How to Upgrade Weapons

Upgrading your weapons is essential in order to defeat the more powerful foes you encounter in Elden Ring. During the early game you will be able to get more damage by upgrading your weapons than by power levelling. This How to Upgrade Weapons Guide will tell you everything you need to know about the process in Elden Ring.

The resource you need to acquire to upgrade your Normal Weapons in Elden Ring is Smithing Stones, and they can be found all over the map, as well as in small dungeons and legacy dungeons. The best source for Smithing Stones are Mines and Tunnels, and they will be denoted on the map by an icon that resembles a hole. It is recommended that you prioritize searching for these mines and tunnels when exploring so that your weapons are properly reinforced for the area.

Smithing Stones

Smithing Stones come in nine different variants, the last few of which are rare. Each level of Smithing Stone works for three weapon upgrade levels. Smithing Stone 1 works up to 3, Smithing Stone 2 works up to 6, and so on. Keep in mind that after every reinforcement you will need more Smithing Stones to upgrade. The best early place to farm Smithing Stones is near the Stormveil Gate in Limgrave. You will find a nearby Shine of Marika and a Site of Grace just down the road. Below is the full list of the Smithing Stone variants and their weapon reinforcement levels.

Smithing Stone 1

Reinforce weapons to 5

Smithing Stone 2

Reinforce weapons to 6

Smithing Stone 3

Reinforce weapons to 9

Smithing Stone 4

Reinforce weapons to 12

Smithing Stone 5

Reinforce weapons to 15

Smithing Stone 6

Reinforce weapons to 18

Smithing Stone 7

Reinforce weapons to 21

Smithing Stone 8

Reinforce weapons to 24

Smithing Stone 9

Reinforce weapons to 25

Somber Smithing Stones

Somber Smithing Stones are required in order to upgrade your Special Weapons, these are unique weapons like boss items or gifts from NPCs. Somber Smithing Stones are rarer than their Smithing Stone counterpart but generally you will need less of them to reinforce your Special Weapon. Below is the full list of the Somber Smithing Stone variants and their weapon reinforcement levels.

Somber Smithing Stone 1

Reinforce special weapons to 1

Somber Smithing Stone 2

Reinforce special weapons to 2

Somber Smithing Stone 3

Reinforce special weapons to 3

Somber Smithing Stone 4

Reinforce special weapons to 4

Somber Smithing Stone 5

Reinforce special weapons to 5

Somber Smithing Stone 6

Reinforce special weapons to 6

Somber Smithing Stone 7

Reinforce special weapons to 7

Somber Smithing Stone 8

Reinforce special weapons to 8

Somber Smithing Stone 9

Reinforce special weapons to 9

Somber Smithing Stone 10

Reinforce special weapons to 10

How to use Smithing Stones

In order to use your Smithing Stones in the early game of Elden Ring you need to go to Roundable Hold and speak with Smithing Master Hewg. He will consume Smithing Stones to upgrade most of the weapons that are available in the game. Smithing Master Hewg can only buff weapons up to a certain point. Once you have reached that point you will need to find another smith out in the Lands Between to upgrade your weapons further.

How to get More Smithing Stones

There are several ways in Elden Ring aside from exploration in which you can acquire Smithing Stones. These include:

- Vendors and NPC characters (Smithing Stones)

- Return Bells to the Twin Maiden Husks in Roundtable Hold (Somber and Smithing Stones).

- Blacksmith near the Road to the Manor Site of Grace, South of Caria Manor (Somber Stones).

Take a look at our Weapon Tier List to find out what the best weapons are in Elden Ring.