In Elden Ring, upgrading your gear can make the difference between a frustrating defeat and a well-earned victory. While many players focus solely on leveling up their character stats, it's often the refinement of weapons, shields, and certain tools that elevate your gameplay. With the right investments and upgrades, some items become exponentially more powerful. Below are 25 items in Elden Ring that are well worth upgrading, especially for those who want to get the most out of their Elden Ring Runes.

1. Rivers of Blood (Katana)
A fan-favorite weapon for bleed builds. Its Ash of War, Corpse Piler, scales well with upgrades, making it lethal in both PvE and PvP.

2. Moonveil (Katana)
Infamous for its magical power, upgrading Moonveil amplifies its Intelligence-scaling beam attack dramatically.

3. Blasphemous Blade (Greatsword)
Every upgrade boosts the weapon’s fire damage and its powerful healing passive, turning it into a boss-melting tool.

4. Sword of Night and Flame
This hybrid sword scales with multiple stats and unleashes both fire and magic attacks. Enhancing it increases both damage types significantly.

5. Sacred Relic Sword
Only available in NG+, this sword can be upgraded to decimate enemy mobs, perfect for rune farming.

6. Uchigatana
A starting weapon that scales excellently with Dexterity. With upgrades, it becomes a mainstay for bleed builds.

7. Nightrider Glaive
This halberd is a strength-heavy weapon that benefits massively from upgrades in raw power.

8. Serpent-Hunter
Essential against Rykard, this spear grows stronger with every upgrade, especially effective for big boss fights.

9. Black Knife
Its Ash of War, Blade of Death, reduces max HP. Upgrading increases both the damage and effectiveness of its unique debuff.

10. Reduvia
A deadly Arcane-scaling dagger that becomes devastating with enhancements. Ideal for aggressive close-range builds.

11. Fingerprint Stone Shield
This heavy shield becomes nearly unbreakable once upgraded and synergizes well with high-poise, tanky builds.

12. Beast Crest Heater Shield
A lightweight but strong option that scales better with smithing stone upgrades, providing early-game blocking power.

13. Dragon Slayer’s Cragblade
Upgrades push its staggering power even further. It’s a go-to for Strength builds focused on breaking poise.

14. Carian Knight’s Sword
One of the best melee options for Intelligence builds. Each upgrade enhances its magical scaling significantly.

15. Lance
Surprisingly effective on horseback. Once upgraded, it becomes a dominant force in mounted combat.

16. Banished Knight’s Halberd
This weapon has fantastic scaling, and fully upgraded, it shines in both reach and raw damage.

17. Envoy’s Long Horn
A great choice for Faith builds. Upgrades boost both its physical and holy damage, along with its bubble-blast special.

18. Cleanrot Spear
Paired with Faith, this weapon becomes even more dangerous after upgrades due to its scarlet rot pressure and fast thrusting.

19. Glintstone Staff (Lusat’s or Azur’s)
Both scale with Intelligence and are ideal for mages. Upgrading them shortens cast times and raises sorcery power.

20. Erdtree Seal
Crucial for Faith casters. Each upgrade improves the boost to incantations, especially those of the Erdtree’s school.

21. Gravel Stone Seal
Perfect for lightning-based incantations. Upgrade it to amplify the power of your Faith-lightning hybrid build.

22. Dragon Communion Seal
Optimized for Arcane scaling incantations. Upgrades ensure maximum output from dragon breath spells.

23. Clawmark Seal
Strength-Faith hybrid builds rely on this for beast incantations. The upgrades increase incantation strength dramatically.

24. Jellyfish Shield
Boosts attack power when activated. Upgrading improves its base stability and guard boost, making it more versatile.

25. Misericorde
A top-tier dagger for critical builds. Fully upgrading it maximizes crit damage, especially useful in backstab builds.

Managing your Elden Ring Runes effectively is crucial when upgrading so many items. Focus on those that align with your build and strategy to avoid spreading your resources too thin. For players who enjoy experimenting with new weapons or seals frequently, finding the best place to buy Elden Ring items can help accelerate that process by providing quick access to rare or hard-to-farm gear.