Mall Vending Machine Tomes

Vending Machine

The Mall vending machine is the single most underrated gold sink in Welcome to Elderfield. Most players walk past it because the tomes look expensive next to a stack of potions — then they hit a mid-game wall and realize they never learned a single healing ritual. I did the math on the buy order so you don't have to.

This guide covers every ritual tome sold at the Mall vending machine, what each one actually does in combat, and the exact purchase sequence I use to keep my run stable without draining my wallet. If you want the full picture of how rituals work as a system, my ritual skills overview breaks down every source in the game.

Tome	Price	Effect
Lesser Mending	25g	Restore 20 HP; +1 Recovery; usable outside battle (10 MP)
Cosmic Premonition	50g	Enemy Attack and Defense -20% for 3 turns; +1 Recovery
Torrent of Darkness	100g	Darkness damage to all enemies
All or Nothing	25g	High-risk attack ritual
Heavy Blow	5 MP	Heavy physical strike

Prerequisite: Access to the Mall vending machine.

My buy order: Lesser Mending → All or Nothing → Cosmic Premonition → Heavy Blow → Torrent of Darkness.

Where the Mall Vending Machine Sits

The Mall is your central hub for ritual shopping, and the vending machine is the cheapest source of tomes in the early game. You'll pass it naturally while exploring the Mall floors — the same trip where you can grab the warp in welcome to elderfield from Ultra Video on F1.

Here's the practical route logic I use:

1. Enter the Mall and clear the F1 hallway so you're not fighting while shopping.
2. Grab the free dark shield ritual in welcome to elderfield from the F1 hallway while you're there — it costs nothing and stacks with your purchased tomes.
3. Walk to the vending machine and buy in the order below.

Tip: I always buy tomes after I've secured free rituals. Free utility first, paid damage second — that way my gold goes toward gaps I can't fill any other way.

How I Prioritize the Buy Order

Gold is tight in the early game, and the vending machine doesn't discount. My rule is simple: survivability first, damage second, AoE last.

1. Lesser Mending — 25g (Buy First)

This is the tome that saves runs. Restore 20 HP, +1 Recovery, and — critically — it's usable outside battle for 10 MP.

That out-of-combat clause is the whole reason it's first. You can top yourself up between fights without burning consumables, which means fewer potions bought and more gold for the next tome. If you're bleeding HP after every encounter, this pays for itself in one dungeon.

2. All or Nothing — 25g (Buy Second)

Same price as Lesser Mending, and it's your early damage spike. It's a gamble ritual — high risk, high reward — so I treat it as a boss-opener, not a trash-mob tool. Pair it with a debuff and it lands far more reliably.

3. Cosmic Premonition — 50g (Buy Third)

Enemy Attack and Defense -20% for 3 turns, plus +1 Recovery. This is the setup ritual that makes everything else work. Drop it on turn one against anything with teeth, then unload.

Note: The -20% applies to both Attack and Defense, so it doubles as a defensive layer and a damage amplifier. I never open a serious fight without it once I own it.

4. Heavy Blow — 5 MP (Buy Fourth)

Cheap MP cost, reliable physical damage. No gold cost beyond the tome itself, which makes it the best MP-to-damage ratio in your early kit. I slot it as my default attack once I'm tired of basic swings.

5. Torrent of Darkness — 100g (Buy Last)

Darkness damage to all enemies. It's the most expensive tome on the machine, and for good reason — AoE clears trash packs fast. But you don't need AoE until you're consistently fighting groups, so I hold off until the cheaper tomes are locked in.

Warning: Don't buy Torrent of Darkness first just because it looks flashy. At 100g it will gut your early economy, and single-target fights won't reward it.

What Each Tome Actually Does in Combat

Tome	Role	Best Used On
Lesser Mending	Sustain	Between fights, or emergency heal
Cosmic Premonition	Debuff setup	Bosses and elite enemies
Torrent of Darkness	AoE clear	Groups of 3+ enemies
All or Nothing	Burst gamble	Boss openers
Heavy Blow	Reliable damage	Any single target

My standard combat loop once I own all five:

1. Open with Cosmic Premonition to shred enemy stats.
2. Follow with All or Nothing if I'm confident, or Heavy Blow if I want consistency.
3. Use Torrent of Darkness when the fight is a crowd.
4. Heal with Lesser Mending outside battle to save MP for the next room.

How These Tomes Fit the Wider Ritual System

Rituals in Welcome to Elderfield come from three sources: you start with Energy Blast and Guard, you find some in the world, and you buy the rest. The Mall vending machine covers the "buy" category almost entirely for the early-to-mid game.

If you're hunting rituals elsewhere, the pumpkin blast in the Old Woods and the [chaos thorns](.

/chaos-thorns-how-i-grab-the-sewers-ritual-fast-in-welcome-to.md) in the Sewers are the two big free pickups worth routing for. Between those and the vending machine, you can build a full ritual bar without ever grinding gold specifically for it.

Tip: I keep a mental budget of 100g earmarked for the Mall before I spend on anything else. Once that's banked, the whole tome list is affordable in one shopping trip.

• Buying Torrent of Darkness first. It's the worst gold-per-value early pick despite being the flashiest.
• Skipping Lesser Mending. Out-of-combat healing is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade in the game.
• Ignoring Cosmic Premonition. A 20% swing on both enemy Attack and Defense is enormous — it's not a "nice to have."
• Forgetting to actually learn the tomes. Buying isn't learning. Open your Rituals menu and confirm each one is equipped or slotted.

Final Thoughts

The Mall vending machine isn't glamorous, but it's the most efficient gold-to-power conversion in Welcome to Elderfield. Buy Lesser Mending and All or Nothing first, layer in Cosmic Premonition, then round out with Heavy Blow and Torrent of Darkness once your wallet recovers. Do that, and you'll walk into every mid-game fight with a full ritual kit instead of scrambling for potions.

If you want the complete ritual map — every source, every cost, every effect — start with the ritual skills overview and work outward from there.