Choosing an Ash of War in Elden Ring can be the difference between an effective build and a struggling one. Sword Dance is one of the many which can make non-unique weapons exceptionally powerful. Let’s find it and see why people use it.
Where to find Sword Dance in Elden Ring
Elden Ring’s Sword Dance is found by killing the Teardrop Scarab on the way to Road’s End Catacombs in western Liurnia of the Lake, beside the Minor Erdtree. Once you get to the Erdtree, head slightly north and head down the thin path to the west to get to Road’s End. On the road, you’ll see the Teardrop Scarab with Sword Dance scuttling about.
If you don’t kill the Teardrop in time, he’ll run into a wall and disappear. Don’t panic if this happens—Teardrop Scarabs that were not killed beforehand respawn alongside all enemies when you sit at a Site of Grace—and there just so happens to be a dungeon right down the road from the ball-rolling bug.
You won’t be able to farm the Ash of War by killing this Scarab over and over, unfortunately. You’ll have to use Lost Ashes of War for that by talking with Smithing Master Hewg at the Roundtable Hold.
What can Sword Dance equip to?
Sword Dance is available for sword, axe, and polearm weapons (Spears, Halberds, and Reapers) capable of Slashing—not the damage type, but the motion. You cannot equip Sword Dance with Colossal-sized weapons or Great Spears, even if they are capable of slashing. You can see what type of weapon you’re using underneath your weapon’s name, or you can see if it’s compatible with Sword Dance by sitting at a Site of Grace and checking it under the “Ashes of War” menu option. By default, Sword Dance enhances your weapon with the Keen trait but can be adjusted through Whetblades, such as the Whetstone Knive.
Sword Dance is a flurry of upward slashes that costs a small amount of FP. It can be followed-up with an overhead slam which deals more damage, but has bad range and tends to be slightly slower on average. Both inputs move the user forward fairly significantly.
Sword Dance, despite its name, is rather flexible in what it can equip to. It is even usable on heavier weapons like Reapers and Halberds. However, on heavier weapons, Sword Dance attacks slower. Even Twinblades will get a delayed and slower animation than standard Straight Swords or Axes. Regardless, Sword Dance is typically still a buff to weapons with slower movesets—especially if said weapons have narrow swings or chops. Also, all weapons move the same distance forward, regardless of weight or size, so heavier weapons can definitely make good use of the extra mobility.
Is Sword Dance worth using in Elden Ring?
Sword Dance is a versatile and powerful weapon art in Elden Ring, thanks to its wide reach and surprising attack speed. While it does low Poise damage to targets hit, its ability to clip PvP players as they go for side attacks—as well as the large steps forward the user takes—allows Sword Dance to be very viable as a Skill. In PvE content, Sword Dance deals significant damage—especially if the weapon is buffed with Blackflame or similar debuffs.
Sword Dance is worth your time, though less so with specific weapon types in PvP. Smaller weapons can benefit greatly from the animation for the Ash of War since your character extends their arm fully and can be “steered” in a few different ways. Its quick, deceptive movement makes it worthwhile to use on buff sets or sidearms. Heavier weapons, like Knight Greatswords or Grave Scythes, have a bit more startup and slower attack speed, leaving you wide open for parries or quick interrupts. But, for most of these weapons, they likely have slower movesets anyways—that huge step and extended arm can turn a Greatsword from a predictable Strength weapon to an effective burst option.
Bosses and enemies don’t really look for parries outside of specific situations, so Sword Dance is always worth considering. Especially on Bloodflame- or Blackflame-buffing weapons, you can get significant damage over time built up quickly, thanks to the rapid spins. The attack speed is can also be useful for bosses which typically tear through higher-commitment weapons, like Malenia.
