In this Elden Ring smithing stone and somber smithing stone buying guide, we’ll explain how to buy every level of smithing stone. Elden Ring’s smithing stones and somber smithing stones are upgrade materials you’ll use to improve your weapons. You’ll find a lot of them out in the world or in certain dungeons, caves, and tunnels. But when you run out of loose ones, you’ll have to buy them from merchants — and the best (only) way to do that is by finding bell bearings.
Smithing stone and somber smithing stone levels
The first distinction to make here is that smithing stones are used to upgrade general weapons while somber smithing stones are used to upgrade special weapons. General weapons, broadly speaking, are ones that don't have a modifier in their name — things like flail or uchigatana. Special weapons do have an extra word or two in their name — weapons like the Moonveil Katana or the Sword of Night and Flame.
Each upgrade stone has a number after it. Smithing stones [1] are used to take a weapon up to +3 — it’ll require 2 smithing stones for +1, 4 to get to +2, and 6 to get to +3. The same amounts of smithing stones are required when using smithing stones [2] to get up to +6, [3] to get to +9, [4] for +12, and so on to +24.
Somber smithing stones upgrade special weapons with one stone per level, meaning a somber smithing stone [1] is required for a +1 upgrade, [2] for +2, and so on up to +9.
Bell bearings
Elden Ring’s bell bearings are items dropped by NPCs, merchants, or (mini)bosses (plus a few you find in chests) that allow you to move a vendor’s wares to another location. Specifically, you’ll be able to offer a bell bearing to the Twin Maiden Husks in Roundtable Hold to add items to their purchase option.
This means that, with the right bell bearings, you’ll be able to turn the Twin Maiden Husks into your smithing stone and somber smithing stone distributor(s).
Where to buy smithing stones
Several merchants — usually Nomadic Merchants or Smithing Master Iji — will sell you a limited supply of smithing stones of various levels, but for large numbers of them you’ll need to find the Smithing-Stone Miner’s bell bearings [1], [2], [3], and [4].
Elden Ring smithing stone bell bearings
| Name | Items | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Items | Location |
| Smithing-Stone Miner’s bell bearing [1] | smithing stones [1] and [2] | Head to the Raya Lucaria Crystal Cave in Liurnia and defeat the Crystalian boss inside |
| Smithing-Stone Miner’s bell bearing [2] | smithing stones [3] and [4] | You’ll find this bell bearing inside the Sealed Tunnel to the southwest of Leyndell, Royal Capital in the Altus Plateau |
| Smithing-Stone Miner’s bell bearing [3] | smithing stones [5] and [6] | Look for this bell bearing in the Zamor Ruins in the Mountaintop of Giants |
| Smithing-Stone Miner’s bell bearing [4] | smithing stones [7] and [8] | You’ll find this bell bearing inside Crumbling Farum Azula in the Mountaintop of Giants |
Where to buy somber smithing stones
Only Smithing Master Iji will sell you somber smithing stones. He’s got infinite supplies of [1] and [2], but limited supplies of the others. For large numbers of them you’ll need to find the Somberstone Miner’s bell bearings [1], [2], [3], [4], and [5].
Elden Ring somber smithing stone bell bearings
| Name | Items | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Items | Location |
| Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [1] | Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [1] | You’ll get this bell bearing for defeating the Fallingstar Beast boss inside the Sellia Crystal Tunnel in Caelid. |
| Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [2] | Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [2] | Defeat the Crystalian boss(es) inside the Altus Tunnel in the Altus Plateau for this bell bearing. |
| Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [3] | Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [3] | You’ll find this bell bearing near the First Church of Marika in the Mountaintop of Giants. |
| Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [4] | Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [4] | Inside the Crumbling Farum Azula legacy dungeon in the Mountaintop of Giants, you’ll find this bell bearing not too far from the Tempest-Facing Balcony site of grace. |
| Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [5] | Somberstone Miner’s bell bearing [5] | Inside the Crumbling Farum Azula legacy dungeon in the Mountaintop of Giants, you’ll find this bell bearing not too far from the Beside the Great Bridge site of grace. |
