Elden Ring is not a game that holds your hand. FromSoftware’s open-world action RPG throws you into the Lands Between with minimal explanation and expects you to learn largely by dying. It is also one of the best games released in the last decade, so working through that learning curve is absolutely worth it. This beginner’s guide covers everything you need to know to get started on the right foot.
Choose the Right Starting Class
Your starting class determines your initial stats and equipment, but it does not lock you into a playstyle permanently. You can respec later. That said, certain classes make the early game significantly easier, and for first-time players this matters.
Vagabond is the most recommended starting class for beginners. It begins with solid armour, a reliable sword and shield, and high Vigor (the health stat). You can take more hits, you have a shield to block with, and the straightforward melee playstyle gives you time to learn enemy patterns without worrying about complex mechanics.
Confessor is a strong alternative if you want some early magic alongside melee. It starts with a decent sword plus some Faith-based incantations, giving you flexibility.
Avoid Wretch on your first playthrough. Starting naked with a club is technically optimal for min-maxers who already know what build they want, but for beginners it is just punishment.
The Most Important Early Tip: Level Vigor First
One of the most common beginner mistakes in Elden Ring is neglecting Vigor. Vigor is your health stat, and in the early-to-mid game it is the single most impactful thing you can level. More Vigor means surviving mistakes that would otherwise kill you outright.
Aim to get Vigor to 40 before heavily investing in offensive stats. At 40 Vigor you have a substantial health pool that forgives errors. Past 60 the returns diminish considerably, so you do not need to push it to maximum.
How to Level Up (and Where to Find the NPCs)
You cannot level up immediately in Elden Ring. First you need to find Melina, an NPC who appears after you have visited two or three Sites of Grace (the game’s respawn checkpoints). She offers you the ability to level up in exchange for your Runes (the game’s currency, earned by killing enemies).
The critical thing to understand: if you die before spending your Runes, you drop them at the location you died. You get one chance to return and collect them. Die again before collecting, and they are gone permanently. Do not hoard Runes: spend them when you have enough for the next level.
Grace Markers and Exploration
The Sites of Grace emit a beam of golden light pointing in a recommended direction. This is the game’s soft navigation system, guiding you broadly toward the main story path. As a beginner, following the grace beams is a reasonable approach, but do not treat them as mandatory. Elden Ring rewards exploration, and many of the best early upgrades and items are found off the beaten path.
Early on, explore Limgrave thoroughly before pushing toward the first major boss. The area contains several useful items, Spirit Ashes (summon helpers), and upgrade materials that will make subsequent encounters considerably more manageable.
Spirit Ashes: Use Them, There Is No Shame In It
Spirit Ashes let you summon spectral allies to fight alongside you. They cost FP (your magic resource) and can only be used near a rebirth monument (a small stone structure near most boss arenas). They are a legitimate mechanic that FromSoftware put in the game deliberately. Use them.
For beginners, Wolves (early, easily found, effective) and Jellyfish (found in Stormhill, provides healing) are strong starting options. The Lone Wolf Ashes are given by Renna early in the game and remain useful for a surprisingly long time.
The First Major Boss: Margit the Fell Omen
Margit the Fell Omen guards Stormveil Castle and is the first significant wall most new players hit. He is aggressively punishing, attacks in long combos, and introduces a delayed-swing attack that catches impatient players out repeatedly.
A few things that help with Margit:
Lone Wolf Ashes split his attention and deal decent damage. Margit’s Shackle is a consumable item sold by merchant Patches (found in Murkwater Cave) that can briefly immobilise Margit twice per fight, giving you free attacks. You do not need it, but it helps.
For his delayed swings: watch his hand, not his weapon. When he winds up slowly, wait an extra half-second before dodging. If you dodge on instinct at the start of the animation, you will dodge too early and get hit by the follow-through.
Weapon Upgrades Matter More Than Stats
Levelling your character matters, but upgrading your weapon matters more in the early game. A +4 or +5 weapon will dramatically outperform the same weapon at +0 regardless of how many levels you have put into Strength or Dexterity.
Smithing Stones are used to upgrade weapons and can be found throughout the world or purchased from merchants. Smithing Stones (1) and (2) are the ones you need for early upgrades. Find a blacksmith (Smithing Master Hewg is at the Roundtable Hold, the game’s hub area) and upgrade your main weapon as early and often as you can.
Managing Stamina
Stamina governs your ability to attack, dodge, and block. Running it out in the middle of a fight is dangerous: you cannot dodge, your blocks will be broken, and you will take massive damage. Get comfortable watching the stamina bar as much as you watch enemy health.
Rolling (dodging) costs stamina. Attacking costs stamina. Blocking while taking hits costs stamina. Heavier armour reduces stamina recovery speed. Keep this in mind when choosing gear, and give yourself breathing room in fights rather than spamming attacks until the bar is empty.
Bleed Builds: Why Everyone Recommends Them
If you look up Elden Ring online, you will quickly encounter the word “bleed.” Bleed is a status effect that, when triggered, removes a percentage of the enemy’s total health in one hit. Weapons with innate bleed (like the Uchigatana, found early in the game) are among the most powerful options in the game, and their effectiveness in PvE is well established.
The Uchigatana is in the Deathtouched Catacombs in Limgrave. If you start as a Samurai class you begin with it. Pairing it with a Dexterity-focused build is one of the more forgiving paths through the game.
A Note on Difficulty
Elden Ring will kill you. Repeatedly. This is expected. The difficulty is not a design flaw; it is the mechanism through which the game teaches you enemy patterns and creates the satisfaction of eventual success. When you die, ask yourself what you could have done differently rather than writing the fight off as unfair. Almost always, there is something.
Most encounters that feel impossible become manageable with better weapon upgrades, a different approach, or simply more understanding of the attack patterns. Give yourself the time to learn them before deciding something cannot be done.
The Lands Between rewards patience and punishes impatience. Keep that in mind and you will find one of the richest, most satisfying games in recent memory.
