You do not have to win every fight to survive longer in Elden Ring. Learn the controls, use Sites of Grace to recover and level up, spend runes before risky encounters, and leave enemies that are currently outmatching you. The game gives you room to explore, improve your equipment, and come back later.
Start with the tutorial and controls
Complete the Cave of Knowledge tutorial before heading into the wider world. It introduces basic controls and combat techniques, including weapon stances and guard counters. If you need a refresher, tutorial entries can be reread from the inventory’s Info menu. You can also review or change controller settings in the system menu.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
ELDEN RING: Tarnished Edition - Nintendo Switch 2 | $79.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Elden Ring (PS5) (European Version) | $34.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Bandai Namco Entertainment Elden Ring (PS4) | $46.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition | Digital | Nintendo Switch 2 Digital Code | $79.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Button prompts vary by platform, and PC key mappings may differ from console controls. Use the in-game settings for your platform rather than relying on a button guide written for another version. Bandai Namco’s starter guide covers basic play and combat, while its early-game tips point new players toward the tutorial.
Make Sites of Grace part of your routine
Activate Sites of Grace when you find them. Resting there restores HP and FP, clears status ailments, refills your flasks, and opens options such as leveling up. Discovered Sites of Grace also let you fast travel, although some dungeons restrict travel. Most enemies return after you rest, so use the reprieve to recover and plan rather than expecting a cleared area to stay empty.
#1 Best Overall
- ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition contains the Elden Ring Base Game + Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion + Additional Content (including Torrent Skins, New Armors, and More...)
- MASSIVE OPEN WORLD
- DEEP, CUSTOMIZABLE COMBAT
- NEW STARTING CLASSES
- NEW PLAYER-FRIENDLY ENHANCEMENTS
Sites of Grace also help you keep track of the route ahead. Guidance of Grace can point toward a major direction, but it is not a command to fight every enemy in your path. Activate nearby checkpoints as you explore, and note whether a Stake of Marika is available as a convenient revival point near a dangerous encounter. For more detail on Grace and exploration, see Bandai Namco’s gameplay overview.
Keep rune losses manageable
Runes serve as both currency for leveling up and money for buying items. When you die, carried runes drop at the death location. You can recover them by returning there, but a second death before recovery loses that pile. If you are close to affording a level or an essential purchase, spend the runes before taking a risk whenever practical.
Rank #2
- Collaborating with George R.R. Martin to create the ELDEN RING mythos has been a genuinely delightful experience and a source of wonderful inspiration. The team is working hard to ensure that the world of ELDEN RING will be a fascinating place for players to explore, filled with peril and wonder from its furthest reaches to its lowest depths. This is a FromSoftware title through and through, rich in fantasy and RPG action. We sincerely hope you look forward to it.
- Building the world of ELDEN RING with Miyazaki-san and his team was a treat! The graphics, mythos, and action-RPG gameplay will deliver an unforgettable experience. I can’t wait for people to see what ELDEN RING has in store for them.” Said George R.R. Martin.
- Before a risky attempt: spend what you can use on a useful level or item, so less is at stake.
- After a death: decide whether the route back to your dropped runes is worth the danger. You do not have to make a recovery attempt if it is likely to cost more.
- On the way back: focus on reaching the dropped runes; avoid turning the recovery trip into another unnecessary fight.
Bandai Namco explains rune use and recovery in its starter guide.
Explore for upgrades instead of forcing a wall
Exploration is a way to grow stronger, not a detour from playing correctly. Map fragments reveal more detail as you find them, and map markers can help you remember difficult enemies, caves, merchants, and other points of interest. Churches, caves, tunnels, and catacombs offer different kinds of resources and challenges.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRank #3
- A New Fantasy World – Journey through the Lands Between, a new fantasy world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator of the influential Dark Souls video game series, and George R. R. Martin, author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Unravel the mysteries of the Elden Ring’s power. Encounter adversaries with profound backgrounds, characters with their own unique motivations for helping or hindering your progress, and fearsome creatures
- World Exploration in the Lands Between – Elden Ring features vast fantastical landscapes and shadowy, complex dungeons that are connected seamlessly. Traverse the breathtaking world on foot or on horseback, alone or online with other players, and fully immerse yourself in the grassy plains, suffocating swamps, spiraling mountains, foreboding castles and other sites of grandeur on a scale never seen before in a FromSoftware title
- Genre-Defining Gameplay – Create your character in FromSoftware’s refined action-RPG and define your playstyle by experimenting with a wide variety of weapons, magical abilities, and skills found throughout the world. Charge into battle, pick off enemies one-by-one using stealth, or even call upon allies for aid. Many options are at your disposal as you decide how to approach exploration and combat
Look for Sacred Tears to improve flask effectiveness, Golden Seeds to increase the number of flask uses, and tunnels where you can find smithing stones for weapon upgrades. These upgrades can make a later attempt more manageable without requiring you to master a fight immediately. Bandai Namco describes these resource locations in its gameplay overview.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose whether to fight, summon, or return later
When an enemy feels like a wall, treat the next move as a choice rather than a test you must pass now. You can make another attempt, use a summon if the situation allows, ask for co-op help, or leave and explore elsewhere. The official early-game guide specifically warns that the Tree Sentinel is very tough for a beginner and recommends adventuring and strengthening before returning.
Rank #4
- ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition
- Fight now if you have a clear plan and can afford the risk to your carried runes.
- Use Spirit Ashes when summoning is available. You need the Spirit Calling Bell and the corresponding ashes.
- Try co-op if you want another player’s help.
- Leave and return if the enemy is taking too many attempts or your character and weapon need improvement.
After accepting Melina’s accord at a Site of Grace, you can level up and obtain the Spectral Steed Whistle. Torrent gives you another way to travel and engage with the world; mounted combat and shortcuts are also covered in Bandai Namco’s five starting tips.
Quick Recap
A low-pressure opening route
- Complete the Cave of Knowledge tutorial and check the Info menu later if you need to revisit a technique.
- Activate Sites of Grace as you encounter them, so recovery and fast travel options are available.
- Meet Melina and obtain Torrent when the opportunity comes, then use the mount to make exploration easier.
- Find map fragments and place markers for routes, resources, merchants, and enemies you plan to revisit.
- Spend runes on useful character growth rather than carrying a large pile into a fight you expect to be risky.
- Upgrade your weapon when materials permit and improve your flask capacity and effectiveness through exploration.
- Leave a substantially stronger enemy for later and return when you have more tools or a better plan.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →
