How to Respec and Reset Attributes in Elden Ring

Souls games, Elden Ring included, require a not-insignificant amount of commitment from you if you want to play them. You need to commit a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of potential spikes in blood pressure to get the absolute most out of them. However, at least in Elden Ring, there is at least one thing you don’t need to commit to, at least not in perpetuity: your character’s stats. Here’s how to respec and reset attributes in Elden Ring.

Your character’s base stats in Elden Ring are initially determined by the class you choose at the beginning of the game. Following that, the way your stats grow is entirely up to you, based on when and where you choose to allocate your Runes. Of course, given that Elden Ring is bit obtuse sometimes, a particular character build that seems beneficial at first may prove to be detrimental to your particular playstyle later down the road, and you won’t know until you’re already in the thick of things. Luckily, there is a way to reset your level upgrades and reallocate your attributes. Unluckily, it takes quite a bit of doing to make it happen.

How to Respec and Reset Attributes in Elden Ring

To respec and reset attributes in Elden Ring

1. Enter the second major area of the overworld, Liurnia of the Lakes
2. Find the Glintstone Key to enter the Academy of Raya Lucaria
3. Defeat Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
4. Talk to Rennala after beating her and give her a Larval Tear to respec your attributes

First, a disclaimer: while you will get the ability to respec your character in due time, it won’t be until after you defeat one of the major bosses in the game’s second area. That means having to get past Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle in Limgrave, followed by a bevy of chores and obstacles to deal with before you beat the boss in question. I give you this warning just so you know that you will have to commit to your initial build for at least a little while, so don’t allocate your Runes willy-nilly.

After you defeat Godrick, you’ll pass through Stormveil Castle into Elden Ring’s second major overworld area, Liurnia of the Lakes. Due north from Stormveil Castle is another large castle sticking out of a flooded area. This is the Academy of Raya Lucaria, and it’s where you’ll find the boss you need to beat.

Before you can enter the Academy, you’ll need to find the Glintstone Key in Liurnia’s Temple Quarter. The key can be found on a corpse behind the sleeping Glintstone Dragon Smarag, so if you’re sneaky, you can grab it without picking a fight with him.

With the key, you can enter the Academy, though you’ll have to navigate quite the gauntlet of foes and traps to get to the end, not the least of which being the miniboss, Red Wolf of Radagon. When you get to the end of the Academy, you’ll be face-to-face with Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. Rennala is a major story boss, so you’ll need to defeat her no matter what in order to progress the game’s story. 

After you successfully defeat Rennala, she’ll remain in the chamber where you fought her, becoming a friendly NPC. If you chat with her, she’ll offer you a couple of services. First, using the Cosmetics menu, you can redesign your character’s physical appearance, from their body to their face to their hair. It’s the same menu as the regular character creator, so feel free to tinker with it at your leisure.

Second, and more importantly, is the Rebirth menu. This is what you’re here for. Using the Rebirth menu allows you to return all of the attribute points you’ve assigned since beginning the game, then reassign them anywhere you want. There are two catches to this, however: first, every use of the Rebirth menu costs one Larval Tear, a rare item that occasionally drops from shapeshifting enemies like the Mimic Tear and the Grafted Scion. Second, you can’t take points out of attributes below the point where they started at the beginning of the game. If you started with 12 Strength, for instance, 12 is as low as it will go.

For more related content and guides, check out our website’s Elden Ring section.