Staff of the Great Beyond
Staff of the Great Beyond is a Shadow of the Erdtree remembrance catalyst exchanged after defeating Metyr, Mother of Fingers. It can cast both sorceries and incantations, giving Intelligence/Faith hybrids one tool for two spell lists.
Key Takeaways
The Staff of the Great Beyond is a Shadow of the Erdtree remembrance catalyst built for characters who invest in both Intelligence and Faith. Its defining feature is that one equipped catalyst can cast both sorceries and incantations, but that flexibility comes with meaningful build and progression considerations.
A dual-purpose catalyst
Unlike a conventional Glintstone Staff or Sacred Seal, the Staff of the Great Beyond can cast both sorceries and incantations. It is therefore most distinctive on hybrid Intelligence/Faith characters that want access to both spell systems without changing catalysts.
Its availability is tied to the DLC remembrance system
The staff is a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon obtained through the remembrance exchange associated with Metyr, Mother of Fingers. Access therefore depends on reaching the relevant DLC content and defeating that boss rather than finding the staff as ordinary world loot.
Hybrid attributes are central to its use
The catalyst is intended for a build that meets both Intelligence and Faith requirements. Characters focused entirely on only one of those attributes should compare its resulting spell scaling with a specialized staff or seal before treating its dual-casting capability as an advantage.
Its strength is loadout flexibility, not automatic specialization
Carrying one catalyst for both sorceries and incantations can simplify weapon swapping and support mixed spell rotations. That convenience does not by itself establish that the staff outperforms a specialist catalyst for any particular spell family.
It follows a unique reinforcement path
The Staff of the Great Beyond uses Elden Ring's special weapon reinforcement path rather than the standard affinity-and-Ash-of-War customization used by ordinary infusible weapons. Its upgrade state should be considered when comparing its spell scaling with other catalysts.
Its closest alternatives are specialist catalysts
The relevant comparison is not ordinary melee weapons but Intelligence-focused staves, Faith-focused seals, and other catalysts suited to hybrid casting. The best alternative depends on whether the build values dual casting or stronger specialization for its main spell family.
Overview
Staff of the Great Beyond is a named Magic Catalyst in Elden Ring whose defining role is to support spellcasting across the game’s two principal spell families rather than serve as a conventional melee weapon.
Staff of the Great Beyond is a specialized casting catalyst, not a weapon whose value is judged primarily by physical attack. Its identity is tied to the boundary between Sorceries and Incantations: where ordinary Glintstone Staffs and Sacred Seals normally represent separate casting paths, this staff is relevant to characters who want one equipped catalyst to support both forms of magic. That broad coverage is its central distinction.
This flexibility changes how the staff fits into a loadout. A single equipment slot can serve a mixed spellbook, reducing the need to switch between a staff and a seal when a build alternates between schools. The trade-off is that a general-purpose catalyst should not automatically be treated as the best choice for every specialist spell setup. A staff focused on one school, or one that carries a specific spell-family bonus, can remain preferable when the character’s casting plan is narrow.
The weapon therefore suits hybrid casters more naturally than characters committed exclusively to sorcery or exclusively to incantations. Its usefulness depends on the spells being carried, the attributes supporting those spells, and whether the player values equipment convenience over specialization. Those decisions belong alongside its scaling and upgrade state; they should not be inferred from the name alone or reduced to a single universal power ranking.
As a named catalyst, Staff of the Great Beyond is most useful to readers deciding how to organize a mixed-magic character, rather than to players seeking another conventional staff for a single-school build. The page should keep its casting function separate from upgrade-specific values and from any derived attack-rating comparison. Its exact availability and content scope should likewise be read in the context of the relevant Elden Ring mode or release rather than assumed to describe every version of the game.
Statistics
Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategoryGlintstone Staves
- Primary ScalingInt A
- Weight4
- SkillNo Skill
- Str Req9
- Int Req55
- How to ObtainShadow of the Erdtree - Scadu Altus
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar glintstone staves
| Weapon | Str Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff of the Great Beyond | 9 | 4 | Int A |
| Azur's Glintstone Staff | 7 | 4 | Int S |
| Lusat's Glintstone Staff | 7 | 4 | Int S |
| Carian Glintblade Staff | 9 | 4 | Int B |
| Gelmir Glintstone Staff | 7 | 4 | Int A |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree is required.
- Count Ymir’s quest must be advanced far enough to unlock the Finger Ruins of Miyr and the Metyr encounter.
- Metyr, Mother of Fingers must be defeated to obtain the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers.
- Access to Roundtable Hold and Finger Reader Enia is required for the remembrance exchange.
- 01Progress Count Ymir’s quest at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr in the Shadow of the Erdtree until the Finger Ruins of Miyr route becomes available. Follow the quest’s directions to the ruins beneath the cathedral and ring the hanging bell there; this summons the required remembrance boss, Metyr, Mother of Fingers.
- 02Defeat Metyr, Mother of Fingers, in the Finger Birthing Grounds. The victory guarantees the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers; the staff is not obtained as a random enemy drop or from a chest.
- 03Return to Roundtable Hold in the base game and speak with Finger Reader Enia in the Two Fingers chamber. Choose the remembrance exchange for the Staff of the Great Beyond. The exchange is deterministic once the remembrance is in your inventory.
- 04The staff is normally limited to one exchange per playthrough. If you want both remembrance rewards, duplicate the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers at an eligible Walking Mausoleum, then exchange the duplicate with Enia; the duplication route still requires access to the Shadow of the Erdtree remembrance content.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree is required.
The staff is DLC-exclusive and has no base-game availability.
Requires Defeat Metyr, Mother of Fingers and obtain the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers.
The staff is obtained by exchanging that remembrance with Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold; it is a remembrance reward rather than a normal vendor-stock item.
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree access and the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers in the current cycle.
Its availability follows the DLC remembrance-reward system; the prior cycle's staff does not replace the requirement for another exchange.
Mechanics and Handling
The Staff of the Great Beyond changes the normal catalyst-handling decision by supporting both Sorceries and Incantations. A character using it can cast either spell family without changing to a separate staff or Sacred Seal, provided the character meets the requirements of the selected spell. Its practical value is therefore concentrated in flexible spell selection and reduced weapon-swapping rather than in conventional melee attacks.
The staff still follows Elden Ring’s catalyst rules: the spell is selected from the equipped spell list, and casting consumes the resource required by that spell. The staff does not make every spell available automatically, remove attribute requirements, or combine a Sorcery and an Incantation into one cast. Its dual-family function is a casting property of the weapon, not a universal damage multiplier. Build results therefore depend on the character’s attributes, the individual spell, reinforcement state, and any separate buffs or talismans in use.
Casting both spell families
When held in a casting hand, the Staff of the Great Beyond can serve as the catalyst for compatible Sorceries and Incantations. This is most useful for characters who deliberately carry both types of spell: for example, a setup that alternates between offensive sorcery and utility, defensive, or elemental incantations. The benefit is continuity of casting rather than an additional spell slot or a replacement for spell-specific bonuses.
The staff does not remove the distinction between the two spell systems. Sorceries and Incantations remain separate spell families with their own attribute requirements, memory-slot use, and casting behaviour. A spell that requires a Sacred Seal in ordinary use can be cast through this staff because of its special dual-catalyst function, but that does not mean every seal-only interaction or spell-family enhancement applies to it. Specialised catalysts can remain preferable when a build is committed to one school or when a spell-specific bonus matters more than flexibility.
Staff action and close-range handling
Like other staves, the Staff of the Great Beyond has a physical catalyst moveset that is secondary to spellcasting. Its normal attacks are not a substitute for a dedicated melee weapon, and using them exposes a caster to close-range retaliation without providing the reach or damage role of a purpose-built armament.
Its listed weapon skill is Spinning Weapon. Activating the skill rotates the staff around the character as a close-range attack, with the possibility of following the spin with an additional staff strike. The skill can create space against an enemy that has reached the caster, but it is an emergency melee option rather than the staff’s defining combat function. It should not be confused with casting a Sorcery or Incantation, and it does not cause the weapon to cast both spell families at once.
Hand use, swapping, and combat decisions
The staff is most effective when its position in the equipment layout supports uninterrupted casting. Keeping it in the active casting hand lets the player move between compatible Sorceries and Incantations from the spell-selection bar; placing another weapon in that hand instead requires a swap before the staff can cast. A second weapon, shield, or other off-hand tool can still be used according to the player’s setup, but the staff itself does not provide shield-style protection or parrying as part of its catalyst role.
Its strongest handling advantage appears in encounters that reward changing spell families quickly. It is less compelling for a narrowly focused caster who wants the highest specialised scaling or a particular school bonus from another catalyst. In that situation, the Staff of the Great Beyond’s broader compatibility may offer convenience without replacing the specialised option’s focused casting performance.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Casts both sorceries and incantations, allowing one catalyst to serve a hybrid Intelligence/Faith spell list instead of requiring separate casting tools.
- Supports flexible spell selection in encounters where the character wants to alternate between ranged sorceries, weapon buffs, healing, protection, or other incantations without changing the equipped catalyst.
- Its dual-school function can free the other hand for a weapon, shield, seal, or utility item, reducing catalyst-swapping during exploration and combat.
- Its unique identity is useful for characters deliberately investing in both Intelligence and Faith rather than committing to a single casting attribute.
Weaknesses
- A hybrid catalyst asks the character to invest in both Intelligence and Faith, so it is less naturally suited to a focused single-attribute caster.
- A specialist Glintstone Staff or Sacred Seal can be a stronger choice for a build devoted primarily to one spell type or a particular scaling profile; the Staff of the Great Beyond trades that specialization for versatility.
- Using it does not by itself improve every sorcery or incantation family, so spell-specific bonuses available from other catalysts may be preferable when a build is centered on one school.
- Its versatility does not remove the need to manage spell slots, FP, and attribute requirements; it expands casting options rather than directly solving those resource constraints.
Best uses
- Hybrid Intelligence/Faith characters that want one catalyst for both sorceries and incantations.
- Exploration and general PvE loadouts where changing between offensive sorceries and utility or defensive incantations is more valuable than maximizing one specialized spell family.
- Flexible boss preparation when the available openings favor different spell types across phases or attack patterns.
- Characters that want to keep a weapon, shield, or second utility item available in the other hand while retaining access to both casting disciplines.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Catalyst | Casting scope | Main build | Specialization | Best reason to choose | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff of the Great Beyond | Casts both sorceries and incantations | Hybrid Intelligence/Faith setup | General flexibility rather than a single spell-family bonus | Switch between both spell types without changing catalysts; its value is greatest on builds that actively use both schools | — |
| Carian Regal Scepter | Sorceries | Intelligence-focused | General sorcery casting with a Full Moon sorcery specialization | A stronger fit for an Intelligence build centered on sorceries, especially when its specialization is relevant | — |
| Golden Order Seal | Incantations | Intelligence/Faith hybrid | Golden Order incantations | A more focused choice for an Intelligence/Faith build whose spell selection is primarily incantations rather than mixed casting | — |
| Prince of Death's Staff | Sorceries | Intelligence/Faith hybrid | Death sorceries | Preferable when Death sorceries are the build's priority; Staff of the Great Beyond is more flexible, while this staff is more specialized | — |
Used In
- Metyr, Mother of FingersDefeating Metyr awards the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers, which can be exchanged for the Staff of the Great Beyond.
- Remembrance of the Mother of FingersThis remembrance is the exchange item used to obtain the Staff of the Great Beyond from Finger Reader Enia.
- Finger Reader EniaEnia at the Roundtable Hold offers the Staff of the Great Beyond in exchange for the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers.
- Count Ymir, Mother of FingersThe staff is thematically and questline-related to Count Ymir's investigation of the Finger Ruins and the Mother of Fingers.
- Cathedral of Manus MetyrThis Shadow of the Erdtree location is the center of Count Ymir's questline and the route leading to the encounter that awards the remembrance.
Lore and Design
Lore and story significance
The Staff of the Great Beyond is tied directly to Metyr, Mother of Fingers, the central figure of the Shadow of the Erdtree remembrance encounter. Its item text presents the staff as Metyr’s catalyst and connects her to the origins of the Two Fingers and Fingercreepers. This makes the weapon a material link to the expansion’s revelations about the Fingers and their relationship with the Greater Will, rather than merely a general-purpose casting tool.
The name also reflects Metyr’s position beyond the familiar order represented by the Two Fingers. The item text describes her as an early arrival in the Lands Between and emphasizes her connection to the Greater Will, while the surrounding story establishes that this relationship is damaged or incomplete. Those details are explicit in the weapon’s associated lore; broader conclusions about the Greater Will’s motives remain interpretation rather than confirmed history.
Trivia
- The Staff of the Great Beyond is associated with Count Ymir, High Priest of the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, rather than with the sorcerous academies or the Golden Order’s ordinary catalyst traditions.
- Its unusual catalyst design allows the same equipped staff to cast both sorceries and incantations. This is a functional distinction from the normal separation between Glintstone Staves and Sacred Seals, not merely a naming or visual variant.
- The staff’s name and description use the language of the “great beyond” and the microcosm, reflecting the cosmic and finger-related imagery surrounding Manus Metyr and Count Ymir.