When creating your character, you will be prompted to pick a Keepsake to start the game with. Here is the Elden Ring Starting Keepsake guide to help you decide which ones are the most useful in your journey in the Lands Between.

Elden Ring Starting Keepsake Guide: Which Keepsake to Pick?

As you can already tell from this article's thumbnail, not all starting keepsakes are made equal. Some of the starting keepsakes are newbie-bait and are utterly useless or far too common to even bother picking up. So, to save you the hassle of learning from experience, we'll let you know immediately which ones aren't worth taking.

In no circumstance should you take any of these:

Lands Between Rune – the small boost in runes you get from this item won't help you until you find Melina, anyway. By that time, you would have collected enough runes to level up and increase your stats, so it's rather pointless to go for this keepsake. Getting this to get some early runes for purchasing items from Merchant Kale isn't ideal, either. Just hunt down some mobs if you really want to get an early lead in runes. The opportunity cost of getting this starting keepsake is just too high.

Fanged Imp Ashes – By the time you receive the Spirit Calling Bell, which is the item you need to summon ashes like the Fanged Imp from this keepsake, you probably would have already explored enough of the overworld to find other Ashes that completely outclass this one.

Cracked Pot – This is a very common item and you'll get a lot of these later on, so there's no point in getting this keepsake. It gives you an early advantage in fights, but you'd be better off learning how to fight with your default weapons for.

Bewitching Branch – You get five bewitching branches when you select this as your starting keepsake. When used, it charms enemies, turning them into allies temporarily. The effects of this item don't last long, and its effectiveness isn't applicable to a lot of enemies, so all in all, useless. If you want to use this to clear off the ruins in front of the giant gate in Limgrave, then sure, this might be a good item to get. But even then, the other keepsakes would benefit you better and help you clear that location even without the bewitching branch.

Boiled Prawn – You also get five boiled prawns when you select this as your starting keepsake. When used, it gives you a defense boost against physical attacks. The effectivity also doesn't last that long – you'd probably just waste these attempting to fight off the Tree Sentinel and failing.

What is the best Starting Keepsake in Elden Ring?

Now, the rest of the options have better potential. In choosing which starting keepsake is best for you, consider the following:

Golden Seed – Golden Seeds permanently add to the number of charges you can have in your healing flask at any Site of Grace. The benefits you get from this keepsake are both immediate and substantial, making the Golden Seed a safe choice for anyone who doesn't have any specific playstyle yet in mind when starting out.

Stonesword Key – This key unlocks a dungeon inside the Stranded Graveyards at the start of the game. You may choose to use them here or save them for later, either by coming back here at a later time or by using the Stonesword Key to unlock other dungeons elsewhere. If you do use it here, be warned that you'll be up for a sizable challenge that will really test your wits. Starting out early with no upgrades yet or any new weapons while also having to deal with the challenges in this dungeon will really get you on the edge of your patience. However, persevering and successfully conquering this dungeon will get you a Golden Seed (compensating for the Golden Seed you didn't pick up as a Starting Keepsake), a powerful talisman, a powerful summon, and a buttload of runes to use for later. If you're up for the challenge, taking the Stonesword Key offers the most early-game reward as any of the other Starting Keepsakes in the game.

Shabiri's Woe – This talisman is ideal for players who like playing tank in multiplayer. If you feel that that's your calling, Shabiri's Woe is a fantastic item, as equipping it will attract enemies to you, letting your allies do the attacking for you.

Crimson Amber Medallion – Putting this on the top of the list of options in Elden Ring's character customization screen is FromSoftware's subtle way of telling you that this is the best item to take at the start of the game. It gives you a substantial boost in HP, which lets you take on a lot more damage before falling in battle. Easing your way into the world of Elden Ring with this allows for a lot more room for error, and getting this one will always be a safe choice regardless of your playthrough.

None – As the game attracts a lot of masochists, we're sure a lot of players would pick nothing just for the added challenge. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

We hope that our Elden Ring Starting Keepsake guide has helped you in choosing between the different starting keepsakes available at the beginning of the game. Whichever you pick, the game's challenge will still be there, so these are mostly just items that can help give you an edge early on and ease you into the world of Elden Ring. Whichever you pick, we hope that you get the most fun out of your Elden Ring experience, Tarnished.