As you level up and get stronger in Elden Ring, there’s going to be other tasks you need to get done. Runes in Elden Ring are just like Souls and Blood Echoes from the previous games. As you gain more from defeating powerful enemies, you go up in levels. Each level allows you to put points into the various core stats in Elden Ring. This process of perfecting your build goes beyond stats as well, you also need to get good weapons and armor.
There are also a ton of weapons and gear you can use to fight your way through this waking nightmare of a world. As you play Elden Ring, you’re bound to find some secrets as well. Players wishing to unlock everything in the game are in for a bit of work. And that goes double for crafting gear upgrades. If you wish to upgrade your weapons in Elden Ring, you need to find some specific items. Part of that process in this new RPG revolves around items called Smithing Stones and Somber Smithing Stones.
These two items describe the basic and upgrading materials you will use to improve your weapons. There are two main types in the game. The process of upgrading weapons works on tiers. Each weapon starts out in its basic form, and as you consume Smithing Stones, it goes up, from +1 to +2, and so on. As you improve a piece of equipment, the cost increases the number of stones needed per tier.
- Smithing Stones are used to make the basic weapons such as the Bow, Kite Shield, and more slightly better. These are the first materials you will find for use with the Blacksmith to upgrade items.
- Somber Smithing Stones are the improved versions of the basic stones. These are gained from defeating bosses, and are kind of rare. They are best reserved for improving named and unique weapons. Any weapon or piece of armor that drops from a boss will likely use these.
So now that you know about the two upgrade items, you need to learn where to get them from.
Smithing Stones and Somber Smithing Stones Locations
So, where exactly do we find Smithing Stones and Somber Smithing Stones in Elden Ring? in short, you can find them all over. The basic version will drop randomly from any enemies in the game. The chances are better in dungeons, compared to overworld enemies. The best early game location is the Limgrave Tunnels dungeon in West Limgrave. The Miner enemies here drop them pretty regularly. You may also buy Somber Smithing Stones from Iji the Blacksmith on the road leading to Caria Manor.
When you’re heading through the First Church of Marika in the Giant Mountaintops zone, hunting for those bell bearings, you will also find some Somber Smithing Stones around. Enemies in various zones such as Spider Hands and the invisible Scarabs can drop them too. if you’re having trouble finding them, some merchants will also sell them beyond the Blacksmith, such as the Twin Maiden Husks. So you may want to prioritize those ball bearings if you plan to stick around there a while.