Elden Ring Gameplay Beginner Guide Ps5

Getting Started with the Game on PS5

So you bought it and now you are sitting in Limgrave wondering what the hell is going on. Fair enough. I still see people making the same mistakes five years later. Here is how you actually survive the first ten hours. First thing: skip the tutorial boss if you can. When you first spawn in and Melina shows up, there is a whole section where you fight a creature called a Soldiers of Godrick Training Dummy. You do not need to fight it. Just walk past it. The game will still give you your first sword and some spells. The dummy fights fine without anyone actually attacking it. I wasted twenty minutes trying to kill it with no weapons on my first playthrough.

Starting Your Elden Ring Gameplay Beginner Guide Ps5 Session

When you boot the game on PS5, you will see options. Use a controller. The touchpad doesn't do anything special for combat and you will just accidentally press it when you mean to guard. Default settings are fine. The camera sensitivity is already kind of slow so don't crank it up thinking it'll help. It makes tracking enemies harder, not easier. Your character creation takes about twelve minutes if you overthink it. Don't. Pick the class that looks right and move on. I picked the Hero because the bat looked cool and the starting stats were decent for strength builds. I died to every early game boss anyway. That's not a critique of the class. That's just how the game works at level one.

What Actually Matters Early On

People talk a lot about build optimization and stat curves. None of that matters until you hit roughly level forty. Before then, your only concern is getting better equipment and learning the enemy patterns. The stat system is forgiving. You can dump points into Vigor until you have two hundred health and nobody is going to stop you. You will just be slow and weak. Here is the thing the game does not tell you clearly: most early enemies have telegraphs you can learn. That hammer swing from the Godrick soldiers? It winds up with the weapon going back over their shoulder. Guard when you see that motion. You will block most of the damage and open them up for a. Counter hits in this game do more damage than normal attacks. That is your main damage source early game. Not fancy combos. Just timing your guard break attacks properly. The map is your biggest tool. You can fast travel once you light enough Sites of Grace. Start lighting them immediately when you see them. I spent way too long walking back to an item I needed because I forgot which area it was in. The GPS is built into the map. You can set waypoints. Use it.

Common Mistakes New Players Make

Aggressive button mashing. This is the number one reason people die repeatedly to the same enemy. Every boss in this game has a limited combo. They do three or four moves and then they pause. Watch for the pause. Then attack. If you are pressing buttons constantly, you are going to get punished. Every single time. Another mistake: spending runes too early. Runes are your leveling currency and you can die and lose them. I lost four thousand runes once because I died right after picking them up from a chest. Four thousand. Don't hoard them like a dragon but don't spend them all on upgrade materials before you hit a major boss either. Keep enough to level up at least once after every main area boss. People also underestimate magic. Sorceries and incantations are surprisingly strong in the early game, especially if you are struggling with melee. The Glintstone Pebble spell from the Academy Crystal Tear can one-shot most early enemies from range. It costs FP and you need to find an Spirit Calling Bell to summon spirits as backup. But having a ranged option changes everything when a boss has weird movement patterns.

Equipment and Upgrades

Upgrade your weapon at the blacksmith in Limgrave. Smithing Stones are scattered everywhere. You will find them by exploring. Do not ignore side paths. The best loot is usually on paths you would normally skip. I found a whole cache of upgrade materials in a cave behind some trees that nobody seems to talk about. Keep multiple weapons. Swap between them depending on the enemy. Fire damage is good against things that resist physical attacks. Magic damage is good against armored foes. The game lets you dual wield and mix weapon types freely. Use that freedom. Armor choice matters less than you think. Early armor gives decent protection but slows you down if it is too heavy. Check the equip load. You want to stay below the threshold where your roll becomes a slow shuffle. That threshold is displayed in the status screen. Aim for light armor in the beginning. You can always upgrade it later.

Progression Strategy

Don't rush to the endgame boss. The game gives you clear direction markers and recommended levels for major areas. Follow them loosely. If you are dying to a boss, go explore elsewhere and come back later. Your character gets stronger by fighting other enemies and gaining runes. There is no penalty for taking your time. The open world design means you can always go somewhere else when you get stuck. I hit Malenia once around level sixty and died in thirty seconds. Walked away, spent three hours exploring Caelid, leveled up to seventy-five, and came back. Beat her on the second try. That is the game. Take breaks when you get frustrated. It works. Spirit summons are not cheating. Use them. The game gives you access to spirits early and they distract enemies while you deal damage. Some spirits scale with your stats so upgrading them is worthwhile. The Guardian Sprites are free and useful throughout the entire game. Don't skip them.

Multiplayer Notes

You can invade other players' worlds and they can help you. Co-op is straightforward. Leave your world open in the settings and other players can enter. Password co-op exists if you want to play with friends only. Multiplayer items are found throughout the world. Use them when you feel ready. Some bosses are significantly easier with help. PvP is optional. You do not need to engage with it. The game is perfectly playable as a single player experience from start to finish. Multiplayer is there if you want it but it is not required for progression or completion. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

What to Do When You Get Stuck

Level up Vigor. Seriously. Most deaths come from getting hit once too many times. More health means you survive longer and can recover from mistakes. I keep putting points here and it has never hurt my builds. A tankier character is easier to play, period. Use the map extensively. The game marks major dungeons and legacy dungeons with icons. Fast travel to them when you are ready. You can also summon NPCs at certain graces. These spirits fight alongside you and provide constant distraction. Use them strategically during boss fights. If all else fails, take a break. Come back tomorrow or the next day. Your brain will process the enemy patterns better after rest. I have had breakthroughs after sleeping on difficult fights. It is not weakness. It is how pattern recognition works.