Beginner's tips

How to survive your first few hours in Elden Ring

Elden Ring promises unparalleled adventure, but if you’ve never tackled a 'Soulslike' game before it might seem a little daunting. This guide introduces the basic game mechanics to help you explore the Lands Between and become the Elden Lord.

What is the best character type in Elden Ring?

This very much depends on your preferred playstyle. How ‘good’ a character is ultimately depends on how they both mitigate and deal damage, and the manner in which they do so. 

The character you choose at the beginning of Elden Ring will have attributes weighted towards various skillsets, but you can level you character however you want once you start collecting Runes. 

Typical builds can focus on:

Power

These builds focus more on heavier weapons and armour. They’re typically not fast movers but they can take more damage. You’ll be dealing larger amounts of damage in fewer hits.

Speed

Able to move quickly around enemies, you’ll be using lighter weapons and armour. You’ll need to focus more on dodging incoming attacks rather than taking damage.

Magic

If close-quarters combat isn’t your thing, focusing on magic could be the way to go. You’ll be able to deal damage from a distance with ranged attacks and apply buffs to avoid taking damage.

What are Runes?

At their most basic level, Runes are currency and are collected by vanquishing all manner of person and beast in the Lands Between. You’ll need them to purchase items from various sellers, level up weapons and, perhaps most importantly, to level-up your character.

Keep in mind that on death you drop the Runes you’re carrying. Die again before retrieving them and they’ll be gone for good, so spend wisely and at the right time. 

Expert tip: Avoid spending too much on weapons and armour early in the game. A wise approach would be to focus on levelling your character instead. You’ll find plenty of weapons and armour throughout the Lands Between.

Combat in Elden Ring

Attacking

  • When armed with a sword and shield, perfect your parry and riposte timing early on with weaker enemies. The parry (by pressing L2) will deflect certain attacks while the riposte (by pressing R1) will deal massive damage and is very satisfying when executed properly
  • Lock on to targets where possible. When locked on (by pressing R3 in range), you’ll see a bright highlight on the selected enemy. This vastly improves your aim when attacking. A strong character with a powerful weapon means nothing if your attacks keep missing their target! 
  • Pay attention to enemy movements and look for openings. Each enemy type has their own attack strategy and knowing when to block and when to attack is important. Forcing enemies into making an attack can also make them vulnerable. 
  • Get a feel for your moves. Once you commit to an attack you’re locked in, so choose your moment to strike carefully.

Defending

Defending against attacks is at least as important as landing hits. Keep your shield up when entering unknown areas to avoid surprise attacks. Some shields are great against physical damage, others against fire or magic – this can be decisive when taking on larger enemies. 

Stamina

Stamina management is an important aspect of combat in Elden Ring. Measured by the green bar in the top left of the screen, stamina is used when swinging a weapon, blocking incoming attacks, sprinting and rolling or dodging. While it regenerates automatically, you’ll need to pick moments for defending and attacking to avoid it running out. Stamina regenerates much more slowly when your shield is raised. 

Expert tip: Some enemies (especially those with shields) also have stamina that you can wear down with attacks. When their guard is broken, they will stagger making them vulnerable.

Stealth

Use the environment to your advantage to sneak past enemies you’re not quite ready to take on or stab them in the back to inflict serious damage. 

Ashes of War

New to Elden Ring, Ashes of War can be found throughout the world or by defeating bosses and then equipped to a weapon or shield (depending on the item) at a Site of Grace. Some weapons come with Ashes of War that can’t be removed. Benefits range from providing alternative weapon attacks to ranged attacks that automatically target enemies. Some Ashes use FP so keep an eye on the blue gauge when using them.

Surviving

Enemy difficulty varies significantly as you travel across the Lands Between. Don’t be afraid to retreat from particularly challenging encounters and come back later once you’ve honed your skills, levelled up your character or found new weapons or items.

How do I level-up my character in Elden Ring?

You can level your character up at a Site of Grace where your Maiden, Melina , will trade Runes for attributes in increasing cost increments. You can choose which attributes you want to focus on too, so if you started out with a build focused on strength but enjoy casting magic, you can improve those attributes here.

Purchasing attributes also increases your character level, which improves your overall defence stats allowing you to take on more powerful enemies.

 

What is summoning, and how does multiplayer* work in Elden Ring?

Spirit Summoning

If you need help in some of the tougher battles but prefer a single-player experience, Spirit Summoning can be used to call a non-playable character to help you. These come in many varieties and are great to deal extra damage or provide distractions for enemies while you plan your attack.

Get a helping hand

As part of the multiplayer experience, summoning other players into your game is a great way to help you through some of the trickier fights you’ll face. Visit a Summoning Statue (or use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy to see Summoning Signs) to summon a fellow Tarnished into your game.

Lend a helping hand

You can also help others. You don’t lose anything in your summoned form, so this is a great way to familiarise yourself with fearsome bosses while helping out another. Drop a Tarnished’s Furled Finger to indicate you’re available to help.

Expert tip: You can usually only Spirit Summon once per battle. Doing so uses FP (the blue gauge in the top left of the screen) so make sure you have enough before entering a new fight.

*PS Plus required for online play

How hard is Elden Ring?

Elden Ring won’t hold your hand, but it will provide you with plenty of tools to face its challenges. Everything you do is around balancing risk and reward, whether that’s the type of character you build or the number of Runes you carry into a boss battle. Every encounter offers a chance to learn something new about the world and your enemies.

How do I progress the story in Elden Ring?

Progression in Elden Ring is best done through exploration of the Lands Between. Search every nook and talk to any NPC you can find – they may have objects to help you on your quest or provide backstory to the world. 

If you want to focus on the storyline, you can follow Grace’s Guidance, a gold wisp that hangs in the air pointing you in the right direction. Visit a Site of Grace to pick up the trail. 

Become the Elden Lord

Buy Elden Ring on PlayStation Store

Editions:

Standard Edition

PS4PS5
  • ELDEN RING

SOTE Edition

PS4PS5
  • ELDEN RING
  • Shadow of the Erdtree expansion

SOTE Premium Bundle

PS4PS5
  • Shadow of the Erdtree expansion
  • SOTE Digital Artbook & OST

SOTE Deluxe Edition

PS4PS5
  • ELDEN RING
  • Shadow of the Erdtree expansion
  • Digital Artbook & OST
  • SOTE Digital Artbook & OST
Platform:
PS4, PS5
Release:
25/2/2022
Publisher:
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
Genres:
Role Playing Games
Voice:
English
Screen Languages:
English, French (France), Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish
To play this game on PS5, your system may need to be updated to the latest system software. Although this game is playable on PS5, some features available on PS4 may be absent. See PlayStation.com/bc for more details.

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Software subject to license (us.playstation.com/softwarelicense).

You can download and play this content on the main PS5 console associated with your account (through the “Console Sharing and Offline Play” setting) and on any other PS5 consoles when you login with your same account.
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