Demon’s Souls: How to Upgrade Weapons

No matter what class you choose in Demon’s Souls, your starting weapons will only get you so far. Weapon upgrades are integral to progression and survival in both the PS3 version of the RPG and the PS5 remaster. 

Upgrading your weapons in Demon’s Souls isn’t exactly straightforward. There are two blacksmiths in the game, but one blacksmith is better than the other and harder to unlock. Here’s how to upgrade weapons along any path (Hardstone, Bladestone, Moonshadestone, etc.) and forge stronger equipment and boss weapons. 

Note: Since Blacksmith Ed is somewhat hard to find, I’ve included a full walkthrough on how to find him, as well as how to give him the Searing Demon’s Soul. 

Where is Blacksmith Boldwin?

Unlike his brother, Blacksmith Ed, Blacksmith Boldwin is very easy to find. He’s located in the Nexus next to Stockpile Thomas. 

Blacksmith Boldwin Items

Here’s what Blacksmith Boldwin sells and how many souls each item costs. 

• Crescent Moon Grass (150 Souls)
• Fresh Spice (350 Souls)
• Ed’s Sharpening Stone (2,000 Souls)
• Dagger (700 Souls)
• Short Sword (1,000 Souls)
• Battle Axe (1,500 Souls)
• Heater Shield (2,000 Souls)
• Arrow (20 Souls)
• Bolt (30 Souls)
• Cracked Eye Stone (2,800 Souls)

Weapon Upgrades

Boldwin can only upgrade weapons that follow the Hardstone and Sharpstone paths, such as the Long Sword, Uchigatana, and Compound Long Bow. He cannot upgrade magical weapons, such as the Crescent Falchion, nor can he work on boss weapons, such as the Morion Blade or Northern Regalia. 

To upgrade equipment for any of the other stone types, including Cloudstone, Moonshadestone, and Dragonstone, you’ll need to find Blacksmith Ed, which is a much more involved process. 

Where is Blacksmith Ed?

Blacksmith Ed is found at the beginning of world 2-1, Stonefang Tunnel’s Smithing Grounds. But you have to start the elevator behind the merchant, The Filthy Man, to gain access to him. Here’s a quick walkthrough of how to do that. 

How to Start Blacksmith Ed’s Elevator

From the 2-1 Archstone, go up the stairs and go right. Cross the stone bridge towards the Scale Miners throwing rocks off the tower ahead. Go through the gate at the bottom of the tower, and go left.

Continue straight ahead. Make sure to kill the Scale Miners on either side of the next room to make the next encounter easier. Remember that Scale Miners are weak to piercing attacks, so use weapons such as the

• Long Sword (heavy attack)
• Mail Breaker
• Dagger
• Rapier
• Short Spear

Go through the short tunnel and into the larger open area beyond. To proceed, you need to get to the archway straight ahead, but you should kill the Scale Miners first.

Do not go past the middle of the area: three dogs will burst out of the archway you’re going towards. Take out the Scale Miners first, then the dogs, and go through the archway. 

Kill the Fat Official when you enter and go through the small archway on the right side of the room. Be careful of the Pickaxe Scale Miner just inside the archway to the right. Kill them and take the stairs up.

Turn right at the top and kill another Pickaxe Scale Miner standing in the passage. There is one more Miner coming out of the small archway to the right, so be careful in this tight space. 

Continue down the path and go up the stairs at the end. At the top, turn left and take the wooden ramp up. At the top of the ramp, turn left and go across the wooden bridge toward the Fat Official. 

The bridge will break. When you land below, turn right and go up the small set of steps. Follow the path all the way around, killing the Scale Miners along the way, and cross another wooden bridge. Kill the two Miners on the left and grab two of Ed’s Sharpening Stones. 

Go right and under the platform with the Fat Official. Go to the back left corner and pull the giant lever. A cutscene will play and the gate to the right of the Fat official will open. 

Now jump back down to the area where you killed the dogs and go all the way back up to the broken bridge. When you get to the top of the wooden ramp leading to the broken bridge, take the stone stairs in front of you, and follow the path through the Fog Gate. 

You’ll enter an area with a large water wheel. Take the wooden ramp up and go left at the top. Pass the water wheel, and go up the next wooden ramp to your left.

Follow the path around, passing the water wheel again, and go past the lava pit on the right. Kill the three Scale Miners on the stone stairs in front of you. 

There’s a Fog Gate to your left and a cart in front of you. Destroy the cart and continue forward, killing the hammer-wielding Scale Miners. At the end of the path, you’ll be outside. Go right and follow the path straight ahead. It will end at a wall with gears and a round crank. Turn the crank to start the elevator to your left. 

Jump on the elevator and ride it all the way to the bottom, where you’ll find Blacksmith Ed. And make sure to grab the Renowned Hero’s Soul on the landing outside his smithy.   

Blacksmith Ed Items

Blacksmith Ed does not sell any items. 

Blacksmith Ed Weapon Upgrades

While Blacksmith Boldwin can repair and upgrade some of your weapons and equipment, Ed can upgrade every weapon (and shield) in Demon’s Souls along any upgrade path. Ed can also forge boss weapons, which are made from various Demon Souls. 

For Ed to forge Boss weapons, you must give him the Searing Demon’s Soul (formerly the Red Hot Demon’s Soul), which is obtained after beating Flamelurker in 2-2, Stonefang Tunnel’s Tunnel City. 

How to Give Blacksmith Ed the Searing Demon’s Soul

Put the Searing Demon’s Soul in your inventory, and go see Ed. Speak with him until his dialog options run out. Then take the elevator back up and warp to The Tunnel City (Armor Spider) Archstone. 

Spawn and warp back to the Smithing Grounds Archstone. Go speak with Ed again, and he will mention the Searing Demon’s Soul before asking for it. Choose “Yes” when he asks, and you’ll now be able to forge Boss weapons. 

And that’s that on upgrading weapons in Demon’s Souls. If you’re looking for various stone and shard types, such as Bladestone, Moonlightstone, and Mercurystone, head over to our tips section for those guides and more!