Elden Ring is something of a phenomenon, being the largest breakout hit in FromSoftware’s history of acclaimed games. Their different titles each come with something of a reputation, and for many players, Elden Ring ended up (or will end up) being their first brush with the Soulsborne genre. Each FromSoftware game offers its own unique challenges to overcome, and each game has become a bit friendlier to new players.
Elden Ring itself is the most accessible to first-time players due to different design aspects newly introduced in this title—mostly centered around the open-world design. Before you start down this unforgettable journey, there are a few things you should know.
10 10/10 Expect To Die A Lot
Elden Ring is generally more forgiving than previous Soulsborne titles, but dying and learning from your death is an important aspect of these types of games, so embrace it! It doesn’t matter how many times a boss takes you down. What matters is that you keep getting up and learning. Ask yourself what you could have done differently in the last attempt. Finally overcoming a difficult boss after learning their moves through repeat attempts provides a unique satisfaction that is hard to find in other genres.
9 9/10 Environmental Storytelling Is King
FromSoftware games put a heavy emphasis on environmental storytelling, often minimizing a direct narrative pulling you along. Elden Ring probably has the most digestible main story of all of their games, but the story is still pretty cryptic. You’ll encounter plenty of NPCs with their own strange objectives, and it’s up to you to piece together what’s going on in the world around you. Talk to everyone you meet, and make sure to exhaust their dialogue. Make sure to read item descriptions—every item you find was placed there for a reason, and every item includes a new sliver of lore for you to turn over and piece together.
8 8/10 Don’t Get Hung Up On Your Starting Class
Your starting class might feel like a big decision, but it’s ultimately pretty minor—it’s mostly just a handful of items and a starting stat array. Every time you level up, you can plug points into whichever stat you want, so you can begin as a warrior and eventually shift entirely over toward being a sorcerer if you so choose, or vice versa. You will also get the chance to re-roll stats later on in the game after defeating the main boss of Liurnia of the Lakes.
Additionally, you’ll be able to acquire all of the starting class gear at some point in the game, but certain ones (like the Vagabond Knight armor set) are only available surprisingly late in the game. If a particular class is calling to you, that’s great. If not, don’t worry about it too much. You’ll figure out what kind of Tarnished you want to be along the journey.
7 7/10 Keepsakes: Do Your Research
When creating your character, one of the choices you’ll need to make is picking your Keepsake. You can choose none, but some of the options are quite helpful early on. The Golden Seed, for example, grants you an extra Flask (for healing or magic) pretty much right off the bat, as soon as you rest at a site of grace. You will eventually find enough Golden Seeds in the game that you’ll end up with extra, but having an additional flask early in the game can be invaluable. The Stonesword Key is another great choice—it’s a single-use item that grants access to locked rooms or minor dungeons throughout the game. There are more Stonesword Keys in the game than locked doors, so like the Golden Seed, the choice is more about having that option right away in the game.
6 6/10 Always Have A Ranged Weapon
Even if you’re primarily playing a melee character, it’s important to always have some form of ranged attack available. There are plenty of situations where taking on a group of enemies all at once feels impossible, but with a ranged weapon, you’ll be able to pull 1 or 2 at a time, allowing much more manageable encounters. Combat in FromSoftware games is as much about thoughtfully approaching a fight as it is about ‘getting good.’ You’ll also come across some flying enemies which you’ll have a much easier time dealing with if you can pull or defeat them from range.
5 5/10 Follow The Golden Path
Elden Ring is all about freeform exploration, but you’ll want to follow the Guidance of Grace for the first few sites of grace in order to meet Melina at the Gatefront Ruins. She will provide your steed (Torrent), which makes exploration so much easier, and she also grants the ability to level up at any site of grace.
After receiving Torrent, return to the Church of Elleh at night to encounter Renna the Witch. Renna becomes hugely important to one of the game’s several endings, but you want to meet her here because she will gift you the Spirit Calling Bell, which will grant you the ability to summon Spirit Ashes—a powerful tool for boss fights.
4 4/10 How Runes Work
Upon death, you drop all of your Runes (the currency used for pretty much everything in the game), which you’ll then need to go out and recover. If you die again before recovering those dropped Runes, they’re gone forever. Best to avoid when you can, but it will happen on occasion. That’s ok. That loss is part of the experience and part of the risk vs reward nature of the game. When you know you’re heading into a boss encounter, try to spend your Runes beforehand, whether by earning a quick level or just loading up on arrows or some other mundane but useful resource. Removing the ‘stress’ of losing your Runes from the equation can actually help you focus more on the fight at hand, rather than needing to worry about recovering your Runes with each subsequent attempt.
3 3/10 NPCs and Quests are cryptic
Like the storytelling in Elden Ring, NPC quests are equally enigmatic (sometimes even more so). You might find you prefer to look up a guide to ensure you don’t miss anything, or you might like to fly by the seat of your pants. Just be aware that some NPC quests end with powerful spell or weapon rewards which can’t be found anywhere else. Many players adopt a ‘blind first playthrough’ approach, but with a game as vast as Elden Ring, a second playthrough could be out of the question, so it might be worth looking up a few NPC quest guides along the way. You don’t want to spoil a questline, but it can invaluable to simply know where or when you might encounter the next stage of the quest.
2 2/10 A Tactical Retreat Is Sometimes Your Best Option
While battling a particularly tough enemy out in the open world, don’t be afraid to run away if the fight starts to turn against you. Sometimes, you’re just out exploring and not in any way prepared to deal with a sudden vicious boss fight. There is no shame in running away; just make sure to mark the location on your map so you can remember to come back later. You might decide to rest and spend some Runes before returning, or you might level up and return 10 or 20 hours later, more powerful and more experienced.
Consider the Tree Sentinel. You’ll encounter this boss almost immediately after leaving the tutorial cave, but that doesn’t mean you need to take it on. Feel free to make a few attempts, but don’t ruin your first hour of the game bashing your head against the wall. Go level up and explore the world for a while; he’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.
1 1/10 Stealth Can Be Invaluable
Stealth is a relatively new addition to FromSoftware’s games. First introduced in their previous title, Sekiro, the stealth system works very similarly in Elden Ring. Crouching reduces the range at which enemies will become aggressive toward you, and crouching within bushes or underbrush will often allow you to slip by unnoticed. In addition, sneaking up behind an enemy, like in many stealth-action games, provides the opportunity for a critical attack. This can be a crucial tool when taking on a large group of enemies. Sometimes having 1 less enemy to deal with makes all the difference.