Best Areas to Unlock with Stonesword Keys [Elden Ring]

Elden Ring is a resource management game, although at first glance it may not seem like it. The most valuable resource is the health pool, which must be used wisely in boss fights. What other resources require careful consideration before spending them?

For example, keys. Stone Sword Keys open locked passages that require Stone Sword Keys. Opening these passages is like a box of chocolates: the player never knows what he will get!

But if they did, they might be picky about locks to open a stone sword (or a demon statue). After all, some of them may not bring any benefit or simply not be worth the danger and effort. So to make the most of these stone sword keys in Elden Ring, make sure to prioritize unlocking these locations above all else:

The developers of Elden Ring just keep updating the game as a kind of love language for their fans. And while they haven’t added any new single player content, it would be great to look back at some of the in-game resources and look at the best places to use Stonesword Keys.

The game continues to welcome new players, so more ways to use Stone Sword Keys have been added. These resources are limited, so it’s best to stock up on them for these additional locations.

Academy Crystal Cave – Liurnia Ozer

Getting to the Academic Crystal Cave is quite easy. Players just need to head to the northeast part of Lucaria Paradise Academy and find the entrance to the cave. Terra Magica is a spell that can be found in this cave and is very important for magic building users.

You won’t find any upgrade materials in the cave, but you will receive a refund for the Stone Sword Key you used in the area. You need to be prepared to face the boss as Crystallians are unfair and annoying without a blunt weapon to deal with them quickly.

Cave of Rushing Waters – Mount Gelmir

In the water base or at the foot of Mount Helmir, players will find a locked cave guarded by several pesky basilisks. The Basilisks will need to be dealt with before players can discover the Stone Sword Gargoyle inside. In addition, there are not many threats in this area that can prevent players from reaching the Seawater Cave.

The Dark Cavern contains a full set of Mushroom Armor, the helmet of which is quite strong for some niche super strong builds. In addition, in the cave, players can find the Mushroom Sorcerer in Liquidation. So players with unusual builds will want to get here as soon as possible.

Cave Of The Forlorn – Consecrated Snowfield

The Cave of the Lost is located in the easternmost part of the Blessed Snowfield, right by the frozen river. The boss in this area is cheap, as it’s just a reusable Misbegotten Crusader enemy, although his presence in this cave doesn’t hurt the story.

In any case, players will find the Greatsword of the Golden Order in this cave. This weapon is not a game changer, but many players may consider it a trophy of sorts. In addition, other consumables can be found in this cave, such as the Defrost Bolus and Freeze Lubricant.

Volcano Manor

There are two ways to use the keys found in Vulcan Manor. The first is to open the area leading to the dagger talisman, and the second is to get the Crimson Amber Medallion +1. Both are important talismans in the game, and here’s how to get to the gargoyle castles to get these items.

Dagger Talisman

First, players must go through Vulkan Manor until they reach the waygate teleporter, which will lead them to the path of the Rijkaard boss. See the image below for reference; this area is easy to navigate as it is part of the main explored area in Vulcan Manor.

As soon as the players reach the path gate, they must turn around and go upstairs.

There is a misty gate and a gargoyle castle that requires two stone sword keys. Players must open them, go downstairs and search the broken floor until they see a corpse with loot. One of these corpses has a Dagger Talisman.

Crimson Amber Medallion +1

Crimson Amber Medallion +1 is now easily obtainable. Players will encounter a misty gate as they pass through Vulcan’s estate from the prison city, Church of Grace. Eventually, they will come across a building with foggy gates, inside of which is the Virgin Thief. This misty gate requires two Stone Sword Keys.

Players can run past these enemies and climb the stairs to find a corpse containing a +1 Crimson Amber medallion. Be sure to save at least four Stone Sword Keys for Vulcan Manor.

Fringefolk Hero’s Tomb – Limgrave (Two Keys)

Players can come across one of these foggy passages in the training area, locked with a Stone Sword. It is located next to Grace’s Lost Cemetery, right in front of it. If you have just completed the New Game in single digits, it is not recommended to open this foggy passage, as the entire dungeon is a gauntlet of death and despair.

After passing the first few levels, you will find the key to the stone sword. There is a death chariot puzzle inside and a boss enemy towards the end. It’s going to be a nasty Wasted Tree Spirit, but it drops a Golden Seed, so it’s worth the risk.

Room next to the keep tower – Stormvale Castle

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Once inside, players will find the Iron Blade, which is very important for streamlining character creation. It allows players to customize the scale of weapons. There is a misericord and a wooden Hawk Crest in the same room, but these items are only minor bonuses compared to the iron blade.

Cellar next to the courtyard – Stormvale Castle

Back at Stormvale Castle. This basement room with the Castle Stone Sword is next to a courtyard or castle area filled with enemies (some of which are running around with flamethrowers). This area not only has a few good items, but also a shortcut to the castle gates. To get there, see the picture below.

Players need to go down to the area with a large painting and go to the left of it.

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In this basement room, players will find the Divine Skin Prayer Book, which grants access to Black Flame spells, as well as the Assassin’s Seal. This seal enhances Black Flame spells and is important to certain types of pyromancers.

Underground Cave – Summonwater Village

To get to Summonwater, head east from Limgrave Caylid on the main road in Stormhill. Summonwater is a ruined city ruled by a Tibetan sailor. It’s not too disturbing – the boss is one of the weakest in the game.

Defeat the bad guy and then look around the ruined buildings for a cellar in front of which is a castle with a stone sword. Inside this basement or underground cavern is a chest containing a green turtle talisman. This is a life-saving talisman as it increases the rate of stamina regeneration. Some melee characters might even find it useful!

Tomb of Hero Auriza – Leindell, Royal Capital

There are several impressive rewards in Auriza’s Tomb of the Hero. One of them is a Crucible Ax Set and Crucible Feather Talisman. These are great survival items. There’s also a new spiritual ash called Ashes of the Vulgar Militia (helpful little bugs).

In addition, players who solve the chariot puzzle are rewarded with the Stone Sword Key. Also, if they scout a bit and destroy all the chariots they can find, they will be rewarded with the Tree Guardian armor set, which is even better than the Crucible Ax set and as good as General Radan’s armor.

Mimic Tear Ashes Room – Sacred Land of the Night

Players will probably want to automatically reserve the Stone Sword Key for this location. It is located in the Sacred Land of Night in Nokron, southeast of Grace Ancestral Forest (requires jumping onto ledges and rooftops). Mimic Tear Spirit Ashes can be found in a chest in a pavilion or room.

This is the most useful and powerful Spirit Ash in the game as it copies the character with less damage and more HP. This Spirit Ash makes difficult boss fights manageable with little to no major downsides. One stone sword key is a small price to pay for this super weapon in Elden Ring.

Marika’s Seal Room – Elfael, Bras Haligtri (Two Keys)

Marika’s Sick Seal is a talisman that provides a significant buff as it adds five levels to four attributes. These attributes are Intelligence, Intelligence, Faith, and Magic. That’s a total savings of 20 levels, which is a lot of runes, especially late in the game when leveling up gets more expensive.

To get to Marika’s seal room, players must run past the knights and jump down the beam on the right (the one connected to the bell tower). They will have to go down from the bell tower to the area with Airdtree’s avatar.

To reach Erdtree’s avatar on the large walkway, players must jump down the walkway and land on ledges to avoid falling damage. They will need to keep jumping down until they are on the ground, and there should be a room ahead with a misty door (to the right of the big path they jumped off).

Dragon Temple Elevator – Collapsing Farum Azula (Two Keys)

This is another area that players will want to stock up on Stonesword keys for. She is in the late game level of Elden Ring and is easy to spot after the Godskin Duo boss fight. The player can open an elevator that leads to a large area in Ruined Farum Azul, starting from the Altar of the Dragon Temple:

Useful player in Elden Ring teaches the tarnished how to parry

Elevator in the dragon temple Elden Ring 2

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Many good items can be found in this zone, such as the Golden Seed, some weapons, and even the last step of the Iron Fist of Alexander questline. Overall, this is a great secret area with a small entry fee.

Elden Ring is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.