In Elden Ring, you can have the most optimized build in the world, but without a well-upgraded weapon, you won’t see significant results. So, in this guide, we’ll share the best routes to collect Somber Smithing Stones 1 to 10 in preparation for the upcoming Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree DLC.

It’s worth noting that I did this without upgrading or using any weird skips or shortcuts at all. This means that whether you’re just starting your journey in the new expansion or are already on your way, you can use the information in this guide to maximize your damage potential early and easily.

I’m sure there have been many similar guides in the past to help you collect Somber Smithing Stones 1-9, but this was usually done when using the shortcut to Crumbling Farum Azula.

This is another reason why I created this guide, as a lot of people are reluctant to enter late game areas like this within the first few hours of playing the game. Additionally, executing shortcuts is cumbersome for players on some consoles. However, with this guide, you don’t have to worry about any of these issues.

Somber Smithing Stone 1

Here, I’ll start this route with Bandit Starting Class and Golden Seed Keepsake, but you can get the same results with any Starting Class.

Unlock Church of Elleh Site of Grace, then head to Gatefront Ruins to get Torrent, Map Fragment and Whetstone Knife. Teleport back to Church of Elleh and get the summoning bell and wolf summoning spell from Witch Renna.

I usually use the vent behind First Step Sites of Grace to drop down to the beach and collect a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot to teleport back to Gatefront and go east, talk to Boc and he will reward you with 10 Mushrooms.

Continue east, cross the bridge, then go right and pick up a Somber Smithing Stone 1 from the man sitting on the chair. After that, we will get Fevor’s Cookbook, which will allow us to use Mushrooms and Trina’s Lily to make Sleep Pots to easily defeat a certain boss later.

After getting Fevor’s Cookbook, go to Third Church of Marika to get Flask of Wondrous Physick. Then head south to Minor Erdtree and pick up Greenspill Crystal Tear. Don’t forget to collect 5 Trina’s Lilies from the nearby Mistwood Ruins.

Somber Smithing Stone 2

Next, we’re going to head to Fort Haight and climb up the ladder to get the left half of Dectus Medallion. We also need to defeat Godrick Knight here to get Ash of War Bloody Slash. You can use Wolf Summoning spell to distract him and use the opportunity to perform a few backstabs.

Afterwards, we will cross Bridge of Sacrifice to reach Weeping Peninsula and look for a Stonesword Key.

All the way south you can find Somber Smithing Stone 2 on a beach guarded by 4 aggressive Jellyfish enemies.

Somber Smithing Stone 8 & 9

Return to Gatefront Site of Grace and apply Ash of War Bloody Slash to your knife. Then head to Agheel Lake and follow that path to Murkwater Cave, where you will be invaded by Bloody Finger Nerijus. However, you can easily kill him with Bloody Slash, or you can wait for Yura to help you.

After defeating him, you will receive Reduvia. This is a powerful Arcane weapon and we will be using it until the end of this game.

Then go to Third Church of Marika and use the portal behind to teleport to Caelid. Ride all the way to Lenne’s Rise and use the vent. You can loot the nearby Elden Ring Runes, then head to Minor Erdtree, and use the vent in the back to reach Fort Faroth.

Head west to Divine Tower of Caelid. You can get Somber Smithing Stone 9 from the person sitting in the chair. Attack Teardrop Scarab and push off the ledge to get Somber Smithing Stone 8.

Somber Smithing Stone 4 & 5

Then go to Isolated Merchants and buy Beast-Repellent Torch. This is a brilliant light source to ensure that certain beasts, like rats, don’t attack you.

Return to Fort Faroth and climb the ladder to obtain the other half of Dectus Medallion. We’ll also get Radagon’s Soreseal Talisman. This is not mandatory. I just use it to get the extra +5 stamina.

Afterwards, we’ll head to Inner Aeonia Site of Grace and head south through Heart of Aeonia, where we’ll fight Commander O’Neil to get Somber Smithing Stone 4. Next go back to Inner Aeonia, but this time head north through the canyon to get a piece of Somber 5.

Buy Somber Smithing Stone 1-4

We then need to go back to Gatefront and head to Stormhill Shack to get a Stonesword Key. Use the knife with Bloody Slash to defeat the knight here and get Ash of War Golden Vow.

We bypass Stormveil Castle to reach Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace. Then go to Laskyar Ruins and use the portal there to teleport to South Raya Lucaria Gate.

However, you may want to grab Dexterity-knot Crystal Tear near Scenic Isle before using the portal, but you can also grab it later.

Jump down from South Raya Lucaria Gate and head west to Temple Quarter Site of Grace, then ride north to get Academy Glintstone Key behind the dragon.

The next step is optional. From South Raya Lucaria Gate, walk northeast. You can use the portal here to teleport to Kingsrealm Ruins. This is a very convenient portal, as it has Map Fragment nearby and is close to Smithing Master Iji. Iji has Somber Smithing Stone 1-4 available for sale.

Also Read: Elden Ring: A Brief Guide To Farm This Grossmesser Sword - Farming Locations & Tips

Somber Smithing Stone 6

Use the portal from South Raya Lucaria Gate to Main Academy Gate. Unlock Site of Grace and use another portal to teleport to East Raya Lucaria Gate. Take Grand Lift of Dectus and use it to reach Altus Plateau.

Then go to Forest-Spanning Greatbridge from Altus Plateau Site of Grace and use the portal there to teleport to the other side of the bridge. Once there, go down under the bridge and unlock Site of Grace.

Follow the path west and cross the bridge to Mt Gelmir. Continue heading west until you encounter several Iron Maidens. Use the ladder to go all the way up and unlock Site of Grace to get a Somber Smithing Stone 6.

Somber Smithing Stone 3

Teleport back to Academy Main Gate and take the elevator up. After opening the academy door, you can pick up a Somber Smithing Stone 3 at the end of the room.

Somber Smithing Stone 5 & 6

Continue through the cemetery and use the waterwheel to unlock Classroom Site of Grace. We’re ready to go to Volcano Manor to get Somber 7, but we still need to make Sleep Pot.

We need to go to Church of Elleh to buy three Cracked Pots and a Crafting Kit. I also purchased an additional Cracked Pot from Nomadic Merchants near Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace on Weeping Peninsula. If you’ve followed the guide so far, you should have enough materials to make 5 Sleep Pots.

Then teleport back to Classroom Site of Grace and use the waterwheel to go all the way down and to Volcano Manor, where you can find Somber 6 and 5.

Somber Smithing Stone 7

Next, we have to prepare ourselves to face Godskin Noble. Only after defeating it can you go outside and build the bridge.

Go back into the room and use the elevator to reach the top floor. Jump off the balcony and follow this route to unlock the shortcut back to Godskin Noble room. When you take the express elevator upstairs, you can jump off before reaching the top floor to get a Stonesword Key.

You need two Stonesword Keys to unlock the path to Somber 7. But if you’ve followed the guide so far, you should have exactly two handfuls. After getting Somber 7 Guarded by Iron Maidens, you should be able to upgrade the weapon to +9.

Somber Smithing Stone 10

Now, to get Somber 10, we need to complete White Mask Varre questline. In order to do this, we need to defeat shardbearers such as Godrick, Rennala, or Radahn. This isn’t too difficult since we’re using +9 Reduvia.

Then head to Rose Church where you’ll find White Mask Varre. He will give you 5 Festering Bloody Finger to invade other players. I believe you need to hack at least three players to advance his quest.

After completing the mission, return to Rose Church and Varre will give you Lord of Blood’s Favor and Pureblood Knight’s Medal. Use Medal to teleport to Mohgwyn Palace.

There are a lot of useful items to pick up here, such as Lord’s Rune, which is worth 50,000 runes. What we’re looking for, however, is Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, which is located inside a chest guarded by these enemies.

There is a Site of Grace nearby, so if you accidentally die while trying to grab an item, you can simply respawn and try again.

This is the last item we need to upgrade Somber weapon to +10, and we do it without taking any shortcuts. So you can do this in your own game without having to worry about your game glitching or performing any skips.

Anyway, I hope you found this guide helpful. If you have any ideas for optimizing this route, don’t forget to share them. Have a beautiful day.