Elden Ring: Sorceries and Incantations—What’s the difference?

With all the bells and whistles FromSoftware introduced in Elden Ring, there is a very common question many of us have. Why are there two different types of magic in Elden Ring –Sorceries and Incantations? And what are the differences between the two?

The obvious difference is that Incantations rely on the Faith stat, while Sorceries rely on the Intelligence stat. The main difference between the two spell classes from an effect standpoint is that Incantations consist of mostly healing and utility spells, with damaging spells being the exception to the rule. Meanwhile, sorceries are spells intended to hit hard and deliver significant damage from a distance.

Elden Ring Classes that use incantations from the get-go

Note that in Elden Ring you can build each class the way you want but as far as Incantations are concerned if you want to be able to use them right from the start you will have to pick the Confessor class that comes with Urgent Heal (healing), and Assassin's approach (stealthy utility incantation).

The other choice for fans of incantations is the Prophet that comes with Heal (healing) and Oh, Flame (fire damage). To gain access to incantations with any other class you will have to increase your Faith stat and find vendors that sell incantations and seals.

Finally, you must have a Seal equipped to use an Incantation.

Elden Ring Classes that use Sorceries from the get-go

On the flip side of things, the main representative of mages in Elden Ring is the Astrologer that comes with the highest Intelligence in the game, along with high Dexterity and Mind stats. The two starting sorceries for the Astrologer are Glintstone Arc (Magic Damage) and Glintstone Pebble (also Magic Damage).

The second sorcery-oriented class in Elden Ring is the Prisoner and it comes equipped with a single sorcery right from the start. That sorcery is Magic Glintblade and it is essentially a mix of an arcane and conjuration spell, which “creates a sigil that forms a projectile glintblade”.

I think arcane is the more accurate term here as you don't really conjure a blade that remains active during the fight, this is a one-off projectile.

In the case of Sorceries, your character must have a staff equipped to use a Sorcery.

Every Elden Ring Class can acquire incantations & Sorceries

This is the most important point. Elden Ring does not limit the player on how to build their character. Ideally, you want to build your base starting class by maximizing the potential of its individual gameplay, but there is always room for divergence and improvisation.

You will find vendors all around the Lands Between that can sell you sorceries and incantations in exchange for runes, the game's currency. However, it is up to you to raise your character's stats so that they will meet the requirement to use each spell.

I hope this clears any confusion about the differences between the two different spell classes in Elden Ring and how to get started with them. For more Elden Ring guides, you can head to our Elden Ring guides main hub.