Not sure where to start? Here's what to do in the opening hours. Whether you are new to FromSoftware's games or not, Elden Ring's open world is both an exciting and daunting prospect. When you first emerge in the starting area of Limgrave - after you have selected your starting class and starting Keepsake item - the entire region is open for you to explore, from discovering caves hiding short but challenging dungeons, to dragons, trolls and other powerful creatures which roam the lands. Though there is a destination you must reach as part of the story, you don't have to go there right away. In fact, we would highly recommend against it - and instead, take the time to understand how things work and power up your character. First things first, it's best to establish where you have to go on the critical path - and that's Castle Stormveil. You'll discover this when you light the first Site of Grace - think of these resting points as Elden Ring's bonfires - with the light emerging from the top pointing you in the direction you must go next. Varre, the character nearby, will also say the Castle is your first port of call - and if you look to the west, you can see it on the cliffs. However, resist the temptation to go straight there. Though that direction offers some essential upgrades we'll want to pick up, you'll want to put off reaching the Castle itself for a few hours yet. Here is what you should do first in Elden Ring:
At this point, you should have access to a good weapon, a levelled up character, and a greater understanding of how things work. The above points just scratch the surface of what Limgrave has in store - let alone the rest of the game, most of which is technically accessible from the off if you know where to go. Feel free to roam and take it all in at your own pace - there's something new and surprising around just about every corner - and when you're ready, make a proper start on the critical path. Once you have settled on a starting class and starting Keepsake item, you should first work out how to level up, how to respec and use Ashes of War. Need some direction from there? Our Elden Ring walkthrough and Elden Ring boss order can help with where to go next, but we also recommend hunting down Golden Seeds, Sacred Tears, Crystal Tears, Talismans and some of our best weapon and best armor choices. If you are approaching the end game, we can help with the Volcano Manor quest and Rykard, Haligtree Secret Medallion locations, solving the Ordina, Liturgical Town puzzle, the Millicent quest, Commander Niall, Morgott, Godskin Duo, Maliketh and Malenia. When you are ready, reaching Castle Stormveil is as straightforward as going west through the gate by Gatefront Ruins and following the winding path up the hill until you reach the gates. Of course, we say 'straightforward', but there are a lot of enemies, both at the gate point and just as you approach the castle itself. Thankfully, with Torrent, you can simply ride past them, up until the castle walls that path takes you towards. (One tip - there is no shame in running past enemies - especially when they are in groups!). Yes, that's a troll about to leap down. And yes, you should just sprint straight past!There is, however, a major barrier before you get to Castle Stormveil proper - an encounter with the first critical path boss, Margit the Fell Omen. This is a very challenging encounter, and requires not only a reasonably levelled character - we were about level 20 - but ideally a good set of offensive options and some summons to help aid you. If you're stuck here - and we were for a while - then exploring more of Limgrave (and beyond) is recommended, not only to better build out your character, but to save you getting too frustrated. Unlike other FromSoftware games, though bosses like this can block the 'main' path forward, there's still so much you can see and do. So take your time and explore - Margit can wait! If you need more advice from there, we have an Elden Ring walkthrough for the critical path, and a list of the main bosses in order to help you see one of the many endings. |