Elden Ring Beginner Tips

FromSoftware games are typically really, really hard. In other news, the sky is blue and ice is cold. When you buy a FromSoft game, you know what you’re getting yourself into: it’s gonna be hard, it’s gonna be occasionally unfair, and by gum, you’re gonna like it. Elden Ring is no exception to this norm, but it does have at least a few tweaks compared to the typical Souls paradigm that make it a smidgen more accessible. Knowing where these tweaks lay, as well as just having a few forewarnings under your hat, will go a long way toward keeping you alive, at least for an extra few minutes. Here are some beginner tips for Elden Ring.

We’ll get into the nitty-gritty of each of these in a moment, but if you’re strapped for time, here are the headlines to remember:

1. Pick an appropriate character class
2. Level up based on your gameplay style
3. Go off the critical path
4. Get some friends
5. Gather materials
6. Do NOT get surrounded

Elden Ring Beginner Tips

Pick an Appropriate Character Class

There are ten different character classes to choose from when you first start Elden Ring, each with different stat loadouts and specialties. The ten classes are:

• Vagabond
• Warrior
• Hero
• Bandit
• Astrologer
• Prophet
• Samurai
• Prisoner
• Confessor
• Wretch

The two viable means of combat in this game are close-range melee combat and long-range magic combat. Most classes specialize in one or the other, and you can tell based on where their stats are allocated. Vagabonds and Warriors, for instance, have high STR, meaning their better specced for melee combat, while Astrologers and Prophets have high INT, making them better for magic. You should pick the class that gels best with your preferred playstyle. Except for Wretch. Just… don’t pick Wretch. Not for your first playthrough, anyway.

Level Up Based on Your Gameplay Style

So you’ve chosen a class based on how you like to play and made some progress in the game, earning runes for leveling up. Since you have to allocate your points manually, leveling up can be a bit of an intimidating process, but the only thing you really need to consider is where your gameplay style is leading you. 

For instance, if you’re playing a primarily physical character and keep running out of Stamina while swinging your weapons, put more points in EN. This also applies if you decide you’re not happy with your playstyle and want to change things up. If you’re tired of weapons and want to try magic, start funneling more points into INT. Of course, there’s a catch to this, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Go Off the Critical Path

Elden Ring, compared to the other Souls games, is a substantially less linear experience. There is a critical story path to follow, and you’re welcome to follow it as far as you think you can get away with, but if you find yourself running into the proverbial wall of progression or are just tired of the story, nothing’s keeping you there. You’re free to wander off and explore the world, get some new equipment and level up. 

As previously mentioned, if you decide you want to respec your character, this basically becomes a requirement, as attempting to start from zero in the middle of the critical path is a great way to get killed. Backtrack a bit, search more around the easier areas, and build up your strength until you’re ready to continue.

Get Some Friends

While it is entirely possible to play through the entirety of Elden Ring all by your lonesome, there isn’t really any reason to. If you know other people playing the game, don’t hesitate to invite them to your session and enlist their aid. With some help, this difficult experience can become at least slightly more bearable. You get the same rewards whether someone helps you with a fight or not, so there’s no downside to calling them up.

In the event you don’t have any friends available to phone, worry not, there’s an alternate source of aid. Early in the game, you’ll receive the Spirit Calling Bell and some Lone Wolf Ashes. Use these items at any gravestone to summon some ghostly wolves to aid you on the battlefield. Obviously, ghost wolves aren’t as strong as full-on players, but they can still be very helpful in keeping the heat off of you in a big scrape.

Gather Materials

It’s basically a rule these days that all open-world games need to have some manner of crafting system, and Elden Ring is no exception. There are no hub towns or anything like that, though, so crafting is your first and foremost means of obtaining certain items. This is why you shouldn’t hesitate to grab every material that isn’t nailed down, especially things like herbs. With these items, you can craft ammunition for your weapons, handy explosives, items for summoning multiplayer buddies, and more. 

Do NOT Get Surrounded

It’s a Souls game, which means even a handful of attacks from small-fry enemies can leave you dead on the ground. This is why you want to endeavor to keep yourself out of big, multi-man punch-ups. You can counter and dance around one enemy no problem, but once there’s more than one in the mix, it becomes much easier to accidentally bumble into their line of fire while you’re going toe-to-toe with the first one. Do whatever you can to break up encounters, and don’t be afraid to fight dirty. Run away, snipe from a distance, kill enemies that summon other enemies. 

On a related note, you should make liberal use of the game’s stealth system. Whether you’re on a castle parapet or in a grassy field, there are always places to quietly skulk through. If you can avoid an encounter entirely, all the better, though you can also quietly sneak behind enemies and backstab them if you don’t want to miss out on the experience. If you’re good enough, it is entirely possible to wipe out a small legion without any of them knowing you were there.