Elden Ring Beginner’s Guide: 12 Tips and Tricks

howtogeek.com:

Elden Ring isn’t an easy game. If you need some help navigating its high-stakes combat, lack of a quest log, and hostile open-world, here are 12 tips to get you started in the Lands Between.

Unraveling mysteries in the Lands Between is half the fun of Elden Ring, but the game doesn’t do a great job explaining many of its core mechanics. For newcomers to the “Soulsborne” genre, this can make things more intimidating than they have to be. If you’re just getting started with FromSoftware’s latest game (or are a few hours deep and need some pointers), these tips will help you get your bearings.

Above all else, remember that Elden Ring is meant to be challenging—and you’re not the only person running into problems. Without further ado, here are some beginner tips for Elden Ring.

The Lands Between is a confusing place. To make things worse, Elden Ring doesn’t provide you with a quest log or mission markers, and it’s easy to lose track of where you should go next. When that happens, simply open your map and look for a Site of Grace—many of these will have a giant yellow indicator pointing you towards another important NPC, quest, or main story thread.

One of the first places you’ll stumble upon in Limgrave is the Church of Elleh. Here, you’ll find a merchant (Kalé) that sells all sorts of trinkets, but you’re mainly here to speak with Renna. If you’ve visited three Sites of Grace, Renna can be found lurking around the church. You might have to come back at different times of day, but make a point to speak with her, as she’ll give you the Spirit Calling Bell. This is required to summon Spirits, which are NPC helpers that assist you during difficult boss battles.

Speaking of maps, the Elden Ring map is rather sparse. Aside from the