Elden Ring is the successor to the award-winning Dark Souls series of From Software that offers very challenging gameplay that can be divisive, but worth it in the end. In Elden Ring, the challenging gameplay is there but not as gruesome as past games in the Dark Souls series.
Franchise veterans should have a good grasp of what to expect, it’s newcomers who will have an uphill battle. The more players die in Elden Ring, the more rewarding it feels when you finally accomplish a task. Though, there is no shame in looking for some advice to accomplish the task.
Here’s our Elden Ring Beginners Guide:
Pick the Right Class
When you start a new game it will allow you to customize the look of your character and select a class. There are a total of 10 classes that offers unique gear and skills. The classes to choose from vary from a Warrior that specializes in swords and shields to an Astrologer that deals magic damage. It’s important that you really spend time reading through the ten classes as there is no turning back and changing classes once you start the game.
Spend the Runes Wisely
Runes are the currency that players use whenever they would like to level their character up or buy items or equipment from the merchants in-game. In Dark Souls, runes are called Souls and players can harvest them from either killing an enemy or finding an item that gives it. Similar to the past games in the Dark Souls series, whenever you die, you will drop the runes you have collected to the point where you died. You can get it back by going to the location you died but if you fail to get it and died again, it will be lost forever. It is important that you know how to manage your Runes and know when to spend them. Don’t hoard a lot of Runes as you will never know when you’ll lose them.
Level-Up appropriately
If you decide to use your Runes to level your character, make sure that you use the attribute points wisely. Each class in the game has a certain attribute that you need to focus on. For example, Astrologer focuses on Intelligence and Mind. Please note each piece of equipment you use, especially weapons, will rely on the attribute points that you spend.
Upgrade Your Weapons
An item called Smithing Stone is scattered throughout Lands Between and gathering them is something you should be doing. As enemies get stronger, it is important to upgrade weapons. Typically if you’re seeing a massive drop-off in damage between areas, that item is past due.
Explore Lands Between
Unlike Dark Souls, Elden Ring offers a somewhat open map to explore. Just before you decide to go through the main story and beat that big bad boss that is hidden in a castle, make sure to enjoy the journey. There are a lot of mini-dungeons scattered throughout the game. Make sure you clear them as each mini-bosses of the mini-dungeons will drop rare items and weapons that can be useful later on. What makes Elden Ring so great about exploration is that it will not tell you where to go. The game will encourage you to explore and find your way to the boss area in each area.
Don’t Ignore the NPCs
As Tarnished in the Lands Between, you will find other Tarnished NPCs that may help you out. Some will be merchants, while others are mentors that can teach you a thing or two like spells or skills. As Elden Ring offers a far more expansive narrative than just collecting the shards for the Elden Ring, it is important to listen to what the NPCs have to say as just like in Dark Souls, what they have to say is quite interesting and intriguing.
Use the Site of Grace Frequently
Bonfire has been replaced by Site of Grace. Since the Lands Between is big and has a lot of areas that you can actually go to, it’s easy to get lost. That’s where the Site of Grace comes in as it doesn’t only offer a checkpoint just in case you die, it also acts as a fast travel point. If you decide to explore, always look for a Site of Grace. It’s hard to overlook a Site of Grace as when you see a glowing gold light floating around, it means that a Site of Grace is nearby.
Don’t Overburden
There are a lot of weapons and equipment scattered throughout the Lands Between and not all of them are something you can equip. Depending on your class, you will have a specific weight that you can carry and each item that your character equipped has a weight. Whenever you go overboard the weight limit, it restricts your character is moving fast and dodging. It is important to know what type of weapons and armor you can use as you will not want to overburden yourself.
Have Fun With Co-Op / PvP
One of the cool things about Dark Souls and Elden Ring is the fact that is hard but at the same time, you are able to seek help from someone online by summoning them. By using signs in-game, you are able to drop a summoning sign at a specific area where a boss awaits. If someone picks them up online, you will be summoned to help them clear the boss and vice versa. If you are into PvP, a red summon sign can appear in your world and you can summon them to fight them to get rare loots and vice versa.
