Elden Ring Stonesword Keys are special keys used to open Imp Statue Seals, with gear, loot and even boss fights hidden behind them for players to discover. Imp Seals are everywhere, and while Stonesword Keys aren't easily discovered, there are a lot of them around with various patterns to how they're discovered.
There's a lot of both keys and doors overall in the game, so in the long run you'll probably eventually have enough to to do what you want. But to start with you might struggle to find enough , or know where best to use them. So we're going to point you in the direction of the first few you'll encounter in Elden Ring so you'll both have some keys to play with, as well as some idea as to what you might be unlocking. Here’s how Elden Ring Stonesword Keys work, how to get more, and what they unlock.
Elden Ring Stonesword Keys locations
While Stonesword Keys are rare, you will still be able to find a fair few as you progress through Elden Ring. You can pick one up early in the game from the Stormhill Shack – a decrepit shack that’s not too far off the main path to Stormveil Castle. Later in the game, you’ll find that most merchants also sell Stonesword Keys, allowing you to properly stock up and break through previously unopened seals. However, they tend to sell them in limited numbers, rather than as a permanent option, so you can't just save up and fill your inventory.
Stonesword Keys can be found anywhere, though we found they're slightly more common in older, more impressive areas - castles, ruins, buildings, etc - rather than out in the wild. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule though, and players should keep an eye out no matter where they are.
Aside from the Storm Hill Shack, here's a few early game areas you can check out:
- There's a key on a corpse in an underground room at the Dragon-Burnt Ruins in Limgrave Lake, near the dragon Agheel.
- When moving through Stormveil Castle you can reach an area with a broken roof at the top of the Rampart Tower. There's a body inside with a key on it.
- In the far south of Limgrave you'll find a key near the end of the Bridge of Sacrifice.
- Just Southeast of the Bridge of Sacrifice you'll find a body on a chair looking out to sea that can be looted for a key.
- There's a key in Castle Morne, at the lowest tip of the Weeping Peninsula to the South of Limgrave. When you reach the Behind the Castle Site of Grace you should be able to see a body hanging from a wooden platform with an item on it. That's the key.
- Again, as a general rule Stonesword Keys are usually sold (in limited numbers) by the nomadic merchants dotted around the world. Look for their telltale campfires, and check their stock to see if they're selling any. If you want help finding them, we've got all the Elden Ring merchants locations and their stock here!
Where to use Stonesword Keys in Elden Ring
There's multiple locations around Elden Ring that have Imp Seals to be opened with Stonesword Keys - some a lot better than others.
- Fringefolk Hero’s Grave
- Tombsward Catacombs
- Summonwater Village
- Roundtable Hold
- Stormveil Castle Grafted Scion
- Stormveil Castle Liftside Chamber
- Weeping Evergaol
Depending on where you use them, you might unlock whole new dungeons, or get minor items. There's no consistency as to what you might find - you can even get the famous Elden Ring Mimic Tear from one of these! Below we've laid out some of the earlier Imp Seals and what you can find from them. Click the names above or scroll down to see what's waiting for you behind these magical barriers...
Fringefolk Hero’s Grave
Be aware that you’ll find your first Imp statue and Elden Ring Stonesword Key seal within minutes of completing the tutorial area. You’ll find this seal as you head through the ruins towards the lift that leads to Limgrave. You’ll spot a Site of Grace, and to the right of it, there will be a white, misty wall and an Imp statue nearby. Breaking this seal leads to the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave dungeon area.
However, we do not advise opening it early in the game, particularly if you’ve chosen the Stonesword Keys as your Elden Ring Keepsake. The Fringefolk Hero’s Grave is an incredibly challenging area, particularly for new players, that is blocked off by a giant pool of poison. The poison alone is problematic enough, but even if you wade through the poisonous liquid, you’ll still face traps, ghostly enemies, and a tough boss with vicious attacks. There is plenty of loot to pick up along the way, but overall, this entire area should be left alone until you’ve leveled up your Attributes and weapons considerably.
Still, we do recommend going back at some point, as it holds a very powerful talisman called the Erdtree's Favor Talisman, that boosts your HP, stamina and equip load. That alone can be kind of a game-changer, and you don't even need to kill the boss for it, as it's halfway down guarded by a couple of Grafted.
Tombsward Catacombs
The Tombsward Catacbombs Stonesword Key door can be opened to get the Nomadic Warrior's Cookbook [9] which lets you craft the Rancour Pot. This summons 'vengeful spirits' to attack anyone you throw it at.
Summonwater Village
You'll know you've found the right place when you have to fight the Tibia Mariner, a boat-rowing boss. Once he's defeated, look for the stairs underground in a ruined building leading to the Imp Statue Seal. Inside you'll find the very useful Green Turtle Talisman which raises stamina recovery speed.
Roundtable Hold
When you reach the Roundtable Hold there's a door you can open with a StoneSword Key, but there's actually another behind it as well that needs two keys on top of the first. It means you'll need three in total to reach the Assassin's Prayerbook inside. If you give it to a cleric (Brother Corhyn or Brother Miriel, or the Pastor of Vows) you can unlock the Assassin's Approach or Darkness incantations, which mask footstep noise or hides the player in a cloud respectively.
Stormveil Castle Grafted Scion
In the Stormveil Castle hall where you fight the Grafted Scion there's an Imp Statue Seal door nearby. You'll have to fight a couple of enemies if you open it but you'll get the Hawk Crest Wooden Shield and an Iron Whetblade which lets you add a heavy, keen, or quality affinity to a weapons when using Elden Ring Ashes of War. There's also the Misericorde dagger with the quickstep weapon skill.
Stormveil Castle Liftside Chamber
You'll find an Imp Statue Seal down some stairs between the Stormveil Castle Liftside Chamber Site of Grace and where you can fight the Grafted Scion. Unlock it and you can get the Godslayer's Seal that lets you cast incantations and boosts Godslayer type spells. You can also get the Godskin Prayerbook which unlocks the Black Flame and Black Flame Blade incantation if you take it to a cleric (Brother Corhyn or Brother Miriel, or the Pastor of Vows).
Weeping Evergoal
The Weeping Evergaol is east of the Fourth Church of Marika; one of those stone circles that let you trigger a boss fight. If you use a Stonesword Key to open it you can battle the Ancient Hero of Zamor. Defeating this frost favoring boss will get you the Zamor Curved Sword (which dishes out Frost build up) and the Zamor armor.
What are Elden Ring Stonesword Keys?
Stonesword Keys are a relatively rare consumable item found throughout Elden Ring. These little stone swords act as keys for sealed areas that can range from small rooms containing loot, to shortcuts, alternate travel paths, and even dungeons with boss monsters that need dispatching to get the treasure within.
To use Elden Ring Stonesword Keys to open a seal, you’ll need to head to the Imp statue that should be nearby. Some seals require multiple Stonesword Keys to unlock – usually two – but some will already have a key inserted, leaving you to add in the final one.
Early in Elden Ring, Stonesword Keys are hard to come by, so it’s not a good idea to spend your keys whenever you can. We'll show you what some of the early doors hide in a moment but if you're uncertain about whether to use a key or not, it can help to look at the online messages left by other players. They can give an inclination of what's inside -if a message refers to "Faith", for example, it's likely there's an item for Clerics and Faith builds on the other side.
