 physical + 300 elemental (600 total AR) might only deal 200 + 180 = 380 damage
This occurs because the enemy’s defenses reduce each damage type independently, effectively “double-dipping” on damage reduction. This pitfall is particularly problematic when facing enemies with high resistances to your chosen element.
When to avoid this pitfall: In general, pure physical affinities (Heavy, Keen, Quality) are more reliable against enemies with unknown resistances, especially in your first playthrough. Elemental affinities shine when targeting specific enemy weaknesses or when your build has very high casting stats.
Mismatched Stat Investments
I’ve seen countless players apply a Magic affinity to their weapon while having minimal Intelligence, or a Blood affinity with low Arcane. This fundamentally misunderstands how scaling works.
For example, if your stats are 50 STR/10 INT/10 FTH/10 ARC, applying anything other than a Heavy affinity (or possibly Standard/Quality) is likely reducing your damage output significantly. The letter grades (S, A, B, C, D, E) on the weapon stat screen can be misleading without considering your actual attribute levels.
Rule of thumb: Your affinity should almost always match your highest attribute investment. The exceptions are niche builds or specific boss counters.
Ignoring Base Weapon Properties
Not all weapons respond equally to affinities. This pitfall has two main forms:
- Applying affinities to weapons with innate effects: Some weapons, like the Scorpion’s Stinger, come with innate status effects (Scarlet Rot in this case). Applying certain affinities can overwrite or diminish these effects, potentially weakening a weapon’s unique advantage.
- Overlooking base scaling factors: Weapons with naturally high scaling in certain attributes will benefit more from corresponding affinities. For instance, the Claymore has good Strength scaling by default, making it respond especially well to a Heavy affinity compared to weapons with naturally low Strength scaling.
Always check how the base weapon’s properties interact with your chosen affinity before committing upgrade materials.
The “Unreachable Weapons” Problem
Many players don’t realize that certain weapon types cannot receive particular affinities. For example:
- Fist weapons cannot receive the Magic affinity
- Whips cannot be given the Heavy affinity
- Some weapons with unique properties cannot be infused at all
This can lead to wasted time planning builds around impossible combinations. Always check if your weapon type can actually receive your desired affinity before investing in the stats to support it.
Overvaluing Status Effects
Blood Loss and Frost are extremely powerful status effects, leading many players to immediately gravitate toward Blood or Cold affinities. However, this can be a pitfall for several reasons:
- Many late-game bosses have high resistance or immunity to these status effects
- The base damage reduction from these affinities can make regular attacks significantly weaker
- Diminishing returns on multiple sources of the same status effect (dual-wielding two Frost weapons doesn’t proc Frost twice as fast as you might expect)
Status effect affinities are powerful tools but shouldn’t be applied universally without consideration for enemy resistances and your overall damage output.
The Ash of War Mismatch
A subtle but impactful pitfall occurs when players choose an Ash of War with damage scaling that differs from their affinity scaling.
For example, applying the “Hoarfrost Stomp” (which scales with Intelligence) but using a Flame Art affinity (which scales with Faith) creates a mismatch where your regular attacks benefit from Faith while your weapon skill benefits from Intelligence—making it impossible to optimize both simultaneously.
Always check if your Ash of War’s damage type and scaling match your chosen affinity for maximum synergy.
The Upgrade Material Dilemma
This is more of a practical issue than a mechanical one, but it’s worth noting: changing affinities frequently can lead to upgrade material shortages, especially Smithing Stones. While you can freely switch affinities at Sites of Grace, you cannot recover the materials used to upgrade the weapon.
Before committing to upgrading a weapon to +25/+10, be sure you’re satisfied with how it performs with your chosen affinity.
PvP vs. PvE Disconnect
A significant pitfall for players who enjoy both PvE and PvP content is failing to recognize that optimal affinities differ dramatically between these modes:
- In PvE, targeting specific enemy weaknesses with the right elemental affinity can trivialize certain encounters
- In PvP, players generally have more balanced resistances, making raw damage and status buildup more valuable than specific elements
Many players create a “jack of all trades” weapon that underperforms in both contexts, rather than having dedicated setups for each mode.
Testing Methodology: How to Compare Affinities
To avoid these pitfalls, you need a reliable testing methodology. Here’s a simple but effective approach I’ve developed for comparing weapon affinities:
- Choose Consistent Test Subjects
- The soldiers at Gatefront Ruins in Limgrave make excellent test subjects
- For late-game testing, the Haligtree soldiers provide consistent high-level enemies
- Always test on the same enemy type in the same location
- Control Your Variables
- Use the same weapon at the same upgrade level
- Don’t change your stats between tests
- Avoid using buffs that could skew results
- Hit the same body part (headshots vs. body shots deal different damage)
- Record Multiple Data Points
- Test both light and heavy attacks
- Record at least 5 hits of each attack type and average the results
- Note any critical hits or counter-damage and exclude these outliers
- Create a Simple Damage Spreadsheet
- Track your weapon’s AR with each affinity
- Record the actual damage numbers from your tests
- Calculate the effective damage percentage (Actual Damage ÷ Listed AR)
- Compare the real-world efficiency of different affinities
- Test Against Various Resistances
- Try the same comparison against enemies with known elemental weaknesses/resistances
- Test on both heavily armored and unarmored enemies
This methodical approach will provide more useful information than simply comparing AR numbers in your equipment menu. I’ve found that weapons often perform quite differently in practice than their stats would suggest.
Testing Is Essential
Perhaps the biggest pitfall of all is relying too heavily on guides like this one without testing for yourself. Elden Ring’s damage calculations are complex, and individual playstyles, stat distributions, and preferences all impact what works best for you.
Before fully committing to an affinity, test your damage output against various enemy types. Compare different affinities on the same weapon against the same enemy to get a true feel for the differences. The in-game AR numbers don’t always translate directly to actual combat performance.
Remember that you can always respec your character with Larval Tears and change affinities at Sites of Grace, so don’t be afraid to experiment until you find the perfect combination for your Tarnished’s journey.
Essential Whetblades: Unlocking Affinity Options in Elden Ring
One crucial aspect of the weapon affinity system is the need to find special items called Whetblades and the fundamental Whetstone Knife. These ancient smith tools are scattered throughout the Lands Between and are essential for accessing the full range of affinity options at Sites of Grace. Without the corresponding items, you’ll be severely limited in your affinity choices, regardless of which Ashes of War you’ve collected.
Starting with the Whetstone Knife
Before you can apply any Ashes of War or change affinities, you must first acquire the basic Whetstone Knife:
Whetstone Knife (Basic Ash of War Application)
- Location: Gatefront Ruins, Limgrave
- Function: Enables basic Ash of War application and Standard affinity
This is the foundational item for the entire weapon customization system. Without it, you cannot apply Ashes of War at all. The game strongly guides new players to this location, but some may miss it in their initial exploration.
Why Whetblades Matter
Even with the Whetstone Knife, your affinity options remain limited. By default, you can only apply:
- The affinity that naturally comes with the Ash of War
- The Standard affinity
To access other affinities (Heavy, Keen, Magic, etc.), you must find the corresponding Whetblade. This makes locating these specialized tools a high priority for any build-focused player.
Complete Whetblade Locations Guide
Here’s where to find every Whetstone Knife and Whetblade in the game, organized by region and difficulty of acquisition:
1. Iron Whetblade (Physical Affinities)
- Location: Stormveil Castle
- Affinities Unlocked: Heavy, Keen, Quality
This should be the first Whetblade you obtain, as it allows strength, dexterity, and quality builds to optimize their weapons early in the game.
2. Glintstone Whetblade (Magic Affinities)
- Location: Raya Lucaria Academy
- Affinities Unlocked: Magic, Cold
Intelligence builds should prioritize this Whetblade to gain access to Magic and Cold affinities.
3. Red-Hot Whetblade (Fire Affinities)
- Location: Redmane Castle (Caelid)
- Affinities Unlocked: Fire, Flame Art
The Fire affinity scales primarily with Strength, while Flame Art scales with Faith, making this Whetblade valuable for both types of builds.
4. Sanctified Whetblade (Holy Affinities)
- Location: Fortified Manor in Leyndell, Royal Capital
- Affinities Unlocked: Sacred, Lightning
Faith builds should target this Whetblade to access both Sacred (Holy) and Lightning affinities.
5. Black Whetblade (Auxiliary Affinities)
- Location: Nokron, Eternal City
- Affinities Unlocked: Poison, Blood, Occult
This is perhaps the most valuable Whetblade for Arcane builds, as it unlocks Blood and Occult affinities that scale with this attribute.
Strategic Whetblade Acquisition
Depending on your build, you should prioritize certain Whetblades:
- Strength Builds: Iron Whetblade → Red-Hot Whetblade
- Dexterity Builds: Iron Whetblade → Sanctified Whetblade
- Intelligence Builds: Glintstone Whetblade → Iron Whetblade
- Faith Builds: Red-Hot Whetblade → Sanctified Whetblade
- Arcane Builds: Black Whetblade → Iron Whetblade
For hybrid builds, adjust your priorities accordingly. For example, a Strength/Faith build would want both the Iron and Red-Hot Whetblades early, while an Intelligence/Dexterity build would prioritize both the Glintstone and Iron Whetblades.
Unique Properties and Limitations
It’s important to note some additional details about the Whetblade system:
- Whetblades stack with all Ashes of War. Once you have a Whetblade, you can apply its affinities to any compatible Ash of War.
- Some weapons cannot receive certain affinities, regardless of which Whetblades you have. This is a property of the weapon itself, not the Whetblade.
- Special weapons upgraded with Somber Smithing Stones cannot have their affinities changed. Whetblades only work with standard weapons that use regular Smithing Stones.
- Whetblades are permanent unlocks. Once found, they remain available at all Sites of Grace for the rest of your playthrough.
- Some affinities are exclusive to specific Ashes of War. For example, the “Chilling Mist” Ash of War is the only way to apply the Frost affinity without the Glintstone Whetblade.
Remember that finding a Whetblade doesn’t automatically make its corresponding affinities the best choice for your build. Always consider your stat distribution, enemy resistances, and preferred playstyle when selecting an affinity.
Conclusion
Mastering the interplay between weapon affinities and Ashes of War opens up incredible build diversity in Elden Ring. Whether you’re creating a specialized build for a specific boss fight or developing a versatile character for exploring the Lands Between, understanding these mechanics will significantly enhance your gameplay experience.
What affinity combinations have you found most effective in your journeys through the Lands Between? Let me know in the comments below, if you like!
If you found this article helpful, please check out our other Elden Ring Guides & Tips for more in-depth strategies and advice to enhance your journey through the Lands Between!
Happy hunting, Tarnished!
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