Upgrade System#

Upgrade System

Elden Ring’s upgrade system is more flexible than its predecessors — weapons, spirit ashes, the Sacred Flask, and the Flask of Wondrous Physick each have their own upgrade track, and good planning lets you get twice the result with half the effort

Weapon Upgrade Overview#

Weapon type	Upgrade materials	Max level	Damage gain per level	Extra effect at max
Regular weapons	Smithing Stones [1]-[8] + Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone	+25	~+8% per level	Base attack doubled
Somber weapons	Somber Smithing Stones [1]-[9] + Ancient Dragon Somber Smithing Stone	+10	~+10% per level	Base attack greatly raised
Spirit Ashes	Grave Glovewort	+10	Summon HP+attack+defense	Some ashes unlock new moves
Sacred Flask	Sacred Tears	+12	+~60 HP or +~25 FP per level	~800 HP restored at +12

Smithing Stone Locations#

Regular Smithing Stones#

Stone tier	Early acquisition	Mid acquisition	Unlimited purchase condition
Smithing Stone [1]	Limgrave tunnels — drops in quantity	Merchants everywhere	Limgrave tunnel Bell Bearing — deliver to Roundtable Hold
Smithing Stone [2]	Limgrave/Liurnia — tunnels + merchants	Liurnia — crystal caves	Liurnia tunnel Bell Bearing
Smithing Stone [3]	Liurnia tunnels — in quantity	Caelid tunnels	Caelid tunnel Bell Bearing
Smithing Stone [4]	Liurnia/Caelid — tunnels + overworld	Altus tunnels	Altus tunnel Bell Bearing
Smithing Stone [5]	A few in catacombs and tunnels	Altus Plateau tunnels — Gelmir hills	Mountaintops tunnel Bell Bearing
Smithing Stone [6]	Extremely rare — limited before the Mountaintops	Mountaintops of the Giants tunnels	Mountaintops tunnel Bell Bearing — same as above
Smithing Stone [7]	Consecrated Snowfield — a few ground pickups	Haligtree — dropped by crystal people	Consecrated Snowfield tunnel Bell Bearing
Smithing Stone [8]	Haligtree — dropped by some elites	Haligtree/Deeproot Depths — chests	Haligtree Bell Bearing — before finishing the game
Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone	Various regions — about 13 per playthrough

Somber Smithing Stones#

Stone tier	Early acquisition	Mid acquisition	Unlimited purchase condition
Somber [1]	Limgrave — Church of Elleh merchant	Merchants in every region	Sold at Roundtable Hold from the start
Somber [2]	Liurnia — lake merchants	Underground areas — in quantity	Somber Smithing Stone Bell Bearing [1]
Somber [3]	Caelid — near the Cathedral of Dragon Communion	Caelid/Altus — underground	Same as above — Liurnia tunnel Bell Bearing
Somber [4]	Altus Plateau — underground areas	Leyndell — basement	Somber Smithing Stone Bell Bearing [2]
Somber [5]	Leyndell — Erdtree Sanctuary	Mountaintops — underground	Same as above — Altus tunnel Bell Bearing
Somber [6]	Mountaintops — some ground pickups	Consecrated Snowfield — chests	Somber Smithing Stone Bell Bearing [3]
Somber [7]	Consecrated Snowfield — various spots	Haligtree — chests + elites	Same as above — Mountaintops tunnel Bell Bearing
Somber [8]	Haligtree — base of Miquella’s Haligtree	Deeproot Depths — chests	Somber [8] Bell Bearing — Consecrated Snowfield
Somber [9]	Crumbling Farum Azula	Various hidden spots	Cannot be bought unlimited — about 13 per playthrough
Ancient Dragon Somber	Various regions — about 8 per playthrough	Final region — Farum Azula	Cannot be bought unlimited — extremely limited per playthrough

Key: Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones and Ancient Dragon Somber Smithing Stones are limited per playthrough — about 13 regular and about 8 somber per playthrough — spend them carefully on your final weapons

Gloveworts#

Level	Material	Early location	Mid location	Unlimited purchase
+0→+3	Grave Glovewort [1]-[3]	Limgrave catacombs	Liurnia catacombs	Roundtable Hold sells LV1-3 from the start
+3→+6	Grave Glovewort [4]-[6]	Liurnia — Road’s End Catacombs	Caelid catacombs	Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [1]
+6→+9	Grave Glovewort [7]-[9]	Altus Plateau catacombs	Leyndell/Mountaintops catacombs	Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [2]
+9→+10	Great Grave Glovewort	Various regions — about 9 per playthrough	Haligtree/Deeproot Depths — chests	Cannot be bought unlimited — limited per playthrough

Level	Material	Early location	Mid location	Unlimited purchase
+0→+3	Ghost Glovewort [1]-[3]	Liurnia — lake underground	Ainsel River — a few	Roundtable Hold sells LV1-3 from the start
+3→+6	Ghost Glovewort [4]-[6]	Nokron, the Eternal City — in quantity	Ainsel River — underground	Ghost-Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [1]
+6→+9	Ghost Glovewort [7]-[9]	Deeproot Depths — in quantity	Crumbling Farum Azula	Ghost-Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [2]
+9→+10	Great Ghost Glovewort	Various regions — about 9 per playthrough	Deeproot/Farum Azula	Cannot be bought unlimited — limited per playthrough

Recommended Spirit Ash Upgrade Order#

Priority	Spirit Ash	Upgrade value	Why recommended
🥇	Mimic Tear	★★★★★	At +10 it copies all your equipment — damage as high as yours
🥈	Black Knife Tiche	★★★★★	At +10, ultra-fast attack speed + percent-HP damage — extremely flexible
🥉	Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff	★★★★☆	At +10, shield + lightning spear — strong survivability
4	Lhutel the Headless	★★★★☆	Ranged spear throws + teleport — useful in every scenario
5	Banished Knight Engvall	★★★☆☆	Pure melee tank — superb aggro-holding ability
6	Greatshield Soldiers	★★★☆☆	5 greatshield soldiers — top-tier in group fights

Ashes of War System#

Ashes of War are one of Elden Ring’s most innovative systems — they let players freely swap weapon skills and affinities

How to Obtain Ashes of War#

Method	Count	Notes	Notable Ashes
Defeating specific enemies	~30
Chest pickups	~20	Chests across the map	Determination (Stormveil Castle), Ice Spear (Liurnia)
Merchant purchase	~15	Sold by merchants across regions	No Skill (Limgrave merchant), Stormfoot
Quest rewards	~10	NPC questline rewards	Bloody Slash (Patches), Shared Order (D)
Ash of War duplication	Unlimited	Duplicate using Lost Ashes of War at Roundtable Hold	Any acquired Ash of War can be duplicated

Top Ashes of War#

Ash of War	Type	Effect	Best use	Acquisition
Bloodhound Step	Mobility	Super glide — a roll replacement with extremely long i-frames	Any melee weapon	Caelid — defeat the Bloodhound Knight
Lion’s Claw	Heavy	Leaping slam — massive poise damage and damage	Greatswords, colossal weapons	Limgrave — defeat the Misbegotten Lion
Determination	Buff	Next attack +60% damage	Colossal weapons — pair with jump attacks	Stormveil Castle — chest
Bloody Slash	Blood loss	Wide slash + blood loss buildup — but self-damage	Katanas, straight swords	Limgrave — buy after defeating Patches
Ice Spear	Frost	Hurls an ice spear — fast frost buildup + poise damage	Spears, rapiers	Liurnia — chest in the lake
Ash of War: Shared Order	Holy	Imbues weapon with holy damage + continuous holy AOE projectiles	Greatswords, straight swords	Roundtable Hold — purchase
Seppuku	Blood loss	Self-damage + blood imbue — massive blood loss buildup	Katanas, curved swords	Mountaintops — defeat the Bloody Finger
Stormcaller	AOE	Tornado AOE — sustained damage + grouping enemies	Great hammers, great axes	Mountaintops — dropped by the Storm Caller
Rock Sword	Rock	Boosts poise damage + physical attack	Any melee	Caelid — tunnel chest

Whetblades for Ash of War Affinities#

Whetblade	Unlocks affinities	Location	Acquisition condition
Iron Whetblade	Heavy/Keen/Quality	Limgrave — Gatefront	Chest — second floor of the war camp
Glintstone Whetblade	Magic/Cold
Red-Hot Whetblade	Fire/Flame Art	Mt. Gelmir — Redmane Castle	Chest on the left of the castle entrance
Sanctified Whetblade	Lightning/Sacred	Leyndell, Royal Capital	Chest near the Erdtree Sanctuary
Black Whetblade	Poison/Blood/Occult	Ainsel River — Nokron, Eternal City	Chest — before the entrance to the Eternal City
Chromatic Whetblade	All affinities	Shadow of the Erdtree DLC	Obtained by exploring the Gravesite Plain

Sacred Flask Upgrades#

Upgrade material	Effect per level	Total (per playthrough)	Key distribution
Golden Seeds	+1 total flask charge	~30	Under the trees of Minor Erdtree churches — spread across all regions
Sacred Tears	Raises HP/FP restored per use	~12	All churches — every church has one

Sacred Flask Restoration Data#

Upgrade level	Crimson flask restore	Cerulean flask restore	Tears required
Base	~250 HP	~70 FP	0
+3	~450 HP	~120 FP	3
+6	~600 HP	~170 FP	6
+9	~750 HP	~220 FP	9
+12 (Max)	~800 HP	~250 FP	12

Note: about 30 Golden Seeds on the whole map — but the Sacred Flask caps at 14 charges (base +14 seeds; there is a cap)

Flask of Wondrous Physick#

Item	Notes
Obtained	Limgrave — Third Church of Marika
Function	Mix two crystal tears together — drink for a buff lasting about 3 minutes
Uses	Refills at every Site of Grace rest — only one use per fight
Tear count	About 35+ crystal tear types across the whole map

Strongest Physick Mixes#

Mix	Crystal tear 1	Crystal tear 2	Effect	Best scenario
Cheese combo 1	Opaline Bubbletear	Gushing Green Crystal Tear	Negate one attack + unlimited stamina	All bosses — universal
Mage burst	Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear	Cerulean Hidden Tear	+20% magic damage + 10 seconds of unlimited FP	Comet Azur boss nukes
Blood burst	Lord of Blood’s Exultation Tear	Opaline Bubbletear	Blood-loss damage boost + survival insurance	Blood builds — Rivers of Blood etc.
Melee brawling	Gushing Green Crystal Tear	Spiked Cracked Tear	Unlimited stamina + boosted poise damage	Greatsword jump-attack builds
Death immunity	Opaline Bubbletear	Crimson Bubbletear	Negate one attack + auto full-heal once	Surviving high-difficulty bosses

Recommended Upgrade Route#

Stage	Weapon upgrades	Spirit Ash upgrades	Sacred Flask	Priority
Opening (levels 1-30)	Upgrade anything to +3	Lone Wolf Ashes +0	Find churches for tears — upgrade to +3	Weapons > Flask > Ashes
Early (30-60)	Main weapon to +12 (regular) or +6 (somber)	Upgrade 1-2 ashes to +3	Upgrade to +6	Weapons > Flask ≥ Ashes
Mid (60-110)	Main weapon to +18 (regular) or +8 (somber)	Main ashes to +6	Upgrade to +9	Weapons > Ashes ≥ Flask
Late (110-150)	Main weapon to +24 (regular) or +9 (somber)	Main ashes to +9	Upgrade to +12	Weapons ≈ Ashes > Flask
Endgame (150+)	Max +25/+10	Main ashes to +10	Max +12	Max everything

Upgrade Material Carryover Between Playthroughs#

Material	Carried over	Notes
Smithing Stones (used)	✅ Kept	Upgraded weapons are kept — usable directly in the next playthrough
Unused Smithing Stones	✅ Kept	Leftover stones in your inventory carry over
Bell Bearings	❌ Not kept	Each playthrough requires re-collecting Bell Bearings — unlock purchases from the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold
Golden Seeds	✅ Kept (effects don’t stack)	Seeds only add charges — extras are useless past 14 charges
Sacred Tears	✅ Kept (effects don’t stack)	Extras are useless past +12 max
Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones	✅ Kept	But only about 13 per playthrough — use them up
Crystal Tears	✅ Kept (collected ones)	Already-obtained tears are kept