We don’t know if it’s just because Elden Ring is a new game and there’s a severe lack of guides out there or Elden Ring’s open-world nature just appeals to a wider “less-skilled” audience than the Soulsborne games ever did.
Having said that, we’ve decided to list out what every Soulsborne newbie out there should know, after they picked up Elden Ring following its epic reviews. Don’t worry though, these are relatively spoiler-free tips. We focused on tips that will make it easier for beginners to make the most of what Elden Ring has to offer.
Don’t forget to get the Spirit Calling Bell
To avoid spoiling anything significant, just return to the Church of Elleh at night as soon as you get Torrent. This will trigger an interaction with an NPC that will gift you the Spirit Calling Bell if you answer honestly. If you miss this, you’ll have to wait until much, much, much later on in the game to get this very useful item. The Spirit Calling Bell lets you summon spirits that can help you distract enemies and bosses mid-fight, in order to give you enough time to recuperate and heal.
Everything in Elden Ring is deadly
Getting one-hit in a standard RPG is a sign that you have a bit more grinding to do. In Elden Ring, it’s just their way of saying hi. Because you’re new, we don’t recommend attempting to find out if an enemy is tough just because or if it’s difficult because you’re not strong enough. Instead, your best bet is to approach every enemy that you can find in Elden Ring with caution.
Always be grinding
As a good rule of thumb, you’ll enjoy Elden Ring better if you spend an appropriate amount of time grinding. Make no mistake, most enemies can still kill you with ease regardless of how much you grind, but it’s easier to find out if a particular foe is tough by design if you’ve spent enough time grinding and getting stronger. The good news here is that Elden Ring is an open-world game, so there are limitless opportunities to grind.
Elden Ring demands a lot out of you
Is it okay to play Elden Ring if you’re new to Soulsborne games? Definitely. It’s challenging, but it’s also a very rewarding experience. The better question here is whether or not you have time and effort to spare. Elden Ring is kind of like a more souped-up, next-gen version of 2011’s Skyrim - finishing the game doesn’t necessarily equate to completing it, and spending 100 hours over the next month or two is just barely scratching the surface. The right approach to Elden Ring isn’t to think of it as a game to complete, it’s a game that you make memories with. You probably won’t be finishing Elden Ring anytime soon if at all, but it’s an experience that you’ll think about for a long, long time.
Don’t underestimate the size of Elden Ring
The best way to describe Elden Ring’s world is to compare it with Skyrim and The Witcher III. If you’ve read memes about people who keep on discovering new stuff after repeated playthroughs of both the aforementioned games, the same thing happens in Elden Ring. The game’s humongous open-ended world shoves exploration down your throat as you happily gobble a world that lets you discover everything that the game has to offer at your own pace. Missing out entirely on entire swaths of areas and monsters is a normal part of the Elden Ring gameplay experience. Get used to it.
Exploration is key in Elden Ring
Grace’s lighted path is more of a guide than instruction on where to go. You can choose to follow it, and you should, but more often than not, you’ll find a more rewarding adventure waiting for you in an opposite direction. As a good rule of thumb, if following the Guidance of Grace isn’t working for you right now, go off and explore. More often than not, you’ll stumble across items and weapons as well as people who will help you clear that lighted path with ease. If not, then you’ve at least gotten your fill of getting lost and venturing out for a while until the next brick wall pops up in front of you, and beating your head against it isn’t getting you anywhere.
Find a rhythm you’re comfortable with
There are many ways to interpret Miyazaki saying that more people will find Elden Ring “easier to finish”. One example is to think of Elden Ring as a rhythm game except that it lets you choose your beat. Elden Ring is open-ended in more ways than how you can explore it. The game lets you fight enemies according to your preferred playstyle, sometimes to a fault if you’re new to such a non-restrictive combat system. But, regardless of how you want to go about your business in Elden Ring, we recommend paying close attention to how your enemies move. For better or for worse, FromSoftware programmed each enemy to do the same thing over and over again. In time, you’ll find that each enemy has a specific tell before doing a move, allowing you to telegraph their moves and get out of harm’s way. We’re not saying that knowing what the enemy will do will magically make them easier to beat, but every failed attempt to take out a boss is a learning opportunity for you to get better.
Stay away from the Wretch
You can choose from 10 different starting Elden Ring classes, all of which are special in their way - except for the Wretch. There’s nothing special about Wretch at first glance except that the class has the lowest stats and starts with nothing else other than a measly wooden club. The Wretch is so bad that even Miyazaki asked players to stay away from this class, which, in hindsight, might have been a way of gauding hardcore Soulsborne fans to try it out. The biggest benefit of playing as a Wretch is you have complete control over your stats as you level up, but unless you know what you’re getting yourself into, don’t even attempt to try it.
There’s no shame in running away
Elden Ring’s mighty steed, Torrent, is your main mode of transportation and is a trusty companion in battles as well. However, you’ll find that, more often than not, Torrent’s main purpose is to help you speed away from enemies. Torrent can outrun anything that you can find in Elden Ring, including those gigantic bosses. We told you earlier that you should be exploring Elden Ring a lot, what we didn’t tell you is that this is an unintended bonus from running away so much.
Enjoy
The reputation of FromSoftware as masochists precedes it. Even people who haven’t even touched a Soulsborne game will immediately think that a FromSoftware title is not for them based on their perception of the studio. Although this isn’t to say that Elden Ring doesn’t live up to FromSoftware’s standards - you could argue that Elden Ring is the most difficult game the studio has ever made - it’s also a beautiful game with a massive, sprawling world that’s just begging to be appreciated. Sure, these quiet opportunities are few in Elden Ring. It’s not exactly easy to relax when enemies could swoop in on you at a moment’s notice. But, it is this “chaos” that makes those few peaceful times so special. So, enjoy it, soak in the bewitching fantasy sandbox that FromSoftware just made for us gamers to enjoy and remember forever.
