The best keepsake to choose in Elden Ring
The Lands Between is a deadly place, so it's only right that the fates bestow you with a boon before pushing you into hell. Each of these Elden Ring keepsakes provide its own particular benefit, and depending on which Elden Ring class you choose, you'll likely want a certain starter gift to go with it.
These special items follow a similar theme to the Dark Souls games: the Crimson Amber Medallion replaces the Life Ring, the Golden Seed swaps out for the Estus Shard, and there's even the Elden Ring Stonesword Key that will lead to treasure a little further down the road. If you're intent on making your experience tougher, you can even say no to the starting gift, or choose the one that aggros enemies.
In this Elden Ring starter gift guide, I'll take a look at each of these boons, and which will likely prove more powerful than others or pay dividends later on.
What are Elden Ring's keepsakes?
When creating your character in Elden Ring, you get to choose a starting boon that will offer you a little assistance in the world. Similar to Souls' grave gifts, these range from free upgrades, to items and keys that you might use later in the game. Here's what you can get:
- Crimson Amber Medallion: A medallion inlaid with Crimson Amber. Raises max HP.
- Lands Between Rune: The gold of grace shining in the eyes of the people of the Lands Between. Use to gain many runes.
- Golden Seed: A golden seed washed ashore from the Lands Between. Said to reinforce Sacred Flasks.
- Fanged Imp Ashes: The ashes of small, diminutive golems. Ashes are said to hold spirits within.
- Cracked Pot: Three strange cracked pots that somehow mend themselves. A container for certain thrown items.
- Stonesword Key: Two stone keys shaped like swords. Breaks the seal on imp statues but can only be used once.
- Bewitching Branch: Five sacred branches charged with beguiling power. Said to originate from Demigod Miquella.
- Boiled Prawn: Five pieces of boiled prawn. Boosts physical damage negation.
- Shabriri's Woe: The crazed likeness of a goddess with no eyes. Attracts enemy aggression.
What's the best Elden Ring starter gift?
There are lots of great gifts available at the beginning of Elden Ring, but it really depends on what you want to make easier. An Elden Ring golden seed, for example, will give you an extra charge of your flask for healing or FP, which is a really powerful starting boon. The Bewitching Branch gives you five opportunities to charm enemies to fight for you, and that can be very powerful if you pick the right foes.
However, I think the best keepsake is the Stonesword Key, since golden seeds become a lot easier to find. These keys stay rare throughout the game. Like Pharros Lockstones from Dark Souls 2, you can plug this key into a statue to open a doorway that usually leads to treasure or a secret location. There's one such doorway right at the start of the game leading into the Elden Ring Fringefolk Hero's Grave dungeon. This is probably the hardest dungeon in Limgrave, with a really tough Elden Ring boss, especially if you're trying it at the start of the game.
This Elden Ring dungeon does give some great rewards, though, such as NPC summoning ashes in the form of Oleg, a golden seed, a powerful talisman, and a hefty sum of runes to spend on leveling. So, if you want a challenge and some rewards, I recommend taking the Stonesword Key. Failing that, go for the golden seed. The Fanged Imp Ashes are also fun, but you'll need the Spirit Calling Bell first, and when you get that, you'll get the Lone Wolf ashes for summoning anyway.