Elden Ring has been FromSoftware's biggest critical and commercial success and a large gateway for new fans to dive into the developer's Souls-like action RPGs. However, new fans of FromSoft's games mean that beginner mistakes will inevitably be made.
It's all part of the process of adapting to Elden Ring's admittedly nail-biting challenge, so it's best to go in with an understanding of the game's fundamentals. Whether it's learning to take a step back from a brutal fight and coming back later or taking full advantage of its combat mechanics, there are plenty of helpful features to learn and early mistakes to avoid to have the edge when traversing the Lands Between.
Not Activating Great Runes
Great Runes are key items that bosses drop alongside Remembrances -- the latter being the Elden Ring equivalent to the Dark Souls trilogy's boss souls. These Great Runes can be quite useful in combat, but how to get the most out of them is, admittedly, not thoroughly explained.
That makes this an easy mistake to make for Souls-like veterans and newcomers. The effect depends on the Rune, but to use them, the Tarnished must first activate its respective Divine Tower, equip them at a Site of Grace, then use a Rune Arc to gain its blessings (stat buffs, etc.). It can seem convoluted initially, but Great Runes can be the difference between life and death in a tough encounter.
Brute Forcing A Certain Quest Path
Many open-world games are guilty of some design tropes that might hamper the experience to some degree, but Elden Ring largely excels with its sandbox thanks to the freedom of choice it offers. That's why one of the most common mistakes from new players is feeling dead-set on going down a certain path for progression.
The beauty of Elden Ring is that there are multiple paths of progression, which makes brute-forcing down a specific questline that players get stuck on will hold them back. Taking a step back and exploring elsewhere often leads to the successes needed to beat a seemingly insurmountable challenge.
Getting Overconfident In Crucial Boss Fight Moments
It's no secret that Elden Ring is home to some of FromSoft's toughest bosses, which means players will need all the composure (and gear) to win the day. Something that many players across the developer's catalog of Souls-like have fallen victim to is getting a sudden urge of desperation or overconfidence in boss fights.
After finally whittling down that grueling opponent's health down was preceded by lots of trial and error, sometimes players threw caution to the wind and tried hacking away at them as fast as possible. Composure is key against the toughest of bosses, so just because victory is near doesn't mean players should suddenly abandon the strategies that have been working so far.
Neglecting Vigor When Leveling Up
For newcomers, looking at all the stats at the player's disposal to level up can be a bit intimidating. Just as well, it might be too easy for some to fall into the trap of immediately dumping levels into specific stats for specialized character builds.
However, there are still fundamentals needed to be invested in, with Vigor being arguably the most important. Vigor governs the max health the Tarnished will have, and the last thing players want is to go into the game's increasingly tough bosses with not enough HP to tank enough hits.
Only Using Right-Handed Attacks When Riding Torrent
It's another small, yet easily missable mechanic, but learning how to attack from either side of Torrent is crucial to making certain fights easier. The Spectral Steed Whistle to summon this ethereal horse is one of the most important items in Elden Ring's early game, and most players would be forgiven to think that, in the heat of battle, swinging whatever weapon from Torrent's right side is the only way to fight.
But like R1/2 and L1/2 dictate the right and left-handed weapons when on foot, the corresponding trigger buttons also let the player swing the same weapon from the right or left while on horseback. This is crucial to avoid wasting time running in circles to line up a right-handed attack.
Not Paying Attention To Stamina Consumption
Like with any other of FromSoft's lauded Souls-like games, part of what makes the combat such a challenge is how many things players have to manage in real time when amid combat. On top of strategizing, pattern recognition, timing, managing HP, and more, another key to gaining the edge over a tough enemy or boss is managing stamina consumption.
It's very easy for newcomers to get distracted and forget that stamina is even a mechanic, often resulting in reckless and rapid dodging or attacking. Both actions eat up varying amounts of stamina, and if players aren't paying attention, they could deplete it and open themselves up for a deathly blow. Similarly, players should ensure they've leveled Endurance enough to comfortably equip their gear of choice.
Not Taking Advantage Of Jumping & Crouched Attacks
Given how challenging Elden Ring is and all of the mechanics that players should be mindful of in battle, it's easy to forget about the benefits of jumping and crouched attacks. It sounds simplistic on paper, but having a dedicated jump button (and Torrent as a mount) adds a new layer of verticality and depth to both traversal and combat.
Jumping attacks tend to deal more damage and chip away at an enemy's stamina, and crouched attacks open up new offensive opportunities as well to tilt the tide of battle in players' favor.
Dying After Hoarding Loads Of Runes
One of the most common mistakes players have made since Demon's Souls on the PS3 is hoarding too much of the game's currency at one time. Having a lot of the game's currency on hand, in and of itself, isn't a death sentence per se. The issue lies in carrying too much (Runes, in Elden Ring's case) while traveling the Lands Between and dying.
It's the easiest way to lose loads of hard-earned Runes that could've gone toward leveling up one or more times, so players should use and redeem Runes only when they're ready to exchange them for levels at a Site of Grace. Plus, this is the best way to do it since Elden Ring is quite forgiving when it comes to fast traveling.
Missing Map Fragments
Along with FromSoft's expansion of its Souls-like formula onto an open-world setting, so too came the mechanic for unlocking segments of the in-game map. The way Elden Ring executes this feature is far less intrusive than the likes of Ubisoft's various open-world games, but it can also be easy to miss an otherwise telltale sign of where to find Map Fragments.
Even if parts of the map are undiscovered and blurred to the player, the map will always show a small obelisk icon that signifies where to find the Fragment to that corresponding part of the Lands Between. It's a convenient trick for easily and quickly filling out the world's map to make exploring seamless.
Ignoring NPCs
Most of FromSoftware's Souls-likes are famous for being narratively subtle. The storytelling lies in environmental cues, flavor texts, and cryptic NPC dialogue. It's an enticing way to build a fantasy world for genre buffs, but players could miss that and more if they ignore NPCs in particular.
Aside from lore, various NPCs within Elden Ring pave the way to intriguing side quests, but since the game doesn't give detailed quest logs or objectives to tell the player exactly where to go next, paying attention to what these characters have to say will be key to progressing storylines.
Source:gamerant.com