Black Flame Tornado

Type

Ashes of War

Default affinity

Flame Art

FP cost

30 FP

Skill

Black Flame Tornado

About this Ash of War

This Ash of War grants an armament the Flame Art affinity and the following skill:

"Black Flame Tornado: Spin armament overhead and then plunge it into the ground to summon a raging vortex of black flames. Hold to create an initial flame tornado while spinning the armament."

Usable on polearms and twinblades.

Godskin Duo reward

Crumbling Farum Azula

Starting Site of Grace: Dragon Temple

Before you go

• Reach Farum Azula.

1. After defeating the Fire Giant, use the Forge of the Giants grace to advance the story and arrive in Farum Azula.
2. Walk toward the building ahead. At the broken right-hand railing, drop onto the balcony below and enter the hallway.
3. Take the left stairs down. Pass the Beastmen and check the left room in the next corridor for Crumbling Beast Grave grace.
4. Continue outside across the curved ruins. The dragon is optional; pass it to the far doorway for Crumbling Beast Grave Depths grace.
5. Go through the bone-table room. In the next large hall, take the right stairs down, watching for Beastmen and lightning from above.
6. Cross the hall and leave through its far northeastern doorway to Tempest-Facing Balcony. Activate the grace.
7. Loot the corpse beyond the broken railing for Somberstone Miner's Bell Bearing [4]. The Godskin Duo is farther ahead.
8. From Tempest-Facing Balcony, descend the floating rocks north toward the lower ruins. Follow the broken route clockwise around the storm, striking fallen Beastman skeletons again to stop them reviving.
9. Cross the gap to Dragon Temple and activate its grace. Follow the first corridor past the Banished Knight and descend the stairs, watching for the next knight patrolling the cross corridor.
10. Turn right in that corridor and take the stairs down into the Godskin Duo’s church. The upper balcony is not the repeat entrance once the boss fog is active.
11. Defeat the Duo by emptying their shared health bar. Individual enemies can return while that bar remains; completing the encounter awards Black Flame Tornado and the final Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing.

Notes

• The fire vortex scales with Faith and weapon upgrade level. Flame Art improves that Faith contribution, while the weapon contacts still depend on the weapon itself.
• Using the skill removes an existing weapon coating. Put it on the weapon you intend to use for the tornado rather than planning around keeping a grease or enchantment through the cast.
• Hold the skill to keep spinning before the final plunge, or release sooner for a shorter commitment.
• Black flame adds damage over time based partly on the target's health. It can remain useful against a large health pool even when the initial fire hit is modest.
• The long animation is dangerous if an enemy can interrupt or move away. Use a real opening rather than starting it under a boss already swinging.
• The weapon and vortex occupy different space. Being close enough for the full sequence matters more than the size of the visible flames.
• Compatible weapon classes: Twinblade, Spear, Great Spear, Halberd, Reaper. A weapon with a fixed skill cannot use this Ash of War.
• Its default affinity is Flame Art. The supported choices are Standard, Heavy, Keen, Quality, Fire and Flame Art; the appropriate whetblade is needed for additional options.
• The skill costs 30 FP before equipment that changes FP costs.
• The held version adds repeated fire contacts before the finishing plunge. Holding does not increase the final plunge's base Fire attack power; it adds the earlier contacts and a longer commitment.
• Its flames do not carry the weapon's innate bleed, Poison or Frostbite buildup. Separate blade contacts are the part that can apply the weapon's compatible status.
• Shard of Alexander can improve direct skill damage, while Godfrey Icon does not boost it merely for holding the input. Godslayer's Seal applies to incantations and does not boost this weapon skill.
• You can roll out during permitted cancellation windows rather than always completing the plunge. The animation's resistance to interruption is not invulnerability.
• Godskin Peeler provides an early built-in version. The Duo reward is the transferable Ash used to apply the skill and choose its supported affinities on other compatible weapons.
• The held flames can make up to five direct contacts before the plunge. Each of those contacts deals 6 stance damage, while the final Fire vortex itself deals none.
• Direct Fire damage and the lingering HP drain are separate. Fire bonuses and Shard of Alexander improve direct damage, rather than multiplying the percentage of maximum HP lost.
• Do not estimate its health drain by simply multiplying an ordinary black-flame spell’s full burn by every visible flame. Repeated contact and the target’s own resistance affect the result.