The Flask of Wondrous Physick is the most underrated tool in Elden Ring. You fill it with two Crystal Tears, drink it before a fight, and get both effects at once. The right pair can double your damage, make a boss fight free of FP costs or let you survive a hit that would kill you. Here are the best combinations for every build on our build tier list.
How the Physick flask works
- You get the flask at the Third Church of Marika in north-east Limgrave, together with your first tear.
- Mix two tears at any Site of Grace. You cannot put the same tear in twice.
- The flask has one use and refills when you rest.
- Most Crystal Tears are dropped by the Erdtree Avatars guarding the Minor Erdtrees.
Best Crystal Tear combos for each build
| Build | Tear 1 | Tear 2 | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleed Arcane | Thorny Cracked Tear | Opaline Hardtear | Corpse Piler hits many times in a row, so the consecutive-attack buff ramps fast; Opaline keeps you alive while you stay close. |
| Colossal Strength | Spiked Cracked Tear | Stonebarb Cracked Tear | Charged heavies and jump attacks hit harder and break stance sooner: perfect for a stagger build. |
| Moonveil Spellblade | Magic-shrouding Cracked Tear | Cerulean Hidden Tear | More magic damage and no FP cost for a short time: spam Transient Moonlight and Comet Azur. |
| Dexterity Katana | Thorny Cracked Tear | Dexterity-knot Crystal Tear | Long katana combos stack the Thorny buff; the Dexterity boost adds damage on top. |
| Taker’s Flames Faith | Flame-shrouding Cracked Tear | Cerulean Hidden Tear | Taker’s Flames is fire damage and FP hungry: this pair makes it stronger and free for the duration. |
| Dark Moon Greatsword | Magic-shrouding Cracked Tear | Spiked Cracked Tear | The moonlight waves come from charged heavy attacks, so both tears boost your main damage. |
Best general-purpose combos
| Combo | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Crimsonspill Crystal Tear + Opaline Hardtear | More max HP and more damage negation: the safest pick for learning a new boss. |
| Crimsonburst Crystal Tear + Greenburst Crystal Tear | Steady HP and stamina regeneration for long, aggressive fights. |
| Winged Crystal Tear + Leaden Hardtear | Lighter equip load and more poise: wear heavier armor and still roll well. |
| Speckled Hardtear + Crimsonspill Crystal Tear | Status resistance and healing for rot, poison and frostbite fights. |
Boss-specific tears
- Mohg, Lord of Blood: the Purifying Crystal Tear cancels the Nihil blood curse in his second phase. Use it with Opaline Bubbletear or Crimsonspill.
- Malenia: Speckled Hardtear helps against scarlet rot from Scarlet Aeonia; pair it with your build’s damage tear.
- Long boss gauntlets: the Twiggy Cracked Tear briefly stops rune loss if you die, handy when you carry a lot of runes into a fight.
Tears to skip
- Ruptured Crystal Tear makes the flask explode on you. It is a fun trick, but it hurts you too.
- Crimson Bubbletear and Opaline Bubbletear only trigger once, so a steady buff is usually worth more.
FAQ
Can I change tears mid-fight?
No. You can only mix at a Site of Grace, and the flask has one charge.
Can I mix two different shrouding tears?
Yes, for example fire and magic, but each one only boosts its own damage type. Unless your build deals both types, a damage tear plus a utility tear is the better use of the slot.
See every tear and its effect in the items database (filter by Crystal Tears).
Further reading: Crystal Tears on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.