Elden Ring is an action role-playing game created by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed Dark Souls series and is set in a world created by both George R. R. Martin and Hidetaka Miyazaki.
The game is said to be one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by FromSoftware, with a huge open world that can be explored from different angles depending on the player’s choice. With so much content to experience, it can be difficult to decide where to start your adventure in Elden Ring.
If you’re looking for some guidance on what to do first in Elden Ring, then this article is for you! Here are the top 10 most important things to do first in Elden Ring:
1. Get a Crafting Kit from Merchant Kale
In Elden Ring, players now have the ability to craft their own items and Consumables. This is a major strategic component for the game, as players must carefully select which items to craft in order to survive their journey.
Crafting can be used to create a variety of special items, including fire pots, arrows, and even healing items for the player’s horse. However, crafting is not available from the start of the game; players must complete specific tasks to unlock the ability to craft these items.
Crafting adds an extra layer of depth to the game and encourages players to come up with creative strategies.
When exploring Limgrave, don’t forget to follow the golden light path – known as the “guidance of grace” – to the Church of Elleh. Here, you can find a merchant that will sell you a crafting kit for a few hundred Runes – a great deal you may have gotten from the tutorial dungeon.
If you don’t have the Runes, no worries! Take a short journey east into the woods and fight a few run-of-the-mill soldiers to get some. Just watch out for the patrol Tree Sentinel! With a little bit of exploration, you’ll be well on your way to powerful tools and powerful rewards.
Crafting kits offer a variety of items that serve both offensive and defensive purposes. With a crafting kit, you’ll have access to a wide range of materials obtained from plants, animals, rocks, and enemies.
You’ll also come across many recipes in books left in dungeons, sold by merchants and beyond. You can craft anything from arrows and buff items to weapon-enhancing greases.
All of the materials you collect will regenerate each time you rest at a site of grace, so try to collect as many as you can. With a crafting kit, you can create many useful items and enhance your weapons to give you an edge in battle.
When you visit the Church of Elleh, make sure to take a torch with you. This will come in handy when exploring the mini-dungeons that can be found in the area. These areas are typically poorly lit, so be sure to come prepared.
You should also find a nearby Smithing Table, as it’s a great place to sharpen weapons in preparation for taking on enemies in Limgrave. With the right tools and preparation, you’re ready to take on whatever comes your way!
2. Locate Melina to Level Up and Get Your Mount
Upon visiting the Church of Elleh, you will be guided to go east. Following the path along the nearby road and through the trees, you’ll come across the Gatefront Ruins. Just north of the enemy camp, you’ll find a large gate with a Site of Grace by its side. All you need to do is explore the area, and you will discover the hidden grace that lies within.
When you take a rest at the grace site, you will be introduced to Melina, an important NPC that can help you on your journey. She will allow you to use runes to level up in Elden Ring and also give you the ability to summon Torrent, your spirit horse that will be your primary means of transportation across the Lands Between.
Resting at these grace sites is necessary as they bring you closer to your goals and give you access to the invaluable guidance of Melina. Once you have been properly introduced, you can exchange runes to level up at any Site of Grace you rest at.
It is highly advisable to do this as much as possible, as you can easily get caught up in the excitement of the game and forget to use your runes before getting killed and losing them.
Runes can be hard to come by, so make sure you use them wisely and keep a level head to ensure that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to level up efficiently.
3. Find The First Map
Elden Ring provides plenty of opportunities for exploration, with no guides or maps pointing you in the right direction. However, the West Limgrave map fragment can be found near the Church. To reach it, you’ll need to head North and look out for a set of abandoned stone buildings – the barracks.
We recommend keeping your health at full as you approach, as there are usually several armed soldiers patrolling the area. To avoid conflict, try to take them out silently, as it’s easy to get overwhelmed by multiple enemies.
Beside the barracks, there is a stele on the road. You must interact with this to acquire your first map fragment. You must be careful when you do this, as there is a powerful soldier nearby armed with a polearm constantly patrolling the area.
To do so without alerting them, you must time your interaction precisely. With luck, you should be able to get the map fragment without any trouble.
In most regions of the world, visiting and interacting with monuments is an easy way to obtain maps. In particular, the West Limgrave map has its monument icon hidden, but it can still be clearly seen on some other maps.
With the help of these monuments, you can unlock different regions and begin your journey to explore the world. Furthermore, these monuments also come in handy for completing various quests and challenges that you might encounter during your adventure.
4. Obtain the Summoner’s Bell and Spirit Ashes
Before you can use the spirit ashes to summon friendly spirits, you’ll need to unlock the power to do so. While some spirit ashes can be found in the game right away, you’ll need to explore the world and level up your character before you can use them. Once you learn how to summon spirits, you’ll be able to call upon them to aid you in battle, giving you an extra edge when fighting tough battles. Luckily, you won’t have to wait too long to gain this ability.
Upon reaching the Church of Elleh, you may find that a mysterious fog has shrouded the place and the Merchant Kale is sound asleep. Before departing, you may encounter a mysterious figure known as Ranni the Witch. She will provide you with a Summoning Bell, a magical artifact that will allow you to summon spirits when near summoning icons. These icons come in the form of a white arch logo displayed in the left-middle part of your screen. With the use of your Summoning Bell, you can harness powerful spirits and use them to cope with difficult environments.
Spirit Ashes are magical essences that can be used in battles in many different ways. They come in a wide variety of forms based on the enemies you’ll be facing and the power of the summoned spirits. Each summoning will cost a certain amount of FP, and the cost increases with the spirit’s strength or the amount of them summoned.
They can help you in a number of ways, such as lending their power to fight your enemies or giving you a chance to heal and counter-attack while they distract a boss. After the first Legacy Dungeon has been completed, you’ll gain the ability to upgrade certain spirit ashes to make them even more powerful and versatile. Consider which kind of spirit ashes are best suited to your playing style, and make sure to upgrade them for the best possible.
Spirit Summons in the game is a unique and helpful feature that allows players to summon helpful NPCs during battle. These Spirits don’t increase the difficulty of the fight, unlike when players summon other players, which provides a great opportunity to take advantage of during battles. However, Spirit Summons and co-op gameplay cannot be used at the same time, so players must choose wisely in order to make the most out of their battles.
If you travel to Roundtable Hold after obtaining Torrent from Limgrave, you’ll find that the witch at the Church of Elleh no longer appears. However, you can still obtain the Summoning Bell and Lone Wolf Ashes from a merchant in Roundtable Hold, although it won’t be for free. The price for the items depends on your current standing with the merchant. It’s important to note, however, that the items cannot be recovered if you forget to purchase them. So, it’s best if you purchase them as soon as possible!
Making use of your new Summoner’s Bell requires seeking out specific Spirit Ashes to unlock new summons. We recommend collecting the following Spirit Ashes to give you plenty of summons to try out: these will provide a variety of creatures to play with and experiment with. With the right Spirit Ashes, you can run your own experiments and strengthen your existing summons in the world of the Summoners Bell.
- The Stormfoot Catacombs to the north of the Church of Elleh house two powerful items, the Wandering Noble Ashes and the Noble Sorcerer Ashes. Both of these items are extremely rare and powerful and can offer immense strength to any bearer. The Wandering Noble Ashes grants the bearer the power of pure faith, while the Noble Sorcerer Ashes give the bearer unwavering strength and the power of the stars. Acquiring either of these items requires significant effort and dedication and is sure to be rewarding for any seeker.
- Deep in the far northwest corner of Storm Hill lies a cemetery filled with the graves of Godrick Soldiers. It is here that the Ashes of the Godrick Soldier are said to rest, protected by an army of Jellyfish enemies stationed around Stormveil Castle. The Godrick Soldier Ashes are one of the most powerful artifacts in all of Storm Hill, and their mysterious powers remain largely unknown. While it is a dangerous undertaking, many adventurers seek out the Ashes in order to gain such a powerful and ancient artifact.
- The Jellyfish Spirit Ashes are a mysterious item that can be found in the game. They are given out by an unknown woman in a small hut located on the road close to the Storm Gate on the way to the castle. This item is essential for progressing further in the game, as it unlocks the entrance to the castle. It is a valuable and rare item, only obtainable from this mysterious woman.
5. Find Stormhill Shack
Heading east from Stormgate will take you to the road that leads to Stormveil Castle. Once you come across the shack, take a right and speak with Roderika, who is inside. She is essentially your guide to all things side quests in the sprawling world of Elden Ring. Talking to her a few times will reveal that she has an interest in Chrysalid items. After one last conversation with her, she will give you the Jellyfish Spirit Ash.
Roderika is a key character in the game who can help upgrade your Spirit Ashes once you defeat the second main story boss. She can be found around Stormhill Shack if you bring back a Chrysalid from Stormveil Castle. However, if she’s not there, you can still find her at Roundtable Hold. With her help, you can make your Spirit Ashes even more powerful than before.
6. Clear the Gatefront Ruins
The Gatefront Ruins, located at the base of a towering gate, is a must-visit spot in the game. Not only is it a spectacular and beautiful sight with ruins to explore, but it’s also filled with important items for you to obtain. Whether it be weapons, items, or rare artifacts, the Gatefront Ruins provide an opportunity to get your hands on these precious resources. So be sure to explore the area thoroughly if you want to make the most of your efforts.
While key locations and sites of importance are already marked on the map, the terrain and surrounding areas will be hidden in a fog of war. In order to uncover this information, players must search for Map Fragments at the base of large stone stelles.
These obelisks typically have some form of writing on them and emit a soft glow. Has your character set their sights on West Limgrave? A Map Fragment can be found there, but beware of nearby enemies! A Godrick Knight patrols the area, and a scout is likely to sound an alarm if you’re spotted, bringing in reinforcements.
Exploring the ruins can be rewarding for adventurers looking for unique weapons. At the edges of the ruins, two large carriages can be found that have chests in the back. Inside those chests are two weapons that don’t demand a high stat requirement to use – the Flail and the Lordsworn Greatsword. It is worth taking a minute to try out these weapons and their weapon skills against the soldiers in the area.
Searching along the south side of the ruins can lead players to an underground tunnel with the Ashes of War and the Whetstone Knife, two powerful weapons that give their users the ability to freely switch between Ashes of War weapons.
With these weapons, you can change your stats and stat scaling as needed depending on your playstyle, which can prove extremely beneficial in the long run if you are focused on optimizing certain stats like strength, dexterity, or faith. Whatever stats you decide to focus on, having weapons that scale with it can make a massive difference in the end.
7. Visit the Dragon-Burnt Ruins
Located on the south side of Agheel Lake is a set of ruins known as the Dragon-Burnt Ruins. This area is filled with relatively weak enemies, which makes it a great spot for farming Runes early on in the game. Inside the ruins, there are two staircases that lead down, creating a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. Although the enemies that reside here may not be the strongest, it’s still a great place to practice your combat skills and collect Runes.
If you’re looking for a great weapon, try the southern entrance of the shrine. You’ll need to use Torrent to get over the high walls, but once you do, you’ll find yourself in a small room with a treasure chest containing the Twinblade. This weapon is great for characters that rely on Strength. Alternatively, the northern entrance takes you into a chamber full of rats. However, the chest inside is a trap that takes you to a much more difficult area. So choose your entrance wisely!
8. Find More Ashes of War
Ashes of War can be acquired by fighting and defeating powerful enemies. However, players who would like to obtain them quickly can purchase them from merchants. These Ashes can be exchanged for desired weapons, offering a great opportunity to customize your loadout. Furthermore, swapping out weapons with Ashes of War is a great way to upgrade your combat arsenal while progressing through the game.
Head to the Warmaster’s Shack in the woods for an array of weapon skills that can enhance all armaments. At the shack, you can find the powerful storm blade ranged attack, the parry skill for shields and small weapons, and the Ash of War – No Skill that allows you to make use of your main armament’s skill without having to hold it in two hands.
To get to the Warmaster’s Shack, go up the road from the Storm Gate and take a right on a dirt road until you reach the lone shack in the middle of a wooded area. With these skills and more, the Warmaster’s Shack is the perfect place to find just the right weapon skill for you!
9. Battle Bloody Finger Nerijus
In the game Elden Ring, players can experience some scripted Invasions from antagonistic NPCs. One of the more well-known invasions is the invasion of Bloody Finger Nerijus, which occurs when the player travels along the river north out of Agheel Lake and goes as far as they can.
During the invasion, players must stay on the defensive and try their best to dodge Nerijus’ attacks as they inflict Bleed. Luckily, the player is assisted by a friendly NPC who helps to distract Nerijus and gives the player a chance to attack without fear of reprisal.
The Reduvia Dagger is a powerful weapon acquired by defeating Nerijus. It scales with both your Dexterity and Arcane stats, and while it doesn’t have the highest damage potential of any weapon, it still offers a desirable effect – it allows you to inflict Bleed on enemies. So, even if your Arcane stat isn’t as high as you’d like, you can still make use of this weapon and its special Bleed effect.
10. Explore Limgrave’s Mini Dungeons
Elden Ring is home to numerous dungeons, both big and small. Giant dungeons can be seen from across the Lands Between, while smaller ones may be tucked away off the beaten path. These dungeons come in a variety of sizes and locations, ranging from a few small rooms to sprawling cave systems.
Completing these dungeons serves as great rewards – they all contain hidden loot, as well as a mini-boss challenge at the end. Those who brave these dungeons will be greatly rewarded for their efforts.
Mini Dungeons are hidden throughout the world, often unmarked and difficult to find. These dungeons are usually entryways or caverns located in the sides of rocks or mountains. To identify a Mini Dungeon, look for small, tell-tale signs like lanterns on the rocks or spooky statues hinting at the entrance. You may have to search far and wide, but finding your way to a Mini Dungeon can be a rewarding experience.
BONUS
Get Margit’s Shackle
Murkwater Cave is an underground dungeon in Valheim located near Nerijus’s camp. It is a short yet challenging trek where you will eventually face off against Patches the Tarnished merchant at the end.
During the fight, Patches will implore for your mercy, and it is a good idea to heed his requests. After leaving the area, return to rest at a Site of Grace, and you can then purchase some valuable items from Patches. One of the most interesting offers is Margit’s Shackle.
This unique item is especially helpful during the first scripted battle against Margit as it has the ability to freeze her in place for a few precious seconds. However, it does come with a steep price of 5,000 Runes.
Find Smithing Stones
The strength of a warrior is often judged by the power of their weapons. To upgrade their weapons to their max potential, one can use the Smithing Table at the Church of Elleh. The anvil can increase weapons up to +3 as long as one has smithing stones. Acquiring these stones is essential for crafting to reach its full potential, and they can be found in various locations around the Lands Between. With enough smithing stones and hard work, one can become a powerful warrior.
Smithing Stones are one of the most useful ingredients for any aspiring Blacksmith and are found ubiquitously in the world. They can be obtained from enemy encampments, dungeons, and other out-of-the-way locations. One great source of Smithing Stones lies in the Limgrave Tunnels, situated near your starting area. Not only is it possible to obtain them from enemies, but many deposits within the Tunnels also yield Smithing Stones, which can be scavenged and accumulated.
Once you have acquired enough stones from slaying monsters and completing quests, it’s time to embark on your journey to Stormveil Castle. With up to a +3 weapon in your arsenal, you can harness your full potential to tackle any obstacles and challenges that come your way. It’s important to have all the necessary materials ready when traveling to Stormveil Castle, as the journey requires strength, determination, and resilience.
Find a Key Item to Help Against the First Major Boss
Exploring West Limgrave and its adjoining areas can be a rewarding experience. But one area in particular – Stormveil Castle – presents a formidable challenge to even the bravest adventurers. Standing guard at the entrance is the Great Enemy Margit the Fell Omen, who requires a great deal of preparation and practice to overcome. But with the right preparation and equipment, it is possible to even the odds to make the journey a little easier.
If you’re looking for a challenge in Limgrave, head over to the area directly beneath the large bridge. Here, you can find a small gorge hosting Murkwater Cave. This mini-dungeon is filled with mystery and excitement, and completing it will reward you with a valuable item known as Margit’s Shackle. With this item, you can temporarily stun a powerful boss, creating an opportunity to attack it with no fear of being hurt. So if you’re up for an adventure, why not check out the Murkwater Cave and see what treasures await you.
The Looping Uppercut is a useful boxing move that is both effective and reusable. However, it is important to note that this move isn’t meant to be overused in one single fight. Taking advantage of the opening it provides is the important part; make sure to use the window of opportunity granted in order to pull off powerful shots. Ultimately, with the correct balance of usage, the Looping Uppercut can be an invaluable move to have in your arsenal.
Brave the Waypoint Ruins
Venturing into the Waypoint Ruins in West Limgrave is a surefire way to give your Intelligence stat a boost. The ruins, found in the eastern edge of the map, are teeming with formidable plant monsters. During your journey, take out the smaller creatures that stand in your way, and when the path is clear, make your way to the stairs and dash down into the ruins. As you traverse the ruins, watch out for a monster that showers holy lightning on your path. Once you make it to a Glintstone Sorceress, your Intelligence stat will be significantly improved.
The Mad Pumpkin Head is a boss in the game that you’ll have to face. While the fight itself is relatively straightforward, it can be tricky. The Mad Pumpkin Head has a three-hit combo that usually triggers when you’re close to him – he’ll attack with his flail, then his fist, and then his flail again. To avoid getting hit, dash away and then run back in to attack. Be aware that every once in a while, the Mad Pumpkin Head will slam his head into the ground.
In order to access the next chamber, you must first defeat the Mad Pumpkin Head. Once that’s done, you can move on and meet Sellen, the sorceress. She offers a range of basic Glintstone spells, but if you bring her Glintstone Craftsman Cookbooks, you’ll be able to unlock a larger selection of spells. So make sure you’ve stocked up on Glintstone merchandise before you enter the room.
Find the Flask of Wondrous Physik
At the Third Church of Marika, located northeast of the Waypoint Ruins lies an important statue at its center. Interacting with the statue will reward you with the Flask of Wondrous Physik as well as two starter crystals for use in mixing effects. The Flask of Wondrous Physik can be used for multiple functions, which vary depending on the type of crystals you combine it with. This item is especially useful since the Tear Flasks have limited abilities.
Elixirs are among the most important consumable items in any role-playing game, and the world of Digital Monsters is no exception. These items can provide a variety of different effects, such as boosting the power of your charged attacks or extending your stamina for longer periods of time. Knowing when to use these elixirs can be the difference between success and failure, so make sure to have a ready supply from the very start of your adventure.