The world of Elden Ring contains 9 one handed weapons capable of casting incantations owned by the wielder. These weapons are known as the Sacred Seals. One of these, the Finger Seal, is merely a starter item and should be replaced as soon as the player finds a suitable replacement. Another, the Erdtree Seal, is a high powered Seal with no specific specialization other than being a general buff. But, the other 8 Seals are known for specializing in their own category of incantations(Golden Order Seal = Golden Order incantations, Gravel Stone Seal = Dragon Cult incantations) and therefore their real value lies in the kinds of incantations they boost. 

     While most of these Seals have debatable value, as their incantations are all useful in their own ways and scenarios, there are some that stand out as either the strongest or most pertinent for specific builds. Such Sacred Seals go by the names of the Dragon Communion Seal, the Gravel Stone Seal, the Giant's Seal, and the Erdtree Seal.

     In the following article, I will list off these 4 powerful Seals and more,  providing their stats, and explaining what makes each Sacred Seal valuable. This includes the type of character build that should be utilized by a player who wishes to maximize that Seal’s power. Because in truth, where the top 4 are concerned, there is no one right answer. Depending on your character’s build and play style, the Sacred Seal meant for you can vary across the board.

1. Dragon Communion Seal (Arcane and Faith Build)

Required Stats

• Faith- 10
• Arcane- 10

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 60

Sacred Seal Damage Scaling Factor

• Faith- D, can be upgraded to B
• Arcane- C, can be upgraded to S

The Dragon Communion Seal Excels In,

• Area Damage

-The majority of the Dragon Communion icanations give the player the ability to channel the devastating breath of the dragons. This allows the caster to spread fire, ice, or poison over areas of enemies. Perfect for obliterating groups of opponents in PvE.

• Major Elemental Damage

-All Dragon Communion incantations deal elemental damage except for DragonsMaw, DragonClaw, and Greyoll’s Roar. These spells give players the opportunity to exploit the elemental weakness of their opponent, if they have one at all.

• PvP

-Based on personal and observed experience, The incantations cast by the Dragon Communion Seal are perfect for PvP. The moderate casting speed paired with the rapid spread of the dragon’s breath makes it easy to overwhelm real life opponents as well as control the battlefield. Try out Ekzykes’ Decay as well Rotten Breath.

-Also, try pairing weapon skills, attacks, and other incantations to explore the capabilities of the Dragon Communion Seal. There are a ton of possibilities so go ahead and explore!

Summary

The Dragon Communion Seal, the strongest Sacred Seal, is best utilized by a build that prioritizes the Faith and Arcane stat. So while it is the strongest Sacred Seal when it comes to raw power, it is not as effective when used by a more run of the mill faith build. Therefore it is only valuable to a significant playstyle. 

2. Gravel Stone Seal (Strength and Faith Build)

Required Stats

• Strength- 4
• Faith- 18

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 60

Damage Scaling Factor

• Strength- E, can be upgraded to D
• Faith- C, can be upgraded to S

The Gravel Stone Seal Excels In,

• Lightning Aspects

-All of the Dragon Cult incantations have to do with lightning attacks and buffs so be sure to use both. Try casting Vyke’s Dragonbolt to electrify your weapon and Dragonbolt Blessing to electrify your body before you start launching those lightning spears.

• Precision Attacks

-Ancient Dragons’ Lightning Spear, Fortisaxx’s Lightning Spear, Frozen Lightning Spear, and Lightning Spear are all ranged incantations that can be hurled at enemies from a distance. So as long as the opponent isn't resistant to lightning, feel free to hurl away!

• Area Damage

-Ancient Dragons’ Lightning Strike, Death Lightning, and Lightning Strike are all capable of covering the ground of the battlefield with inescapable arcs of lightning damage. Drop them down on mobs of enemies vulnerable to lightning in order to obliterate them.

Summary

Just as it was with The Dragon Communion Seal, the only way to squeeze maximum power from the Gravel Stone Seal is to alter your stats accordingly. The Gravel Stone Seal is at its best when used by a character build with a focus on both the strength and faith stats.

3. Giant’s Seal (Strength and Faith Build)

Required Stats

• Strength- 4
• Dexterity- 14

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 134

Damage Scaling Factor

• Strength- E, can be upgraded to D
• Faith- D, can be upgraded to S

The Giant’s Seal Excels In, 

• Fire Damage

-The Giants Seal Specializes in Fire Monk and Fire Giant Incantations. Every attack incantation has the ability to engulf foes in deadly flames, making this Seal perfect for vulnerable enemies as well as providing tick damage over time.

• Buffs

-The Giant’s Seal provides a boost to various buffs that can be placed upon the caster. These include “Flame, Cleanse Me”, which cures poison and scarlet rot. “Flame, Grant Me Strength”, an incantation that raises both physical and fire attack power. “Flame, Protect Me”, one that raises fire resistance. And lastly, “Fire’s Deadly Sin”, a particularly risky incantation that sets the user, attacking enemies, and the surrounding area ablaze. 

• Major Damage

-3 of the 4 Fire Giant Incantations involve throwing massive amounts of fire damage over a specific area. These incantations are called “Flame Of The Fell God”, “Flame, Fall Upon Them”, and “Giantsflame Take Thee”

Summary

This is another Sacred Seal whose power is maximized by a character build with a focus on strength and faith.

4. Golden Order Seal (Intelligence and Faith Build)

Required Stats

• Intelligence- 17
• Faith- 17

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 60

Damage Scaling Factor

• Intelligence- D, can be upgraded to A
• Faith- D, can be upgraded to A

The Golden Order Seal Excels In,

• Holy Damage

-Every attack incantation of the Golden Order deals holy damage, making this Seal particularly effective against the undead. Use “Triple Rings Of Light” to strike enemies from afar, “Radagon’s Rings Of Light” to harm those in your vicinity, or “Order’s Blade” to apply holy damage to your weapon.

• Support Incantations 

-The Golden Orders main specialty is in its ability to heal and aid the caster. “Law Of Regression” frees the player of any and all debuffs, “Order Healing” reduces death blight, and “Immutable Shield” can grant your shield ailment and affinity resistance.

 Summary

 The Golden Order Seal provides a boost to some incredibly useful Incantations that the player will find use of throughout the entire game. Power is maximized by investing in both intelligence and faith.

5. Godslayer’s Seal (Strength and Faith Build)

Required Stats

• Strength- 4
• Faith- 27

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 129

Damage Scaling Factor

• Strength- E, can be upgraded to D
• Faith- C, can be upgraded to S

The Godslayer’s Seal Excels In,

• Black Flame

-While Black Flame does deal initial fire damage, instead of a normal burn effect that does a locked amount of tick damage, Black Flame decreases HP by a percentage of the target’s maximum health. This makes it incredibly useful against any kind of enemy, especially those with a lot of health at their disposal.

Summary

Even though its incantations aren't that diverse, the effect that Black Flame provides makes this seal an interesting addition to any strength and faith build.

6. Erdtree Seal (Pure Faith Build)

Required Stats

• Faith- 40

Base Damage Stats

• Holy- 15
• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 60

Damage Scaling Factor

• Faith- C, can be upgraded to S

The Erdtree Seal Excels In,

• Versatility

-The boost provided by the Erdtree Seal is not as great as the ones provided by the previous Seals, but there is one major difference. Its boost applies to ALL incantations. So for players out there who want to experiment with various types of incantations at once without sacrificing too much power then this is the Sacred Seal to use.

• Healing

-Due to having the strongest faith scaling in the entire game, this Seal provides the greatest healing power when casting healing incantations.

Summary

Due to its high stat requirement, the Erdtree Seal is a mid to late game weapon no matter when you acquire it. However, it is also the only Sacred Seal that scales its damage solely based on the faith stat and therefore pairs best alongside a pure faith build. Without a provided boost to any category of incantations, the Erdtree Seal presents itself as a powerful Seal that offers an all round power increase to any incantation it casts. Although its boost may not be as great as the other Seals and their designated incantations, it has the ability to make all incantations stronger and not just one type.

7. Clawmark Seal (Strength and Faith Build)

Required Stats

• Strength- 4
• Faith- 10

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 60

Damage Scaling Factor

• Strength- D, can be upgraded to B
• Faith- D, Can be upgraded to B

The Clawmark Seal Excels In,

• Support Incantations 

-2 of the 6 Bestial Incantations provide aid to the player. “Bestial Constituition” decreases bleed/frost buildup and “Bestial Vitality” restores HP over time.

Summary

The Bestial Incantations are, for the most part, rudimentary attacks that do physical damage and can be bested by many of the Incantations of the other seals. Its two unique restorative Incantations, on the other hand, make it useful to keep handy if the need arises. Invest in strength and faith to get the most use out of this Sacred seal.

8. Frenzied Flame Seal (Strength/Dexterity/Intelligence and Faith Build)

Required Stats

None

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 146

Damage Scaling Factor

• Strength- E, can be upgraded to C
• Dexterity- E, can be upgraded to C
• Intelligence- E, can be upgraded to C
• Faith- D, can be upgraded to B

The Frenzied Flame Seal Excels In,

• NPC/PvP Madness

-All of the Frenzied Flame Incantations apply the madness effect, draining both HP and FP as well as staggering the opponent. However, it is important to note that madness only affects NPCs and other players.

Summary

The limited capabilities of the Frenzied Flame Seal have placed it at the bottom of this list. But if the player has a high interest in PvP then this seal is worth including in their arsenal. No matter the players distribution of stats, as long as they have a decent amount of faith and a secondary stat, they will be able to access this seal’s full power

9. Finger Seal (Starter Seal)

Required Stats

• Strength- 4
• Faith- 10

Base Damage Stats

• Critical- 100
• Incantation- 114

Damage Scaling Factor

• Strength- E, can be upgraded to D
• Faith- C, can be upgraded to S

The Finger Seal Excels In,

No Specializations

Summary

As a starter item, the Finger Seal should be the first Sacred Seal the player encounters if they explore effectively. It should be held onto until a replacement is found and the stats required are met. With an “S” rated faith factor, this Seal should be used with a high faith build.

In Conclusion

Now that I’ve told you all you need to know about the best Sacred Seals in Elden Ring it's time for you to get out there and try them for yourself. Whether it be the overwhelming player killing power of Dragon Communion, the searing lightning of the Gravel Stone, the blazing inferno of the Giant’s, or the healing aura of the Golden Order the choice is yours. Just remember to alter your stats accordingly and you’ll be on your way to becoming the most powerful faith build in the whole realm!

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