Elden Ring Although FromSoftware may be the most welcoming game for newcomers, it is nonetheless faithful to the studio's DNA and demanding requirements. So to make you feel more confident and to accompany you in your first steps in Entre-Terre, we reveal our 10 tips to get the adventure off to a good start!
Awaken, Shatterless. The Circle of Elden is calling you. But before reaching him, you will go through trials that you do not even dare to imagine.
Whether Elden Ring is your first Soulslike, or you've hung up your gloves for a while, take advantage of this booster shot to get started on the right footing.
Your class is not a compass
Like any good RPG, Elden Ring starts with creating your avatar. In addition to its physical features that you are free to select (and which can also be modified later), the game offers you to choose between 10 classes.
But do not take offense: these are actually quite unimportant. They only determine the basic equipment of your avatar, and the allocation of the first skill points.
The vagrant is rather typed for strength, when the astrologer relies on intelligence to cast powerful spells. The samurai is adept at dexterity and endurance, and the prisoner offers a balanced build between all characteristics.
If Elden Ring is your first Souls, don't think too much and go for a Wanderer. The idea is to start quickly on an allocation of points in force (life points), endurance (number of blows that can be chained, and weight of equipment), strength (weapon damage) and faith (use of defensive and offensive miracles).
But as we said above: you can totally go another way and rather raise your intelligence in the future to wield powerful magic. Rest assured, it will also be possible to reallocate your experience points to a stage of the game.
Finally, you will have to choose your legacy: the special object with which you will start your adventure. We recommend the Golden Seed, in that it allows you to quickly add a dose of health / mana vial very early in the game. Particularly useful for beginners!
Follow the tutorial!
Elden Ring has a very well-designed tutorial at the very beginning of the game. But it's also possible to miss it if you don't trust this old man's spirit, which encourages you to jump into the void of the Cave of the To know.
Directly after getting shrunk by the very first opponent in the game (a constant at FromSoftware, don't mind that), you'll wake up in a cave. Go forward and jump into the hole to your right.
You will arrive in a very complete tutorial that will explain everything you need to know about combat mechanics. Indispensable for the future!
Quickly recover a good shield (and abuse the counterattack)
In the early game, one of the most important characteristics for a shield is its block rate to physical damage. If it is 50, it will pass 50% of damage taken while on guard. However, if it is 100, only your stamina gauge will be eaten away after a blockage. Suffice to say that you will want to find one quickly!
After barely an hour of play, you should normally have discovered the grace site called "Cabane de Voilorage". From there, head east towards the Warmaster's Hut. Go northeast to reach an enemy camp. Use force or stealth to defeat your opponents (watch out for the dogs!), and get your first shield blocking 100% of physical damage from the chest.
Thanks to him, you will be able to abuse the counterattack. As a reminder: raise your guard with L1/LB, and press R2/RT just after a block to launch the counterattack. In some cases, this will break the enemy's posture and allow you to land a critical hit (R1/RB).
JVFR
JVFR
Circle around your enemies
This is one of the basic tips for all Soulsborne. Do not remain static in front of the enemy! Turn around him, and preferably on the side where he does not hold his weapon to avoid his blows.
By carefully analyzing your opponents, and anticipating their blows, you will quickly manage to place yourself behind their backs to deal them a critical hit (R1/RB) and generously nibble on their life bar.
Also keep in mind that the jump attacks (X/A + R2/RT) are very powerful, and that it is perfectly possible for you to run during a fight while remaining pressed on O/B. But be careful not to run out of stamina!
Take matters into your own hands. With two hands.
Did you know you can grab any weapon with two hands? By doing so, we increase our damage by 50%, but we also deprive ourselves of the blessing of a shield in our left hand (it is still possible to block, but certainly not 100% of the damage).
This trick is particularly useful in the event that you pick up a weapon that requires, for example, 30 strength to be carried. If you only have 20 strength points, you only need to carry this weapon with two hands to meet this criterion!
JVFR
Always have a bow in your bag
Bows often require a heavy investment in dexterity to be effective. But did you know you can equip them anyway? You will do ridiculous damage, yes, but the idea is not to kill our enemies with a headshot. The idea is to attract them one by one.
Indeed with a bow, you can aim very precisely and therefore get an enemy out of a group, for example. To do this, equip your bow in your right hand, then press R1/RB+Triange/Y to grab it with both hands. Now press L1/LB to bring up a crosshair. Aim your opponent (headshots do more damage), and let them come to you. Re-equip your main weapon, and start the fight.
JVFR
Note that, unlike crossbows and throwing weapons (consumables), only the bow allows you to use precise aiming.
In trouble ? Explore the open world!
Elden Ring contrasts with its predecessors thanks to its open world dimension. Also, in case you get stuck facing a tough boss in one of its many dungeons, don't be afraid to turn back and go back to exploring the Underworld.
Several advantages to this. Already, you can very easily farm experience and therefore level up. Yes, outdoors, you can fight on horseback, or at least easily recover your lost runes in the event of death.
Next, Golden Seeds (which add a dose of potion) and Tears of Life (which increase potion effectiveness) are freely available in the open world. If all the areas of the game are not accessible from the start of the game, you can easily arrive at the Veilorage dungeon (the first big dungeon) with 5 or 6 healing vials increased by +2.
JVFR
Similarly, roaming the world will allow you to get your hands on the crafting components and forging stones essential to improving your weapons. Indeed, we do not change weapons like shirts in a Souls. The idea is to find one that suits us, and improve it in the forge to increase its damage. This can be done at the forge of the church of Elleh, or at the Bastion de la Table-Ronde.
JVFR
Experience different ashes of war
It is also in the open world that you will unearth the ashes of war. They can be found either by killing the silver dung beetles (which flee in the opposite direction to your approach; get them to stick to a wall!), or on certain mini-bosses hidden in castles or caves.
Ashes are used to assign special skills to weapons and modify their characteristics. For example, a katana can use the Impale skill, which delivers a devastating thrust attack. Or Blade Dance, which uses different blows to assault the enemy. Later, we can even take advantage of basic skills, such as freezing or poisonous mists.
JVFR
The possibilities are very vast, and can profoundly modify the behavior of a weapon. You only need to rest at a site of grace to access the menu allowing you to change it. It costs you nothing, and unlocked ashes remain accessible after use. So experiment!
Find your soul mate
Elden Ring introduces a feature to summon spirits that can aid you in combat. There are dozens of them, and their interest varies completely.
At the start, we will particularly appreciate the company of three wolves, which drive opponents crazy with their cross attacks, giving you time to heal yourself or go behind their backs to strike them a critical blow.
JVFR
As you progress, and in particular by exploring side dungeons, you will even find overpowered summons, which will be of great help to you against certain bosses.
So again, it's really not a bad idea to take the time to explore the open world.
Buy a torch!
This may sound like silly advice. But the torch sold to you by the first merchant you come across will make your life easier while you wait to get a lantern.
Equipped in left hand, it allows to light up the surroundings. Press L1/LB to wield it and see even further.
Obviously, equip it as a secondary weapon so that you can quickly switch from the torch to your shield in the event of a fight. But, without it, you will inevitably fall into many traps when exploring dungeons. Watch where you step!
JVFR
We made it short in order to remain digestible. But do not hesitate to share, you too, your advice and tips if you are a fan of Soulsborne!
