Where to Use the Enchanted Ember in Dark Souls
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The Enchanted Ember is a crucial item in Dark Souls, enabling players to ascend their weapons to the Enchanted path, a unique modification that scales with intelligence. Understanding where and how to use this ember is vital for players seeking to create powerful magic-based builds. Simply put, you must give the Enchanted Ember to Rickert of Vinheim, the blacksmith located in New Londo Ruins. By doing so, you unlock his ability to upgrade +5 magic weapons down the Enchanted path, to a maximum of +5 (the highest) for this upgrade path.
Who is Rickert of Vinheim?
Before delving deeper, it’s important to know who Rickert of Vinheim is and how to find him. Unlike Andre of Astora, who is prominently located in the Undead Parish, Rickert is hidden in the New Londo Ruins.
How to Find Rickert
To find Rickert, begin at Firelink Shrine. Head down the path leading towards the New Londo Ruins. You’ll see a hollow (undead) laying near the edge of a cliff. Follow the stairs going down near him. You will notice that Rickert is inside a cage. Speak with him, and he will introduce himself and offer his blacksmithing services.
The Role of Embers in Dark Souls
Ember items in Dark Souls are key to unlocking weapon modification and ascension. They are given to specific blacksmiths, allowing them to alter the upgrade paths of your weapons. Each blacksmith has a unique set of embers they can use. Once given an ember, a blacksmith can use it an unlimited number of times (given that you have the required resources). The Enchanted Ember, specifically, is used for a certain modification.
Using the Enchanted Ember
To use the Enchanted Ember, you must first obtain it. The Enchanted Ember is found in the Darkroot Garden, specifically in the area with mushroom enemies, past the Forest Hunters and Alvina but before the battle with Sif the Great Grey Wolf. Once obtained, take the ember to Rickert of Vinheim. He will recognize the ember and accept it, subsequently allowing you to ascend +5 magic weapons down the Enchanted path.
What does the Enchanted Path do?
The Enchanted path transforms a weapon’s damage scaling to prioritize Intelligence. This is important for players that have high intelligence levels, and allows these characters to do a lot more damage with melee weapons that would otherwise be under powered. An Enchanted weapon does less base physical damage but does more magic damage, which scales with the player’s intelligence stat. This makes it ideal for sorcery-based builds. Once a weapon is ascended down this path, the player can also reinforce it to +5.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding embers and the Enchanted Ember in particular.
1. Can I give the Enchanted Ember to Andre?
No, you cannot give the Enchanted Ember to Andre of Astora. Each blacksmith has specific embers they can utilize. Rickert of Vinheim is the only one who can use the Enchanted Ember.
2. What other embers does Rickert use?
Rickert of Vinheim only takes the Enchanted Ember. He does not require any other embers.
3. What is the difference between an enchanted weapon and a magic weapon?
A magic weapon scales with Intelligence but also retains a portion of its physical damage. An enchanted weapon focuses almost entirely on magic damage and has its physical damage significantly reduced in comparison. The Enchanted path is more specialized for pure sorcery builds.
4. Can you have more than one Enchanted weapon at the same time?
Yes, you can have as many Enchanted weapons as you like, provided you have the resources for the upgrades. You will also need multiple weapons at +5 magic if you want more than one.
5. Can I revert a weapon back from the enchanted path?
Unfortunately, weapons that have been ascended down the Enchanted path can’t be reverted to their previous state. You will have to get a completely new weapon if you want to go down a different path, or keep a backup weapon for other situations.
6. What other embers are important in Dark Souls?
Other important embers include the Large Ember, the Divine Ember, the Dark Ember, and the Chaos Flame Ember. Each is given to specific blacksmiths to enable unique weapon upgrades. The Large Ember and Divine Ember are both used by Andre.
7. How do I get the Large Ember?
The Large Ember is found in the Depths, within a chest in the area with the butchers. Giving it to Andre allows him to upgrade weapons to +6 and beyond.
8. Where do I give the Divine Ember?
The Divine Ember should be given to Andre of Astora. It allows him to upgrade weapons down the Divine path, which scales with Faith.
9. Where is the Chaos Flame Ember found?
The Chaos Flame Ember is located in the Demon Ruins, near the Chaos Eater. It should be given to Vamos in The Catacombs to enable Chaos path upgrades.
10. What is the purpose of embers in Dark Souls?
Embers are key items in Dark Souls that enable blacksmiths to unlock specific weapon ascension paths. This is vital to creating specialized builds for your character.
11. Is Rickert a useful blacksmith?
Rickert is useful for players who want to make weapons for a magic focused build, but isn’t as widely used as Andre due to his location and the niche path that he specializes in.
12. Can I miss any of the embers?
Some embers can be missed if you do not explore thoroughly or if you do certain events in the game, such as beating certain bosses before going to certain areas. Check guides to ensure you get all the embers.
13. Does the Enchanted Ember give the blacksmith a permanent benefit?
Yes, once given the Enchanted Ember, Rickert will have the ability to upgrade weapons using it for the rest of your game, enabling multiple characters to get enchanted weapons from him.
14. Is it worth giving the ember to Rickert of Vinheim?
If you plan on playing a character with high intelligence, then it is a very good idea to give Rickert the Enchanted Ember as it is a valuable upgrade. If you do not have or plan to build a high intelligence character, then this upgrade path will not be as useful for you.
15. What happens if I don’t give any embers to blacksmiths?
If you don’t give embers to blacksmiths, you will only have access to normal weapons up to +5, you will miss a large amount of possible customization in weapons and stat scaling for your character, significantly limiting your damage potential.
By understanding how the Enchanted Ember works and where to find Rickert of Vinheim, you can unlock a powerful weapon path that is essential for magic-focused builds. Remember to explore thoroughly, collect all the necessary embers, and visit each blacksmith to maximize your weapon options.