Elden Ring: Where to Find the Best Talismans

In Dark Souls, players can find various rings that increase their stats, abilities, and defenses, and Elden Ring continues that tradition in its own way with talismans. Like their forebears, talismans provide a litany of advantages, and while some only provide minor bonuses, the most powerful ones impart substantial advantages and even unique buffs.

Odds are most players will get a taste of talismans thanks to the Crimson Amber Medallion. This item is one of the best keepsakes in the game because it provides a substantial boost to health early in the adventure. Given Elden Ring’s difficulty, that extra HP will come in handy.

Even with that early recommendation in mind, Elden Ring features quite a few other talismans that offer even more substantial benefits. Here are the best ones we know of so far.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find the Gold Scarab

In Soulsborne games, enemies typically drop currency (known as “runes” in Elden Ring) that serves as both money and EXP. That dual-functionality raises the always difficult question, “would you rather spend your hard-earned runes on a powerful spell, or should they go to leveling up?” With a little help from this talisman, that decision will be much easier to make.

While most talismans increase a character’s stats, the Gold Scarab talisman boosts the amount of runes enemies drop when killed by around 20%. Not only does this bonus influx of currency essentially make it easier to level up, but it also cuts down on the rune grinding you’ll have to do. Since runes are the progression and economic lifeblood of Elden Ring, any item that increases rune drops is bound to be on most players’ must-have lists. And yes, the Gold Scarab talisman’s rune drop increase stacks with other rune boosts

As you might expect, the Gold Scarab talisman is hidden away in a dungeon full of powerful enemies, darkness, and deadly puddles. This dungeon is the creatively-named Abandoned Cave in the Caelid region and is east/northeast of the Smoldering Wall’s Site of Grace.

You should stock up on items and spells that prevent/cure rot and poison, but the Abandoned Cave is otherwise straightforward. Plus, a Site of Grace sits at the mouth of the dungeon, so death doesn’t cut too deep. In order to claim the talisman, you have to beat the Abandoned Cave’s bosses: the Cleanrot Knights.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find Erdtree’s Favor

Early in Elden Ring, you might notice a blocked-off path that requires two Stonesword keys to unlock. If you didn’t pick the keys as your keepsake, you have to return later, but if you did choose the Stonesword keys…well, you should still return later since this side passage is extremely dangerous. Of course, the reward in this instance exceeds the risk since this area hides one of Elden Ring’s best talismans.

Many stat-related talismans boost only one attribute, such as health or stamina, but Erdtree’s Favor increases three at once: HP, stamina, and equip load. HP and stamina are self-explanatory, but equip load is the most important of all since it determines a player’s mobility. The lower the equip load, the faster and longer they can roll — and the more invincibility frames the roll has. Since Erdtree’s Favor boosts a character’s equip load while also increasing their health and stamina, it is a boon for survivability.

As previously mentioned, Erdtree’s Favor is buried in a mini-dungeon near the game’s starting point (Fringefolk Hero’s Grave). The dungeon doesn’t challenge players with tough enemies so much as it forces gamers to deal with monsters while poisoned and dodging traps. The first major obstacle is a chariot of death that charges up and down a slope. You can avoid the chariot by diving into alcoves, but enemies lie in wait. As you’re running from that chariot, keep an eye out for a bridge over a chasm. Look down the side of the chasm, and you should see a small ledge you can jump to. Once there, you’ll have to deal with a flame trap, which is also beaten by dodging and weaving into alcoves guarded by imps. After you bypass that roadblock, you can finally retrieve the Erdtree’s Favor talisman from the end of an innocuous bridge. Just grab it and run, as a strong monster will soon drop down from the ceiling.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find Great-Jar’s Arsenal

While Erdree’s Favor provides a slight boost to several stats, some players might prefer a huge boost to one stat. Elden Ring has plenty of talismans that do just that, and one of the best greatly enhances your equipment load.

The Great-Jar’s Arsenal talisman increases a character’s equip load by a whopping 19%. This is an obvious improvement over the game’s other dedicated equip load talisman, the Arsenal Charm. Of course, since Great-Jar’s Arsenal is stronger, it is also more difficult to obtain.

In order to reach the talisman, you first need two Swordstone Keys. Then, venture into the Siofra River region using the Siofra River Well in eastern Limgrave.

Make your way north/northeast to an elevator, all while dodging enemies, and use it to travel up to another region. Once there, head northeastern, once again avoiding enemies, and unlock another elevator with the keys. After that daunting task, you’re still not done, since the elevator drops you off at Dragonbarrow in northern Caelid. From there, it’s just a straight shot towards a gargantuan Living Jar (the titular Great-Jar). When you talk to him, he summons three AI-controlled adversaries (not all at once, thankfully). Defeat all three enemies either through wit, skill, or cheese, then talk to the Great-Jar one more time to receive his talisman.

If you aren’t up for that challenge and would rather stick to the Arsenal’s Charm, just talk to Nepheli Loux at the Roundtable Hold after defeating Godrick. She’ll hand that talisman over. 

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find Immunizing Horn Charm

Many gamers like to jokingly claim Hidetaka Miyazaki is addicted to placing poisonous swamps in his games, and they’re not wrong. Miyazaki told Game Informer that he rediscovered his love of deadly mirelands while making Elden Ring. “I just can’t help myself,” he claimed. Thankfully, he also included a talisman to mitigate that addiction.

The Immunizing Horn Charm, as its name suggests, increases a player’s Immunity, which makes them more resistant to the status effects of poison and rot. Normally you can increase your character’s Immunity by adding points to Vigor or by eating items such as Immunizing Cured Meat, but the Immunizing Horn Charm gives an instant boost to your poison/rot resistance without having to grind for runes or crafting materials. Given the number of ways a player can be poisoned, the Immunizing Horn Charm is one of the most useful status effect-preventing talismans in the game.

Unlike other talismans, the Immunizing Horn Charm is relatively easy to find. Hop down the Ainsel River Well, which is in the eastern part of Liurnia of the Lakes, and head southwest into a winding ant nest.

Run past all the terrifyingly giant ants (or kill them), then delve into the Uhl Palace Ruins. Just past the ruins you will find another river. Wade downriver and you will enter yet another ant nest, this time littered with corpses. Loot the bodies (preferably after you kill the ants) and you should find the Immunizing Horn Charm.

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Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find Crimson Seed Talisman and Cerulean Seed Talisman

On the surface, the Crimson Amber and Cerulean Amber Medallions sound extremely useful since they boost your maximum health and FP. However, boosted total health and mana mean nothing if you don’t have enough recovery items. Then again, who needs a lot of healing flasks when you have talismans that boost their potency?

This might be cheating, but the Crimson Seed and Cerulean Seed Talismans are tied for this spot since they offer the same effect in two different flavors. The Crimson Seed Talisman makes each Flask of Crimson Tears recover more HP, and the Cerulean Seed Talisman lets each Flask of Cerulean Tears recover more FP. The importance of these talismans is fairly self-explanatory since, when equipped, you don’t need to keep chugging down flasks to stay healthy.

In order to find the Crimson Seed Talisman, you need to enter the Sainted Hero’s Grave, which is located in Atlus Plateau, west of Rampartside Path and east of the Second Church or Marika.

The dungeon is a winding maze of a tomb, full of traps and undead. Normally, you would expect the dungeon’s boss to hold the talisman, but instead, you find it in the room full of imps.

Meanwhile, in order to loot the Cerulean Seed Talisman, you need to scour the Carian Study Hall, which is in Liurnia of the Lakes near Eastern Tableland. Just make your way up the hall’s library while dodging/fighting the specters and Preceptor Miriam, and you will eventually discover the talisman.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find the Green Turtle Talisman

Stamina is arguably the most important resource pool in any Soulsborne game. Attacking and dodging eat up stamina, and even though the bar regenerates naturally, depleting too much leaves players open to punishing blows at best and a quick death at worst. While the Viridian Amber Medallion raises a character’s maximum stamina, as we’ve already established, a talisman that boosts stamina recovery rate is more beneficial.

With a name like the Green Turtle Talisman, you might expect the item to increase a character’s defense since turtles are associated with protection, not stamina. However, this talisman does in fact increase stamina recovery. Normally, you cannot speed up stamina regeneration unless you use the Great Turtle Shell or eat some Pickled Turtle Neck, which makes the Green Turtle Talisman is one of the Elden Ring’s few permanent stamina speed buffs. After all, the faster stamina fills up, the more you can attack and dodge without worrying about tiring out.

The Green Turtle Talisman is relatively easy to find, but it does require a Stonesword Key. In Northeast Limgrave, you’ll find Summonwater Village. Just east of the village, you should see an underground passage protected by a barrier.

Use the key to enter the location, which is a surprisingly peaceful subterranean grotto populated by turtles. Head to the back of this location, and loot a chest to obtain the talisman.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find Blessed Dew Talisman

Combat in Soulsborne games is difficult due to a variety of reasons, one of which is the genre’s intentionally restrictive recovery options. With restorative methods at a premium, a talisman that lets you recover health over time, no matter how slow, is bound to be in high demand.

One of Elden Ring’s most useful talismans is arguably the Blessed Dew Talisman, which restores 2HP per second. This healing occurs whether you wander the Lands Between or are embroiled in combat, so while a Flask of Crimson Tears technically provides faster healing, the talisman delivers a steady trickle of HP. Normally, if you, say, lost 50% of your health in a fight, you would have to either wander the Lands Between at half strength until you either popped a flask or rested at a Site of Grace. But with the Blessed Dew Talisman, you would probably be up to full health by the time you bumped into another enemy. It’s hard to ignore such a powerful item.

Since the Blessed Dew Talisman is so powerful, it is hidden away in the furthest, late-game recesses of Elden Ring, but you can claim it rather early if you are feeling brave and lucky. Normally, you would have to travel all the way to the Divine Bridge Site of Grace in Leyndell to acquire the talisman. Merely reaching Leyndell is a challenge since you need two Great Runes to unlock the location, but if you travel to the southwest corner of the Weeping Peninsula, you can find the Tower of Return. At the top is a treasure chest that teleports you into the heart of Leyndell.

Most of these teleporting chests are beginner traps, but this time you want to be spirited away. Head up the stairs in Leyndell to a Site of Grace (you will need it), rest at it, then run through the nearby arch. The chest that contains the Blessed Dew Talisman should be on your right, past the sleeping Golem. Yes, you will wake the creature, and yes, it probably will one-shot you, but if you’re fast enough, you can open the chest and claim the talisman before it hits you.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find Carian Filigreed Crest

FP in Elden Ring serves a variety of purposes. The most obvious use is casting spells, but you also need FP to summon Spirit Ash allies and use weapon skills. Sounds like a talisman that reduces FP cost would come in real handy.

Elden Ring doesn’t have many talismans that cut down on FP spending. There’s the Primal Glintstone Blade for spellcasting, but that also cuts into its user’s HP, so your best bet is the Carian Filigreed Crest, which lowers the FP requirements of weapon skills by 20%. Many of the game’s best weapons sport equally-powerful skills that eat through your FP bar. For instance, the Dark Moon Greatsword’s special skill, Moonlight Greatsword, turns the weapon into a veritable laser that cuts down enemies at a distance, but it costs a whopping 40 FP. With the Carian Filigreed Crest, the weapon’s mana cost drops to 32 FP. All of that saved FP add up, especially when you are running low on flasks or focus on stats other than Mind.

Unlike most talismans, you don’t need to wade through countless dungeons to find the Carian Filigreed Crest, and you also don’t loot it off a boss’ corpse. You still need to kill one, though, specifically Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, who prowls the Forlorn Hound Evergaol in Limgrave. Before fighting him, though, you should seek out Blaidd, who only appears in the Mistwood Ruins and only if players use the Finger Snap gesture.

After players talk to him, they learn he is looking for a man named “Darriwil.” After killing Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, players can talk to War Counselor Iji in the western area of Liurnia of the Lakes, who will then sell the talisman.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Faithful Canvas Talisman and Graven-School Talisman

Spells in any Soulsborne title are a risky, but often worthwhile, endeavor. After a small windup and some spent FP, players can temporarily boost their stats or devastate enemies at a distance. Quicker spells tend to be weaker and cost less FP, so when it’s time to upgrade your arsenal, do you use a slower spell for more damage, or would you rather equip a talisman that boosts a spell’s power without sacrificing speed or mana costs?

In Elden Ring, spells are divided into Incantations and Sorceries. Each draws from different stats and are impacted by different talismans. Since Incantations are dictated by Faith, you might think they would benefit from the Two Fingers Heirloom. They do, but when you crunch the numbers, the Faithful Canvas Talisman boosts their potency even further. Likewise, Sorceries tie into Intelligence, and while the Stargazer Heirloom boosts that stat, the Graven-School Talisman benefits Sorceries even more. Your preferred spell school will determine whether the Faithful Canvas or Graven School Talismans are right for you.

If you seek the Faithful Canvas Talisman, you should scour the Selia Crystal Tunnel, located in Caelid. The winding area is infested with overgrown Prawn Miners. Look for a wooden platform with two of these creatures on top. If you kill them (or lure them away), you will notice they are guarding a corpse. Search it, and you will find the talisman.

If you prefer the Graven-School Talisman, however, you need to delve into Raya Lucaria, which is found in Liurnia of the Lakes. Right before the Debate Parlor Site of Grace (i.e., the room where you fight the Red Wolf of Radagon, you should see a bookcase nestled in an alcove). Hit the shelves to reveal a hidden path, and follow it to loot the Comet spell and a Stonesword Key. Before you leave the room, climb up a ladder and walk over to the far side of the room. Jump over the railing onto a wooden lattice, drop down a large hole, walk down another path, and fall down one final hole into a room with a giant crystal. The Graven-School Talisman rests on that crystal.

Best Elden Ring Talismans: Where to Find Assassin’s Crimson Dagger and Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger

Critical hits are by far the best way to deal tons of damage in Soulsborne games, Elden Ring included. If you hit an enemy from behind, when they’re asleep, or after they’ve been parried or broken, you can erase a good chunk of their health. With enough practice, you can land critical attacks like clockwork, and while quickly defeating enemies is reason enough to do so, Elden Ring provides two more incentives.

The Assassin’s Crimson Dagger and Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger restore HP and FP whenever a player lands a critical hit. These talismans don’t differentiate between a backstab or a parry attack; any critical hit provides a much-needed boost to health and mana, respectively. Since every playstyle results in a critical attack sooner or later, whether through stealth or crushing blows, these talismans give players an extra reward in the form of a second wind. Plus, extra-skilled players who can chain critical attacks could potentially find themselves flush with extra health and mana without ever having to use a flask.

Since both talismans are modeled after the weapons used in the Night of Black Knives, one of the many events that set up the story of Elden Ring, it’s only fitting they drop from Black Knife Assassins. To obtain the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger, you have to enter Deathtouched Catacombs, which is located near the northern cliffs in Limgrave, and defeat the Black Knight Assassin at the end.

The Black Knife Assassin who owns the Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger, meanwhile, is holed up in the Black Knife Catacombs, which is in the northeastern fringes of Liurnia of the Lakes. While you simply need to unlock a door to reach the Deathtouched Catacombs’ assassin, the Black Knife Catacomb’s assassin is a little more hidden. You need to find a room with guillotines, hop on the second blade after it crashes into the ground, and ride it up to a platform. Then run down the hall and hit the illusory wall at the end to reveal the boss room. Just beat the assassins, and each will drop their respective talisman.

Since Elden Ring is a large, sprawling game full of secrets, odds are even more powerful talismans are waiting in the wings. We will just have to wait and see.