Best talismans in Elden Ring
The 15 best talismans for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree
Looking for the best talismans in Elden Ring? Talismans are important accessories in Elden Ring, replacing rings from past Souls games. Fresh characters can equip only one talisman, but as you grow stronger, you'll be able to use four at a time. Assembling the right combination of talismans can massively increase your damage and ability to survive, often spelling the difference between life and death against Elden Ring’s biggest bosses.
Not all talismans are made equal, however, and finding the right balance can be almost as tricky as finding the talismans themselves, which are scattered all over the Lands Between and the Shadow Realm. This guide will take some of the weight off of your Tarnished's shoulders by showcasing the 15 best talismans in both Elden Ring and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that are an absolute priority to find.
The best talismans in Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree
Click on any item in the list below to be taken to that talisman's description, along with an interactive map that will show you the exact location.
For the sake of convenience, the first 10 talismans listed here are for Elden Ring's base game, while the last 5 are for Shadow of the Erdtree.
- Radagon's Soreseal
- Marika's Soreseal
- Great-Jar's Arsenal
- Shard of Alexander
- Erdtree's Favor +2
- Radagon Icon
- Rotten Winged Sword Insignia
- Graven-Mass Talisman
- Flock's Canvas Talisman
- Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
- Pearl Shield Talisman
- Two-Handed Sword Talisman
- Two-Headed Turtle Talisman
- Crimson Seed +1 Talisman
- Cerulean Seed +1 Talisman
Radagon's Soreseal
Radagon's Soreseal is a fantastic talisman for most builds that scale physical damage, raising your Vigor, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity by 5 points each in exchange for 15% more damage taken. Despite the fact that this talisman makes you slightly squishier, those extra points of Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance are worth it for just about any melee weapon that can scale off of both Strength and Dexterity.
You can find Radagon's Soreseal on a corpse in Forth Faroth, just south of the Dragonbarrow Minor Erdtree to the far northeast of Caelid. This is an extremely dangerous, high-level zone, so you may want to use the lower-level version of this talisman, Radagon's Scarseal, early on. You’ll find Radagon's Scarseal by defeating the boss of the Weeping Evergaol in the northwest of Weeping Peninsula.
Marika's Soreseal
The caster counterpart to Radagon's Soreseal, Marika's Soreseal raises Mind, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane by 5 points each, in exchange for a 10% damage negation penalty. You’re going to feel that penalty when you get hit, but casters who use this talisman should be playing at safer ranges anyways. You can also combine both Soreseals on weapons that scale Strength, Dexterity, and one or more caster stats for a huge damage boost, plus an even bigger defensive penalty.
You'll find Marika's Soreseal in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree at the lowest level of the outer walls, near the Prayer Room site of Grace. You will need two Stonesword Keys to open the fog door and acquire the talisman. This is a very, very late-game area, so consider the lower-level Marika's Scarseal until this point. You'll find it under a waterfall in the far north of Siofra River, near the Dragonkin Soldier boss.
Great-Jar's Arsenal
The Great-Jar's Arsenal talisman greatly increases your maximum equip load, making it an excellent choice for colossal weapon users. This talisman makes it possible to run very beefy weapons and armor without crossing the heavy load threshold, keeping your dodge rolls crispy. You can acquire the Great-Jar’s Arsenal from speaking with the Great-Jar itself, and then engaging in a short but easy-to-miss quest.
You will find the Great-Jar in the far north of Caelid, following the canyon path from the northern Siofra River lift. On the path in front of him are three hostile NPC summon signs, which are easy to miss, as they aren't directly at his feet and often get buried in bloodstains. Speak to the Great-Jar, summon and defeat all three invaders, then speak to the Great-Jar again to earn your reward.
Shard of Alexander
The Shard of Alexander greatly increases the damage of weapon skills, and is a superb choice to make any of the best weapons in Elden Ring more potent. Getting this talisman takes a few steps though, as you'll have to play out the entire Alexander Iron Fist questline.
You'll initially find Alexander on Stormhill, but the first truly necessary step of his quest is defeating Radahn, which is outlined in our Elden Ring walkthrough. Speak to Alexander at the site of Grace after the fight, and then find him again in Liurnia on the cliffs above Jarburg. Free him using an oil pot, and then he will move on to Mt. Gelmir, where you will find him bathing in the magma in the far west of the area. Speak to him here, and you will have the option to summon him to fight the Fire Giant. Whether you summon him there or not, you will next find him on the floating walkway near the Dragon Temple Lift Grace in Crumbling Farum Azula. Speak to him here, and he will challenge you to a duel. Defeat him to earn the Shard of Alexander.
Erdtree's Favor +2
There are three Erdtree's Favor talismans, and they all increase your maximum health, stamina, and equip load. This will of course significantly improve your survivability, allowing you to wear heavier armor with higher health. The Erdtree’s Favor +2 talisman is the best of the bunch and is a very late acquisition, found in Leyndell, Ashen Capital after defeating Malekith.
You can find this all-around excellent talisman on a tree branch in the far east of the area, near the lift to the Forbidden Lands and East Altus Divine Tower, guarded by several Tree Spirits. The path to the talisman from Leyndell is blocked, so you will need to backtrack from the Forbidden Lands Site of Grace.
Radagon Icon
The Radagon Icon shortens spell casting time, making it a great pick for many caster builds. If you’re struggling to get spells off without taking a hit, Radagon Icon will be a major assist.
Finding the Radagon Icon isn't too tough - you can pick it up in the Raya Lucaria Academy, at the top of a ladder near the Debate Parlor Site of Grace. Head out into the courtyard, hook to the right, then hop the fence and climb the ladder to get to the talisman's location.
Rotten Winged Sword Insignia
The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia increases the power of successive attacks, providing a huge damage boost to fast-attacking weapons like claws and katanas. You can do this even faster when dual-wielding, making the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia arguably the best accessory for dual-wield builds. However, it takes some serious time and effort to acquire.
To earn the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, you will need to complete almost the entirety of Millicent's questline. You will first meet her near Selia, Town of Sorcery in the Church of Plague. Speak to Gowry in the shack just south of town and follow his instructions to knock out the first few steps of the quest. Once Millicent wakes up and departs the church, return to Gowry’s shack to find her there. Exhaust her dialogue there, then head to the Erdtree-Gazing Hill Site of Grace on Altus Plateau and bring her the Valkyrie's Prosthesis from the Shaded Castle. Find her once more after defeating the Godskin Apostle at Dominula, Windmill Village, next to the Site of Grace. Next, track her down at the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins Grace, then the Prayer Room Grace in the Haligtree.
Once you've spoken to her here, head deeper into the tree and defeat the Ulcerated Tree Spirit near the Drainage Channel Site of Grace. Reload the area to find two summon signs, one to challenge Millicent and one to help her fight off four invaders. Help Millicent to earn the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia.
Flock's Canvas Talisman
The Flock's Canvas greatly raises the potency of incantations. To acquire it, you'll need to complete Millicent’s questline, as detailed in the description for the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia above.
If you choose to challenge Millicent rather than help, you will find Gowry dead in his shack, with the Flock’s Canvas talisman on his body. If you helped Millicent, Gowry will still be alive. However, you can kill him to acquire both the talisman and a bell bearing that will transfer his shop inventory to the Husk Sisters. We recommend this route, as you can acquire both talismans this way. Plus, Gowry is a bit of a creep.
Graven-Mass Talisman
Similar to Flock's Canvas, Graven-Mass Talisman greatly raises the potency of sorceries, making it a must for all sorcery users.
You'll find the Graven-Mass talisman inside the Albinauric Rise tower in the eastern Consecrated Snowfield. Use a Bewitching Branch on one of the two imps outside the tower to make them attack each other. Once one dies, the seal on the tower will break and you can head inside.
Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman enormously boosts physical damage negation, making it one of the best defensive options in Elden Ring. If you're constantly getting clobbered by physical attacks or want to experiment with a tank build, this talisman can spare you a lot of pain.
You can find the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree inside the church-like room above the Haligtree Roots Grace. You’ll need to enter through the roof though, so descend from the Drainage Channel Site of Grace via the winding branches to get on top of the structure.
Pearl Shield Talisman
One of the finest talismans in Shadow of the Erdtree, the Pearl Shield Talisman boosts your non-physical resistance as long as you're blocking. If you have a shield handy and are working towards a tank build, equipping this talisman essentially means that you can get in close to the enemy, maintain your block, and soak up all other attacks as you wait for an opening. In even more practical terms, if you equip this, you'll be able to tackle the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree much easier, since they do an utterly disgusting amount of Holy damage in their second phase.
To get the Pearl Shield Talisman, head northwest of the Ancient Ruins Base Site of Grace in the Rauh Base region of the Shadowlands. You want to keep your eyes out for a chest under a torn tent near a small Messmer Soldier campsite.
Two-Handed Sword Talisman
This talisman does exactly what you'd think - it amplifies attacks made by two-handed weapons. More specifically, you're looking at a 15% damage boost whenever you're swinging a greatsword, greataxe, or similarly colossal weapon. That's a magnificent increase in damage, so if you're looking for a bump in raw power, you can't go wrong with the Two-Handed Sword Talisman.
Getting the Two-Handed Sword Talisman isn't too tough; all you need to do is search the top of the Temple Town Ruins in western Rauh Base. Follow the path covered with a red rug and watch out for the undead foes in the area until you come across a treasure chest. If you're having difficulties with the route, take a peek at our guide on how to get into the Temple Town Ruins.
Two-Headed Turtle Talisman
This is a cute talisman for sure, but it's also a potent fix if you're often running out of stamina. Wearing the Two-Headed Turtle greately raises your stamina recovery speed, allowing you to stay in the fight even if the challenges of Shadow of the Erdtree have you dodging and rolling more than actually attacking.
You can pick up the Two-Headed Turtle Talisman by looting a corpse in a cave hidden behind a waterfall in the northern stretch of the Ellac River in Gravesite Plain. Navigate northwest along the river from the Ellac River Cave Site of Grace until you reach a large crab monster at the base of a waterfall. Once the monster is taken cave of, walk through the waterfall to enter a cavern filled with glowing worms. At the very back of the cave is the corpse you're looking for.
Crimson Seed +1 Talisman
The Crimson Seed +1 talisman is sweet and simple - it greatly boosts your HP restoration from using the Flask of Crimson Tears. When you need to pop a potion in the middle of a fight, you'll be thankful for the extra buff that this HP increaser gives.
The Crimson Seed Talisman +1 Talisman can be found by sounding the Hanging Bell at the Finger Ruins of Rhia, which are accessed by going northwest from the Cerulean Coast. This is part of the cryptic and lengthy Count Ymir questline.
Cerulean Seed +1 Talisman
The Cerulean Seed +1 Talisman is cousin to the Crimson Seed +1 above. Instead of increasing HP, it amplifies FP recovery when using the Flask of Cerulean Tears, and is pivotal for spellcasters and any hybrid build that relies on magical antics.
Getting the Cerulean Seed +1 requires you to sound the hanging bell in the Finger Ruins of Dheo, which is the second bell that you'll deal with during the Count Ymir questline.
Those are all the best talismans in both the Elden Ring base game and Shadow of the Erdtree! It's a long list, but Elden Ring is a long game. You’ll have no regrets if you go tracking these down. If you aren't sure which talismans fit into your build, our guide to some of the best builds in Elden Ring can give you a better idea. Completionists can check out our complete list of every boss location in Elden Ring to make sure they don't miss a thing. And if you've just begun Elden Ring's DLC and aren't sure what to do, see our guide on what to do first in Shadow of the Erdtree to get sorted.