The Ultimate Astrologer‘s Guide to Keepsakes in Elden Ring

As a veteran Elden Ring player with over 500 hours of experience playing as an astrologer, I‘ve painstakingly tested every starting keepsake to determine the best options for mastering this complex magic class.

Whether you‘re new to the Lands Between or seeking to optimize your latest astrologer build, this guide will arm you with everything you need to pick the right keepsake and start wielding powerful sorceries immediately.

Below I‘ve analyzed the top keepsake contenders for astrologers in Elden Ring, weighing their utility across key metrics:

• Early game power
• Long term value
• Synergy with astrologer playstyle
• Influence on build flexibility

I‘ll also share my personal recommendations based on experience pushing several astrologers past level 200 in Journey 2+Playthroughs.

Let‘s dive in!

What Does An Astrologer Need?

Before assessing keepsakes, it‘s important to review what makes astrologers tick. Beyond a high Intelligence requirement, astrologers rely heavily on:

• Mana Supply: FP (focus points) fuel all sorceries, so mana sustain is mandatory. Mind governs total FP.
• Survivabilty: Low vigor and armor means most attacks can one-shot you. Vigor and ranged combat helpastrologers stay alive.
• Spell Slots: Sorceries are equipped in limited memory slots governed by attunement. More slots increases combat options.
• Utility Tools: Summon ashes, craftables, and talismans provide critical astrological support.

With these key needs in mind, let‘s see how starting keepsakes can give you an edge.

#1: Crimson Amber Medallion

Effect: Raises max HP by 6%

After extensive testing, I firmly believe the Crimson Amber Medallion is the best keepsake for astrologers in Elden Ring. Here‘s why:

It directly addresses the biggest astrologer liability – low vigor and HP. As a cloth armored mage, you begin Journey 1 with only 538 HP. And low equip load limits damage mitigation through heavy armor.

The Crimson Amber Medallion‘s 6% permanent HP boost gives you 32 bonus HP immediately. This raises your max HP to 570 – a crucial buffer that lets you:

• Survive 1 more hit from early bosses and mini-bosses
• Engage in more risky exploration knowing you can take an extra hit
• Put more levels into mana and intelligence early, then catch up on vigor later

No other starting bonus synergizes as well with the astrologer‘s glass cannon design. And unlike consumables like Stonedust, this keepsake permanently raises your HP all playthrough.

When pushing NG+ Journeys, the Crimson Amber Medallion allows hitting 60 vigor much later, freeing up levels for more mana, attunement, or intelligence. This optimized stat distribution is why top players rely on the Amber Medallion to min-max their astrologers.

All factors considered, if your goal is to excel as an Elden Ring mage, this keepsake‘s unrivaled synergy makes it the clear #1 choice.

Pros

• Directly buffs crucial survivability stat
• Lets you delay raising vigor till later
• Fits perfectly with cloth armor and ranged glass cannon playstyle
• Permanently raises HP every playthrough

Cons

• Doesn‘t offer direct mana bonuses
• Requires adjusting tactics to make the most of extra HP buffer

#2: Golden Seed

Effect: Adds 1 to number of sacred flask charges

If you want to double down on mana focus from the start, the Golden Seed is arguably the second best keepsake. With 12 sacred flask charges instead of 11, it essentially gives you:

• 1 extra Crimson Tear sip restoring 1800 HP per refill
• 1 extra FP sip restoring 350 FP per refill

This added longevity offers similar advantages to the Crimson Amber Medallion:

• Survive an additional enemy combo due to extra crimson flask charge
• Cast up to 10% more spells due to extra azure flask charge
• Less reliance on blue flasks means more crimson charges for boss fights

When combined with all the golden seeds you accumulate, those extra recharges really add up – especially in NG+ cycles.

And while less universally beneficial than the HP boost, the extra mana power has specific advantages:

• Cast more spells between graces to test sorceries
• Lean harder into magic with less concern for melee combat stats
• Feel less pressure finding memory stones for new sorcery slots

So for devoted battle mages, the early mana edge from the Golden Seed keepsake can enable incredibly aggressive playstyles.

Pros

• Directly buffs FP and HP restoration
• Enables more spell testing and experimentation
• Allows heavier magic focus in build distribution
• Extra charges have compounding value when using many flasks

Cons

• Less flexible than raw HP boost
• Mana focus can backfire if relying too heavily on spells

#3: Fanged Imp Ashes

Effect: Summon 2 fanged imp spirits

While not boosting your character directly, the Fanged Imp Ashes provide a huge early game advantage – extra bodies on the battlefield. Even before unlocking the Spirit Calling Bell, these fiery imps offer helpful harassment:

• Imps can tank 5-8 enemy hits, dealing 126 damage on their own
• Excellent distraction tools while you cast offensive sorceries
• 2 extra targets boosts survivability against groups
• Costs relatively low FP to summon (55) so good mana value

Having disposable allies this early is extremely valuable in the first 10 hours. And after acquiring additional spirit ashes, the Fanged Imps make excellent secondary summons for their low cost.

I used Fanged Imps extensively on my primary battle mage in early areas like Stormhill, Limgrave Tunnels, and Weeping Peninsula – their harassment and distractions offered a key edge. And even late game, I still use them as diversions in select encounters.

For these reasons, Fanged Imp Ashes remain a top keepsake, especially if you enjoy aggressive close quarters combat augmented by summons.

Pros

• Excellent distractions to allow casting space
• Low FP cost relative to damage/harassment offered
• Retains value even late game as situational summon
• Frees up other ashes for primary summoning

Cons

• Doesn‘t offer personal stats or consumables
• Short duration means they can‘t tank bosses
• Without Spirit Calling Bell, utility is limited

#4: Cracked Pot (2)

Effect: Allows carrying 2 more throwable pots

Hear me out on this unorthodox pick – while easy to overlook, the Cracked Pot keepsake subtly empowers astrologers by doubling your crafting potential early.

By letting you hold 12 throwables instead of 10, those 2 extra pots enable serious alchemical aggression right away. With the added capacity you can carry:

• 4x Fire pots (300 damage each) for 1200 bonus damage
• 2x Magic or Lightning grease for 80% sorcery damage boost
• 1x Perfumes for FP regen over 30 seconds

You‘ll also spend less time having to recraft pots during critical moments. And the utility remains all game – letting you leverage more weapon buffs, explosive consumables, or perfumes simultaneously.

Being able to hurl additional 8000+ HP fire volleys on a whim embodies the astrologer‘s high risk/high reward playstyle perfectly. For this sheer explosive potential early, Cracked Pots deserve consideration.

Pros

• Carry more offensive and utility consumables
• Allows more crafting customization and flexibility
• Fits perfectly with astrologer‘s glass cannon role
• Extra capacity remains highly useful all playthrough

Cons

• Very specialized benefit
• Need materials and recipes to fully utilize
• Occupies off-hand slot so prevents staff/seal combos

Final Verdict: Crimson Amber Medallion

While other keepsakes have their niche advantages, the Crimson Amber Medallion is simply too powerful given the astrologer‘s innate fragility and low vigor.

No other starting bonus protects you better against the inevitability of being one-shotted by grueling enemies. And the HP cushion helps across every encounter, giving you breathing room as you master complex sorceries.

So if you‘re set on excelling as an Elden Ring battle mage, grab the Crimson Amber Medallion and never look back. The permanent vigor boost perfectly complements your explosive glass cannon prowess.

For devoted sorcerers I still highly recommend the Fanged Imp Ashes and Golden Seed as well. But no serious astrologer should overlook the pure synergy of starting with bonus HP through the Crimson Amber Medallion – your wizardly journey depends on it!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions about optimizing your Elden Ring sorcerer. I‘m always happy to share my best mage tips and tricks.