Where to Find the Green Turtle Talisman in Elden Ring Tarnished Edition

A new edition is the perfect excuse to roll a fresh character, and the 2026 version hands you real decisions to make before you even clear the tutorial’s first boss. Whether you’re brand new on Switch 2 or a veteran bolting the Tarnished Pack onto an existing platform, the early game rewards a plan: the right starting class, a survivable stat spread, and a short shopping list of weapons, buffs, and farms that carry you into the game’s hardest content. Here’s how to set up a fresh run so the tough fights ahead feel fair.

Tarnished Edition versus the Tarnished Pack

The single biggest source of confusion around this launch is that there are two different things with almost the same name. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is a full Nintendo Switch 2 bundle — it packs the base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and all the new extras into one release, landing on August 28, 2026. The Tarnished Pack is that same new content — two new starting classes, four armor sets, and three swappable Torrent skins — sold as a small add-on on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, unlocked by installing Patch 1.17, which went live on August 27. The Pack does not include the base game or the DLC; you need to already own those.

So the new classes and cosmetics are not Switch-exclusive — every platform gets them, just through different packaging. They also don’t replace the original 10 classes; they sit alongside them as extra picks on the character-creation screen. One thing to keep in mind: Patch 1.17 slightly shifts early-game weapon scaling and item availability, so a few older pre-patch build numbers may read a little off now.

Heavy Knight and Idus Knight compared

The Heavy Knight is the straightforward one. You start in heavy armor with high physical protection and the Dismounter, a big scimitar built for a heavy-weapon playstyle from the very first minute. It carries the higher starting Endurance of the two, so it’s the closest thing to a “ride to Caelid, grab a colossal slab, and start swinging” starter — a pure-Strength tank that lets you hyperfocus Vigor, Strength, and equip load and largely ignore the rest.

The Idus Knight is the more flexible pick, and it genuinely rivals the Vagabond when you’re unsure what you’ll build long-term. Its headline feature is that it begins with Milady, a light greatsword normally found early in the DLC — fast, Ash of War-friendly, and excellent against bosses. Dexterity leads its spread, but a solid Strength stat right behind it and a notably high Faith open the door to quality builds, early Faith casts, or a lightning setup. If you’re dead set on a pure-Dex run and don’t care about Milady, the Samurai is a cleaner start — but as an “alternative Vagabond” that hands you a top-tier weapon on turn one, the Idus Knight is superb.

Which class to pick for a fresh run

If you’re completely new to Elden Ring, treat the new classes as options, not requirements — the old advice still holds. The Vagabond remains the top pick: high Vigor and solid Strength make early mistakes far less punishing while you learn the game. The Samurai is a strong second, handing you an Uchigatana with bleed buildup plus a bow for ranged pokes and pulls.

Whichever body you choose, take the Golden Seed keepsake. It adds one extra flask charge to your total pool right away — you can assign it to your Flask of Crimson Tears for more healing or to the Flask of Cerulean Tears for FP — which softens those first brutal boss attempts. Think of the Heavy Knight and Idus Knight as flavor on top of a proven foundation, not a reason to skip the classics.

Leveling priorities: Vigor, Endurance, and soft caps

Next, min-max Endurance so you can always keep at least a medium roll — a fat roll is miserable regardless of whether you’re in light, medium, or heavy armor, unless you’re fully committed to guarding with a big shield. Beyond that, pick one main damage direction — Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, or Arcane — and don’t spread points across all of them.

Keep the soft cap system in mind, too. Past certain levels, each extra point returns less than it used to: Vigor starts falling off around 14 and again near 60, while Strength has break points near 20, 55, and 80. You don’t need a spreadsheet — just watch the per-level gain. When leveling up stops giving you the health or damage jump it did a few levels back, you’ve hit the cap and your points are better spent elsewhere.

Standout early weapons and the one talisman to grab

A great weapon early makes an enormous difference, and four stand out. Bloodhound’s Fang is the timeless pick — a curved sword with a slight Dexterity lean and a higher Strength requirement, brutal when two-handed with easy jump attacks and an Ash of War that packs damage, stagger, and evasion into one move. If you rolled the Idus Knight you already own Milady, whose Wing Stance thrust-and-charge heavies rack up huge damage and poise break against bosses. The Uchigatana is the reliable all-rounder — it works one-handed with a shield, two-handed, or as an Arcane bleed weapon, and Samurai players start with it. And if you’re going heavy, the Greatsword (a colossal sword) has an outstanding moveset for both single targets and crowds once you factor in jump attacks, heavies, and a strong Ash of War.

One talisman belongs on every build: the Green Turtle Talisman, tucked in the cellar beneath Summonwater Village in Limgrave — you’ll need a Stonesword Key to open it, but the faster stamina regen it grants helps whether you’re swinging colossal weapons or dancing around with a katana. The table below has the weapon pickup spots; match your pick to your main stat and grab the talisman while you’re in Limgrave.

Fast early rune farms when you hit a wall

If a boss is stonewalling you, leave and come back stronger — Elden Ring is built around exploring sideways for levels, upgrades, and better talismans rather than throwing yourself at one wall. When you specifically want runes, a few methods stand out at different points: a no-fight ball trap you can reach absurdly early, a giant sleeping dragon that pays out over 100,000 runes in a single kill, and the base game’s best repeatable farm once the DLC route opens up.

Whatever you run, multiply the payout first. The Gold Scarab talisman boosts runes from every kill — it’s in the Abandoned Cave on the west side of Caelid, behind two Cleanrot Knights — and gold pickled fowl feet add a temporary rune buff you’ll want active before a big one-time kill like the dragon.

Upgrading weapons and the two buffs that stack

Upgrading a weapon raises both its damage and its stat scaling, so it often adds more early power than raw levels do — but there are two separate tracks. Regular weapons use Smithing Stones and cap at +25, which takes a lot of stones across a run. Special and somber weapons — most boss weapons — use Somber Smithing Stones and cap at +10, so they’re far cheaper to max out. You’ll gather what you need naturally as you explore, so don’t overthink it.

For fast damage, grab the two stacking buffs every build should carry. Flame, Grant Me Strength boosts attack power (and fire damage if you’re using it) and sits right on the ground at Fort Gael in Caelid. Golden Vow adds attack power plus some defense; there’s an Ash of War version that needs no Faith, but the full incantation is stronger and waits on a body inside the Corpse-Stench Shack on Mt. Gelmir. Pop both before a tough fight and the combined boost is substantial.

Reaching the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and beating Mohg

Beat Radahn in Caelid

He’s one of the two required kills; you’ll find him out in the desert region of Caelid.

Grab the right medallion half at the Village of the Albinaurics

In southwest Liurnia, head slightly uphill from the first grace before the bridge and hit the lit false jar on the right to reveal Albus, who gives you the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right).

Take the left half atop Castle Sol

In the Mountaintops of the Giants, beat Commander Niall, then ride the elevator behind his arena up to the roof to grab the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left).

Hoist the medallion at the Grand Lift of Rold

Present the completed medallion there and it carries you to the Consecrated Snowfield instead of the usual destination.

Take the red portal to Mohgwyn Palace

On the west side of the Consecrated Snowfield, by the large trees, step into the blood-soaked portal to warp straight into Mohgwyn Palace.

Get the Purifying Crystal Tear first

Beat the invader Eleonora at the Second Church of Marika on the Altus Plateau, then mix the tear she drops into your Flask of Wondrous Physick.

Beat Mohg and touch the cocoon

Climb to the top of the palace; when Mohg shouts “Nihil,” drink the Physick to cancel the curse that would otherwise wipe your health, finish him, then interact with the cocoon behind him to enter the DLC.

If you’d rather reach Mohgwyn Palace much earlier — in a far weaker state — you can instead run all of Varre’s questline for a faster shortcut to the same spot. A fresh character can technically head to the DLC early, but power up first: those final bosses are the toughest fights in the game.

Related Elden Ring guides

• Elden Ring Tarnished Pack Price and Release Date on PC, PS5, PS4 and Xbox

Video help