Elden Ring can be a daunting game for both Soulsborne veterans and newcomers alike. There are so many locations to explore, bosses, to defeat, and cryptic NPCs to meet—it’s easy for some important information to slip through the cracks.
Even though exploring the Lands Between can be an isolating experience, there’s no need to avoid friendly advice from your fellow Tarnished. Whether you’re just starting to explore Limgrave, or you’ve already ventured into rotting Caelid and beyond, you’re bound to find some of this information helpful.
10 10. Regaining Flasks
While out in the open world, you might notice occasionally that you have more flasks than you thought you did a moment ago. This is a new mechanic FromSoftware introduced with this title. You will regain some flasks while out in the open world when you defeat certain groups of enemies. This doesn’t work in enclosed areas, like minor or legacy dungeons, and is intended specifically to encourage exploration of the open world. To increase your number of flasks, consider hunting down Golden Seed locations as well.
9 9. Different Types Of Teardrop Scarabs
You’ll come across strange creatures known as Teardrop Scarabs out in the world. These creatures can be invaluable out in the field, and it’s important to know their uses. The standard white Teardrop Scarabs will drop special items like Ashes of War or upgrade materials. Once killed, these do not respawn. Red Teardrop Scarabs, when killed, will instantly refill your Crimson Flask (healing flask). If you come across one of these and aren’t at full health, top off before killing the scarab. Blue Teardrop Scarabs, when killed, will instantly refill your Cerulean Flask (FP flask). The red and blue scarabs will respawn after you rest at a site of grace.
8 8. Suspicious Statues
Be on the lookout for strange statues dotting the Lands Between—they will point toward a minor dungeon which can often be pretty well-hidden. You can frequently find these statues up on a high point on a cliff or overlook. When you interact with them, a thin arc of light will point you toward the entrance of a corresponding minor dungeon.
Sometimes, this path is fairly straightforward. Other times, it can still be quite difficult to actually find the dungeon entrance. Even when an entrance isn’t obvious, the statue will let you know if it’s worth exploring your surroundings a little more closely.
7 7. Find Your Favorite Spirit Ashes
Spirit Ashes can be invaluable, and they can sometimes have surprising effects in different situations. Try out several to find which one compliments your play style, or keep a few on hand depending on your mood. You’ll eventually want to focus upgrade one or two. You might eventually come across some that you aren’t able to summon without upgrading your Mind stat to accommodate. Spirit Ashes are upgraded by Grave Glovewort and Ghost Glovewort items, mainly found underground in minor dungeons like catacombs, but they can also be found occasionally in caves and graveyards.
6 6. Try Every Weapon You Find
You’ll come across a wide variety of different weapon types in the game, from daggers and clubs to spears and whips. Every weapon is viable, so your main decision is whether or not you really enjoy the move set. Try out every weapon you find against a variety of enemies, but don’t commit to upgrading a weapon until you’ve used it enough and know your vibe with the playstyle.
You might find that you prefer carrying a few different weapons for different situations. For example, you’ll find longer weapons like spears or greatswords more effective for mounted combat, even if you prefer to normally fight up close with a dagger.
5 5. You Can Respec Stats Later
You’ll be able to re-roll your stats in the Liurnia of the Lakes region (accessible after conquering Stormveil Castle) with the item Larval Tear—but there are only 18 Larval Tears to be found in the entire game. That’s quite a few, but it’s not an infinite amount. If you come across a specific weapon or build you’re interested in trying out, and you’ve already statted out your character in another direction, you’ll be able to respec a few times to get your build just how you want it.
4 4. Even Without Magic, Cerulean Flasks Are Useful
If you decide to skip out on using sorceries or incantations, it can be tempting to throw all of your flasks into the Crimson Flask variant and focus on just healing, but consider keeping at least 1 or 2 Cerulean Flasks for your FP. Weapon skills/Ashes of War can be brutally effective in the right situations, and it’s helpful to have that option available at any time. You’ll also want your Spirit Ash option available should a fight become a bit too daunting.
3 3. Walking Mausoleums Duplicate Remembrances
Boss Remembrances can be duplicated at Walking Mausoleums. You’ll come across these strange structures throughout the Lands Between. You know you’re close when you can hear the ringing of their signature bell dangling beneath the mausoleum structure.
Each Walking Mausoleum might need to be approached differently, but for most, you’ll want to ride up beneath them and attack the white skull growths clustered around the base of their legs. Each Boss Remembrance can be used to gain a special weapon or spell, so if you’re interested in acquiring both, keep an ear out for the ringing bell of a Walking Mausoleum.
2 2. Jumping Attacks Are Powerful
Jumping attacks don’t just look cool—they’re actually extremely effective at breaking an enemy’s stagger bar. Stagger bars aren’t visible on an enemy the same as their health bar, but each enemy has one. Once a stagger bar is broken, the enemy is stunned for a moment, allowing for a critical attack. This can be extremely helpful in certain fights, especially against Ulcerated Tree Spirit bosses, as they have a surprisingly small stagger bar. Sometimes that extra stagger is exactly the pause you need in order to heal or get those crucial extra hits in.
1 1. You Can Pause The Game…Sort Of
Elden Ring doesn’t have a built-in pause button, but there’s a way to pause the game if you’re quick. Open the menu, click on inventory, then click on the button for ‘help.’ Then you want to select ‘menu explanation.’ While the menu explanation is open, the game is functionally paused. It might seems a bit unwieldy to do in the heat of combat, but once you become practiced at the series of button presses, you can pause the game in the middle of a boss fight and barely miss a beat.