It might not look like it, but Elden Ring is also a resource-management game. The most valuable resource, of course, is that red HP bar that needs to be spent wisely in boss fights. What other resources need careful consideration before splurging? Keys. Stonesword Keys, in particular. Opening locked passages that require Stonesword Keys is like a box of chocolates, players never know what they're getting.
But if they did, then they can be picky with which Stonesword locks (or imp statues) to unlock. Because some of them might have disappointing rewards or are simply not worth the danger and the effort. So in order to maximize those Stonesword Keys in Elden Ring, make sure to prioritize unlocking these places first. They contain either useful meta items or lead to some big, secret places.
Updated March 2, 2023, by Sid Natividad: Elden Ring developers just keep updating the game as some form of love language for its fans. And while they haven't really added new single-player content, it's great to look back at some in-game resources and re-consider the best places to use Stonesword Keys.
After all, the game is still inviting fresh faces and new blood everywhere all over the world. One thing to consider best when using Stonesword Keys is the best Stonesword Key rewards, which is why more uses for such items have been added to the game. These are finite resources, so it's best to reserve them for these additional locations.
Academy Crystal Cave - Liurnia Of The Lakes
The Academy Crystal Cave is easy enough to access. Players just need to head to the northeastern side of the Raya Lucaria Academy and look for a cave entrance in the spot. It's quite an important place for magic users and magic builds since the cave houses a spell named Terra Magica.
There are no upgrade materials in the cave though players will also get their Stonesword Key refund in the cave as it's one of the items scattered in the area. Players will need to prepare themselves for the boss in the area though since the Crystalians can be unfair and annoying without a blunt weapon to make quick work of them.
Seethewater Cave - Mt. Gelmir
In the watery base or bottom of Mt. Gelmir, players will find a locked cave guarded by some pesky Basilisks. Players will need to deal with these cretins first since they can catch players off guard while they're opening the Stonesword Gargoyle. Beyond that, there aren't many threats in the area that can hinder players from getting to Seethewater Cave.
The dark cave is notable for housing the full Mushroom armor set whose helmet is quite substantial for some niche overpowered builds that can one-shot most bosses. Apart from that, players can also find the Kindred of Rot's Exultation in the cave which is also crucial for Poison or Rot builds. So players with uncommon builds will want to venture here ASAP.
Cave Of The Forlorn - Consecrated Snowfield
In the easternmost part of the Consecrated Snowfield, right at the frozen river, players can find the Cave of the Forlorn. The boss in this area is cheap since it's just a reused Misbegotten Crusader enemy and the cave is also home to some reused Misbegotten enemies though one could argue that their being there is lore-friendly.
In any case, players will find the Golden Order Greatsword in this cave, which is one of the most stylish and rewarding finds in the game. It's not really a game-changing weapon, but a lot of players can consider it a trophy of some sort. Moreover, there are plenty of other consumables in the cave, such as Thawing Boluses and Freezing Grease.
Volcano Manor
There are two notable uses for Stonesword Keys in Volcano Manor. One is for unlocking the area leading to the Dagger Talisman and the other is for the Crimson Amber Medallion +1. Both are considerable talismans in the game, and here's how to get to the Gargoyle locks to obtain these items.
Dagger Talisman
Players need to proceed through the Volcano Manor first until they get to the waygate teleporter that takes them to the Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy boss pathway. See the image below for reference, it's easy to reach through this area as it's part of the main explorable area in Volcano Manor.
Once players are facing the waygate, they must turn back (don't use the waygate yet) and head upstairs.
There will be a fog gate and a Gargoyle lock that requires two Stonesword Keys, players need to unlock them and drop down to check each broken floor until they see a corpse with loot. One of those corpses has the Dagger Talisman.
Crimson Amber Medallion +1
Getting to the Crimson Amber Medallion +1 is easier. Players will encounter the fog gate while traversing through the Volcano Manor from the Prison Town Church Site of Grace. They'll eventually encounter a building with a fog gate with an Abductor Virgin inside. This fog gate needs two Stonesword keys.
Players can simply run past these enemies, up the stairs, and to a corpse that has the Crimson Amber Medallion +1. Make sure to reserve at least four Stonesword Keys for the Volcano Manor.
Fringefolk Hero's Grave - Limgrave (Two Keys)
Even as early as the tutorial area, players can spot one of those foggy Stonesword-locked passages. It's near the Stranded Graveyard Site of Grace, just standing in front of the site. If players are fresh in a New Game playthrough at single-digit levels, it's not advised to unlock this as the whole dungeon is a gauntlet of death and despair.
Gain a couple of dozen levels though and come back with a Stonesword Key and it becomes manageable. Inside is a death chariot puzzle and a boss enemy near the end. That would be the troublesome Ulcerated Tree Spirit but it drops a Golden Seed so the venture is worth it.
Room Near Rampart Tower - Stormveil Castle
The Rampart Tower in Stormveil Castle is an important location as it serves as a hub for some secret areas that interconnect. One of those is a Stonesword lock room filled with two enemies that wield greataxes. They're not too tough to defeat. To get to this room, refer to the images below.
Once inside, and once the axe enemies are dealt with, players will find an Iron Whetblade which is crucial to optimizing a character build since it allows players to customize weapon scaling. There's also a Miséricorde and a Hawk Crest Wooden Shield in the same room but those items are just small bonuses compared to the Iron Whetblade.
Cellar Room Near Courtyard - Stormveil Castle
Again, in Stormveil Castle. This cellar room with a Stonesword lock is near the courtyard or castle grounds filled with fodder enemies (some of whom are piloting mounted flamethrowers). The area not only provides some good items but also a shortcut to the castle gate. Refer to the image below to get there. Starting from the Rampart Tower again up to the dark indoor balcony.
Players just have to drop down to the area with the large painting and go to the left of the painting.
Inside this cellar room, players will find a Godskin Prayerbook which grants access to Black Flame Incantations and also the Godslayer's Seal. It's one of the most powerful sacred seals in the game and it also buffs Black Flame Incantations so this area is significant for certain pyromancer builds.
Underground Cavern - Summonwater Village
Summonwater Village is easy enough to access, it's along the big main road on Stormhill, just east, near the Limgrave-Caelid border. It's a ruined town dominated by the Tibia Mariner. That's not too worrying as the boss is a pushover— one of the weakest in the game.
Defeat it and then look around in the ruined buildings for a basement preceded by a Stonesword lock. Inside this basement or underground cavern is a chest that contains the Green Turtle Talisman. It's a lifesaver of a talisman since it increases stamina recovery speed. For some melee characters or builds, this might even be necessary.
Auriza Hero's Grave - Leyndell, Royal Capital
In Auriza Hero's Grave, there's not one particularly game-changing reward but rather several impressive ones. The notable among these are the Crucible Axe Set and the Crucible Feather Talisman. Both are great survival items. There's also a new Spirit Ash here called the Vulgar Militia Ashes (useful little buggers).
Moreover, there's a Stonesword Key refund once players get past the killer chariot puzzle. If players explore a bit and also manage to destroy all the chariots via the puzzle, then they'll be rewarded with the Tree Sentinel armor set which is even better than the Crucible Axe set and is on par with General Radahn's armor.
Mimic Tear Ashes Room - Night's Sacred Ground
For sure, players will want to automatically reserve a Stonesword Key for this spot. It lies in the Night's Sacred Ground area in Nokron just southeast of the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace (requires jumping onto ledges and rooftops). Because there's a pavilion or room in Night's Sacred Ground containing a chest that contains the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash.
It's by far the most useful and overpowered Spirit Ash in the game as it makes a literal copy of one's character (but with lower damage and higher HP). This Spirit Ash can make the toughest of boss fights manageable without virtually any big drawback. One Stonesword Key is a small price to pay for this superweapon in Elden Ring.
Marika's Soreseal Room - Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree (Two Keys)
Marika's Soreseal is a talisman that gives quite a boost as it adds five levels each to four attributes. Those stats would be Mind, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane. That's a total savings of 20 levels which is a lot of Runes, especially in late-game where level-up costs start to become exorbitant.
Getting to Marika's Soreseal Room is a little hard. From the Prayer Room Site of Grace, players will have to run past the knights and jump down a beam to the right (the one connected to a bell tower). They have to go down from the bell tower to the area with the Erdtree Avatar.
Just ignore the Erdtree Avatar in the large walkway and jump down to the right of the walkway, landing on ledges to avoid fall damage. Players will have to keep jumping down until they're on the ground and up ahead (to the right of the large walkway they jumped down from) there should be a room with a fog door.
Dragon Temple Lift - Crumbling Farum Azula (Two Keys)
This is also another area for which players will want to reserve some Stonesword Keys to unlock. It's in the Elden Ring's late-game level and it's easily spotted after the Godskin Duo boss fight. It unlocks an elevator that leads to a large area in the Crumbling Farum Azula. Starting from Dragon Temple Altar Site of Grace:
This area houses a lot of good items such as a Golden Seed, some weapons, and even the final step of Iron Fist Alexander's questline which will yield the powerful Shard of Alexander talisman. Overall, it's a lovely secret area with a small price for admission.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.