Unlocking the Black Flame Ritual in Elden Ring: A Guide

The powerful Black Flame Ritual is an incantation given to the apostles by the Gloam-Eyed Queen in the game Elden Ring. This spell conjures pillars of black fire that not only shield the caster from attacks but also inflict fire damage on any foes caught in the blaze.

This guide will walk you through how to locate this elusive spell in Elden Ring and how to maximize its effectiveness during gameplay.

Where to Find the Black Flame Ritual

You can acquire the Black Flame Ritual by defeating the Spiritcaller Snail boss located in the Spiritcaller Cave. This cave is situated in the northeastern section of the Mountaintop of the Giants.

The cave entrance can be found directly northwest of the first Church of Marika and southeast of Castle Sol. Inside, you’ll encounter numerous snail enemies that summon various spirits to challenge you.

Upon reaching the end of the cave, you will face the Spiritcaller Snail, which summons both a Godskin Apostle and a Godskin Noble in succession unless you defeat the snail first.

Once vanquished, the Spiritcaller Snail will yield the Black Flame Ritual incantation as a reward.

Attributes and Applications of the Black Flame Ritual

To cast the Black Flame Ritual, you will need a sacred seal and a minimum of 42 Faith, along with one available spell slot.

This incantation consumes 30 FP and 39 stamina per use. When cast, it surrounds the caster with pillars of black flame, effectively preventing enemies from executing melee attacks.

The flames deal both fire and stance damage to nearby foes. However, there’s a drawback: the effect lasts only 4 seconds, during which the caster cannot move.

You can charge the Black Flame Ritual to expand the radius of the pillars without altering the duration, and using the Godfrey Icon while charging will boost the damage by 15%.

This spell is particularly useful against larger bosses, such as the Magma Wyrm, which tend to remain stationary. Compared to the Burn, O Flame incantation, the Black Flame Ritual significantly outclasses it by creating not only an opening for your attacks but also delivering substantial damage to large adversaries.