Elden Ring — Beginner's Guide & Early Tips

Your class determines your starting level, stats and equipment; you can level any stat later, so the class mainly shapes your first few hours.

You also pick a Keepsake starting item. The wiki notes that all keepsakes except the Lands Between Rune can be obtained later, so the choice has no lasting consequence. Useful options: the Golden Seed (adds an extra flask charge) or the Crimson Amber Medallion (talisman: +6% max HP while equipped). The Fanged Imp Ashes summon two Fanged Imps, and the Stonesword Key opens one imp-statue-gated area (single use).

The wiki describes the Vagabond as "the ideal starting class for melee fighters and beginners" thanks to its well-rounded stats and highest Vigor. The Tarnished Pack DLC (28 Aug 2026, included in the Switch 2 Tarnished Edition) adds two more starting classes, Heavy Knight and Idus Knight. Other classes (Warrior, Bandit, Confessor, Prophet, Prisoner) are not covered in this table.

Soon after the tutorial area you will see the Tree Sentinel, a knight on horseback northeast of The First Step grace that patrols the road toward the Church of Elleh. He is an optional boss, and the wiki suggests leaving him alone at first, especially if you are new to FromSoftware games, and returning once you are stronger and better equipped.

Head to the Church of Elleh and activate its Site of Grace (a checkpoint and rest point). Merchant Kalé is at the Church and sells the Crafting Kit for 300 runes, which lets you craft items.

Gatefront Ruins lies north of the Church of Elleh. An underground chamber near the center holds a chest with the Whetstone Knife (which lets you swap the Ash of War on an armament and change its affinity, with some restrictions) and the Ash of War: Storm Stomp. A pillar at the center of the campsite gives the Map: Limgrave, West fragment. This is only the west half of Limgrave; the east is a separate fragment.

1. Watch your stamina. Rolling, attacking and blocking consume stamina (the green bar), so keep an eye on it.

2. Learn attack timing. Rolling takes stamina, so avoid panic-rolling. Wait for the attack to come and dodge it, rather than rolling early; some bosses (such as Margit) use delayed attacks.

3. Consider a shield. The wiki recommends a shield with full physical negation, such as the Heater Shield, to conserve stamina against heavy hitters like the Tree Sentinel.

4. Many attacks have visible wind-ups. Treat big wind-ups as cues to dodge or block.

Vigor mainly determines your maximum HP. The Fextralife wiki lists 1,450 HP at Vigor 40 and 1,900 HP at Vigor 60, with softcaps (smaller gains) at 40 and 60, and recommends about 35-40 Vigor by Leyndell and about 60 by the endgame and DLC.

Beyond Vigor, invest in the main stat for your weapons or spells (for example Strength, Dexterity or Intelligence), and in Mind if you rely on FP-costly spells or Spirit Ashes. Spreading points across too many stats dilutes a build.

Notable Limgrave locations to explore before Stormveil Castle:

• Stormfoot Catacombs (due west and north of the Church of Elleh) — Wandering Noble Ashes in the second-level dead-end room; the Erdtree Burial Watchdog boss drops Noble Sorcerer Ashes
• Murkwater Cave (in Limgrave, along the Murkwater River) — Patches's cave. If you spare him he becomes a merchant, and his shop later sells Margit's Shackle
• Coastal Cave (western Limgrave, south part of the west beach) — two Demi-Human Chiefs guard a Sewing Needle and Tailoring Tools; the cave leads to the Church of Dragon Communion
• Limgrave Tunnels (northern Agheel Lake) — Stonedigger Troll boss; the wiki's item list shows 9 Smithing Stone [1] and a Somber Smithing Stone [1]
• Siofra River — reachable by lift from the Siofra River Well in Limgrave or the Deep Siofra Well in Caelid, but the wiki says the area is intended for roughly levels 50-60, so treat it as a later destination

Margit, the Fell Omen is the first major story boss many players meet. He is fought in Stormhill: take the path north from Stormhill Shack, turn left at the fork and go up the hill past the Godrick Soldiers; the Castleward Tunnel Site of Grace is just before the boss door. His true form is Morgott, the Omen King.

What the wiki lists:

• Phase 1: he fights with his staff, a spectral dagger (Dagger Slash, Dagger Throw, Dagger Retreat) and a tail swipe.
• Phase 2 (starts when his health drops to about 65%): he summons a spectral hammer (Hammer Slam, Hammer Strike, Hammer Leap) and a spectral sword (Sword Swing, Sword Spin), plus a combo that switches between staff, sword and hammer.
• Tips from the wiki: dodge forward as his leaping hammer attack (Hammer Leap) starts to descend; the wiki says it always ends his combos, so you can land a few hits afterwards; parrying works well (two parries per stance break), though attacks that use magic cannot be parried.

Preparation options (from the wiki):

• Margit's Shackle: sold by Patches in Murkwater Cave for 5,000 runes (once he is a merchant), or by the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold after you give them Patches's Bell Bearing. Used against Margit it stuns him without dealing damage; it works twice per fight and only in phase 1.
• Spirit Ashes: Lone Wolf Ashes (a distraction so you can attack), Spirit Jellyfish Ashes (tanky distraction, from Roderika in Stormhill) or Godrick Soldier Ashes (found in the Stormhill graveyard). Sorcerer Rogier can also be summoned as an NPC.
• Ranged or magic: Glintstone Pebble or Glintstone Stars while keeping your distance; melee players can use a Barricade Shield.

Spirit Ashes are summonable companions. You need the Spirit Calling Bell, and you must be near a Rebirth Monument, which the wiki describes as stone obelisks found at many points of interest and nearly every boss arena. Early Spirit Ashes and their FP cost per the wiki:

Summoning costs FP (the blue bar), which the Flask of Cerulean Tears restores. Spirits can be summoned once per encounter, cannot be used in multiplayer co-op, and are dismissed if you leave the summon area.

• Don't hoard runes. Runes are dropped on death and are lost if you die again before retrieving them, so spend them when you can.
• Torrent cannot dodge or guard. The wiki says you can neither dodge nor guard on horseback; his dash gives no invulnerability frames, and the double jump is described as his most potent power. You can only hold one weapon at a time and cannot two-hand while mounted. Torrent cannot be ridden in dungeons or summoned in co-op or PvP. The wiki suggests fighting the Tree Sentinel on horseback for mobility.
• Messages on the ground are written by other players. They can be helpful or misleading, so read them critically.
• Every weapon has a stat requirement. Check the scaling letters (S/A/B/C/D/E) in the weapon menu. If you're using a Strength-scaling weapon with low Strength, you're dealing reduced damage.
• Two-handing a weapon (hold Triangle on PlayStation or Y on Xbox while pressing the matching hand button, e.g. R1/RB for the right-hand weapon) multiplies your Strength by 1.5 for that weapon (paired weapons excepted), which can help you meet a Strength requirement.
• Flask charges replenish at any Site of Grace, and per the wiki the flasks can also restore some or all uses after you defeat a group of enemies or a powerful enemy such as a Troll (Teardrop Scarabs also restore charges).
• Use the wiki when stuck. Many quests and mechanics are not explained in-game.

After Godrick the Grafted (Stormveil Castle's main boss), the game opens up and you can explore Liurnia of the Lakes and beyond.

Main story boss order (a typical route; several other areas and bosses are optional):

• Stormveil Castle → Godrick the Grafted
• Raya Lucaria Academy (Liurnia) → Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
• Leyndell, Royal Capital (reached via the Altus Plateau) → Morgott, the Omen King
• Mountaintops of the Giants → Fire Giant (the Rold Medallion from Melina after Morgott opens the way)
• Crumbling Farum Azula (entered from the Forge of the Giants grace) → Maliketh, the Black Blade
• Leyndell, Ashen Capital → Godfrey, First Elden Lord / Hoarah Loux, then Radagon and the Elden Beast

At any point feeling stuck, go sideways — explore caves, find better equipment, try the underground regions. There is always more content to find.