Yes—Elden Ring can be an excellent first Soulslike if you are willing to learn through repeated attempts and use exploration, character growth, Spirit Ashes, or co-op when a fight overwhelms you. It is not an easy game in the conventional sense: there is no selectable difficulty mode, and its combat still expects patience, observation, and practice.
The decisive question is whether you prefer freedom to find your own solution or would rather follow a tightly directed route. Elden Ring lets you leave a difficult encounter, discover another path, strengthen your character, and return later. That flexibility makes it unusually welcoming for newcomers, but the underlying combat learning curve remains real.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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ELDEN RING: Tarnished Edition - Nintendo Switch 2 | $79.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Elden Ring (PS5) (European Version) | $34.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Bandai Namco Entertainment Elden Ring (PS4) | $47.44 | Buy on Amazon |
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ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition | Digital | Nintendo Switch 2 Digital Code | $79.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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The short answer: welcoming structure, demanding combat
Elden Ring is a good first Soulslike for a player who accepts that failure is part of learning. The game gives you several ways to respond when progress stops: explore somewhere else, improve your equipment and character, summon Spirit Ashes, or invite other players. Those tools can reduce the pressure of a particular encounter without removing the need to understand the combat.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIt is a poor fit if you want a conventional easy setting, a mostly linear route, or a game that rarely asks you to repeat a fight. Bandai Namco’s official material presents the game as a large adventure whose challenges are solved through exploration, discoveries, leveling, equipment, and practice rather than through a difficulty slider.
#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
Why the open world helps a first-time player
You can leave a roadblock
In a linear action game, being stuck on one boss can mean repeating the same attempt until you win. Elden Ring’s open world gives you another choice. You can ride or walk toward a different area, investigate a side path, find equipment, and return when your character is better prepared. Bandai Namco specifically describes exploration as a way to tackle a challenge elsewhere instead of treating every obstacle as an immediate requirement.
This freedom changes how failure feels. A defeat does not have to end with another attempt at the same arena. You can use the information from that attempt—an attack you failed to recognize, a range problem, or a need for more power—and then pursue a different activity. The game’s structure makes that detour a legitimate strategy, not a sign that you are playing incorrectly.
Guidance of Grace provides direction without a fixed route
The starter guide explains that Guidance of Grace points toward possible destinations. It is a directional aid rather than a command to complete one exact sequence. Discovered Sites of Grace can be selected for map travel, although fast travel is blocked in some dungeons. This gives newcomers a practical rhythm: follow a visible lead when you want direction, then use exploration when the suggested route becomes too difficult.
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Strengthening your character is part of the solution
Bandai Namco identifies leveling, equipment, and discoveries as tools for overcoming challenges. If an enemy feels far beyond your current ability, gaining strength elsewhere can make the next attempt more manageable. This is different from selecting a lower difficulty: the game asks you to make decisions about where to go and how to develop your character.
For a first Soulslike, that flexibility is important. You are not required to solve every challenge with perfect execution at your current level. You can combine practice with preparation, then decide whether to return immediately or continue exploring.
What remains difficult for beginners
There is no conventional difficulty setting
Elden Ring does not offer an options-menu difficulty mode such as Easy, Normal, or Hard. Bandai Namco describes assistance tools for newcomers, but those tools are not presented as a selectable difficulty setting. Choosing Spirit Ashes, finding stronger equipment, or asking another player for help changes your approach to a challenge; it does not switch the whole game to an easier ruleset.
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.
That distinction matters when setting expectations. A new player can make individual fights more manageable, but the game still expects attention to enemy behavior, positioning, timing, and repeated attempts.
Combat is learned through attempts
The central adjustment for a first-time player is accepting that an unsuccessful attempt can be useful. You may need several tries to recognize an enemy’s attack pattern, learn when an opening is safe, and stop reacting to every movement. Elden Ring does not promise that assistance will eliminate this process. Spirit Ashes and co-op can create breathing room, but you still need to decide when to attack, retreat, or change plans.
Approach each defeat as information rather than a verdict on your ability. Ask what actually ended the attempt: an attack you had not seen, an unsafe recovery, a lack of damage, or entering the fight without a plan. That question points toward the next action—practice, explore, change equipment, or summon help.
Death carries a recoverable cost
When you die, carried runes drop at the location of your death. The starter guide says you can recover them by returning to that location before dying again. A second death before recovery means the dropped runes are lost, so deciding whether to make a retrieval run is part of the risk.
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This system can feel severe at first, but it gives deaths a clear consequence without making every failed attempt permanent. Before entering a dangerous area, be aware of how much you are carrying and whether you are willing to risk a recovery attempt. The important beginner lesson is that runes are recoverable once, not protected indefinitely.
The adventure can be very long
Bandai Namco Entertainment America described Elden Ring in 2023 as a “100+ hour experience” for players who choose to fully explore everything. That is a conditional publisher estimate, not an average completion time or a required schedule. A newcomer can spend less time by following a more direct route, or considerably more by investigating the world thoroughly.
The scale is a benefit if you enjoy discovery and character-building. It can be tiring if you prefer a compact campaign with a clearly marked finish line. Treat the length as an invitation to set your own pace rather than as a target you must reach.
Rank #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
Ways to get help without changing the difficulty menu
Spirit Ashes provide optional combat support
Spirit Ashes are summonable allies that can assist in difficult areas and boss battles when summoning is allowed. They are optional tools, not evidence that you are playing incorrectly. Different spirits have different roles, so part of the game’s exploration loop is finding and developing options that suit the situation.
You need two things: the Spirit Calling Bell and the specific ashes you want to summon. Bandai Namco’s early tips say to watch for the on-screen monument indicator; it shows when spirit summoning is available in the current location. If no indicator appears, the absence of a summon is a rule of that area, not necessarily a mistake in your equipment.
How the publisher describes obtaining the Spirit Calling Bell
The early-game guidance gives this route:
- Obtain the Spectral Steed Whistle.
- Meet Renna at the Church of Elleh.
- Receive the Spirit Calling Bell and the relevant ashes through that encounter.
- If you missed the opportunity, go to Roundtable Hold after being invited there; the bell can be bought there instead, according to the publisher’s tips.
Exact availability can depend on where you are in the game, so use the monument indicator as the immediate check for whether a spirit can be called in a particular encounter.
Co-op brings other players into the fight
Bandai Namco says two other players can join you. Co-op is therefore another way to handle a difficult encounter when you would rather coordinate with people than rely on an AI spirit. It is not identical to an offline easy mode: multiplayer changes how the encounter is approached and requires other players to be available and willing to participate.
There is also a firm limitation to remember: the starter guide says spirits cannot be summoned during multiplayer. You choose between Spirit Ash support and player co-op for a given situation rather than stacking both systems together.
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The following sequence uses the systems the official starter guidance emphasizes and avoids treating a single boss as a mandatory test of skill.
- Learn the basic controls in a low-risk area. Spend time becoming comfortable with movement, attacks, defense, camera control, and interacting with Sites of Grace before committing to a difficult encounter. The starter guide covers controls and basic combat; use that information to establish a repeatable rhythm.
- Follow Guidance of Grace until the route becomes costly. Let its direction show you a possible destination, but do not assume you must continue after every defeat. If progress stalls, mark the location mentally and leave.
- Explore for strength and information. Look for discoveries, equipment, and opportunities to develop your character. The open world is designed to make this a valid response to difficulty.
- Learn the rune-recovery loop. After a death, decide whether you can safely return to the drop location. Recover the runes before another death if you want to keep them; do not assume they will remain available after a failed retrieval.
- Check for the monument indicator. When the indicator appears, Spirit Ashes are available if you have the Spirit Calling Bell and matching ashes. Use them when the additional support helps you understand or survive the encounter.
- Choose one assistance method. If you prefer an AI ally, use Spirit Ashes where permitted. If you want human help, use co-op; remember that multiplayer prevents spirit summoning.
- Return to the original challenge with a specific adjustment. Change one variable at a time—your route, preparation, equipment, or use of assistance—so you can tell what actually helped.
Is Elden Ring right for your first Soulslike?
| What you prefer | How Elden Ring fits | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom to choose your route | Strong fit | The open world lets you leave a difficult encounter, explore elsewhere, and return later. |
| Clear directional help | Good fit with limits | Guidance of Grace points toward possible destinations, while exploration remains open-ended. |
| Optional combat assistance | Strong fit | Spirit Ashes can help where the monument indicator allows summoning; co-op can bring two other players. |
| A selectable easy setting | Poor fit | There is no conventional difficulty option; assistance is situational rather than a global mode. |
| Learning through retries | Required | Combat still demands practice and pattern recognition even when you use support tools. |
| A compact campaign | Potentially poor fit | Bandai Namco Entertainment America described a 100+ hour experience for players who fully explore everything. |
Common beginner mistakes and better responses
Mistake: treating every obstacle as mandatory now
Better response: Use the open world. Put distance between yourself and the obstacle, pursue another destination, and return after gaining experience or equipment.
Rank #4
- ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition
Mistake: assuming summons mean you failed
Better response: Spirit Ashes are part of the game’s intended toolset. The publisher presents them as optional help for difficult areas and boss battles. Their use is a choice about how you want to approach the encounter.
Mistake: expecting co-op and spirits together
Better response: Decide which support method suits the situation. The starter guide states that spirits cannot be summoned during multiplayer.
Mistake: making a dangerous retrieval attempt automatically
Better response: Remember the cost of a second death. If the drop is in a location you cannot safely reach, consider whether the runes are worth the risk instead of repeating the same failed route without a change.
Mistake: measuring progress only by boss victories
Better response: Count discoveries, improved equipment, new routes, and a better understanding of enemy behavior as progress. Elden Ring’s structure rewards preparation as well as direct victories.
How to decide before you start
Choose Elden Ring as your first Soulslike if these statements sound comfortable:
- You can accept that a difficult fight may require multiple attempts.
- You like exploring for a different route instead of repeating one encounter indefinitely.
- You are willing to learn the game’s systems rather than look for a universal easy switch.
- You see character growth, equipment, Spirit Ashes, and co-op as legitimate parts of your strategy.
- You are comfortable setting your own pace in a very large adventure.
Look for a more directed introduction to the genre if you strongly dislike open-ended navigation, want every challenge to be calibrated by a difficulty menu, or find repeated combat attempts frustrating even when alternative routes and assistance are available.
Bottom line
Elden Ring is one of the more approachable entry points to the Soulslike style because it gives a newcomer room to retreat, explore, grow stronger, and ask for help. Its Guidance of Grace, Sites of Grace, Spirit Ashes, and co-op options provide structure and flexibility. None of them removes the central demand: you must learn from failed attempts and make deliberate choices about when to persist or change course.
If that bargain sounds appealing, Elden Ring is a strong first choice. If you want an adjustable difficulty setting or a consistently linear path, its strengths may feel like friction instead.
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