You step out from the dark, dank tutorial cave, open a heavy wooden door, and gaze across the sun-drenched, golden landscape of Limgrave. It is breathtaking, serene, and absolutely deadly. Within thirty seconds, you spot a giant golden knight patrolling on a armored warhorse. You charge in, full of confidence, and get smashed into a pancake in a single swing. Welcome to Elden Ring. FromSoftware’s massive action RPG is brilliant, but it throws players into the deep end with minimal hand-holding. If you want to survive the brutal Lands Between without smashing your controller, you need more than just quick reflexes—you need strategy.
Whether you are a seasoned Dark Souls veteran adapting to massive open spaces or a total newcomer stepping into a Souls-like world for the first time, this ultimate collection of Elden Ring tips and tricks will turn your frustrating deaths into victorious boss triumphs. If you are playing on PC, make sure your rig is up to task first by checking out our Elden Ring PC system requirements guide before diving deep into these tactical secrets.
1. Stop Fighting the Tree Sentinel First: Embrace Open-World Freedom
The single biggest mistake new Tarnished make is banging their head against a wall. That imposing golden knight roaming right outside the Starting Cave is the Tree Sentinel. He is intentionally placed there to teach you a crucial lesson: you do not have to fight everything immediately. Unlike previous Souls titles like Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3, which were largely linear corridors with locked doors, Elden Ring gives you absolute freedom from the very start.
If an enemy or boss is obliterating you in one hit, simply crouch, sneak around them, or sprint in the opposite direction. The open world of the Lands Between is overflowing with minor dungeons, field bosses, weapon pickups, and level-up opportunities. Stepping away to explore southern Limgrave or the Weeping Peninsula can net you five to ten soul levels, upgraded flasks, and powerful weapons. When you return to that terrifying boss two hours later, you will shred their health bar easily.
Prioritize finding Sites of Grace (the glowing bonfires). Following the golden trail of light emanating from certain Grace sites points you toward major story progression, but remember that you are free to ignite the flame and run somewhere else entirely. If you enjoy sprawling sandbox experiences that trust the player's curiosity, explore our list of the best games with open world gameplay for more vast landscapes to conquer.
2. Master Your Mount: Combat and Navigation on Torrent
Shortly after discovering three Sites of Grace out in Limgrave, you will meet Melina, who grants you the Spectral Steed Whistle. This summons Torrent, your trustworthy, double-jumping horned horse. Torrent isn't just a convenient vehicle for fast travel—he is your single best combat tool for field encounters across Elden Ring's official world.
Key Mounted Combat Mechanics to Remember:
- Right vs. Left Attacks: Your right shoulder buttons (R1/R2 or RB/RT) swing your weapon on the right side of Torrent, while your left shoulder buttons (L1/L2 or LB/LT) swing on the left side. Practice timing your heavy charged attacks as you gallop past foes.
- The Double Jump Fall-Damage Myth: Torrent can double-jump in mid-air, which is incredible for climbing cliffs and hopping over boss sweep attacks. However, double-jumping right before hitting the ground from a lethal height will not save you from fall damage. Fall damage in Elden Ring is calculated based on total vertical drop distance from your original launch point.
- Invulnerability Frames during Mounting: The animation for mounting and dismounting Torrent grants brief invulnerability frames (i-frames). If an undodgeable area-of-effect attack is coming, summoning or dismissing Torrent with precise timing can save your life.
- Mounted Hit-and-Run Tactics: Dragons like Flying Dragon Agheel, massive field giants, and fast-moving night cavalry become trivial when fought on horseback. Keep moving, strike as you pass, and circle back around.
For gamers who love surviving against brutal odds in open environments, managing stamina and resources on horseback feels right at home. Check out our recommendations for top solo survival games that let you thrive alone to test your survival instincts even further.
3. Harness the Power of Spirit Ashes and NPC Summons
There is a silly misconception among purists that using Spirit Ashes is "cheating" or "easy mode." Disregard that entirely. FromSoftware specifically designed boss encounters—especially late-game multi-boss fights—around the assumption that players have access to summons. Spirit Ashes are a core mechanic, complete with their own upgrade trees and resource costs.
Early in the game, fast travel back to the Church of Elleh at nighttime after receiving Torrent. You will meet an enigmatic witch named Ranni (calling herself Renna), who will gift you the Spirit Calling Bell and the Lone Wolf Ashes. To use ashes, you must be in an area marked with a glowing blue tombstone icon on the left side of your screen (usually near boss arenas and enemy encampments).
Best Early to Mid-Game Spirit Summons:
1. Lone Wolf Ashes: Summons three aggressive wolves that constantly nip at enemies, interrupting boss spell casting and breaking light attack animations.
2. Skeletal Militiamen Ashes: Incredible distraction units. When they die, as long as the boss doesn't strike their glowing corpses on the ground, they continuously resurrect themselves with full health!
3. Spirit Jellyfish Ashes: A tanky floaty companion that snipes enemies from afar with poison darts, holding boss attention while slowly draining their health pool.
4. Mimic Tear: Unlocked later in Nokron, Eternal City, this summon creates a literal duplicate of your character, complete with your equipped weapons, spells, and armor. It is widely considered one of the strongest companions in action RPG history.
Don't forget that Spirit Ashes can be upgraded by talking to Roderika at Roundtable Hold using Grave Glovewort and Ghost Glovewort found in catacombs. If you love deep character customization and build synergies, take a look at our RPG guides and reviews hub for more build-heavy adventures.
4. Navigation Mastery: Maps, Markers, and Unlocking the World
When you enter a new region in Elden Ring, your map view is completely blank, covered in a detailed parchment texture with zero landmarks. However, if you look closely at the blank brown map, you will spot small, orange, pillar-like icons scattered along paths. These are Map Steles.
Set a custom waypoint marker on that pillar icon and ride directly to it. At the base of the stele, you will find a glowing item loot drop containing the Map Fragment for that entire region. Unlocking map fragments transforms the fog of war into a rich top-down view showing roads, ruined structures, churches, and minor Erdtree locations.
Utilize Custom Map Markers Smartly:
Elden Ring gives you up to 100 visual stamps to place on your map. You should actively develop a personal stamping system:
- Sword Icon: Bosses or tough field enemies you were underleveled to beat and need to revisit later.
- Chest Icon: Locked doors, Imp Statue seals requiring Swordstone Keys, or unreachable treasure chests.
- Flower/Pickaxe Icon: High-density upgrade materials, like Smithing Stone mines.
- Person Icon: Friendly NPCs whose questlines are currently stalled or waiting for updates.
Fast travel is completely free and accessible from almost anywhere, provided you aren't currently in combat, inside an cleared mini-dungeon boss room, or trapped inside a teleportation trap chest. Always check your map to warp directly to a nearby Site of Grace whenever your pockets are bursting with hard-earned Runes.
5. Gear Upgrades Matter Way More Than Raw Stats
When players hit a wall in Elden Ring, their immediate instinct is to spend hours grinding mobs to dump points into Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence. While primary offensive stats are important for weapon requirements, upgrading your weapon level provides vastly higher damage increases in the early and mid-game than raw stat points do.
Understanding Stat Scaling vs. Base Damage:
In the early stages, weapons have poor stat scaling letters (like D or E rating). Increasing your Strength from 16 to 20 might only grant +4 total physical damage. However, taking a Greatsword from +0 to +3 at an anvil using basic Smithing Stones will increase its base damage by 30% to 50%! Keep these upgrade principles in mind:
Pump Vigor Early: Put your early character attribute points directly into Vigor until it reaches at least 30 (eventually aiming for 40-60 late game). Increasing your health bar prevents single-shot deaths from boss grab attacks and gives you room to make mistakes while learning boss patterns.
Seek Out Mining Tunnels: Map fragments often feature small dark holes outlined in orange/red. These indicate tunnels and mines packed full of Smithing Stones embedded in the walls. Raid these areas early to keep your weaponry topped off!
Experiment with Ashes of War: Ashes of War allow you to completely swap weapon skill abilities and change weapon affinity scaling on the fly (such as turning a standard sword into Heavy, Keen, Magic, or Sacred). Best of all, Ashes of War are non-consumable—you can attach, detach, and swap them as often as you like without losing them.
If you enjoy optimizing numbers and building unstoppable characters, explore our comprehensive game guides collection to refine your strategies across all your favorite games.
6. Boss Fight Blueprint: Stagger, Guard Counter, and Patience
Combat in Elden Ring is dynamic, punishing fast button mashers while rewarding patient, methodical play. To dominate bosses without losing your mind, you must master the defensive mechanics Introduced in this installment.
1. The Guard Counter (R2 / RT After Blocking)
If you prefer playing with a shield, the Guard Counter is your best friend. Right after blocking an incoming enemy swing with your shield, immediately press your Heavy Attack button (R2 / RT). You will hear a distinct audio chime, and your character will deliver a fast, high-damage counter-attack. This deals massive stance damage to the enemy.
2. Heavy Jump Attacks for Posture Breaks
Jump attacks (Jumping + Heavy Attack) are insanely powerful in Elden Ring. Jump attacks deal immense poise damage to boss enemies. Hitting a boss with 2 to 4 heavy jump attacks within a short window will break their poise, staggering them and opening them up for a devastating critical strike (Visceral Attack) directly in their glowing weak spot.
3. Mix Your Flask of Wondrous Physick
Found at the Third Church of Marika in Limgrave, the Flask of Wondrous Physick is a customizable secondary potion. By defeating Erdtree Avatars at Minor Erdtrees across the map, you collect Crystal Tears. Mixing different tear combinations allows you to craft absurd custom buffs: temporary infinite stamina, automatic health regeneration, immunity to physical hits, or boosted elemental magic damage for 3 minutes!
Leveling up efficiently and knowing when to power spike is key to enjoying challenging titles. For a quick detour on how power progression works in other massive titles, take a glance at our God of War Ragnarok leveling guide.
Essential Quality of Life & Exploration Tips
To round out your journey through the Lands Between, keep these handy micro-tips in mind whenever you are venturing into uncharted territory:
- Buy the Crafting Kit Immediately: Purchase the Crafting Kit from Merchant Kale at the Church of Elleh for 300 Runes. This unlocks the ability to craft craftable items on the fly, including cured meats, anti-poison boluses, fire pots, and sleep darts.
- Always Buy Notes from Merchants: Wandering Nomadic Merchants sell cheap written notes containing vital clues about local secrets, secret boss weaknesses, and hidden cave locations.
- Rainbow Stones Save Lives: Not sure if a steep cliff drop will kill you? Drop a rainbow stone over the edge. If the stone shatters upon impact with a loud popping sound, the fall is fatal. If it lands intact and glows, you can safely jump down!
- Watch for Illusory Walls: Classic Souls secrets return! Hitting or rolling into suspicious blank stone walls or hidden bookshelf alcoves will cause fake walls to vanish, revealing secret treasure chambers and hidden dungeon paths.
- Pouch Shortcuts are Essential: Map your Spectral Steed Whistle, Spirit Ashes, and Lantern to your Pouch Slots (Hold Triangle/Y + D-Pad directions) rather than cluttering your quick-item belt slot. This leaves your primary item belt clean for quick Flask healing during intense fights.
Elden Ring is a masterpiece that demands respect, patience, and curiosity. Don't be afraid to consult the official Elden Ring hub or Steam community discussions when you get stuck. Dying isn't failure—it is simply acquiring knowledge for your next attempt. For complete PC game coverage, tactical breakdowns, and deep-dive reviews, stay tuned to Steamoz PC Games section, pick up your weapon, summon Torrent, and go claim your throne as Elden Lord!