Elden Ring Patch 1.17 may not have looked like a massive incantation update at first glance, but three spells received changes that are much more meaningful in actual gameplay than their patch notes suggest. So, what are the best incantations after Elden Ring Patch 1.17, and how much did these buffs actually change the meta?
Elden Ring 1.17 Incantation Tier List - Best Incantations Ranked for PvE
An Elden Ring incantation is basically a type of magic spell that uses the Faith attribute. Unlike sorceries, which are mainly associated with Intelligence, incantations are strongly connected to Faith and can cover a much wider range of functions. Having a good incantation matters because your spell selection can completely change how a Faith build performs. We're making an Elden Ring 1.17 incantation tier list, we rank them by real boss performance, DPS, FP efficiency, safety, versatility, and build synergy, rather than just raw damage.
Elden Ring 1.17 Incantation Buffs Explained
The three incantations affected by the recent changes are:
Divine Bird Feathers
Rain of Fire
O Flame
While the numerical changes may appear relatively small, their practical impact varies significantly. Divine Bird Feathers is particularly interesting because its FP and stamina consumption appears to behave differently depending on frame rate. Rain of Fire, meanwhile, benefits from its unique delayed AoE behavior, while O Flame's larger hitbox makes it much more competitive with Catch Flame.
Divine Bird Feathers
Divine Bird Feathers was previously difficult to justify. Its damage was poor, while its FP consumption was extremely high for a spell that constantly ticks damage. Patch 1.17 increased its damage, making the spell considerably more viable. However, testing revealed something much stranger than the damage buff. Its FP and stamina consumption appear to be heavily affected by frame rate.
Rain of Fire
Rain of Fire has had a rough history. When it was originally introduced, it was widely considered one of the weakest incantations in the game. Its long animation, relatively awkward targeting, and unimpressive damage made it difficult to justify using over stronger fire options. After multiple buffs, however, Rain of Fire has finally reached a much better position. After the Patch 1.17 changes, it can be surprisingly strong—even capable of carrying an entire playthrough.
O Flame
The final buffed incantation is O Flame. Interestingly, O Flame was already a strong spell before Patch 1.17. The biggest problem was that Catch Flame offered a faster and more flexible alternative. Catch Flame costs only around 10 FP and can be cast extremely quickly. It can also be used while sprinting and jumping, making it exceptionally versatile. O Flame, by comparison, costs around 16 FP and requires a longer casting animation.
Elden Ring 1.17 Best Incantations Tier List
| Tier | Incantations |
|---|---|
| S+ | Golden Vow, Flame, Grant Me Strength, Black Flame, Black Blade, Catch Flame, Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike, Pest-Thread Spears, Knight's Lightning Spear, Heal From Afar |
| S | Burn, O Flame!, Giantsflame Take Thee, Lightning Spear, Frenzied Burst, The Flame of Frenzy, Rotten Breath, Ekzykes's Decay, Dragonmaw, Pest Threads, Erdtree Heal, Protection of the Erdtree, Rain of Fire |
| A | Divine Bird Feathers, Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike, Fortissax's Lightning Spear, Lansseax's Glaive, Agheel's Flame, Borealis's Mist, Greyoll's Roar, Placidusax's Ruin, Swarm of Flies, Honed Bolt, Bestial Sling, Stone of Gurranq, Dragonclaw, Dragonfire, Flame of the Fell God, Golden Arcs, Triple Rings of Light |
| B | O, Flame!, Magma Breath, Theodorix's Magma, Bloodflame Talons, Bloodboon, Frozen Lightning Spear, Crucible Horns, Crucible Tail, Crucible Breath, Black Flame Ritual, Black Flame Blade, Blessing's Boon, Bestial Vitality, Lord's Heal, Barrier of Gold, Flame Cleanse Me |
| C | Fire's Deadly Sin, Surge, O Flame!, Law of Causality, Law of Regression, Wrath of Gold, Litany of Proper Death, Divine Fortification, Flame Fortification, Lightning Fortification, Beast Claw, Rejection, Darkness, Dragonbolt Blessing |
| D | Elden Stars, Scarlet Aeonia, Death Lightning, Inescapable Frenzy, Poison Mist, Cure Poison, Shadow Bait, Assassin's Approach, various niche Crucible/utility spells |
O Flame! vs Catch Flame: Which Is Better After Elden Ring Patch 1.17?
This is one of the biggest questions raised by the latest update. Before Patch 1.17, Catch Flame was generally the obvious choice. It's faster, costs less FP, and provides incredible DPS. O Flame! was powerful, but its slower casting speed made it difficult to justify over Catch Flame in many situations.
The 1.17 buff changes that relationship. O Flame! received an increase to its attack range, making its hitbox substantially larger. It also has a lingering effect that gives the spell more reach and better crowd-control potential. The result is that O Flame! is no longer simply a slower Catch Flame.
Catch Flame
Catch Flame is better when you want:
Extremely high attack speed
Low FP consumption
Fast DPS
Mobility
Short attack windows
Sprinting and jumping attacks
O Flame!
O Flame! is better when you want:
More damage per hit
Higher stance damage
Larger AoE
Better crowd control
Charged attacks
Longer openings
Better synergy with certain buffs
So, is O Flame! finally better than Catch Flame? Not exactly. Catch Flame is still the better choice for pure speed and sustained close-range DPS. However, O Flame! now has enough advantages of its own that it deserves to sit alongside Catch Flame among the best offensive incantations. The two spells should be viewed as complementary rather than one completely replacing the other.
Divine Bird Feathers: The Most Broken Incantation in Patch 1.17?
Divine Bird Feathers is perhaps the strangest spell on this list. The Patch 1.17 damage buff makes it much more viable, but its resource consumption remains a major problem. At normal frame rates, the spell can consume an enormous amount of FP and stamina relative to its advertised cost. However, testing has uncovered a potentially game-breaking interaction involving frame rate.
At around 40 FPS, its FP and stamina consumption appears to become significantly lower. At around 30 FPS, the spell can potentially consume zero FP and zero stamina. If this behavior is reproducible, Divine Bird Feathers goes from an inefficient damage spell to something completely ridiculous.
The interaction has reportedly been observed on both PC and console under certain frame-rate conditions. That means a player running at a lower frame rate could potentially spam a spell that would otherwise drain their FP extremely quickly.
Is Divine Bird Feathers Actually Good?
Under normal conditions, I'd put it in A tier. The increased damage makes it viable, and its piercing damage gives it some interesting synergy with effects such as the Spear Talisman. It can also deal tremendous damage if you have a long enough opening. The problem is that it has no hyper armor, while the resource cost at higher frame rates can be extremely punishing. But if the FPS interaction works as described?
It can become S+ tier. That doesn't necessarily mean the mechanic is intended. In fact, its unusual relationship between frame rate and resource consumption strongly suggests that it may be a bug rather than a deliberate balance mechanic.
Dragon Communion Incantations
Dragon Communion spells remain some of the strongest situational incantations in Elden Ring.
Rotten Breath & Ekzykes's Decay
These remain excellent choices when you want Scarlet Rot. They may not always have the highest raw DPS, but the ability to inflict a powerful status effect can make difficult boss fights considerably easier.
Dragonmaw
Dragonmaw is one of the strongest close-range burst options. Its animation is relatively long, but the damage and stance pressure make the commitment worthwhile when you can safely connect.
Agheel's Flame
Agheel's Flame provides excellent area damage and is particularly effective against groups or larger targets.
Greyoll's Roar
Greyoll's Roar is valuable because it provides more than just damage. Its debuff gives it a useful role in boss encounters where maximizing your entire party or build's damage is more important than simply landing one giant hit.
Elden Ring 1.17 Best Lightning Incantations
Lightning builds have several excellent options.
Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike — S+
Best when fighting large targets and maximizing multi-hit damage.
Knight's Lightning Spear — S
One of the best practical ranged options.
Lightning Spear — S
Reliable, simple, efficient, and extremely easy to fit into almost any Faith build.
Honed Bolt — A
A useful spell for repeatedly striking enemies from range and maintaining pressure.
Fortissax's Lightning Spear — A
Very powerful when you have enough time to safely cast it, although its animation prevents it from being as universally useful as faster lightning spells.
Elden Ring 1.17 Best Incantations for Different Builds
Rather than looking for one spell that is objectively the best, your choice should depend on your build.
Best Incantation for Boss DPS
Burn, O Flame! - When you have a long opening, few spells can compete with its damage potential.
Best Fast Incantation
Catch Flame - It's difficult to beat its combination of speed, FP efficiency, and DPS.
Best New 1.17 Incantation
Rain of Fire - It's the most significant practical improvement among the three buffed spells.
Most Interesting 1.17 Incantation
O Flame! - Its expanded range gives it a genuinely different role from Catch Flame.
Most Broken 1.17 Incantation
Divine Bird Feathers - Not necessarily because of its normal damage, but because of the potential FPS-related resource bug.
Best Ranged Incantation
Knight's Lightning Spear - Excellent range, damage, and overall usability.
Best Incantation Against Huge Bosses
Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike - Large hitboxes can make this spell absolutely devastating.
Best Status Incantation
Rotten Breath / Ekzykes's Decay - Scarlet Rot provides enormous value against suitable bosses.
Best Buff
Golden Vow - Its universal usefulness makes it one of the most valuable Faith spells in the game.