Why Elden Ring's Smithing Stones Are So Easy To Find

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Players are noticing that, compared to other FromSoftware games, there is an abundance of weapon upgrade materials in Elden Ring in the form of Smithing Stones. FromSoft's Dark Souls games have always been deeply driven by character build customization, and Elden Ring follows the same path. The studio's fans are used to scouring the depths of every pathway in every dungeon to scrounge up enough materials for their upgrades, so why are Smithing Stones so commonplace in FromSoft's largest title yet?

Elden Ring's Lands Between is a cruel and unforgiving world, where players need every bit of help they can get to survive and advance. The game's protagonists, Tarnished, are beholden to the weapons they find throughout their quests to slay colossal foes. Nearly any weapon becomes formidable in the right hands, especially due to the game's upgrade system, which allows players to improve normal weapons up to level 25 in exchange for Smithing Stones, and unique weapons to level 10 through the use of Somber Smithing Stones. While Somber Smithing Stones are the rarer of the two, both are much more readily available through Elden Ring's exploration and purchases than in the previous Dark Souls titles.

Related: The Lore Origins Of Elden Ring's Incantations

One major cause for the quantity of Smithing Stone locations in Elden Ring is the sheer size of the game. Counting both standard and unique weapons, there is a grand total of 309 weapons and 68 shields scattered throughout The Lands Between. This dwarfs the ~200 weapons available in FromSoftware's last Dark Souls game, Dark Souls 3. Due to the number of weapons offered, FromSoftware seemed to recognize that it had to include a reasonable amount of upgrade materials in order to give