In a From Software game, your flask is your lifeline. That’s true once more in Elden Ring. The only thing that separates heroes from the slain is often a few sips from a magical flask. In Elden Ring, your flask demands two items in order to strengthen your resolve. Unless you know what you’re doing, though, you can go a long time without figuring out how to enhance these restorative items. There’s even a hidden Flask that buffs your stats and can make a world of difference in some of the game’s tougher battles. Here’s all you need to know about flasks in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring Flask of Crimson Tears and Flask of Cerulean Tears explained
You’ll obtain both the Flask of Crimson Tears and the Flask of Cerulean Tears as soon as you reach the tutorial dungeon, Stranded Graveyard, and they come with a built-in feature you can use to help augment your playstyle. The Flask of Crimson Tears restores a set amount of health upon use, and the Flask of Cerulean Tears does the same for your Focus Points (FP).
You start the game with three charges for the Crimson Tears and one for the Cerulean Tears. At any Site of Grace, you can swap how many charges each has–and you should before most major encounters. Melee-focused builds, for example, would benefit from more Crimson Tears charges and perhaps just one charge for the Cerulean Tears, or even zero. That’s especially true before boss fights, when you’ll likely need to augment your strategies more than usual.
Elden Ring flask upgrade methods
You can increase the number of charges for your Flasks and how much health or FP they restore, though both upgrades require special, hard-to-find items.
How to get more flask charges in Elden Ring
You’ll need Golden Tears to increase the number of Flask charges you have. These grow on the small golden trees dotted around The Lands Between, and you’ll find your first one just north of the Stormgate canyon. Initially, it takes just one Golden Seed to upgrade your Flasks, though, at higher levels, you’ll need to use several for each upgrade.
You can only use Golden Seeds at a Site of Grace. Rest there, choose the Flasks option, and increase the number of charges. It doesn’t matter which Flask you have equipped, since you can swap the number of charges anyway.
How to restore more HP and FP in Elden Ring
You can also restore how much HP or FP your Flasks restore by using Sacred Tears. These are even rarer, and you’ll usually find them in the churches scattered across the lands. Not every church has one–the Church of Elleh doesn’t, for example–but most churches with a statue of Marika have a Sacred Tear at the base of the statue.
You’ll spend Sacred Tears at Sites of Grace as well, and using one increases how much both Flasks restore.
What is the Flask of Wondrous Physik?
The Flask of Wondrous Physik is a separate Flask with its own set of Tears, and you have to take a small trip to find it. It’s worth the time, though, since this Flask augments your stats and can even prevent you from losing Runes after you die.
The Flask of Wondrous Physik is in the Third Church of Marika, north of Waypoint Ruins and the forest with the massive bears. You need Crystal Tears to mix in this Flask to get a specific effect. You’ll find these near Minor Erdtrees–the non-glowing ones marked as large trees on your map–and some other, more random-seeming places, such as the basin on Stormhill.
Now that you know how to upgrade them, here’s where to find more Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears. Buffs and restoration only take you so far, though. Make sure to find some good weapons as soon as you can and upgrade them at every chance possible.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email [email protected]