Editing Ash of War Parameters in DSMapStudio

The most common Ash of War edit is lifting a restriction — letting an Ash go on a weapon class Elden Ring won't normally allow. Doing it cleanly requires knowing something the in-game menus hide: an Ash is defined by two different params. SwordArtsParam defines the skill itself (behavior, FP cost); EquipParamGem defines the Ash of War item you apply at a grindstone — and that's where the weapon-type restrictions actually live. Edit the wrong param and the restriction won't budge. You'll need an Elden Ring project open (Elden Ring setup); general workflow in the Param Editor hub.

The two params behind an Ash

• SwordArtsParam — the skill. One row per weapon art, defining behavior and FP cost. The Ash's mechanical definition.
• EquipParamGem — the Ash of War item you find/buy and apply at a grindstone. Each gem row points at the SwordArtsParam skill it grants and holds the per-weapon-category usability flags that decide which weapon types the Ash can go on.

So "what does this Ash do" is SwordArtsParam; "what weapons can use it" is EquipParamGem. Restriction edits are almost always EquipParamGem edits.

Where the restrictions live

Inside an EquipParamGem row is a set of boolean flags, one per weapon category — straight swords, katanas, greatswords, axes, spears, fists, bows, and so on. On means "this Ash can be applied to that category," off means it can't. When the game says an Ash "cannot be used on this weapon," that category's flag is off in the gem's row. Removing a restriction is just flipping the relevant category flag(s) from off to on.

Removing or changing restrictions

1. Open the Param Editor, select EquipParamGem.
2. Find the row for the Ash you want (search by name; Paramdex row names usually label gems with the Ash they grant).
3. Locate the per-weapon-category flags and set the flag for each weapon type you want to allow to on (1). To make an Ash usable on everything, enable all category flags.
4. (Optional) to restrict an Ash further, turn the relevant flags off.
5. Save (Ctrl + S).

The Ash now appears as applicable on the categories you enabled.

Editing the skill itself

To change what the Ash does rather than just where it goes, that's SwordArtsParam — its row controls the behavior reference and properties like FP cost. Lowering/raising FP cost is a safe, common tweak; changing the underlying behavior is more involved because it references the combat and animation systems. For a first edit, stick to FP and leave the behavior reference alone.

Finding the right gem row

The fiddly part is identifying which EquipParamGem row is your Ash, since there are dozens. Two reliable ways:

• By name — search EquipParamGem for the Ash's name; Paramdex labels gems with the Ash they grant, so part of the name jumps you there. Faster for well-known Ashes.
• By reference — find the Ash in SwordArtsParam first, note its row ID, then find the EquipParamGem row whose skill reference points at that ID. Surer when names are ambiguous or several gems share a label.

Once matched, the category flags in that row govern its weapon restrictions.

Caveat — "allowed" ≠ "works well"

Removing a category restriction tells the game an Ash is allowed on a weapon type — it doesn't guarantee it looks or feels right. Many Ashes were authored for specific classes and rely on animations and movesets others don't share, so an Ash forced onto an incompatible weapon can have wrong, missing, or janky animations. Some pairings work flawlessly; others clearly weren't meant to exist. Test each one, and treat "it's allowed" and "it works well" as separate questions.

Save and test

Ctrl + S, point ModEngine2 at the project's mod folder, launch. At a grindstone, apply the edited Ash to a weapon in a newly-enabled category and confirm it both attaches and behaves acceptably in combat. No change? Reopen and run modified on EquipParamGem to verify the flags saved.

To apply the same flag edits across many gems at once, CSV export/import beats toggling rows individually; the Param Editor hub covers the navigation and Modified filter this relies on.