Elden Ring Keepsakes: Best Starting Gifts

There are nine keepsakes to choose from when creating your character in Elden Ring. Known as starting Gifts in other From Software Souls games, these boons each have a unique use that’s meant to help you on your journey through The Lands Between. But which keepsake should you choose? 

Admittedly, not all starting Gifts are of equal value. Some Keepsakes are better than others, especially for those looking to start Elden Ring on the strongest footing and have the best chances of survival early on. Considering the difficulty of some of the game’s initial bosses — especially if you don’t take the best starting path — that’s probably a good idea. 

In the quick Elden Ring guide below, we’ll list out all of the Keepsakes available, and pinpoint which starting Gifts we think are the best ones to choose. We’ve added a few extra descriptions outside of what’s available in-game to give you a more actionable idea of what each of the Keepsakes does. 

If you’re wondering which class you should choose first in Elden Ring, we have some suggestions over here.

All Elden Ring Keepsakes & Starting Gifts List

• None: No Keepsake/starting Gift.
• Crimson Amber Medallion: Increases maximum HP.
• Lands Between Rune: Use to gain 3,000 runes (one use). 
• Golden Seed: Reinforces Sacred Flask uses +1 to 5 total uses between Crimson Tears (HP) and Cerulean Tears (FP). Must be used at Site of Grace and can only be used once. You’ll find more Golden Seeds as you play.
• Fanged Imp Ashes: This Keepsake summons two fanged imp spirits. Must have Spirit Calling Bell to use.
• Cracked Pot: A container for certain thrown items (fire pot, holy water pot, etc.)
• Stonesword Key: Break the seal on imp statues, but can only be used once.
• Bewitching Branch: Uses item and FP to charm pierced enemy (x5 pieces). Causes a damaged enemy to attack other enemies within a certain range.
• Boiled Prawn: This Keepsake boosts physical damage protection for 60 seconds (x5 pieces).
• Shabriri’s Woe: Attracts enemies’ aggression.

Best Elden Ring Keepsakes to Get First

For us, the best Elden Ring Keepsake is the Golden Seed. It has the farthest-reaching and longest-lasting effects, immediately giving you an extra flask charge for either Crimson Tears (HP) or Cerulean Tears (FP). Having one more flask use can be a game-changer in the early going, giving you access to more health or magic no matter your class. 

To use the Golden Seed keepsake, rest at a Site of Grace, and choose “Flasks.” Then choose “Add charge to flask.” When asked if you want to use a Golden Seed, select “Yes.” You’ll come across more Golden Seeds as you play the game. 

The second-best early Keepsake Gift is the Crimson Amber Medallion. In a similar fashion to the Golden Seed, the Crimson Amber Medallion gives you an HP boost of 26 points for the duration of Elden Ring. Again, this early increase to your health can be the difference between beating a tough boss and returning to a Site of Grace or a Stake of Marika. 

Another decent starting Keepsake Gift is the Cracked Pot. You’ll use many Cracked Pots in item crafting to make things like the Fire Pot or Roped Holy Water Pot. Each needs one Cracked Pot to craft, and Craked Pots are returned to you after the item (Fire Pot, for example) has been used so that you can craft another.

This Keepsake isn’t a game-changer by any means, but items made from this Keepsake can be helpful ranged or crowd-control items in a pinch. We didn’t come across many of these offensive items in our early hours in Limgrave, so grab the Cracked Pot if you like throwing firebombs on things. 

A final Keepsake to consider is the Stonesword Key. These are used on imp statues found throughout The Lands Between. Imp statues often block shortcuts or loot stashes well-worth breaking into. The first of these imp statues is in the Stranded Graveyard at the very first Site of Grace; it opens the fog gate nearby. There’s lots of good loot here, but it’s a very dangerous place to venture so early in Elden Ring.

The other problem with this boon is that it can only be used once. if you want to hold on to the Stonesword Key to open a particularly useful area, by all means, choose it as a starting gift. But we think you ought to hold off on this until your second or third playthrough. 

And those are the best keepsakes and starting gifts in Elden Ring. At least we think they are. Depending on your skill level and familiarity with other Souls titles, you may choose something different than we did, which is completely fine! For more Elden Ring tips, roll over to our guides hub here.