5 Elden Ring Tips for Beginners

Players new to the Fromsoft formula have a significant learning curve, as the Dark Souls team has served up their biggest game yet. But don't worry, these Elden Ring tips for beginners will help soften the uncompromising experience ahead.

5 Elden Ring Tips for Beginners

The incredibly frustrating yet incomparably satisfying FromSoftware games are mountains built for gamers to climb. And their newest hit Elden Ring is their most imposing mountain yet. If Elden Ring is your first Fromsoft game and you’re finding yourself beating your head against a wall over and over, then this guide is for you. Here are 5 Elden Ring tips for beginners.

Looking for more Elden Ring content?

  1. Elden Ring: 5 Summons to Replace the Mimic Tear.
  2. Elden Ring: Are Sorcerers Any Good in Elden Ring?
  3. Elden Ring: Best Keepsake and All Starting Items Explained.

Running past enemies

Fromsoft’s games love to intimidate players with grotesque design, strength in numbers, and design difficulty. Sometimes you’ll have a slew of enemies in between you and the desired fog-gate when trying to fight a boss. You might think you’re required to methodically take out each enemy in perfect sequence to reach the boss, but in almost all of these situations, you can sprint past the enemies if done with some strategy.

Using summons and playing with friends.

There’s no shame in relying on some help to overcome a particularly annoying boss. Would it be more satisfying to beat it solo? Sure, but there’s no harm in some camaraderie. To summon a friend, you need Furlcalling Finger Remedies and being in the exact location as your friend in their game. After they place their summon sign down with their Tarnished’s Furled Finger, find their sign and call them in.

Playing with friends

Playing with friends

Some bosses have NPC summons you can unlock by performing specific requirements. I’ve only come across two so far, Godrick and Margit. I’m not sure how I fulfilled the requirement for the Magrit summon, but Godrick’s summon is conveniently close to him.

When spawning at the Secluded Cell site of grace, turn left and deal with the giant and two minions. Then continue down the road, and in the next building on your left should be the NPC, Nepheli. Talk to her and exhaust her dialogue, then go back to Godrick’s Gate, and her summon sign should be in front of the gate on the right side. If you’re stuck on a boss, it might be worth it to search if there’s a possible NPC summon.

Find a good farming spot

A good way of surpassing an obstacle that seems impossible is some ole monotonous farming. But the trick is finding the best spot to waste as little time as possible. Perhaps the best farming spot in Limgrave is the above-mentioned Secluded Cell Grace. The giant and his two not-so-giant friends provide 1,438 runes. They’re so close to a Grace and Godrick it’s clear Fromsoft intended this spot to be a popular early farming spot.

Secluded Cell location

Secluded Cell location

Understand your build and play style.

While you’re not restricted to one playstyle, there are only four chances to respec your character. This means being deliberate with each upgrade point and understanding what type of character you want to play and build.

Are you a Samurai who loves to get in close for quick attacks with Dexterity weapons? Focus on Dexterity, Vigor, and Endurance. Are you a battlemage who one hands greatswords like me? It’s a little trickier investing in magic and Strength, but finding the right balance is critical.

 

Intelligence, Strength, and Mind are necessary for a battlemage, but Vigor and Endurance are still important. Try prioritizing each attribute by importance to your play style. For example, Vigor, Intelligence, Strength, Endurance, Mind is my personal prioritized list. I have intelligence over strength because I play a magic-first style, and many spells you find have high attribute requirements.

Glintstone Pebble spell

Glintstone Pebble spell

Vigor is first because the further I’m progressing, the stronger the enemies are overall. Each new location is a jump in difficulty and the damage they’re outputting. If you’re not a prophet of perfectly timed dodges, having a margin of error is essential. If you’re at a loss for what to do with an upgrade point, you’ll never go wrong putting it towards your HP.

Use markers for district areas and merchants.

The Elden Ring map is gargantuan. Your map will only keep track of a few landmarks like grace spots and buildings of interest like ruins and castles. Your journeying will run a little smoother if you use markers to identify other locations of interest in your travels, primarily merchants.

The different markers for your map

The different markers for your map

A handful of merchants chattered throughout the Lands Between that all sell unique items. For example, some sorcery merchants might only sell Intelligence spells while others sell Faith spells. Designating one of the marker symbols to chronicle where every merchant you find in your travels can be a huge help, like when you have a surplus of souls and are looking for a particular merchant who still has some stonesword keys for sale.

These 5 Elden Ring tips for beginners will help in your journey through the Lands Between, but there will be plenty more challenges you might need some external help with. As a bonus tip, use any guides you want. More and more guides for Elden Ring will be published as time progresses. If there isn’t a guide yet for something you’re halted by, try posting on Elden Ring’s Reddit and ask if anybody has any tips or similar experiences.

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