If you're wondering how to respec in Elden Ring, the short version is pretty simple: beat Rennala, unlock Rebirth, and spend a Larval Tear to move your stats around. It’s one of the most useful systems in the game, especially once your build starts feeling off or a new weapon suddenly makes you want to pivot hard. This guide covers exactly how Elden Ring respec works, what you need to unlock it, where to find Larval Tears, and when it actually makes sense to use them.
How to Respec Elden Ring
In Elden Ring, respec is locked behind one boss: Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. You’ll find her in the Raya Lucaria Grand Library inside the Academy of Raya Lucaria, over in Liurnia of the Lakes. Once you beat her, she doesn’t disappear like most major bosses. Instead, she stays in the Grand Library as a non-hostile NPC, sitting there with the Amber Egg.
To respec, just talk to Rennala and choose the "Rebirth" option. That opens the stat reset screen, where the game pulls all of your allocated attribute points back down to your starting class minimums and lets you reassign everything from there. You can watch your numbers update as you go, which makes it way easier to check weapon requirements, spell thresholds, and whether your new setup actually works before locking it in.
Each Rebirth costs one Larval Tear. The good news is that the Tear is only consumed when you confirm the final stat spread on the last screen. So if you open the menu, test a few ideas, then back out, you won’t lose anything. Honestly, that makes Rennala’s menu one of the safest places in the game to theorycraft.
Elden Ring Respec Requirements
There are only two real requirements for using Rebirth. First, you must defeat Rennala. That’s the actual unlock, and there isn’t another NPC or alternate system in the base game that lets you redistribute stats. Second, you need at least one Larval Tear in your inventory when you speak to her.
Larval Tears are basically respec currency and nothing else. You don’t use them manually from the inventory like a normal consumable; they’re only spent through Rennala’s confirmation screen. They’re limited on purpose, and that scarcity is part of what makes each respec feel like a real choice. One nice detail, though, is that Larval Tears carry over into New Game Plus, so any extras you save won’t vanish when you move into the next cycle.
As for what Rebirth actually changes, it only affects your attributes. Every point above your starting class floor gets refunded and can be reassigned however you want. Those class minimums are permanent, though. If you started as a Vagabond, for example, you can’t push Vigor below 15 or Strength below 14 because those are your base values.
What Rebirth does not change is just as important:
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Your overall Soul Level stays the same
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Your starting class stays the same
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Your weapons, armor, and inventory stay the same
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Flask upgrades, Spirit Ash upgrades, and other progression systems are untouched
So no, this is not a full character reset. It’s strictly a stat redistribution tool.
Larval Tear Locations Elden Ring
There are 18 Larval Tears in the base game per playthrough, and Shadow of the Erdtree adds more on top of that. Most of them come from disguised enemies that transform when attacked, while a few are sold by merchants or picked up directly from the world. If you’re planning multiple build swaps, knowing the easy routes matters a lot.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most important Larval Tear locations in Elden Ring:
| Region | Source Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Limgrave (Agheel Lake South) | Mimic enemy | Wandering Noble transforms into a Lesser Runebear |
| Liurnia — Village of the Albinaurics | Static pickup | On a ledge near coffins past the stone bridge |
| Liurnia — Boilprawn Shack | Mimic enemy | Giant Crayfish transforms into a Grafted Scion |
| Liurnia — Pidia, Carian Servant | Merchant | Costs 3,000 runes; available after Royal Knight Loretta |
| Liurnia — Three Sisters (Resurrection Painting) | World event | Interact with ghost in graveyard behind Caria Manor |
| Siofra River — Abandoned Merchant | Merchant | Costs 3,000 runes near the aqueduct waterfall |
| Caelid (Caelid Highway South) | Mimic enemy | Wandering Noble transforms into a Troll |
| Nokron, Eternal City | Multiple sources | Five Tears total, including two from Mimic Tear boss |
| Altus Plateau (Rampartside Path) | Mimic enemy | Wandering Noble transforms into a Bladed Lion |
| Mt. Gelmir (Road of Iniquity) | Mimic enemy | Putrid Zombie transforms into a Wormface |
| Nokstella, Eternal City | Silver Sphere enemies | Three Tears from rolling sphere enemies on main path |
| Consecrated Snowfield | Mimic enemy | Wandering nobles surround a figure that transforms into a Runebear |
Early Larval Tear Route
If you want a Larval Tear early, head to Agheel Lake South in Limgrave and look southeast of the Site of Grace. There’s a Wandering Noble there that reveals itself as a mimic enemy once attacked, transforming into a Lesser Runebear. Beat it, and you get a Tear. It’s available extremely early, even before Margit, which makes it the first easy pickup for most players.
After that, a strong early route takes you into southern Liurnia and the Village of the Albinaurics. There’s a static Larval Tear on a ledge near some coffins past the stone bridge, so this one is more about careful movement than winning a tough fight. From there, you can swing by Boilprawn Shack, where a Giant Crayfish transforms into a Grafted Scion and drops another Tear.
A little later, once you’ve cleared Caria Manor and beaten Royal Knight Loretta, you can reach Pidia, Carian Servant. He’s tucked away on a balcony in the manor’s lower section and sells one Larval Tear for 3,000 runes. That’s one of the cleanest guaranteed purchases in the game.
Mid-Game Larval Tear Route
The best mid-game cluster is easily Nokron, Eternal City. You unlock it after beating Starscourge Radahn and triggering the falling star event north of Fort Haight in Limgrave. This area is stacked with value, and if you know you’ll be respeccing more than once, it’s pretty much mandatory.
The biggest prize here is the Mimic Tear boss, which drops two Larval Tears by itself. That makes it the highest-yield single encounter in the base game. A classic trick still works well too: enter the arena with no gear equipped, let the mimic copy your empty loadout, then re-equip once the fight starts.
Nokron also gives you another Tear in Night's Sacred Ground, dropped by a giant Silver Sphere enemy. Then, as Ranni’s questline opens up Nokstella, Eternal City, you can grab three more from the rolling Silver Sphere enemies along the main route. Between Nokron and Nokstella, you can build a very healthy Tear stockpile without too much detouring.
Best Time to Respec Elden Ring
For most players, the best first respec happens right after beating Rennala. That’s usually the point where your build starts becoming more defined, and you’ve probably found at least one weapon you actually want to commit to. Early on, a lot of leveling goes into raw survival stats like Vigor and Endurance just to stay alive. Once your gear and playstyle settle in, trimming those points and moving them into your main damage stat is often a massive upgrade.
Another great time to respec is when you pick up a weapon that wants a completely different stat spread. Stuff like Moonveil, Rivers of Blood, or Blasphemous Blade can make your current build feel instantly outdated. Instead of awkwardly leveling around a bad setup, you can just use one Larval Tear and pivot cleanly into the scaling that weapon actually needs.
If you’re heading into Shadow of the Erdtree, doing a dedicated respec beforehand is usually worth it. The DLC throws new weapon types, new Ashes of War, and some very specific encounter demands at you. A build that cruised through the base game can feel way less efficient there, so going in with a focused setup is often the smarter play.
PvP players have another reason to use Rebirth carefully. In 2026, the common invasion and duel ranges are still clustered around Soul Level 125 to 150, and a few wasted points can absolutely matter. If you’re trying to hit a soft cap, optimize equip load, or squeeze in just enough Mind or Endurance for your rotation, respec becomes a precision tool rather than just a convenience feature.
Popular 2026 Respec Targets
A few build archetypes stand out in the 2026 meta, both for PvE and PvP.
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Strength stagger builds remain incredibly strong, especially with Colossal weapons like the Giant-Crusher or Greatsword. These setups often aim for 66 Strength, 60 Vigor, and around 25–30 Endurance, letting you abuse stance breaks and cash in on frequent critical hits.
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Dexterity bleed setups are still a powerhouse. Builds using the Uchigatana or Rivers of Blood, often paired with an Occult offhand, usually target 50–60 Dexterity, 45–60 Arcane, and enough Vigor to survive late-game burst damage. The Hemorrhage proc rate is still brutal against a huge chunk of the game.
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Intelligence caster pivots continue to be one of the best high-damage options available. A typical setup built around Lusat's Glintstone Staff, Comet Azur, or Ranni's Dark Moon usually wants 60–80 Intelligence plus 35–45 Mind to keep spell pressure going.
Elden Ring Respec Limits and Rules
Before you start spending Larval Tears freely, it helps to know the hard limits. The biggest one is simple: Larval Tears are limited per playthrough. The base game gives you exactly 18 confirmed Tears, and while Shadow of the Erdtree adds more, the total is still finite. Enemies that drop them do not respawn, and merchant Tears can only be bought once each cycle.
Rebirth also does not let you lower your Soul Level. If your character is Soul Level 150, then after respeccing, you’re still Soul Level 150. You’re only moving points around, not undoing levels you already earned.
You also cannot change your starting class. That part is permanent. A Wretch will always keep the Wretch stat floor, and a Confessor will always keep Confessor base stats. That matters more than some players expect, especially if you’re trying to min-max for PvP breakpoints.
For NG+, the good news is straightforward: Larval Tears carry over. Any Tears left in your inventory move with you into the next cycle, so if you like experimenting, stockpiling them during one run is a very smart habit.
Elden Ring Respec FAQ
Can you respec infinitely in Elden Ring?
No, not in a single playthrough. You’re limited by however many Larval Tears exist in that run: 18 in the base game, plus additional Tears from Shadow of the Erdtree. Once you run out, that’s it until NG+ refreshes world drops.
Does canceling Rebirth waste a Larval Tear?
No. The Tear is only consumed when you confirm your new stat spread on the final screen. If you back out before that, the item stays in your inventory.
How many Larval Tears are there?
There are 18 Larval Tears in the base game per playthrough. Shadow of the Erdtree adds several more, including confirmed pickups in places like Gravesite Plain, Scorched Ruins, and the Abandoned Ailing Village in the Realm of Shadow.
Does Shadow of the Erdtree add extra respec opportunities?
Yes. The DLC includes additional Larval Tear pickups across its new regions, which gives you noticeably more room to experiment with builds during a single cycle. The community is still refining exact totals as more hidden sources get documented.
Conclusion
Elden Ring respec is thankfully much simpler than it first sounds. Beat Rennala in Raya Lucaria, bring a Larval Tear, and use Rebirth in the Grand Library to reassign your stats. That’s the whole loop, and once you unlock it, build experimentation becomes way more practical.
For most players, the best first respec comes in the mid-game, right when weapon specialization starts to matter and your early survival-heavy stat spread stops being ideal. And honestly, that flexibility is a huge part of what makes the system so good. Instead of being stuck with whatever seemed smart 20 hours earlier, you get to refine your character around the weapons, spells, and playstyle you actually enjoy using.