One of the most dangerous elemental types in Souls games has been lightning — able to penetrate through most shields, and historically one of the best types to use for killing bosses, lightning damage is extremely powerful. While it isn’t as powerful in Elden Ring as it was in Dark Souls, lightning incantations and Ashes of War still favor dealing immense amounts of damage in a short period of time. If you’re looking for a powerful ability to add to your arsenal, you’ll want to know where to find the Ash of War: Thunderbolt in Elden Ring.
This Ash of War is a bit of a slog to find, so get ready. You will need access to Leyndall, located in the Altus Plateau. Navigate your way through the area until you unlock the lift shortcut back up to the East Capital Rampart Site of Grace. Head back down the lift, past the mini-boss, and then across the courtyard to another lift.
Down here, decayed zombies lurk — dispatch them and head down to the waterway. Across the bridge is a hidden, giant mini-boss that can be difficult — but it grants you a Hero’s Rune [5] worth 35,000 Runes, so it can be worth the trouble. You can choose to sprint into the room to the left of the bridge, but a Leyndall Knight awaits you in there. If you want to skip both of these encounters, jump into the sewage waterway below.
Head west — you will encounter rats and crawling hands throughout the sewers, but they are easily defeated by now. When you come to a split in the path, head north. You can find some items, such as a Lost Ash of War, but you have to contend with several small crawling hands and one giant one. Heading north, be mindful of the crawling hands on the walls and ceilings, as well as the fast-moving Albernaurics laying down in the path. There is a side path to the east that has our goal, but it’s blocked off.
At the end of the path is a decayed dragon zombie — but you’re approaching from the rear, so you can kill it with no trouble. Jump into the pit, grab the items, and climb up the ladder. You will emerge on the main road of the city, right next to the wing of the dragon statue. Before doing anything, head around the wing of the dragon and take out the Leyndell Archer Knight. Head back to the ladder, but instead, take the stairs next to it, and follow this path until you see some rubble on the left-hand side. Climb up the rubble and hop across the houses — you should hear someone sobbing.
That sobbing is actually an Albernauric, and this area is filled with them. It’s recommended that you sneak around and take them out one-by-one before proceeding on to your goal — the well. It’s off in a corner of this area, but once you head down, you will finally gain your prize — the Ash of War: Thunderbolt. This powerful Ash of War summons multiple thunderbolts down in an area around your character — a fantastic AoE tool to prevent you from getting swarmed.
