With the Dark Souls series being notorious for its demanding difficulty, many gamers may be hesitant to either try out the acclaimed franchise for the first time or to dive back in for a replay of an old favorite. Fortunately, Miracles provide players with a wide variety of healing, damage, buff, and debuff spells, as well as other handy magic for an easier playthrough.
While the best Miracles will only be available to those with Faith builds, some cost little to acquire and use, and their benefits should be taken advantage of by gamers of any playstyle.
All Players: Heal
The starting Miracle for the Cleric class, Heal can be purchased from Petrus at the Firelink Shrine. Heal can be used five times and requires a Faith level of 12. This Miracle heals the player for a moderate amount, similar to the amount provided by the default Estus Flask.
While the tagline of Dark Souls is "Prepare to Die," this spell can greatly improve any player's ability to survive the many dangerous environments they'll explore. Running out of healing items usually means a return to the nearest Bonfire.
Dedicated Magic Builds: Vow Of Silence
This spell can be acquired in the Painted World of Ariamis at the top of the building that requires the Annex Key to open. It can be used twice and requires a Faith level of 30. When a player uses this Miracle, magic cannot be used around them for 30 seconds.
While this is certainly a useful Miracle, it is found in an optional area that's easy to miss and requires two Attunement slots and a high Faith stat. Only shrewd mages will be able to take advantage of this.
All Players: Seek Guidance
Seek Guidance can be purchased from Petrus at the Firelink Shrine. It can be used five times and requires a Faith level of 12. This Miracle will reveal more messages from other players on the ground for 30 seconds, as well as their +/- rating.
While the messages left by players can range from helpful hints to devious tricks, seeing whether they've been rated positively or negatively can help players sort one from the other. It will also show useful messages left by Dark Souls developers.
Dedicated Magic Builds: Great Lightning Spear
A stronger version of Lightning Spear, this Miracle can be acquired after turning in ten Sunlight Medals to the Warrior of Sunlight covenant. It can be used ten times and requires a Faith level of 30. This spell fires a bolt of lightning that will damage enemies.
Sunlight Medals can be tough to obtain; with only four available to be looted in the game, the rest need to be gained by defeating bosses in co-op. Therefore, even mage-builds will need extra leg-work for this Miracle.
All Players: Force
Force can be purchased from Petrus at the Firelink Shrine. It can be used 21 times and requires a Faith level of 12. Using this Miracle will quickly cause a force field to emit from the player, knocking back enemies and deflecting arrows or spells.
One of the primary causes of death in any Dark Souls game is getting surrounded. Of the few spells that will aid in this situation, Force is the cheapest and easiest to acquire, making it a handy tool in anyone's arsenal.
Dedicated Magic Builds: Soothing Sunlight
This Miracle is acquired by defeating a certain Pisaca in The Duke's Archives. It can be used three times and requires a Faith level of 48. Casting this spell will greatly restore the health of the caster and their nearby allies.
One of the few that can heal the caster's co-op companions, this spell is a great Miracle for the whole party. Unfortunately, players must be in the Princess of Sunlight covenant to use it, and its high Faith cost makes it accessible to few play-styles.
All Players: Magic Barrier
Magic Barrier can be purchased by Reah of Thorolund after rescuing her from the Tomb of the Giants. It can be used four times and requires a Faith level of 14. This spell will reduce magical damage dealt to the caster by 50% for 60 seconds.
While there is a stronger version of this Miracle available, this is a great choice for non-mages. Many enemies deal magic damage, and it is a popular sight in PvP battles, making this a useful option for additional defense.
Dedicated Magic Builds: Darkmoon Blade
A favorite of PvP invaders, players must trade ten Souvenirs of Reprisals to the Blade of the Darkmoon covenant for this Miracle. This spell can be cast once and requires a Faith level of 30. Darkmoon Blade will apply a strong magic buff to the player's weapon for 60 seconds.
This buff requires not just a dedicated magic-build, but ten victorious PvP invasions to gain the Souvenirs of Reprisals and very specific courses of action to the Blade of the Darkmoon.
All Players: Replenishment
Replenishment is gifted to the player by Reah of Thorolund after defeating her hollowed companions Nico and Vince in the Tomb of The Giants. It can be cast once and requires a Faith level of 16. Casting this spell will replenish a player's health for 60 seconds.
This Miracle requires more of an investment of time and Souls from the player than others that would be recommended to non-mage builds. However, the ability to counter-heal against bleed and poison and gradually heal mid-fight is too good to up.
Dedicated Magic Builds: Sunlight Spear
This Miracle is acquired by offering the Soul of Gwyn to the Warriors of Sunlight covenant. This spell can be cast five times and requires a Faith level of 50. Casting this spell causes tremendous damage to distant enemies, and may knock them down with its high poise damage.
Gwyn is the final boss in Dark Souls, making this impossible to obtain on a player's first playthrough without it being given to them by a friendly co-op phantom. The Faith requirement also makes it a prohibitively costly spell.