Elden Ring is the first From Software title that even players who have avoided the Souls-Borne genre in the past now dare to play because of its excellent ratings and positive reviews. The open game world also provides some opportunity to find a balance to the difficult problems of the main tale, even though it is no less rigorous than its indirect predecessors in this regard.
Elden Ring is purposefully difficult, just like games like Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and similar ones. This makes it harder for new players to find an enjoyable way to start the game. Some things should be handed to new players for a decent start in the game, even though the mystique of some goods might enhance the gaming experience and pique curiosity.
We’ve rounded up nine things we wish we knew when we stepped into the world of Elden Ring.
Your thick armor makes things unnecessarily difficult for you
What you can carry depends on how you’re feeling. Each and every item of armor, talisman, and weapon contributes to this total. The game will notify you that you are carrying a “heavy load” if you carry more than 70% of your maximum load capacity.
Early on in the game, this occurs quite frequently. It’s likely that a lot of participants were unaware of this “disadvantage”. This weight restriction applies to all weapons, even those that you store in reserve slots and have available for a quick pick.
As soon as you take a heavy charge, your dodge movement becomes much lazier. And there’s a good reason you see a lot of players roll instead of block. Deflecting attacks cost an extreme amount of stamina (and, if you’re not using a shield, some health). However, dodging not only escapes the attack but also usually gives you a positional advantage that you can use for a counterattack.
This does not mean that blocking is useless. But, especially in the beginning, having speed is very valuable for new players. So make sure to wear lighter armor or only equip 1-2 weapons. It’s rare that you need to switch weapons quickly.
The world of Elden Ring is big. To help you orient yourself, it is important to pick up the pieces of the world map. They are always found in the same places: the map segments lie at the foot of large stone tablets.
You can also see these tablets on your map if you haven’t unlocked the corresponding segment yet. They can be recognized by the small obelisk symbol.
You can find map segments on stone tablets
And while places like ruins, catacombs, and fortresses are only shown after they’ve been visited directly, you can usually recognize their structures on the map beforehand. Mines and tunnels, for example, are always marked with a red circle. You can also quickly recognize churches and towers by their outline.
Upgrade your potions
If you are resting on the countless grace points, you will have seen that you can improve your bottles. Golden Seeds increase the maximum number of potions you can carry. Holy Tears enhance its effectiveness.
The good thing is that you can find these items in certain places. The golden seeds are found in small golden trees. They can usually be detected from a distance. The Holy Tears are found at the base of the statues in the Elden Ring churches.
So be sure to look for both on your adventure. Churches also offer you the advantage of always having a place of grace.
Here you will find the first Forge Stones to upgrade weapons.
If you want to upgrade your weapons (which is especially valuable at the beginning), you will need forge stones. You’ll find them scattered throughout the game world in the remains of deceased adventurers, often found on cliffs. There are also some enemies that have a small chance to drop the stones as loot.
However, if you want to stock up on a larger amount of the valuable resource early on, just visit the Limgrave Mines. They are located at the end of a ravine, to the north of the swamp that extends directly above the starting point of the game. You must be careful in this swamp. A dragon lives here, but you can easily escape from it.
In the mine, you can find a limited number of forge stones. These mines and tunnels are also found in other areas of the game, but there you will find stones of a higher rank. First, pay attention to the weapon on which you will work. Later in the game, you will find an item in a mine that unlocks the ability to purchase forge stones directly from a certain merchant.
How to find and use the spheres
In order to buy forge stones regularly, you will need to find the corresponding spheres. You can deliver them to the twins who live in the Fortress of the Round Table. This will increase your offer or open up new trading options.
It is also possible to attack and defeat NPCs that are friends with you. These characters also offer trading options, you can unlock their store by giving the twins your spheres.