Elden Ring | 10 Beginner’s Tips

Being a FromSoftware Soulslike with a vast open world, tons of bosses and unique enemies, and a map as deep as it is high, Elden Ring was always going to be a tough game. That said, a lot of people have been asking if this is a good entry point for the series. The answer, is yes, with some caveats. Despite a more accessible, newcomer-friendly opening area, it’s no cakewalk even for veterans of the series. Luckily for you, we’ve played a lot of it, and we’ve got ten handy Elden Ring beginner’s tips to help newcomers to the series get started.

1. Don’t fret over your starting class

This beginner’s tip is important for newcomers to understand. The starting class in a traditional From game rarely matters in the long term. In Elden Ring it will determine your starting gear and initial stats, but you’ll change that organically over the next 30 to 50 hours.

There are 10 classes to choose from, and we’d advise trying them out to get a feel for how they play at the start. The first 5 to 6 hours are incredibly formative in Elden Ring, and will give you an idea of the type of character you’d like your Tarnished to become. There are four “pure” classes, by which we mean those built with a more singular purpose.

The Knight is melee focused, the Prophet Faith-focused; for Sorceries, you’ll want the Astrologer and Ranged characters are best off with the Bandit. But there are also six hybridised classes to choose from. Take your time experimenting, but know that everything is changeable later.

2. Don’t blindly follow the Guidance of Grace

We’re not saying ignore it completely, but rather don’t be afraid to go off the critical path and explore. The Lands Between are massive; they cover a huge area across multiple biomes. There tons of hidden areas, optional bosses, and wondrous mysteries to be found.

Rise, Tarnished, and explore.

3. Dungeon delve for items

In addition to the last two tips, be on the look out for dungeons, cave-mouths, ruins and cellars. They vary in size and visibility but will usually all at least hide a treasure worth finding or a boss worth slaying.

Some may only harbor a single chest or an NPC, but there’s is very little in Elden Ring that doesn’t have a use.

4. Grab the Crafting Kit from Kale

When first stepping out into Limgrave, you’ll spot a ruined church with a Site of Grace in it. You’ll need to skirt the wandering mounted Knight, who’s actually a tough optional boss called the Tree Sentinel, but head there ASAP.

Inside is a merchant called Kale in what looks for all the world like a Santa outfit. He sells some very useful items, chief of which is the Crafting Kit. Get it as soon as you can, as it allows you to craft all manner of items from gathered materials using recipes found in Cookbooks.

5. Always look for map pillars in a new area

There’s no “fog of war” in Elden Ring, but the map will remain greyed out until you find the corresponding fragment. These are always found on green-glowing pillars, usually but not always near enemy groups.

When you get close enough, the pillars will appear on your map as tiny monolith-shaped symbols. Fill out your map ASAP in every new area. so you know where you’re going.

6. Don’t feel forced to push on

While veterans will likely only find the critical path bosses overly challenging, Elden Ring has its fair share of walls. The first for many will be Margit the Fell Omen. If you follow the Grace’s there’s a good chance you’ll meet Margit when you’re underprepared. You can of course still attempt the fight and you may succeed (nothing in Elden Ring is insurmountable at early levels, as speed runners will soon prove), but it’s not recommended.

From have given us a massive open world to explore and you don’t need to beat Margit to see a pretty significant portion of it. Go and level up, gear up, and see the world before trying again. You’ll improve your character and your understanding of the game, and have a better time.

7. Talk to every NPC until they repeat themselves

Or the short version, exhaust all dialogue options with everyone every time. Until they begin to repeat the last sentence, you’re not done. Some NPCs will give you things, or even join you at Roundtable Hold. Some might even become cooperators at boss fights. Leave no conversational stone unturned.

8. Be patient in combat

Obvious, perhaps, but newcomers in particular may not realise that carelessness when facing even lowly grunt enemies is the fastest way to a YOU DIED screen. Combat is nuanced, a delicate balance between attack and defense. Stamina management means you can’t tank endlessly with your shield, nor dodge roll forever.

You can learn to parry or backstab, emply magic, weapon grease, or use bombs and other items to give you the edge. The most important thing in every encounter is that you survive. Fighting dirty is fine, brutally is recommended, but carelessly is a major no-no. Learn your character’s weight, the swing speed of your weapon, and take time to study your opponent. They all have tells and wind-ups that you can learn to exploit.

9. Watch your equipment load

Your Stamina is as vital as Focus or Health in Elden Ring. Without it you can’t dodge, block, attack or sprint out of danger. It’s tied to two main elements, your Endurance level and your equipment load. The former determines how much stamina you have, and the latter determines how much of it you’ll expend for each action.

Crucially though, your equip load also impacts how quickly you move. From running to dodge rolling, heavier gear means less agility. At the point your load becomes “heavy” you’ll do a slow, ponderous dodge delicately termed a “fat roll” by the community. It’s why many speed runners complete their runs naked, or with very light gear. Try to maintain a medium load at most, unless you’re building a tank and have no intention of dodging anything, which isn’t recommended for newcomers.

After beating Godric the Grafted under certain conditions, you should be able to recieve the Arsenal Talisman, which increases your maximum equipment load by a massive amount.

10. Farm if you’re struggling

FromSoftware know they’ve made a difficult game, and they’ve given us plenty of ways to mitigate the difficulty. Not least of these is grinding runes and items to sell.

Enemies respawn when you rest at Sites of Grace, so you can farm that way. Alternatively and more lucratively, you can also place your summon sign down outside boss rooms and wait to be summoned. Bosses are easier with more than one player, and you’ll recieve a portion of the runes earned.

We hope you found our Elden Ring Beginner’s Tips useful. If you did, please check out our other Elden Ring guides and read our full review.