Elden Ring is a game designed with a focus on player choice, and that begins during character creation. While you have no shortage of options available to you for crafting the perfect visual representation of yourself, that’s not the only decision you’ll have to make, as you’ll also need to decide which Keepsake you’d like to start the game with.
Keepsakes are the equivalent of Gifts from the Dark Souls series, providing you with an item (or stack of items) to take with you at the beginning of your journey. Some of them can be extremely valuable, while others are considerably less so. You can also opt not to take a Keepsake at all if you want to be hardcore, but for everyone else, here’s the lowdown on your options and which ones are worth consideration.
Crimson Amber Medallion
This Keepsake is likely the best choice for most players, as it grants you increased HP right out the gate. You’ll likely find better and more versatile talismans a few hours into the game, but being able to take an extra hit without dying can prove immensely helpful in the opening hours.
Lands Between Rune
This rune can be used to grant you a decent amount of runes to spend on leveling or items at the beginning of the game. While more runes are always nice to have, simply killing enemies will earn you plenty of them early anyways, making this Keepsake a fairly poor choice for most players.
You can opt not to take a Keepsake.
Golden Seed
Golden Seeds are used to permanently upgrade the number of charges in your healing flask by resting at a Site of Grace and applying them. You’ll get a lot of these through exploration throughout your adventure, but this is one of the best Keepsakes because more survivability is always welcome.
Fanged Imp Ashes
These Spirit Ashes can be used after obtaining the Spirit Casting Bell, providing you with spectral allies to help fend off your enemies. You’ll get plenty of more powerful options in the first few hours of your journey, so this Keepsake isn’t really a great pick unless you’re just really intrigued by this specific Spirit Ashes.
Cracked Pot
Cracked Pots are used in crafting throwable items. Pots can be reused infinitely, though you can only craft one item per pot at a time. This isn’t a very good choice for a Keepsake, however, and you’ll get tons of these by exploring and purchasing them from merchants.
Stonesword Key
These keys are used to open a wide variety of magically blocked-off areas. By using them on pedestals at the entrances to these locations, you can find tons of cool treasure throughout The Lands Between. You’ll find plenty of these keys if you thoroughly explore the world, but having a spare at the beginning doesn’t hurt, either.
Stonesword Key is a viable Keepsake option.
Bewitching Branch
This Keepsake provides you with five consumable items capable of charming enemies, which turns them into temporary allies that can fight alongside you. This isn’t a particularly useful starting item, though, due to the limited uses and the fact that they can be crafted later in the game anyways.
Boiled Prawn
This Keepsake is among the worst options. It provides you with five consumable items that can boost your defense against physical attacks. These won’t last you very long–if you even remember to use them–so maybe pass on them in favor of something considerably better.
Shabriri’s Woe
This talisman can be equipped to attract enemies to you and keep them off your pals in co-op, making it a solid Keepsake if you intend to build a character for tanking. Combine it with high Vigor and Endurance stats, heavy armor, and a large shield to be the ultimate damage sponge for those you’re hoping to help.
Need more of an introduction to Elden Ring? Don’t miss our tips for beginners and our class guide. You can also read our Elden Ring review in progress.
Source: Gamespot
