Elden Ring is not an easy game, even if you try and find the meta weapons in it. Yes, it can be easier, but you will still struggle with many bosses and enemies, no matter your level. Of course, if a player is level 500, he will have an extremely easy time with pretty much anything, but they had to go through the pain everyone else had to endure to get there.
There are a bunch of reasons you aren’t doing damage in Elden Ring: You and your weapon are under-leveled for the area, you aren’t upgrading the right Attributes for your build, you aren’t taking advantage of your other attacks, or you don’t have any Ash of War.
If you are new to these types of games, you are most likely the person needing this article. It is very important to know what you are doing because you will rage quit and have a bad taste for the game in your mouth. We hope we can help you with the information we are giving you.
1. Your character is under-leveled
The most important part of Elden Ring is not pushing to harder areas early on in your playthrough. If you are in NG+, we would assume you have explored almost everything in your previous playthrough. If you have just started, you must be careful where you go. Most people will recommend staying in Limgrave for a long time before venturing off somewhere else.
Exploring the starting area as much as possible will be extremely beneficial because there is a lot to find. The Weeping Peninsula is one of the best places to go early because you can get a ton of weapons, armor, and upgrade materials immediately.
Any other place like Caelid or the Lake area above Stormveil Castle will be extremely difficult if you don’t know what you are doing. Just ensure you are at a decent level and have good weapons to combat all the harder enemies later on. Don’t rush the game, or you are in for a harder experience.
2. Your weapon is under-leveled
Just like your level is low, your weapon level is just as important. We could have talked about both simultaneously, but it deserves a top spot on this list because of their importance. There are 2 weapon types in the game, and they each take different upgrade materials. Somber Smithing Stones are for special weapons that you can’t change out their skill.
Regular Smithing Stones are for basic weapons that you can equip Ashes of War onto. This is a very important part of your build because it gives it different Attributes. You will need 12 of each type of Regular Smithing Stone to upgrade your regular weapon and 1 of each Somber Smithing Stone to upgrade your special weapon.
Your weapon level determines your scaling, so the higher the level, the more damage it does. It is pretty obvious, but you must look at what Attributes scale with your weapon. Look at the letters for specific attributes; the higher the level, the better the scaling.
3. You aren’t upgrading the correct Attributes
As we said before, you must put upgrades into the correct Attributes. If you are doing a Katana playthrough, you must place many Attribute points into Dexterity. If you are doing a build with a Colossal weapon, you will most likely need to place Attributes into Strength.
If you are doing an Elemental build, you must place Attributes into either Faith, Intelligence, or Arcane depending on what Element you are using. You need to pay attention to every detail, or your weapon won’t damage much. As you upgrade, watch the damage scaling in the right section to see what boosts your stats the best.
4. You aren’t using your other attacks
Elden Ring is very different from other FromSoft games because the other attacks you get are extremely useful. In Dark Souls, it is R1 and roll, R1 and roll, and R1 and roll. It is not much else you can do that will defeat most bosses. In Elden Ring, they improved on this by making every attack viable to use. There is also a designated jump button now that opens up many moves for each weapon.
Do jump light or heavy attacks, use your weapon skills, and mix all those attacks into your movesets. The game is totally different but has improved greatly from its previous games. Just ensure you take advantage of every move the game allows you to make.
5. You don’t have an Ash of War equipped
You are missing out if you haven’t found any Ashes of War. These are skills you can equip for your weapon that changes scaling on your weapon. If you see a weapon with D scaling, you can place an Ash of War onto the weapon that changes the scaling to B scaling.
Ashes of War is a very important aspect of the game and if you don’t have one equipped, then find a good one for your weapon and use it. You can even change a basic Axe to a Bleed weapon of death with Ashes of War. You can do so many build varieties, so make sure you take advantage of everything the game gives you.