Elden Ring: 10 Tips on how to survive your first hour Intro: In Elden Ring you can skip the tutorial and rush right into the world blindly, but since it is an extremely unforgiving game – it would be wise to prepare a little before you set off. Luckily, for all the frustration it inflicts, Elden Ring does give you the tools necessary to upgrade your weapons from the very start of the game – And upgraded weapons shift the odds slightly more into your favor, making the beatings you take a little less painful. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tip 1: When you find Merchant Kale at Church of Elleh, you should purchase some crucial items from him, like; a crafting kit, torch, and telescope. And when you start receiving runes, level vitality and endurance up first – Vitality is a defensive stat and will help your resistance against death, while endurance is very important for progression as it affects your stamina and equipment load.
Tip 2: At the church of Elleh is a smithing table, it’s there for a reason so make use of it. You’ll only need some smithing stones, which can easily be found scattered across the world. I found the most stones at the Limgrave tunnels, and even though you can’t upgrade armor – adding strength to your weapon early on, does make a small difference.
Tip 3: Unlock every Site of Grace that you find. They serve as checkpoints in the game. You level up your character at them, among many other things. They offer fast travel and the ability to summon help if you need it. They’re not as easily located as the Bonfires in Dark souls, and some of them might need you to defeat a boss before you can unlock them - so just keep an eye out at all times.
Tip 4: I’ll summarize a short list of early game weapons that you can obtain; If you’re in need of a shield, there’s guards in Gatefront Ruins, and by defeating them you can get a brass shield that has 100% physical block. While you’re in the Gatefront Ruins you’ll find a small underground camp with a chest, loot the Whetstone knife from it, as this will allow you to apply ashes of war to your weapons. For a great sword, I would suggest the Bloodhound’s Fang. Even without much upgrades, it delivers substantial blows and it would take you quite far in the game. You can obtain this sword by killing Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in Limgrave. For a staff, you can get the Demi-human queen staff from the Demi-human Forest Ruins. It can be found on a landmass south of Limgrave, just know that it will be a challenge to get across the bridge that leads there – but it’s well worth it, because there’s an area nearby in which you can also get one of the best bows. And if you want a good upgrade material, Ash of War: Glintblade Phalanx provides magic affinity. You can get this Ash of War from sorcerer Rogier on the balcony at Roundtable Hold after you’ve defeated Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle.
ip 5: Always be cautious of your surroundings. Everything in this world is out to get you, so expect death at every corner and be very mindful. Personally, I wish I knew to also check the ceiling while you’re exploring catacombs.
Tip 6: Be kind to your mount! Many battles would go a lot smoother when you have the ability to avoid damage by speed. In mounted combat you could also be equipped in the heaviest armor and not feel the weight of it during a fight.
Tip 7: If you want to avoid dying, then don’t engage in battles which you’re uncertain of. Always aggro bosses only if you feel prepared - even though they will sometimes aggro onto you without you meaning to anger them. In that case, run. Many bosses also fight in patterns, so after enough attempts you can catch on to the flow of their attacks and defeat them by their predictability.
Tip 8: Don’t disregard the efficiency of consumables. There are many, many available in this game and you should experiment with each one you get. The throwable bombs or boost of your defense might just safe you in a boss fight.
Tip 9: Don’t rush. Don’t be afraid to leave and return to things later once you’re stronger – it’s not a race. Remember that this is a content-rich game with beautiful visuals that makes exploration well worth it. Investigate absolutely everything, as there’s many things hidden and some places in this game can only be unlocked through quest progression, so don’t skip dialogue and don’t aimlessly run off into different zones - not if you want to experience all the goodness that the Elden Ring has to offer.
Tip 10: As with any game, really.. Don’t Leeroy Jenkins it, and remember that if you’re outnumbered, you’ll likely lose. So don’t try to approach groups of enemies unless you enjoy dying.
Bonus tip: Remember to stay hydrated, take many small breaks and make sure you have an extra controller or an extra keyboard if you're on PC.
