Players exploring the Lands Between, the deadly open-world setting of Elden Ring, will discover rare and legendary equipment littering the map and dropping from enemies they kill. That equipment will see players through most of the game’s encounters, provided they have the required stats to wield it. But for endgame dungeons and bosses, not even legendary equipment will be enough, which is why players should prioritize finding as many upgrade materials throughout their explorations as possible.
Smithing stones, gloveworts, and tailoring tools await discovery around Elden Ring‘s various locations. While some are easier to find than others, players should seek out each material as often as possible. Upgrading is a large part of surviving in Elden Ring, and players will need every advantage they can get as they journey to become Elden Lord.
Upgrading Elden Ring’s Weapons With Smithing Stones
Players will come across an introduction to smithing stones and the upgrade anvil in the Church of Elleh in the starting area of Limgrave. To upgrade weapons, sacred seals, and shields, they will need a smithing stone and at least a few runes. As a weapon is upgraded, a number will appear next to its name corresponding to its level. With each level increased, a weapon’s stats and damage scaling increase as well. There are levels to smithing stones themselves as well, and as players increase the level of their weapons, they will need higher and higher levels of smithing stones. Players will need to meet Master Hewg in Roundtable Hold to unlock higher levels of weapon enhancement.
The weapons of Elden Ring will require more than just smithing stones to achieve their full power, and that’s where somber smithing stones come in. Somber smithing stones upgrade special equipment, like magical or enchanted weapons, a critical feature for later gameplay. Magical weapons are often quite powerful upon first use, but to unlock their full potential, they must be upgraded with somber smithing stones when possible.
Upgrading Elden Ring’s Spirit Ashes with Gloveworts
The Spirit Tuning Bell, while frighteningly easy to miss, is essential for surviving the deadly journey set out before players in Elden Ring. Found in the Church of Elleh after returning to it via fast travel, the Spirit Tuning Bell allows players to summon Spirit Ashes to help them in battle. While some spirits are stronger than others, many players don’t realize there’s a way to upgrade their spirits with grave gloveworts. Players will need to complete Rodericka’s questline to upgrade their Spirit Ashes. Rodericka’s questline, like the Spirit Tuning Bell, is notoriously easy to miss. Players need to defeat Margit the Fell Omen to beat the quest, but they’ll be rewarded with a Golden Seed and the appearance of a spirit tuner in Roundtable Hold who will upgrade their Spirit Ashes.
Gloveworts are found throughout the catacombs of the Lands Between and they do not respawn, so players should look thoroughly when dungeon-diving. Much like smithing stones, as Spirit Ashes grow stronger, they will need stronger levels of grave gloveworts to upgrade them. Players in later areas of the game can search for the Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing, an item that, when gifted to the proper NPC, lets players purchase several levels of grave gloveworts, negating the need for extensive exploration just to upgrade Spirit Ashes.
Players wondering what all the ghost gloveworts in their inventory are for will be happy to learn they’re for upgrading Renowned Spirit Ashes. Much like somber smithing stones and special weapons, Renowned Spirit Ashes require ghost gloveworts to grow stronger. Both grave and ghost gloveworts are found in similar caverns, and ghost gloveworts can be purchased from an NPC vendor just like grave gloveworts after players find the Ghost Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing.
Upgrading Elden Ring’s Armor With Tailoring Tools
The final upgrade materials players should search for are the tailoring tools and sewing needles, which let them alter their armor at Sites of Grace. Part of Boc’s quest and found in the Coastal Cave, the tailoring tools are a good way to add a little extra protection to any armor piece players have equipped. Altering armor can also change its appearance, like adding a cloak to a suit of armor or removing the Prophet’s shackles. While altering an item does increase its weight, the added protection, poise, and immunities are a good trade.
Should players find themselves in the possession of demi-god attire, they will need more than just regular tailoring tools — they’ll need golden tailoring tools. Obtained in the Church of Vows in Liurnia of the Lakes, the golden tailoring tools are not a required item in early or even mid-game. But for players attempting optional bosses or endgame dungeons — the hardest challenges in the game — adding that little bit of extra armor makes all the difference in the world.
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