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For a first playthrough, a practical route is Limgrave → Weeping Peninsula → Stormveil Castle → Liurnia of the Lakes → Caelid → Altus Plateau → Leyndell → Mountaintops of the Giants and the late-game regions. This is a difficulty-oriented suggestion, not a required sequence: Elden Ring lets you explore widely, and you can leave a punishing area or boss and return later. Bandai Namco’s simpler suggested route for players unsure where to go is Limgrave → Liurnia → Caelid.
What order should I do the areas in Elden Ring?
Use this route as a compass, not a checklist. It adds the Weeping Peninsula as useful early exploration before Stormveil, then follows a common progression through the main regions. Optional underground areas and side routes can fit where access and your readiness allow.
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| Order | Area or stage | Why go there |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Limgrave | Learn the basics, explore, find map fragments and upgrades, and orient toward Stormveil. |
| 2 | Weeping Peninsula | A nearby early exploration option for gathering resources and building readiness before the castle. |
| 3 | Stormveil Castle | A major early legacy dungeon on the route toward Liurnia. |
| 4 | Liurnia of the Lakes | The next broad region in Bandai Namco’s suggested sequence after Limgrave. |
| 5 | Caelid | A natural next region in the publisher’s general Limgrave → Liurnia → Caelid suggestion; its difficulty may make postponing some encounters sensible. |
| 6 | Altus Plateau and Leyndell | A common later progression toward the capital and the endgame. |
| 7 | Mountaintops of the Giants and late-game regions | Continue the main progression after Leyndell; the exact pace can vary with exploration and readiness. |
| Optional, when accessible | Underground regions and other side areas | Explore when you find a route or want additional challenges, rewards, or quest content; they are not a compulsory step in one fixed order. |
Bandai Namco describes the world as open and warns that enemy danger varies by zone. Its official guidance says players can go anywhere, but some areas are much deadlier than others (Bandai Namco’s gameplay overview, July 19, 2023).
Where should I go after Limgrave?
If you want a measured start, explore the Weeping Peninsula before taking on Stormveil Castle. Then head into Liurnia of the Lakes. If the castle or a boss is stopping your progress, leave, explore elsewhere, improve your equipment, and come back; Elden Ring does not require you to beat every obstacle the first time you encounter it.
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Guidance of Grace is a useful main-path hint: its rays point toward important destinations, including legacy dungeons and bosses. The guidance appears on the map once you have found that area’s map fragment. It indicates direction rather than an obligation to proceed immediately (Bandai Namco’s gameplay overview).
How to tell whether an area is too difficult
There is no official level gate for each region. A practical clue from Bandai Namco is to compare the runes gained from similar common enemies in two candidate zones: if one gives more, that can suggest it is the more difficult area. Treat this only as a rough comparison, not a precise scaling formula. Enemy damage, your build, weapon upgrades, and how comfortably you handle a boss all matter.
Third-party level charts can offer orientation, but they are recommendations rather than publisher requirements. For example, Plarium suggests character level 1–15 for West Limgrave and 130–150 for Miquella’s Haligtree, with weapon-upgrade ranges also varying by region (Plarium’s progression-route guide). Do not treat those figures as thresholds that unlock an area or prove you are ready.
What to explore for upgrades along the way
Exploration supports progression directly. Look for these sources of useful resources as you travel:
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- Churches: Sacred Tears improve flask potency.
- Minor Erdtrees: Crystal Tears can be used to customize the Flask of Wondrous Physick.
- Golden Seeds: Increase the number of flask uses.
- Tunnels: Often contain smithing stones for weapon upgrades.
- Catacombs: Contain materials used to upgrade spirit ashes.
Finding a region’s map fragment also makes navigation clearer and reveals Guidance of Grace on the map for that area (Bandai Namco’s gameplay overview).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can exploring in a different order make quests missable?
Bandai Namco says little content is missable simply because you explore in a different order, but NPC dialogue and questlines can advance automatically as the main game progresses (Bandai Namco’s gameplay overview). If a particular character’s story matters to you, speak with NPCs when you meet them and pay attention to changes after major story progress. A flexible route does not guarantee every quest will wait indefinitely.
When should you play Shadow of the Erdtree?
Put the expansion after substantial progress in the base game. Shadow of the Erdtree requires Elden Ring, and Bandai Namco says players must progress through the base game to a certain extent before starting it. The cited official material does not establish an exact recommended area order or level threshold for entering the DLC (Bandai Namco’s Shadow of the Erdtree site).
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