When you start your first playthrough in Elden Ring, it can be very confusing what you are supposed to do. You are thrown into a massive world with very little information; figuring out what to do next is your job. NPCs give you hints on where to go, but they don’t flat-out say exactly what you need to do.
New players get stuck in a few places at the beginning of their run. They either get lost or frustrated simultaneously, making them rage and quit. They also find a boss they are extremely under-leveled to fight, which makes them annoyed and want to quit. There is one boss in particular that you shouldn’t fight right away.
Margit, the Fell Omen is your first roadblock in the game, and there are 6 things you should do before taking this fight on. Go to the Roundtable Hold, level yourself up, level up your weapon, explore Limgrave, Weeping Peninsula, and Caelid, and fight any optional boss you find.
Playing this game and getting stuck can be extremely frustrating, but Elden Ring is much different than any other Souls game. It allows you to play at your own pace. This makes it easier for new players to join in on the fun. If you are new to the games, take your time and be patient.
1. Go to the Roundtable Hold
Going to the Roundtable Hold is necessary for going farther into the story. It is very easy to get there. Once you start a new game, go to the Church of Ellah. Once you are there, talk to the Merchant, and you are ready to go. You can use the anvil to upgrade your weapon to +3, but you can do that later if you want to.
The next Site of Grace you sit at will prompt Melina to talk to you. She will give you the Steed Summon, and you can finally use Torrent. You are then going to want to head North toward Castle Stormveil. As you get close, you will see a bunch of soldiers guarding a doorway into the castle. Go past them and sit at the Site of Grace before the Golden Mist Gate.
Once you sit down, Melina will spawn and take you to the Roundtable Hold. You can then upgrade your weapon past +3, and there will be a ton of NPCs to talk to. There are shops, and you can also start a bunch of questlines from here. It is an important area to get to as soon as you can.
2. Level yourself up
Leveling up is probably the most important thing you can do in this game. It not only allows for your weapon to deal more damage, but it also gives you more Health, Stamina, and FP. If you enter the Margit fight at Level 8, you might have difficulty defeating the boss.
Some people can beat most bosses in the game at Level 1, but we assume you aren’t as good as them if you read this article. We don’t mean this in a bad way. All new players know nothing about the game, and Leveling is very important. You also unlock leveling when you first talk to Melina, so follow the first thing on this list.
3. Level up your weapon
As we said before, Leveling is extremely important. You can also level up your weapons. It takes longer since you need Runes and upgrade materials, but it works with your player level. Always try to keep your weapon upgraded to the highest level you can because it will make your life easier later on in the game.
As we said before, you do need to get to the Roundtable Hold to even go past +3 on any weapon, so make sure to follow the first thing so that you have access to everything you need to get started. There are many places to explore with new weapons and upgraded materials, so take your time in the game.
4. Explore Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula
If you didn’t know, the game is entirely open-world. There is much to find and discover, so try and take your time. Go and get Torrent from Melina and head to the Roundtable Hold, but right after that, start exploring. Go to all the different places and activate all the Sites of Grace. You can then go through and explore all the main areas in the world.
Not only Limgrave but the Weeping Peninsula. There is soo much to find there, and you can even find upgrades for your Flasks everywhere. There are also a bunch of Achievement bosses in those areas as well. Make sure you take your time to explore, so you are ready for the first major fight of the game. The game lets you explore at your own pace.
5. Explore Caelid (optional)
We wouldn’t recommend this to everybody who plays the game, but you can go to Caelid and explore it. When you first start your playthrough, Caelid is a very difficult area, so only go if you are prepared not to fight most enemies. You will die a lot, but the loot you get from many areas is worth it.
Even if you aren’t looting, you can activate the Sites of Grace for easier access later in your playthrough. We would recommend going if you want to take the risk of running into some extremely difficult enemies. Only go if you are willing to run away from everything in that area.
6. Fight any optional boss that you find
Bosses are one of the main parts of Elden Ring, and there are many of them. It is said that there are over 100 bosses in the game, with over 75 being unique. It is the largest roster of bosses in any FromSoftware game out there right now. You should get comfortable with defeating these before defeating the game’s main bosses.
Not only will it prepare you for the harder boss fights, but it will also give you some really good gear and upgrade materials. They will also supply you with enough Runes to upgrade to whatever level they allow you. Just ensure you don’t get stuck on some because some are pretty difficult.