Complete Guide to Upgrading Your Weapons in Elden Ring

In Elden Ring, upgrading your weapons is one of the most important ways to increase your character’s power and take on stronger enemies and bosses. This guide will cover everything you need to know about upgrading weapons in Elden Ring, including where to find the necessary upgrade materials, how to intelligently allocate your upgrade resources, and the different upgrade paths available.

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Introduction to Weapon Upgrade Materials in Elden Ring
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There are several different types of materials required to upgrade weapons in Elden Ring. The most basic materials are Smithing Stones, which are divided into Smithing Stone [1-10]. Higher-level Smithing Stones such as Smithing Stone [7-10] can be quite rare and are best saved for weapons you plan to use long-term. Another common material is Golem’s Limbstone Shard, which can be found throughout Limgrave and used to strengthen basic weapons.

Rarer and more valuable upgrade materials include Elden Ring runes like Dragon Smithing Stones and Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones. These allow you to further power up weapons and are essential for achieving the highest possible weapon upgrades. It’s a good idea to explore thoroughly and complete as much of the game’s content as possible to find multiple sources of Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones and maximize your arsenal.

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Where to Find Weapon Upgrade Materials
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Smithing Stone [1-4] can be purchased from Merchant Kale at the Church of Elleh in Limgrave if needed. Higher-level smithing stones up to cheap Elden Ring items can sometimes be found from defeating field bosses or exploring caves and dungeons. Specific farmers like the Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight enemies will commonly drop Smithing Stone.

Golem’s Limbstone Shards can be looted from Golems throughout Limgrave as well as other regions. Bell Bearing Hunters have a decent chance to drop Golem’s Limbstone Chunks. Bell Bearing Hunte ]looted in Elden Ring. These bosses are located all across the Lands Between, so search thoroughly to find Larval Tears hiding in dungeons, catacombs, and other challenging areas.

Perhaps the rarest and most valuable upgrade materials can only be obtained by defeating difficult end-game bosses and enemies. Dragon Smithing Stones are occasional drops from bosses in late-game regions like Crumbling Farum Azula and Mountaintops of the Giants that are cheap Elden Ring items. Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones require defeating incredibly challenging foes like Black Blade Kindred and Ancient Hero of Zamor.

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How Upgrade Paths Impact Your Weapons
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When upgrading weapons at the anvil, you’ll notice different upgrade path options become available as your weapon’s upgrade level increases. These paths change the weapon’s scaling and damage attributes. The most common paths are:

• Standard: Increases physical attack power with better scaling as you level Strength and/or Dexterity.
• Heavy: Emphasizes Strength scaling over Dexterity for maximum physical damage output.
• Keen: Favors Dexterity scaling for high crit chances and physical damage with fast weapons.
• Quality: Balances Strength and Dexterity scaling for a hybrid build.
• Occult: Adds Blood Loss buildup and Arcane scaling at the cost of some physical power.
• Fire/Flame Art: Adds Fire damage but lowers physical scaling slightly.
• Lightning/Sacred: Adds Lightning damage with Faith scaling.
• Magic/Cold: Adds Magic or Frostbite buildup with Intelligence scaling.

Choose upgrade paths and items strategically based on your build and preferred playstyle. Remembe ]direction and play to your character’s strengths.

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Intelligently Spending Limited Upgrade Materials
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Since rare materials like Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones and Larval Tears are limited resources, it’s important to carefully consider which weapons deserve high-level upgrades. Focus upgrades on weapons that perfectly match your build and moveset. For example, don’t waste valuable stones on a weapon you rarely use just because it has a high damage stat.

Also take weapon upgrades in steps – don’t fully max out a weapon until you’re certain it’s a permanent choice. This allows you flexibility to reallocate upgrade materials if you find a better weapon later. It’s generally not worth fully upgrading more than two to three weapons at a time until late-game when materials become more abundant.

Save Larval Tears until you’re ready to perfectly dedicate your build towards one or two weapon types. Rarely respec unless absolutely necessary. This ensures you make the most of each Larval Tear’s powerful ability to reshape your character.

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Conclusion – Master The Power of Upgrades in Elden Ring
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By understanding where to locate all types of weapon upgrade materials throughout the Lands Between, strategically choosing upgrade paths, and intelligently allocating limited resources, you can fully maximize the damage output of your arsenal. Upgrades are essential for taking on fearsome late-game Elden Ring bosses and enemies that drop high-value items like Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones and Elden Ring runes. Make the most of the spectral smithing tools to pave your way to becoming Elden Lord.