If you’re looking to cast Miracles in Dark Souls (spells like Heal and Lightning Spear) then you’re going to need the right tool.
Much like sorcerers have their catalysts, clerics have talismans.
Equipping these little bits of cloth lets you cast your miracles.
Each talisman has their own pros and cons – and today we’re going to look at all seven of them in DS1 and see which are the best, and which to avoid.
7. Ivory Talisman
This white bit of cloth is identical to the Sunlight Talisman in all aspects other than appearance and location.
Getting the Ivory Talisman is a bit trickier too, thus making it even less worth your time.
If it’s all you have or want to use it that’s great!
It will serve its purpose – and you can cast miracles at a decent level, but let it be known that there are better choices out there.
How to Obtain: Dropped by Reah of Thorolund, who exists around Firelink Shrine.
6. Sunlight Talisman
This talisman isn’t too great.
It’s fine if you’re looking to cast Miracles and it scales fairly well, but there are two major problems with it.
First, it’s identical to the Ivory Talisman.
And second, to get it you have to kill Solaire.
Besides being the game’s best boy, our sun-worshipping friend is a great summon for many boss fights – and losing out on that might not be worth a simple trinket talisman that’s this mediocre.
How to Obtain: Defeat Solaire and he’ll drop it. 🙁
5. Thorolund Talisman
Perhaps being the easiest talisman to get, the Thorolund Talisman is also the least useful in the game.
You can purchase this from Petrus (big round armor dude) at the Firelink Shrine.
It has a static 165 magic adjustment stat.
And while that sounds great, once your Faith stat goes higher than 27 or so, any other talisman will provide better numbers.
The Thorolund Talisman is really great for the beginner miracle maker. But since it doesn’t scale or adjust itself, it can’t hang around as long as the other pieces can.
How to Obtain: Sold by both Petrus of Thorolund and Patches for 5000 souls.
4. Velka’s Talisman
Velka’s Talisman is the odd man out in the talisman family.
Rather than having its magic adjustment stat scale with Faith, as you’d expect from a trinket meant for casting miracles, it scales with Intelligence instead.
This means that Velka’s primary use isn’t so much a great tool for Clerics and other miracle casters, but rather as a means for Pyromancers and Spellcasters to use some basic miracles.
Long story short: if you’re looking to be a heavy-hitter with miracles, then this isn’t the talisman for you.
How to Obtain: Sold by Oswald of Carim in Firelink Shrine.
3. Talisman
The simple yet humble Talisman is the starting kit for the Cleric.
This basic bit cloth serves its purpose very well and is surprisingly good for a large portion of your adventure.
It has good Faith scaling, and can be your buddy for as long as you need it.
There are certainly better options out there, especially for higher levels.
But if you can’t be bothered to find them (or just want to stick with what you know) the basic Talisman won’t steer you wrong.
How to Obtain: Found in a hidden chest near the backside of the Firelink Shrine.
2. Darkmoon Talisman
What a cool name!
Coming to you from the covenant of the same name, the Darkmoon Talisman is a fantastic little bauble that has great magic adjust that scales very well.
This little guy is a great tool for all miracle makers, though actually getting your hands on it can be a little troublesome – especially if you’re not into the PVP scene.
You’ll have to join the Darkmoon Covenant and go hunting sinners in order to level up your rank and eventually get your hands on this.
Which can be a major deterrent for a lot of people, but the reward is certainly worth it!
How to Obtain: Give 10 Souvenirs of Reprisal to the Darkmoon Covenant.
1. Canvas Talisman
Of course, if you’re not down to grind PVP, there is a better way.
The Canvas Talisman is your best bet for the majority of the game – and it’s so easy to get!
This boy scales very well, has a good magic adjustment, and can last you well into a new game plus.
Some might say that other talismans might be better as far as the numbers go, and they might be right.
But what makes the Canvas win out is both its simplicity to acquire (every Cleric starts with it), and how versatile it is.
You can go the whole game with this boy and not feel any adverse effects.
Simplicity is sometimes the best way to go!
How to Obtain: Starting gear for the Cleric class.
Brian knows more about RPGs than he does world history. Combine with his love of writing and you get somebody who can, and will, go on forever about every nuance of every game he's played.
