Elden Ring is filled to the absolute brim with items. There is so much for players to see, do, and collect in the Lands Between. Throughout their journey, Tarnished will pick up a wide array of Key Items, crafting materials, armor, weapons, spells, consumables, and more. Although it is possible for players to stash items in specialized storage that's accessible from a Site of Grace, there is no penalty for carrying things. This means players can hold everything they find in the game on their person, and this can overcrowd the inventory pretty quickly.
Because players will come across so many items in their travels, it can be difficult to decide what they should be purchasing from Merchants, if anything. To better help players as they make their way through Elden Ring's robust and lengthy campaign, this guide takes a closer look at what Merchants have to offer the Tarnished and what sorts of things players SHOULDN'T buy. This can be for a variety of reasons, including price, the abundance of items in the game world, or the usefulness of the items in general.
Festering Bloody Finger
When players first begin their quest through the Lands Between, they'll come across an NPC named White Mask Varre. The character will coldly imply that the Tarnished is "maidenless" (which has led to a slew of hilarious memes). Some might be tempted to simply off the NPC for being crass but its much more beneficial to keep him alive. That's because players will meet him once again in a location called the Rose Church, located in the watery area near Raya Lucaria in Liurnia of the Lakes. Here, White Mask Varre will give players a quest that involves invasions and other PvP elements.
Upon completion of the quest, White Mask Varre will reward players with the Bloody Finger, a tool that allows for unlimited invasions, essentially making the Festering Bloody Finger item (that is purchasable from merchants) useless.
St. Trina's Arrow
Those that love to use bows in Elden Ring will be gifted with an array of useful ammunition over the course of their playthrough. There are a wide array of arrow and bolt types that can be purchased from Merchants, but not all of them are particularly useful. A good example is St Trina's Arrow, which can cost a pretty penny (160 Runes each) and causes a Sleep build-up effect of 96. Although this may seem tempting, it's actually possible for players to craft their own Sleep-based arrows.
Although the Sleepbone Arrows don't cause as much Sleep build-up on hit (84), they're cheaper to make. Once players locate the Isolated Merchant on the path stretching East from Raya Lucaria, they can purchase the Fevor's Cookbook [2]. This 3500 Rune investment will allow players to craft 10 x Sleepbone Arrows at a time by combining 3 x Thin Beast Bones and 1 x Trina's Lily. Those that find themselves using the Sleep Arrows often will save quite a bit of Runes over time.
Rune Arc
Once players begin to unlock and use Great Runes, they begin to understand how useful Rune Arcs can be. These consumable items are the only way for a player to unlock the latent powers of the Great Rune they're currently attuned to, and each time they perish they will need to use another Rune Arc. There are some merchants scattered around the Lands Between that offer these Rune Arcs for a pretty hefty price (in the early-to-mid game). Each Rune Arc will cost around 4000 Runes each.
As important and useful as Rune Arcs are, they're actually pretty easy to farm. Players that have beaten a particular boss or are far enough in the story can backtrack to bosses from the past and place their summon signs down for other players to invite them. After defeating the boss, players will be rewarded with a Rune Arc. It's also possible to use the Blue Cipher Ring, which will allow players to be summoned by others that are invaded, in order to help them quell the invaders. Both PvP and boss-based activities will reward players with Rune Arcs for free.
Bloodrose
There are a lot of crafting materials that players will pick up during their journey through the Lands Between. The Bloodrose can be particularly useful for players that want to create a bleeding effect on their enemies as they can be used to craft items like Blood Grease and Bloodbone Arrows. It is possible to buy an unlimited supply of Bloodroses from an Imprisoned Merchant in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, but it's also possible to farm these materials by simply gathering them.
Bloodroses can be found in abundance around Fort Haight and the Rose Church, two locations that players will find much earlier in the game than Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
Soap
Although it seems a bit out of place in the dark fantasy world of Elden Ring, Soap is actually quite useful. Although many players simply use Soap to help them prevent Poison build-up, its uses extend far past that. Soap is able to cure certain accumulations, like being covered in ignitable oil, or when a player is wet and more susceptible to Lightning damage. Many players will carry loads of Soap on them to help run through poisonous areas. Soap can also have a cosmetic effect, making the character look "clean and pristine."
It is possible to buy Soap from a merchant but its actually quite easy to craft. Players will simply need to find Metled Mushrooms, which grow in the Siofra River (as well as Deeproot Depths). Siofra is pretty easy to get to in the earlier parts of the game (although the enemies are pretty brutal for low-level characters). To craft Soap, players need the Nomadic Warrior's Cookbook [17], which can be bought from a Merchant found in the Siofra River for 1000 Runes.
Gravel Stone
This one is only a suggestion to players that have the utmost confidence in their combat abilities. Gravel Stone can be used to create Dragonwound Grease, which can help increase damage against the mythical beasts. Because there aren't a wide array of dragons trouncing around the Lands Between, especially in the early game, it's fairly "useless" to have Dragonwound Grease at the ready. That said, players that make it deep into the endgame will definitely want to keep some of the stuff handy.
It's possible to buy Gravel Stone from a Merchant, and for most players, it's likely the better option. Those that want to save the Runes and are confident they can "farm a dragon" can head to Crumbling Farum Azula and tangle with the dragon found South of the Dragon Temple Lift Site of Grace. The beast is guaranteed to drop 3 x Gravel Stone each time.
Starter Gear
Those that are looking to complete 100 percent of their Elden Ring adventure by collecting every possible weapon, armor set, item, and spell, will want to ignore this entry. Anyone else who is simply trying to get through the Lands Between and become the Elden Lord at all costs can skip the Starter Equipment that is found at some Merchants. When players pick a class at the start of the game, they'll be given a weapon, as well as some armor.
Random Merchants around the Lands Between will sell the items from the un-chosen classes. Examples of some of these items are the Confessors Armor Set, the Prison Iron Mask, Broadsword, Blue Crest Heater Shield, and Battleaxe. Players may want to check out what each class starts with if they don't care so much about collecting all the items, as they're sure to find better gear fairly early on in their journey.