The Elden Ring Keepsakes are bonus items that you'll be prompted to choose from right at the start of the game when you're creating your character. Some of these items can be found elsewhere in Elden Ring while some are unique to these Keepsakes, so choosing the right one for your playthrough is imperative.

Here are all of the Elden Ring Keepsakes explained, with our suggestion for the best one to pick.

Elden Ring Keepsakes Explained

When creating your character, you'll be able to choose between one of nine Keepsakes (or forego the option entirely). Most of them have benefits, although one is only there to be chosen if you want a bigger challenge than the game already offers. Once you've picked a Keepsake, you can't change your mind later down the line, so make sure to choose carefully.

Best Elden Ring Keepsake

With all that in mind, the Stonesword Keys are our pick for the best Keepsake in Elden Ring, followed by the Golden Seed and the Crimson Amber Medallion. No matter which Keepsake you pick though, they're designed to make your life that little bit easier - except for Shabriri's Woe, of course.

You can find details of every Keepsake in the game below:

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Crimson Amber Medallion

A medallion inlaid with crimson amber. Increases maximum HP.

The first option is pretty simple; it's a medallion you can equip to increase your base number of hit points. This is one of the best picks for a first playthrough as Elden Ring is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, so having the increased health will be a huge crutch until you become more skilled.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Lands Between Rune

The gold of grace shining in the eyes of the people of the Lands Between. Use to gain many runes.

This one is pretty simple, and unfortunately not that useful. It gives you a bunch of runes when you use it, which are the currency in Elden Ring, so while that means you can level up and buy some stuff early on, it's a one-time thing. Taking the Lands Between Rune isn't recommended as farming runes isn't too difficult and you'll accumulate a lot during your playthrough.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Golden Seed

A golden seed washed ashore from the Lands Between. Said to reinforce Sacred Flasks.

Golden Seeds are somewhat rare in Elden Ring and selecting one here can be a useful boost, because they are used to increase the amount of uses your Sacred Flask has. What is the Sacred Flask, you ask? It is used to either replenish your HP or FP (health and mana, essentially) and you can allocate the total number of uses between each one. So if you have four Sacred Flask charges, you can split that between the Crimson (HP) and Cerulean (FP) Flasks however you like. The Golden Seed will instantly raise the number of uses the flask has.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Fanged Imp Ashes

The ashes of small, diminutive golems. Ashes are said to hold spirits within.

Early on in Elden Ring, you'll receive the Spirit Calling Bell, which you can use to summon ghostly allies to help you in combat. These are incredibly useful during difficult sections, and selecting the Fanged Imp Ashes gives you some Fanged Imps to summon on your side. The only caveat is that they're not quite as good as the Lone Wolf Ashes you'll receive at the same time as the Spirit Calling Bell, so they're pretty much redundant.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Cracked Pot

Three strange cracked pots that somehow mend themselves. A container for certain thrown items.

Cracked Pots are used to craft throwables like fire and holy pots - essentially grenades. Picking this option will give you three of them and they're not especially common so it would be handy, but you will also find quite a few throughout your playthrough. If you plan on roleplaying as a pyromaniac with fire pots galore then it's not a bad shout, but definitely not the best option.

• Wondering what the Elden Ring Stakes of Marika are? Our guide explains all.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Stonesword Key

Two stone keys shaped like swords. Breaks the seal on imp statues, but can only be used once.

Possibly the best Keepsake to choose is the Stonesword Key. These useful keys can be found throughout the game but very sparingly, so having two right from the get-go is a huge help. They're used to open doors locked by imp statues, which often have valuable loot behind, so if you're someone who wants to explore everywhere possible, these keys are invaluable.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Bewitching Branch

Five sacred branches charged with beguiling power. Said to originate from the demigod Miquella.

With this, you get five consumables that will charm enemies to fight on your side. It can be useful if used at the right time, but isn't quite as strong as it sounds, especially since when you've used all five, that's your lot. Not the worst option, but it doesn't come recommended.

• Want to get prepared for the second boss? Read up on our Elden Ring Godrick boss fight guide.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Boiled Prawn

Five pieces of boiled prawn. Boosts physical damage negation.

Much like the Bewitching Branch, the Boiled Prawn is five consumables that are gone when you've used them up. They're much more passive though because as the description says, they simply reduce the amount of physical damage you take for a short period. Can be good when fighting against bosses, but if you build out your character correctly and do enough prep for each one, then they shouldn't be needed.

Elden Ring Keepsakes: Shabriri's Woe

The crazed likeness of a goddess with no eyes. Attracts enemy aggression.

The award for the worst Elden Ring Keepsake goes to Shabriri's Woe, which absolutely makes the game much more difficult. Enemies will become aggressive to you from further away, and during co-op, it means that all enemies will focus on you instead of the player you've summoned. Useful if your character is built to act as a tank, but not helpful in the slightest otherwise.

Our guide on how to escape the Sellia Crystal Tunnel in Elden Ring has all you need if you fall victim to the trapped chest in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins.