The Crystal Tears are items that can be mixed around in the Wondrous Physick to create unique buff combinations that can be a real benefit to how you approach a situation. Among the massive amount of new content in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring, there are a total of 8 brand-new Crystal Tears for you to acquire and some them can completely change the way the game is played.
Finding these Tears will definitely be something you will want to do but tracking down their locations is one thing, defeating the enemies that are guarding them is something completely different. Luckily, we can show you how to find these items as well as how to battle the giants that stand in your way! This guide will show players where to find all 8 Crystal Tear locations.
How to Acquire Crystal Tears
All of the Crystal Tears that you can find in Shadow of the Erdtree are rewards for defeating the Furnace Golem enemies which are the towering creatures that are found at specific locations around the Realm of Shadow. These giant walking structures can be quite the challenge to take down but we have a few tips on how to tackle each of these Furnaces Golems. The first tip we have is to check whether or not the Furnace you are fighting is a normal Furnace Golem or one of the Armored Furnace Golems. The former will have simple rope wrapped around their legs and can be damaged by attacking these legs. Armored Furnace Golems have metal braces around their legs and won’t take any damage when attacked.
Let’s start with how to battle the normal Golems. It might seem that battling these enemies is a crazy undertaking because of how much health they have, but this can be quite deceptive. Yes, attacking the legs doesn’t do too much damage but it will eventually lead to a stagger where the enemy falls to the ground and allows you to do massive damage with a critical strike. The best way to approach battling the normal Furnace Golems is to attack the legs and then jump over the flames when the enemy stomps its feet. Other moves to look out for are a swipe, a kick, and a grab along with a jumping attack where both of the Golem’s legs light on fire and it leaps into the air, giving off an explosion when it lands. There are also a move where the Golem summons fireballs that will track towards you as well as an attack that sees the Golem drop to its knees and fire a tornado of fire in your direction. While you can tackle these fights on foot, you can also approach these enemies while riding atop Torrent as you can use the Spectral Stead’s speed to avoid the Golem’s attack with his double jump being a great tool to avoid the stomping flame attacks. However you decide to attack these enemies, just keep up the attack on the legs until it falls over and take your critical strike damage. Repeat until the Golem is defeated and take your Crystal Tear prize along with a Furnace Visage item.
As we said earlier, you won’t be able to do damage to the Armored Furnace Golem by hitting them with your weapon as their legs are lined with metal. Instead, you will need to attack the opening at the top of the Golem. In the surrounding area near these Armored Furnace Golems are elevated positions where you can throw bombs into the open fire of the Furnace. If you’re able to get in a spot where you can throw Hefty Furnace Pots can do massive damage if thrown directly into the opening at the top of the Furnace. You can learn to craft these Hefty Furnace Pots by getting the Greater Potentate’s Cookbook 2 found near the Ellac Greatbridge in the Gravesite Plain. From the Greatbridge, North Site of Grace near the Abandoned Ailing Village, travel down the path that leads under the Ellac Greatbridge. Not too far down the path is where you will find the Run-Down Traveler’s Rest shack and it is on one of the bodies found here that you can get the Greater Potentate’s Cookbook 2. Once you get the Cookbook, you will need 2 Redflesh Mushrooms, 2 Ember of Messmer, and a Furnace Visage in order to craft the Hefty Furnace Pots.
All of the Armored Furnace Golems are located near cliffs that you can reach with a Spiritspring to get a perfect vantage point to throw these bombs into the creature and deal absolutely massive damage. Throwing 3 of these massive bombs into the top of the Armored Furnace Golem will quickly defeat them. There a a total of 2 Armored Furnace Golems that will require you to use your explosives to defeat while the remaining 6 are normal Golems that you can take down by attacking their legs, though one of these normal Furnace Golems will require the use of a Hefty Furnace Pot and we will explain why when we get there. With all of that covered, it’s time to actually start hunting these Golems and the Crystal Tears they hold.
Deflecting Hardtear
The earliest Crystal Tear you will come across is found in the Furnace Golem that can be seen as soon as you enter the DLC. In the Gravesite Plain, you will be able to see the giant that is carrying the Deflecting Hardtear near the first Miquella’s Cross next to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace north of the Scorched Ruins. This is basically your introduction to the enemy type so it is very much the most straightforward encounter against them, which is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that this is a normal Furnace Golem so all you need to do is target the legs until you get your openings to get a critical strike. Once the Golem is defeated, you will get the Deflecting Hardtear.
Even though it is found at the start of the Shadow of the Erdtree and can be gotten within minutes of entering the Realm of Shadow, the Deflecting Hardtear is the biggest game changer out of these new Crystal Tears as it turns Elden Ring into Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This Crystal Tear will allow you to perform perfect blocks with any weapons that, if timed perfectly, will negate all damage. So, say you’re two-handing a katana and then block an incoming attack without this Tear active, the blade will block some damage but since it doesn’t have enough damage resistance, you will still take a hit to your Health and your Stamina bars. With this Tear active, you can now perform a “spontaneous guard” or a deflection by guard right as an attack is just about to hit you, and like how in Sekiro doing these perfect blocks would build your opponent’s Posture bar, this will block all damage from the attack.
The crazy thing with this in Elden Ring is that this also works with a shield so you can still use a shield and get the benefits of the Tear. There is also the added bonus that immediately after successfully performing a spontaneous guard, Guard Counters will be strengthened for a brief amount of time and can stack up to 3 times. Each consecutive perfect block will double your Guard Counter attack power, with the first block upping the attack by 20%, a second subsequent block bringing it up to 40%, and then maxing out at 80%. This will allow you to counter back at your opponent with enough power to make them think twice about attacking you again. This effect lasts for 5 minutes before it needs to be reactivated.
Viridian Hidden Tear
Before we start heading north into the Scadu Altus, let’s cover some of the hidden Furance Golems found off the critical path. The first one we are going to cover is found just outside the Cerulean Coast to the South of Gravesite Plain. Reaching this area isn’t as straightforward as crossing a bridge and braving a castle so let us walk you through how to get here. Go to the Castle Front Site of Grace across the Ellac Greatbridge and just outside Castle Ensis in the northeast part of Gravesite Plain. From here, follow the dirt path to the southeast. You will eventually pass through a small soldier camp and will see a cliffside to your left. Stick along this cliffside and you will find several rock platforms leading to an area below. Head down and once you’re at the bottom, you’ll find yourself in a poison swamp. To the south of this swamp is a cave opening that is guarded by a Miranda Sprout flower enemy. Get past the flora and enter a small cave. Follow the cave until you reach the exit next to the Ellac River Cave Site of Grace.
Once you pass the Grace and leave the cave, you will find a waterfall to your left with a series of rock pillars that you will need to jump across to find another waterfall. Follow the path on the left and keep following this stone path until you reach a third waterfall, at which point you will see the Ellac River Downstream Site of Grace. You will need to go across a stone bridge to reach the ground below. Patrolling the pond is the Furance Golem which is once again a normal Golem. The arena is quite sizable but not as big as the open field of Gravesite Plain. Defeating this Golem will reward you with the Viridian Hidden Tear.
This Tear is one of the most straightforward buffs in the DLC and also is one of the shortest lasting. The Viridian Hidden Tear will negate all Stamina consumption while it is active, meaning that no matter what you do during its duration, your Stamina bar will never drop. This is a pretty small window as the effects of this Tear only last for 15 seconds so you will need to have a plan ahead of time and drink your Physick right before you head into battle to get the most out of this buff.
Gloveworth Crystal Tear
This is another Crystal Tear that is found far from the DLC’s critical path hidden behind a Dungeon beyond a region of Dragons. You will find your first Armored Furnace Golem in the region called Charo’s Hidden Grave found above the Cerulean Coast. This Hidden Grave area can only be accessed by traveling into Jagged Peak. To reach this area, head back to the Castle Front Site of Grace and then make your way to the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace to the southeast. From this Grace, take the southern path. At the end of this path is where you will find the entrance of the Dragon’s Pit cave. Make your way through this cave and jump down into the deep hole to find the Ancient Dragon-Man boss fight.
Once you get by this boss, you will exit to fight yourself at the Foot of Jagged Peak. In front of you is a small pond with a Jagged Peak Drake resting at the center. From here, head south and go past the ginormous dragon corpse at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion. Once you reach the area of red flowers, just keep heading northwest to enter Charo’s Hidden Grave. Go past the Charo’s Hidden Grave Site of Grace and go to the west to find the Armored Furnace Golem. Go up the westernmost cliff by using a Spiritspring and start throwing your Hefty Furnace Pots into the top of the Golem. If all 3 bombs hit, you will bring down the foe and get your Crystal Tear reward.
The Gloveworth Crystal Tear is a go-to choice for players who love you to use their Spirit Summons. This Crystal Tear will increase the attack power of your Spirit Ashes by 20% during its 3-minute duration. This works for Spirits that are summoned after the Physick is activated as well as any that were summoned before this buff is used so no matter when you use either your Spirit Ash or the Physick during a battle, you will be able to reap the benefits of this item.
Crimsonburst Dried Tear
Now that we have gotten those last few Crystal Tears out of the way, let’s continue past Castle Ensis and make our way toward the Shadow Keep. Make your way to the Scadu Altus region to the northwest of the Gravesite Plain and you will quickly see your next target. This Furnace Golem patrols outside the Shadow Keep, the Legacy Dungeon of the region, and towers over a nearby soldier camp. The space that you battle this Golem is narrow compared to the open field in which you battled the first Furnace Golem.
There is also the added factor that there are some enemies around the camp so you will want to take them out first so that you’re full focus is on the Golem, though you can just head right for the Golem and rely on the giant’s attacks to take out the enemies if you’d like. Outside of the change in arena and the enemies around you, this fight is just like the first one so target the legs and take down the hulking structure to get your hands on the Crimsonburst Dried Tear.
This Crystal Tear is a great tool for co-op players and those who like to use their Spirit Ashes to help them in battle. While this Tear is active during its 3-minute duration, it will provide a healing aura that will provide a health regen effect to any and all allies that are standing near you.
Cerulean-Sapping Cracked Tear
Staying in the Scadu Altus, you are going to want to head to the southeast of the previous Furnace Golem until you reach Moorth Ruins. Head to the southern part of the ruins and you will find a hole that you can descend down. At the bottom and through a small cave, you will find a ladder that will take you to the hidden Bonny Village. Make your way to the bridge at the northeast end of the village and cross it to find the Bridge Leading to the Village Site of Grace. From here, follow the dirt path and head past a pack of wolves and through a hole in a cliff to find another Armored Furnace Golem.
On the left of the area that you enter upon coming out of the hole in the cliff is the Spiritspring which will take you up to a high cliff that lets you see right into the top of the Golem. Wait for the giant to get close and then start throwing your Hefty Furnace Pots into the top of the Golem. If you hit it with 3 bombs, the Golem will fall and you will get the Cerulean-Sapping Cracked Tear.
The Cerulean-Sapping Cracked Tear is active for 45 seconds and during this time, you will be able to regain Focus Points, or FP, when you land attacks on your enemies. While this doesn’t work with Spells or projectile-based Ashes of War, using any melee-focused Ash of War will allow you to recover some of the use FPs as long as you hit your target.
Oil-Soaked Tear
These next two Crystal Tears are found right next to each other and could be considered the most well-hidden out of all of them considering you need to take a secret passage to reach it. The first step to reach this area is to head into the Shadow Keep Legacy Dungeon in Scadu Altus and make your way to the area with the burning boats. This is found right before you take the elevator that leads up to the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace, so if you have already been to this Grace you can fast travel there and then take the elevator down. When facing the elevator, take a right and you will find an opening along the left wall that is a ladder that leads to the water below. Behind the waterfall is another ladder that leads into a secret area below the castle.
In the room to the left of the ladder is where you will find the Domain of Dragons Painting and to the right of the painting is an Illusionary Wall. Follow the passage behind the wall until you find a coffin that you can interact with and climb into. After a short cutscene, you will arrive in the lower river portion of Scadu Altus. Exit the cave that you arrive in and rest at the Castle Watering Hole Site of Grace. Head south of this Grace and among the many Furnace Golems, one will awaken, and it’s up to you to put it back down. This arena is decent size but the scattered pieces of other dead Golems might snag you as you move around so just be aware of them. Target the legs of this regular Furnace Golem and you will eventually vanquish it.
The Oil-Soaked Tear is one of the more fun Crystal Tears and can turn builds that revolve around fire into absolute monsters. This Tear will last for 1 minute and will allow you to coat any enemy in oil by simply touching them with your character’s body. Just make sure you really press yourself against them and wait for the visual cue that the oil is applied but once it is, it is time to ignite the flames. When the oil is applied, all Fire Damage dealt will be increased by 20%, which can help you burn through many enemies’ health bars with ease.
Bloodsucking Cracked Tear
This next Furnace Golem is the most unique in the bunch simply because it shares its arena with another Golem and, despite not being an Armored Furnace Golem, it does require a Hefty Furnace Pot. To the east end of the watering hole is a location known as the Ruins of Unte and in an area filled with corpses of Furnace Golems, the giant Golem slumped against the Ruins might seem to be just a piece of window dressing for the area. This Golem, however, can be brought back to life.
When facing the Golem, go to the building to the left and get onto the roof where you can look into the top of the Golem. Take one of your Hefty Furnace Pots and throw it into the top of the Golem to ignite it and resurrect it. Like the mad scientist you have now become, it is up to you to kill your own creation.
When defeated you will get the Bloodsucking Cracked Tear, which functions similarly to the Power Within Pyromancy from Dark Souls as it will increase your damage for all attacks while also draining your health over time. During its 3-minute duration, this Tear will increase your attack power by 20%, allowing you to absolutely decimate any enemy in your way. For those that can manage the small ticks of constant damage with either another Tear allowing for damage recovery or just using your Flask at the right time, this tear can be an absolute game-changer.
Crimson-Sapping Cracked Tear
The eighth and final Crystal Tear is found in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, the region found beyond the Shadow Keep. Make your way into this lush jungle and progress until you reach the Rauh Ancient Ruins, East Site of Grace. There is a nearby bridge where you will see the Furnace Golem awaken as you attempt to cross. This final Golem isn’t armored, so cross the broken bridge, close the distance between you and the giant, and start wailing on its legs. Eventually, the last Golem will be defeated and you will have rid the Realm of Shadow of these fiery giants and completed your Crystal Tear collection with the Crimson-Sapping Cracked Tear.
The Crimson-Sapping Cracked Tear, despite being the Crystal Tear found furthest in the DLC’s critical path, is one of the most simple as it functions similarly to the Cerulean-Sapping Cracked Tear we found earlier. While this Tear is active, it will provide you with just under 1% HP recovery upon a successful hit on an enemy. This doesn’t stack when hitting multiple enemies or changes depending on what kind of attack is used. This Tear is active for 45 seconds.
Having now traversed far and wide across just about all of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and taking down some of the fiercest foes in the Realm of Shadow, you now have all 8 Crystal Tears introduced in the expansion.
