Unlocking the Void’s Secrets: What You Get From Astel’s Remembrance in Elden Ring
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Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, is one of the most visually striking and mechanically challenging bosses in Elden Ring. Defeating this cosmic horror grants you the Remembrance of the Naturalborn, a valuable item offering a significant choice: raw runes for immediate power, or a unique weapon or skill to enhance your build. So, what exactly do you get from Astel’s Remembrance? In short, you have three options:
- Consume the Remembrance for 30,000 Runes: A quick infusion of currency to level up or purchase items.
- Sell the Remembrance to a merchant for 30,000 Runes: An alternative way to acquire runes if you prefer dealing with merchants.
- Exchange the Remembrance with Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold: This unlocks the option to acquire either the Bastard’s Stars weapon (a unique Flail) or the Ash of War: Waves of Darkness.
Which option is best for you depends entirely on your playstyle and current needs. Let’s delve deeper into each choice and explore the nuances of Astel’s legacy.
Understanding the Remembrance System
Before diving into the specific rewards from Astel’s Remembrance, it’s crucial to understand how the Remembrance system works in Elden Ring. Remembrances are unique items dropped by major bosses, representing a fragment of their power and memory. They serve as a testament to your victory and a gateway to acquiring powerful weapons, spells, or skills associated with those bosses.
The core decision lies between immediate gratification (runes) and long-term build enhancement (unique items). While runes are always useful, the unique weapons and skills often offer playstyle-defining abilities that can significantly impact your character’s effectiveness. Furthermore, Remembrances can be duplicated at Wandering Mausoleums, allowing you to acquire both rewards from a single boss – a crucial strategic element for maximizing your power. Understanding this core system is essential for making informed decisions about your Remembrances, including Astel’s. For more insight into the strategic learning aspects of gaming, consider exploring resources like the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.
Breaking Down the Rewards
The Rune Option: Immediate Power, Transient Value
Consuming or selling Astel’s Remembrance grants you 30,000 runes. While this seems like a substantial amount, especially early to mid-game, its value diminishes as you progress and leveling becomes more expensive. By the time you’re facing Astel, 30,000 runes may only cover a fraction of a single level-up.
This option is primarily valuable if you’re in immediate need of runes to level up a crucial stat, purchase essential items, or meet the stat requirements for a specific weapon or spell. However, given the abundance of rune farming methods in Elden Ring, consuming Remembrances solely for runes is generally considered less efficient than acquiring the unique rewards.
The Unique Rewards: Bastard’s Stars vs. Waves of Darkness
Exchanging Astel’s Remembrance with Finger Reader Enia allows you to choose between two distinct rewards:
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Bastard’s Stars: This unique Flail scales primarily with Intelligence, making it ideal for mage builds or hybrid characters who incorporate magic into their combat style. Its weapon skill, Nebula, unleashes a barrage of magical star fragments that deal significant damage and stagger enemies. The weapon’s damage is split between physical and magic, providing flexibility against different enemy types. Bastard’s Stars is particularly effective against groups of enemies and can provide valuable crowd control.
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Ash of War: Waves of Darkness: This Ash of War can be applied to a variety of weapons, granting them the ability to unleash a series of damaging void waves. The waves travel a short distance, hitting multiple enemies and dealing considerable poise damage. Waves of Darkness is incredibly versatile, allowing you to enhance existing weapons with a powerful ranged attack. This Ash of War is highly effective for staggering enemies and creating openings for follow-up attacks. Its utility is useful in both PvE and PvP scenarios.
The choice between Bastard’s Stars and Waves of Darkness depends entirely on your build and preferred playstyle. Intelligence-focused characters will likely favor Bastard’s Stars, while those seeking a versatile ranged option for their existing weapons will gravitate towards Waves of Darkness.
Making the Right Choice: A Strategic Decision
Ultimately, the decision of what to do with Astel’s Remembrance is a strategic one. Consider the following factors when making your choice:
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Your Build: What are your primary stats? Do you favor melee combat or spellcasting? Your build should heavily influence your choice between Bastard’s Stars and Waves of Darkness.
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Your Playstyle: Do you prefer close-range combat or ranged attacks? Do you value crowd control or single-target damage? Your preferred playstyle will determine which reward best complements your strengths.
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Your Current Gear: Do you already have powerful weapons and skills? Are you looking for something to fill a specific gap in your arsenal? Consider how Astel’s rewards will synergize with your existing gear.
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Availability of Other Resources: How easy is it for you to farm runes? If you can easily acquire runes through other methods, you may be more inclined to choose the unique rewards.
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Wandering Mausoleums: Have you duplicated the Remembrance at a Wandering Mausoleum? If so, you can acquire both Bastard’s Stars and Waves of Darkness.
By carefully considering these factors, you can make an informed decision that optimizes your character’s power and enhances your Elden Ring experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I get both Bastard’s Stars and Waves of Darkness from a single playthrough?
Yes! By duplicating the Remembrance of the Naturalborn at a Wandering Mausoleum, you can acquire both Bastard’s Stars and Waves of Darkness in a single playthrough. However, you are only able to duplicate each Remembrance once per mausoleum.
2. Is Bastard’s Stars a good weapon for a mage build?
Absolutely. Bastard’s Stars scales primarily with Intelligence and deals magic damage, making it an excellent choice for mage builds. Its weapon skill, Nebula, provides powerful ranged attacks and crowd control.
3. What weapons can I apply the Waves of Darkness Ash of War to?
The Waves of Darkness Ash of War can be applied to a wide range of weapons, including straight swords, greatswords, colossal swords, curved swords, katanas, twinblades, thrusting swords, heavy thrusting swords, axes, great axes, hammers, great hammers, flails, spears, great spears, halberds, and reapers. It cannot be applied to whips, fists, or colossal weapons.
4. How does Waves of Darkness compare to other ranged Ashes of War?
Waves of Darkness offers a unique combination of range, damage, and poise damage. It’s particularly effective for staggering enemies and creating openings for follow-up attacks. Compared to other ranged Ashes of War, it excels in both PvE and PvP scenarios due to its versatility.
5. Is it worth consuming the Remembrance of the Naturalborn for runes?
Generally, no. While 30,000 runes may seem like a substantial amount, its value diminishes as you progress in the game. It’s usually more beneficial to acquire the unique rewards (Bastard’s Stars or Waves of Darkness) or duplicate the Remembrance to get both.
6. Where can I find Wandering Mausoleums to duplicate Remembrances?
Wandering Mausoleums are scattered throughout the Lands Between. They are large, walking structures with bells hanging beneath them. Explore different regions to discover their locations. Some are easier to access than others, requiring you to break the white deposits on their legs to bring them down.
7. Does Bastard’s Stars scale with any other stats besides Intelligence?
Yes, Bastard’s Stars also scales with Strength and Dexterity, though to a lesser extent than Intelligence.
8. What is the best way to use Waves of Darkness in combat?
Waves of Darkness is best used to stagger enemies and create openings for follow-up attacks. It can also be used to interrupt enemy attacks or to control crowds of enemies. Experiment with different weapons to find the best combination for your playstyle.
9. Can I use Waves of Darkness on a shield?
No, Waves of Darkness cannot be applied to shields. It can only be applied to the weapon types listed in FAQ #3.
10. Does the damage of Waves of Darkness scale with my weapon’s upgrade level?
Yes, the damage of Waves of Darkness scales with the upgrade level of the weapon it is applied to. Upgrading your weapon will increase the damage output of the Ash of War.
11. Is Bastard’s Stars effective against all types of enemies?
Bastard’s Stars is generally effective against most types of enemies, particularly those weak to magic damage. However, it may be less effective against enemies with high magic resistance.
12. Can I respec my character to better utilize Bastard’s Stars or Waves of Darkness?
Yes, you can respec your character by using a Larval Tear at Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. This allows you to reallocate your stats and optimize your build for a specific weapon or skill.
13. How does poise damage work with Waves of Darkness?
Poise damage is a hidden stat that determines how easily an enemy can be staggered. Waves of Darkness deals a significant amount of poise damage, making it effective at staggering even heavily armored enemies. Staggering an enemy creates an opening for a critical attack.
14. Are there any talismans that enhance the effectiveness of Bastard’s Stars or Waves of Darkness?
Yes, several talismans can enhance the effectiveness of these rewards. For Bastard’s Stars, talismans that boost magic damage or weapon skill damage are beneficial. For Waves of Darkness, talismans that increase poise damage or reduce FP consumption can be helpful. Experiment with different talismans to find the best combination for your build.
15. Is it possible to miss out on getting the Remembrance of the Naturalborn?
No, it is not possible to miss out on getting the Remembrance of the Naturalborn if you defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. The Remembrance will always drop upon defeating the boss. This ensures that all players who conquer this challenge will have the opportunity to acquire its associated rewards.