Searching for Elden Ring smithing stones to upgrade your armaments? At the beginning of your adventure, the easiest way to improve your damage output without leveling up is to upgrade your weapons. The majority of weapons and shields can be upgraded to +25, allowing you to hold on to your favourite items over the course of the RPG game.
To upgrade your Elden Ring weapons you need plenty of Smithing Stones, a rare upgrade material which can be difficult to find in the early game. If you’re using a unique weapon, you need to find Somber Smithing Stones which are just as difficult to acquire. Fortunately, once you manage to defeat some of the main Elden Ring bosses, there are plenty of areas which have an abundance of these rare upgrade materials.
By upgrading your armaments and combining them with specific Ashes of War, can drastically alter your weapons’ stats to allow you to breeze through the game. Here’s everything you need to upgrade your armaments in Elden Ring, including which blacksmiths to use, the best smithing stones locations, and more.
How to upgrade equipment in Elden Ring
You can perform low level upgrades to your equipment by heading to the Church of Elleh where you will find a smithing table. These tables give you the option to strengthen your armaments, but you can’t take these upgrades beyond +3. Depending on the item you upgrade, weapons usually receive a buff to their physical attack power and attribute scaling.
In order to go beyond this limitation, you need to find a blacksmith. Once you unlock the Roundtable Hold, you have access to Smithing Master Hewg, an NPC who can take your armaments to new heights. Hewg can strengthen your armaments and duplicate your Ashes of War, but remember to bring some Runes with you to pay for his services.
Elden Ring Smithing Stones locations
The best way to acquire an unlimited supply of Smithing Stones [1] and [2] is to find the Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing [1]. First, you need access to the Llurnia of the Lakes area – you can reach this location by working your way through the Stormveil Castle, or by heading up the Stormveil mountain path instead with your Elden Ring horse. While you can reach this area with a low level character, we recommend you tackle this area at level 25 or above.
Make your way to the Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel – if you can’t find the caves, be sure to pick up all of the map fragments on the way there. Head through the tunnel until you reach the Crystalian boss. Equip the Lone Wolves spirit ashes to stun lock the boss while you deal damage whenever you have a free opening. This boss is highly resistant to sharp weapons, so you may want to equip yourself with a blunt weapon to deal more damage.
Defeating the boss rewards you with the first bell bearing. Fast travel back to the Roundtable Hold and speak to the Twin Maiden Husks – offer them a bell bearing to have access to limitless Smithing Stones [1] and [2] for 800 and 1,600 runes, respectively. This gives you the ability to easily upgrade any of your weapons or shields to +6.
To take this further, you need to acquire the Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing [2]. You won’t be able to reach the next area unless you manage to acquire the Dectus Medallion, giving you access to the Grand Lift of Dectus.
You won’t need to fight any bosses this time, all you need is to travel towards the Sealed Tunnel at the top of the map. There’s a chest guarded by several enemies containing the second bell bearing. Give this item to the Twin Maiden Husks to purchase Smithing Stones [3] and [4] for 2,400 and 3,600, giving you instant access to +12 upgrades.
Smithing Master Iji Location Somber Smithing Stones
If you’re looking for Smithing Master Iji, he can be found near the site of grace north of the Kingsrealm Ruins. Iji sells unlimited amounts of Somber Smithing Stones [1], [2], [3], and [4], making it easy to upgrade any special weapons you’ve picked up.
Some players are having trouble finding Iji at this location – if this is the case for you, there’s a chance you may have accidentally harmed an NPC. Make your way to the Church of Vows and pay for an absolution with a Celestial Dew to atone for your sins – this should bring back any NPCs you may have killed or damaged.
That’s all there is to know about upgrading armaments using Elden Ring Smithing Stones. If you’re looking for helpful items to aid you on your quest, be sure to check out our Golden Seed locations guide to increase your flask. We also have a crystal tear location guide to temporarily buff your character in the middle of a fight. Finally, you may want to discover all of the cookbook locations in Elden Ring to upgrade your crafting skills.