best way to level uP?

[Cristiano Ronaldo]

i am struggling to find good sources for sombre smithing stones and regular smithing stones. im trying to max out my weapons. i have master iji for some early sombre ones, but is there any good source for the regular stones and higher level stones

[Vinnolo]

lookup where to get the bell bearings, keep in mind that you can only max a few weapons each cycle, until dlc drops and adds a way to farm the stones for +25/+10

[WhateverWorks]

You can buy somber 1-4 from Iji. You can also get a ton of somber 2s farming the hands in the Carian Manor. Obviously this only helps early on but it's something.

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Elden+Ring+Wiki

All the info you could possibly need and then some, along with an interactive map that you can use to map out weapon progress.

[Ardbug]

The fastest way to get that cursed somber 7 is probably to kill Godrick and Renalla, enter the capital, and then drop all the way down to the 2 lobsters in the sewer and just grab the 2 7s down there.
A safer spot in the capital is to do Dung Eaters quest till he ask you to free him in the jail, a somber 7 drop from the big hand outside the cell.
The glitch way is to wrong warp to farum azula and pick up the somber smithing bell, that can be done without fighting any bosses.