A Whetblade is an optional yet important game mechanic that boosts your playstyle. It takes your Ashes of War to a whole new level with the Affinities it grants. Understanding Whetblades can help you take the Elden Throne.
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The Basics of Whetblades in Elden Ring
A Whetblade is a unique Key Item that grants up to three Ash of War Affinities. Upon selecting an Ash of War, you will be given a choice to select only one of the Granted Affinities that are compatible with your Standard weapon. There are currently six Whetblades to find in the Lands Between, all of which grant a total of 13 Affinities. Once you get a Whetblade, you can carry it over on your next journey.
How to use Whetblades
The Whetblades are part of the Ash of War game mechanic of Elden Ring. You can use Whetblades whenever you modify the Ash of War of your weapon or shield.
Here are the only two ways to do that:
- Resting at any Site of Grace – It’s more convenient, but you’re required to get the Whetstone Knife first.
- Talking to Smithing Master Hewg at the Roundtable Hold – It’s for when you want to upgrade and modify your weapon or shield.
Here’s how to use Whetblades either way:
- Select ‘Ashes of War’ from the menu.
- Pick a Standard weapon or shield.
- Select the Ash of War (Weapon Skill) you want for it.
- Select a Granted Affinity.
Ash of War: Granted Affinity, Explained
While there are 13 unlockable Granted Affinities in Elden Ring, the number of options still depends on the Ash of War’s damage type, namely: Physical, Magic, Flame, Occult, and Golden.
Among these damage types, only the Physical-type Ashes of War can have all 13 options of Granted Affinities. However, if you select a Granted Affinity that deals Element Damage or inflicts a Status Effect, you can’t use Spells or Grease to further buff your weapon.
What’s great about Granted Affinities is that it allows you to modify the attribute scaling of any Standard weapon or shield. While it may be better to use items that are more suitable for your build, getting creative with your unique playstyle is highly encouraged.
The following is what you need to know more about each Granted Affinity:
| Affinity | Buff | Debuff | Whetblade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | None | Whetstone Knife |
| Quality | ‣ Adds and balances Strength and Dexterity scaling. ‣ Use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power and Guard Boost. | Iron Whetblade |
| Heavy | ‣ Adds or upgrades Strength scaling. ‣ Use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power and Guard Boost. |
|
| Keen | ‣ Adds or upgrades Dexterity scaling. ‣ Use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power and Guard Boost. |
|
| Magic | ‣ Adds or upgrades Intelligence scaling. ‣ Deals Magic Damage (Intelligence scaling). ‣ Increases blocked Magic and Holy Damage Negation. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | Glintstone Whetblade |
| Cold | ‣ Adds or upgrades Intelligence scaling. ‣ Deals Magic Damage (Intelligence scaling). ‣ Inflicts Frostbite buildup. ‣ Improves Strength and Dexterity scaling multiplier per weapon upgrade. ‣ Increases blocked Magic Damage Negation. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. |
|
| Fire | ‣ Adds or upgrades Strength scaling. ‣ Deals Fire Damage (Strength scaling). ‣ Increases blocked Fire and Lightning Damage Negation. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | Red-Hot Whetblade |
| Flame Art | ‣ Adds or upgrades Faith scaling. ‣ Deals Fire Damage (Faith scaling). ‣ Increases blocked Fire and Lightning Damage Negation. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. |
|
| Poison | ‣ Adds or upgrades Arcane scaling. ‣ Inflicts Poison buildup (Arcane scaling). ‣ Improves Strength and Dexterity scaling multiplier per weapon upgrade. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | Black Whetblade |
| Blood | ‣ Adds or upgrades Arcane scaling. ‣ Inflicts Blood Loss buildup (Arcane scaling). ‣ Improves Strength and Dexterity scaling multiplier per weapon upgrade. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. |
|
| Occult | Adds or upgrades Arcane scaling. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power and Guard Boost. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. |
|
| Lightning | ‣ Adds or upgrades Dexterity scaling. ‣ Deals Lightning Damage (Dexterity scaling). ‣ Increases blocked Lightning and Fire Damage Negation. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. | Sanctified Whetblade |
| Sacred | ‣ Adds or upgrades Faith scaling. ‣ Deal Holy Damage (Faith scaling). ‣ Increases blocked Holy and Magic Damage Negation. | ‣ Lowers other attributes' scaling. ‣ Reduces base Attack Power, Guard Boost, and other blocked Damage Negation. ‣ Cannot use any Spell or Grease for additional Buff. |
Whetstone Knife
It’s the only Whetblade that allows you to modify your weapon’s Ash of War and Granted Affinity at any site of grace. It grants one Physical-type Affinity: Standard.
The Whetstone Knife is located in Gatefront Ruins in West Limgrave.
From the Gatefront Ruins grace site, make your way to the southwestern part of the ruins. Beware of the Godrick Soldiers, Godrick Knights, and Wolves nearby. Find a stairway that leads down to a cellar, where you can find the Whetstone Knife and Ash of War: Storm Stomp in the chest.
Iron Whetblade
It grants three more Physical-type Affinities: Quality, Heavy, and Keen. It’s perfect for Strength, Dexterity, or Hybrid builds. It allows you to cast a Spell or apply Grease to your weapon, which makes you flexible enough to fight a wide variety of enemies.
The Iron Whetblade is located in an Imp-Sealed room within Stormveil Castle, West Limgrave. Make sure to have one Stonesword Key.
From the Rampart Tower grace site, leave the room towards the wooden stairs. Climb all the way to the rooftop, where you’ll see a pile of sacks on the balcony. Jump down from the balcony to the wooden panels on the left side. Carefully make your way towards the rooftop below.
Instead of jumping towards the courtyard, look over to the other side. Seek a broken tree near an Imp-Sealed Room. Jump on it before jumping to the ground. If you miss out, you’ll risk around 800HP. Try using Soft Cotton to prevent any Fall Damage.
Unlock the Imp-Sealed room with one Stonesword Key. Beware of the two Godrick Knights wielding Great Axes. The Iron Whetblade is on a corpse right in front of the stone furnace.
Glinstone Whetblade
It grants two Magic-type Affinities: Magic and Cold. A must-have Whetblade for Sorcerers, especially when fighting against Spellcaster enemies. Not only will your melee weapon be able to deal Magic Damage, but it will also increase your Magic Damage Negation.
The Glinstone Whetblade is located in Raya Lucaria Academy, Central Liurnia of the Lakes.
From the Debate Parlor grace site, get out of the room towards the courtyard. Seek the broken stairway left of the water fountain. Beware of the Wandering Nobles and Sorcerers guarding the area.
Seek a doorway below the two Sorcerers on the balcony. The Glintstone Whetblade is on an overhanging corpse on the right side of the room.
Red-Hot Whetblade
It grants two Flame-type Affinities: Fire and Flame Art. If you have a Strength or Faith build, especially a Hybrid of both attributes — take advantage of it. With the Fire affinity, you only need Strength to deal Fire Damage. No need for you to have high Faith at all.
The Red-Hot Whetblade is located in Redmane Castle, South Caelid.
From the Chamber Outside the Plaza grace site, leave the room towards an area with Commoners wielding standing Flamethrowers. Take the right path, where you can see yet bonfire execution and an unlocked door at a distance. Beware of the Abductor Virgin nearby. The Red-Hot Whetblade is on a lying corpse as you enter the room.
How to Unlock the Doors of the Redmane Castle
To unlock the doors of the castle, you will need to do the following steps:
- Defeat Starscourge General Radahn.
- Talk to Witch-Hunter Jerren at the Cathedral. Exhaust his lines.
- Rest at any Site of Grace outside the Redmane Castle.
- Fast Travel back to the Redmane Castle.
Black Whetblade
It grants three Occult-type Affinities: Poison, Blood, and Occult. With it, you can turn any Standard Weapon more deadly with your Arcane build. Instead of using Poison and Blood Grease, you can now sharply focus on wiping away your enemies.
The Black Whetblade is located in the Night’s Sacred Ground of Nokron, Eternal City. You’re required to defeat Starscourge Radahn in Caelid to access the area. Go to the red mark that will appear on the Map.
From the Ancestral Woods grace site, make your way to the Night’s Sacred Ground. The Black Whetblade is on a corpse in front of the altar in a cathedral, just after encountering two Mimic Tears.
Sanctified Whetblade
It grants two Golden-type Affinities: Lightning and Sacred. It’s highly favorable to those with Dexterity, Faith, or Hybrid builds. If you’re using a Shield, it also increases your Fire, Holy, and Magic Damage Negation upon blocking.
The Sanctified Whetblade is located on the upper level of the Fortified Manor in Leyndell, Royal Capital.
From the West Capital Rampart grace site, go down the stairs and jump on the ledge from the balcony. Jump down to the rooftop. Make your way towards the rooftops across the root of the Erdtree. Beware of the two Rotten Strays dwelling in the area. Enter through the balcony doorway of the upper Fortified Manor. The Sanctified Whetblade is on the floor — Smithing Master Hewg’s spot in the Roundtable Hold.
