Storm Stomp could be the first Ash of War you stumble across when starting the Tarnished’s journey in Elden Ring. Ashes of War are meant to strengthen you as a player in two ways, by enhancing some weapon attributes along with giving you a special ability you can use in combat. Let’s try to understand in some detail what the Ashes of War are and how they function.
Ashes of War in Elden Ring
An Ash of War in Elden Ring basically strengthens your armaments by adding to any attribute and also giving you a combat skill (what Elden Ring calls Skills and Affinities). An Ash of War Affinity makes your weapon more powerful; whereas Skill is like a special move the character can do with an Ash of War-equipped weapon in hand.
Note that the affinities of only one Ash of War can be equipped on a weapon at a time. Any affinity it previously had will be removed. Each Ash of War is unique.
The affinities of Ashes of War can bolster your weapon’s various attributes. Not all armaments can be imbued with the skills and affinities of Ashes of War.
What is Storm Stomp Ash of War?
Storm Stomp Ash of War is a combination of a particular combat Skill and an upgrade material. The former gives you a special combat move, while the latter imparts an Affinity to a chosen melee weapon.
From the Ashes of War menu (which we will tell you about later in this guide), you can choose between two types of Affinities: Standard and Quality. For example, when we add the Quality Affinity to an Uchigatana, Storm Stomp increases the physical attack damage of the sword. As for the combat skill, it will produce a staggering effect on nearby enemies when you trigger it while holding the Ash of War weapon.
The words “Storm Stomp” are quite befitting because when you use this ability with your weapon in your right hand, your Tarnished will stomp on the ground with your left leg, which creates a ‘storm’ of circular, rippling shock waves around you. You basically create a little storm with your stomp. Hence the name Storm Stomp.
Where to Find Storm Stomp Ash of War in Elden Ring
Storm Stomp Ash of War is hidden at Gatefront Ruins in Limgrave, which lies towards the North-East of the Church of Elleh. After you deal with the 4-5 soldiers patrolling the woods lying between the two locations (or decide to go stealth mode and move on), you will come upon Gatefront Ruins.
Gatefront Ruins is usually the first area where you get some serious combat training with knights and soldiers. Some are equipped with swords and triangular shields, while some have lances and rectangular shields. There are wolves also in their service.
A Chamber Lies Beneath Gatefront Ruins
If you are in the habit of reading every message an Elden Ring location has, you will most likely get to know soon that Gatefront Ruins has an underground chamber. A message telling you this will appear at the ruins. So, we know that there is more to Gatefront Ruins than meets the eye.
This hidden basement is the place where Storm Stomp Ash of War is hidden. But where is the underground chamber, and how do we get to it?
The chamber’s entrance lies towards the left side of the entrance of Gatefront Ruins. To get to the chamber, you’ll have to clear the place of all enemies. We did, and we are not sure if you can avoid and just sneak past all of them. Besides, clearing out this area will give you some satisfaction, and you can then search it for secrets with some ease.
Acquiring the Storm Stomp Ash of War
Once you kill everyone and everything at Gatefront Ruins, you need to look for a descending flight of stairs where the soldiers with wolves used to patrol. There will be two torches blazing at either side of the entrance to the staircase. That’s the spot you need to reach.
Once you find it, proceed downstairs till you come to a door. It can be opened easily. You’ll see a glowing treasure chest inside.
There are no enemies inside this chamber, so you can let your guard down and proceed to open it. When you open the chest, you’ll get two rewards: Storm Stomp Ash of War and Whetstone Knife.
Take both and come back up.
In case you haven’t already, loot the other parts of Gatefront Ruins. The two black carriages you can see hold two treasure chests, one in each. Loot them to receive Lordsworn’s Greatsword and Flail.
You can also loot Godrick soldiers and knights for various items like Godrick Soldier’s Greaves, Gauntlets, Smithing Stones, etc. Oh, and don’t forget to snag the West Limgrave map that should be in the middle of the camp, towards the middle of the central road where two guards patrol.
Speaking of Godrick, check out our tips to kill Soldier of Godrick if that’s something you’re struggling with.
How to Equip Storm Stomp Affinity
Once you have procured Storm Stomp Ash of War, head back to the Church of Elleh or any other Site of Grace you’ve discovered. The Whetstone Knife you got is going to be really helpful as it lets you equip Ashes of War from any Site of Grace you rest at. So, rest at a Site of Grace, and in the Site menu, you’ll now see a new “Ashes of War” option. Click on that to open the Ashes of War menu.
The Ashes of War menu allows you to administer the skills and Affinities of any Ash of War at Sites of Grace. You will see that the Storm Stomp Ash of War gives you a choice between Standard and Quality Affinities. Choose one.
As we chose Quality, our Uchigatana became a Quality Uchigatana that can do more physical damage now with +28 more Physical Attack Power. That’s it. You have now equipped the Storm Stomp affinity to your weapon.
How to Use Storm Stomp Skill in Elden Ring
You can now test the Storm Stomp skill we talked about earlier in the guide. When standing with your affinity-boosted weapon drawn, press Shift+Right Mouse Button. Your character will lift one leg and stomp on the ground, creating a swirling shock wave around him. Using Storm Stomp consumes a short amount of FP.
If a soldier is in range, the wave will stagger him for a second but not cause much damage. Animals like sheep and deer do get affected a lot, and you can practically kill one by using the ability thrice. Maybe the ability can come in handy when a certain wolf pack has marked you for their meal.
Our Thoughts
The combat approach may vary from player to player in a game like Elden Ring, and you may not find the Storm Stomp skill to be that effective against a powerful enemy, but the Storm Stomp Affinity certainly is, as it strengthens your weapon. Since the fighting styles can vary, some may actually find it useful.
But before you find Ash of War Storm Stomp, you would do well to get your spectral ride, the Torrent. As your spirit companion, Torrent will make traversing the engulfing world of Elden Ring a lot easier for you. He also adds some variety to combat and makes collecting resources easier. Follow our guide on how to get Torrent and get him as your spectral steed.
