Ranking All 91 Elden Ring Talismans From Worst To Best

This guide is a text version of the corresponding video from Rusty:

• Ranking All 91 Elden Ring Talismans From Worst To Best
  
• Elden Ring Patch 1.09.1

Introduction

I don't know why I do this to myself.

Make a comment below about why you think I do this to myself.

Talismans!

You ever be scrolling on YouTube and you find this insane video of a naked dude one-shotting the fire giant with nothing but a comically oversized rolling pin and a thirst for ad revenue?

Well, you got talismans to thank for that.

Talismans are not necessary for an enjoyable playthrough, not even a little bit, but talismans have such a diverse scope of utility, so much more than anything I've ever ranked on the channel:

• Regain HP with successive attacks,
  
• increase attack with successive attacks,
  
• boost max HP,
  
• max FP,
  
• max stamina,
  
• equip load,
  
• more damage with fire or magic or lightning,
  
• increasing stats,
  
• increasing physical defense,
  
• enhancing guard counters,
  
• thrust attacks,
  
• counterattacks,
  
• attacks on horseback-

Oh, God, Jesus, okay, stop. We're- we're running out of screen space here, calm down.

№ 91 — Entwining Umbilical Cord

Changes demeanour of wearer's actions

Seriously, how- how the hell do I even rank this one?
It's purely a visual change.
Mechanically, it does nothing.

Mechanically, a waste of a talisman slot, but it's not like you're required to use all four of them at all times, right?

So, to keep everyone happy and so we can go without having a definitive worst talisman ever label, I'm just going to abstain from ranking this one because I don't even think it makes sense to.

But I'm still putting it on the 91st space because, mechanically, it is the only talisman in the game that gives you nothing.

So, I don't think I'll be seeing any complaints with this one.

But I've been doing this ♥♥♥♥ for 12 years and still haven't seen everything, so I can always be wrong.

№ 90 — Longtail Cat Talisman

Negates non-lethal Fall Damage

♥♥♥♥ this functionless, purposeless, waste of dead pixels.

Still kills you if the fall you're taking is high up enough to kill you, and I don't feel like teetering the line between what's fatal and what isn't when someone smarter than me has already made a 20 minute long video explaining fall damage.

And I know for a fact they hated themselves after they finished it.

Because that's how I would have felt.

As though I don't already make a risky jump and immediately warp back to the grace I came from out of rage just to reset the lost health anyways.

Absolutely nobody defends this, and that's because we know a scam when we see one. Just use soft cotton.

I'm not wasting a talisman slot on this.

Whatever, shut up.

№ 89 — Crucible Knot Talisman

Eliminates headshot bonus damage and stagger on self

I... uh... why? That's an honest question.

Why?
Why in the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hell?
When is an enemy self-aware enough to ever aim for the head in this game?

This will only ever happen to you by accident.

Not even the ancestral railgunners are good enough to pull off no-scopes like this.

There's just no point. It doesn't even stack with Mad Pumpkin Helm.

The effect doesn't carry over to critical hits or counterattacks, and only enemies with vertically downward attacks even have a chance of squeezing any use out of this, which are almost always heavy attacks that are easy to dodge.

I'm sorry, are we even playing the same game as FromSoft?
Why am I ever in a consistent danger of specifically taking damage to the head?

This isn't ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Resident Evil.

№ 88 — Sacrificial Twig

Will be lost on death in place of runes

Listen, I know this item is useful.
Really, it is.
That's not a joke.

But I cannot, under any circumstances, justify wasting a talisman slot over just using the Twiggy Cracked Tear in its place prior to a boss fight or a tough area.

The effect lasts three whole minutes, so it's not like you need some sort of cracked foresight to get some use out of it.

I can't wait to completely forget that I have it and then spend the rest of about 15 minutes going through the same run-back loop and picking up the same pile of runes before a boss fight even begins, and then getting killed immediately after because I tried to go out of my way to pick up the runes.

It's good as a last resort if you don't have the tear and just aren't confident in your survival skills in a specific area, but there's almost always a better use for one whole talisman slot.

№ 87 + № 86 — Trick Mirrors

	FURLED FINGER'S TRICK-MIRROR Take on appearance of a Host of Fingers
	HOST'S TRICK-MIRROR Take on appearance of a cooperator

With the added benefit of looking like a ghost at the expense of taking two extra weapon swings to kill everything, or whatever you would've used that talisman slot for, I don't know.

All I know is purely cosmetic changes have very little business taking up talisman slots, let alone actually weighing more than zero pounds.

If you're a host, you can disguise yourself as a cooperator, which means the other guy invading you will be taking you out first, thinking you aren't the host.

If he sees you, you'll die, the session will end, and you're gonna feel like a massive dumbass.

The two Trick Mirrors are the aberrant sorceries of talismans.

So as to say, they're only kind of useful when you use them both in tandem.

If someone else looks like a host while you look like a cooperator, that can make some real magic happen in PvP invasions, but if not, just give up on ever finding these useful.

№ 85 — Daedicar's Woe

Doubles damage taken

Yes, I'm aware of how big your ♥♥♥♥ is if you use this talisman.
Everyone is very proud of you.

But minus 100% damage negation with no payoff except being able to show everyone your massive dong unfortunately does not fit the criteria of this video.

Which means this should technically be the most useless, right?
It's the only talisman with an objective disadvantage and no benefit.

Well, guess what?

You can have this talisman on while entering a mimic-tier boss room, and then take it off right when it spawns in.

The Mimic Tear will take double damage.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, they still haven't patched this.

I mean, they probably will now that I said this, so enjoy it while it lasts, I guess.

№ 84 — Silver Scarab

Raises Item Discovery by 75

Farming is a necessary evil in most, if not all, RPGs.

It's as indisputable as the existence of death. But finding it in the path to the Halo Tree dungeon means two things.

One, I've already successfully farmed most of what I needed or wanted for this playthrough.
Two, if this is my first playthrough, I'm just not getting it.

I probably don't even know the Haligtree exists, and I certainly wouldn't know to take a leap of faith through an invisible bridge AND know what's behind an illusory wall. This almost certainly makes it a NewGame+ item.

And at only 75 item discovery, I'd rather just keep eating feet for the rest of the game.

Go-go-go ahead, take that out of context, I dare you.

Tell you what, I'll even cut out the music so you have clean audio.

I'd rather just keep eating feet for the rest of the game.

№ 83 — Arrow's Sting Talisman

Raises attack power of Arrows/Bolts by 10%

We already know how deeply-seated the neglect for bowmanship runs in the arteries of FromSoft's headquarters, but come on, this is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ridiculous.

0% increase when most bows are already used for status-inflicting machines and not raw damage.

That 10% also carries over to any ranged weapon skills that are compatible with bows.
You know what else increases weapon skills?

I-I can think of a few options.

The fact that you can literally take two minutes to just go to Alexander and get his talisman near Saints Bridge speaks volumes of this talisman's incompetence.

Not to mention bow damage can already be buffed like most other damage anyways.

Easy access to elemental damage means you'll likely have a better time focusing on elemental buffs instead, and using bows for status is basically just another status playthrough.

What, you want me to be nicer?
Okay, fine, it works with Jar Cannon.

There, that-that's the only compliment you're getting out of me.

№ 82 — Perfumer's Talisman

Raises potency of Perfume Arts by 20%

Raises the potency of what, FromSoft?
All the ball-busting damage from that good ol' Uplifting Aromatic?

The only consistent perfume that benefits from this is Spark Aromatic, which means not even Bloodboil is compatible since it's technically a body buff like most other perfumes.

If you're gonna use consumables, just boost your pot damage with Companion Jar and use perfumes as pre-fight buffs.

You even have a helmet you can wear to help you out.

Fortunately, the Spark Aromatic does kinda slap pretty hard, and the ballpark 17% damage boost it gets from the talisman can make it really shine.

But that means dedicating an entire talisman slot to a single offensive option when anything that boosts fire damage would work just as well.

№ 81 — Graven-School Talisman

Raises potency of Sorceries by 4%

4% increase to sorcery damage is not only underwhelming, it's also arguably pointless, considering so many sorceries are capable on their own, even into NewGame+ iterations, without needing more than one or two big buffs.

Grave and School is really only something you get use out of if your inner calculus nerd is pressuring you to start min-maxing everything in your build.

And ♥♥♥♥ calculus.

General damage buffs are already so ubiquitous that I can spend a minute behind a fog gate escalating my power like ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Virgil and still not be completely sure I didn't miss anything.

In comparison, 4% seems very meager, even if stacked multiplicatively.

№ 80 — Crucible Scale Talisman

Reduces Critical Damage taken by 30%

No, grabs do not count as critical hits, so won't work against Godfrey, Malenia, or Black Knife Assassins.

Yeah, I'm sad about it too.

This is effectively a PvP talisman if you don't count NPC invaders, but against ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ who are practically parry-dependent like Moongrim, you'll notice a pretty huge difference.

30% extra resistance is a large number no matter what the context is, so I can't say it'll never help if you're strictly looking for PvE benefits, but backstabs and ripostes are very particularly PvP functions of the game, and that's where you'll notice them much more.

Also a pretty great talisman to put on shield poke builds, but if you've been on the receiving end of one of those, you probably already know that.

№ 79 — Blessed Dew Talisman

Restores 2 HP/sec

The health regen offered by this talisman is 2 HP per second, and that's just as atrociously ♥♥♥♥♥♥ as it sounds.

You may notice the effects in the early game when your vigor is barely scratching 15 and standard poison can be enough to kill you, but the game gives you so many different regen tools and incantations that dedicating a talisman slot to 2 HP per second almost feels counterproductive.

The real value of this talisman comes from the amount of regen effects it can stack with, i.e. just about all of them.

But if I'm walking around with Royal Remains Set and Icon Shield casting Blessing's Boon, I'd much rather have that talisman slot going towards something that'll help me kill ♥♥♥♥ faster instead of another regen effect that I probably don't even need.

№ 78 — Faithful's Canvas Talisman

Raises potency of Incantations by 4%

4% is still borderline incapable in most situations, but I'm willing to put this a couple spots above Graven School because incantation builds have a versatility to them that you can't usually get with sorcery builds, at least not as much.

Don't get me wrong, sorcery's ♥♥♥♥♥♥ better at being flexible recently, but magic damage is still the obvious focus.

Having a 4% boost on multiple types of damage is better than having that boost on one.

Some incantations like Dragonmaw and Dragonclaw and Stone of Gerranq have extremely high physical damage, so even if a measly 4% is never your best option, 4% of this number is still pretty decent.

And you'd better get used to it because you aren't seeing a pixel of that Flock's Canvas Talisman until Millicent's questline is finished.

№ 77 — Lance Talisman

Increases damage of attacks while on horseback by 15%

Horseback combat was something we were all excited for on day one, and now I barely see anything about it at all.

♥♥♥♥, you barely saw anything about it a week after release.

That's because most people were very quick to realize that the primary benefit horseback gameplay gives you is transportation.

As gratifying as it feels approaching a mob of trash to your enemies and sizing up the community's amputee population by just holding out your sword, it's far from the most practical strategy.

It doesn't even affect bows, which is the one weapon I would actually argue is more beneficial on horseback.

And even then, 15% damage is piss poor unless you're actually standing beside something slapping away at them, which...

why the ♥♥♥♥ are you even on the horse at that point?

№ 76 — Blue Dancer Charm

Raises Physical Damage with lower Equip Load

The physical attack increases are hardlocked to very certain weight thresholds, which takes out a lot of control the player has over the effect, since boosting your max equip load with another talisman won't change anything.

It only works specifically on physical damage, so don't go sniping people with Lightning Spear expecting it to do anything.

There's a bit of risk to making this one really work because you'll be in a lot of close combat situations with less protection than you probably want, but physical damage does include bestial incantation, so I guess you can argue a pretty good case with Stone of Gurranq or Dragonmaw.

Otherwise, this is extremely situational.

№ 75 — Mottled Necklace

Mottled Necklace

Raises Immunity, Robustness, and Focus by 40

Mottled Necklace +1

Raises Immunity, Robustness, and Focus by 60

The Mottled necklace gives you 40 or 60 extra resistance to all status ailments across the board, and this sounds incredibly useful, but let's actually stop for a minute and think about this.

How many instances in the whole of Elden Ring are you ever being threatened by more than one or two ailments at any given time?

I can't think of a single enemy that can deal Death Blight and Scarlet Rot with one set of attacks.

Maybe if they swap the Nokstella Dragonkin with the one in Lake of Rot, I could make a solid argument for this talisman, but otherwise, I just don't think this is a problem that exists.

This seems to me like a talisman for newcomers who may not be that familiar with how status ailments work and aren't putting too much thought into a character build.

It's probably really great if you're doing a randomizer run, though, so I guess that counts for something.

№ 74 — Twinblade Talisman

Increases damage of final hit in attack chain by 45%

The Twinblade talisman strengthens the final attack in a chain by 45%.

Now, please control your erection, because that's nowhere near as useful as it sounds.

In most situations, you will never use the final hit in an attack chain, because most weapons, even heavier ones, have at least four, and the heavier weapons that have less attacks in a full chain are more likely to knock back enemies once you've stance broken them, making them unable to receive the final hit.

So you can't even reliably use poise damage as a strategy either.

No matter how you look at it, it comes up short.

Against large enemies, it could be useful, but this is still mostly a game where you should be more interested in saving stamina for an emergency dodge.

Instead of wasting it all on an attack combo you almost never consciously complete.

№ 73 — Crucible Feather Talisman

Improves dodge rolling but increases damage taken

I'll start out by saying, I see the appeal with this one.

Sometimes, getting hit by something you aren't expecting really just wrecks your momentum so badly that you don't mentally recover, and you end up dying to something even stupider and more ridiculous.

But minus 30% damage negation in a game where the final fourth of the experience already has no problem wiping you from existence with a single sneeze is teetering on the edge of unreasonable.

I would almost call it a crutch of sorts.

You get too used to playing with it that it becomes a new normal, and when you take it off, you actually find out you were just barely mistiming things the whole time.

Maybe switch the negative effect to dodges costing more stamina or something, then maybe I'd give it a serious look.

№ 72 — Concealing Veil

Conceals wearer while crouching away from foes

This is when I'm inevitably forced to eat my words, because I think I've given more tips on how to avoid the albinauric snipers in Ordina than I've told people fire damage resets frostbite.

Oh, guess what one thing this Concealing Veil actually excels at.

Guess what else it does.
Sweet, splendorous ♥♥♥♥-all is what it does.

The stealth benefits you get while crouching alone gives you more than enough freedom to ♥♥♥♥ around, and the only thing the Concealing Veil saves you from is if someone decides to abruptly turn around and you just happen to be in their line of sight.

What is this, a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Hitman game?
When has this ever happened?

№ 71 — Shabriri's Woe

Constantly attracts enemies' aggression

This one is weird because this talisman in particular has been the source of a lot of deceit online.

It has misinformation so deeply entrenched in the community that I'm actually afraid to tell people it doesn't work the way people think it does, partly because I have a couple videos spreading said misinformation.

The only thing we know for certain is that Shabriri's Woe allows you to hold aggro on enemies longer and more consistently.

This means the only time you'll ever get use out of it is during co-op, or if you use a spirit summon to then put the talisman on yourself.

It does not make enemies attack more frequently or make them more aggressive in any way, it just makes them hyperfixate on you.

So if you don't fancy playing tank builds, you probably won't get value out of this.

№ 70 — Taker's Cameo

Restores 3% + 30 HP upon defeating enemies

The survivability of this talisman is very infrequently matched, and no matter what else I say about it, I can at least compliment it in that regard.

Taker's Cameo is the biggest crutch in the entire game, and I have no qualms admitting that because it's one of my favorite talismans to use.

You can slap this on any build and it'll at least do something.

I appreciate that it's a percent heal in a game where most healing tools only grant health at a flat rate, but I'd rather just have the Blasphemous Blade if I'm wanting to invest in a health sapping build.

It'll save you a flask or two when exploring larger dungeons, but that's where most of its utility stops.

№ 69 — Hammer Talisman

Increases Stamina damage against blocking enemies by 40%

40% extra stamina damage against whoever is blocking your attacks.

And I feel half-tempted to criticize the item description for wording its function in the most back-ass, counterproductive way possible, but I'm not even sure if I could do any better.

Mostly just because the function itself is also kinda weird?

This doesn't mean poise damage in general, just extra stamina damage if the enemy you're attacking is currently blocking, which is much more narrowing than it actually sounds.

This limits you to standard soldiers and knights, and I guess those guys in Raya Lucaria that, like, hold their sword up for a couple seconds in a blocking stance?

It's called a knight killer because that's all it ♥♥♥♥♥♥' works against.

HO-HO, GET IT?
Oh, and invaders.
If anyone in PvP uses shields.

Pretty... pretty sure they don't.
Do they?

Fingerprint shield doesn't count.

№ 68 — Pearldrake Talisman

	Pearldrake Talisman Reduces Elemental Damage taken by 5%
	Pearldrake Talisman +1 Reduces Elemental Damage taken by 7%
	Pearldrake Talisman +2 Reduces Elemental Damage taken by 9%

Talisman slots are not cheap.
You only have four of them.

So I'd rather devote time thinking about what a particular situation calls for and what type of defense I might need instead of just throwing on something that slightly covers everything and hoping it works.

Most enemies don't have the capability of dealing multiple elements of damage except maybe Gideon and Placidusax and a couple others, but who cares?

Even in PvP, most builds are themed around a certain one or two elements just because that's how people like playing the game.

The +2 variant negates 9% of each element, which is honestly just terrible for a +2.

Any other drake talisman of the same tier offers 20% damage negation, and even if they do stack together, that's still a talisman slot I'd rather be using to boost damage of my own.

№ 67 — Cerulean Amber Medallion

	Cerulean Amber Medallion Raises maximum FP by 7%
	Cerulean Amber Medallion +1 Raises maximum FP by 9%
	Cerulean Amber Medallion +2 Raises maximum FP by 11%

So this talisman is ass unless you tend to lean towards a certain playstyle.

The +2 variant gives you an 11% bonus, which is such an uncomfortable number for anything to be buffed by, and I don't know why that bugs me so much, but I'm sure it does some of you too, so I thought I'd mention it.

I also have no idea why the ♥♥♥♥ you find the +1 variant in Castle Sol somewhere hours after you've probably found the +2.

Unless Mind is one of your top three highest stats, you just aren't going to feel a difference on this, like period.

And even at 40 Mind, you're giving yourself like three more Glintstone Pebbles, but 11% does start getting pretty large in the endgame.

№ 66 — Blue-Feathered Branchsword

Reduces damage taken by 50% when HP is below 20%

The less competent of the two branchswords, obviously, 50% defense at 20% HP or below.

You might as well be offering me thoughts and prayers.

During the endgame, even stubbing your toe on a table can be enough to bypass the 20% HP threshold entirely and just kill you.

But if you can manage to nail the sweet spot, you theoretically have twice the HP to work with, which is extended even further if you have Uplifting Aromatic and Opaline Bubbletear.

Although I'd probably use those if you're sure you're close to the threshold and not wait until you're actually in the threshold because you'll probably get yourself killed that way.

№ 65 — Assassin's Cerulean Dagger

Critical attacks restore 15 FP

Once again, I see the appeal.
I see why people like it.

But the flat bonus really just throws off so much ♥♥♥♥ in the endgame and NewGame+.

Just as a reminder, having 40 Mind means you have 220 FP as a base.

And if you're into spellcasting builds, this is not a benchmark that's hard to reach at all.

You'll probably hit it by the time you get to the mountaintops.

15 FP translates to less than 7% compared to the Crimson Dagger's 10, and the returns only diminish from there.

On low FP builds, this actually ends up being pretty useful if your Mind has little reason to go above, like, 20.

But anything even somewhat suited for spellcasting in the late game, just, it just isn't doable with this.

№ 64 — Gold Scarab

Increases Rune acquisition by 20%

Okay, so here's the thing about Gold Scarab.

Dark Souls 3 and earlier iterations of Soulsborne were extremely linear and much more closed off compared to Elden Ring, making grinding the surrounding enemies for a few levels a favored strat.

But one huge benefit of the open world is that you get to choose your battles way more frequently, resulting in a game where leveling is significantly less important.

Every Souls game has the spot where you just tend to go and grind whatever the currency is.

Yeah, Elden Ring has, like, five of those.

Why do I need this?
No, no, no, seriously.
Why the ♥♥♥♥ do I need this?

№ 63 — Stargazer Heirloom

Raises Intelligence by 5

Most of the Heirloom Talismans will roughly be around the same area of the video because increasing a single stat by five may help you meet requirements for certain weapons and spells and whatnot, and unfortunately, that's where the utility on pretty much all of these begin and end.

But I'm putting the Stargazer Heirloom as the least useful of these four because most spell requirements you've either already met or are set to meet very easily in the future thanks to the Astrologer class, the only exception being the large showstopper spells that cost multiple slots.

Also probably the most boring looking of the four, but that's, that's just my opinion.

№ 62 — Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom

Raises Dexterity by 5

Did you know there are some people out there who think this is a Sekiro reference?

Once again, I would only ever use these to meet the requirements of early game weapons that need a certain stat, but with Dexterity already being as weird as it is, tied to so many different variables like casting speed, lightning damage on weapons but not with spells, and whatever, Dexterity is probably something you're gonna be preoccupied with leveling up anyways, unless you're just itching to grab a big stick and distribute brain damage across the local flavor.

№ 61 — Greatshield Talisman

Reduces stamina damage taken while blocking by 20%

The Greatshield Talisman, ironically enough, is absolute dog ♥♥♥♥ when used with Greatshields.

The Greatshield Talisman is used for improving guard ability and decreasing the amount of stamina damage you take when blocking by about 20%.

It does nothing to guard counters, but I blame the item description for making us all believe that at one point.

Greatshields are already efficient enough at stamina damage negation, so this actually ends up getting more use on builds with medium or even light shields.

I don't know, this one's just awkward.

It's, it's a Greatshield Talisman that doesn't work on Greatshields, and I still don't know how to feel about that.

№ 60 — Starscourge Heirloom

Raises Strength by 5

You like big sticks?
Cool.

You want to be able to use that greataxe you get from the Limgrave Troll Cart?

Well, with this, you can. That's about the only good thing I can think of for this one.

♥♥♥♥♥♥ takes 30 strength, and Lord knows I don't have the patience to sync the levels into it this early, so might as well use this.

№ 59 — Two Fingers Heirloom

Raises Faith by 5

This talisman I would consider the best of its family because there are so many starting incantations that every build just benefits from, no matter what.

Increasing your Faith by 5 is a pretty massive difference when most starting incantations usually don't go above, like, 15 Fith as a requirement.

• Flame, Cleanse Me
  
• Cure Poison
  
• Whirl, o Flame

and many others are now easily accessible, all because of a little yellow diamond.

And although 5 levels isn't much at all, like, not even slightly, this talisman is the key to taking advantage of all those starting incantations that you might just not want to fully dedicate to your character until later.

№ 58 — Boltdrake Talisman

	Boltdrake Talisman Reduces Lightning Damage taken by 13%
	Boltdrake Talisman +1 Reduces Lightning Damage taken by 17%
	Boltdrake Talisman +2 Reduces Lightning Damage taken by 20%

It's always awkward deciding where these should be because they belong to a family of talismans with the exact same functions, and so the utility of each talisman ultimately comes down to the amount of times you run into a certain kind of damage, status, enemy type, so on and so forth.

Which inevitably means the Boltdrake talisman will be coming in last of those because the four elemental damage types, Lightning is probably the one damage type you run into the least.

The Leyndell Knights aren't the hardest challenge in the world, and Farum Azula is deep enough into the endgame that you should already have plenty of tools to counteract Lightning damage from any source.

Also, the +2 variant is in a really awkward spot, and it just- it- it just- it pisses me off, so it's going here.

№ 57 — Spelldrake Talisman

	Spelldrake Talisman Reduces Magic Damage taken by 13%
	Spelldrake Talisman +1 Reduces Magic Damage taken by 17%
	Spelldrake Talisman +2 Reduces Magic Damage taken by 20%

The Spelldrake talisman, I would say, is the third of the four elemental drakes.

Bosses like Adula and the two Astels are examples of late-game magic bosses that can very easily cleave out half your health bar by accidentally farting in the wrong direction.

I've said this before, I've even used this as a case for Barrier of Gold, a lot of people tend not to give it a shot in PvE because they feel like they've bypassed the magic region of the game, which would be Raya Lucaria.

I'm bringing this up again because, although that is true, Raya Lucaria is still a massive bulk of where you're going to be dealing with magic damage in the game.

The +2 variant you find in the hidden path to the Haligtree, and I can't think of a single instance of magic damage anywhere past that ♥♥♥♥, so not like it even matters.

№ 56 — Prince of Death's Pustule

Raises Vitality by 90

Disgusting.
Absolutely filthy.

I don't know, I mean, the talisman's fine.

Deathblight is barely encountered outside of Wormfaces and Basilisks, and their existence on this planet, virtual or not, upsets me tremendously.

I guess I could also count the Mausoleum Knights and Deathbirds, but either of those enemies are nearly a bent nail on my pancreas more so than the two aforementioned.

I'd rather dedicate a slot towards a status ailment that's more common and more of a problem.

№ 55 — Prince of Death's Cyst

Greatly raises Vitality by 140

See above

№ 54 — Dragoncrest Shield Talisman

	Dragoncrest Shield Talisman Reduces Physical Damage taken 10%
	Dragoncrest Shield Talisman +1 Reduces Physical Damage taken 13%
	Dragoncrest Shield Talisman +2 Reduces Physical Damage taken 17%

As middle of the road as I can think of.

That's going to be the case for the next few talismans on this list.

The Dragoncrest Shield Talisman increases physical defense.
That's it, that's what it does.
And it's exactly as useful as you think it is.

The +2 variant offers just enough damage negation to feel comfortable while not feeling overpowered, because you still can only take a maximum of three consecutive hits from anything past the Mountaintops.

It helps as much as it needs to, and if you need more help than that, then it tells you to ♥♥♥♥ right off and park your ass on the tip of a spear.

№ 53 — Cerulean Seed Talisman

Boosts FP restoration from Flask of Cerulean Tears by 20%

This is a godsend if your Mind is towering above 60 and the only way you've ever played the game is hanging back a football field's length away from anything that looks threatening, while chucking rocks and lava and lightning, whatever the ♥♥♥♥ else, into their face.

I've never abused this.

I've never had a reason to, but I can see it being kinda necessary if you'd rather invest those sacred tears into the Crimson Flask.

I can't argue what it's actually like using it, because once the Cerulean Flask gets to around +5, I just stop putting tears into it because it almost always gives me a full refill.

I guess the Cerulean Flask just works better proportionally.

I've never felt like I've needed an extra 20%, but it's there if people want it, I suppose.

№ 52 — Viridian Amber Medallion

	Viridian Amber Medallion Raises maximum Stamina by 11%
	Viridian Amber Medallion +1 Raises maximum Stamina by 13%
	Viridian Amber Medallion +2 Raises maximum Stamina by 15%

More stamina, more actions you can do at the same damn time.

Be it more rolls, more casting, more weapon swings, the Viridian Amber Medallion lets you do exactly one more of them, and that's incredibly useful in very select scenarios, and barely useful at all in most others, so I'll just call it a wash and put this one somewhere in the middle.

If you're concerned with a low stamina bar, especially in boss fights when the pressure is usually really high, you're almost always better off prioritizing stamina regen over actual stamina.

Two swings with Zweihander will probably bring it close to depletion anyways, and you'll still want a little extra for an emergency dodge.

15% more stamina won't change the entire combat loop, but it will give you an extra action if you happen to need it.

№ 51 — Haligdrake Talisman

	Haligdrake Talisman Reduces Holy Damage taken by 13%
	Haligdrake Talisman +1 Reduces Holy Damage taken by 17%
	Haligdrake Talisman +2 Reduces Holy Damage taken by 20%

The Haligdrake Talisman, I think, deserves a good letter grade above most others in its family, just because of the massive wall of holy damage waiting for you at the endgame.

20% holy damage negation is a big ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ deal, bigger than most elemental defenses for this exact reason.

It makes Maliketh, Elden Beast, and Radagon 20% easier,
and Morgoth too, I guess, but I wouldn't exactly call him ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ like most other bosses.

Morgoth is probably the least gimmicky boss I can think of while still managing to be reasonably challenging.

I- I guess Maliketh too, in a way-
Who- who ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ cares?
Who gives a ♥♥♥♥?

Point still standing, holy damage is only ever a problem when it's being done to you, and that angers me.

This talisman helps with that anger.
About 20% of it.

№ 50 — Crimson Amber Medallion

	Crimson Amber Medallion Raises maximum HP by 6%
	Crimson Amber Medallion +1 Raises maximum HP by 7%
	Crimson Amber Medallion +2 Raises maximum HP by 8%

Increases your health...
by a percentage.

The lon- The longer you play, the better it gets.

Hard see.

That- that's about it.

№ 49 — Moon of Nokstella

Increases Memory Slots by 2

Now, this talisman is not good by traditional means.

It's not going to offer you help in the same tangible way that other talismans will, it doesn't give you extra defense or damage or any of that, but it does give you two extra spell slots.

Which... sounds... pointless.
And granted, it is most of the time.

But then you run into your first two-slaughter spell, then you run into Founding Rain, and then Placidusax's Ruin, and then Comet Azur, and then both Full Moon spells, and you wonder when it's ever going to stop until it finally sinks in that it never will.

This is where Moon of Nokstella comes in, as it allows you to carry multiple big-hitter two- or three-slot spells that you otherwise wouldn't dare try packing into the same loadout.

It's not stealing the show by any means, but I think people are way too mean to this talisman, when in fact, it can be really beneficial on the right build.

№ 48 — Clarifying Horn Charm

	Clarifying Horn Charm Raises Focus by 90
	Clarifying Horn Charm +1 Raises Focus by 140

The clarifying charm boosts Focus, which determines your resistance to sleep and madness.

Although Death Blight doesn't appear in the game nearly enough to be a consistent problem, sleep barely even appears at all.

It's kind of hilarious how it wasn't until recently that we ever considered sleep was being saved for a DLC, as though its presence in the game being exactly two crabs wasn't enough evidence that it needed more time in the oven.

Madness, on the other hand, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sucks.
I hate dealing with this ♥♥♥♥.

The trolls have it, the rats have it, some soldiers and merchants have it, and if they do, it just gives them an extra move where they shoot fire out of their eyes, and it always ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ melts you.

That alone facilitates the existence of the clarifying charm, because at least it does something.

№ 47 — Flamedrake Talisman

	Flamedrake Talisman Reduces Fire Damage taken by 13%
	Flamedrake Talisman +1 Reduces Fire Damage taken by 17%
	Flamedrake Talisman +2 Reduces Fire Damage taken by 20%

Easily the greatest of the four elemental drakes, in my opinion, It's no secret that fire damage is probably the most versatile type of damage in the game.

I don't stop talking about it, and most wiki pages don't stop talking about it either.

It's all the rage.

But what most people don't emphasize is just how common fire damage is in the whole game, not just when you're the one dealing it.

You see fire being spit out of chariots, villagers throwing pots and ♥♥♥♥, black flame, blood flame, fire monks in Liurnia for some reason, it's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ everywhere.

It's like a virus.

And when you really think about just how many sources of fire there are in the game, 20% fire defense starts sounding really useful.

№ 46 + № 45 — Radagon's & Marika's Scarseals

	Radagon's Scarseal Raises Vigor, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity by 3, but increases damage taken by 10%
	Marika's Scarseal Raises Mind, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane by 3, but increases damage taken by 10%

A measly 10% defense decrease means pretty much nothing in the early game, and that's in exchange for 12 entire levels.

You'd be out of your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mind not to at least consider this talisman and hardlock it to your character up until you exit Liurnia.

But once you get past that, your vigor is probably climbing up to 40 at that point, or at least close to it. I think I saw someone say on a wiki page that the technical Vigor cutoff would be 37, so if that was your comment, feel free to claim it, I guess.

Point is, once that threshold is reached, that talisman officially stops being of any use to anyone, which is why I'm putting this and Marika's scarseal at their respective 46th and 45th positions, right in the middle because they spend one half of the game being an invaluable asset to any character, and the second half of the game being absolute paperweights.

And they're both spherical objects, so I'm not even sure they'd be good at that.

№ 44 — Primal Glintstone Blade

Reduces Spell FP costs by 25% but reduces maximum HP by 15%

Once again, I do see the appeal and I get why people use it, blah blah, whatever.

I also understand why people don't use it. I've decided to take up for the latter today because I really don't get why this is such a fan favorite.

Minus 15% maximum HP is more than just an uncomfortable adjustment.

That's not something you just look at and go, ah, you'll be alright, just cast more spells, as though half the spells in this game don't have the hyper armor of an overcooked potato.

You don't need Cerulean Seed , just don't take damage.
You don't need Great-Jar's Arsenal, just carry less ♥♥♥♥.

Once you've got around 60 mind and you have this thing hooked up with Cerulean Seed and Radahn's Great Rune, your FP tank does start to feel bottomless.

I'm not saying it doesn't work, I'm just saying it comes with a drawback that I don't think I can justify having in most common situations.

№ 43 — Immunizing Horn Charm

	Immunizing Horn Charm Raises Immunity by 90
	Immunizing Horn Charm +1 Raises Immunity by 140

The Immunizing Horn charm grants resistance to Poison and Scarlet Rot.

And since Scarlet Rot scales off of your max HP, it only becomes more recommended as you venture further into the irredeemable crevice that is Caelid.

Poison isn't exactly the biggest threat in the world, and there are plenty of ways you can counteract it, but the same isn't completely true for Scarlet Rot.

It's got a bit more hair on its chest.

So the Immunizing charm, I put a good few spaces above the Clarifying charm and Prince of Death talismans just because of how abundant this is later on.

№ 42 — Arrow's Reach Talisman

Increases range of various projectiles

Arrow's Sting is, it's pretty hopeless, because there's no damage buff in the entire world good enough to redeem these pieces of ♥♥♥♥.

The Reach talisman, on the other hand, actually affects more than just arrows.

It can affect physical projectiles from spells like Rock Sling and Bestial Sling. It can affect the weapon skills of the One-Eyed Shield and Envoy's Greathorn.

It works on Beast's Roar, Spectral Lance, and plenty of others.

And none of this would have even been discovered had the community not figured it out themselves because the item description specifically says BOWS.

It's a nice little surprise for people who bought this talisman with ♥♥♥♥.

№ 41 — Ritual Sword Talisman

Raises attack power by 10% when HP is at maximum

The Ritual Sword talisman, like most other previous iterations before it, feels extremely uncomfortable to use because it's really easy to behave in a way that forces the talisman to be the linchpin.

And when the stakes are really high, you can end up getting yourself killed doing this.

There's always gonna be a time where a flask heals you up to 99% health and you're actually going to consider healing again for like two seconds.

Or maybe you have a region build that's just a little too slow for your liking and so you get preoccupied by not taking damage that you don't realize it's been two minutes since you've thrown a single attack.

It's a good talisman, but it gives me anxiety when I use it because I'm constantly feeling like I'm not getting as much out of it as I should be.

№ 40 — Godskin Swaddling Cloth

Successive attacks restore 30 + 3% HP

Winged Sword insignia, but it restores your health.

The way this is balanced, unfortunately, takes most of the incentive out of using it consistently.

Smaller, faster weapons will take more hits to proc the effect and I appreciate that because it makes it less exploitable, but I also feel like this talisman is missing something important that could have made it spectacular.

Healing on hit versus healing on kill is usually much more effective because it gives a great use to weapons that aren't as upgraded.

It allows for more opportunities to heal during boss fights and hitting multiple targets with a single weapon attack will register as multiple hits, making it extremely easy to farm a small cluster of enemies without even needing to kill them.

The actual strength of the heal is lackluster on a good day, but I think this talisman is really good at finding unexpected uses where most other heal on condition effects just won't.

№ 39 — Sacred Scorpion's Charm

Increases Holy Damage by 12%, but increases Physical Damage taken by 10%

I hated these talismans for the longest time because I just didn't feel like sabotaging your own defense was a smart move.

That was before I discovered the magic of... well, uh, magic.

There's a reason there's no physical damage variant of these talismans.

It's because you're not supposed to use these when you have a build that excels and constantly being in someone's face.

All of these are ranged magic talismans, and that still means the holy damage one is the worst of the four because holy damage is a joke in this game.

But I still can't find it in me to rank it anywhere below 40 because hot damn, this talisman really makes that discus spin.

Discus of Light is already a personal favorite of mine, but the Sacred Scorpion charm just kicks that spell in the ass and brings it to new heights no one thought possible.

And yes, okay, fine, it's also good on the Golden Order Greatsword.

№ 38 — Magic Scorpion Charm

Increases Magic Damage by 12%, but increases Physical Damage taken by 10%

The Magic scorpion is almost never a talisman I actually need, mostly because whoever I'm trying to kill is either way too resistant to magic or I'm doing so much damage that I just end up using that talisman slot for something else because that gargoyle probably has a family.

That's still a 12% magic increase, and since magic favors range more so than most other damage types, that puts the defense reduction in a position where it's a little easier to deal with.

But unfortunately, as is the case with every other talisman in this specific family, they got sledgehammer nerfed into oblivion for PvP to the point of barely even being worth a second glance because the defense reduction ends up being way too much for an online environment where one- and two-shot builds are as encouraged as they are.

№ 37 — Erdtree's Favor

	Erdtree's Favor increases HP (3%), Stamina (7%), and Equip Load (5%)
	Erdtree's Favor +1 increases HP (3,5%), Stamina (8,5%), and Equip Load (6,5%)
	Erdtree's Favor +2 increases HP (4%), Stamina (10%), and Equip Load (8%)

Ertree's Favor is a talisman with three different uses, which means it manages to be a worse version of three different talismans at once.

8% equip load boost is probably the most impactful benefit of the three, but my general attitude towards this talisman was that it only sees use during really specific times when you're just barely encumbered enough to straddle the line between medium and heavy, and also you feel like you could use a little more HP and stamina.

It was my general attitude towards this talisman until I realized those specific moments were actually very common.

You could just use the Great-Jar's Arsenal just for the equip load, but if you only need 8% more to lighten yourself into regular rolling, then you also get some HP and stamina as a bonus.

№ 36 — Stalwart Horn Charm

	Stalwart Horn Charm Raises Robustness by 90
	Stalwart Horn Charm +1 Raises Robustness by 140

I almost miss the early days when Elden Ring was still having arcane scaling issues.

Sure, Moonveil would have just continued to dominate and the same problem would have ended up happening anyways, but I miss times where talismans like this weren't downright necessary to even have a semblance of a chance when being invaded.

You saw the person's name and you just knew what kind of build they had.

It's like Final ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Destination. I could practically see the circumstances of my death before it even happened.

Luckily, things like Rivers of Blood and Mohg's Spear are a bit easier to deal with in PvP, provided your robustness stat is through the roof, and 140 of that is nothing to dismiss.

Bloodloss and Frostbite also become two big problems in specific in-game areas, which makes this one all the more valuable, but against certain builds or when facing certain circumstances, 140 extra robustness won't always help you as much as you think it should.

№ 35 + № 34 — Marika's & Radagon's Soreseals

	Radagon's Soreseal Raises Vigor, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity by 5 each, but increases damage taken by 15%
	Marika's Soreseal Raises Mind, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane by 5 each, but increases damage taken by 15%

The Sorceals are some of the best pieces of equipment you could have to put on your character.

Okay, so there's obviously a few asterisks attached to that because we're at number 35 right now, but as long as you aren't teetering over the edge of level 80 or so, it's pretty hard to ignore the benefits these talismans offer.

Radagon's Sorceal especially because it gives you extra vigor and endurance, two stats that are likely the most effective in counterbalancing some of the extra damage.

As soon as you start hacking your way through Ultas where things actually start posing a bit of a challenge though, you'll want to take these off as quickly as possible because taking 15% additional damage is only going to get more painful from here on out.

I wouldn't even wait until you hit the soft caps, honestly. Just take it off as soon as everything in the game starts turning yellow.

№ 33 — Lightning Scorpion Charm

Increases Lightning Damage by 12%, but increases Physical Damage taken by 10%

Okay, remember when I said magic is the best damage type for ranged builds because that's what most sorceries are?

Well, I need you to hold on to that statement for just a bit.

Lightning very surprisingly consists of very few ranged options for Faith-Dex builds, but the few you do have available are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ queens.

Lightning Spear, Honed Bolt, Ancient Lightning Spear weapon skill, and I guess Fortissax's Lightning Spear too because dunking on a dude 80 feet below you technically still counts as a ranged attack.

And as you'd expect, these abilities are also some of the heaviest hitting in the entire Lightning arsenal.

But even if we aren't counting ranged options and we're just eliminating it to more close-range spells, Ancient Dragon's Lightning Strike has long been one of the uncontested kings of damage and a 12% boost on top of what it does normally honestly feels like cheating.

№ 32 — Fire Scorpion Charm

Increases Fire Damage by 12%, but increases Physical Damage taken by 10%

There's hardly an explanation I need to give for this one.

Fire damage is probably the best in the game if we're choosing only one and you've got so many different weapons, sorceries, and incantations that can all apply different types of fire damage. Frenzy, Black Flame, Magma.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more versatile type of damage.

And in that regard, the Fire Scorpion will probably give you the greatest benefit out of any of the four in that family.

№ 31 — Flock's Canvas Talisman

Greatly raises potency of incantations (8%)

Increases all incantations by a whopping 8%, which is not horrible.
It's not even bad, honestly.

8% doesn't sound like much, but you really start feeling the difference on high damage spells like Dragonmaw and Ancient Lightning Strike.

It's always better to use this talisman alongside another damage-boosting talisman that's more specific, like the Scorpion family.

You don't need to swap that 12% damage boost for versatility.
Instead, you should just use them together so that spells of a certain damage type end up receiving the benefits of both.

Using it in this regard means it becomes one of the greatest spell-boosting talismans in the game just because of how flexible it is.

And it can all be yours at the low, low price of your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ time on this pathetic planet because Millicent's questline does not go quickly.

You'll be jumping hoops all day for this ♥♥♥♥ if you really want it that badly, so good luck.

№ 30 — Axe Talisman

Increases Charge Attack damage by 10%

More like the ASS talisman.
No, no, no, I'm kidding.
It's good. Don't worry.

Charged heavies are the epitome of high-risk, high-reward. It's the perfect treat to strategizing your movements and timing it in a way that makes this land.

And when it does land, you feel it.

It's practically a Pavlovian response for half of us, me included.

If that charged heavy lands at the exact precise time as intended, I just ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥.

Now just put an extra 10% on top of that, spice it up with a little Barbaric Roar, and you'll be marching through the Haligtree with a +6 without even giving a ♥♥♥♥.

The only drawback is the high risk involved with charging melee attacks to begin with, which means this is not a talisman you'll get sustained use out of unless you're just a psychopath.

Or you have Barbaric Roar.

№ 29 — Curved Sword Talisman

Increases guard counter damage by 20%

If you think guard counters in this game are useless, then I'm just gonna be honest.
You got scammed.
You got scammed, owned, and ♥♥♥♥♥♥ on by capitalism.

The incredibly loud, I'm-about-to-counterattack sound is too busy rivaling the decibel count of a man screaming I'm-about-to-counterattack into a microphone without a noise gate, and you should consider yourself lucky that joke doesn't come with a live demonstration.

It's about as worthless as you can imagine in PvP, but in a single-player experience, and even in co-op against a lot of different bosses, that extra damage makes a massive difference.

Counterattacking is already such a huge source of melee damage that can reliably break stances of even bigger enemies if done with weapons of a certain size.

It's not my favorite talisman, nor do I even think it's the most effective, but this talisman does get overlooked way too much, and I'm just- I'm- I'm not having it.

It- just start using it, please.

№ 28 — Roar Medallion

Increases the damage of roars and breath attacks by 15%

Normally, I would have looked at this talisman once and then thrown it somewhere in the mid-50s, but this is the post-patch Roar Medallion we're talking about here.

I think it deserves a little more respect than that. Roar Medallion has the added benefit of also affecting the damage of breath attacks on top of just screaming loudly, which means most Dragon Communion spells see a massive benefit from this.

But this talisman comes with additional surprises that aren't immediately obvious.

Regal Roar gets a nice hefty boost from it, but other unique weapon skills like Starcaller Cry and Shriek of Milos also receive the bonus, despite them not technically being labeled Roars.

The reason I ultimately decided this belonged a lot higher than it would have been pre-patch is the same boost even carries over to the altered weapon movesets of those unique skills.

The follow-up crash from Starcaller gets boosted, the alter charge heavies of Shriek of Milos and Barbaric Roar get boosted, Regal Roar moveset gets boosted, but 7.5% in PvP feels way too insignificant.

I'll bend over and ♥♥♥♥♥ myself out for this talisman because of how it affects Dragon Communion builds, but I'm not breaking my back over it.

№ 27 — Radagon Icon

Shortens the casting time of Spells

30 virtual dexterity specifically for casting speed.
That's... I mean, that's okay.

That's insane on some spells where the dexterity cap actually matters, which is most big spells. Dragon Communion incantations like Greyoll's Roar and Placidusax's Ruin receive huge speed bonuses from this just because of how slow they are to start up by themselves.

I don't know, man.
That old Sage's Ring +2 really just spoiled all of us.

Why can't I just have max casting speed?
No, no, ♥♥♥♥ you.
That's a perfectly fair question to ask.
Why doesn't this talisman do that?

№ 26 — Arsenal Charm

	Arsenal Charm Raises maximum Equip Load by 15%
	Arsenal Charm +1 Raises maximum Equip Load by 17%

Equip load has long been an underrated facet of character building.

Carrying more ♥♥♥♥ sounds niche on the surface, at least until you understand just how fragile that boundary is between medium and heavy really can be.

Maybe there's just a set with a color scheme you really like.

Maybe those Drake Knight leggings match really well with the Briar armor, but that cape weighs two and a half ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ pounds for some reason and you can't be bothered to go and clip that ♥♥♥♥ off.

The 17% equip load increase allows you to tow so many lines with your equipment. It never makes a huge difference, but it never really needs to.

Because if you're so much as a milligram below that heavy threshold, it's not going to matter.

This talisman is built for min-maxing.

№ 25 — Spear Talisman

Increases thrusting weapon counterattack damage by 15%

Of the weapon category talismans, I think this one is the most misunderstood.

The way the item description is worded makes it seem like the benefit is limited to counterattacks that take place when guarding with the shield, but it involves more attacks than just that.

If a thrusting attack of yours lands right after an enemy has finished an attack, that technically is a counterattack in this context.

This enables players to use extremely long thrusting weapons to just outrange the opposition by poking from behind a shield.

But since some colossal swords have thrusting attacks, those attacks will benefit from this as well.

It's more than just spears, obviously, but that's- that's where you're gonna find the most benefit.

№ 24 — Red-Feathered Branchsword

Raises attack power by 20% when HP is below 20%

Here it is! Here it is, this is the Reddit talisman.

If you like big boy numbers at the expense of any semblance of sustainable gameplay and spending a full minute setting up everything properly, because, let's face it, you're never using this talisman by itself, that would be ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ psychotic.

This is the common "Azur of talisman".

Well, no, I guess it's more like the meteorite of a stealth.

It's amazing when it works, but when it doesn't, you're just gonna feel like a massive dumbass for even having the idea to carry this ♥♥♥♥ in with you.

This is only a boss talisman.
That's literally all it's ever used for.

But with a good enough regen build and some nice damage negation on top of it, you can actually get benefits from this talisman pretty consistently.

Just not as consistently as waving a sword in your enemy's face until they stop moving.

№ 23 — Bull-Goat's Talisman

Raises Poise by 33%

I didn't realize this until going into it and actually looking at how people thought about this talisman, but apparently this one is a little controversial.

The poise damage reduction is 25%, and the fact that it's percentage-based enforces a sort of make-the-rich-richer effect, where the more poise your armor gives you, the more unstoppable you become.

Thing is, Raise's poise is an extremely vague description for an item that buffs an almost completely invisible stat.

But if your armor already has a high base poise value like Veteran's Set, the Bull-Goat's talisman will just turn you into a cement wall.

Two consecutive hits from most standard soldiers just won't flinch you, whereas without the talisman, you can normally only withstand one.

I don't know the precise value, but I think most one-handed attacks from standard-sized weapons do around 50 poise damage, so if your poise is over 100, it's usually enough.

This is amazing if you've aggroed an entire crowd.

It won't do much in boss fights against big dudes, but the extra poise is very nice when you're fighting crowds of standard enemies, and it's a great way to get people to wish a plague on you in PvP duels.

№ 22 — Companion Jar

Raises potency of Throwing Pots by 20%

You like throwing pots?

Are you that one guy in the D&D group that constantly pisses off the DM by introducing your own custom class that's totally balanced, I promise, before lobbing a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ napalm grenade at the tavern keeper?

Well, now you can throw those napalm grenades 20% harder.

№ 21 — Winged Sword Insignia

Raises attack power with successive attacks (3%,5%,10%)

Depending on what weapons you've equipped yourself with, this can be an absolute god stomper.

10% extra damage doesn't sound too beneficial when you have to gather up a bit of momentum in order to actually trigger that boost, but once it happens, that twin blade you're two-handing turns into a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ blender.

This isn't even the better one of the two, and it still slaps the cheeks of my ass like a pair of leather bongos.

On twin blades, it's incredible.
On power stance daggers, it's unstoppable.

But on Karin Slicer or the fire prelate hammer, it's downright illegal.

Only problem is, it's a melee talisman first and foremost.

You can use the damage buff to fire out a quick spell if you want after the buff has already taken effect, but the only way it can activate is if you apply some pressure up close.

№ 20 — Crepus's Vial

Eliminates all sound made by the wearer during movement

This talisman took some warming up to.

I really didn't like how uncanny it felt just gliding around everywhere, not making a single sound.

Every footstep felt like I was gaslighting myself into thinking I accidentally turned down the sound effect audio, and then I realized the true power of this underrated gem when I started full tilt sprinting down a crowded road of soldiers and not a single one of them turned their head to look at me.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, you need to use this talisman.
It's almost never good.

But when it finds a situation it can be useful in, you're playing a different game.

The Albinauric and Ordina just won't give a ♥♥♥♥ about you.

I've even sprinted right past a spot I knew a Black Knife was camping in and I didn't even hear her get up.

Nobody gives a ♥♥♥♥ about you with this talisman.
It's basically the free trial mode of Black Knife armor.

№ 19 — Carian Fillgreed Crest

Lowers FP cost of Skills by 25%

Weapon skills cost 25% less to use.

And if you know how powerful and draining some of the unique weapon skills can be, then you already know the value of this.

It won't give you any extra efficiency if you're just quick-stepping everywhere like you're trying to become Elden Lord solely by breaking everyone's ankles, but skills like Holy Ground and Black Flame Tornado both cost a hefty 30 FP per use.

And some in-game weapon skills like Wave of Gold and Bloodboon Ritual can easily start climbing into the 50s and 60s.

Moonlight Greatsword, Destined Death, and Starcaller Cry also benefit massively from having this on.

But if you're a simpler person with a simpler skill like Raptor of the Mists or something with a low FP cost, you'll probably notice more comfort if you use the Ancestral Horn.

№ 18 — Ritual Shield Talisman

Reduces damage taken by 30% when HP is at maximum

It is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid how good this talisman can really be on certain builds.
That's not a joke.

It's already hard enough to make 30% less damage taken sound useless during any section of the game. But as is the case with most percentage-based buffs, it only gets better the deeper you dig.

I feel like most people just saw this talisman as an effort to turn the Ritual Sword into a theme, and they just thought, well, the Ritual Sword talisman is kind of bit on the best of days, so the shield probably isn't much better.

And if that were your only mistake, you'd be forgiven for such blasphemy.

But no, some even go as far as to put it on, throw themselves at an in-game boss, and sigh in disappointment when they find out it isn't just a reproccable Opaline Bubbletear.

You ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Put on a decent region build, max out Great Stars, and slap that on top of Rykard's Great Rune, and as God is my witness, you just- you just won't die.

It'll never happen.

№ 17 — Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

Greatly raises attack power with successive attacks (6%,8%,13%)

It's the standard winged insignia, but better.

So, uh, see above, I guess.

№ 16 — Graven-Mass Talisman

Greatly raises potency of Sorceries by 8%

The Graven-Mass talisman is the exact same buff as Flocks Canvas, just a meager 8%.

But it feels significantly less meager on sorcery builds, because most common sorceries are already torqued for damage to begin with.

As is the case with talismans like these, it only gets more valuable during the late-to-end game, where 900 damage per pebble stops being impressive.

№ 15 — Great-Jar's Arsenal

Vastly raises maximum Equip Load, by 19%

I'm gonna go ahead and put in a revision request for the definition of the word vastly, because apparently that definition got lost under a table somewhere during development.

19% equip load is a straightforward upgrade to Arsenal Charm.

That much, I cannot dispute.

It is literally better in the most objective way, even down to the talisman's weight.

There's no benefit Arsenal Charm will give you that this one doesn't.
But now I'm just thinking about all the potential unique ideas for other talismans that got lost in the pipeline somewhere.

Because functionally, that's exactly what this is.
But it's not Arsenal Charm +2, it's Great-Jar's Arsenal.

It's completely unique despite being in the same family of talismans, and I feel like that's an opportunity missed on a lot of other +2s.

Flamedrake Greatshield, or like Erdtree's Favors or something.
Am I getting too hung up on this?

♥♥♥♥, whatever, I'm just gonna move on.

№ 14 — Millicent's Prosthesis

Boosts dexterity (+5), raises attack power with successive attacks (4%,6%, 11%)

When it comes to raw damage numbers, there's surprisingly very little difference in the boost from this, and the boost from the Rotten Winged Sword.

This one has 3 tiers of damage buffs that extend out to 11% plus 5 extra dexterity, while the Rotten Winged Sword gives you up to 13% without the dexterity.

I think Millicent's Prosthesis just barely gets the edge here, because even if this change isn't something you'll notice on most ordinary weapons, that extra dexterity pulls so much more weight in builds that utilize keen affinity weapons or unique weapons with high deck scaling.

Not sure why an aluminum glove the size of a mouse cursor weighs almost 2 pounds, but it's not like I'm breaking my back by carrying it or anything, so whatever.

№ 13 — Assassin's Crimson Dagge

Critical attacks restore 10% + 85 HP

Do you guys know it procs twice during critical hits with colossal swords?
You're welcome!

You're welcome for all the insight that you totally weren't aware of.

Some of you may not have actually been aware of this, so I'm sorry for excluding you.

You're important too, I promise.

Daggers can proc it twice under some circumstances too, but either way, it doesn't sound consistent enough to actually depend on it happening.

Still, 10% plus 85 additional HP per critical hit is almost unreasonably good.

№ 12 — Ancestral Spirit's Horn

Restores 3 FP upon defeating enemies

3 FP per kill is honestly not that much if you're a pure caster, and that's mostly because pure casters shouldn't be using this talisman as a reliable means of FP restoration.

The real power of this talisman shines in low FP builds that focus on melee combat with one or two support spells and nothing more.

It's the playstyle of the simple man, the commoner, the people's build.

It's almost always a wasted slot in big boss fights, but it's one of the greatest casual exploration talismans I can think of.

Those kills add up very quickly when you're just chopping down smaller dudes or clearing out the zombies in Caelid ruins.

Think of all the places in Leyndell that are just packed to the brim with soldiers and bubble blowers.

Think of all the annoying rats you've been dunking on.

Now you're beginning to see real value, and at 3 FP per kill, this thing pays for itself in no time.

№ 11 — Dagger Talisman

Increases Critical Damage by 17%

Boosts critical hits by 17%.
And this is Elden Ring, so you're gonna be doing a lot of those.

This is where it really pays to give some attention to the crit modifier on your weapon because 17% is already great enough, but that percent only gets better with a Misericorde that tops out at 140, and suddenly that little safety pin in your offhand starts doing 4-digit damage before you've even climbed out of Stormveil.

№ 10 — Crimson Seed Talisman

Boosts HP restoration from the Flask of Crimson Tears by 20%

20% more healing.
What more could you ask for?

Completely counteracts the negative effects of Black Flame's Protection in most of the flask penalty of Malenia's Great Rune, and when you aren't using those pieces of ♥♥♥♥, you just get more healing.

This ends up being a pretty wonderful talisman because it allows a flask that doesn't have too many upgrades to match the pace of damage you'll be taking in later game areas.

It gives your Crimson Flask so much more sustainability than it had before and gives you the confidence of walking into the snowfield area with a +5 flask and not feeling that nervous about it.

If you're running a build with low vigor, it's much more likely to top off your health bar completely, giving added flexibility to Ritual Sword and Shield talismans.

The 20% heal boost is already great by itself, but I think it has some surprising utility on other builds that people commonly overlook.

№ 9 — Dragoncrest Greatshield

Enormously reduces Physical Damage taken by 20%

This one gets compared to the Crimson Seed a lot because the 20% defense boost this gives you seems very comparable to the 20% healing boost.

It seems that way because, uh, because it is, and I'm not sure why I wrote that first sentence in a way that insinuated it wasn't, but there is, I guess, a small difference that I think really starts to matter towards the endgame.

The reason I would slightly prefer this over Crimson Seed is because the armor you're wearing actually matters, much more so than other Souls iterations before it.

Fashion Souls only initially became a community trend because nobody gave a ♥♥♥♥ about armor in the Dark Souls games, including FromSoft, and that's a much harder case to make with Elden Ring.

I still think you should glam yourself up, because if you didn't do something while looking fabulous as ♥♥♥♥, then you might as well have just not done anything, but that extra damage negation really starts to matter on lighter to medium armor sets that might give you specific bonuses you aren't willing to part with.

In most other situations, I don't think people see a big difference in how the game feels with this talisman versus Crimson Seed, but I just think the Dragoncrest Greatshield just barely edges past it in terms of flexibility.

Also, yes, the PvP variant of this talisman is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ joke, as is the case with most of these.

It's literally why I don't factor in PvP most of the time when ranking these.

№ 8 — Warrior Jar Shard

Boosts the attack power of Skills by 10%

I would never say no to a 10% damage boost on special skills that are already meant to be absolute blunders, but if you're a total sociopath, you can even get the talisman as early as 5 minutes into the game!

The boost itself is honestly nothing special when compared to most other endgame talismans, but you're given access to it considerably earlier than any other talismans of its caliber.

I understand that 10% doesn't sound like a lot for a talisman that's this far into the video, but I don't think people fully comprehend just how damaging some of these skills can be.

You have skills that are just obviously torqued. Corpse Piler, Transient Moonlight, Taker's Flames, you get the idea.

But you also have other skills like Regal Beastclaw, Cursed-Blood Slice, Magma Guillotine, Unblockable Blade, and so many other unique skills that fly completely under the radar despite being capable of very similar damage.

And in that regard, 10% is almost always too good to pass up.

№ 7 — Kindred of Rot's Exultation

Raises attack power by 20% for 20 seconds when Poisoning or Rot occurs in the vicinity

The Exultation talismans have long been a pair of the most respected- well, maybe not respected, but definitely the most efficient talismans for those looking to spruce up their status builds that probably don't really need anything else, but that's- that's not gonna stop you, is it?

This alien isolation-looking ass has seen plenty of use in endgame Rot builds, mostly because Rot just melts everything that has lungs and can breathe.

Some incantations like Rotten Breath can potentially leave you out of the effective range for the buff, but Scarlet Aeonia will probably afflict someone the second it hits the floor, so...

№ 6 — Claw Talisman

ncreases jump attack damage by 15% (7.5% in PvP)

♥♥♥♥ this talisman.
♥♥♥♥ it twice.

I hate how good this ♥♥♥♥ is.

It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, dumbass.

Banished Knight's putting too much pressure on you?
Jumping heavy.

Melania about to grab you?
Jumping heavy.

Food still cold when you take it out of the microwave?
Jump attack that ♥♥♥♥♥ right in the fu- right in the mouth.

Punch her dinners.
Punch the ♥♥♥♥ out of it.

Can we get some jump attacks in the comments, please?

№ 5 — Old Lord's Talisman

Extends the duration of Spells by 30%

If you have a support-centered spell loadout, this is probably the best talisman in the game.

A 30% spell duration increase makes a tremendous difference on health region builds that use Blessings Boon, and on builds involving offensive buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength or Golden Vow.

It also still affects the duration of Rallying Standard, despite it not being a spell, which is going to be our little secret, because heaven forbid we have a little bit of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ fun!

The DOT effects on Black Flame incantations now last longer thanks to this talisman, Black Flame Blade actually feels usable, and the magic debuffs given to enemies when hit with Full Moon spells are that much more threatening.

№ 4 — Green Turtle Talisman

Raises Stamina recovery speed by 8 per second (17.7%)

Stamina regen is just one of those things that you almost never think about, unless your stamina bar is the length of a thumbtack.

Because of the way stamina is used in Elden Ring, the regen rate of your stamina actually ends up being significantly more important than how much you have of it.

Large amounts of stamina are consumed when firing spells, using colossal weapons, guarding, jumping, browsing DeviantArt, pretty much anything.

I say this because this talisman is a popular choice for strength builds that involve colossal weapons, but 18% more regen is so absurdly powerful that its benefits extend to most other builds as well.

It allows you to keep pressure on even with slower builds, and all that recovery means you don't have to worry as much about getting haymakered by something you can't dodge due to lack of stamina.

№ 3 — Lord of Blood's Exultation

Raises attack power by 20% (12% in PvP) for 20 seconds when Blood Loss occurs in the vicinity

This exultation talisman needs no introduction.

The reason I think I and most other people would favor this exultation talisman over the former is the sheer ease of access.

Those raw dumplings run out fast when you're consistently shoving them in your face just to add a 20 second buff.

This talisman, on the other hand, values your resources.

You don't even need a bleed build to make it work.

When you have a weapon skill that's as simple as a single button press that just gives you the buff in exchange for a little HP, or a weapon skill that turns the screen red and just gives everyone else the bleed build up, or when katanas... exist, that's all you'll ever need to make this talisman work.

Might as well just program a hidden effect that mails a termination slip to everyone on the balancing team when someone activates it.

Imagine having a spare shrouding crack tier in your back pocket with infinite uses and a power switch. That affects all damage types instead of just one.

That's what this is.
It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

№ 2 — Godfrey Icon

Raises attack power of charged Spells and Skills by 15%

If 15% more damage to all charged spells and skills mean nothing to you somehow, you still get to appreciate an immaculate artistic depiction of John Elden Ring himself.

All sorceries, incantations, and weapon skills that can be charged are just better now.

And that's quite an extensive list when you really start thinking about it.

Most heavy hitter spells are usually also chargeable, including Zeta-Chad damage cannons like Ancient Lightning Strike, O Flame, and Night Comet, but some weapons like Bolt of Gransax and Marais Executioner Sword have incredibly popular weapon skills that are also chargeable.

Godfrey also doesn't use or even have any charge skills himself, including Regal Roar, so I'm not sure what lore implications allow this to make sense other than justifying the barely tenable existence of Chadfroy over here, but the artwork is cool.

The benefit is massive on all builds. I'd pop this ♥♥♥♥♥♥ on anytime.

№ 1 — Shard of Alexander

Greatly boosts the attack power of Skills by 15%

But if you're a man on the go like myself, if you're constantly insisting that your time for some reason is too important to not be wasted, then all this charging nonsense is probably just a scam.

Who the ♥♥♥♥ wants to hold down a button for two seconds?
Couldn't be me.
That's the appeal of this talisman.

All weapon skills up by 15%.
Just charge or no charge.
Just straight-up damage increase.
Really think about that for a second.

Most weapon skills that can be charged are usually worth the payoff.

So much so, in fact, that not charging that skill usually just feels underwhelming by comparison.

But what about skills that are perfectly capable and perhaps even downright oppressive without it?

What about Corpse Piler or Bloodboon Ritual?
What about Taker's Flames or Spinning Wheel?

How about the fact that I don't even need to say any of this because feeling the need to choose between this and Godfrey is pointless when you can just slap them both on.

As diverse and powerful as weapon skills are in this game, not going out of your way to get this is just- it's always a bad idea.

Yeah, I know you have to wait a bit, but it's not the heaviest lifting in the world.

Come on.

The Alexander quest practically finishes itself.

If you can trudge through lakes of tomato soup and kill a walking tree just for a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hand, you- you can do this quest too.

———————————————

📝 Elden Ring Wiki and other Steam guides

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3352516135
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3347915674
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3006733096

[I Smell Toast]

personally I think Warrior Jar Shard should be placed above the Shard of Alexander because it can literally be your very first talisman and is useful throughout your run, SoA as acquired after Godskin Duo, so you only get to use it on Maliketh, Gideon, Hoarah Loux, & Rada-beast

[The Time Traveler]

"The Mimic Tear will take double damage.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, they still haven't patched this."

They aren't going to it is intentional. The mimic tear copies you and all you are wearing including accessories. The mimic tear is barely even a miniboss so whether its supposed to be hard or not is moot. Why would they patch out "while slotted with this one single accessory it does not copy that accessory" when the whole point of mimic tear boss is its a creepy copy of you which is a small intimidating thing of its own if your coming across this boss while fully geared for your first time because you just don't know.

[Vile-Pile]

I think sacrificial twig should be higher than Daedicar and the trick mirrors. Daedicar has one potential niche use with the 2 mimics, and the trick mirrors are PvP exclusive talismans, making them useless for anyone not doing PvP shenanigans. The sacrificial twig on the other hand can be used in a variety of situations, albeit for the same purpose, but it could help get a bunch of runes out of a boss room if you deem the boss too difficult, you could snag a bunch of runes from a dangerous runback, die, then proceed to go somewhere else. It becomes exponentially more useful during randomizer runs where enemies could pose far more of a threat based on where they spawn.

[Sunbleached Angel]

no it doesn't @ScubaStalin

[ScubaStalin]

Does the winged sword talisman work on the spinny attack from Ghizas wheel?

[lordgilmour]

i sold shard of alexander

[skmq8ypj]

good grief take it to a publisher bro 💀💀

[Mal]

The Assassin Dagger talismans have always been my favorites. Hardly ever have to use a flask, which makes the crimson seed talisman pretty useless for me.

[Belligerent Bread]

Jumping attack

[ToonDragon]

Me and the homies love the green turtle talisman