Elden Ring: An Introduction – Strategies for Fighting, Surviving, and Exploring

As in the case of the Souls games, Elden Ring may be difficult for beginners. But players can triumph if they have a little talent, a little bit of luck, and a significant amount of patience. This is, in fact, the most accessible Souls.-like game around, thus it's a fantastic method to learn more about this genre. Here is our Elden Ring beginner's guide, which includes suggestions for exploration, survival, and battle.

Take note: See our Elden Ring guides and features hub for further details.

Elden Ring

Beginner's guide: Survival, combat, and exploration advice for those new to Tarnished

The end is not the end

To start with, let me clarify: the general agreement about Souls/Souls-like games in that they're really challenging, and that's okay. Elden Ring adheres to this idea well, yet there are several enhancements that might benefit a beginner. Even yet, dying often is inevitable; it's all part of the experience. Never give up and feel free to explore other areas or level up further if you feel like you're reaching a dead end in a challenging boss battle.

The Knowledge Cave

You ought should emerge from your initial "death" in a dimly lit cavern. You may descend into a chasm that leads to the Cave of Knowledge. This location serves as the tutorial for the game and has several tips that manifest as messages or signs. To test your knowledge of the fundamentals, you'll even take on a miniboss.

Rune gathering and loss

The fundamental unit of money in Elden Ring is runes. (like wealth or souls). Numerous runes will drop from each opponent you defeat. Similarly, search for skulls that have sparkling eyes. These may be broken to reveal Golden Rune objects, which you can spend in your inventory to get runes.

Runes are used to level up, buy gear, and improve weapons and skills. However, be aware that if you pass away, you will forfeit every rune you own. From the place where you died, you have an opportunity to recover them. But those runes are permanently lost if you die in the process. Because of this, if you need to level up or spend additional runes on valuable things, it's often a wiser idea to gather them in a low-level location rather than risk losing them all in a high-risk zone.

Take note: Our rune loss prevention guide and rune farming guide provide further information. Sites of Grace and quick travel
Elden Ringis sprinkled with several Sites of Grace. These are multipurpose "bonfires," or saving places. One of the most significant is that, as long as you've located and identified the Site of Grace there, they serve as quick transit hubs that allow you to go quickly from one location to the next.

Similar to this, you may replenish all of your MP and HP as well as the charges in your flasks and potions when you take a nap at a Site of Grace. Enemies, however, will also respawn. The good news is that you may quickly gather a large quantity of crafting resources since some, like herbs and minerals, will resurface. Similarly, Sites of Grace are often located in front of monster arenas or at the start of dungeons, so you won't have to fight your way through a swarm of opponents to accomplish a goal.

You will revive at a nearby Stake of Marika (checkpoint) or a Site of Grace according on the deaths you suffer. In addition to this, Sites of Grace may be used for leveling up, flask charging, memorizing/equipping spells, and other purposes.

Take note: One significant figure you'll see is Melina at the Site of Grace, which is located in the Gatefront neighborhood. She'll let you spend runes on Sites of Grace to level up.Choosing the ideal character for your playstyle and being familiar with statistics

If you develop all of the classes in Elden Ring in the same way over time, they will all perform similarly. The beginning armor/weapons and stat distribution are where the main differences lie. In relation to statistics, here's the main idea:

• Vigor (HP), Mind (FP/mana), and Endurance (stamina and carry weight) are all passive functions with bars at the top-left corner of your screen.
• For those who want to focus on physical damage, you can go with Strength (slower but stronger weapons) or Dexterity (faster but weaker weapons, and slightly increased spellcasting time). Those who like to focus on Strength can try the Vagabond or Hero. For Dexterity, meanwhile, the ones with the highest base stats are the Samurai and Warrior.
• As for spellcasting, there are three stats to consider. Intelligence is primarily used by Sorcery-type spells (i.e., offensive elemental abilities), whereas Faith is used by Incantation-type spells (i.e., some offensive holy spells, but also a bunch of healing/support abilities). Lastly, Arcane can be used by both schools of magic, though it’s also the stat that determines your item discovery/drop rate. Spellcaster starting classes include the Astrologer (Intelligence), Prophet (Faith), and Confessor (Faith).
• Some classes can be considered hybrids due to having two stats that are higher, while the rest lag behind. For instance, there’s the Bandit (Dexterity and Arcane) and Prisoner (Dexterity and Intelligence). Lastly, there’s the Wretch, which is for more experienced players.

Aside from the three passive abilities stated before, you may come across spells or gear that needs several stat values (e.g., STR 14, DEX 16, and FAI 8) in order to be utilized or equipped. As a result, leveling in Elden Ring mostly involves choosing which offensive stat to prioritize. If you choose to equip or use a certain item or spell, you will only be able to add points to other stats. Increasing your Vigor (HP) is obviously a must if you want to live, but magic users will also want to increase their Mind (FP/mana).

Take note: Our character creation guide and attribute respec guide have more information.Mounting on Torrent

Melina will grant you an item that allows you to call your faithful steed, Torrent, after you utilize a Site of Grace to level up. Although you cannot summon Torrent in dungeons or inner sections, you may utilize him to move around the terrain more quickly.

Take note: Our exploration and mounted combat guide has further information.Make use of beacons and map markers

Because Elden Ring is so large, exploring its parts is likely to cause you to get disoriented and distracted. With so much to look at, it may be easy to become overwhelmed. To add marks, you may still open the global map in the game and press "R." If you came across anything intriguing and would want to get back to it at a later time, these symbols will be helpful. By hitting "E," you may also add a beacon to the map. However, this will only add a little symbol to your compass when you're somewhat near to the desired spot.

Look out for sculptures that indicate something

During your exploration of Elden Ring, you may come across strange sculptures pointing off into the distance. A dim path that leads to a dungeon will become visible if you interact with them. You may use the general direction of the trail—which you can also see on your map—to determine how far away the dungeon is.

Flasks are repaired by dung beetles, and they may also provide additional rewards.

Additionally, keep a watch out for dung beetles that wheel their "treasure" about. Your MP and HP flasks are restored by those that glow red and blue, respectively. But a very small number are really unique. They may give you Incantation spells, an Ash of War talent, or Smithing Stones to enhance your weapons.

Guard countering, avoiding, parrying, and blocking

When you battle adversaries in Elden Ring, a variety of dynamics are at work. The ones that deal with avoidance and combating are the most important ones:

• Blocking is the most simple, as you just equip a shield to prevent hits. However, you could lose a lot of stamina with each hit that you mitigate. Sometimes, shields won’t have 100% resistances, too, which means partial damage will land.
• Guard Counters, meanwhile, require you to block and follow up with a heavy attack. This can be devastating if you time it right at the end of an enemy’s combo chain.
• Dodging is all about rolling in the right direction at the proper time to avoid a hit and get those sweet invincibility frames/iframes. A successful dodge means no damage is taken, and the enemy might be left open. A poor one could mean rolling straight into a blast or a powerful blow that annihilates you.
• Lastly, parrying is an Ash of War skill that might be present in certain shields, but can also be assigned to others once you acquire the ability. This is akin to a perfect block where you deflect an attack and stun the enemy in the process.

Stealth, criticals, stuns, and Poise/Super Armor

While we're talking about it, let's talk about some other aspects of fighting in Elden Ring:

• Poise – This is a stat that appears on your character panel and it’s based on your armor’s weight/type. It represents how vulnerable you are to interruptions when attacked by enemies (i.e., a split-second animation where your character is forced back upon getting hit).
• Super Armor – This isn’t actually seen, but it’s a mechanic that’s in play when you fight elites and bosses. If you can wail away on them by using (a) charged/heavy attacks, (b) dash attacks, (c) jumping attacks, and (d) guard counters, they’ll eventually get stunned. You can follow up with a critical hit, which makes you invulnerable to everything else while the animation is playing.
• Stealth – Stealth is a key gameplay mechanic while you’re exploring dangerous areas. You can crouch-walk behind enemies or hide in tall bushes. If you can get closer to a target without getting spotted, you can perform a critical hit.

NPC Assistants and Ash Summons

You may return to a previously visited Site of Grace in the Church of Elleh after gaining Torrent. The Spirit Calling Bell and the Lone Wolf Ashes will be given to you there by a witch by the name of Renna. You will now be able to call forth ghostly creatures and groups of people in certain campaign locations, such as boss battle arenas.

Aside from this, you may call upon NPC allies during certain battles. When you're facing more formidable opponents, they will battle and cause distractions.

Both solo and multiplayer online: Take advice from others

I won't discuss the PvP aspect of Elden Ring since, in Souls games, it really gets on my nerves. I advise you to play online even when you're by yourself. This enables you to see player-provided hints:

• Messages – Messages left in a white scribble might contain hints or funny blurbs.
• White phantoms – Periodically, you might see white phantoms running around. These can help you ascertain what other players might be doing in that exact location.

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• Bloodstains and red phantoms – When you interact with a bloodstain, you’ll see how a player died in that particular situation.
• Multiplayer items and summons – Lastly, you can acquire items that allow you to become a host for co-op multiplayer or join those who are looking for help. Just be forewarned that playing co-op will also open you up to possible PvP invasions.

, andWhen in doubt, use a ranged weapon to slay

Finally, but just as importantly, I suggest that you get a ranged weapon in Elden Ring. This is a result of the way boss AI works. Bosses in the Overworld have a range of attack, and they don't heal you back until you die or take a nap at a Site of Grace. As such, if you have extra ammunition, you may snipe them safely from a distance and cheese with ease.

Take note: Our guide to ranged weapons and ammunition has further information. Furthermore, now that we've covered everything, maybe it's time to go ahead and achieve the goals in Limgrave.

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You may play Elden Ring on Steam. Visit our guides and features hub for further details.

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