Elden Ring might seem hard at first. But don’t let that discourage you. Here are three tips to get you started and progressing.
Tip 1: Learn these 3 basic game features
1. Sites of Grace
Sites of Grace are the checkpoints. Resting at these checkpoints will restore your HP and refill your Sacred Flasks. You can also use them to fast travel to all the other sites you’ve discovered.
But remember, all the enemies (besides the bosses) will be revived after resting.
2. Map
The map of Elden Ring is huge, and it’s divided into five different regions:
- Limgrave
- Caelid
- Liurnia
- Altus Plateau
- Mountaintops of the Giants
Your map won’t be completed at first. To do that, you’ll need to search for Map Fragments. They are found at pillars with glowing text, and you can even see these pillars on the map before you’ve unlocked the fragment if you uncover enough of the foggy blankness by exploring.
After your gather a first few Fragments, it will be much easier to navigate the game.
3. NPCs
NPCs are individuals within the world of Elden Ring that players can interact with. NPCs can play numerous roles that range from merchants to quest-givers or even enemies depending on your in-game choices. NPCs can be encountered all across the world and will often provide the player with insightful information when you speak with them.
Tip 2: Understand your class
Classes for Elden Ring are the starting archetypes available to the player. Choosing a class determines the player’s starting Stats and Equipment which can then be improved and upgraded later on as you progress throughout the game.
There are 10 classes in Elden Ring and each of them has its pros and cons.
- Hero – The Hero is a straightforward melee-focused class that begins the game with high Strength, Endurance, and Vigor
- Bandit – The perfect choice for players that enjoy parrying attacks or backstabbing their enemies.
- Vagabond – A tanky Class with good Stats and a 100% Physical Damage reduction Shield.
- Astrologer – A very good mage setup that’s easy to upgrade quickly due to access to spells and a good Staff early on
- Warrior – The Warrior is a dual-wielding powerhouse for fans of fast-paced melee combat.
- Prisoner – The Prisoner is a solid pick if you’re wanting to make an agile melee/casting hybrid character.
- Confessor – Designed to be a mix of combat and stealth
- Prophet – The Prophet is a Faith-based starting class with a focus on using incantations to deal damage and heal themselves and their allies
- Samurai – A good mix of melee and ranged combat, with a weapon that causes Bleed
- Wretch – The Wretch is the class for players looking for an extra challenge and are veterans of FromSoftware games. The Wretch is a blank slate character that starts with all stats set to level 10 and wields only a club.
Remember that there is no perfect class. Choose the one with a play-style you enjoy the most, and then you can gradually spec in a direction you like from there.
Tip 3: This is the single best way to deal with bosses
Encountering new bosses will always be frustrating. But remember that the best way to defeat them is just simply to face them often. This will teach you to learn their moves, abilities and patterns.
After 10-20 fights, you’ll learn exactly how to dodge and counter their attacks, and you’ll start to get closer and closer to defeating them.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this Elden Ring Beginner’s Guide helped you in some way. Remember that this game is very hard and you’ll constantly get frustrated. But the more you play, the better you’ll get.