Talismans give your Tarnished the extra boost they need to overcome the challenges you’ll face in Elden Ring – and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion adds incredible new talismans that are better than anything else you’ll find in the base game. Literally, the best talismans are all in the Realm of Shadow and we’re going to tell you how to find them. We’re limiting our search to just ten of the best we think everyone needs to find, but depending on your build, there are plenty of other talismans you’ll want to keep searching for. Consider this list the start of your quest.
If you’re new to Elden Ring, talismans are accessories you can equip to your character. After progressing the main story, you’ll unlock up to four total slots for talismans. Make sure to get them all before attempting the Realm of Shadow. The new area is exactly as difficult as everyone says, so give yourself the best possible chance with a full deck of talismans.
#10 Two-Handed Sword Talisman
One of the best talismans for Strength or Dexterity Builds, this talisman increases damage from two-handed weapons. Because switching to a two-handed stance is such a natural way to deal more damage in Elden Ring, this talisman never stops being useful. Squeeze a little more damage out of your favorite colossal weapons or greatswords by equipping this talisman. Just be aware that it only works when you’re holding a single weapon with two hands. Any weapons that split into two don’t count – but other talismans pair really well and stack. The Claw Talisman, Axe Talisman and Shard of Alexander all stack with this buff.
The Two-Handed Sword Talisman is located at the top of the Temple Town Ruins in the Rauh Base area. If you’ve never visited this section of the map, travel to Moorth Ruins and go north to the small lake. There’s a cave entrance leading north and then all the way east to the Rauh Base area. In the south, you’ll find an abandoned village called Temple Town Ruins. Fight your way to the top level of the town to claim this talisman as your reward. You can get this one pretty early in the expansion and it’s absolutely one of the best to get early.
#9 Aged One’s Exultation
The first talisman on our list is way too normal. Let’s change things up with one of the weirdest – and most broken – talismans in the expansion. The Aged One’s Exultation is a super secret talisman that boosts your attack power when there’s madness in the area. Anything infected with the frenzied flame will boost your total attack power, and that can include yourself. One of the ways players are dealing extreme damage is by wearing this talisman then infecting themselves with madness for the free damage boost that stacks.
To get the Aged One’s Exultation, you need to reach the Abyssal Woods. This area is accessible by finding the ladder to the right of the path leading to the Specimen Storehouse lift in the Shadow Keep. Climb down the ladder then attack the wall to the right of the painting to find a hidden path. Following this secret passage eventually leads to a new river far below, and following that river as far as you can leads to the Darklight Catacombs. Complete the optional dungeon to reach the Abyssal Woods.
Once you’re in the woods, the real challenge begins. This talisman only drops from the strange stalker enemies that can’t be normally killed – if they spot you, they’ll attack and kill your character instantly. The only way to defeat these enemies is by parrying their staff attack. The timing is a little tricky, but their instakill attack can be parried. Doing so leaves the enemies vulnerable and allows you to kill them permanently.
Do it to any one of the Aged One enemies to earn this talisman. For most of us, this talisman isn’t really that good – but if you want to deal max damage, it’s basically required.
#8 Dried Bouquet
And we’re not done with damage boosting talismans yet. The Dried Bouquet boosts your damage significantly for 30 seconds after your spirit ash summon dies. You’ll get a 20% attack damage boost for that time – very useful for solo players that are struggling to survive against any of the Shadow of the Erdtree bosses. Your spirit summons are basically destined to die during boss fights, so this gives you a strong buff when the inevitable happens.
The Dried Bouquet is located in Belarut, Tower Settlement – the first Legacy Dungeon you’ll find in the DLC. Progress to the base of the tall tower with the ruined steps where you’ll find the Bone Bow. Near this tower, there’s an optional path covered in debris to the right. Jump over it to find a doorway leading to a store room with a gold cross. Exit the room full of man-flies and you’ll reach a balcony with a small chapel. The Dried Bouquet is on the dead body inside.
Spirit summons give you the edge against so many bosses, and you’re always at your weakest when the boss finally fells your NPC ally. Level the playing field with the Dried Bouquet and dish out a giant chunk of bonus damage before the boss can aggro on you.
#7 Golden Braid
The DLC doesn’t only give you more options for dealing damage – you’ll also find the best protection talismans. The talisman that’s most important for the final boss is the Golden Braid. It gives a huge +22% buff to Holy damage negation, which is enough to completely change your chances of survival in the final dungeon. Getting it also requires solving one of the most obscure puzzles in the entire expansion.
The Golden Braid is located in the Shaman Village area. We’ve talked about this section of the map a lot, but we won’t blame you if you can’t find it on your own. We’ve covered the way to reach the northeast of the map in plenty of other guides, but here’s a very quick rundown. To reach the Shaman Village, you’ll need to access the Specimen Storehouse Loft through a ruined wall up the stairs from the Back Section Site of Grace. From the Loft, take the lifts down to the Commander Gaius boss arena. There’s a small chapel here to the right. Using the ‘O Mother’ gesture on the statue will move the wall and unlock the path to the Shaman Village and other secret areas. To get the Golden Braid, take the path up to the abandoned village bathed in gold and reach the top. There’s a dead tree with a statue inside. Loot the glowing item to get this talisman.
#6 Flamedrake Talisman +3
Aside from Holy elemental damage, Fire is the big damage type you’ll keep encountering in the Realm of Shadow. The major progression boss Messmer the Impaler and his Fire Knights in the Shadow Keep all have fire affinity, so any protection will make your life so much easier. Then there are the giant Furnace Golems that appear all over the DLC map. If you don’t want to get roasted, you’ll want the best protection possible.
The Flamedrake Talisman +3 is located in the Fort of Reprimand in the south of Scadu Altus, further south of Moorth Ruins. You can also skip Castle Ensis by activating a Spiritspring far beneath the castle and entering from behind. We’ll be using the front entrance to reach the basement area full of cages. Enter the underground and hope through the cages to find a treasure chest with the Flamedrake Talisman.
This is just one of multiple talismans that give a huge 22% damage negation modifier when worn. We’ve already got protection against Holy, now we have Fire. Let’s get one more that’ll protect you against Magic.
#5 Pearldrake Talisman +3
We might as well hit up one more defensive talisman. There are more in the Realm of Shadow, but this is the most versatile. The Pearldrake Talisman +3 gives your Tarnished 11% negation to all elemental damage types. Other talismans are better for specific bosses, but this talisman is perfect for randomly exploring – when you can’t be bothered to swap often while you’re running around the environment, fighting enemies with a variety of different elemental damage attacks.
The talisman is located in the Specimen Storehouse area of the Shadow Keep. To get it, you’ll need to reach the large stone-like body with a glowing item on the head. To reach it, you’ll need to progress to the large lever that raises the hanging specimens. There are multiple ways to reach the head, but you can jump from the Fourth Floor Site of Grace onto the hanging specimen and drop down to reach it.
While this talisman protects against elemental damage, there’s one more secret talisman that’ll be extremely helpful against the Scarlet Rot and other debilitating status effects. You’ll need to enter the sewers of Belarut to get the Immunized Horn Charm +2.
#4 Immunized Horn Charm +2
If you want to protect yourself against poison or Scarlet Rot, you’ll want to get an Immunized Horn Charm. The best possible version raises your immunity to +180 – and it isn’t totally clear how this works. The higher your immunity, the slower your meter rises when affected by poison or rot. Basically, it takes longer for you to feel the effects of the toxin. If you’re sick of getting infected so fast when fighting the Scarlet Rot boss in the Ancient Rauh Ruins area, you might want to backtrack and collect this charm.
And the charm itself is pretty difficult to get. You’ll need to reach the sewer area of Belarut, Tower Settlement. Near the entrance to the Legacy Dungeon, there’s a well with a ladder leading to a locked gate. The key is located in an optional room beneath the rooftops guarded by Gravebirds. Dropping into the rooms below, you’ll be able to access the key. Take the key back to the sewer and follow the path into the giant poison swamp area. To the left, there’s an open expanse where an Ulcerated Tree Spirit will spawn. These are some of the most annoying enemies in the game, but they’re practically tame compared to some of the bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Defeating the big weird tree monster will get you the Horn Charm. This is the best talisman for exactly one boss fight, but you’ll really want it. Now let’s get two more functional talismans that are just too useful to skip.
#3 Crimson Amber Medallion +3
One of the most functional talismans in Elden Ring – the Crimson Amber Medallion does something very, very simple. Equipping it raises your maximum health. That’s it. And that’s something everyone is going to want. It’s so useful, we basically had this talisman equipped for our entire run. Once you find it, there’s no reason to take it off.
Getting this talisman is relatively simple. Travel northwest of the Castle Ensis Front Gate to the foggy dead end area – there’s a mini-dungeon called Fog Rift Catacombs. This is a tricky area full of traps, so you’ll need to slowly progress to the bottom floor. Dodge the spikes and reach the Death Knight boss at the end. Defeating him gets you the Crimson Amber Medallion +3 – slap it in one of your talisman slots and never look back.
#2 Cerulean Amber Medallion +3
More health is useful for everyone, but extra FP doesn’t hurt either. If you’re a magic-user or just want to squeeze more magic into your build, the Cerulean Amber Medallion +3 is another incredibly functional talisman. Even if you don’t use your FP often, there are times when you might need a little more. And this is the best possible version that gives you the most FP.
We’ve already discussed the Rauh Base – if you’ve reached that area, you’ll want to travel north of the Temple Town Ruins. In the northwest, follow the river swarming with giant scorpion monsters to the Scorpion River Catacombs dungeon. Get down to the bottom floor and defeat the other Death Knight boss to earn this equally useful talisman.
These talismans are some of the most functional and flat upgrades you’ll find in Elden Ring, but let’s talk about one more that’s fun for players looking to get as much defense as possible out of their armor sets.
#1 Verdigris Discus
If Shadow of the Erdtree taught us anything, it’s that defense matters more than we ever imagined. The DLC gives new options for boosting damage negation to the maximum, and suddenly dodging has become completely overrated. Some players are taking defensive tactics to new extremes with All-Hit runs. Instead of dodging attacks, this strategy is all about tanking hits, and one of the most useful talismans for boosting your defense is the Verdigris Discus.
This weird talisman is located in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh. After defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion field boss in the large ruin, jump down to the east and search for a large stone relief altar beneath the overhang. That’s where you can find the Verdigris Discus item. And using it is going to require some very heavy armor.
The talisman is only useful when your Equip Load is Heavy or Overloaded. Basically, this is the perfect talisman for the Verdigris Armor set you’ll earn near the end of the DLC. This is one of the heaviest – and best – sets of armor in the game. Make sure your Endurance isn’t too high or you’ll be able to move nimbly while wearing this giant armor outfit. The trick is equipping the discus, getting the heaviest armor you can and pairing that with a giant shield. I recommend the Black Knight’s Greatshield and maybe a few more talismans to boost damage negation of all kinds. If you add that all together, you’ll get an additional 20% defense when you’re Overloaded. You’ll be fat-rolling, but why roll when you can guard against everything the bosses throw at you.
