It's still early days for most people in FromSoftware's latest and greatest release, but that's not to say that we don't already have a shortlist of the best early item Elden Ring artifacts. Granted, it's bound not to be a complete and comprehensive list at this point, but boy have we got some absolute game-changers for you to chase after.

Now, given the nature of the game, virtually anything can be overpowered in Elden Ring. Especially now that we're free to apply any old Ashes of War we find onto virtually any weapon. However, odds are good that you, too, are struggling in the early game. Consider this article an expansion of our previous Elden Ring starter guide, really.

With obtuse gameplay systems and little in the way of assistance, any new weapon or tool could help you take down the next major boss. And believe us when we say that you do not want to go into Legacy Dungeons unprepared.

So, this small guide aims to put you in the direction of some key weapons and items you may find useful in your travels! We'll keep populating this guide as more useful goodies pop up, but in the meantime, do keep in mind that this is not the ultimate list of best weapons in the game. We'll have that ready a bit later on!

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Must-Have Weapons & Gadgets - Best Early Item Elden Ring Artifacts

Which Keepsake to Choose in Elden Ring?

One of the first questions you'll need to make a decision on in Elden Ring is that of which Keepsake item to take with you on your adventure. In true FromSoft fashion, Keepsakes are items you choose during the character creation screen, and potentially don't ever get access to them again.

So, while this won't outright make or break your character build, choosing the right option for you could make early game progression way easier in the long run. With that in mind, we've boiled down our choice to three main options.

Crimson Amber Medallion

A simple HP-boosting medallion, this Keepsake isn't that important in the grand scheme of things. HP will, however, be a clutch stat for many newcomers, and it may pay off to get the Crimson Amber Medallion to bolster your survivability by just a bit until you get your groove on.

Golden Seed

Though technically a one-time-use item, Golden Seeds allow you to upgrade your "Estus" in Elden Ring, and they can be somewhat tricky to get. Note that you need two for each flask upgrade, so by kicking things off with one as a Keepsake, you'll already be halfway there.

Fanged Imp Ashes

Ashes are basically AI summons that assist you in combat, and they can be pretty handy. If you're intent on playing a summoner, we've not found a way to get Fanged Imp Ashes later on, so consider getting this item as your Keepsake.

Major gadgets, tools, and features to collect and open-up

From our experience in Elden Ring so far, the game places a much greater emphasis on gadgetry and tools than any previous FromSoft game. While your Tarnished avatar will be pretty weak and useless early on, it's going to take a while before you open up all of their crafting and spellcasting capabilities properly.

The kicker, then, is that it can be pretty easy to miss some of these. So, lest you want to miss out on item crafting, here's a list of gadgets you need to pick up during your first visit to Limgrave!

Crafting Tools: Church of Elleh

These are straightforward. Just purchase them off the Santa Claus-looking merchant in Church of Elleh for 300 Runes. Getting the Crafting Tools will let you craft various bombs, throwable items, and projectiles, among other useful things.

Whetstone Knife: Gatefront Ruins

Whetstone Knife allows you to customize your weapon and shield's Ashes of War, which are incredibly powerful abilities you can effectively spam your enemies with. Get it by clearing out Gatefront Ruins and going down the small cellar in the middle of the camp.

Tailoring Tools: Coastal Cave

Pure vanity item, sure, but it's a neat little thing. Tailoring Tools let you customize certain armor pieces to an extent, such as putting up a cape or a hood or taking them off completely. To get it, you'll need to go to the west of Limgrave and take down the Demi-Human Chief boss in the Coastal Cave.

Spirit Calling Bell: Church of Elleh

Another downright invaluable item for some of the game's more hardcore encounters, the Spirit Calling Bell will let you spawn in various AI mobs to assist you in real-time. Getting it is easy, too! Just visit the Church of Elleh at night and speak with Renna, the witch that'll be sitting on a nearby wall. Now, finding the different spirit summons is a wholly different beast...

Flask of Wondrous Physick: Third Church of Marika

This one we almost ended up missing ourselves! The Flask of Wondrous Physick is, basically, a customizable Estus. As you progress through the game, you'll unlock different Flask effects that you'll have the opportunity to mix and match however you see fit. Go to the east of Limgrave and locate the Third Church of Marika, the Flask will be nearby.

Best Weapons in Elden Ring's Early Game

Finally, there are the weapons. The bread and butter of every FromSoft game, there's a bunch to choose from. No, really, Elden Ring's arsenal is substantially larger than that of any other FromSoft game, with more variety present than any of us had initially expected.

Twinblade

The Twinblade isn't just one of the most potent early to mid-game weapons in Elden Ring, but it's also incredibly easy to get. As soon as you unlock Torrent (which is accomplished by visiting your first three Sites of Grace), head east of The First Step, all the way to Dragon-Burnt Ruins. Nearby, you'll find a broken-down house that has no apparent entryway and a curious set of stairs leading down into a cellar. Use Torrent's double jump to get there, and the Twinblade will be in a chest at the bottom of the stairs.

Great Epee

A ridiculously oversized rapier-looking weapon, this weapon offers impeccable thrusting damage and scales well with both Strenght and Dexterity. To get it, find the Agheel Lake South Site of Grace and head southeast. Find the cliff that's overlooking the ocean and locate the massive stone bowl that looks as if it's been broken. Find a way to drop down into a group of enemies from that location, and the Great Epee will be in a chest on the right side of the cliff.

Greataxe

The go-to early-game weapon for Strenght character builds, the Greataxe will easily take regular enemies down in just one or two hits and stagger almost anything else. It's slow and cumbersome, however, so take note of that. The Greataxe can be found in the carriage that's drawn by two large trolls near the Waypoint Ruins. Stop the trolls and open the chest at the back of the carriage.

Hookclaws

An interesting choice for those who enjoy eviscerating their foes, the Hookclaws are fast and snappy, allowing you to slowly chip away at enemies who are too fast to deal with if you're using heavy weaponry. Hookclaws are very useful for Dexterity-focused builds, but the problem with them is that they're located in the game's first Legacy Dungeon, the Stormveil Castle. Use the secret back entrance that Gatekeeper Gostoc suggests and loot the corpses found in the first level of the large wine cellar.

Bloodhound's Fang

Bloodhound's Fang is an incredibly powerful weapon that's technically easy to get, but you'll need to kill a pretty tough boss to drop the bloody thing. Find the Forlorn Hound Evergaol arena on the hill to the west of Bridge of Sacrifice. A straightforward encounter after that, but don't expect it to be easy.

Uchigatana

The perfect starter katana for your inner weeb, Uchigatana is a delight to use in practice. Versatile and powerful, and with a default Ash of War that will stagger bosses left and right, it's a stellar option for balanced Strenght and Dexterity characters. If you have the Samurai starter class, then you can start the game with an Uchigatana. If not, however, you'll need to go to Deathtouched Catacombs and loot the corpse that's hanging from a platform.

Lordsworn's Greatsword

Brutally powerful, delightfully designed, and just the tiniest bit cumbersome to use against fast-moving enemies, the Lordsworn's Greatsword is a top-tier option for mounted combat and general Strength scaling. It's pretty easy to get, too. Just head on over to Gatefront Ruins and loot the carriage that leads out of the troops' camp.

Reduvia

Finally, the edgelord's dagger: Reduvia. Not only does Reduvia dish out decent damage with regular attacks, but it also comes with an incredibly powerful weapon skill - the Reduvia Blood Blade. Basically, it casts bleed-inducing projectiles that chip away at enemies at a range. To get it, you'll need to kill Bloody Finger Nerijus located in Murkwater Cave. Just follow the river bank to the east of the telescope icon located above the central lake in Limgrave, and you'll find the cave soon enough.

Closing Thoughts

We hope this shortlist of best items in Elden Ring (so far) helps you find your footing in The Lands Between! We've got lots more coverage coming up over the following days and weeks. Indeed, Elden Ring is one of those games that just keep unraveling, and it's almost hard to believe just how much content there is.

That's open-world Dark Souls for you, we suppose! Do note, however, that we'll keep adding new useful items to this list in due time. So, you may want to check back in in a couple of days!

Oh, and lest we forget, if you're struggling with Elden Ring stutter and other performance-related issues on PC, we do have a guide for that, too. Naturally, FromSoft will need to patch things up on their end. In the meantime, however, there's a hefty list of things you, too, can try out if you're unhappy with how the game runs.

Start playing Elden Ring on PC today!