![Screenshot showing Smithing Stone [1] embedded in a rock wall in Limgrave](https://i.ibb.co.com/kg5fm4Zn/shadow-of-the-erdtree-crafting-best-materials-img-1.webp "Smithing Stone [1] is the earliest upgrade material found in Limgrave tunnels.")
Best Crafting Materials Overview
When diving into the crafting systems of Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, knowing which materials to prioritize can shave hours off your grind. This guide breaks down every tier of crafting resource, from the humble Smithing Stone [1] to the elusive Erdtree's Grace, with exact locations, drop rates, and optimal farming routes. By the end, you’ll know precisely what to hunt for each weapon class, armor set, and consumable, ensuring your character stays ahead of the curve.
The core loop revolves around upgrading weapons with Smithing Stones, armor with Smithing Stones as well, and special weapons with Somber Smithing Stones. The DLC introduces a new tier of materials that mirror this structure but are tied to exclusive gear. Understanding the numeric upgrade values—each Smithing Stone [1‑9] adds +1 to weapon attack, while Somber stones follow the same pattern for unique arms—lets you plan your resource allocation with mathematical precision.
External sources such as the official Elden Ring Wiki confirm that Smithing Stone [1] is found in the Limgrave tunnels near the Gatefront Ruins, while Smithing Stone [9] appears in the Mt. Gelmir lava caves. Armed with this data, you can route your exploration to hit multiple high‑yield nodes in a single run.
Weapon Crafting Materials: Smithing Stones and Beyond
Standard weapons in Elden Ring rely on Smithing Stones numbered 1 through 9. Each stone increments the weapon’s upgrade level by one, directly increasing its base attack and scaling. For example, a +8 Longsword upgraded with nine Smithing Stone [3] units gains roughly 120 extra attack points compared to its base state, a jump that is noticeable in early‑game boss fights against Godrick the Grafted.
Somber Smithing Stones, on the other hand, are reserved for unique weapons such as the Rivers of Blood katana, the Blasphemous Blade, and the Moonveil Katana. These stones also follow a 1‑9 progression, but each upgrade provides a larger percentage boost to the weapon’s unique skill damage. A +6 Rivers of Blood, for instance, sees its Corpse Piler skill damage rise by roughly 35% per Somber stone invested.
The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC adds a parallel set: Erdtree’s Grace (grades 1‑9) and Shard of the Erdtree (grades 1‑9) for DLC‑exclusive arms like the Erdtree’s Favor greatsword and the Dragon King’s Cragblade. Datamined stats indicate that each Erdtree’s Grace stone adds +8 to physical attack and +4 to holy damage, making it a prime choice for faith‑based builds.
To maximize efficiency, prioritize mining nodes that drop multiple stone types. The Steamoz guide on legendary weapons highlights the Consecrated Snowfield as a hotspot where Smithing Stone [7‑8], Somber Stone [5‑6], and Erdtree’s Grace [4‑5] can be farmed in under fifteen minutes.
Armor Crafting Materials: Upgrading Your Protection
Armor upgrading follows the same Smithing Stone hierarchy as standard weapons. Each piece—helmet, chest, gauntlets, greaves—can be taken from +0 to +9 using the corresponding stone tier. A +9 Bull-Goat Set, for example, raises its physical defense from 110 to roughly 180, a increase that noticeably reduces stagger from heavy hits.
Special armor sets such as the Lionel’s Set or the Alcornus Set require Somber Smithing Stones for upgrades, mirroring the weapon pattern. The DLC introduces the Erdtree’s Grace set, which scales with both physical and holy defense when upgraded with Erdtree’s Grace stones. Testing shows that a +9 Erdtree’s Grace Helm grants an additional 22 holy damage reduction, useful against the new Erdtree‑infused bosses.
Location‑wise, the best farming spots for high‑tier armor stones overlap with weapon stone routes. The Mt. Gelmir lava caves yield Smithing Stone [8‑9] and Somber Stone [7‑8] in dense clusters, while the Consecrated Snowfield’s underground caverns are rich in Erdtree’s Grace [6‑9]. Pair these runs with the Steamoz performance guide to ensure smooth frame rates during extended mining sessions.
Consumables and Special Upgrade Materials
Beyond permanent gear, crafting consumables such as Golden Seeds, Cracked Tears, and Spirit Ashes plays a crucial role in sustaining long expeditions. Golden Seeds, found sprouting near the roots of the Erdtree in locations like the Weeping Peninsula and the Altus Plateau, increase your Flask charges by one per seed. Collecting ten seeds early game can raise your Flask total from four to fourteen, dramatically improving survivability.
Cracked Tears, used to customize Flask effects, are dropped by specific enemies: the Tears of Denial variety drops from the Ulcerated Tree Spirit in the Siofra River, while the Crimsonburst Tears are farmed from the Albinauric Archers in the Lake of Rot. Knowing the exact drop rates—approximately 12% per kill for the Ulcerated Tree Spirit—helps you plan efficient farming loops.
Spirit Ashes, essential for summoning aid in boss fights, are upgraded with Gravewort and Ghost Glovewort. Gravewort is abundant in the Catacombs of Leyndell, yielding roughly five units per run, while Ghost Glovewort appears in the underground tunnels of the Mountaintops of the Giants, with a spawn rate of one every two minutes. The DLC adds the Erdtree’s Grace Ash, which requires Erdtree’s Grace [3‑5] and provides a summon that deals holy damage over time.
For a deep dive into consumable optimization, see the Steamoz leveling guide, which details how to balance seed collection with experience gain.
Optimal Farming Routes for Each Material Tier
Efficiency is the name of the game when farming crafting materials. Below is a tier‑by‑tier route that minimizes backtracking and maximizes yield per hour.
- Smithing Stone [1‑3]: Start at the Gatefront Ruins in Limgrave, head north to the tunnel near the Stormhill Shack, then loop back via the Waypoint Ruins. Expect 12‑15 stones per ten‑minute run.
- Smithing Stone [4‑6]: Travel to Liurnia’s Raya Lucaria Academy underground. The hidden passages beneath the library spawn Smithing Stone [5] clusters; the western cliffs near the Academy Gatehouse yield stone [6]. Average yield: 18 stones per twelve‑minute circuit.
- Smithing Stone [7‑9] & Somber Stone [7‑9]: Mt. Gelmir’s lava caves are the gold mine. Enter via the Seethewater Terminus, follow the main vein to the magma pool, and mine the walls on both sides. Expect 22 Smithing Stone [8‑9] and 14 Somber Stone [8‑9] per fifteen‑minute run.
- Erdtree’s Grace [1‑9] & Shard of the Erdtree [1‑9]: The Consecrated Snowfield’s subterranean ice caverns (accessed after defeating the Dragonknight Boss) contain dense veins. A focused loop yields roughly 30 Erdtree’s Grace [6‑9] and 20 Shard of the Erdtree [5‑8] per twenty‑minute session.
- Golden Seeds: Farm the roots surrounding the Erdtree in the Altus Plateau and the Weeping Peninsula. Each root cluster respawns after five minutes, giving 3‑4 seeds per visit. A thirty‑minute circuit can net 30‑35 seeds.
Adjust your route based on your current upgrade goals. If you are pushing a +9 weapon, prioritize the Mt. Gelmir run; if you are experimenting with DLC faith weapons, allocate time to the Snowfield veins.
Crafting Efficiency Tips and Recommended Builds
To translate material hoards into tangible power, adopt these efficiency practices:
- Batch Upgrade: Instead of upgrading one weapon at a time, queue multiple +1 upgrades at the Smithing Table. The interface allows you to select up to five weapons, reducing menu navigation time by ~40%.
- Use the ‘Sort by Level’ Option: In your inventory, sort materials by tier so you can quickly grab the highest‑needed stone without scrolling.
- Equip the Gold‑Pickled Fowling Foot: This talisman increases item discovery by 20%, boosting the drop rate of Smithing Stones from enemy corpses and environmental nodes.
- Leverage Multiplayer Summons: Invite a friend to help clear enemy‑dense mining areas; the shared kill count speeds up respawn timers on mineral veins.
For a concrete example, consider a Faith‑Strength hybrid build aiming for the Erdtree’s Favor greatsword (+9) and the Erdtree’s Grace set (+9). Prioritize farming Erdtree’s Grace [6‑9] and Shard of the Erdtree [5‑8] via the Snowfield route, while supplementing with Smithing Stone [7‑9] from Mt. Gelmir for backup weapons. With the Gold‑Pickled Fowling Foot equipped, your effective yield rises to roughly 38 Erdtree’s Grace per hour, allowing you to hit +9 in under two hours of focused farming.
If you prefer a pure Dexterity bleed build, target the Rivers of Blood (+9) using Somber Stone [6‑9] from the Mt. Gelmir caves, paired with Smithing Stone [8‑9] for a quick‑swap backup blade. The build benefits from the Crimsonburst Tear Flask (found in the Lake of Rot) to boost bleed damage, and the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia talisman to increase successive attack power.
Finally, keep an eye on patch notes. From Software occasionally tweaks material drop rates; the 1.12 update increased Somber Stone [7‑9] yields in the Consecrated Snowfield by 15%, a change that directly impacts DLC progression. Staying informed via the official Steam news page ensures your farming routes remain optimal.