Video Games
How to play Elden Ring
Explore the Lands Between, develop a Tarnished character and overcome major bosses on a path toward an ending.
What you need
The base Elden Ring game on a supported platform
Set up the game
- Choose a starting class and keepsake; the class sets starting equipment and attributes, not a permanently locked role. Complete the tutorial area if you want basic combat prompts.
- This guide describes the base game's early exploration, not Elden Ring Nightreign or the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
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Playing Elden Ring
- Leave the opening area, activate Sites of Grace and follow their guidance or explore elsewhere. Resting replenishes healing flasks but also respawns many regular enemies.
- Use light and heavy attacks, guard, dodge or spells according to your build. Watch stamina and learn when an enemy's attack leaves an opening.
- Earn runes from foes and spend them on levels or supplies. On death, dropped runes may be retrieved from the death site before another death replaces them.
- Progress through legacy dungeons and boss encounters as your equipment improves. The final story outcome depends on later choices; there is no single scored match or fixed early route.
The Tree Sentinel can wait
You see a heavily armored rider soon after reaching Limgrave. Rather than fight immediately with starting gear, follow nearby Grace, collect supplies and discover safer encounters. Return with improved equipment after learning to dodge the rider's swings.
Losing runes is recoverable once
After death, the runes carried at that moment can be recovered at the death location. A second death before recovering them replaces that opportunity. This makes a cautious retrieval trip or an upgrade before a boss attempt more sensible than repeated blind charges.
Beginner decisions
- If a field boss overwhelms you, explore another area, upgrade a weapon and return; the open world offers alternatives.
- Spend a large rune balance before repeatedly attempting an unfamiliar boss if losing it would set back your build.
Common rule mix-ups
- Treating the starting class as an unchangeable skill tree.
- Dodging repeatedly until stamina is empty, leaving no resource to attack or escape.
Questions about this game
Can I avoid the first difficult field boss?
Yes. The open-world path does not require winning every encounter immediately.
Is Nightreign the same ruleset?
No. Elden Ring Nightreign is a different title with a different session structure.
Sources and edition notes
Elden Ring base game introductory progression; Shadow of the Erdtree and Nightreign are distinct products. Specific patch balances and late-game ending conditions are outside this first-steps guide.
Sources and stated format checked October 13, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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