Elden Ring is a game that takes a lot of patience and perseverance to finish. If you get through the game without getting too angry, congratulations, you are better than most people who play the game.
No, Elden Ring does not have a built-in death counter. It would be a very cool and funny idea to put one in, and we guarantee that there are most likely mods where it has a death counter built into it.
If you don’t want to download mods, the best way to keep track of your deaths is by having a journal next to you while playing and writing down a tally mark for every death you have. It will become second nature, and then you can count up all the tally marks after you finish the game to see how many times you died.
Are there penalties for dying?
There are penalties for dying. You drop all your Runes where you died and are sent back to the nearest respawn point. There is less penalty in Elden Ring than in previous FromSoft titles, but it is still there. If you die on your way to collect your Runes, you lose all that you dropped from the first death.
If you are annoyed at that mechanic, get over it because it has been in every single FromSoft game. If you don’t like it, maybe these games aren’t for you. There is no easy mode button because the developers wanted the experience to be equal on all spectrums. Dying is annoying, but it is a part of the game.
Just keep in mind that there are Talismans and armor sets that will help you through different situations. If you are dying a lot more than you should, you are probably in an area you are under-leveled for or upgrading the wrong stats. Just watch what you do because one mistake could mean certain death.
Should you explore high-level areas right away?
High-level areas usually have many needed upgrade materials, so if you are up for the task, it is worth exploring them. You will probably have to avoid most enemies, but if you are good at dodging, you shouldn’t have any issues getting around. You should open up a bunch of shortcuts to have an easier time getting around.
If you aren’t good at dodging, then it is probably not the best idea to explore these areas. If you do, do your best to get through the annoying areas. Try to grab anything you see on the ground because you probably don’t have the power to defeat most enemies. If you aren’t comfortable, return later when you have more powerful gear.