Elden Ring Talismans: 💎Best Talismans, Locations & Builds💎

Elden Ring Talismans are among the most impactful build decisions in the game, and the difference between a mediocre build and a highly optimized one often comes down to which four talismans you have equipped. With over 150 talismans across the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, knowing which ones actually matter for your playstyle versus which ones look impressive but underdeliver is critical information.

Elden ring talismans are accessories that equip into dedicated slots, separate from your weapon, armor, and spell loadout. You begin with one talisman slot and unlock additional slots by finding the Talisman Pouch items dropped by Margit and Godrick, and one found in Altus Plateau. At full progression, you have four talisman slots available to fill simultaneously.

The best elden ring talismans for any given build depend on whether you are optimizing for weapon damage, spellcasting speed, stamina recovery, or survivability. This guide ranks the most universally useful talismans, explains exactly where to find them, and breaks down which slots each build type should prioritize.

Elden Ring Talismans: Best Overall Picks

Universal Talismans Worth Equipping in Any Build

Some talismans provide value across nearly every build type and should be considered for a slot regardless of your playstyle specialization.

Erdtree’s Favor +2: Simultaneously increases maximum HP, Stamina, and Equip Load. The combined stat boost makes it one of the most slot-efficient talismans in the game. Found on a corpse on a branch in the Crumbling Farum Azula area, guarded by two Ulcerated Tree Spirits.

Green Turtle Talisman: Increases Stamina recovery speed. Fast stamina regeneration is valuable in every build because stamina governs rolling, blocking, and most attack combos. Found in a chest in Summonwater Village, Limgrave, accessible by a Stonesword Key at the entrance.

Carian Filigreed Crest: Reduces FP cost of weapon skills by 25%. Extremely valuable for any build that uses weapon arts regularly, which includes the majority of mid and endgame builds. Purchased from War Counselor Iji near the Road to the Manor Site of Grace in Liurnia.

Best Damage Talismans

Shard of Alexander: Increases weapon art damage by 15%. Consistently considered one of the four best talismans in the game across essentially all melee builds. Obtained by completing Iron Fist Alexander’s full questline, culminating in a duel with him at the Farum Azula area near the Dragon Temple Transept.

Godfrey Icon: Increases the damage of charged attacks and skills. Found in the Golden Lineage Evergoal on the plateau behind the Grand Lift of Dectus. Requires a Stonesword Key to enter the Evergoal and defeating Godefrey the Grafted.

Rotten Winged Sword Insignia: Increases attack power with successive hits, with three stacking tiers. Lethal for builds that maintain continuous attack pressure such as Dexterity or Blood builds. Found in the Millicent questline reward.

Two Fingers Heirloom: Raises Faith by 5. A flat stat increase that enables access to incantations and spells below your current Faith threshold without respec cost.

Elden Ring Talisman Locations: Best Talismans by Category

Spellcasting Talismans

Radagon Icon: Shortens casting time for spells and incantations. Found in a chest inside Raya Lucaria Academy. From the Debate Parlor Site of Grace, climb the ladder, traverse through the broken window, and open the chest inside. One of the most critical talismans for any Sorcery or Faith build.

Magic Scorpion Charm: Increases magic damage by 12% but raises physical damage received by 10%. Obtained from Preceptor Seluvis during Ranni’s questline. Mandatory for pure Intelligence/Sorcery builds.

Fire Scorpion Charm / Lightning Scorpion Charm / Sacred Scorpion Charm: Each increases the corresponding elemental damage by 12% with the same 10% physical damage penalty. Found in various locations tied to their element’s corresponding dungeon or region.

Survivability and Defense Talismans

Strength and Dexterity Build Talismans

For heavy melee builds, the four best talisman slots typically combine:

1. Shard of Alexander for weapon art damage
2. Bull-Goat’s Talisman for poise (prevents stagger during long combo animations)
3. Erdtree’s Favor +2 for HP and Equip Load
4. Lord of Blood’s Exultation (Bleed builds) or Carian Filigreed Crest (skill-heavy builds)

Legendary Talismans

The base game contains eight Legendary Talismans that are required for the “Legendary Talismans” trophy. These are among the most powerful talismans available:

• Elden Ring’s Great Rune Talisman (Radagon’s Scarseal / Soreseal): Boost stats but increase damage taken
• Moon of Nokstella: Increases Memory Slots by 2 (essential for sorcery builds)
• Marika’s Scarseal / Soreseal: Faith/Mind/Intelligence/Arcane boost with damage taken penalty
• Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: Highest physical mitigation talisman
• Radagon Icon: Casting speed shortcut
• Godfrey Icon: Charged attack damage
• Sacred Scorpion Charm: Sacred damage increase
• Erdtree’s Favor: Tri-stat bonus

How to Unlock All Four Talisman Slots

Three Talisman Pouches grant additional talisman slots beyond your starting one:

1. First Pouch: Dropped by Margit the Fell Omen at Stormveil Castle gate
2. Second Pouch: Dropped by Godrick the Grafted at Stormveil Castle throne room
3. Third Pouch: Found in a chest inside the Two Fingers’ chamber in Altus Plateau’s Leyndell Royal Capital

All four slots are available before the midgame and should be acquired as early as possible.

Pro Tips: Elden Ring Talismans

• Complete Iron Fist Alexander’s questline before Farum Azula: The Shard of Alexander is the most universally valuable weapon-art talisman in the game. Missing the questline means missing what is arguably the single best talisman slot for melee builds.
• Use the Carian Filigreed Crest to reduce FP costs before optimizing other slots: Many mid-game builds bleed FP quickly. Reducing skill FP cost by 25% extends your effective combat time more than small damage increases do at lower upgrade levels.
• Pair Scorpion Charm talismans with defensive buffs to offset the penalty: The 12% elemental damage boost from Scorpion Charms is significant, but the 10% additional physical damage penalty is punishing. Run the Scorpion Charm alongside Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman to partially offset the vulnerability.
• Keep multiple talisman loadouts saved: Elden Ring allows you to save Equipment Sets that include your talisman configuration. Create separate sets for boss fights, PvP, and regular exploration to swap between them without manually re-equipping.
• Moon of Nokstella is mandatory for Sorcery builds: Two additional Memory Slots lets you equip substantially more spells, which directly expands your ability set in any situation.

Common Mistakes Elden Ring Talismans Players Make

1. Filling talisman slots with passive HP or Rune collection bonuses in mid-game. Talismans like the Silver Scarab (Rune boost) and Crimson Amber Medallion (HP) feel useful early but are outclassed by damage-amplification talismans as upgrade levels increase. Fix: Prioritize damage amplifiers and stat boosters that enable your build’s key mechanics over passive resource bonuses once you have cleared early bosses.
2. Missing the Shard of Alexander by skipping Alexander’s questline. Iron Fist Alexander appears in multiple locations across the game and many players never interact with him enough to reach the final questline step. Fix: Speak with Alexander at every location he appears: Limgrave Stormhill, Radahn Festival in Caelid, Gael Tunnel area, Farum Azula. Each conversation advances his story toward the final duel that drops the Shard.
3. Using Marika’s or Radagon’s Soreseal past mid-game. The Soreseal versions provide large stat boosts but also increase all damage taken by 15%. In late-game content where bosses deal enormous damage, this penalty frequently results in one-shots that the stat boost does not compensate for. Fix: Transition off Soreseal talismans once you reach Leyndell and replace them with pure damage amplifiers or defensive options.

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All game images used in this blog post belong to FromSoftware and Bandai Namco. They are used for informational and educational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation with the rights holders.

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