1. Basics & Progression
If you are new to the game, the Vagabond (high vigor and heavy armor) or the Samurai (excellent starting katana and bow) are the best options for melee builds. If you prefer to fight from afar, the Astrologer is the premier magic class.
Since 28 August 2026 there are two more, from the Tarnished Pack: the Heavy Knight (level 10, 14 Vigor / 17 Endurance / 15 Strength, an oversized scimitar and the bulkiest starting armour in the game — a Vagabond with more weight) and the Idus Knight, a light, Dexterity-leaning knight of the land of Idus. Both need the paid pack on PS, Xbox and PC; on Switch 2 they come with the Tarnished Edition.
The most recommended option is the Golden Seed, as it gives you an extra healing flask right from the start. Another good choice is the Crimson Amber Medallion for a slight boost to your maximum health.
You cannot level up immediately. You must explore until you find and rest at your third Site of Grace (usually the one at "Gatefront Ruins"). Melina will appear there and offer you an accord that unlocks leveling up.
Melina will give you the Spectral Steed Whistle during the same conversation where you unlock leveling up. Equip it to your quick item slots to summon Torrent anytime in the open world.
2. Combat & Survival
You drop all the Runes you are carrying (runes serve as both experience points and currency). However, you leave a bloodstain on the ground where you fell. If you manage to return to the location and touch it, you will recover them. If you die again before retrieving them, they are lost forever.
It's a new mechanic: hold the block button with your shield or weapon. Right after an enemy's attack hits your shield, press the Heavy Attack button (R2/RT). You will hear a metallic sound and deal significant posture damage.
Poise is your resistance to being staggered. If you have low poise, any enemy attack will interrupt your own attack animation. If you wear heavy armor (high poise), you can take hits and complete your attack without flinching.
First, you need the Spirit Calling Bell (given to you by Renna at night at the Church of Elleh). You can only summon them if you see a glowing white tombstone icon on the left side of your screen (usually appears in boss areas and camps).
3. Weapons, Magic & Builds
At the beginning, you can upgrade them up to +3 at the anvil in the Church of Elleh using Smithing Stones. To upgrade them past that level, you need to reach the Roundtable Hold and speak with Smithing Master Hewg.
Yes, but not at the very beginning. You will need to progress to Liurnia, defeat the boss Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, and hand her a rare item called a Larval Tear every time you wish to reallocate your points.
Sorceries (blue magic/glintstone) scale with Intelligence and are cast using Staffs. Incantations (fire, lightning, healing, dragon magic) scale with Faith or Arcane and are cast using Sacred Seals.
The letters (S, A, B, C, D, E) indicate how much bonus damage the weapon gains based on your character's stats. "S" is the strongest scaling, and "E" is the weakest. A weapon with an "A" scaling in Strength will give you a massive damage boost if you have high Strength.
4. World & Exploration
Don't head straight for Margit. Thoroughly explore western and eastern Limgrave, and most importantly, head south toward the Weeping Peninsula. It's an area specifically designed for you to level up and acquire vital early-game items.
They are legendary items dropped by Demigods (main bosses). To use them: 1) Restore the rune at the top of its corresponding Divine Tower. 2) Equip it at a Site of Grace. 3) Consume a Rune Arc to activate its power until you die.
Absolutely. Some extremely powerful open-world bosses (such as the Night's Cavalry or the Deathbirds) only spawn at night. Furthermore, enemy visibility is reduced in the dark, making stealth easier.
You cannot access it from the main menu. In-game, you must defeat two specific bosses: Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. After defeating Mohg, interact with Miquella's withered arm at the back of his arena.
5. Multiplayer & Technical
Both of you must set the same "Multiplayer Password" in the menu. The guest uses the Tarnished's Furled Finger to place a golden summon sign on the ground. The host uses a Furlcalling Finger Remedy to reveal the sign and summon them.
No. In Elden Ring, human player invasions are only enabled if you are currently playing co-op with a friend, or if you explicitly use the "Taunter's Tongue" item to lure in invaders.
Like all FromSoftware games, there is no official pause button. However, there is a hidden trick: open your inventory, select the "Help" menu, and choose "Menu Explanation." This will completely pause the game in the background.
Elden Ring supports Cross-gen play (PS4 players can play with PS5, and Xbox One with Series X/S). However, it does not support full Crossplay, meaning PC players cannot play with PlayStation or Xbox players.
6. Tarnished Edition, the Tarnished Pack and patch 1.17
The complete package for Nintendo Switch 2, out 28 August 2026 after a delay from 2025 for performance work: the base game, Shadow of the Erdtree, two new starting classes, new weapons and armour, three Spectral Steed attires for Torrent and two new NPC invasion events. Reviews of the port are broadly positive; the extras are the only content in it that the other platforms do not have by default.
Yes: the Tarnished Pack, a paid DLC (€4.99) released the same day on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Steam, brings exactly the Tarnished Edition extras — the Heavy Knight and Idus Knight classes, the new weapons, the three Torrent attires and the two invasion events. Patch 1.17 added the support for it plus balance adjustments. It is optional and none of it is needed for any trophy or achievement in this guide.
An emergency patch on 8 September 2026. FromSoftware's own wording: it "fixes an issue in multiplayer where, under specific conditions, DLC-specific items could be obtained when not normally eligible" — players were passing Tarnished Pack gear to people who had not bought it. If you were handed one of those items in co-op before the patch, expect it to behave as it should now.
Sources
Cross-checked on 14 September 2026 against Bandai Namco's patch 1.17 notes and Tarnished Edition announcement, the Fextralife wiki and VICE. Not from a playthrough of the new classes.