how to upgrade staff elden ring

2 min read 07-02-2025

Meta Description: Master the art of staff upgrades in Elden Ring! This comprehensive guide details every method, from Smithing Stones to unique upgrade paths, ensuring your sorcerous power reaches its full potential. Learn about the best staffs, scaling, and more to dominate the Lands Between.

Finding and Upgrading Your Staffs

Elden Ring offers a variety of powerful staves, each with unique scaling and upgrade paths. Knowing how to upgrade them effectively is crucial for any aspiring sorcerer. This guide covers all the essential steps.

Identifying Your Staff

Before you begin upgrading, you'll need to select a staff. Different staffs offer varying scaling with different attributes. Some are better suited for early game while others shine only once you've leveled your stats considerably. Experimentation is key to finding your perfect fit.

Early Game Staffs: Consider starting with the Academy Glintstone Staff or the Meteorite Staff. They're relatively easy to obtain and provide a strong foundation.
Late Game Staffs: As you progress, search for more powerful options like the Lusat's Glintstone Staff or the Elden Staff. These offer higher scaling and unique abilities.

Gathering Upgrade Materials

Staff upgrades in Elden Ring require Smithing Stones. These are categorized by rarity, affecting the upgrade level they allow. Finding them requires exploration and defeating enemies.

Smithing Stones (1-3): These are relatively common and found throughout the early game.
Smithing Stones (4-6): Appear more frequently in the mid-game areas.
Smithing Stones (7-9): Become more scarce and are usually found in challenging areas or hidden locations.
Somber Smithing Stones: These are used to upgrade certain unique weapons, including some staffs. These are harder to find than regular Smithing Stones.

Locating the Blacksmith

Once you've gathered your Smithing Stones, you need to find a blacksmith. These NPCs provide the crucial service of upgrading your equipment. Key blacksmith locations include:

Roderika in the Roundtable Hold: She can upgrade your staffs early on, until she's finished her quest.
The Twin Husks in the village of the Albinaurics: They can upgrade your staffs beyond Roderika's capabilities. They offer a different, more powerful, upgrade path.

The Upgrade Process

Upgrading your staff is straightforward:

Talk to the blacksmith: Select the "Enhance Weapon" option.
Choose your staff: Select the staff you wish to upgrade.
Select the Smithing Stone: Choose the appropriate Smithing Stone.
Confirm: Confirm the upgrade to enhance your staff's power.

Choosing the Right Staff for Your Build

Different staves benefit from different stats. Understanding stat scaling is crucial for maximizing your staff's potential.

Intelligence (INT): Most staves scale primarily with Intelligence, making it a key stat to level up for sorcerers.
Faith (FTH): Some staves also scale with Faith, offering additional damage scaling.
Arcane (ARC): A few staves even scale with Arcane, granting further damage and additional effects.

Remember to examine your staff's description to identify the scaling and optimize your stat distribution accordingly.

Beyond Basic Upgrades: Unique Staff Enhancements

Some staffs have unique upgrade paths or effects. For example, the Lusat's Glintstone Staff gains significantly more potency with a specific item. Thorough exploration and experimentation are essential for discovering and utilizing these hidden upgrade mechanics.

Conclusion: Mastering Staff Upgrades in Elden Ring

Mastering staff upgrades in Elden Ring is key to maximizing your magical potential. By gathering the right materials, understanding stat scaling, and exploring all available upgrade options, you can dominate the Lands Between as a powerful sorcerer. Remember to experiment, explore, and adapt your strategy based on the challenges you face. Good luck, Tarnished!