All the ‘Elden Ring’ starting Keepsakes, ranked

Elden Ring is the game of the moment. The reviews are glowing, veteran players are thrilled by the many secrets within, and newcomers to FromSoftware’s notoriously tough action RPGs are seeing if they can handle the pressure. One of the first big decisions you’ll make comes in the character creation, where you’re asked to choose a “Keepsake” item that your character will start the game with.

These Keepsakes vary in usefulness, so here are my rankings of what’s on offer.

10. “None”

Yup, you have the option to simply not take any of the Keepsakes. This might seem like an odd choice with no real benefit, but if you’ve chosen to play a level one “Wretch” with no clothes and a simple club as a weapon, you may want to go the whole hog and start entirely from zero. It’s also worth remembering that none of the keepsakes are at all crucial, so if you do pick this, you’re only making the game ever-so-slightly more difficult in the opening hours.

9. Cracked Pot

The Cracked Pot is a crafting item used for creating throwable items like firebombs. They’re fairly common throughout the Lands Between, so this is a poor choice to pick, as you’ll find them as you go.

8. Boiled Prawn

There’s no mysticism or magic here ⏤ this is literally just a boiled prawn. When eaten, it boosts your defense against physical attacks, though not for very long. In all honesty, you’ll likely forget you’ve got it and even if you do, it’s unlikely that gobbling down some shrimp in a boss fight is going to turn the tables in your favor.

7. Bewitching Branch

This gives you five consumable items that turn enemies into allies who will fight alongside you. It can be fun to turn a fearsome adversary into a temporary buddy, but the limited amount of uses and the fact that you’ll eventually be able to craft them mean it’s hard to recommend.

6. Fanged Imp Ashes

Early in the game, you’ll be granted the extremely useful Spirit Casting Bell, which allows you to summon ethereal helpers in battle. The Fanged Imps are one of these summons and though they aren’t useless, even the basic wolf trio summon is better. Plus, you can simply purchase the Fanged Imp Ashes for 2000 runes from a storekeeper in a mid-game area if you really want to catch ’em all.

5. Shabriri’s Woe

This talisman attracts enemy aggro to you and can be very useful if you’re aiming to help out other players in co-op. However, I think this is intended for veteran players designing a character explicitly for co-op adventuring, so it will likely be of limited use to your average adventurer.

4. Lands Between Rune

Simple and straightforward, the Lands Between Rune grants you 3000 runes when used. In the early game, this will buy you a few stat points without worrying about tangling enemies, though as there’s effectively an infinite amount of runes in the game, it’s not a huge boost in the long term. Even so, pumping a few points into a stat never hurt anyone.

3. Stonesword Key

These items are a relatively rare find in the Lands Between and can be placed in “Imp” statues to unlock gates. Most of these will hold fairly useful items, making it a good choice, as you will inevitably want an extra one at some point.

2. Crimson Amber Medallion

This talisman will raise your HP by one percent. That may not sound like a lot, but it could very well be the difference between surviving a potentially fatal blow. As it’s a percentage increase, the effects scale as you level up, meaning it’s theoretically viable throughout the entire game (though there are many other more useful talismans out there). However, you can buy the Crimson Amber Medallion for a relatively cheap 1,500 runes from the shopkeeper on the Weeping Peninsula, meaning it’s not the number one Keepsake.

1. Golden Seed

The Golden Seed will give you an extra charge on your healing flask, letting you replenish your HP when out exploring or battling a boss. There will come a time when you’re facing a boss and just one more heal is the difference between triumph and failure, so this is the best Keepsake to pick. Just remember to spend it when you’re at your first Site of Grace and it’ll make the opening bosses much more manageable.

So Tarnished, take your pick and good luck out there. No matter which of these you select, it’s going to be a bumpy ride through the Lands Between. Don’t give up!