Elden Ring: Every Keepsake, Ranked (2024)

One of the first choices you can make in Elden Ring is which Keepsake you’ll choose in character creation. Keepsakes are items that can provide you with minor boosts, giving you a small leg up during the early stages of your journey through the Lands Between.

While none of the available Keepsakes are game-breaking, and all of them can be found at some point later on in the game (in effect, if not in name), some of the options are still better than others. This list will help you decide which Keepsake you should choose for your next playthrough, and which might even do more harm than good.

Updated June 23, 2024, by Lucas Ellinas: With Elden Ring's DLC finally here, many players will be looking to start a new character. Some might even be getting into the game for the first time. And among the many decisions they will have to make is which Keepsake to take with them. As such, we've updated this list to better help you take the right first step when entering the Lands Between.

10 Crimson Amber Medallion

The Crimson Amber Medallion is a strange starting item. It is a Talisman that increases your health by a small percentage. That might sound nice in theory, but in practice, it amounts to less than 50 extra health for even the Vagabond, the starting class with the most Vigor.

Of course, this effect is much better in the later stages of the game, when you have more levels in Vigor, but there are also +1 and +2 variants of this Talisman available, so by the time you reach a health total where the percentage effect actually starts to be relevant, you’ll have access to better options.

9 Shabriri’s Woe

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Shabriri’s Woe is a Talisman that draws the aggression of enemies to you. And while that doesn’t sound particularly helpful on the surface, it does have some utility. The most obvious use for it is in co-op, where you can wear it to help take the heat off your allies.

Alternatively, you could equip Shabriri's Woe, summon Mimic Tear, then quickly remove the Talisman, which forces the Mimic Tear to take the aggro instead. Of course, both of these strategies can be inconsistent, since the boss will still prioritize people who are attacking it. As a result, the character equipped with Shabriri’s Woe will need to consistently hit the boss to keep their attention.

Even if these uses interest you, though, you probably won’t be trying to enact them until you’ve actually put together a build. And by that point, you’ll already have access to the version of Shabriri’s Woe you can find in the game naturally (it's in the Frenzied Flame Village).

8 None

You can argue whether or not choosing to abstain from selecting a Keepsake counts as a Keepsake in and of itself. However, the comparisons between this option and the other choices are interesting enough that it feels worth including.

Naturally, choosing to not take a Keepsake means you don’t get any of the bonuses associated with the highest spots on this list. However, while it has no benefits, venturing out into the Lands Between without a Keepsake also doesn’t come with any drawbacks, whereas something like Shabriri’s Woe can be actively detrimental, especially for new players.

7 Cracked Pot

This Keepsake gives you three Cracked Pots, which you can use to craft a variety of throwable items. Most people don’t use Cracked Pots –or consumables in general– all that much anyway, and even if you are inclined to try them out, the best ones won’t be craftable until later.

Besides, you'll be able to find the maximum number you can hold as you play through the game anyway, including the three you can buy from Merchant Kalé right away in Limgrave. Basically, the only reason you’ll want to use this Keepsake is if you’re intent on using consumables right away at the start of the game.

6 Boiled Prawn

The buff Boiled Prawns give you is undeniably excellent, reducing the Physical Damage you take by 15 percent for 60 seconds. However, while it can be helpful against early bosses, the fact that you only get five of this Consumable can be a real problem.

Imagine if you try to use them against Margit, then die five times –an experience I’m sure many of you may be familiar with; you’ll be all out of Prawns, and he’ll be dealing even more damage than before on your next attempt. And if you want more Prawn, you’ll need to head to Liurnia and start Rya’s questline. It's not exactly a difficult trip, but it's not particularly close, either.

5 Bewitching Branch

Unlike the other Keepsakes on this list, the Bewitching Branches are really difficult to find, so getting five of them for free is actually pretty significant. You can craft them once you get the Fervor’s Cookbook [3] as a reward from Gideon Ofnir, after you tell him about Mohgwyn Palace. However, while there are a few ways to reach the Palace, it’s going to take a while, no matter how you choose to do it.

The trouble is, the uses for Bewitching Branches are pretty niche. They don’t work on bosses, so unless a boss summons non-boss enemies as allies –Commander Niall’s Banished Knights being the most notable example– this Keepsake won’t be of much use in the game’s most challenging fights. Still, it is fun to watch random overworld enemies kill each other.

4 Stonesword Key

Like the other consumables on this list, Stonesword Keys can be found or bought, but they aren’t exactly common and tend to be expensive. Getting access to the areas locked behind Imp Statue Seals is also generally more impactful than some minor buffs. Perhaps most notably, choosing them as your Keepsake grants you early access to the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave, which is located just outside the tutorial area.

Now, like all Hero’s Graves in Elden Ring, Fringefolk is a horrifying nightmare to navigate through, especially at low levels. However, the rewards just might be worth it. Fringefolk is full of powerful items, including the Erdtree’s Favor Talisman and the Dragon Communion Seal. If you’re willing to put yourself through some suffering, the Stonesword Keys can set you up for a strong start.

3 Lands Between Rune

Despite its name, you can’t actually find the Lands Between Rune in the Lands Between. It’s a specific type of Rune consumable that can only be taken as a Keepsake. It nets you 3,000 Runes, which equates to several free levels at the start of the game. That’s not exactly exciting, even when compared to the other Keepsakes, but those extra levels can be surprisingly useful.

If you’re trying to use a weapon with high requirements in the early game and don’t want to farm to do so or are just looking to start the game with better stats, the Lands Between Rune saves you a lot of time.

2 Fanged Imp Ashes

The Fanged Imp Ashes aren’t going to be of much use if you don’t like using Spirit Summons, but if you want some extra assistance, they are surprisingly effective as a starting option. They have low health, but the Fanged Imps can deal Bleed damage, which will shred through early bosses like Margit or the Tree Sentinel, especially if you help them along with a Bleed weapon of your own.

And while you can pick up the Fanged Imp Ashes relatively quickly if you know where you’re going, it takes a substantial amount of effort, requiring you to get into the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Taking them as a Keepsake instead saves you a lot of trouble.

1 Golden Seed

There are more Golden Seeds in Elden Ring than you’ll need to max out your number of Flasks, so technically, getting an additional one at the beginning of the game is entirely unnecessary. However, the difference between 5 and 4 Flasks is much larger than the difference between 13 and 14.

Having that extra Flask early can be a big help, giving you enough wiggle room to tank an extra hit or get a couple more uses of your spells. And even against Elden Ring's first few bosses, you might find that additional leeway extremely useful.