Elden Ring: How To Upgrade Weapons - Smithing Stones Explained

gamespot.com:

Elden Ring, FromSoftware’s latest unforgiving action RPG, is here and it’s the studio’s most expansive adventure yet. Unsurprisingly, it’s quite challenging, but if you come prepared with an upgraded weapon, you’ll be much better off. Of course, in typical FromSoftware fashion, Elden Ring doesn’t outright explain everything about weapon upgrades clearly. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about upgrading your weapons in Elden Ring.

Excluding the weapon itself, there are two things you need to begin enhancing swords, shields, staves, axes, etc. You’ll need a type of Smithing Stone and a smithing table, both of which can be discovered fairly early on in the game.

The first smithing table is found right at the beginning of the game at the Church of Elleh. To the left of the merchant at this location is the smithing table. If you interact with it, you’ll see that you can “strengthen armament.” From here, you’ll be able to upgrade weapons and shields up to +3. That’s the maximum this smithing table will take you, so to upgrade past +3, you’ll need to visit the blacksmith, Smithing Master Hewg, at the Roundtable Hold. From here, the process is the same as before: Use the required type and number of Smithing Stones to upgrade your weapon up to +10 or +25, depending on the weapon.

For the purposes of upgrading, there are two weapon types: Normal and Special. The Normal weapons require regular Smithing Stones, while the Special ones need Somber Smithing Stones. A Normal weapon can be upgraded to +25, while Special weapons cap out at +10. Keep in mind, Special Weapons are typically rewarded for defeating bosses or uncovering secrets.

Not only does upgrading a weapon increase its base damage output,