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If you decide to dabble in magic in Elden Ring, you will almost certainly come across glintstone, a shimmering, usually blue stone with magical properties. You'd have to go out of your way to avoid it.

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But what is glintstone, and what relationship does it have with the sorceries you can cast in the game? After delving a little deeper into the mineral, it's evident that there's more to it than being a mere "magical rock" - while we don't know everything about the substance, we can make a few guesses.

The facts and theories in this article are derived from item descriptions, as is traditional in a Soulsborne game. In the sources at the bottom of each section, the items used are listed for your convenience.

What Is Glintstone?

Elden Ring Glintstone Crystals

Glintstone is a magical, precious mineral found in the ground in the Lands Between, primarily around Liurnia. It is used by sorcerers as a conduit through which they cast their spells, which is why you'll find glintstone in every staff in the game. The mineral seems to have an adverse effect on the area around it - this can be seen in Glintstone Fireflies, whose tails have hardened into shining glintstone and rendered useless for finding mates.

There are various types of glintstone that affect the channeled sorceries in different ways. For example, the lava-enhancing powers of the Gelmir Glintstone Staff appear to be derived from the special red glintstone that it uses, rather than the usual blue that we see in most other staves.

It is not only staves that can be infused with glintstone's power. The Raya Lucaria Academy grants glintstone crowns to its students - these are the giant stone heads that you see them wear and can find for yourself by defeating crystalline crabs. In addition, some shards of glintstone can be engraved with magical ciphers and used to alter the properties of weapons, imbuing sorcery into them.

Elden Ring Falling Stars after beating Radahn

Do you recall what I once told you? That glintstone is the amber of the cosmos, and sorcery is the study of the stars, and the life therin. -Sorceress Sellen

There may be more to glintstone than meets the eye. It was said that Lusat, a primeval glintstone sorcerer who once held the title of grand master at Raya Lucaria, had tremendous magical might and knowledge of a wisdom that lies beyond the mere stone. What this wisdom could be remains a mystery. It could be that glintstone and its powers were gifts from an Outer God - if so, they are likely derived from the stars, which may be Outer Gods in their own right, just as the Moon is. Alternatively, the stars may be mere servants of Outer Gods, just as the Elden Beast is.

You can meet Lusat - or the husk of Lusat - at the Sellia Hideaway as part of Sorceress Sellen's sidequest. You will gain the Stars of Ruin sorcery upon interacting with them. You can also meet another grand master, Azur, near Volcano Manor. They will grant you the Comet Azur sorcery.

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An alternative theory behind the origin of glintstone is based on the existence of aberrant sorceries. These were used by sorcerers that the Raya Lucaria Academy directly opposed and were derived from red glintstone instead of the usual blue. They are all faith-based sorceries linked closely to blood - they inflict hemorrhage buildup and were discovered only by those who harmed themselves by gouging out their own eyes. This may hint at the true origin of glintstone as the hardened blood of a star, which tracks with the quote from Sellen above.

Sources: Azur's Glintstone Robe, Briars of Punishment, Elden Stars, Gelmir Glintstone Staff, Glintstone Firefly, Glintstone Pebble, Glintstone Scrap, Glintstone Whetblade, Witch's Glintstone Crown ​​​

What Are Glintstone Sorceries?

Elden Ring Demi-Human Queen Maggie's glintstone burst attack

Glintstone sorceries are spells utilized by the glintstone sorcerers of Raya Lucaria Academy, channeled through glintstone staves. In the years preceding Elden Ring, astrologers used them, but then the academy was founded, and its students became the primary user of the technique.

The link between glintstone and astrologers is further evidence that the mineral and the sorceries that it enables are linked to the stars. What the stars actually are is still a mystery, but they are likely Outer Gods or their servants. This is evidenced by the Full Moon sorceries in the game being derived from the power of the Moon, which is an Outer God that gave Rennala the power to become a queen.

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It is possible to create what's known as "faux sorceries" - items that mimic spells but don't require the learning and dedication of regular sorceries. An example you can acquire in the game is the Freezing Pot, which requires Rimed Crystal Buds to craft but no actual glintstone. Some of these faux sorceries do, however, use glintstone. For example, the Cuckoo Glintstones used by the Knights of the Cuckoo are, in fact, pieces of broken glintstone that seem unfit for any alternate purposes.

Sources: Cuckoo Glintstone, Glintstone Craftsman's Cookbook, Stargazer Heirloom

What Are Primal Glintstones?

Elden Ring Sellen

Some of Raya Lucaria's sorcerers were not content with dying and sought to find a way to extend their lives. Thus, the method of imbuing a primal glintstone with a soul was developed.

This method involved slicing open their own hearts with a blade embedded with a primal glintstone, which would seal their souls in that stone. Their bodies would die, but their souls lived on inside the glintstone, and if transplanted into a new body, the sorcerer would rise again, taking the new body over and extending their effective lifespans.

Sources: Primal Glintstone Blade, Sellen's Primal Glintstone

What Are Glintstone Dragons?

Glintstone Dragon Smarag creates a burst of energy as it prepares to breathe Glintstone.

A few dragons in Elden Ring use a sorcery-enhanced breath to decimate you - namely Smarag and Adula. They became infused with glintstone after subsisting on a diet of glintstone sorcerers, presumably consuming enough glintstone in their clothing and staves that they became warped by the mineral.

Sources: Smarag's Glintstone Breath

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