Elden Ring beginner’s guide: what to do (and avoid) in the first hours

Elden Ring drops you into an open world after a short intro and explains almost nothing. This beginner’s guide covers the first hours: where to learn the controls, what happens to your runes when you die, what a Site of Grace does, when you get the horse Torrent and spirit summons, and which fights to skip for now. It applies to PC, PlayStation, Xbox and the Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, with controls written as PlayStation / Xbox. Everything reflects the game as of 20 October 2026, when patch 1.17 is current.

The first minutes: the Cave of Knowledge tutorial

Right after the start you stand in the Stranded Graveyard. To the right of the ghostly figure there is a hole in the ground. Jump in, it won’t kill you, and it takes you to the Cave of Knowledge tutorial. There you practise the controls, switching between one-handed and two-handed grips, guard counters and, if you play a caster, magic. Bandai Namco’s official tips describe it the same way.

You don’t have to memorise the tutorial. You can reread every tip at any time under “Info” in the inventory menu.

Before all that you pick a class. For a first playthrough both GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer recommend the Vagabond, and GamesRadar+ also suggests the Samurai. The Wretch, who starts with nothing, is better left to experienced players. Starting stats for every class and the choice of starting gift are in our guide to Elden Ring classes.

Runes and death: what you lose and what you keep

You earn Runes by killing enemies. They are money and experience in one: levelling up, buying items and upgrading gear are all paid in runes. When you die, you drop every rune you are carrying at the spot where you fell. Go back and pick them up. If you die again before you get there, they are gone for good.

After death you respawn at the last Site of Grace you rested at. If you died within range of a Stake of Marika, you come back there instead, which is usually much closer to where you fell.

Sites of Grace

The golden lights of the Sites of Grace are your bases. Resting restores HP and FP, cures status effects and refills your flasks. The catch: most enemies you have killed come back. From the Site of Grace menu you level up, allocate your flasks and memorise spells.

You can fast travel between discovered Sites of Grace from the map, except from inside some dungeons. The rays of light coming from a Grace point you towards where to go next, which the game calls the guidance of grace.

Melina and Torrent

Once you have discovered a few Sites of Lost Grace, Melina appears while you rest. Accept her offer and you get the Spectral Steed Whistle to summon the horse Torrent, plus the ability to level up with runes. Your character can’t grow without her, so don’t put it off.

Torrent is more than transport. Against big enemies such as dragons, fighting from the saddle matters. If Torrent falls, summoning him again costs one Flask of Crimson Tears.

The map and your own markers

The map fills in piece by piece. Map Fragments are most often found at stone monuments along the roads. You can place your own markers, for example next to a boss you want to come back to. Note that you can’t open the map during combat.

Spirit Ashes and the Spirit Calling Bell

The witch Renna gives you the Spirit Calling Bell at the Church of Elleh once you have the horse whistle. She also hands you your first Spirit Ashes. If you miss her, you can buy the bell from a merchant at the Roundtable Hold.

You can only summon spirits near a Rebirth Monument, shown by an icon on the left of the screen. You get one type at a time, and never during multiplayer. Bandai Namco says there are more than 50 kinds of spirits to summon. You can upgrade them with glovewort and runes from a pair of characters at the Roundtable Hold.

Combat basics

• R3 / R locks on to an enemy.
• L2 / LT with a shield that has the Parry skill deflects an attack and opens up a critical hit.
• R2 / RT right after blocking an attack is a guard counter.
• L3 / L crouches. In tall grass enemies spot you less easily, and your first hit on an unaware enemy deals extra damage.
• R1 / RB from behind or after a parry is a critical hit.
• Hold Triangle / Y plus a d-pad direction to use quick shortcuts, which you set up in the equipment menu.

The official guide from Bandai Namco keeps coming back to one point: watch how enemies move and learn their patterns. Besides HP and FP, keep an eye on your stamina and on status effects such as poison, scarlet rot and hemorrhage.

What not to do: Tree Sentinel and Margit

You don’t have to beat strong enemies right away, and the order is up to you. The classic example is the Tree Sentinel in Limgrave. Early on he is very tough, and it is perfectly fine to ride past and come back stronger. Bandai Namco puts it simply: if an enemy is too much for you, the wise move is to retreat and return later.

Your first big test is Margit, the Fell Omen in front of the gate of Stormveil Castle. The item Margit’s Shackle pins him down for a moment, and you can buy it from a character in Murkwater Cave. You can also bring spirits, NPC helpers or other players. Which bosses are mandatory and in what order is covered in our boss order guide.

Upgrading weapons and levelling

You upgrade weapons at the Smithing Table in the Church of Elleh or with the smith Hewg at the Roundtable Hold. Smithing Stones turn up in mines and caves as early as Limgrave.

Level isn’t everything. Stats have soft caps, beyond which each point adds less. When levels stop helping, upgrade your weapon, try a new spell, a different spirit or an Ash of War, use crafted buffs and upgrade your flasks. A common tip (GamesRadar+ gives it, for example) is to put early points into Vigor and Endurance and leave damage stats until you know which weapon you want. What each stat does is explained in our guide to Elden Ring stats.

Playing with others

When you are online you can read messages left on the ground by other players, which often warn of traps or point the way. For a tough spot you can call in help: the host uses a Furlcalling Finger Remedy and summons a player who has placed a golden sign. The full process is in our co-op guide.

How long is Elden Ring?

According to the developers, the main path without major detours takes roughly 30 hours, while the whole game holds many dozens of hours of extra content.

Join our Discord to ask where to go next or to find a partner for Margit: GamersTogether Discord.

How players and critics rate the game is summed up in our Elden Ring review (9/10).

FAQ

Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are in our Elden Ring guides.