How to get good at Elden Ring

William Davis Published 19/05/2022

Elden Ring had the most explosive rise since Fortnite.

Almost everyone was excited about the game, even people that were not used to playing games from famed developer FromSoftware. Though hype is a challenging thing to deal with sometimes, Elden Ring was a smash hit unlike anything seen in years.

Rush to Melina immediately

New to Elden Ring? Well, find Melina.

Melina allows the player to level up and she should be found immediately. After starting the game, make sure to follow the guiding light that points in her direction. It’s easy to get side-tracked, but avoid doing so early on.

Spend Your Runes

Another reason why visiting Melina is very important is that your runes can be lost if you die. After you’re killed, the player character leaves their runes on the ground where they died. If the player dies again before picking them up, they’re gone forever.

It’s never a smart move to keep loads of runes with you when you can spend it on gear or levels. Visit Melina whenever you have the runes to get a level. If you don’t and are facing a tricky area, it’s not a bad idea to just spend runes on items from merchants.

Use the map the right way

As with most action RPGs, you need to use the map in order to keep track of where you’re going. In Elden Ring, you will need to find map fragments in order to complete the map after entering a new area. The general location of the map fragment will be shown on the map screen even before finding it.

Once the map fragment is found, make sure to use the map to spot catacombs and caves. These are often shown as a circle burned onto the map.

Learn to roll instead of shielding

There are plenty of memes about rolling around in FromSoftware games. It may be funny, but it’s very true in Elden Ring. Using a shield won’t provide enough protection, especially against some world bosses.

Rolling should be the primary means of defense for every player. Timing is key, so always watch for what the boss is about to do and then start attacking. Every boss has a limited set of moves while it may take a few tries, you should be able to figure out a boss without that much trouble.

Don’t get bogged down by side quests

While side quests all have something to offer the player, many of them aren’t going to be worth pulling hair out for most players. Three of the most elaborate side quests lead players to endings that aren’t even tied to achievements.

Some quests, most notably the ones surrounding Ranni the Witch, bring players to new areas and have great rewards. But Dung-Eater, Fia, Rogier, and Goldmask don’t really offer enough juice for the squeeze.

Come back later

You can grind all day, but that will never make you invincible and it doesn’t mean you’re going to beat the game immediately. Elden Ring has loads of bosses that are thrown at the player before they should be ready to face them. Don’t be afraid to back off and come back for them later.

Make predictions today about fights tomorrow and that will help you save time, energy, and motivation. Bosses like the seemingly impossible Tree Sentinel are child’s play once you’ve sharpened your skills and progressed deeper into the game. Though some players tried to defeat him at level one, there’s little reason to do something so frustrating.

William Davis

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