What Are Keepsakes in ELDEN RING and Which Are The Best Ones

It's worth keeping in mind that not all of the Keepsakes from the selection are useful, some you can't use until later on in the game, and one is actually a debuff to start with — thankfully, the game outright tells you that Shabriri's Woe attracts enemy aggression.

Despite how tempting the Crimson Amber Medallion might sound (because who wouldn't want extra HP?), the amount of health you gain from the item is negligible at best, and you won't even survive an extra hit from it.

Many of the Keepsakes are also consumables; despite having some uses, you'd need to be keener on what sorts of dangers await you before they occur; something impossible if you're completely new to the game, let alone the franchise. For that reason, I can't advise taking the Lands Between Rune, the Bewitching Branch, or the Boiled Prawn.

I can't recommend the Cracked Pot, though I don't use the crafting equipment very often at all, and it falls short in comparison to all of the other items on the list.

Stonesword Key's vague description doesn't help with knowing whether you should take it. Don't. All it does is open fogged areas that can't be accessed without a Stonesword Key; you'll generally want to avoid these early anyway, especially the first teaser area that you can use your Keepsake on, which proved too difficult for me to complete when I tried it and I was still new to the game.

The Fanged Imp Ashes are incredibly tempting, but you can't actually use them until a bit later in the game. I love this Keepsake, as it's very useful for fighting early battles, the imps deal higher damage than other early summons in the game, and their ability to pull aggro from some enemies makes group fights far more manageable. You can acquire the Fanged Imp Ashes later on in the game, but they'll be less useful by that point. Despite not being able to use it early on, this is one of the better Keepsakes to get.

Finally, my favourite item from the list is the Golden Seed, which allows you to get an additional flask immediately after encountering your first Site of Grace. This item is indispensable, as you will be able to heal once more per fight early which is a phenomenal thing to have!