What Items Should You Sell in Elden Ring? A Tarnished’s Guide to Efficient Merchanting

The Lands Between are teeming with dangers, treasures, and, perhaps surprisingly, a plethora of items you can offload to vendors for a tidy sum of Runes. Knowing what to sell in Elden Ring is crucial for maximizing your income and affording those essential upgrades, spells, and equipment. So, what should you be hawking to those weary merchants you encounter? The short answer is: duplicate weapons, armor, and talismans; non-essential crafting materials you have in abundance; and specific key items designed explicitly for sale. However, the devil is in the details, so let’s delve deeper into the specifics.

Identifying Sellable Items

The golden rule of Elden Ring economics is to avoid selling anything that could be potentially useful in the future unless you have a surplus. This necessitates a degree of foresight, but here’s a breakdown of item categories to guide you:

Duplicate Equipment

This is your primary source of income. If you find a second (or third, or fourth) copy of a weapon, armor piece, or talisman, it’s almost always safe to sell it. There are very few instances where needing multiple copies of the same item is beneficial (except perhaps in rare PvP builds, which are exceptions to the rule). Duplicate weapons, especially those that upgrade with Somber Smithing Stones, are particularly valuable.

Remember to fully upgrade the item you intend to keep BEFORE selling the duplicates. You only get the upgrade benefits from one instance, and the selling price isn’t affected by the upgrade level.

Crafting Materials in Excess

Elden Ring has a robust crafting system, but not all materials are created equal. Some are far more common than others. Once you’ve identified crafting materials you have in abundance, feel free to lighten your load and pad your Rune purse. Examples include:

• Rimed Crystal Bud: These are plentiful in the Mountaintops of the Giants and relatively inexpensive to farm.
• Golden Sunflower: Found throughout Limgrave, these are used in a few recipes, but you’ll likely accumulate a large stockpile.
• Smoldering Butterfly: Common in Caelid, these are used for Fire Grease and other fire-related items.
• Beast Liver: Dropped by various animals, these are readily available.

Caveat: Before selling any crafting material, check its uses and make sure you’re not actively using it in a build or strategy. Regularly check crafting recipes to ensure you aren’t about to sell something vital.

Key Items Specifically for Sale

These items are explicitly designed to be sold to merchants and serve no other purpose. They usually have descriptions indicating their value to collectors or nobles. Common examples include:

• Numen’s Rune: Can be sold for 5,000 Runes.
• Hero’s Rune: Sells for varying amounts depending on the type, ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 Runes or more.
• Golden Rune [1-13]: These drop from enemies and found throughout the game. Golden Rune [1] provides 200 Runes when used, while Golden Rune [13] provides 2,500. It is safe to sell these items for immediate Runes.
• Remembrances (After claiming rewards): Once you’ve duplicated and claimed the weapons, spells, and talismans from a Remembrance, the original can be sold for a substantial amount of Runes.

Always check the item description. If it mentions selling it, or its primary function is to be consumed for Runes, it’s safe to sell.

Consumable Items (Situational)

Consumable items are a bit trickier. While most are useful in certain situations, you might find yourself hoarding them unnecessarily. Consider selling:

• Items you never use: If you consistently ignore a particular type of consumable, such as Throwing Pots or certain types of grease, consider selling them.
• Surplus healing items (early game): In the early game, before you have a reliable source of healing, selling excess Golden Runes or other rune-granting consumables can provide a much-needed boost. However, as you progress, prioritize keeping these for emergencies.
• Poison items if you are immune: If you are immune to a certain status affect, such as poison, you can consider selling those items, since you have no use of them

Caution: Don’t sell all of your healing or buffing consumables. Keep a reasonable supply for tough encounters.

Items You Should NEVER Sell (Unless Absolutely Necessary)

• Smithing Stones and Somber Smithing Stones: These are essential for upgrading your weapons and are difficult to acquire in large quantities.
• Larval Tears: Used for respecing your character’s stats. You never know when you’ll want to reallocate your attributes.
• Bell Bearings: These unlock the ability to purchase specific items from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold. Selling them would lock you out of those items.
• Key Items (Story-related): These are crucial for progressing the story and are generally unsellable anyway. However, double-check before making any rash decisions.
• Cookbooks/Armorer’s Cookbooks: Essential for crafting, never sell these.

Tips for Maximizing Your Rune Income

• Farm effectively: Identify efficient farming locations to quickly acquire large quantities of sellable items.
• Use the Gold Scarab talisman: This talisman increases the amount of Runes you receive from defeated enemies, boosting your farming efficiency.
• Rest at Sites of Grace to reset enemy spawns: This allows you to farm the same area repeatedly.
• Consider the Merchant’s location: Each merchant in Elden Ring offers a unique selection of items for sale. It’s worth checking their inventory before you sell items so you can prioritize getting helpful gear or materials.
• Prioritize Equipment: Make sure you are keeping the best equipment for your play style. It’s a good idea to compare the stats and abilities of your equipment before deciding what to sell.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Will I regret selling a specific weapon later?

Generally, no, if you’re selling a duplicate. However, consider your build and potential future builds. If a weapon requires a significant stat investment or synergizes well with a particular playstyle you might explore later, consider keeping it in storage.

2. Can I buy back items I accidentally sold?

Unfortunately, no. There is no way to buy back items from merchants after you’ve sold them. This makes careful consideration crucial.

3. How can I tell if a crafting material is rare?

Check its availability. If you consistently find it in numerous locations, it’s likely common. If it’s only found in specific, challenging areas, it’s probably rarer and more valuable to keep. Also, check its usage in crafting recipes; materials used in many recipes are more valuable.

4. Are some merchants better to sell to than others?

No, merchants offer the same prices for items. Sell to whoever is most conveniently located.

5. Is it ever worth selling Smithing Stones?

Almost never. Smithing Stones are essential for upgrading weapons and are a bottleneck resource. Only sell them as an absolute last resort if you’re desperate for Runes and have no other options.

6. What’s the best way to farm Runes early in the game?

One popular early-game farming spot is near the Warmaster’s Shack in Stormhill. Defeating the trolls pulling the caravan yields a significant number of Runes. Another efficient early game spot can be found near the Church of Elleh where a large group of soldiers patrol.

7. Should I sell my starting equipment after finding better gear?

If you’re confident you won’t need it again, and you find it taking up space, then yes. However, some starting equipment can be surprisingly effective throughout the game, especially if upgraded. Consider your playstyle.

8. Is it worth selling armor sets I don’t wear?

If you have multiple copies of the armor or you are certain you will never wear the armor, it can be sold. Some sets have unique status bonuses that are good to keep around, though.

9. What are some good farming spots later in the game?

The Palace Approach Ledge-Road site of grace in Mohgwyn Palace is a renowned late-game farming spot. Using a weapon with a wide-reaching attack, you can quickly dispatch the Albinaurics for a massive Rune payout.

10. How do I duplicate Remembrances?

You can duplicate Remembrances at Walking Mausoleums, large structures with bells hanging underneath. Not all Mausoleums can duplicate all Remembrances, so you may need to visit multiple locations. Some Walking Mausoleums have skulls on their feet, which requires the player to break them so that the Mausoleum is brought to the ground for the player to enter.

11. What is the best Golden Rune to sell in Elden Ring?

The higher the number, the more Runes it grants when used or sold. Golden Rune [13] sells for the most Runes.

12. Are there any items that are difficult to obtain later if I sell them early?

Bell Bearings are probably the riskiest to sell inadvertently. Losing access to the items they unlock can be a major inconvenience. Keep a close eye on their descriptions.

13. How can I quickly check the selling price of an item?

Unfortunately, there’s no in-game method to quickly check the selling price without actually interacting with a merchant. However, most online resources and wikis list the selling prices of items.

14. Does selling items affect my character in any negative way (e.g., stats, story progression)?

No, selling items has no negative consequences beyond losing access to the item itself. It doesn’t impact your stats, story progression, or character build in any way.

15. Can I sell Ashes of War?

No, Ashes of War cannot be sold to merchants. They can only be equipped on weapons or lost if you override them with a different Ash of War.