Elden Ring Beginner’s Guide: 15 Tips for New Players

Welcome to the Lands Between. Elden Ring is a massive, beautiful, and deeply challenging action role-playing game. Created by FromSoftware, it gives you vast open worlds to explore, dangerous enemies to fight, and total freedom in how you play. However, because the game does not hold your hand, it can feel very overwhelming for new players.

You will die often, and that is completely normal. Every defeat is simply a lesson in how to get better. To help you avoid common mistakes and get a strong start, we have put together the ultimate list of strategies. This comprehensive guide covers everything from basic survival mechanics to hidden features that the game never explicitly explains to you.

1. Pick the Right Starting Class

Your very first choice in the game is picking a starting character class. This choice determines your starting attributes, your armor, and your weapons. While any class can eventually use any weapon or magic spell later in the game, your initial choice sets your early playstyle.

For total beginners, we highly recommend the Vagabond or the Samurai. The Vagabond starts with heavy armor, a sturdy shield that blocks 100% of physical damage, and high vigor (health). The Samurai starts with excellent medium armor, a high-damage Uchigatana sword, and a longbow for safe, ranged combat. If you want to use magic right away, pick the Astrologer for offensive spells or the Prophet for healing incantations. Avoid the Wretch class, as it starts at level one with absolutely no gear except a wooden club.

2. Follow the Golden Rays of Grace

Sites of Grace are your safe havens. They act as checkpoints where you can rest, refill your healing flasks, level up your character, and manage your inventory. When you rest at a Site of Grace, all standard enemies in the world will respawn, but your health and magic will be completely restored.

If you ever feel lost in the massive open world, look closely at the glowing Sites of Grace. Many of them emit a faint, golden beam of light that points in a specific direction. This glowing light is called the Guidance of Grace. It acts as a compass, pointing you directly toward the next major story objective, main boss, or important location. You do not have to follow it immediately, but it is always there to guide you back to the main path.

3. Spend Your Runes Immediately

Runes are the absolute most important currency in the game. You earn runes by defeating enemies, beating bosses, and finding golden rune items in the world. You need these runes for two major tasks: leveling up your character’s stats and purchasing helpful items from merchants.

When you die, you instantly drop all the runes you are currently carrying on the ground. A glowing marker will appear on your compass showing exactly where you died. If you can walk back to that spot and touch the marker, you get all your runes back. However, if you die a second time before retrieving them, those runes are lost forever. To avoid this heartbreak, always spend your runes as soon as you have enough to buy a level or upgrade your equipment. Do not walk into dangerous boss arenas carrying a huge fortune.

4. Prioritize Vigor Over Other Stats

When you level up at a Site of Grace, you can assign points to eight different attributes. New players often make the mistake of dumping all their points into offensive stats like Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence because they want to deal massive damage.

In the early stages of the game, increasing your damage stats gives you very small bonuses. Instead, you should focus heavily on investing points into Vigor. Vigor directly increases your maximum health points (HP). Having a large health bar allows you to survive deadly mistakes, withstand massive boss attacks, and gives you more time to drink your healing flasks. Aim to get your Vigor to at least 30 as quickly as possible.

5. Master the Guard Counter

Combat requires patience and timing. While rolling away from attacks is a core mechanic, the game introduces a powerful defensive mechanic called the Guard Counter. This move is incredibly effective against aggressive enemies and knights.

To perform a Guard Counter, you must hold your shield up to block an incoming enemy strike. The very instant you hear the metallic “clank” of a successful block, immediately press the Heavy Attack button (R2 on controllers). Your character will quickly swing with a powerful, high-impact counterattack. This move deals massive stance damage to enemies. If you land enough heavy attacks or Guard Counters, you will break the enemy’s posture, knocking them to their knees and allowing you to perform a devastating critical strike.

6. Do Not Fight the Tree Sentinel Right Away

As soon as you finish the short tutorial dungeon and step out into the starting area of Limgrave, you will look down the hill and see a massive knight in golden armor riding a giant horse. This enemy is the Tree Sentinel.

Because he is placed right at the beginning of the path, many new players assume they are supposed to fight him immediately. This is a deliberate trap designed by the game developers to teach you an important lesson: you do not have to fight everything you see. The Tree Sentinel is far too powerful for a starting character. Simply crouch down, walk around him using the tall bushes, and explore elsewhere. You can always come back and defeat him easily once you have leveled up and upgraded your weapons.

7. Unlock Torrent, Your Spectral Steed

Walking everywhere on foot across the massive landscape takes a very long time. To explore efficiently, you need to unlock your horse, Torrent.

To unlock Torrent, you need to explore Limgrave and activate three different overland Sites of Grace. The easiest method is to follow the golden path down to the Gatefront Ruins. Rest at the Site of Grace located right next to the massive stone gate. When you sit down, a mysterious maiden named Melina will appear to talk to you. Accept her alliance, and she will grant you an item called the Spectral Steed Whistle. Equip this whistle to your quick-access item slots so you can instantly summon Torrent to ride across fields, jump up cliffs using Spirit Springs, and engage in fast-paced horseback combat.

8. Get the Spirit Calling Bell

Spirit Ashes are special items that allow you to summon friendly ghosts—such as a pack of lone wolves, a group of noble soldiers, or powerful knights—to fight alongside you during difficult encounters. They are incredibly useful for distracting tough bosses so you can attack them safely from behind.

To get the ability to summon these spirits, you must visit the Church of Elleh at night right after getting your horse. Fast travel back to this ruined church (located just north of where you started). A blue-skinned witch named Renna will be sitting on a broken stone wall. Talk to her, and she will give you the Spirit Calling Bell along with the Lone Wolf Ashes completely for free. If you miss this interaction, you can buy the bell later at the main player hub location.

9. Upgrade Weapons with Smithing Stones

Your character’s level is important, but upgrading your weapons is the fastest way to increase your total damage output. Weapons are upgraded using items called Smithing Stones (for standard weapons) and Somber Smithing Stones (for unique or boss weapons).

In the early game, you can find a basic anvil inside the Church of Elleh next to the first merchant, Kalé. This anvil allows you to upgrade any regular weapon up to +3. To upgrade your gear past that point, you will need to gain access to the Roundtable Hold, a safe hub area where a master blacksmith named Hewg can upgrade weapons all the way to their maximum levels. Look for dark tunnels and cave markings on your map; these areas are mines filled with smithing stone deposits.

10. Watch Your Total Equipment Load

Every single piece of armor and weapon you equip onto your character has a specific physical weight value. Your maximum carrying capacity is determined by your Endurance attribute. You must monitor your total Equip Load percentage closely in your status menu.

If your total equipped weight is under 70% of your maximum capacity, your character will maintain a Medium Roll or Light Roll. This allows you to roll quickly and gives you plenty of invincibility frames (i-frames) to dodge through enemy attacks. If your weight goes over 70%, your character will enter a Heavy Load state, commonly called “fat rolling.” Your roll will become very slow, heavy, and will barely cover any distance, making it almost impossible to dodge enemy strikes effectively. Keep your load medium by removing heavy weapons or armor you are not using.

11. Explore Weeping Peninsula First

After completing the starting area of Limgrave, the golden rays of grace will tell you to head north toward Stormveil Castle to face the first major shardbearer boss, Margit the Fell Omen. This boss is a notorious roadblock that crushes unprepared beginners.

Instead of hitting your head against that wall, turn around and travel completely south. Cross the Bridge of Sacrifice to enter a beautiful, self-contained region called the Weeping Peninsula. This entire zone is designed specifically for early-game progression. It features lower-difficulty enemies, plenty of easy dungeons to explore, several Sacred Tears to upgrade your flasks, and a castle at the very bottom. Cleansing this area will net you valuable levels and weapon upgrades.

12. Use Your Map Markers and Beacons

The map screen is one of your most valuable survival tools. Unlike standard games, the map does not automatically fill up with icons when you walk past things. It only shows details once you find Map Fragments, which are found at the base of tall stone pillars marked by small icons on blank map screens.

Once you reveal the map layout, you must use markers manually. If you run into an incredibly tough optional boss, find a locked stone door, or meet a merchant selling items you cannot afford yet, open your map and place a custom icon directly on that spot. You can use up to 100 markers (like skulls, swords, or chests). You can also place bright blue Beacons that shoot giant pillars of light up into the sky, allowing you to easily navigate toward specific areas without getting turned around.

13. Two-Hand Your Weapon for Extra Strength

If you decide to play a character that relies on heavy melee combat, you should learn when to put your shield away and hold your weapon with both hands. You can do this by holding down the Event Action button (Y on Xbox / Triangle on PlayStation) and pressing your main attack button.

Two-handing a weapon grants you two massive gameplay advantages. First, it alters your weapon’s attack animations, allowing you to deal significantly more stance damage to break an enemy’s posture faster. Second, holding a weapon with two hands multiplies your character’s physical Strength attribute by 1.5x. This allows you to wield heavy, high-damage colossal weapons even if you do not meet the base single-handed strength requirements yet.

14. Clear Out the Local Underground Catacombs

As you ride Torrent along the edges of cliffs and rocky hills, keep a sharp eye out for small stone statues holding glowing torches. If you interact with these statues, they will twist around and project a guiding blue laser beam of light toward the entrance of a nearby hidden dungeon.

These dungeons are usually Catacombs, Tunnels, or Caves. They are short, linear obstacle courses filled with traps, hidden imps, and a minor boss at the very end. Clearing out catacombs is highly rewarding for beginners. They are the absolute best places to farm for valuable upgrade materials, early-game talismans, and Grave Glovewort flowers, which are used to level up your Spirit Summon ghosts.

15. Change Weapon Skills with Ashes of War

Every weapon in the game comes out of the box with a built-in special ability called a weapon skill (activated by pressing L2 / Left Trigger). However, you are never locked into using that specific skill forever.

As you explore the world, beat bosses, and kill glowing scarab beetles rolling balls across fields, you will collect items called Ashes of War. When resting at a Site of Grace, you can apply these Ashes of War onto your weapons to completely change their special attacks. For example, you can give a basic sword the ability to shoot magical projectiles, stomp the ground to create shockwaves, or execute quick dodges. Applying an Ash of War also allows you to alter the weapon’s stat scaling, switching it to favor Strength, Dexterity, or Magic depending on your character build.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What happens if I die in Elden Ring?

When your character dies, you lose all the unspent runes you were carrying at that moment. You respawn back at the last checked Site of Grace or nearby Stake of Marika. You have exactly one chance to walk back to your death location to retrieve your lost runes. If you die again before picking them up, those runes vanish permanently.

Can I pause the game?

No, there is no traditional pause button in Elden Ring. The game runs in real-time even when you open your inventory or look at your map. To safely step away from your game, you must either find a safe spot with no enemies, sit down at a discovered Site of Grace, or close the game entirely using the main system options menu.

How do I use magic spells?

To use magic, you must fulfill three specific requirements. First, you must have enough attribute points in Intelligence (for Sorceries) or Faith (for Incantations). Second, you must memorize the spell while resting at a Site of Grace. Finally, you must equip a casting tool in your hand: a Glintstone Staff for sorceries, or a Sacred Seal for incantations.

What does the red square icon under my health bar mean?

If you see a small red square icon with a down arrow under your health bar, it means your maximum health has been reduced by 5%. This debuff happens if you accept a hug from Fia, the deathbed companion at the Roundtable Hold. To remove this health penalty, open your inventory, find the item named Baldachin’s Blessing, and consume it.

Final Words

Elden Ring is a magnificent journey that rewards curiosity, patience, and adaptability. Do not get discouraged by early deaths or tough roadblocks. If a specific boss feels impossible, use your freedom to walk away, explore a new corner of the massive world, level up your weapons, and return when you feel stronger. Take your time, use all the tools available to you, and enjoy your historic adventure across the beautiful Lands Between!