All Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone Locations - Elden Ring Guide - IGN (2024)

Elden Ring features a bolstering material called Smithing Stones that you can use to upgrade your weapons to their maximum potential, and while there are technically an unlimited amount of smithing stones you can find during a playthrough, you'll need Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones to reach the maximum of +25 for a regular weapon, or +10 for a special weapon (using Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones).

Unlike regular smithing stones that you can continually find or use Miner's Bell Bearings to keep buying unlimited amounts of, there are only 13 Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones, and 8 Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones found in The Lands Between, usually found in the most dangerous high level regions or rewarded for completing long questlines. This means if you want to get more weapons to their maximum upgrade level, you'll have to begin New Game+ to find them again.

Below you'll find a list of each of the 13 Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone that can be found in a single playthrough:

1 - Sorceress Sellen's Questline

One of the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones that is a quest reward, you can get this one at the end of Sorceress Sellen's Questline - but it will require you to betray her in a final fight.

This questline involves finding both Primal Glintstone Sorcerers: Azul and Lusat in Mt. Gelmir and the Sellia Hideaway, and then freeing Sellen's real body in the Witchbane Ruins before placing her essence in a doll inside Seluvis' secret chamber by The Three Sisters.

You can then find Witch-Hunter Jerren back at the Witchbane Ruins who reveals the truth about Sellen, giving you the choice of who to side with for a final confrontation in the Academy of Raya Lucaria where Rennala is. You can only get the smithing stone reward by choosing the red summon sign to fight Sellen alongside Jerren, who will award you after the fight where the summon sign was placed.

2 - Nepheli Loux's Questline

Another quest reward, this Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone is awarded by Nepheli Loux's Questline after she becomes Lord of Limgrave in Stormveil Castle. There are many steps to this quest, and more than a few ways to fail early.

The most important parts of this quest involve meeting Nepheli at the Village of the Albinaurics and defeating the Omenkiller Boss there, and then returning to Roundtable Hold and talking to her and Gideon Ofnir until she hides herself away downstairs by an Imp Seal Statue.

You'll then need to travel to the Chapel of Anticipation (where you first started the game) by way of The Four Belfries, and find The Stormhawk King's ashes and give them to Nepheli. You'll also need to make sure you advance Kenneth Haight's questline in East Limgrave until he begins his search for a lord.

After defeating Morgott the Omen King in Leyndell, Royal Capital, you can then return to Stormveil Castle's throne room to find Kenneth has backed Nepheli as the new Lord of Limgrave, and she'll thank you for your help with the smithing stone.

3 - Gatekeeper Gostoc

As it turns out, one of the most suspicious and slimy characters in Elden Ring has a big secret, but you'll need to keep him alive to get his Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. You can first meet Gatekeeper Gostoc when entering Stormveil Castle for the first time, and although he will eventually start selling you items (after trying to get you killed getting the Rusty Key) his full shop won't expand until much later.

This means even though he'll be secretly skimming Runes off your corpse when you die in the castle, do not kill him -- as his Bell Bearing will not have the smithing stone!

Instead, you'll need to advance the previously mentioned questlines of Nepheli Loux and Kenneth Haight until they become the new Lords of Limgrave. If spared, Gostoc will join them in the throne room, and as part of the celebrations, he'll sell you an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone for 20,000 Runes.

4 - Mountaintops of the Giants

This Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone can be found in the Eastern Mountaintops of the Giants just outside the Church of Repose where you are invaded by Okina. Just outside the church, you can look to the south to spot a massive giant skull with several giant crows perched in and alongside it.

Use Torrent to ride and double jump up the mountain to reach the base of the skull, and inside its jaws, you can find a dead body holding the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.

5 - Gurranq's Ninth Deathroot Reward

Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman who presides over the Bestial Sanctum in Dragonbarrow, will demand that you recover all Deathroot and give it to him, for which you'll be handsomely rewarded.

By finding all nine Deathroot in the game and giving it to Gurranq, he'll leave the sanctum behind and give you an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone as a final reward.

Alternatively, when he becomes temporarily hostile after giving him four Deathroot, you can keep attacking him and kill him outright, gaining the smithing stone at the expense of the rest of the quest rewards.

6 - Night's Cavalry Duo

Once you are able to enter the secret region of the Consecrated Snowfield (requiring you to find both halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion), there are a few Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones locations in this region.

One can be found by the two Night's Cavalry who guard the moving carriage caravan that travels just to the southwest of the Inner Consecrated Snowfield Site of Grace (best approached from the north to increase visibility).

You'll need to defeat both of the Night's Cavalry who only appear at night to guard the carriage, and will be awarded the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone upon their defeat.

7 - Yelough Anix Tunnel

A second Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone in the Consecrated Snowfield can be found inside the Yelough Anix Tunnel dungeon, located on the far western side of the region behind the Yelough Anix Ruins along the cliffs.

Once inside the dungeon, drop down the first hole and continue to a large room with a broken floor in the middle, allowing you to drop down an icy section of platforms to a lower level, and you'll find a body holding the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone here.

8 - Great Wyrm Theodorix

Another Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone can be found on the opposite side of the Consecrated Snowfield region. Following the path of the large frozen river in the middle of the region to the east, you can find the Great Wrym Theodorix boss fight below a frozen waterfall.

However, the real treasure lies just above him. You can make your way across the frozen platforms above his position to the north side, and you'll find a body on the frozen waterfall ledge that holds the smithing stone.

9 - Miquella's Haligtree Town

There are two Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones located in Miquella's Haligtree, the upper part of the Legacy Dungeon accessed on the northern side of the Consecrated Snowfield.

Once you have reached the Haligtree Town Site of Grace, continue through the dungeon until you reach a balcony where a Misbegotten Warrior is praying in front of a large statue, with two smaller Misbegotten lying in wait to ambush you around the doors to the balcony. Defeat the large red-maned warrior, and you can find the smithing stone at the foot of the statue.

10 - Miquella's Haligtree Promenade

The second of the two Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones in the upper portion of Miquella's Haligtree can be found right before you take a lift down to the lower portion - Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.

To reach this area, you must first defeat Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree at the Haligtree Promenade area. You'll then be able to walk down a spiral staircase to find a large rampart tower. Here you can find a path to the roof of the tower, where a chest holds the smithing stone.

11 - Crumbling Farum Azula Ancient Dragon (Beast Grave)

A total of three Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones can be found throughout the last main area of Crumbling Farum Azula, which you'll arrive at after defeating the Fire Giant at the top of Mountaintops of the Giants.

The first smithing stone can be found early on just past the Crumbling Beast Grave Site of Grace. You'll have to contend with a large non-boss Farum Azula Lightning Dragon that will crash into the large outdoor area leading to the Crumbling Beast Grave Depths. The dragon is a very durable opponent capable of creating lightning around itself, and defeating it will earn you one of the smithing stones.

12 - Crumbling Farum Azula Dragon Temple

The second Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone in Crumbling Farum Azula thankfully doesn't require killing a dragon, but it does require a little platforming. You can find it after defeating the Godskin Duo in the Dragon Temple, and making your way north to a section of the ruin leading to an area across from the greatbridge, where you'll find an Imp Seal Statue in a room in the back leading to the Dragon Temple Lift Site of Grace.

When standing on the area that overlooks the greatbridge in the distance, look to you right to find a fallen pillar that's floating in the air, creating a platform you can climb up to a high ledge back where the main Dragon Temple area was. On this high ledge, a Beastman with a curved greatsword guards a body dangling over a ledge that holds the smithing stone.

13 - Crumbling Farum Azula Ancient Dragon (Below the Greatbridge)

The final Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone in Crumbling Farum Azula is one again held by a large Farum Azula Lightning Dragon located just to the southeast of the Dragon Temple Rooftop.

He will usually spot you from a large distance and summon several lightning storms to impede your progress while you also battle ambushing Stormhawks. You'll need to drop down a series of ledges and race along a walkway to reach the dragon, and then defeat it as you did with the one by the Beast Grave. Note that if you gain too much distance on the dragon after properly engaging it, the dragon may disappear, but unless it drops the smithing stone, you'll need to wait for it to reappear before fully depleting its health.

Below you'll find a list of each of the 8 Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones that can be found in a single playthrough:

1 - Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater

There are two Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones you can find in the Consecrated Snowfield region, which you can access by assembling both halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion.

Once you arrive in the region, make your way to the large frozen river in the center, and begin to ride along it to the northwest. You'll be invaded by Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater, an NPC who also appears to fight you in both at Caelid's Smoldering Church, and the Corpse-Stench Shack in Mt. Gelmir. With this final fight, you'll be able to obtain a smithing stone for your efforts.

2 - Latenna's Questline

The second Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone located in the Consecrated Snowfield can be found far to the northwest of the region - but is only obtainable by completing the questline of Latenna the Albinauric.

A fairly straightforward task, you must find Latenna on a small cliff on the other side of the Lakeside Crystal Cave in West Liurnia, and show her the half of the Haligtree Secret Medallion you get from Albus. After she joins you to find the other half at Castle Sol, she'll request that you bring her to the Apostate Derelict church far in the north.

Beware of a Wandering Mausoleum that emits huge magical mortar fire blasts as you approach, and inside the church ruins you'll find a very large Albinauric woman. Accept the prompt to summon Latenna here, and she'll award you the smithing stone (and still allow you to summon her in battle).

3 - Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree Rampart Room

You can find a total of three Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones in the lower half of Miquella's Haligtree - Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree - which is located in the far north of the Consecrated Snowfield. The first one can be found along the upper rampart rooftops after first entering the lower legacy dungeon.

From the Prayer Room Site of Grace, continue along the upper path to the north past a series of Haligtree Soldiers until you reach a balcony with a root growing to the side. Hop down and use it to land on a flat roof area with Cleanrot Knights below and to a room on the left. Ignore them and jump to a buttress between the columns further north, and run up the slope to a higher balcony with a small room, where a chest inside holds the smithing stone.

4 - Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree Putrid Avatar

The second Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree is also located not far from the Prayer Room Site of Grace, but is much more fiercely guarded.

After exiting the Prayer Room, make your way along the upper walkways until you spot a sitting Haligtree Soldier. Just to his right, you can leap over to a buttress sloping down to a belltower you can land on. Below, you'll find the outer rampart walkway, and can follow it back to the south to find a corpse guarded by a Putrid Avatar. Kill it or try to evade it by running past, and grab the smithing stone near the end of the southern rampart.

5 - Milicent's Questline

The final Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree requires two major feats: One, you'll need to bring Milicent's Questline to fruition, and two, you need to defeat Malenia, Blade of Miquella.

Milicent's Questline is a fairly long one, starting in Caelid above Sellia, Town of Sorcery, where you can first find her at the Church of the Plague. To aid her, you must seek out Gowry in front of Sellia, who will instruct you to get an unalloyed gold needle from defeating Commander O'Neil in the Swamp of Aeonia.

Once you've had the needle repaired and used it on Milicent, exhaust her dialogue in the church and at Gowry's Shack until he sets off an adventure. At this point you'll also need to get the Valkyrie's Prosthesis located in The Shaded Castle dungeon, and then give it to her after defeating the Godskin Apostle atop the Windmill Village in the Altus Plateau. Be sure to talk to her here, and again at the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

You'll then be able to find her as you reach the Prayer Room in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, and will have the option to assist her in a fight against her sisters. Once you reach a large pool of scarlet rot near the Drainage Channel Site of Grace, you can find a summon sign after killing the Ulcerated Tree Spirit here. Be sure to pick the summon sign to assist in her battle, and return to the site after winning. She will pass on, but leave the Unalloyed Gold Needle in her place.

Finally, complete the dungeon and face Malenia, Blade of Miquella. After returning to the boss arena, you'll find a large scarlet flower where Malenia once was, and by giving it the Unalloyed Gold Needle, you'll get the smithing stone as a reward.

6 - Crumbling Farum Azula (Below the Greatbridge)

There is only one Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone in Crumbling Farum Azula, and while you don't have to defeat a dragon to get it like the other smithing stones, you do need to get past one that guards it.

From the Dragon Temple Rooftops Site of Grace, make your way down the rooftops and fend off Stormhawks as the large Farum Azula Lightning Dragon in the distance floods the path with a lightning storm. While the dragon itself drops a smithing stone, the somber one you need is actually located right behind him in a small stone gazebo. This means you don't actually have to kill the dragon (but you should to get another smithing stone).

7 - Mohgwyn Palace Mausoleum Exit

There is one Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone to find in Mohgwyn Palace, and optional endgame area you can get to either by completing Varre's Questline, or by finding the Sending Gate teleporter in the northwest section of the Consecrated Snowfield.

Once in the underground palace area, make your way through the blood swamp and up the cliffside to enter the mausoleum cave. Once you reach the exit, head out from the Dynasty Mausoleum Midpoint Site of Grace and back out onto the cliffside. You'll find a large group of Albinaurics worshiping before a large stone statue led by a Sanguine Noble, and a chest in front of the statue holds the smithing stone.

8 - Leyndell, Ashen Capital

The final Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone can only be obtained after you have defeated Maliketh, the Black Blade in Crumbling Farum Azula. This will cause Leyndell to be covered in ash, becoming Leyndell, Ashen Capital.

Now that the city has been changed, you'll need to return back to the entrance to the Fortified Manor. Since all the Sites of Grace are removed, you'll need to climb onto the west ramparts by looking for a break in the walls by the giant dragon on the northwest edge of the lower city.

Return along the west ramparts, and you'll find you can drop down to where the Fortified Manor is (though it is now locked up) and a corpse holding the smithing stone, which is now guarded by a Valiant Gargoyle.