Are Godrick Soldier Ashes Good in Elden Ring? Hell Yes for Early Game

As an avid Tarnished slashing through the Lands Between, I‘m here to resoundingly say yes – the Godrick Soldier Ashes are one of the best spirit summons you can get your hands on early. Especially* if you level them up.

Now I know some of you are shaking your heads, thinking "but I have the OP Mimic Tear!" Sure, that thing is busted but you don‘t get it right away. When you‘re still grinding through Stormveil‘s grueling mobs, these soldiers have your back.

Let me convince you why every Tarnished needs them equipped during the early game…

How Do Spirit Ashes Work Anyway?

For any new Tarnished out there, let me explain the deal with spirit ashes first. They allow you to temporarily summon various NPCs and creatures to fight alongside you.

• You need to be near a rebirth monument to summon them
• Each spirit has an FP cost to initially summon
• Upgrading them boosts HP, attack power, and more

It gives you breathing room and additional damage against tough enemies. Particularly useful for newer players since…let‘s be real…we‘ve all rage-quit after the 20th time getting plastered by Tree Sentinel (still have PTSD from that).

Key Stats on the Godrick Soldiers

Alright, let‘s analyze why these soldiers can be so damn good, looking at some key stats:

Not bad right? That starting HP pool is decent, and the soldier‘s crossbow enables ranged dps. Plus, only 54 FP is nothing – even mage builds have 100+ FP early.

But look at that health scaling! 1,000+ HP tanks at +10 upgrade. For context, that‘s close to your own HP at similar levels. Absolute chads.

How Do They Compare to Other Summons?

I took the liberty of grinding hours for elite summons from across the Lands Between for comparison:

As you can see, Godrick soldiers are very solid in terms of HP, FP efficiency, and physical defense relative to other early game options. Those heavy Godrick soldier stats aren‘t far off from endgame summons either!

Of course their damage doesn‘t compete with late game summons like Black Knife Tiche. But that early HP pool + defense makes them some of the best tanks available.

Evaluation Criteria: What Makes a "Good" Spirit Ash?

Time for an expert rundown on what makes spirit ashes good based on my 100+ hours in the Lands Between:

• Survivability – Solid HP + defenses means they don‘t get flattened immediately
• Damage output – Enough DPS to meaningfully contribute
• Aggro pulling – Keeps heat off the player to breathe
• Upgradability – Stats scale well with upgrading
• Accessibility – Available relatively early

Using these criteria, let‘s properly evaluate the Godrick soldiers…

Godrick Soldier Pros: Why They‘re Fantastic Early Game

Survivability

Over 1,000 HP with heavy armor at +10? Absolute tanks that give you room to cast, heal, buff, etc. The crossbow soldier stays at range too, avoiding damage.

Damage Output
Ranged bolts combined with hammer smash attacks contribute solid stagger, poise damage and rune farming speed.

Aggro Pulling
With two tanky bois bashing away, enemies focus less on your poor Tarnished soul.

Upgradability
As shown earlier, HP scales massively. Their damage and defenses also improve nicely per upgrade level.

Accessibility
Available almost right away from Gatefront Ruins if you suicide run to the stormhawk king area. Easy early pickup.

Any Cons?

Look, no summon is perfect ok? The soldiers do still have some drawbacks:

• Susceptible to area attacks with low poise
• Eventually outclassed in damage
• No status effects
• Costs stones to upgrade

But for an early game tanky summon? Sign me up.

Verdict: Godrick Soldiers Kick Ass Early Game

Let‘s recap why yes, the Godrick Soldier Ashes are 100% a fantastic choice during the early and mid game phases:

✅ Over 1,3k HP meat shields
✅ Great at pulling aggro
✅ Provides nice damage too
✅ Available very early

I used these chads all the way until Mountain Tops of the Giants. Together we crushed Margit, Godrick, Renalla, and more. Got me through tough encounters where I was still under-leveled gear wise.

So don‘t overlook these grafty bois! Have you used the Godrick soldiers in your playthrough? Share your favorite spirit ashes for our fellow Tarnished below!