You’re standing in front of Heugh at the Roundtable Hold, staring at your favorite legendary armament, and you realize you’re one upgrade short of a masterpiece. It’s frustrating. You have the Ancient Dragon stone ready for that final +10 jump, but the +9 is nowhere to be found. In Elden Ring, the somber smithing stone 9 is the actual gatekeeper. While most players obsess over the final max-tier material, the level nine stone is the one that actually dictates when your build "comes online" for the brutal end-game bosses like Maliketh or Godfrey.
Getting your hands on one isn't just about luck; it’s about knowing exactly which corners of the Lands Between are hiding these jagged purple shards.
Honestly, the pacing of the game is kind of weird about this. You can get a +4 weapon before even fighting Margit if you know the tunnels, but the jump to +9 requires you to brave some of the most depressing, high-level zones in the game. We're talking about Caelid, the Mountaintops of the Giants, and the crumbling ruins of Farum Azula. If you're stuck at +8, your damage output is effectively capped right when the enemy health pools start getting ridiculous.
Where to Actually Find Somber Smithing Stone 9 Without Losing Your Mind
If you want one early—like, "I haven't even burned the Erdtree yet" early—you have to head to Caelid. Specifically, the Dragonbarrow region in the northeast. This place is a nightmare. Everything kills you in two hits. But, there is a somber smithing stone 9 sitting right on a corpse near the Divine Tower of Caelid. You don't even have to fight a boss for it. You just have to dodge a few giant bats and navigate some precarious stone platforms.
Look for a circle of chairs near the base of the tower. It’s a bit macabre, really. A bunch of corpses just sitting there, staring out at the wasteland. One of them holds the stone. It’s the fastest way to hit a massive power spike before you've even touched the capital city of Leyndell.
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The Mountaintops of the Giants offers another relatively "safe" pick-up if you've already defeated Morgott. Near the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins site of grace, there’s a bridge. Below it, on a ledge, another stone sits waiting. You’ve probably walked past it three times because the visibility in that zone is basically zero thanks to the constant snowstorms.
The Farum Azula Factor
Once you get to Crumbling Farum Azula, these things become a lot more common, but the stakes are higher. There’s one located behind a series of floating debris near the Dragon-Temple Lift. It feels like FromSoftware was just sprinkling them around at this point because they knew you’d need to upgrade multiple weapons to deal with the endgame difficulty spike.
But let's be real. Scavenging individual stones is a chore. What you actually want is the ability to buy them.
The Somberstone Miner's Bell Bearing [5]
This is the holy grail for collectors. If you want an infinite supply of somber smithing stone 9, you need the fifth Bell Bearing. This isn't something you can stumble upon in the mid-game. It is strictly late-game content, found in Crumbling Farum Azula.
Specifically, you’ll find it near the Beside the Great Bridge site of grace. There’s a small chapel area before you head up to fight the Draconic Tree Sentinel guarding Maliketh's arena. Inside that chapel, on a corpse submerged in some very shallow, very dead-looking water, lies the Bell Bearing.
Give this to the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold. Suddenly, the economy of your playthrough changes. You stop worrying about "wasting" stones on a weapon you might not like. You can experiment. Want to try the Rivers of Blood? Buy the stones. Want to switch to the Dark Moon Greatsword for a boss? Buy the stones. It’s the ultimate quality-of-life upgrade.
The cost is 25,000 Runes per stone. It sounds steep, but by the time you're at the end of the game, a single run through the Mohgwyn Palace approach (the famous bird-shooting or Albinauric-farming spot) will net you enough for five or ten stones in minutes.
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Why the +9 Matters More Than the +10
There is a psychological trap in Elden Ring. We all want that +10 "maxed out" feeling. But look at the math. The jump from +8 to +9 is often a larger raw percentage increase in base damage than the jump from +9 to +10. The +10 (Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone) is a finite resource—you can only get about 8 per playthrough without the DLC.
In contrast, the somber smithing stone 9 is infinite once you have the Bell Bearing.
This means +9 is the "standard" for a viable endgame weapon. If you're struggling with the Elden Beast or Malenia, and your weapon is sitting at +7 or +8, you are leaving hundreds of points of attack rating on the table. You're basically fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
Common Misconceptions About Scaling
People think that the letter scaling (like 'B' in Strength or 'A' in Dexterity) only changes at the final level. That’s not how it works. The scaling is actually a hidden numerical value that increases with every single smithing level.
A weapon at +9 might show an 'A' in Intelligence, but it’s a "higher" 'A' than it was at +8. You get more "bang for your buck" out of your stat points (like that 60 Intelligence you grinded for) simply by getting to that ninth tier. It bridges the gap between a "good" weapon and a boss-melter.
Strategy for Efficient Upgrading
Don't hoard your stones. If you find that one in Caelid early on, use it. There’s no point in saving a somber smithing stone 9 for a weapon you haven't found yet if your current Bloodhound's Fang is struggling to clear mid-game mobs.
The game rewards aggression and progression.
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- Prioritize the Caelid Drop: Get it as soon as you have the horse and enough health to survive one accidental fall.
- Beeline for Farum Azula: If you're a completionist, fine, take your time. But if you're a "build-maker," getting to the Bell Bearing should be your primary goal after Fire Giant.
- The Haligtree Hidden Stash: If you’re brave enough to go to Miquella’s Haligtree, there are at least two more level 9 stones just sitting on the buttresses near the Prayer Room site of grace. You'll have to dodge some highly annoying knights, but it's worth it.
Honestly, the hardest part isn't finding the stone; it's deciding which weapon deserves it first. Because once you hit +9, the game changes. You stop being the hunted and start being the hunter.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are currently stuck at +8 and haven't reached Farum Azula yet, go to the Divine Tower of Caelid. Ride to the base, find the chairs, and grab the stone. It is the single fastest way to increase your power level without killing a single enemy. Once you have it, commit to a weapon you love and push it to +9 immediately. Don't wait for the "perfect" moment—the damage boost will make the journey to the Bell Bearing significantly easier. Afterward, focus your efforts on reaching the Beside the Great Bridge grace in Farum Azula to unlock unlimited purchases and finally free yourself from the grind.