Early Optimization Route

A low-level Elden Ring route that collects 15 Golden Seeds, 8 Sacred Tears, strong weapons, talismans and upgrade shops before you set foot on the Altus Plateau.

This route is for players starting a new playthrough who already know the game a little. The goal is to pick up as much useful gear, flask upgrades and weapon upgrade access as possible before you fight the big required bosses, while keeping your rune level very low. By the end you have a 15-charge flask, a strong flask of physick, several good weapons and talismans, and endless low-level smithing stones, at rune level 12.

Route by Reddit user u/ssjkakaroto, shared with Tarnished Saga. Read the original, with extra detail, here: Elden Ring Early Optimization Route. Open the finished character in the Build Planner.

Pick a starting class

  • Idus Knight (level 7). The lowest starting level, and the best choice if you want to stay at rune level 12. You raise Dexterity to 16 for the Reed Great Katana and Faith to 15 for Flame, Grant Me Strength.
  • Vagabond (level 9). Sturdier from the start. Instead of leveling Dexterity you can wear Radagon’s Soreseal to meet the katana’s requirements.

Either way, take the Golden Seed as your keepsake. The Idus Knight needs the Tarnished Edition of the game.

The route, step by step

The route is split into small stops. Do them in this order: some steps open the way for later ones. Running totals of Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears are in brackets.

Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula

  1. Basics in Limgrave. Get Torrent, the Spirit Calling Bell, the maps and the Whetstone Knife. Pick up two Golden Seeds, a Stonesword Key, the Jellyfish Ashes, Wild Strikes, the Strength-knot Crystal Tear and a Somber Smithing Stone [1].
  2. Third Church of Marika. Collect the flask and the first Sacred Tear at the Third Church of Marika, and meet Kenneth Haight nearby to start his quest. Also take the Green Turtle Talisman.
  3. Bestial Sanctum. Touch the grace at the Bestial Sanctum through the teleport trap in Limgrave. This gives you a fast-travel point deep in Caelid for later.
  4. Mistwood. Get the Spiked Cracked Tear, the Greenspill Crystal Tear and the Axe Talisman. Meet Blaidd at the Mistwood Ruins, and buy the Finger Snap gesture from Kalé.
  5. Fort Haight and Bloodhound’s Fang. Clear Fort Haight for a Golden Seed and the Dectus Medallion (Left). Beat Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol (Blaidd can help) for Bloodhound’s Fang. Report back to Kenneth for the Erdsteel Dagger. The original route then kills Kenneth for a fourth seed, which ends his story. [Seeds: 4]
  6. Weeping Peninsula. Get the Morning Star, the Golden Seed south of Castle Morne and Poison Mist. Collect Sacred Tears at the Callu Baptismal Church, the Church of Pilgrimage and the Fourth Church of Marika. [Seeds: 5, Tears: 4]

Caelid and Dragonbarrow

  1. Dragonbarrow. Fast travel to the Bestial Sanctum. Pick up a Golden Seed, the Dragoncrest Shield Talisman, and unlock the rune farm at Lenne’s Rise. [Seeds: 6]
  2. Fort Faroth. Grab Radagon’s Soreseal and the Dectus Medallion (Right) at Fort Faroth.
  3. Reed Great Katana. Idus Knight: raise Dexterity from 15 to 16 (rune level 8). Vagabond: wear Radagon’s Soreseal instead and stay at level 9. Now you can use the Reed Great Katana.
  4. Roundtable Hold. Buy a bow (the Longbow works), the Finger Seal and a Dagger at the Roundtable Hold.
  5. Caelid and Sellia. Sacred Tear at the Church of the Plague. In Sellia: a Golden Seed and the Rotten Stray Ashes. Also collect Somber Smithing Stones [5], [8] and [9], the Meteorite Staff and Rock Sling. [Seeds: 7, Tears: 5]
  6. Level up once more. Idus Knight: raise Faith from 11 to 15 so you can cast Flame, Grant Me Strength. You are now rune level 12 and stay there for the rest of the route.
  7. Back in Limgrave. Impaling Thrust from the Warmaster’s Shack, Repeating Thrust from Limgrave’s Night’s Cavalry, Golden Vow, and the Arrow’s Reach Talisman from the Stormhill Evergaol.

Liurnia of the Lakes

  1. Into Liurnia. Sacred Tear at the Church of Irith, the eastern map and Glintstone Craftsman’s Cookbook [2]. [Tears: 6]
  2. Rya and Boggart. Talk to Rya, buy her necklace from Boggart and return it for the Volcano Manor invitation. Stop there for now. Tip: if you do not buy a prawn from Boggart yet, he stays in Liurnia and can survive the Dung Eater later (see Boggart’s Questline).
  3. Central and northern Liurnia. Two Fingers Heirloom at the Purified Ruins, the maps, Bloodflame Blade, a Golden Seed in Academy Gate Town, the Academy Glintstone Key, the Dexterity-knot Crystal Tear, and Barbaric Roar with another Golden Seed on the way. [Seeds: 9]
  4. Iji and Caria Manor. Talk to Smithing Master Iji on the Road to the Manor: he sells endless Somber Smithing Stones [1] to [4]. Take the Intelligence-knot Crystal Tear from the Fingercreeper bowl nearby, and a Golden Seed in Caria Manor. [Seeds: 10]
  5. Northern flask upgrades. Golden Seed by the broken bridge, Sacred Tears at Bellum Church and the Church of Inhibition. Touch the grace at the Grand Lift of Dectus, but do not ride it yet. [Seeds: 11, Tears: 8]
  6. Raya Lucaria to Volcano Manor. Enter Raya Lucaria Academy and let the Abductor Virgin under the waterwheel carry you to Volcano Manor. Reach the first grace, take Somber Smithing Stone [6], open the shortcut and leave. Do not fight the Godskin Noble yet.
  7. Smithing stones for every weapon. Get Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing [1]. The Twin Maiden Husks then sell endless Smithing Stones [1] and [2], enough to take any normal weapon to +6.
  8. More gear. Beat Bloody Finger Nerijus for Reduvia, deal with Patches, and visit Redmane Castle for a Golden Seed, Cragblade, the Arrow’s Sting Talisman and the Red-Hot Whetblade. [Seeds: 12]
  9. Yura’s Nagakiba. Follow Yura’s questline up to the invasion in Raya Lucaria. The original route then kills Yura for the Nagakiba, which ends his story early.
  10. Last pickups. Golden Seeds at the Stormhill Shack (after Roderika has left) and in the Siofra River, plus Marika’s Scarseal, which needs no boss fight. [Seeds: 14]
  11. Red Wolf of Radagon. Finally beat the Red Wolf of Radagon in Raya Lucaria. Take the Glintstone Whetblade and the last Golden Seed in the area. [Seeds: 15]

What you end up with

  • Flask: 15 Golden Seeds (including the keepsake) and 8 Sacred Tears.
  • Idus Knight at rune level 12: Vigor 10, Mind 12, Endurance 11, Strength 13, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 8, Faith 15, Arcane 6.
  • Upgrades: endless Somber Smithing Stones [1] to [4], [5] and [6] in hand, [8] and [9] saved, and endless Smithing Stones [1] and [2].
  • Weapons: Bloodhound’s Fang, Reed Great Katana, Nagakiba, Reduvia, Morning Star, Meteorite Staff, Finger Seal and a bow.
  • Ashes of War and whetblades: Wild Strikes, Impaling Thrust, Repeating Thrust, Golden Vow, Cragblade, Barbaric Roar, plus the Whetstone Knife, Red-Hot Whetblade and Glintstone Whetblade for most affinities.
  • Talismans: Radagon’s Soreseal, Dragoncrest Shield, Green Turtle, Axe, Arrow’s Reach, Arrow’s Sting, Two Fingers Heirloom and Marika’s Scarseal.

From here you can spec into almost any build. Try the finished character in the Build Planner, or browse our builds for a direction to take it.

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