What is the best Keepsake starting item in Elden Ring?
What item will you choose for your quest?
Keepsake refers to the starting item you'll choose at the beginning of Elden Ring.
There are a range of Keepsakes to choose from, such as a Golden Seed, which reinforces your Sacred Flask, and Fanged Imp Ashes - one of the many Spirit Ash summons found throughout the game.
Keepsakes offer a useful boost, especially in the early stages of the game, so it's important you pick the right one for your playstyle. To help you make this decision, we cover what is the best starting Keepsake item in Elden Ring below.
On this page:
Elden Ring Keepsakes list
In Elden Ring, you'll be prompted to choose one of 10 Keepsake after you've chosen your starting class. This includes the option to not have a Keepsake, though, we only recommend choosing this if you have experience with past Souls titles and want a challenge.
Each Keepsake provides a different advantage; with some lasting throughout your playthrough, while others have limited uses.
Here are the 10 Keepsakes and their associated advantage:
| Keepsake | Effect |
|---|---|
| Bewitching Branch | Five sacred branches charged with beguiling power. Said to originate from the demigod Miquella. |
| Boiled Prawn | Five boiled crayfish meats. Boosts physical damage negation. |
| Cracked Pot | Three strange cracked pots that somehow mend themselves. A container for certain thrown items. |
| Crimson Amber Medallion | A medallion inlaid with reddish amber. Increases maximum HP. |
| Fanged Imp Ashes | The ashes of small, diminutive golems. Ashes are said to hold spirits within. |
| Golden Seed | A golden seed washed ashore from the Lands Between. Said to reinforce Sacred Flasks. |
| Lands Between Rune | The gold of grace shining in the eyes of the people of the Lands Between. Use to gain many runes. |
| None | No keepsake. The past has been well and truly left behind. |
| Shabriri's Woe | The crazed likeness of a noble who crushed out their own two eyes. Attracts enemies' aggression. |
| Stonesword Key | Two tone keys shaped like swords. Breaks through an Imp's seal, but shatters in the process. |
When selecting a Keepsake, it's important to take both your character build and what you want to focus on in the early stages of the game into account.
If you'd like more advice on picking the right Keepsake for you, continue on...
Which Keepsake do you choose? The best starting Keepsake items
Our recommendation for the best starting Keepsake is a Golden Seed. This will give you an extra Flask use - either to restore your HP or FP - and at the start of the game, survivability is paramount.
Though many Golden Seed locations can be found throughout Elden Ring, many will require a little exploring first - and in terms of giving you an advantage right at the start of the game, there are few better choices on your list.
The Crimson Amber Medallion is a good option to increase your HP while wearing it - however, you can find one from nearby Dragon-Burnt Ruins (the south of lake just south-east of your starting position).
The Fanged Imp ashes, meanwhile, is a good idea if you want a summon to distract enemies in early battles. However, ashes are reasonably common rewards, especially in early side dungeons, and this is another item you can find out in the world, albeit someway along the critical path (specifically, Raya Lucaria Academy's gates).
The only other item worth highlighting is the Stonesword Key. This is an item which can open specific locks throughout the game, and are fairly uncommon. Our Stonesword Key locations can give you some straightforward places to find some fairly on, however, and unlike the Golden Seed, having one straightaway doesn't put you at much of an advantage.
In fact, it may lead you astray; you can use one in the very opening crypts, before you emerge out in Limgrave, which takes you to Fringefolk Hero's Grave, a very challenging dungeon you won't want to attempt out of the gate. And no, there's nothing particularly rare or useful you can quickly pillage and move on from either!
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