The Beginner's Guide to Elden Ring 

Simple, clean, no major spoilers and no ridiculous rambling. Always one of the best for souls content

This is easily the most helpful guide out right now. And good luck to the folks who are starting their very first Souls game with Elden Ring.

"They aren't blocking the path, they *are* the path." Good philosophy to live by. Reminds me of an old Roman proverb: "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way *becomes* the way."

One more key tip: You do NOT have to fight everything, it’s okay to run away from the big baddies and come back when you’re stronger. I spent the first three hours of my playthrough trying to kill the Tree Sentinel and made no progress.

"they're not blockin the path, they ARE the path" is one of the best realisations about how to play Soulsborne games. Thanks for the guide.

This video is the modern day equivalent of reading the manual on the way home from blockbuster. Your channel is relaxing and engaging. Thank you for making videos.

This is literally Elden Ring ASMR. I’m all for this. Instant sub. Incredible content!

Some more tips not mentioned. Sorry I'm late. 1] Most smithing stones for upgrading armaments can eventually be purchased infinitely once you acquire a special item called a "Stone Bell Bearing". These are exchanged at round table hold with an npc who sells useful things. Once you give the npc a stone bell bearing, they'll sell you unlimited smithing stones corresponding to the tier of the stone bell bearing. Look for small circular symbols on the map with a slightly orange highlight, they indicates its a cave. Stone bell bearings are mostly found in caves. And more difficult areas give you higher tier bell bearings to exchange. What this means is that contradictory to what was said in the guide, you can actually upgrade as many weapons as you want later on, so don't be scared, it is not a finite resource. 2] A good indication that your dodge roll is going to be fast enough and that your armour isn't too heavy for your character is that you'll see it says "Light, mid or heavy" under your weight category. If it says "heavy" then your armour is going to slow your dodge roll. Forget the 70% thing. Just read that tool tip. If you equip armour and it knocks up your weight load to heavy, consider leaving it unequipped until you've got enough endurance stat to carry more. Also regarding weight, if you equip multiple armaments, it adds to your weight, even when you switch out the armaments. So while it might seem cool n fancy to have so many weapon slots, it might not be practical to use them all. Stick to one or two weapons. 3] You can backstab if you "light attack" an enemy from behind or "critical strike" them if you light attack them from the front after you break their armour and they become briefly wounded. Eventually you'll get a talisman that can heal you whenever you get a critical strike, which helps immensely with sustaining your health during long encounters and you don't want to use all your flasks. 4] Your actual inventory is limitless and adds no weight to your character. So don't be scared to hoard up all your findings. There really is no need for a stash in Elden ring (although there is one if that's your thing) 5] Don't immediately use/sell your golden runes. Stockpile them until they're required. You'll lose your currency on death, but runes are kept. I made the mistake of selling all of mine for about 130k and died shortly afterwards. Losing it all :(. When I could have just kept them in the inventory and sold them off when I was in a safer location and could level up or spend them for items. 6] if your gonna play a melee focused build, regardless of strength or dexterity, consider investing most of your early attributes on Vigor first. You'll need the health, TRUST ME. your damage scaling should mostly come from armament upgrades in the early game that's more than enough. Won't be until later you start dropping it all on your damage scaling stat. (Str/dex) based on weapon. Feel free to add more tips here in the reply section to my comment. Cheers & have a good one

Tree Sentinel was the most humbling boss for me, I played the samurai class and every engagement ended in about 2 hits. I spent hours fighting him, not moving from the opening area, when I decided to move past him until I get a better shield. I explored caves, cleared out encampments and even fought other mini bosses until I got a 100 physical defense shield. After that I returned and beat Tree Sentinel like he was a walk in the park. If anything Elden Ring taught me that it's okay to explore and return to bosses when you're better equipped. You don't have to slam your head into a brick wall and I think this design philosophy makes it one of, if not the most accessible soulslike to newer players and I'm all for it.

haven't even gone to Margit yet 6hrs in, the open world is so filled with fun stuff to discover and good bosses to fight

As someone who has never played a souls and for w/e reason finding myself oddly very curious about Elden Ring, this was invaluable. Thank you for making this.

Every RU-vidr should watch these videos as a guide. No dumb graphics or intros and this guy has such a great, calm voice for these videos. Love it.

This is exactly how I would want the basics taught to me if I were starting this game without experience. Great guide!

I love the guard counter mechanic, paying attention to a bosses combos and blocking that final hit to perform a guard counter adds so much to the flow and learning in combat, very satisfying.

You have a calm voice, get to the point without rambling or over explaining and the content is fantastic. I've never played a Dark Souls game and I'm downloading Elden Ring as we speak so there! You have my sub! Thank you!

Small piece of advice for handling your mount: in order to double-jump, you have to *jump* first. Falling doesn't enable it. If you fall off a cliff while riding your steed, you won't be able to double-jump because the game registers falling as being different from jumping. Instead, if you want to double-jump near a landing spot below, you have to make sure you *jump* off the ledge, not just run off.

I'm a "souls vet", but holy moly I am so damn rusty this time around. Got my ass beat by Tree Sentinel like 10 times in a row. I will persevere!

thanks for this, man. elden ring is my first souls game. i’m absolutely loving it so far and am slowly but surely getting used to the combat, and this video is great help. tbh i was worried i’d wind up getting frustrated by now but even when i’m repeatedly getting my ass kicked, i’m having a blast. it’s tough but fair, and i can tell that if i keep at it, pace myself, and don’t get cocky, eventually i’ll win. i think i’m starting to understand why people like these games so much :)

This is the best Elden Ring beginner’s guide out there at the moment. Thanks for putting in the time and effort to create such an accessible, spoiler-free handbook for new players.

This game was my first experience into this genre of gaming. It has been a rough one. I was overwhelmed and confused and angry because it seemed like everyone was stronger than me and i didn’t know what steps i needed to do to get better. This guide is hopefully going to help me and get me better because the game is wonderful

I love how they take different mechanics from every game before elding ring, so good

One extra tip, certain enemies like those made of stone or in mines, take way more damage from strike weapons like the mace, so try a strike weapon if your sword is struggling

12 hours into the game (though never having played any souls games) and this video has so many good tips that I hadn't really thought about. Thanks :) I wasn't sure if this game was for me, as I've not been too enamoured with open world RPG's in the past, but this really is something else. Haven't been this captivated by a game in years. Most interesting thing I learned here is that I'm really not paying enough attention to my stamina in combat!

I’ve never played a souls game and just picked up a PS5 so I dove head first into Elden ring. So far I’m absolutely loving it, it’s so incredibly cryptic in terms of not guiding the player or explaining much which I actually love and find very refreshing. So many games now spend the first chunk of the game hand holding for every little function, the gameplay reminds me of NES games where you just start the game and figure out what to do for yourself. My only gripe was not having played a souls game before I was overwhelmed with feeling like I was missing out like I had to have played one of the previous games to get the lore or understand what to do but I’m about 5 hours in now and I’m hooked.

Just starting my elden ring journey. I'm a soulsborne vet, so alot of this stuff looks familiar. But I'm glad for any advice vaati has to give. Always my go-to source for everything dark souls. Thank you vaati

Masterpiece of a game, taking every good thing from previous games and adding even more.

Thanks for this guide my friend, other ones that I watched scared me into not wanting to play as much. This explained things much more clearly and in a manner that made sense to someone who’s never played before. I’m 2 hours in and already loving it, time to explore and master the basics!

You are probably one of the best content creators in this entire platform, which is saying A LOT. Straightforward, easy to understand, and you explain everything extremely well. Also, you have a nice voice. I couldn’t be more glad about finding your channel, you are a huge help in understanding the complex system of stats and attributes, which is my biggest struggle so far. Thanks :D (and sorry for the ranting)

I'm glad people like Vaati are putting these out, I've seen full on reviewers say things like "I got a new weapon and it did less damage than the one I was using," as a legitmate critique of the game.

15:32 smal note here, you can find a ashes of war skill that removes the skill from a weapon/shield, so if your favorite shield has parry on it and your not using the parry, add the ashe of war no skilll to it and remove parry so your main weapon can use its ashes of war while you stil have your shield equiped!

I really appreciate this guide. It's helped me out so much. So many other guides are using phrases I only got after watching this video. Several talked about "mid-rolling" but never expanded on it, like you have, so thanks!

Finally, a REAL beginners guide. Thank you and thank you for ALL the wonderful content you make!

This game is just so good so far, I’ve never been able to beat a souls game I always fall off about halfway through even though I love it. None of those problems are present here, it turns into dark souls when you want it to while letting you breathe in between. This might be the first one I complete.

I’ve never played a souls game and I’m so lost but I’m having a blast lol beat my first boss. Im hooked

This is actually the best guide I have ever seen for a game. I just started getting into souls type games and this really helped. Thank!

this is the most info filled, spoiler free, guide I've seen so far! ALL the footages is from the early game, no hidden bosses, or later enemis. thanks!

I accidentally found myself at round table hold and totally missed Margit the Fell altogether. Turns out you can go around a cliff path on the right side of the castle. What an amazing game.

I feel like the most important piece of advice I ever received for a Soulsborne game was; "Do not worry about your losing souls. That is all a mind game designed to mess with you. They aren't actually as big of a deal as they seem, and you will always be able to get more. And you will always regain any lost souls much faster then you think you will."

Thanks for the vid Vaati. You're surely one of the greats when it comes to Souls content, and undeniably the handsdown GOAT for all of its lore. Love your videos man, keep 'em coming.

Seriously best guide so far. And I've played souls games before. This is great and actually goes into a lot of depth. Especially with the nice combat advice.

This is a good guide for those starting out. My only addition to it would be, get a lantern. Seriously, while the game is more vibrant than previous Souls game, it does feature a lot of dark locations, from caves to dungeons, even outdoor areas can get dark in places covered with shade/shadows and during the night. The lantern can be acquired relatively early and it helps free your other hand for shield or secondary weapon.

My advice for people new to the genre is to name all of the moves that are killing you, if you name them, you’ll find the work of memorizing is trivial. “Oh no he’s doing the butt slam!”

First of, BIG Thank You! Most of the guides i've watched are the "You should do this, go there first, look out for this etc. etc." type of guides Yours gave me a great insight into the controls and mechanics of the game. I was struggling big time trying to figure out what does what exactly, and your explanation helped greatly! I'm brand new to a Soul's game and this video plays a crucial part in learning it. Your voice is also incredibly amazing to listen to. You earned a subscriber, mainly for the informational video, and secondly for that sweet soothing voice :) Keep up the good work!

This is a great guide that gives some important information that you just won't find in the other helpful 'what to do first' guides. I had no idea where I could map items to the secondary d-pad menu for instance, or just a general explanation of combat flow, thanks for the help!

My first souls game and I’m having a great time failing repeatedly. I did so much grinding at Gatefront Ruins I know all the guards on a first name basis. Surprised myself by being able to beat the beastman in the cave and one of the giants. Early days though.

I don't know what that subterranean deer's story was, but I'm guessing I need to prepare to cry

I only just got this game and have been stumbling around, lucky when I survive an encounter. This video has given me tremendous advice and will completely revolutionize my playing

GREAT video, super concise and on point. This is all you need to get started on your adventure! Thanks a lot for making this guide :D

I was stuck at a boss and I realized when I got trap in the area that prevent you from fast traveling I got 1 red scarlet buff. It ripped right through the boss. Fromsoft games really do teach you that no matter how impossible a boss is that with a little preparedness you can get through

So cool this made it on Bandai's channel! Thanks for the tips good sir and happy lore hunting! Note: Smithing Stones are sometimes dropped by Godrick Soldiers in the starting area, Limgrave!

Thank you! I just started playing and this is exactly what I needed, exploration has been fun so far but combat is rough. All the guides I've found until now have been like, go here, pick this up, go there, fight that guy, spare the other guy, buy the item that makes the boss weaker. That's dumb. People want help to understand how to play the game, not ways to cheat it so they can play less of it.

What an intelligent and elegant beginner video. This guy sets a new bar for explainers on RU-vid. Wish everything sounded like this.

Elden Ring has been my introduction to Soulborne games, and it has been a ROUGH ONE. that said, I've managed to piece together enough to work with to get things done. I'd love to see a breakdown of the more complicated stats in the equipment screen, as these are often quite confusing to me, and I assume many others, who are not well versed in the Soulborne universe. Great video, cheers!

Man, I love the open world boss fights, especially Agheel and Tree Sentinel. Makes me wish there was something like the Bonfire Aesetics(sp?) From DS2 where you could respawn the boss of an area for more of a challenge and more souls. I would love to spend just hours fighting bosses from Torrent's back.

One of the most “actually helpful” beginners guides for any game I’ve come across, ty

This is hands down one of the beginner guides I’ve seen. Well done and thanks for the tips!

For those that started as samurai class; I've found that, with the uchigatana, fighting on the ground vs mounted opponents is more efficient. This is because although you do have a dodge on horseback you have more freedom of movement than the horse does and both unsheathe attacks (LB+RB or R1) let you tag the horse and it's rider when they start to move after an attack. I'd presume that this would also work with GS, UGS, Halberds etc. If they attack fast enough. Edit: I forgot to mention but obviously it also removes the vulnerability from being dismounted and the extra flasks used to resurrect your mount.

I remember seeing this idea back in Dark Souls when you can choose to go to the catacombs or Undeadburg. Though one could argue there really isn't much choice there, but I think Elden Ring is the realization of that freedom and I am glad I went into this blind. Games have sorely missed their discovery element over the years.

Great video, straight to the point, no BS, just what I needed. Mandatory for everybody playing Elden Ring.

This is fantastic help for people like me who are brand new to this series. His beautiful voice makes him so pleasant to listen to!

This game is so huge. So many secrets, lore and things to do. I’ll never get tired of it.

I love what they did to guarding, though the traditional parrying is still really badass. I like how they have another alternative to parrying with shields. Block retaliation is weaker then parrying but much easier and, if done with precision can be extremely effective

Been playing this game for a while now and I still learned a lot from this. Seriously, best guide video I’ve seen, simple and straight to the point, thanks man!

What a great guide! Thank you for your time and dedication.

Sometimes we forget there are people that never played a Souls game. Great job, as usual.

As a new Souls player, every time I watch this, I can't wait to get back into the game! It's so... welcoming.

This guide is incredibly well done with lots of practical advice. Thank you for this!

I've just started this and I find the fighting very difficult but this helps explain a lot of it. thank you.

This man even has markers within the video playbar; amazing. Everything about this breathes clean, concise, and organized as a guide could ever hope to be. Fantastic job, I'll be sure to check on you for more ;)

Amazing video. The value has only gone up over the last few days. I explored without checking guides and the early discoveries and struggles make a lot more sense now. Thank you Vaati

Huge help brother. Thank you very much for not taking the long route & being simple & clean instead. I feel much more confident to push forward with this game. I am a new comer to Souls games so this one is a little overwhelming but I am enjoying it BECAUSE of the challenge. I'm ready now! 😈👊🏻

Super informative and helpful without telling, just suggesting and advising. Very good work on your delivery

Hey Vaat. I’ve been a long time subscriber and discovered your channel when you were doing all the Lore behind dark Souls III. I use to lay in my hospital bed and listen to your videos as I tried to fall asleep. During those days I was struggling very heavily with my health and being in that room felt like a never ending eternity. Now that Elden Ring is out, I’ve come back to the channel to get some insight and I’m happy to see how much you’ve grown and the content has stayed in it’s amazing quality. Being back here is nostalgic for me, and although the memories are rough, I’m thankful to be alive. Thanks for everything and those nights you gave me other things to think about other than my diagnosis. I’m happy you’re still making content. I hope you continue to grow. -an old fan

Total monster of a game. The thought, planning and execution that has gone into it is awesome. No one's mentioned the sound, some fine ominous music that needs a good system to get the benefit. Is 7:30 am too early to start?

One thing I see rarely get attention is Rainbow Stones. Tossing one off a ledge will let you know if it's safe to drop. If it explodes, you won't survive. If you see a colorful rock, then you will. It's also really good to use when you're exploring around to let you know where you've been. Even I, a veteran of the Soulsborn games, sometimes got lost while playing by running through previously explored areas. Dropping a stone at junctions or forks in the road, or in branching cave systems, is always a good idea.

Watched a bunch of these vids since I got the game recently but this one was the most helpful. Simple yet effective. Thank you.

As my first Souls game, Elden Ring taught me valuable life lessons : - Floating giant blue jellyfishes are not aggressive - Mosquitoes will be the death of me - Feeling greedy and a tad too overconfident ? Ho boy am I about to learn the HARD way, the ANCIENT way, the FROM SOFTWARE way. - Backstabbing already ruined my RB button. Player feedback Ruined my Boxers. - The message system is amazing; how do you warn fellow players about sky diving skeletons ? "Be wary of up" is just the right amount of goofyness and mystery to keep you on your toes. Seekers' messages helped me a lot, thanks to you all fellow Tarnished 💛

I’m so excited to get this game, I’ve been waiting ever since the very first few whispers of the game’s announcement. Plus vaati has always kept me loving the souls series and almost anything from soft makes. Lots of importance in these games for me, thanks to the community and to vaati himself for making core memories and future nostalgia for me :)

Seriously the best video on elden ring. I’m new to the game trying to be less frustrated with not understanding the game and this video helped me understand way more than 7 other videos combined!

This is the best beginners guide I’ve ever seen! Incredibly straightforward and complete! This is perfect for the newcomers! Any other veterans out there having difficulty getting used to mounted combat? We’ll get there lol. If I can get the hang of Sekiro’s parrying I can figure out Torrent!

Thank you for this video. Entering Elden Rings as a souls novice is really tough. I didnt know grace was pointing in the direction of the main storyline. That helps alot

Fantastic video, clear, concise, helpful and man you have a lovely voice to listen to.

This channel has such a great script. Sometimes I just replay the videos while I’m doing something else besides watching, would love a podcast version of this content! 🙌🏻

Very small tip for veterans: I found changing jump to Y and A back to interact feels a lot more fluid and my muscle memory from the other games likes it more Nothing serious but something to throw out there

Thank you for everything you've done for the community over the years Vaati

insanely well produced guide, thanks alot! ER is my first souls like and ur guide is a gift !

Straight forward and easy to follow. I just got into Elden Ring and this was a great place to start. Thanks!

This is an excellently produced and informative guide. I’ve watched 3 times already to try and fully absorb all the content. Great work!

I love how there’s valuable information for both Dark Souls vets and people that are new to the series. Very well made and written video, Vaati. I expect nothing less, but still feel that I should acknowledge.

That beginning of the video already taught me something . Thank you vm!!

Nicely done guide, you have a good voice and cadence for this type of thing. Also, very helpful info, so gllad I watched this!

Wow. I am lost for words with the amount of care and useful details put into this video. Thank you so much for this :)

Man as far as "the first mandatory boss" goes, Margit definitely gave me the toughest time out of the whole soulsborne series.

Thank you for this very detailed and well-explained tutorial!

this game is fun to play at night its hard as hell tho but its cool

This is incredibly helpful even for a experienced souls veteran.

A big thing I've noticed about Elden Ring vs other souls games is the number of options you have to get past an obstacle. Reaching a tough boss might not simply require farming to get stronger, it might require using things like different ashes of war that exploit the boss's weakness or using a particular spirit summon. I'm starting to wonder if Margit was so difficult because he was there to break the r1+ dodge only habit that a lot of souls players have and encourage people to use some of the new mechanics. A particular spirit summon made him a lot more manageable, and on my next playthrough I'll probably try to solo him, but it was cool to have an option other than NPC/player summons to beat a boss.

Thank you for your clear explanations. I had trouble doing certain actions in Elden Ring as some aspects of it, are not clearly explained. I will apply all of your advice for my samurai build.

You vocal style is excellent for tutorials! Well done. Great mic setup too!

im just so amazed at how they perfected the combat. heavy attacks are useful, weapon arts are insanely useful, and jumping attacks are a huge addition