Elden Ring Beginner's Guide

Starting Elden Ring? How to pick a starting class, what to do first in Limgrave, how leveling, flasks and Spirit Ashes work, and the tips that make the Lands Between less brutal.

Updated 31 October 2026Checked for patch 1.164 sources
Image: BANDAI NAMCO Europe / YouTube

Elden Ring is FromSoftware's open-world action RPG, released in February 2022 for PC, PlayStation and Xbox and in August 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2 as the Tarnished Edition. It's hard, but more flexible than the studio's earlier games – if one path is too tough, there's almost always another. This guide covers what new Tarnished need to know.

Step 1: Pick a starting class

Your class only decides your starting stats and gear – you can grow any build later. These are the main options:

VagabondA sturdy knight with a sword, halberd and shield. The classic safe pick for melee.
SamuraiStarts with the Uchigatana katana and a longbow – strong from the first minute.
AstrologerA sorcerer who fights from range with Glintstone spells. Great if you want to play a mage.
Confessor / ProphetFaith classes with healing and incantations. Confessor is a hybrid fighter, Prophet a caster.
Warrior, Hero, Bandit, PrisonerDual-wielding, strength, bows and hybrid magic builds – all viable, just a little more specialized.
WretchLevel 1 with nothing but a club. A challenge – or a blank slate for experienced players.

You also choose a keepsake at the start. The Golden Seed (an extra flask charge) is a popular pick for beginners.

Step 2: Learn the core systems

Sites of GraceCheckpoints where you rest, refill flasks and – after meeting Melina – level up. Resting respawns most enemies.
RunesCurrency and experience in one. Die and you drop them; reach the spot again to pick them back up, or they're lost.
TorrentMelina gives you the spectral steed early on. Ride for exploration and many open-world fights.
Spirit AshesGet the Spirit Calling Bell from Renna at the Church of Elleh at night, after you have Torrent, then summon spirits near bosses.
FlasksSplit your Flask of Crimson (health) and Cerulean (FP) Tears at a Site of Grace. Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears upgrade them.
Upgrade your weaponSmithing Stones upgrade weapons at the blacksmith in Roundtable Hold. Weapon level matters more than character level early on.

Step 3: Where to go first

After the tutorial you arrive in Limgrave. Explore it, get Torrent from Melina at a Site of Grace, and pick up the Spirit Calling Bell. When you feel ready, take on Margit and Godrick at Stormveil Castle – or head south to the Weeping Peninsula first to level up. From there, the story continues north into Liurnia.

Tips that help everyone

Go where you likeIf an area or boss is too hard, go somewhere else. Limgrave, the Weeping Peninsula and the Stormhill caves are all good early places.
Explore caves and catacombsSmall dungeons hold Spirit Ashes, talismans and upgrade materials, and end with a boss.
Pick up map fragmentsSteles with map fragments reveal each region. Look for them on the road.
Play with othersFurlcalling Finger Remedy shows summon signs; the Tarnished's Furled Finger lets you help others. Both need online play.
Practise against field bossesSmaller bosses teach dodging and timing before you face the demigods.
Talk to everyoneQuestlines unlock endings and great rewards – and many can end if you move on too fast.

Done with the base game? The Shadow of the Erdtree guide covers how to start the expansion.

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Reference page written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games change with every patch – the patch this page was last checked for is shown at the top.