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New Game Plus , or New Game+ (NG+), in Elden Ring  is an unlockable feature upon completion of the story which allows you to begin a new journey while maintaining Stats  and select pieces of  Equipment . This page covers how to enter New Game Plus, what changes it brings to gameplay, and the equipment which carries over. In addition, there are community recommendations about what you may want to accomplish before entering your next journey.

Elden Ring New Game+ Helpful Links

• Check our Walkthrough page for a detailed guide on reaching the end of the game.
• You may also visit the Game Progress Route page for a quick overview of how to progress through the game.
• Check our Endings page for the different conclusions to the game.

Elden Ring New Game Plus

After defeating the final boss and watching the credits, the game will prompt you to "Begin Journey 2. If you do not start over now, you can choose to begin Journey 2 later at the Table of Lost Grace in Roundtable Hold ."

  What carries over to New Game Plus?

This is a list of items and discoveries you keep when starting a NG+:

• Armaments ( Weapons , Shields )
• Magic Spells  ( Incantations and Sorceries )
• Remembrances  are kept, although they won't be available for  Duplication  until the corresponding  Boss  is slain
• Nearly All  Tools
• Upgrade Materials
• Crafting Materials
• Arrows and Bolts
• Spirit Ashes
• Ashes of War
• Stonesword Keys
• Dragon Hearts
• Lost Ashes of War
• Celestial Dew
• Larval Tear
• Crystal Tears
• Cracked Pots
• Ritual Pots
• Perfume Bottles
• Memory Stones
• Crafting Kit
• Torrent  ( Spectral Steed Whistle )
• Location Markers (Blue markers)
• Custom Markers (Icon-based markers)
• Finger Reader Crone markers
• Co-op summons still function proper to the level difference barrier, which can be bypassed with a password
• Invasions will still take place, from other players within your level range
• Bone Peddler's Bell Bearing
• Meat Peddler's Bell Bearing
• Medicine Peddler's Bell Bearing
• Gravity Stone Peddler's Bell Bearing
• Smithing-Stone Miner's Bell Bearing
• Somberstone Miner's Bell Bearing
• Glovewort Picker's Bell Bearing
• Ghost-Glovewort Picker's Bell Bearing  

  What does  NOT  carry over to New Game Plus?

This is a list of items and discoveries you don't keep and must obtain again in a NG+:

• Side Quest  progress
• Dectus Medallion Halves
• Academy Glintstone Key
• Irina's Letter
• Fingerslayer Blade
• Great Runes
• Mending Runes  ( Endings )
• Sorcery  Scrolls
• Incantation  Prayerbooks
• Shop unlocks are kept for the Bell Bearing  mentioned previously
• Baldachin's Blessing
• Miquella's Needle
• Pureblood Knight's Medal
• All excluding Notes and Tutorials
• Activated  Sites of Grace
• Activated  Effigies of the Martyr
• A workaround is to place the items into your storage and then simple retrieve them for the achievement
• Three Fingers ' Mark of the Frenzied Flame - Removed from the character, including its cosmetic changes (eye alterations and burn marks)
• Dragon Communion  physical changes (eye color)

  New Game Plus Checklist

Do these before advancing to New Game Plus:

• Back up your save file (just in case)
• Ghost-Glovewort Picker's Bell Bearing
• Great Grave Glovewort
• Great Ghost Glovewort
• Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone
• Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone
• Farm Runes  to buy out the  Merchants ' shops
• Cookbooks (59)
• Crystal Tears (32)
• Whetblades (5)
• Find and turn in all Scrolls and Prayerbooks to a trainer to purchase their  Spells
• Only 20 are need to buy all Incantations
• Obtain all  Larval Tears (18)  for future Rebirth
• Turn in all  Deathroots (9) to the  Gurranq Beast Clergyman
• Kill any NPCs you want the gear from
• Collect Stonesword Keys ; these carry over and can be used in the next playthrough
• Trade for any  Remembrance Weapons you may wish to dual-wield in the future, as only one copy of each weapon can be obtained per NG cycle
• Obtain any weapons you will want to dual-wield in the next playthrough, as for most weapons only one copy can be obtained per NG cycle
• Use Walking Mausoleums (7)  to duplicate Remembrances
• Collect all non-renewable Crafting Materials
• Cracked Pots (20)
• Ritual Pots (10)
• Perfume Bottles (10)
• Memory Stones (8)
• Talisman Pouches (3)
• Golden Seeds (30)
• Sacred Tears (12)
• Collect all Talismans
• Farm any Weapons or Armor that drop from Enemies  (optionally respec for Arcane )
• Respec your character by talking to Rennala if you plan on playing with a different build from the beginning of NG+

  What changes with NG+?

You will find some differences when starting a new playthrough through NG+:

• The increase for NG+ depends on the enemies and bosses and varies between a 5x increase for earlier enemies and bosses to a 2x increase for later enemies and bosses.
• The factor seems to depend on the area (5x in Limgrave , 3x in Liurnia of the Lakes , Mt. Gelmir , Altus Plateau , Leyndell, Royal Capital , 2x in Dragonbarrow ,  Mountaintops of the Giants ,  Leyndell, Capital of Ash , ...) with some exceptions

Enemies and bosses deal more damage and have more health. The amount of increase varies based on enemy and location, with larger increases in lower level areas.

The breakdown of how scaling works per level area and per ng is as follows pulled from datamined files and tested in game:   

  Area name                        SpEffectID      Health       Defence      Resistance   Attack Rate   Stamina Damage  

  Stranded Graveyard                7000            1.000        1.000        2.000        1.000         1.000             Limgrave Middle                   7010            1.141        1.013        2.018        1.097         1.021             Limgrave South                    7020            1.281        1.026        2.035        1.202         1.031             Limgrave North                    7030            1.656        1.039        2.053        1.495         1.052             Stormveil Castle                  7040            1.813        1.053        2.070        1.495         1.119             Siofra River                      7050            1.953        1.066        2.088        1.690         1.141             South Liurnia/Academy             7060            2.266        1.079        2.105        1.758         1.141             North Liurnia/Academy             7070            2.406        1.093        2.123        1.831         1.162             Lower Mt. Gelmir/Ainsel River     7080            2.688        1.106        2.140        2.000         1.189             Upper Mt. Gelmir/West Caelid      7090            3.250        1.119        2.158        2.279         1.211             Altus Plateau/South Caelid        7100            3.703        1.133        2.175        2.473         1.211             Leyndell Capital/Nokstella        7110            4.125        1.146        2.193        2.673         1.263             Volcano Manor/North Caelid        7120            4.844        1.159        2.210        3.244         1.285             Leyndell Sewers                   7130            5.484        1.172        2.228        3.244         1.317             Mountaintops/Early Farum Azula    7140            6.563        1.186        2.245        3.530         1.317             Late Farum Azula                  7150            6.688        1.200        2.280        3.585         1.340             Ashen Leyndell/Snowfield          7160            6.875        1.200        2.385        3.640         1.340             Elden Throne                      7170            7.047        1.217        2.490        3.745         1.368             Haligtree/Mohgwyn Palace          7180            7.203        1.220        2.595        3.796         1.374             Elphael Brace of the Haligtree    7190            7.328        1.230        2.700        3.796         1.391             Haligtree Roots                   7200            7.422        1.232        2.733        3.796         1.394          

  Area name                         SpEffectID      Health         Defense      Resistance   PoiseDmgTaken AtkRate       Stamina Damage   Rune Multiplier 

  Stranded Graveyard                7400            3.434        1.172        1.097        1.000         1.902         1.200          5.000              Limgrave Middle                   7410            3.122        1.173        1.095        1.000         1.965         1.191          5.000              Limgrave South                    7420            2.857        1.174        1.093        1.000         1.768         1.182          5.000              Limgrave North                    7430            2.355        1.175        1.091        1.000         1.680         1.173          5.000              Stormveil Castle                  7440            2.146        1.176        1.089        1.000         1.609         1.164          4.000              Siofra River                      7450            2.099        1.177        1.087        1.000         1.483         1.155          4.000              South Liurnia/Academy             7460            1.845        1.178        1.085        1.000         1.400         1.146          4.000              North Liurnia/Academy             7470            1.523        1.179        1.083        1.000         1.314         1.137          3.000              Lower Mt. Gelmir/Ainsel River     7480            1.479        1.180        1.081        1.000         1.239         1.128          3.000              Upper Mt. Gelmir/West Caelid      7490            1.461        1.181        1.079        1.000         1.200         1.119          3.000              Altus Plateau/South Caelid        7500            1.296        1.182        1.077        1.000         1.150         1.110          3.000              Leyndell Capital/Nokstella        7510            1.253        1.183        1.075        1.000         1.141         1.101          3.000              Volcano Manor/North Caelid        7520            1.264        1.184        1.073        1.000         1.135         1.092          2.000              Leyndell Sewers                   7530            1.191        1.185        1.071        1.000         1.134         1.083          2.000              Mountaintops/Early Farum Azula    7540            1.008        1.186        1.069        1.000         1.122         1.074          2.000              Late Farum Azula                  7550            1.001        1.200        1.070        1.000         1.094         1.065          2.000              Ashen Leyndell/Snowfield          7560            1.015        1.200        1.070        1.000         1.134         1.070          2.000              Elden Throne                      7570            1.001        1.200        1.070        1.000         1.094         1.065          2.000              Haligtree/Mohgwyn Palace          7580            1.015        1.200        1.000        1.000         1.134         1.070          2.000              Elphael Brace of the Haligtree    7590            1.015        1.200        1.000        1.000         1.134         1.070          2.000              Haligtree Roots                   7600            1.015        1.200        1.000        1.000         1.134         1.070          2.000           

  NG+2                              *1.100          *1.025       *1.015       *0.950       *1.100        *1.400        *1.100                            NG+3                              *1.150          *1.050       *1.030       *0.900       *1.150        *1.500        *1.125                            NG+4                             *1.200          *1.100       *1.045       *0.850       *1.200        *1.600        *1.200                            NG+5                              *1.300          *1.150       *1.060       *0.800       *1.300        *1.700        *1.225                            NG+6                             *1.350          *1.200       *1.075       *0.700       *1.350        *1.800        *1.250                            NG+7                              *1.400          *1.300       *1.090       *0.600       *1.450        *1.900        *1.275                         

Multiplayer HP boss scaling data:

1 more player:     × 1.6 

2 more players:  × 2.3 

3 more players:   × 2.7 

Formula to determine boss health in any location, ng+ value, and number of players:

 (( Boss base HP ×  map region multiplier ) ×  multiplayer scaling ) × NG+ scaling    = boss HP 

Radagon in single-player at NG+7:

 ((   13,339    ×        1.001          ) ×          1         ) ×     1.4       = 18,694.6754 HP 

Radagon with two players at NG+5:

 ((   13,339    ×         1.001        ) ×         1.6        ) ×     1.3       = 27,772.86512 HP 

Starting in NG+2, or Journey 3, all enemies take reduced Stance damage:

NG+2: 5% reduction NG+3: 10% NG+4: 15% NG+5: 20% NG+6: 30% NG+7: 40%

Movement slowdown caused from certain area hazards (such as lava and swamps) is removed upon entering NG+.

It's not known if this is intended behaviour or not.

NG+ does not introduce any new enemies  or equipment.

  What happens after Journey 8 of Elden Ring?

Journey 8 (NG+7) marks the end of Elden Ring's new game scaling; all subsequent journeys will have an identical level of difficulty and rewards. 

At this point, players can choose to pursue their own defined goals, such as:

• Collecting all Armaments
• Challenge Runs
• Obtaining all  Trophies & Achievements
• Experiment with new Builds
• Prepare for future DLC

Why does the chart show enemies having less resistance in NG+2 onward. That can't be correct

Which level do you advice me to begin a ng+2?

Wiki page: “do this before ng+” Me who is on ng+6 and hasn’t done any of those things;

how do I know what ng number am i?

Wiki says some bosses like Fire Giant or Mohg have lovered status resistance in NG+. Is that bug in game or just missinformation?

My only complaint is that the early parts of the game are still too easy for your high-level character, even on ng+7. Might do some good to scale the early enemies harder.

It is impossible to use more than 2 of the same weapon at the same time (yes I know you can equip up to 6 of the same weapon if you really want to, but you can't -use- more than 2 of them at once), and more than 1 of everything else at the same time. Since you can get everything bar 2 talismans in one run, and since the runes dropped by enemies basically flatlines after NG+2, there is no reason at all to go any further than NG+2 IMO. If you're at the end of the second run on a toon, you may as well stay there and just make a new toon for any new runs, in all honesty.

Is there a reason to go to ng+? No new enemies, no new items or mechanics like dark souls 2 sotfs, everything is exactly the same

For those wondering about the exact scaling at NG+7: Enemies Health Scaling: 1.4x Enemies Stamina Scaling: 1.275x Enemy Damage Scaling: 1.450x Enemy Status Resistance Rate: 1.090x The numbers here are taken from a modder who looked into the games files and made a mod where the NG+ scaling continues to NG+20.

Ngl, I don’t like the level system. I have one main save and am at ~300 and find it dumb I can’t get summoned by a LVL 120 or so. Could they not just lower our HP, Mind, Damage and Endurance to that similar of the host?

Am I imagining things or do some of the pillar traps in certain catacombs change in behaviour in NG+? Looking at the one in Consecrated Snowfield with clean rot knights and watchdogs.

Can I be summoned by NG players after going to NG+?

Imma just chilling on ng+17 on level 168, making some TT runs and summoning people for bosses to see how long they'll last before getting oneshot, it's totally fine. Adding more enemies wouldn't make a big difference for me since I usually just skip them

I hate people who do this at barely level 100 and summon

I agree with everyone saying NG+ sucks in elden ring. But stop complaining about it here, maybe take it up with From if you hate it so much. Not that they'll do anything.

I guess Seedbed curses do not carry over?

what are the poise multipliers because i know they exist i havent poisebroken a rat sine ng+2 unless i use the B O N K hammers(giant crushers)

I find it funny people mad over others for saying how bad NG+ is. Like, From could have easily added those phantom/blue enemies to spawn in certain areas to make NG+ fun, they could have added a way for you to exchange tears and seeds for something and also added something in the chests that are now empty in NG+. Of course the devs are not lazy and the game is massive and amazing, but these changes are really not something that could have taken too much time to implement. NG+ permagravelorded in Dark Souls 1 is the best NG+ ever.

On what must u focus with lvl in ng+?

Ng+ is completely pointless in this game, since they give you all the +1 & +2 talismans in the base cycle, and because ds2 was the only game to change anything regarding enemy placement/new invaders. And since you're able to savescum to get multiple endings in the same cycle, you don't even need to NG+ for that. Just do the side quests for the endings, unlock the final grace right before the 3 finger door, do your sage scumming for the non frenzy endings, then go back and get hugged by the fingers and do the frenzy ending. Boom, every single ending in a single go. Literally no point in doing NG+ except for 2 talismans(which ever Alexander talisman you don't have and milicents prosthetic). And even that's just for total inventory completion. Other than that you might as well just do the above method of getting the endings, stop before Journey 2, and spend your time farming for whatever weapons and armor you want and maybe the Moghwyn farm for levels. From clearly ran out of time/ideas halfway through development.

I'm wondering if I've done every dungeon now, or not. I have all of the talismans, all the legendary weapons, but just discovered giant-hunter in a corner I hadn't looked in.

Is it just me, or does it start taking away half your runes from death around New game +3?

Ng+6 at rl 25 wl 3.1 is a lot of fun summoning low levels who have no idea what's going on. Just bring lots Bewitching Branches and crafting for perfume bubbles

Trying to get the great doot to drop... then I think I've farmed what I need for ng+

Stance damage is decreased in ng+ 3 and above

There is NO POINT in leveling up and getting stronger if NG+7 enemies 3-hit you at 99 vigor. I am at MAX LEVEL!!! A good game would let me shred the Bosses to pieces as a reward for leveling up. This comment will only be disliked by masochists.

I pooped my pants :)

I know it doesn't make sense and is obviously cheesing, but they should let you go back. I want to my max build on Journey 1. I spent so much time leveling only to be shredded by NG+7 scaled bosses.

Warning to all casual players like me: I was not ready NG+6 was easy NG+7 is different There's a pretty clear JUMP in difficulty I can't get past the first boss in DS3 but I beat this game 7 times I love it, I do But NG+7 is... different I want to go back Please let me go back

To all of you who find the NG+ disappointing, yes it could be better, but it’s better that we have one than none, afterall, how would we powerstance godfrey’s axe otherwise?

I'm literally level 450 and I still feel like I'm under leveled on NG+7 I'd honestly stop at NG+3 or NG+4 if you've done everything and gotten every item. Not worth the added pain for such little gain.

Use Walking Mausoleums (7) to duplicate Remembrances Should be listed before: Trade for any Remembrance Weapons you may wish to dual-wield in the future, as only one copy of each weapon can be obtained per NG cycle

Worst ng+ of all souls games, they were so lazy they didnt even change up enemy spawns, no new items, no black phantoms.

all we need is a twin prince's style weapon in ng from dlc

the 2 main differences between NG and NG+7 is, mind you: the things that used to two-shot you, will now overkill you with one hit whereas the things that you used to two-shot, will now require several attacks to beat but hey, at least now you get almost triple the amount of runes... so that's something... i guess... haha... ye no spoiler alert it sucks

more like new game minus, this is total ass

increase the rune multiplier for each ng+ that is so whack at least have a 2x multiplier

no new items, no new enemy placements. literally why even bother

I can't change class in a NG+??? So what, because i picked a damn astrologer, now i have to start a completely new game as prophet so i woudn't be weaker in pvp by 7 levels? It's not my fault intelligence spells are useless in pvp compared to faith.

can you find cookbooks you didn't get on first playthrough?

Going into NG+ I still had both shackles and the Blasphemous Claw but the guide says you loose those On the flip side I lost my deathroots even tho I thought you kept them. I’m not complaining. Maybe it’s a glitch. I know I started a new cycle 4 times tho and kept the shackles and claw each time.

Paintings and Volcano manor assignment notes do carry to NG+. I get message "you already have this item" and it just drops on the floor. Kind of locks you out of those, except for 1st Volcano Manor quest.

When entering a ng+ cycle, do I need to revisit areas in order to invade them again? Like do I need to go to Ephael myself to be able to invade there, or could I potentially invade there as soon as I enter Limgrave?

do activated summoning pools remain activated?

I'm positive that enemies get more poise in NG+ cycles. Up until NG+4 it took 3 hits to stancebreak a sewers Omen with 2h light attacks from Fallingstar Beast Jaw (or any colossal with strike/piece damage) and 4 hits with an UGS (or non-strike/pierce colossal). Now I'm in NG+5 and it takes 4 hits with the Fallingstar Beast Jaw and 5 with an UGS. I suspected this could have something to do with a recent patch, so I tested it on another character in NG and they do indeed still stancebreak in 3/4 hits.

"Endings" page says "It is only possible to get all endings in one playthrough if you save before the final boss." Is it possible to get all endings by saving AFTER the final boss, experiencing each ending, then restarting for the next ending? I don't think I need to point out that final boss is not pushover, and I would like to experience all endings I have earned with that boss fight each time.

why do the summoning pools not carry over, makes no sense to me ive been there already in my first playthrough, its not like im beeing summoned to an area that ive not seen before there is literally no benefit to them not carrying over, its just really ****ing tedious to activate all of them again

Rune multiplier for NG plus is so disappointing. The rune multiplier is the only reason you would ever wanna do multiple NG+ cycles over a new character, but even at NG+7 its not even equivalent to the boost given by the golden foot. I feel like NG+ should give you insane amount of runes so that people who want to get to max level can use this, just like sekiro with 99 attack

Researched fact. New game+ doesn't make much difference on health for bosses, at least not after +7 (as far as I can say). I searched and saw that Ng+10 and ng+100 has same health on bosses. (%100 sure about Godrick, Godskin Duo, Ofnir and Hoarah Loux. Didn't look for other bosses, ain't thinking that it would be different either)

really lame how theres a ng+ cap, and theres no ng+ specific content like previous titles

I appreciate that some bell bearings carry over now but why not all of them? The limited quantity items don't even need to restock, I just want to have all the bell bearings there for completions sake and to still be able to buy the largely useless infinite items if I need to. It just feels annoying and time consuming for no reason.

I missed the Bolt of Gransax on the first playthrough. I just collected it in NG+ and immediately received the legendary armaments achievement. In my case, definitely did not collect all legendary armaments within the same playthrough.

With lvl 150 I am starting to struggle at NG+4 late game, bosses are tanky and hit like a truck, well even more so now, wonder if I've reach the a game threshold or I am bottle necking myself, don't know if I should go into NG+5 OR just chill on in the current world, haven't set the thing on fire so everything is pristine.

I know it's just a me thing, but I wished the maps would reset upon NG+. It's kinda overwhelming and disorientating to have the whole map filled out before you even go anywhere

Wish I talked to ria

wish I kept 3 finger cosmetics ;(

wish i could go back to the first game instead of having to stay in NGpls

Playing through ng+7 and the balancing issues have never been so highlighted than it is. Pre-mountaintops, you literally sneeze and everything is dead. Now post-leyndell and anything that touches you, you lose 1/3 or half of your health bar even with 80 vigor. Not to mention the amount of bullshit in the endgame and its just not fun. Just hope they added a gauntlet like sekiro so players can fight bosses and skip these horrid endgame areas. You either need to git gud or sacrifice elden bling lmao.

The legendary armaments thing I can confirm as like, "fixed" or whatever. I screwed up and got every one except bolt of gransax. Started NG+. Hauled ass to Leyndell as soon as I could. Got the bolt. Got the achievement. Good thing too because I did NOT want to do another 100 hours for the only trophy keeping me from platinum... Lol

Wish FromSoft would make NG+ cycles more flexible, worthwhile, and give players the freedom to redo certain levels of it. A system sort of like this: 1) New Game (fresh character) 2) Upon beating the game, NG+ is available 3) Upon beating NG+, unlock NG+1, and a Great Rune that allows players to reset the game back to the start, and let them begin at any NG+ difficulty of their choosing (each cycle must be manually unlocked by beating the current highest NG+ cycle unlocked) - Players CANNOT revert back to the standard difficulty, only the standard NG+ Then, add Talismen upgrades for each cycle (the +1/+2 varients should be saved for NG+, honestly). This would give players incentive to play those modes.

So can the smithing stone 2 and 3 carry over to ng+?

When I saw Talismans with '+1' and '+2' I was hoping we would get stronger Talismans in NG+, which would incentivise further exploration and give us ways to grow stronger without leveling. What a shame.

I'm very disappointed at this ng+. I mean, even the rune items scattered around remain the same, what does a lv 120 character with a 100 rune item? Dark souls 3 had new bigger soul drops. Dark souls 2 even had different items for some merchants. And let's not compare this "ng+" to other soulslikes such as nioh. I found it extremely lazy

Is there a way to continue with ng+ after the seventh cycle? like an ng+8 for example?

For everyone asking, your damage to enemy stance is debuffed starting in your 3rd journey. This goes from a 5% decrease in ng+2 to a 40% decrease in ng+7. This was revealed by Illusory Wall not long long ago. So if you notice you break the stance of enemies less easily you're not crazy. But considering that enemy HP increases so much over your journeys, this probably means you'll break a boss's stance about the same number of times over the course of a battle as you would have in your first run because the fights are longer, the time in between staggering them will just be greater.

just dont lvl past 150 and you will remain in the pvp meta, while ng cycles become more challenging

*dual wields bolt of gransax*

Everything has more poise in no+8

This isn't entirely accurate anymore. A previous update changed to where the bell bearings that you give to the twin maidens now stays with them. Now I'm not for sure about the ones we get from npcs, but the regular ones we can find does. As far as I can remeamber anyways.

Can we have a NG+ after the 8th journey ? Or do we have to gather all the Smithing Stones to upgrade them all within those 8 journeys?

While I think the challenge of starting a character from scratch for a run of the game is great, I do appreciate how it becomes a more condensed experience in Ng+, while the first playthrough seems long and exhausting you can then run Ng + in a few hours which is nice for a more concise experience of the same game

NG+ awful. new character is far much better.

I have three characters on my first playthrough. One is about to be finished, one is about to enter Lyndel and one is still in Limgrave. I have to say, the one in Limgrave is beating bosses on their first try. Even my 2nd character is beating bosses that my first struggled with. But I sure am taking my first character into NG+ Can't wait to dualwield the Bloodhound Fang.

a shame that difficulty caps at +7

Do enemies have increased resistances and stance break values in NG+? Is there any chart with all the multipliers up to NG+7?

I've just gone back to the remains where the final boss fight was and I saw a blue summon sign. When I interacted with it I got the trophy for age of the stars but f**k all else no cut scene to show what the age of the stars ending actually was. Anyone else get this with AotS or any other ending?

Pro Tip : In NG+ immediately throw away and unequipp your Marika and Radagon's Soreseal.... Preferably around RL200-250 , at that point in NG+ you should easily have 3 Main Hardcap attributes given you are RL225+. ( Also try to Abuse buy every spared runes for Boild Crabs for your NG++ cycles , and make use of your Rune Arcs for Godricks Great Rune Active incase you want those 5 Levels to every Attribute ). This is Extremely helpful or else you might get One shot dead by most Bosses in NG+ from Radhan and upwards actually which is Early on still... Goodluck Tarnished.

Does anyone know if runes stop increasing after you reach NG+7? Or do they keep increasing?

Apologies if this has already been asked and answered: do enemies (mainly bosses) receive increased poise on NG+ cycles? Thanks

To clarify, all levels of the stone and glovewort carry over into NG+. I spent way too long farming halilgtree for runes to buy upgrade materials before starting NG+ ;(

The Co-op Effigies resetting is just evil

My bell bearings appear to have been reset a good while into my second playthrough. Not the worst thing, but annoying.

Are merchants' bell bearings moved or lost after going to NG+?

Literally no point in going to New Game plus instead of just starting a new character.

Hey does anyone know if the Rune multiplier stacks. For example 1.1 on top of 1.125

So theoretically if you taunters tounge in the lack of rot and you are on new game plus and the invader is still first playthrough they are going to have an impossible time lol

For clarification when it says "obtain any weapons you'll want to dual wield in the next playthrough, as for most weapons only one copy can be obtained per NG cycle" it only applies to unique weapons yes? Like Gizha's wheel or bolt of Gransax? Or does it mean only one of each weapon carries over in the inventory to NG+ so if I had three Vulgar Militia saws only one would be there when I start the next playthrough?

Most underrated thing bout ng+…… YOU CAN ACTUALLY RUN through pools of lava, scarlet rot, poison etc. this has helped me many times…. Idk why they would add this feature but I like it. I hated having to trudge through the huge scarlet rot lake/waterfall at the center of the haligtree, then having all the enemies murder me that were hiding in it. I can zoom now ez

I just need an easy way to tell what NG+ I am on QQ

One good use I can see out of NG+ is that you can get duplicates of non farmable weapons, so you can power stance them. Otherwise, the game is long and drags on for far, far too long. As a completionist, I dread starting a new game and only going for the important bits, but at the same time there are some neat fights I could go for again.

What level should I be for following NG+ cycles if I still want a challenge? I finished my first playthrough at lvl 165 and I found I was maybe a bit overlevelled towards the end. I started a NG+ recently and I was absolutely decimating bosses up until Malekith. Not levelled up past 170 now as I'm hoping it maybe 'balances out' a bit for the following cycles so the early areas and a complete cakewalk.

Do the enemies in NG+ get stronger every time you play the NG+ or only the first time?

Regarding the Legendary Armaments achievement. I wasn't achievement hunting until my third journey. I used a guide to find out what Armaments I needed and I ignored anything I already had from earlier journeys. The achievement popped when I collected the missing items even though the majority were collected in earlier journeys.

As someone on NG+7, can you start another journey after this or is it just done on journey 8? I can't imagine it would be, but want to make sure if this is the last real playthrough of my main character.

Bleed makes ng+ too easy. I couldn't defeat Maliketh ng+3 after 10 tries. Re specced to arcane build and got him next try.

Trying to decide if I want to start a new character or start a NG+.......the debate rages.

Iji still remembers me. Is that supposed to happen?

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Elden Ring New Game Plus explained: How to begin Journey 2 and what carries over

New Game Plus is back in Elden Ring, letting you begin another journey into The Lands Between. Here's how it works.

New Game Plus in Elden Ring continues the FromSoftware and Soulsborne tradition, giving you a chance to take a different path and uncover secrets you might have missed the first time around. This game might be absolutely massive, but the end of your journey is ultimately just the beginning - as like the ring, you can continue forever, in an endless, circular cycle... if you wish.

In each of the games that make up this connected-but-not Soulsborne universe, New Game Plus has always taken a slightly different form. It’s quite simple in Elden Ring, but it’s going to be interesting to see what people discover as they begin to explore their second, third, or further journeys into The Lands Between.

A couple of us have completed the game, however - so here’s what we’ve learned about Elden Ring's NG+ so far…

How does Elden Ring’s New Game Plus work?

In Elden Ring, each game is known as a ‘journey’ , which means rather than being called ‘New Game Plus’ , the act of starting over is referred to as starting ‘Journey 2’.

As you’d expect, New Game Plus unlocks once you defeat the final bosses and reach one of the Elden Ring endings - of which there appear to be three major versions, with different permutations of each. At that point, you’ll be asked if you want to Begin Journey 2 right away.

If you choose to, New Game Plus kicks off right away. If you don’t, you’ll be returned to Roundtable Hold in an end-game state.

The world will be as it was right before you entered the final boss chambers. You can go off into the open world and do anything you want at this stage. You can visit dungeons, defeat optional bosses, and even take on any NPC side quests still available that late in the game. Anything you do will help contribute to your Journey 2 starting state. You can use this state to upgrade weapons and spirit ashes, level up, acquire armor and other gear, complete dungeons, and find new in-game locations.

One thing you can’t do in this state is repeat the game’s final battles and/or pursue a different ending - the path to the end of the game will be locked off permanently in that journey once you’ve seen one ending. The only way to take a different path is to Begin Journey 2, aka New Game Plus, and pursue your preferred storyline there.

To do that, just head to Roundtable Hold and rest at the Table of Lost Grace in the middle of the Hold’s central chamber. As you know, this functions as a standard Site of Grace, but after you’ve defeated the final boss, you can head here to trigger New Game Plus at any time with the Begin Journey 2 button that appears there.

That option is only at this specific site of grace, and is designed solely to boot you into New Game Plus. Once you hit that button, there's no going back - your game will be reset. You do carry a bunch of stuff over, though.

What carries over to New Game Plus in Elden Ring

Once you start New Game Plus, you’ll be placed into the world of Elden Ring anew. Enemies will be powered up, and give more Runes as a result. Basically, it’s the same game, turned up to eleven.

Some older Souls games made more changes - if that's the case here remains to be seen, but it doesn't appear there's any deep secrets left to be found in New Game Plus, at least in Elden Ring's launch state - it's just a chance to replay the story, tackle different quests, and get a different ending.

Heading into Journey 2 you’ll keep your level, gear (including ashes, weapons , sorceries & incantations , notes, cookbooks, memory stones, etcetera), consumable items, Flask power and uses, access to Torrent , and so on - so you’ll go into the play-through fully powered up.

In fact, the only major things you’ll lose will be Sites of Grace (which must be discovered again), Great Runes, and any keys or key items that might allow you to skip ahead and break progression. Doors opened by Stonesword Keys are also reset and closed again.

At that point, you’re set free in the world again to conquer The Lands Between once again. Same game… but different. But still same.

For more on The Lands Between, check out our comprehensive guide to Elden Ring .

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Elden Ring New Game Plus: How to trigger NG+, what carries over & changes

New Game Plus is back in Elden Ring , despite the game making quite a few changes when compared to FromSoftware’s previous Souls style action RPGs. 

The New Game Plus system works a little differently in each game, however, and Elden Ring has its own new spin on things. On this page, we’re going to explain everything you need to know about Elden Ring’s New Game Plus options, keeping it as spoiler-free as possible:

• How Elden Ring NG+ Works
• What Carries Over
• What Doesn’t Carry Over
• What Else Changes in NG+

Elden Ring New Game Plus: How does it work?

First thing’s first - you’ll want to know the detail about how New Game Plus functions in Elden Ring. The core thing is that at the end of the game, after defeating the final bosses and taking final actions to achieve one of the Elden Ring Endings , you’ll have a choice of if you want to start NG+ right away or not .

• If you choose to start New Game Plus immediately , you’ll be dropped back into an all-new save - with the carry-over noted below. 
• If you choose to defer and delay NG+ , you’ll be dropped back into The Lands Between as they were right before you tackled the final boss. When ready, you can go to the Site of Grace inside Roundtable Hold and choose the ‘Begin Journey 2’ option to start your new game , carrying over things as detailed below.

The important thing to note if you delay New Game Plus is that you can’t use this to cheese and see the other Elden Ring endings; the door to the final boss arenas is blocked off for this ‘Journey’, or game, once you’ve seen one ending. You can’t replay the finale of the game, basically, without starting over. 

As well as a new chance to see the ending, NG+ generally gives you a chance to approach Elden Ring in a more completionist manner. Here’s everything you need to know about it: 

What Carries Over in NG+

The core of your character in Elden Ring carries over to your enw game plus . Pretty much everything related to your character build and progression as an individual Tarnished will begin intact in this new game. For instance:

• Weapons, Armor, Magic, Talismans, and Consumable Items
• Weapon and summon upgrade levels
• Standard consumables including Crafting & Upgrade materials
• Your character level and your chosen stat attribute level upgrades
• Boss Remembrance Items
• Gestures and other similar unlocks
• Crafting upgrade items like Cookbooks
• Your Flask Level and Flask upgrades
• You’ll keep the Spirit Ashes Summon Calling Bell , and the ability to Summon Torrent
• Your choice of starting class will continue to be acknowledged as your starting point for a character respec
• Your Keepsake ; you don't get to choose another

Additionally, you will keep your Map Exploration - which means the map fragments you’ve found and any discovered locations on the map remain in place, even though you’ll have to rediscover Sites of Grace in order to fast travel to those areas again. 

Map Markers manually placed by the player also remain - which you can use to leave yourself reminders of key locations that aren’t automatically marked for your next play-through, if you plan ahead. 

Because some things that carry over are introduced by story scenes (like Torrent and the Spirit Calling Bell), those events are not repeated on Journey 2. 

Standard game features like summoning and invasions are still turned on in Journey 2 and beyond, though remember seeing summon signs or getting invaded will be less common when you’re a higher level, as there are level caps in place for online explorations unless you’re using a password to play with friends.

What Doesn’t Carry over to NG+

There are some elements of your game that won’t carry over to your second journey into The Lands Between, and will be deleted each and every time you use New Game Plus to start a new Journey in Elden Ring. Specifically:

• Great Runes acquired from the grand bosses of Elden Ring will be revoked, and must be earned and powered up again to be used.
• Any Keys and other items that allow game progression will be removed. This includes things like the Glintstone Key for Raya Lucaria Academy, and the items that allow the Lift of Dectus and Lift of Rold to function, both of which open up new areas.
• Areas opened with the use of Swordstone Keys or teleporters opened with the Imbued Sword Key , or unlocked via puzzles will be closed once more, and require reopening.
• While your Map remains intact, any discovered Sites of Grace will be removed; you’ll have to Touch Grace at each once again.
• Bell Bearings that have been handed to the Two Maiden Husks NPC shop in Roundtable Hold will be reset; you’ll have to obtain them again. However, the NPCs that drop them will be revived.
• As mentioned above, the status of all NPCs will be reset - those who died will be alive once more, and the Side Quest progress will also be reset. Any NPC aggro will be removed.
• If you went for the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending, the power of the Frenzied Flame is removed from you when you start your NG+
• You naturally won’t be able to respec until you unlock the areas and defeat the bosses necessary to unlock that feature - if you want to respec, do it first

What Else Changes?

In general, New Game Plus presents the same experience as your first Elden Ring play-through - just amped up to eleven (and then twelve, thirteen, and so on). Some notes:

• Item placement remains the same
• NPC side quests play out the same way
• However, enemies are slightly more difficult with each journey you undertake to offset your own power levels
• All enemies also drop more Runes for the same reason - to help you continue to level up

You can use some of the New Game Plus features to gain ever-more experience, flask charges, and so on - building an even more powerful character. It’s a way of experimenting and enjoying the Elden Ring journey in new ways. 

Grab everything on this list before starting Elden Ring's new game plus

Here's what to expect from Elden Ring's new game plus mode.

• How to unlock
• New game plus checklist

What carries over

Elden Ring 's new game plus mode heightens the difficulty, but also allows you to carry over many items, weapons, and armor pieces from your previous playthrough so that you're prepared for the challenge. Before you jump into your second journey through the Lands Between, there are several things to make sure you've accomplished during your first run so that you'll have the best chance of success.

For the most part, new game plus is the same as your first playthrough outside of the difficulty and rune rewards scaling up. Story progression and item drops are identical to your first playthrough, everything has to be obtained again to move through the game. Here's a checklist of things to accomplish and grab before you initiate new game plus so that you can go into it as prepared as possible.

How to unlock Elden Ring's new game plus

Elden Ring's new game plus is available to you as soon as you've killed the final boss . Once you've landed your last blow on it, you'll have a chance to choose an ending and then the game will play a cutscene and roll credits. It will ask you if you'd like to immediately start new game plus or if you'd like to be kicked back out into the world with the option to start the mode at the table in Roundtable Hold.

Once you start new game plus, the game plays the intro cutscene and starts you back at the Church of Anticipation as if you were playing it for the first time. The only difference is that many of your items are still with you.

Elden Ring guide :  Conquer the Lands Between Elden Ring bosses :  How to beat them Elden Ring map fragments :  Reveal the world Elden Ring weapons : Arm yourself Elden Ring armor : The best sets

Elden Ring new game plus checklist

Most items from your previous playthrough carry into new game plus. Key items that are tied to story progression, like two Great Runes collected from bosses, need to be picked up again, and Sites of Grace will need to be touched again, too. Otherwise, you have a great opportunity to squeeze the game dry before you restart. That way, you can have a ton of options for your build and path on your second run. Here's a checklist of everything you should make sure to do before entering new game plus. 

• Find and buy all upgrade materials from vendors
• Upgrade your weapons as much as possible
• Give every Prayerbook and Scroll to vendors
• Buy every incantation and spell from vendors
• Collect every version of Glovewort from catacombs and vendors
• Kill every dragon and obtain their Dragon Heart
• Buy every Dragon Communion incantation 
• Buy every item from every vendor 
• Find and obtain every Larval Tear
• Collect every Stonesword Key
• Trade for every boss remembrance weapon (one copy of each weapon per playthrough)
• Use all the Walking Mausoleums
• Collect all cookbooks
• Collect all Cracked Pots, Ritual Pots, Perfume Bottles, Memory Stones, and Talisman Pouches
• Fully upgrade your flasks with Golden Seeds
• Find all talismans
• Find all tears for Flask of Wondrous Physick
• Kill NPCs for armor , if you want it

Items that carry over into Elden Ring's new game plus

What carries over into Elden Ring's new game plus? 

Elden Ring is a massive game with hundreds of items. New game plus might seem like a risk if you're afraid of losing everything you spent hours gathering in the game. Here's exactly what does and doesn't carry over into new game plus. 

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• Flask upgrades
• Wondrous Flask of Physick upgrades
• Map fragments
• Consumables

What doesn't carry over  

• Quest items (e.g. Academy Glintstone Key, Deathroot)
• Sites of Grace
• Key Items (e.g. Dectus Medallion, Great Runes)
• Bell Bearings
• Sorcery Scrolls or Prayerbooks
• Mark of the Frenzied Flame or Dragon Communion cosmetic changes

Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.

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Elden Ring New Game Plus Guide: How NG+ Works And What Carries Over

Elden Ring NG+ changes, what carries over, and things you should know.

By Joseph Yaden on May 25, 2022 at 12:06PM PDT

Once you've wrapped up your initial run through Elden Ring , you'll be all set for a New Game Plus (NG+) run. This allows you to start the game over from the very beginning while retaining all of your gained levels and collected items. This means you'll have an opportunity to make your way through the Lands Between with all of the knowledge you've obtained while also facing an increase in enemy difficulty that keeps you on your toes. Here's how NG+ works in Elden Ring.

What is New Game Plus?

All the Dark Souls games have featured an NG+ mode, allowing you to replay the game from the beginning with most of your gear, items, and level from the first run. As expected, this mode does make enemies harder in Elden Ring, but rewards you with significantly more runes for defeating them.

Playing on NG+ can also be a great way to unlock certain items, since many of them are often tied to missable quests that overlap. We won’t spoil them here, but just know that unlocking everything in the game will require multiple playthroughs.

In addition, the previous Souls games have featured more than one NG+ mode. After you finish NG+, you can begin a new run on NG++ mode , and so on. Each subsequent run provides you with more difficult enemies than the previous, but yields more Runes. In past Souls games, the enemy difficulty usually caps out at around NG+7 or NG+9, but you’re still able to begin new runs past that. While we have yet to test that in Elden Ring, it’s likely the process works the same.

How to start NG+

After you’ve defeated the final boss and gotten past the credits, you’ll have the option to continue playing on your current game. However, if you want to start a New Game Plus run, head to Roundtable Hold , rest at the Site of Grace, and you’ll see a new option to “ Begin Journey 2 .” Selecting this will take you into NG+.

What are the NG+ changes?

While most of the content remains the same across NG+, there are a few changes you’ll need to be aware of when starting the new run. According to Fextralife , Runes earned from defeating enemies are increased by 550%. Either way, you gain significantly more Runes from defeating enemies since they’re more difficult to defeat. Enemies have more health and deal more damage in NG+ as well, however, so stay alert.

What carries over to NG+?

Much of your progress carries over to NG+ including the following:

• Incantations and Sorceries
• Most consumable items
• Boss Rememberance items
• Flask levels
• Map progress (though you’ll need to re-unlock Sites of Grace )

What doesn’t carry over to NG+?

There are numerous items that do not carry over to subsequent runs including:

• Great Runes rewarded from bosses
• Any areas that have been opened with keys
• Bell Bearings
• Side quest and NPC quest progress
• Any progress towards main quests

Keep all of this in mind before diving into a new run. Good luck, Tarnished!

Elden Ring Guides

• What Happens In Elden Ring? The Game's Story, Part 1: Limgrave
• Elden Ring Rune Farming: The Best Early Areas To Level Up Fast
• What To Do First In Elden Ring: Best Route, Weapons, And Important Map Locations
• + Show More Elden Ring Guides Links (7)
• Elden Ring: Best Weapons You Can Find Early In Limgrave
• Elden Ring Margit The Fell Omen Guide - Recommended Level And How To Beat The First Boss
• Elden Ring: How To Upgrade Weapons - Smithing Stones Explained
• Elden Ring Tips For Beginners: Learning The Ways Of The Lands Between
• How To Level Up In Elden Ring, Stats Explained
• Elden Ring: Best Keepsakes To Pick During Character Creation
• Elden Ring Map: Where To Find Your First Map Fragment

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Elden Ring: What Level Should You Be for New Game Plus?

Now as players are heading towards the endgame of Elden Ring , they’re thinking about where they want to take their next journey in the Lands Between. Explore more? Try new builds? Farm? New game plus? Here is how you can prepare for Journey 2, or New Game Plus, including what level you should be in Elden Ring .

What Level Should You Be for New Game Plus in Elden Ring

If you managed to defeat the final boss and reach an ending in the game, you are given the option to either start your next playthrough or keep going about. Honestly, your level does not matter too much in the grand scheme of things.

If you have defeated the final boss, you’re probably good enough to take on all the previous bosses you killed in your first playthrough, but with more health. Should you want an actual framework of what level you should be for NG+, you should at the minimum, be level 160 or higher and fulfill the following:

• Have at least 3 normal weapons that are +20
• Have at least 3 special weapons that are +8
• Use all your remembrances
• Max out your flask count (max Golden Seeds)
• Max out amount replenished by flasks (max Sacred Tears)
• Remember which ending you got
• Buy and learn every sorcery/incantation
• Pick up most of the Ashes of War
• Remove the Fia debuff
• Collect unique weapons
• Collect all the map fragments
• Interact with all Mausoleums and duplicate Remembrances
• Pick up all or most of the Physick Mixes
• Respec if you want to try a new build going into Journey 2
• Collect the Gold Scarab for easier Rune farming

Of course, you are free to not follow or just loosely follow some of these recommendations going into New Game+. Levels only mean so much after a while in this game. At some point, leveling a stat will grant you diminishing returns.

Elden Ring is out now for the PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X, and PC.

Originally posted by < blank > : nice, ive enjoyed your posts :praisesun:

Originally posted by Trunks55 : It's the hardest Souls game for sure, can't beat the stutters.

Originally posted by Old Man Gamer (OMG) : Originally posted by Trunks55 : It's the hardest Souls game for sure, can't beat the stutters.

Originally posted by Trunks55 : Originally posted by Old Man Gamer (OMG) : I have had a few of those here and there, but believe it has something to do with the online play. Playing offline, there is none of that. I find that when the games starts to have pauses and issues, I take a break and read the forums. After some time, I reload the game and it is smooth again.

Originally posted by Lemon : Loved most of the game, easily 10/10 despite the shortcomings. Some of them would be reused bosses, elden beast and the connections issues.

Originally posted by ɸ Keeper M'thi'ria ɸ : I have a love for Elden Ring in the same way that I love Dark Souls 2. Despite its flaws and my own personal nitpicks, I am in love with the game, and its negatives in no way muddies its positives for me, because its positives are at the core and fundamental of the game. Praise beith, naturalborn of the void.

Originally posted by Vulpes Velox : Originally posted by ɸ Keeper M'thi'ria ɸ : I have a love for Elden Ring in the same way that I love Dark Souls 2. Despite its flaws and my own personal nitpicks, I am in love with the game, and its negatives in no way muddies its positives for me, because its positives are at the core and fundamental of the game. Praise beith, naturalborn of the void.

Originally posted by Old Man Gamer (OMG) : Another cheer for DS2. Makes me look forward to when it goes on a decent sale.

Originally posted by Vulpes Velox : Originally posted by Old Man Gamer (OMG) : Another cheer for DS2. Makes me look forward to when it goes on a decent sale.

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Next: Elden Ring - The Journey, Part 4 . Previously: Elden Ring - The Journey, Part 2 .

Stormgate and beyond.

Elden Ring - The Journey, Part 3

6 March, 2022. 2,248 words.

I looked around and noticed that what’s missing from the blogosphere is a narrative telling of playing Elden Ring that ignores the “controversies” and highlights why voluntarily subjecting oneself to the difficult learning curve of a Souls game is fun for some people.

There’s a couple of posts out mentioning spoilers from Naithin and Bhagpuss , and I’ve mentioned fear of spoilers a few times in these posts, so I should probably mention that, um, yeah, these posts have spoilers in them.

But the previous two posts only covered perhaps the first hour of gameplay. As of this writing Steam says I’ve played 50 hours, and at the pace I’m playing there’s probably at least 50 more hours to get through, since I’m only in the second of supposedly five areas. There’s plenty left unspoiled. Also it’s fairly unlikely that I’m going to be able to write about the entire game with posts like these, since that would basically be writing a full novel or two or three, and that’s hard to do.

But in general I’m making an assumption that nobody is going to read a post with “Elden Ring” in the title if they’re worried about Elden Ring spoilers. I certainly wouldn’t, and I absolutely won’t read or watch anyone else’s Elden Ring content until I’m sure I’m well beyond the point in the game that might be referenced. See the end of this post for more on that.

The audience I’m targeting with these posts is people who resolutely refuse to play a From Software game because of the community stigma, or for whatever other reason aren’t able to or don’t want to play them (there are numerous legitimate reasons not to play From Software games).

Otherwise these posts might appeal to people who have already finished the game or progressed beyond these areas. Souls players like to compare the different ways you can play through the games, because nobody plays the same way, at least near launch time, before the Most Optimized Playthrough becomes the unspoken law of the land.

We resume our tale near the Gatefront Ruins, when a woman named Melina materializes as I sit at a nearby Gracebonfire. She offers to “play the role of maiden,” to help me search for the Elden Ring. That’s why I and all the other Tarnished are here in The Lands Between, by the way: To search for the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord. It’s a bit like that old movie It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World , I suppose.

Anyway, Varre warned me that I’m “maidenless,” and Melina has a soothing ASMR voice, so of course I accept, then she bequeaths me a ring which will allow me to summon a spectral horse named Torrent, who has “chosen” me. (This is the same woman and horse from the cut scene after I died to the Grafted Scion.)

And have you heard the good news?

In terms of game mechanics, Melina’s appearance means I now have access to the level up menu. After collecting the runes from my most recent death at the Gatefront Ruins, I’m able to rocket upward once to level 8. (I started at 7, apparently.) I chose a point in Vigor to gain some hit points , usually a safe choice at the beginning of any From Software game. [Correction: That was a lie. I actually chose a point of Strength, because my character had a ton of Strength to start with so I figured I should stick with making a super-Strength build. The next time I leveled up I chose Vigor, though.]

I consider that I might never need to increase my Stamina for the entire game, because I’ve already noticed that the Stamina bar is longer than my Health bar, and I can swing my axe and dodge and block for days without running out of Stamina, something that seems on first glance like a massive reduction in the base game’s combat difficulty. We Souls veterans would likely teach newer players to be disciplined and don’t spam your attacks but … well, now you can spam your attacks, apparently. I can imagine it having significant repercussions for PvP, but that’s something I don’t get involved in.

As a side note, Melina’s name is maddeningly similar to Marika’s name, and I get them confused all the time. At first I actually think Melina is the ghostly spirit of Marika, the woman in the crucifixion pose.

Following the road and the glowing lines from the Gracebonfires, I pass through a gate into what is a very obvious trap or boss fight arena. I look up, and spot a large fellow crouching over the road, waiting to spring forth. Ah ha. Nice try, Elden Ring, I’m too much of a wily old veteran to fall for this. I prepare to fight.

The large fellow turns out to be an extremely large giant who towers over me. But I’ve fought giants many times before in previous games, so I’m not worried about it. Giants are actually some of the easier opponents in previous Souls games, because they’re fairly slow. It’s mainly an exercise in avoiding getting dizzy from the camera spinning all around. This one is probably no exception.

But as soon as the giant appears, a couple of Godrick’s green-and-orange crossbowmen pop up out of the bushes and start peppering me with bolts. It is a trap after all. So much for my impressive wiliness. I charge into the bushes to dispatch the crossbowmen quickly (always kill the adds first, the mantra of every RPG player ever), but more pop up, and the giant tries to smoosh me at the same time. My battle plan falls apart immediately. I try to run away, but it’s too late; the giant clips me with a massive swinging fist and I die again.

Eventually I draw the giant out beyond the gate, so the veritable army of hidden crossbowmen can’t shoot me Bonnie-and-Clyde-style while we’re fighting. An epic battle ensues. This giant hasn’t gotten the memo that giants are supposed to be slow, and halfway through the fight pulls out a Final Fantasy-sized two-handed sword and charges around in a circle, flailing every direction. I die. Again. Luckily, right next to a Gracebonfire.

“How unfair is this game,” I remark, being fairly certain I’ve now died considerably more in the first couple of hours of Elden Ring than I did at the start of Dark Souls 3. Was my recent triumph over Demon’s Souls completely meaningless? (Yes, it was.)

I try several more times, and the giant finally goes down. There’s no reward. I thought it was a boss the whole time, guarding the road to block progress, but I somehow missed the fact there was no boss health bar. It was just a regular old enemy, nothing special at all in the world of Elden Ring. Yikes.

Even without the giant, there’s a lot of Godrick’s men guarding the road beyond the Stormgate. Crossbow bolts fly at me from every possible direction, and I curse every one that hits and interrupts me in the middle of my attack animations. Eventually I get them all.

I note that I got virtually nothing for my efforts, so I continue up the road, still following the direction of the glowing lines from the Gracebonfires. It has not yet occurred to me that I can summon a horse. Why would it? Horses aren’t a thing in Souls games.

I find a Golden Seed as I enter the extremely windy Stormhill region, which will give me another healing flask, then I’m ambushed by wolves who, for some reason, fall from the sky. I groan, because Dark Souls dogs are universally despised (by me, at least), and they’re in Elden Ring, too. Their attacks are fast and unpredictable, and there’s usually more than one, so they’re hard to deal with, and anyone from a novice to an expert can easily die from a minor lapse in concentration or just plain rotten luck. My luck holds and I make it past them.

I find another Gracebonfire at a place called Stormhill Shack. I chat with Melina. She “prays that I’m fit to face the challenges of the Ring.” I opine that I might not be, based on how this game is already at difficulty level 17 for a Souls veteran on a scale of 1 to 10, right at the start. Even with unlimited Stamina.

I consider whether to continue up the road toward the big castle, in the direction of the glowing lines from the Gracebonfires. It’s hard not to notice that I’ve been doing a lot of fighting and dying on this road so far. So, instead of going where I’m supposed to, I go a different direction. East, instead of North. There’s another, smaller pathway here. (Future me will return to Stormhill Shack one day and discover an NPC that I didn’t see.)

I hear another giant roaring somewhere in the distance. I examine a big stone structure sticking out of the grass that has no doors and scoff again at the open world formula that fills the world with non-interactive scenery.

I fight a couple of big fur-clad warriors on the road, then I stumble on another Gracebonfire near a shack with an NPC leaning on a massive sword. This fellow is a Bernahl the Warmaster, and he sells weapon enhancements, called “Ashes of War.” He’s very proud of his battle arts, his “tales of chivalric romance.”

The Warmaster's Shack

I played through the base game of Dark Souls 3 at least five or six times, and I almost never used that two-handed left trigger “special” charge attack move. To see a whole vendor here selling them is confusing. Am I supposed to use that in Elden Ring? The meaningless treasure from the Gatefront Ruins was also an Ash of War. They seem to be pushing me to use them. I consider whether I should abandon everything I know about Souls combat and try this new thing, or just stick to what I know, which works fine. Except for dying all the time.

I buy an Ash of War from the Warmaster in case it unlocks new dialog from the vendor. It doesn’t. [Correction: Checking the video replay, I misremembered and didn’t actually do that, but it’s something I did with other vendors.] I’ll play with them later. (50-Hours-In-The-Future Me can reveal that I still haven’t used them very much, except for one that’s amazing, and extremely dangerous.)

And that’s where I decide to call it a night and go to bed, ending my first day in Elden Ring. I can’t decide if the game is an improvement on previous Souls games or not. My first thought is that it isn’t . On my first day, I’m not loving wandering through acres of empty terrain looking for something to interact with, the downfall of all open world games.

More later. Maybe. This is a lot of work, and these early days are but a distant memory to me now. :)

Next: Part 4

(Just FYI on the off chance of spoilers it’s likely that I won’t read any comments on this post very closely until after I’m finished playing the game.)

More on Spoilers

Speaking of spoilers, the specific things that I don’t want spoiled in a Souls game are any of the numerous “ah ha” moments that occur in the games. “Ah ha, that’s where that key is used! Ah ha, that’s what that word or phrase means! Ah ha, that’s where I’m supposed to go to get the widget to beat the whosit boss!” Those kinds of things. Those are moments of great enjoyment for me, and if someone just tells me where the widget is, there’s not much point in playing the game.

I don’t want to know if I passed something important. I don’t want to know if there’s a switch in a dark corner that unlocks the secret sword of awesome. I don’t want to know if there’s a shortcut to make it easier to beat a boss. I don’t want to know which weapons or techniques or damage types I’m supposed to use. I don’t want to know if I’m going to be attacked if I enter a room. The game will inform me of most of those things through its own design, and if it doesn’t, I can go back to playing online, where I’ll find the ground littered with graffiti that will give me clues buried amidst all the butt sex jokes and lies about invisible walls.

How one reacts to the inevitable surprises that occur around any given corner in a Souls games is a big part of the fun for me. Do you die instantly or do you, against all odds, cleverly dodge out of the way at the last second, or survive by the wildest stroke of luck? That’s why Souls veterans love to watch other people play Souls games for the first time, it’s the only way we can re-experience those thrilling moments that we’ll never get to have again.

There’s a lot of talk about what “spoiler” even means anymore, but for me it usually means accidentally receiving information that diminishes the impact of story or game surprises. Basically, I want to be the one to decide when to give up and just Google the answers.

Note: Comments are disabled on older posts.

Screen Rant

Realistic elden ring melina cosplay is just in time for the shadow of the erdtree dlc.

A beautiful Melina cosplay reminds Elden Ring players just how important she is to the story right before the release of the Shadow of Erdtree DLC.

• An Elden Ring fan's Melina cosplay impresses with attention to detail and scene-setting skills, capturing the character perfectly.
• Melina is a crucial part of the Elden Ring journey, with her influence pivotal in reaching game endings.
• Anticipation grows for the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, which may provide answers to lingering mysteries surrounding Melina.

An Elden Ring cosplayer perfectly captures a realistic version of the mysterious guide, Melina, and times it well with the release of the upcoming DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree . FromSoftware's latest Soulsborne RPG released in 2022 and continues to garner attention and intrigue new players, especially with a new DLC coming soon. Players are hoping Shadow of Erdtree can answer longstanding Elden Ring mysteries , with one of these mysteries revolving around the maiden guide, Melina.

Cosplayer LeAtlass shared their impressive Melina cosplay with the world via Reddit, showing off their attention to detail and scene-setting skills. The cloak, dress, and wig come together to make LeAtlass look identical to Melina from the game, making it feel as though she stepped straight out of a scene and into real life. LeAtlass also made sure to have Melina's scarred and tattooed eye.

Many comments joked about staying away from their trees because of the inclusion of a realistic fire being cast in the picture. Another look at LeAtlass ' cosplay shows off the entire outfit as she is walking through trees, which is a fitting scene for the character.

Elden Ring Review: Hands Across America

Melina is a major part of the elden ring journey, her influence on the story is undeniable.

Melina is a major part of the player's journey and without her influence, the ending of the game cannot be reached . Her mysterious backstory and insistence on burning the Erdtree made a lot of players want to know more about her. She is a character shrouded in mystery from the beginning encounter with her all the way to the very end of the game. Depending on the choices players make, Melina's fate might look different for each player, but her importance stays with them regardless.

The highly anticipated DLC, Elden Ring: Shadow of Erdtree is coming in June 2024 to all platforms and will take players to an entirely new area known as the Land of Shadow. There may be a strong connection to Melina through the rumors that Miquella will play a major part in the story, with the hopes that fans will finally discover whether Melina is Queen Marika's daughter, thus making her the sister of Miquella and Malenia.

With the excitement of the DLC growing, it is likely that impressive cosplays will continue to pop up and the DLC might inspire new characters for fans to embody. The possibility of a new Elden Ring game is also strong, but there is nothing confirmed about when or even if this is actually happening. Fans are happy to continue their playthroughs of the original game and the Elden Ring : Shadow of Erdtree DLC will bring new attention and love to the game.

Source: LeAtlass/Reddit ( 1 , 2 )

Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of "The Shattering." "The Shattering" occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.

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Elden Ring Beginner’s Guide (2024)

The 2024 New Player’s Guide to Elden Ring

Whether you are new to Elden Ring, or a returning player, having a refresher is always handy. This guide will be both an introduction and a beginner’s guide for all players alike!

Inside this guide, you will find information about gameplay, how to level, decide your starting class, choose a weapon, get through the early parts of Limgrave, and general tips that will help your gameplay improve!

This is the perfect time to start playing Elden Ring with their long-awaited first DLC release on June 20th. Now is the time to start playing! With 2 months to go till the DLC, we have plenty of time to prepare for it.

The game has also been out for 2 years now having fixed all bugs that hindered the game at launch and after, making it perfect to start playing on a fresh character now!

Note: This guide will only contain very minor spoilers for Limgrave.

• Starting Classes

To start this journey off we have to create our first character which poses some tough choices. First, we have the Starting Classes.

Vagabond is the jack-of-all-trades. It is the most well-rounded starting class. It starts with 2 weapons, a shield, good armor, a good amount of HP, and well-rounded stats if you decide to change your build later. I recommend this class for all beginners because it’s the most friendly with its bigger health pool than other starting classes.

Warrior is the starting class if you decide to play a bit more aggressively, starting with dual blades making for good rush down, but a riskier playstyle. It starts with decent stats, but a lot less HP than the Vagabond for example. It does make up for this with an above-average Dexterity start, making it the perfect starting class if you decide to play for a Dexterity scaling Weapon

Hero fits the role of a Barbarian, wielding heavy, slow but hard-hitting weapons over the fast-paced weapons of a Warrior for example. It does start with a decent amount of Vigor and above average amount of Strength, making it a good starting point for any Strength build. It does however lack any spellcasting stats.

Bandit is a very good starting point for bleed build because of the high amount of starting Arcane, with the rest of the stats being average or below. It makes up for this by being one of the only classes that starts with a Bow, which can be used in a lot of different situations. Bows can be used for ranged attacks, distractions, or destruction of items from a distance.

Astrologer is the perfect fit for any spellcaster, it starts with above-average Intelligence which is their most important stat. They also have an above-average Mind to cast more spells but start with every other stat being below average as compensation. They are also one of 2 classes that start with a staff for their spell casting.

Where Astrologer is the starting class for spellcasters, Prophet is that for Incantation users. Similarly to the Astrologer, Prophet starts with above-average Faith and Mind for their spellcasting, with the rest being below average. They are also one of 2 classes that start with a Sacred Seal to cast Incantations with.

Samurai has the best-starting weapon of any class, the Uchigatana. This is an A+ tier weapon at the very least and is a big allure for why speedrunners start with this class. It has very good stats across the board, with an above-average Dexterity. Next to the Bandit, this is the only other class that starts with a bow. If you aren’t starting as a Vagabond, this would be my second recommendation.

Prisoner is another class with very good stats across the board and is mostly intended as a fighting mage. Being the second class that starts with a staff it is the perfect balance between melee combat and spellcasting. If you are looking to do a hybrid spellcaster this would be your perfect class.

Pretty similar to the Prisoner, Confessor is another hybrid class between Melee and Incantations, being the only other class to start with a Sacred Seal. It also starts with very good base stats, making it a good starting point for somebody looking for a faith melee build.

As the name and look suggest, this class starts with the bare minimum, only giving you a club and every stat being average. This might sound like a hard-mode character, but it’s quite the opposite unless you want to do a Soul Level 1 playthrough(not leveling). It is like a canvas of paint, where all other classes have had a basic layout painted, the Wretch is an empty canvas. It’s the perfect class to start with if you do not know what you want to do or build yet. Not recommended for beginners.

• Character Creator

Having made the tough choice of your starting class, we do have some more choices to make.

Upon entering the Character Creator you are met with this screen.

The choices I will mostly help you with here are your Origin(starting class as discussed before) and Keepsake.

Every keepsake has its pros and cons.

• Crimson Amber Medallion is a Talisman that increases your Vigor, you can also find this a bit later in the game However.
• Lands Between Rune is a run you can consume for a decent amount of souls.
• Golden Seed is used to increase your healing flask amount.
• Fanged Imp Ashes is a summon you can use early game, this is however found later in the game as well.
• Cracked Pot is an item used for crafting pot items, which are consumables that can be used to damage enemies.
• Stonesword Key are items that are used to open Stonesword Imp Statues. These may contain good items, dungeons, or NPC’s.
• Bewitching Branch is a consumable that can be thrown at enemies to charm them.
• Boiled Prawn is a consumable that can be used to boost your physical damage negation(take reduced physical damage)
• Shabriri’s Woe is a talisman that attracts enemy aggression (DO NOT CHOOSE AS A BEGINNER)

All these have their uses (except for Shabriri’s Woe), but for any beginner, I recommend the Golden Seed. This will increase your early-game survivability.

After this, you can move on to choosing your base Template and Detailed Appearance which change the look of your character. I will not advise on this, this is your character, customize it towards how you would like your character to be! This has 0 influence on gameplay.

Leveling in Elden Ring requires you to level up your stats, Every level is also Guaranteed to increase your Defense Power, Body Power, and Attack Power, ensuring you get stronger with each level.

Leveling up increases your Defense Power, which in return makes you more resistant against damage types as the game goes on. This means if you enter an area at level 20 you will take a lot more damage than when you enter at level 90.

You also level your Body while at this. This in turn makes you more resistant to Poison, Rot, Hemorrhage(bleed), Frostbite, Sleep, Madness, and last but not least, Deathblight.

Leveling specific stats like Strength and Dexterity levels your Attack Power as well, increasing your damage.

There are a couple of stats inside Elden Ring that you can level, all have their purpose, and some will be useless for particular builds, so let’s explain them all! But first, we will explain Soft Cap and Hard Cap.

• Soft Cap is the level where a stat will give you less value.
• Hard Cap is the level where the value a stat gives will drastically lower to the point where leveling is no longer worth it.

This is not necessary but it is handy to know when leveling your character.

Arguably the most important stat in the entire game, Vigor levels your hit points. It also increases your resistance against Fire and gives a bonus to your Immunity stat.

• Soft Cap = 40, Hard Cap = 60

Mind increases your FP which is used to cast Spells or Weapon Skills. It also increases your Focus stat.

• Soft Cap = 50, Hard Cap = 60

Probably the second most important stat, Endurance increases some of the most important stats. It gives you as the name suggests more Stamina, allowing you to run longer, attack longer, and roll longer. It also increases your Max Equip Load which is used for your Armor and Weapons you have equipped at the time. It also increases your Robustness.

• Soft Cap = 30, Hard Cap = 50

Strength is one of four damage stats. This increases the damage you deal with physical/strike/slash/pierce attacks and provides Attack Power scaling for weapons that utilize the stat.

• The Soft Caps are 55/80 with the Hard Cap being 99.

This however changes when you 2-hand any weapon because this increases your Strength modifier to 1.5 making 66 the hard cap!

Dexterity is another damage stat. This boosts the attack power of dexterity-scaling armaments, reduces the casting time of Spells, softens fall damage, and makes it harder to be knocked off your horse.

• Soft Caps are 55/80 with the Hard Cap being 99.

Intelligence

Intelligence is used for Spellcasting in every sense. It increases Spell damage, Intelligence-scaling Weapon damage, Magic Resistance, and Player Magic Defense.

Faith is the only way to cast Incantations. Leveling this increases Incantation damage and Faith-scaling Weapon damage.

Arcane is probably the most interesting stat giving you a ton of stats. It is one of the only ways to increase your Item Discovery and increase your Holy and Deathblight resistance. However, the most important thing about this stat is that it increases both the damage and chance of bleeding, Poison, Madness, and Sleep occurring.

• The Soft Cap = 40, Hard Cap = 60.

Gameplay is the biggest part of Elden Ring and can be quite intimidating for new players.

That is where I come in. In this guide, we will name controls with controllers in mind. I will be referring to Playstation controls. If you play keyboard and mouse, you can still follow along but we will not be writing those controls.

• Gameplay Mechanics

Now that you know the controls, let’s get onto the main mechanics of the game.

Combat Mechanics

It is important to first understand all the controls, so if you do not look at the scheme written above or go into the settings of the game. That way understanding everything will be a lot easier! Understand the basics and we move on!

Shield/Parry

The Shield is a versatile weapon, which can be used offensively and defensively. On defense, you can use it to block enemy attacks, which will either reduce or fully negate the damage depending on the type of shield you are using. It can also be used offensively however by parrying the enemy attack, this is not recommended for beginners since the timing can be very tight.

Regular Attacks + Ashes of War

Regular attacks are your way of dealing with damage for the most part. You can use Normal Attacks for faster attacks that deal a bit lower damage, or Heavy Attacks for hard-hitting attacks that take time charging up. This is up to personal preference but some enemies or bosses do not allow you to rest so charging a Heavy Attack can cause you unwanted damage. You can also 2 hand your weapon to increase the damage from attacks.

Ashes of War are used to compliment each player’s playstyle, These are often extra attacks, Buffs, or spells that can be bound onto a weapon, often giving it access to different scaling, allowing you for example to put Bleed onto a Strength weapon. This gives access to a huge variety of build options!

Dodging Attacks

There are 2 ways of dodging attacks. Those being Rolling and Jumping. Jumping can dodge ground attacks or lower attacks, where rolling can be used on everything but the timing can be tight for ground attacks.

Jump Combos

Jump Attacks are underused but super strong attacks that can easily guard-break an enemy. Guard Break occurs when the posture of an enemy is worn out, this allows you to critically attack the enemy. The best weapons to use for Jump Attacks are heavier weapons because they do more posture damage!

Roll Attacks

Roll attacks are also an interesting attack that is often not used. Especially with Ultra Greatswords, this can be a powerful attack. After you roll and instantly attack, you will attack, and for Ultra Greatsword this will be a fast stab forward which does a lot of fast damage!

Spells are cast to either act defensively or offensively. Some spells give buffs, but most are projectiles that deal heavy ranged damage to enemies. Each spell has its Charge Up time, Damage, and FP cost. Some are ranged, and some are even melee. Finding your preference for what type of spell you like is done by discovering them! Everybody has their own playstyle.

In the open world of Elden Ring, there are a ton of different enemy camps, these camps can be fought head-on but this will usually end with you becoming overwhelmed. So the smart choice is to use the Stealth system of the game. This allows you to sneak past undetected making you harder to detect and maybe even backstabbing enemies. Once you have thinned out the enemy’s lines, you can storm in to kill the rest!

Spirit Ashes

Spirit Ashes are helpful companions that can be summoned to fight bosses. These have a large roster of different Spirit Ashes to choose from which all suit different occasions, some offer weaker but larger groups of summoned helpers, while others offer 1 really strong helper!

Keep your eyes on your Health and Stamina. Running out of any can mean death. Heal once you get low on Health but ensure you are at a safe distance from your enemy or boss, because if they react in time, the heal can be interrupted and can mean death instead.

Running out of Stamina can have the same effect because you won’t be able to dodge attacks, or block attacks for that matter. Try to conserve Stamina and always have some saved in case of an emergency.

Kicks are fast, low-damaging attacks that are put on some weapons as a weapon art. Many people will think this is useless because of the damage, but this is the perfect attack for dealing with Shields. Kicking a shielding enemy can give you an instant critical attack!

Upgrades are an important part of Elden ring and there are 3 major upgrades inside the game, I will explain all of them below.

There are 2 different types of weapons: Smithing Stone Weapons and Somber Smithing Stone Weapons, both have a bit of a different upgrade path. Smithing Stone Weapons can be upgraded till level 25, requiring 12 of each Smithing stone to fully upgrade it. Whereas Somber Smithing Stone Weapons can be upgraded to level 10, requiring only one of each Somber Smithing Stone. There is 1 big difference between the 2 however. You cannot add Ashes of War onto a Somber Smithing Stone weapon. These Smithing Stones can be found inside mines, on corpses, and bought from merchants.

Spirit Ashes have a similarity with weapon upgrades having 2 different types. You have Grave Glovewort upgrades and Ghost Glovewort upgrades, both upgrading Ashes of War till level 10 These are often found inside Catacombs, Hero’s Graves, or bought from NPC.

Sacred Flask

Sacred Flasks have 2 different upgrades as well. Sacred Tears and Golden Seeds. Golden Seeds are used to increase the amount of flasks you have, whereas the Sacred Tear increases the amount of Health or FP they restore. Sacred Tears can be found in churches throughout the Lands Between, where Golden Seeds are drops from some bosses, looted from specific corpses, or most commonly looted from small Erd Trees.

• Buffs and Debuffs

Spells and Weapon Skills can be used to either Buff yourself or Debuff the enemy.

Buffs come in the form of Spells, Weapon Skills, and Consumables which can either increase your stats or add a damage type to your weapon.

Debuffs are far more limited and only found on very few items of the same type.

These can complement a build, but it can be overstimulating for beginners having to do a lot of different things before combat even starts.

Status Effects

There are 7 big Status Effects, let’s discuss them.

Poison is a debuff that deals a small amount of damage over a long period. The damage and duration depend on the source.

Scarlet Rot

Scarlet Rot is a debuff that deals much more damage than poison over a long period. The damage and duration depend on the source.

Blood Loss is a stacking debuff that stacks when an enemy with bleed keeps hitting you, once the bar is full you will take a large amount of bleed damage.

Frostbite is a debuff that once active deals a considerable amount of damage, a debuff to your resistance, and a debuff to your stamina recovery speed. This debuff can instantly be cured by receiving fire damage.

This is a debuff that once activated puts the target to sleep. Can be situationally very strong against the right enemy, and in PVP.

Madness is a debuff that stacks fast dealing a considerable amount of damage once activated and stuns the target briefly. Practically useless in PVE but insanely useful in PVP

Deathblight

The only Instakill mechanic inside Elden Ring. Once activated you will die and lose all the runes you had permanently

• Weapon Types

Now that we know a bit about Combat and mechanics, let’s go into the different types of weapons and what makes them good or bad, there are a lot so sit back.

Daggers have extremely short range but make up for that with their fast attack speed and high Critical Damage which makes them the best for parry builds and Backstabbing with the stealth mechanic.

Straight Swords

Straight swords are a reliable well-balanced weapon that has a standard range and provides both slashing and thrusting damage. They attack at a decently fast attack which makes them very good in combination with a shield for fast follow-up attacks.

Greatswords

Greatswords are the big parent of Straight Swords. Being capable of inflicting massive amounts of damage but sacrificing mobility and attack speed, leaving you more open for attacks. In combination with a shield, they can be heavily utilized for Guard Counters(more on this later).

Colossal Swords

The Biggest weapons inside the game, often oversized with the highest range in the game together with the Heavy Thrusting Swords. They are extremely heavy and slow, but make up for that with the highest range and massive damage output with each hit. You do need a large amount of Strength to wield these.

Thrusting Swords

Thrusting Swords have decent damage, fast attacks, and good range, while mostly doing piercing and slashing damage. They are a very balanced weapon with a ton of variety in weapon scaling.

Heavy Thrusting Swords

The direct parent of the Thrusting Sword focuses purely on piercing damage and is best used as a counter or follow-up on an enemy’s attack. They weigh a lot more than the normal thrusting sword but pack a bigger punch and give even more range.

Curved Swords

The perfect rushdown weapon, Curved Swords specializes in slashing attacks which can deal a good chunk of damage with their high attack speed. Dual-wielding these can also make you a monster in PVE, especially when you put status effects onto them.

Curved Greatswords

Still specializing in slashing attacks, the Curved Greatswords have a much slower attack speed and mobility as a sacrifice for their increased damage per slash. These however are not recommended to dual wield in comparison to the normal Curved Swords.

Probably the most used weapon class in Elden Ring, and for good reason. Katanas are a weapon that specializes in mid-range combat and can inflict heavy bleed damage through the Hemorrhage status effect which can deal massive amounts of damage. They are also a perfect balance between attack speed and attack damage making them easy to use and very well loved.

Twin Blades

Finally making their comeback from Dark Souls 2, the Twinblades are weapons that can be pretty difficult to wield when first picked up. Their Strength comes in 2-handing the weapon, however. This makes these weapons AOE damage machines able to delete crowds of enemies like it’s nothing. They specialize in slash damage with a very fast attack speed once 2-handed.

Axes are close combat heavy-hitting Strength weapons. They do good damage and attack at a fast pace making them fine weapons in combination with a shield pretty similar to the Straight Sword.

Far heavier than normal axes, Greataxes can easily break guards while dealing massive amounts of damage. They are however very slow leaving you open to attacks. They also require a large amount of Strength to wield like the Colossal Swords

The most underrated weapon in Elden Ring will be the Hammer. They specialize in destroying heavily armored enemies, destroying shields, and breaking guards. They do have a slower attack than normal weapons to make up for this, however.

Flails are very unique since they cannot be parried. They are slow, long-reaching, heavy-hitting weapons that have a unique sweet spot mechanic if you hit the enemy with the ball of the weapon, which will deal a lot more damage.

Great Hammers

Like their smaller counterpart, the Great Hammer is great at destroying heavily armored enemies and shielded enemies. However, you will need a lot more Strength for this because they deal a ton more damage.

Colossal Weapons

Colossal Weapons are more Unique than Colossal swords while still requiring very high Strength to wield properly. They are still capable of inflicting massive damage while still being very slow weapons.

Spears are very safe long-distance pierce weapons that allow for attacking while keeping your shield raised, making them the best defensive weapon. They are also superior to most weapons on horseback because of their range advantage. They do deal a bit less damage than most weapons as a trade-off.

Great Spears

Like the normal Spears, Great Spears are very safe long-distance pierce weapons that are defensive monsters. They deal a lot more damage than normal spears but trade their attack speed and immense weight for it. Only the Lance from the Great Spears can be modified with an Ash of War making these weapons very rigid and not flexible.

Halberts are quite different from spears because they specialize in Strike and Thrust damage. They still have good damage and a long reach making them good poking weapons, they however cannot be used behind shields like the spears.

Reapers have a very unique sweeping moveset with a sweet spot at the scythe part of the weapon. They have long reach and good damage, but are very scarce having only 4 weapons inside this weapon class. They are also very good for dealing with shields allowing the user to bypass it thanks to the sweeping attacks with proper spacing.

Whips are very unique weapons because like the Flail they cannot be parried. The whips have a lot of downsides, however. They perform very badly against heavily armored enemies, inflict below-average damage, and CANNOT be used for critical attacks. They do have long reach which does not make up for all the downsides.

Firsts are the shortest-ranged weapons in the game. They do however have the fastest attack speed in the game and can be used to inflict Status Effects at an insanely fast pace.

Claws are very short-range weapons that excel at fast rush down with their high attack speed and innate Bleed buildup. They have a bit more range than the fist weapons but are exclusively Dexterity weapons.

Coming to the ranged weapons, the Light Bows are used to fight an enemy from a distance. What makes the Light Bows unique from the other bows however is that you can quickly fire an arrow immediately after rolling, sprinting, or jumping, allowing more aggressive use of this weapon.

Bows are the bigger counterpart of Light Bows, dealing more damage but being unable to use the quick-fire that the Light Bow can. It can however still fire mid-jump.

Greatbows are the ultimate long-range Bows that can be used to deal heavy damage and easily break guards. They use Great Arrows as ammunition, unlike the other Bows. You however cannot shoot mid-jump with this bow.

Crossbows deal high damage from a distance. Unlike Bows, however, they need to be reloaded before each shot. This does in turn mean you can reload beforehand and instantly fire a shot without a draw animation.

There are only 2 Ballistas in Elden Ring. The Hand Ballista and the Jar Cannon. Both have a very high damage output but have 0 scaling for any stats making all damage on these weapons from leveling the weapon. They also have an extremely slow reload animation to make up for the high damage.

Glintstone Staffs

Glintstone Staff are required to cast Sorceries. This is also their only purpose. Some Staff give a bonus to certain Sorcery types making them much more suited for that specific spellcasting.

Sacred Seals

Sacred Seals are required to cast Incantations. Like the Clintstone Staff some Sacred Seals buff specific Incantations making them suited for that specific purpose.

Torches aren’t weapons but they can be used as one. Their main use is to scare off unwanted beasts like rats and light up a cave to make it easier to explore.

• Combat Tips

With the weapons out of the way, you might have chosen what weapon type would suit you! Now we need to discuss some combat-specific stuff that will help you out inside the game, with general tips to improve your gameplay!

Understand how to roll

Rolls can save your life if timed correctly, they however can also cost you your life if timed incorrectly. The game has a mechanic called Input Delay. This happens when you are midroll for example and input another button, this will be buffered and used after the animation ends. This is the cause of many deaths and will most likely cause some of yours too.

This however does bring up one topic of discussion: Panic Rolling. Panic Rolling is a term used to describe when people are being attacked and instead of timing their rolls they will spam the button in good faith, this however is like gambling and won’t always work. I also recommend not getting into the habit of spam rolling because it’s hard to get out of.

Know when to attack

Attacking is your only way of dealing damage inside Elden Ring, which is why often people prioritize it above anything else. This does tend to make people more on the aggressive side making you vulnerable to counterattacks. The better way to attack is to wait and sit back, and learn your enemies’ attack patterns. Each enemy and boss has unique attacks that can be studied. Once you know them, you can also deal much better with them.

Use Guard Counters when using a shield

Shields have a lot of advantages, one of them includes the Guard Counter. This happens when you quickly Heavy Attack after blocking an enemy attack. This does heavy posture damage and more than normal damage to an enemy making it a great tool against specific enemies and boss attacks. It especially works wonders when wielding heavier weapons.

Don’t be afraid to cast Spells and use Ashes of War

Spells and Ashes of War both cost FP. Which is finite, needing you to rest after a while to replenish it. Elden Ring developed a system to help you in the overworld, however. After defeating larger groups of enemies, you get flasks back. You also get flasks back by killing Teardrop Scarabs. These creatures have a golden glow and give you Sacred Flasks back upon killing them. You can use your Ashes of War and spells as aggressively as you want, and use these ways to replenish them without respawning every enemy in the area.

Here is the Equipment Menu. This is where you set everything up to make your character play the way you want! We will slowly go through it so no stress.

Here are the 2 most important sections. Your weapons and offhand equipment. In your offhand you either put: a second weapon, a shield, a torch, or a ranged weapon. You can equip multiple weapons at the same time and swap between them, this however increases your Equip Load, which will make you roll slower and eventually be unable to sprint.

Here you equip both your arrows for your bows and great bows and your bolts for your crossbow.

In this section, you can equip your desired armor, mix, and match to make your most fashionable character!

Talismans are an important Section of the game. These complement your build by giving you either increased stats, more damage, or other effects that can improve your build! They can often be found behind Stone Sword Gates or Dungeons. With some even dropping from Bosses.

Last but not least is your consumable slots. Here you can equip craftable items, Sacred Flasks, Torrents whistles, or any other consumable items.

Early Game Tips (Limgrave)

Now you have all the knowledge about how to use and play the game, it’s time I give some advice on the early game that will help you get through it better!

Don’t be afraid to run from a fight!

Elden Ring is an open-world game, and some foes can be very daunting the first time you encounter them. Don’t let this scare you off, if you have trouble beating a foe, don’t beat them! This might sound counter-productive, but there is a reason it’s an open-world game! Explore the game, get leveled up more, and return once you are stronger. They don’t get stronger, you do! We know plenty of players who lost their wits against this guy below.

Explore Dungeons

There are a ton of dungeons inside Elden Ring. Limgrave alone has 29 bosses already! This means there is a ton of room to get stronger and plenty of loot to collect! You just need to know where to go. Some dungeons can be easily spotted, like Mines because they are displayed as black holes with a red outline on the map like below. Others are a bit harder to find but can be found by exploring the map!

Don’t sit on your runes too long

Dying happens inside Elden Ring. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, you will die. But for beginners, it’s a lot easier to die and die while trying to get to your runes. This is why we recommend spending your runes and not sitting on them for too long. You will have plenty of runes you can consume from the souls in your inventory. Use these for shopkeepers so that when you die, you won’t be heartbroken about all the hard-worked runes that you lost.

Take your time

Elden Ring is a huge game, and it will take upwards of 60-70 hours minimum to complete your first playthrough and upwards of 100 hours if you want to do everything! This means you shouldn’t hurry and go somewhere you are not supposed to be, if you find yourself facing a difficult opponent, like for example the boss guarding the first major dungeon Margit the Fell Omen. If he is tough, like we said before, take a step back, get stronger, and return to him once you are confident you can beat him!!!

In conclusion

Getting into Elden Ring can be a very daunting experience. It is a very difficult game that requires patience, skill, and a sane mind. This is why recommend you to take things slowly, come back to this guide if you have any problems with something and see if it helps!

With the DLC only 2 months away no time is better than to start playing Elden Ring. with the DLC being said to be the size of Limgrave, we have a lot to look forward to. In the coming weeks, we will be publishing more Elden Ring guides in preparation for the DLC helping all you Tarnished alike git gud!

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Elden Ring: 12 Bosses That Are Very Easy To Miss

The vast world of FromSoftware's Elden Ring hides hundreds of secrets, some of which are entirely optional boss fights that players can easily miss.

• Elden Ring offers a non-linear gaming experience, challenging players to explore without much guidance.
• Finding hidden bosses like Alecto or Mohg rewards players with unique items and challenging fights.
• The upcoming expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, promises new locations, bosses, and abilities for Elden Ring fans.

Elden Ring has grown quite infamous, in part thanks to its open-world take on Dark Souls games. Far less linear than its predecessors, Elden Ring players often receive very little guidance about where they should be going, what quests they should be completing, and even what bosses need killing.

All Elden Ring Bosses (& Best Main Boss Order)

This is often part of the enjoyment in Elden Ring , forcing players to explore the furthest reaches of the eerily beautiful environments. The downside is that players can end up missing out on some brilliant questlines, items, and boss fights. These Elden Ring hidden bosses shouldn't be missed.

Updated April 23, 2024 by Nyah Payne: Elden Ring fans have a lot to look forward to early this summer, as FromSoftware is expected to release the much anticipated Elden Ring expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree.

This expansion will include a new location, the Land of Shadow, new bosses, and new abilities. It will follow the story of Miquella. No doubt the DLC will include plenty more hard-to-find bosses. Until then, players should make sure they have sparred with each of these hidden bosses in Elden Ring .

1 Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader

Evergaol can only be accessed late in ranni's quest.

• Location: Ringleader's Evergaol
• Runes: 88,000
• Drops: Black Knife Tiche Ashes

Many different types of Black Knife Assassins can be found throughout The Lands Between, and their order is pivotal to the story's lore . They were instrumental in the plot of Lunar Princess Ranni to cast out her Empyrean flesh and to slay Godwyn the Golden. Alecto, as her full title suggests, was the leader of the Black Knives.

Alecto is now trapped in an Evergaol known as the Ringleader's Evergaol, but this one can be hard to find as the part of Liurnia that it resides in can only be accessed late into Ranni's quest after slaying Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. Fighting Alecto is well worth doing, as players will be rewarded with the Black Knife Tiche Ashes. Tiche is the daughter of Alecto who perished protecting her mother on their flight from Leyndell, and she may be one of the most powerful spirit ashes in the game.

2 Mohg, The Omen

Hidden away in labyrinthine sewers.

• Location: Cathedral of the Forsaken
• Runes: 100,000
• Drops: Bloodflame Talons

Mohg, The Omen, may only be a fraction of the strength of his true form, Mohg, Lord of Blood, but that doesn't prevent him from being a formidable adversary. The reason that Mohg, The Omen, can be challenging to find is that he is located deep within the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, found in the sewers of Leyndell. The sewers are labyrinthine and hard to navigate, and players will likely want to make use of Rainbow Stones to mark their way if it's their first time down there (or if they just have a poor sense of direction).

Once players reach the Forsaken Depths Site of Grace, Mohg will be just down the hall. While he's not a required boss, players will need to defeat either Mohg or the terrifying Valiant Gargoyle duo to get to the Deeproot Depths and achieve the Age of the Duskborn ending, and players going for the Frenzied Flame ending will also need to get past Mohg first. If players have released the Dung Eater, he can be summoned for this boss.

3 Ancient Dragon Lansseax

Can be missed without thorough exploration.

• Location: Altus Plateau
• Runes: 60,000
• Drops: Lansseax's Glaive

Dragon fights are a staple in fantasy, and Elden Ring is no exception. This dragon fight, however, is quite easy to miss despite appearing in two locations. Players can first be ambushed by Lansseax near the Abandoned Coffin Site of Grace in the Altus Plateau, but she retreats when her health is reduced by 20%.

Players can fight Lansseax again and in full at the Rampartside Path Site of Grace. She will launch her attack when players double back towards the eastern ridge. While players can circumvent the Abandoned Coffin encounter, reducing her health there lowers it for the Rampartside Path fight.

4 Dragonkin Soldier

Lake of rot makes traversal challenging.

• Location: Lake Of Rot
• Runes: 58,000
• Drops: Dragonscale Blade

From dragon to Dragonkin, there are two Elden Ring bosses with the name " Dragonkin Soldier ." Both can be easy to miss, but the Dragonkin Soldier in The Lake Of Rot particularly stands out. In part, this is down to the fact that The Lake Of Rot itself can be tricky to come across.

On top of this, it takes some grim determination and a lot of Flasks of Crimson Tears to even make the trek through The Lake Of Rot. Should players make it to the Lake Of Rot Shoreside Site of Grace, they can then confront the Lake Of Rot Dragonkin Soldier.

5 Godefroy The Grafted

Requires a lot of backtracking.

• Location: Golden Lineage Evergaol
• Runes: 26,000
• Drops: Godfrey Icon

Evergaols tend to be an obvious sign that there is a boss that needs fighting, but Godefroy's Evergaol is tucked away and quite hard to find. It is located in the Altus Plateau, but players have to go quite far off the beaten path to find it.

Players need to head northeast away from the Evergaol, heading into the valley, before turning back on themselves and following the path through a tunnel under the main road. It is well worth making this lengthy excursion, as Godefroy drops the Godfrey Icon, a very useful talisman.

6 Dragonkin Soldier Of Nokstella

Hidden in an innocuous area.

• Location: Ainsel River
• Runes: 12,000
• Drops: Frozen Lightning Spear

Another Dragonkin making the list, the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella is particularly hidden away. They can be found in the Ainsel River Well, which seems like any other cave system within the game.

The arena for the fight is tucked out of the way, past a normal-seeming cave of ants, but this boss shouldn't be neglected . It's a highly engaging fight, set in a unique-looking arena, filled with charred bodies that crumble as players roll into them.

7 Night's Cavalry

Can only be encountered at night.

• Location: Various
• Runes: 2400-84,000
• Drops: Various
• HP: 1665-7246x2

There are nine locations throughout Elden Ring where players can encounter the Night's Cavalry , seemingly a reference to the Nazgul in Lord of the Rings . They provide a unique scavenger hunt experience as each boss can only be encountered at night.

10 Elden Ring Bosses That Would Make Great Mounts

They can be found in Limgrave, the Weeping Peninsula, Liurnia North and South, Caelid, the Altus Plateau, the Forbidden Lands, Dragonbarrow, and the Consecrated Snowfield. The Consecrated Snowfield fight is a notable encounter, as it features two Night's Cavalry, and they drop the Night's Cavalry Armor Set. While it's likely players will encounter at least one of these bosses by chance alone, finding all nine is a challenge.

Requires Solving A Puzzle To Reach Her

• Location: Elphael, Brace Of The Haligtree
• Runes: 480,000
• Drops: Malenia's Great Rune, Remembrance Of The Rot Goddess

Malenia may be the most well-known boss in Elden Ring , as she has garnered a reputation for being the most challenging fight in the game. Despite this infamy, her fight is entirely optional and surprisingly easy to miss , as is the rest of the Haligtree, for that matter.

To even reach the Haligtree, players need to collect two halves of a medallion and solve a puzzle deep in the Consecrated Snowfield. Already difficult to find, the Haligtree is then a treacherous area to navigate, although that's not a bad thing. Players will need all the preparation they can get before their battle with Malenia.

9 Putrid Tree Spirit

Found at the edge of a barren beach.

• Location: War-Dead Catacombs
• Runes: 64,000
• Drops: Redmane Knight Ogha Spirit Ashes, Golden Seed

There are three Putrid Tree Spirits that can be found throughout Elden Ring , but one is particularly well hidden. The most challenging of the Putrid Tree Spirits can be found in the War-Dead Catacombs.

These catacombs can only be reached after defeating Starscourge Radahn. Players can then make an arduous trek to the edge of the Wailing Dunes, where they can eventually find the entrance to these out-of-the-way catacombs.

10 Lichdragon Fortissax

Part of a convoluted questline.

• Location: Deeproot Depths
• Runes: 90,000
• Drops: Remembrance Of The Lichdragon

Even more well hidden than his draconic sister, Lansseax, Fortissax can only be fought as part of a convoluted questline, namely Fia's questline . Fia is the deathbed companion at the Roundtable Hold. Players will need to defeat Fia's Champions, give her the Cursemark of Death, talk to her three times, and reload the area.

Then players can interact with her corpse and choose to enter the Deathbed Dream and confront Fortissax. While it is an optional boss, it is required to complete Fia's questline and to achieve the Age of the Duskborn ending.

11 Mohg, Lord Of Blood

Only accessed through very specific requirements.

• Location: Mohgwyn Palace
• Runes: 420,000
• Drops: Mohg's Great Rune, Remembrance Of The Blood Lord

Mohg, Lord of Blood , is a particularly challenging demigod boss to find. He is the end boss of Mohgwyn Palace, which proves quite troublesome to reach. Although it can be seen in the distance from the Siofra River Well, there are only a couple of very specific ways to actually get there.

Players can find a Waygate Teleporter to the palace in the Consecrated Snowfield. Alternatively, players can complete Varre's questline, which involves invading other players' worlds three times. While this does allow players to access Mohg earlier in the game, he can prove to be a challenging fight at this level.

12 Dragonlord Placidusax

Arena is hidden at the bottom of a seemingly fatal drop.

• Location: Crumbling Farum Azula
• Runes: 280,000
• Drops: Remembrance Of The Dragonlord

This list starts with a dragon, and it will end with a dragon. Placidusax is an optional legend boss fight that is challenging to find, let alone to face! Near the Beside the Great Bridge Site of Grace, there is an edge with a very small and inconspicuous platform that players can drop onto and another ledge below that...

Lying down in a particular cubby at the bottom of this drop then teleports players to Placidusax's arena, where players can confront the Dragonlord. As challenging as this arena is to find, it is well worth it for the chance to face this imposing foe.

Elden Ring Should Revive A Hidden Progression System From Dark Souls 3

• Elden Ring shakes up the formula of previous games, but could benefit from reintroducing features like the Hollow progression system from Dark Souls 3.
• Dragon Communion in Elden Ring lacks substantial consequences compared to Hollowing in Dark Souls 3, leaving room for potential improvements.
• Elden Ring could consider introducing new endings exclusively for players who partake in Dragon Communion to add depth and consequences to the game.

Elden Ring does a lot to shake up the formula of the games that came before it, while still feeling like a true successor to From Software’s beloved franchises. However, even with this in mind, Elden Ring leaves behind many features from its predecessors that may yet be worth reviving for future updates to Elden Ring .

Specifically, one feature that Elden Ring could use from Dark Souls 3 is the Hollow progression system. Elden Ring ’s Dragon Communion feature is fairly similar to the secret Hollow system from Dark Souls 3 , but there are a couple of key differences that set these two features apart from each other. Consequently, future updates from Elden Ring should consider either reintroducing a Hollow progression system or expanding upon the game’s existing Dragon Communion feature.

How Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree Channels Bloodborne's The Old Hunters DLC

Dark souls 3's hollow system explained.

Immediately after defeating Vordt of the Boreal Valley, one of the first few major bosses in Dark Souls 3 , players will be able to travel to the Undead Settlement where an NPC can be found on a hidden path. This NPC, Yoel of Londor, will essentially allow players to earn up to five free level-ups, whereas these would normally need to be purchased with increasing amounts of Souls. That said, participating in this progression system to shortcut character levels in Dark Souls 3 isn't without consequences.

Upon agreeing to accept Yoel’s services, the player’s character will be inflicted with the Hollowing stat. One of the consequences of becoming Hollow is that this stat will increase every time the player dies, up to a max of 99. Increasing this stat is a requirement to receive all five of the ‘free’ character levels, but only 15 Hollowing is required to receive all five levels this way.

At 15 or more Hollowing, players can also take part in the necessary NPC questlines to obtain Dark Sigils, which will give players access to a new ending for Dark Souls 3 . This unique ending is considered one of the ‘bad’ endings for Dark Souls 3 , and rightfully so. Not only do players have to participate in a forbidden magic to achieve this ending, but it also leaves the game’s universe in the hands of sinister figures.

Players can remove their Hollowing status in Dark Souls 3 , but this will require repaying for the character levels earned through Hollowing, and it can potentially lock players out of certain questlines and endings.

How Elden Ring's Dragon Communion Can Become More Like Dark Souls 3's Hollowed System

Dragon Communion is already a similar system to Dark Souls 3 ’s Hollowing, where players tap into new strengths through forbidden rituals, but the key difference is that there are no substantial consequences for Dragon Communion. According to Elden Ring ’s dragon lore , partaking in Dragon Communion is a curse that will eventually transform humans into Wyrms, and while players can encounter some of these very enemies in Elden Ring , players will never face these consequences themselves.

Consequently, it can feel anticlimactic that players never face any form of consequences for participating in Dragon Communion, so Elden Ring should consider revisiting this with a proper conclusion.

For a while, parts of the Dark Souls 3 community believed that players would take increasing amounts of damage from certain enemies and Elemental damage types based on the player’s Hollowed stat. This has long since been proven to be a false rumor, but admittedly, it could still make for an interesting consequence for Elden Ring ’s Dragon Communion, if not a subtle throwback reference. Otherwise, Elden Ring should consider following directly in Dark Souls 3 ’s footsteps by introducing new endings for Elden Ring exclusively for players who partake in Dragon Communion.

Elden Ring is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set in a world co-created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the influential Dark Souls video game series, and George R.R. Martin, the author of the best-selling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. This collaboration between two renowned creators has resulted in FromSoftware's largest game to date, filled with danger and discovery at every turn. Hidetaka Miyazaki, president and game director of FromSoftware, has a history of directing highly acclaimed games in franchises such as Armored Core and Dark Souls.

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox One

Released February 25, 2022

Developer(s) From Software

Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software

Genre(s) Action, RPG

Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer

Engine Proprietary

ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

How Long To Beat 58 Hours

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Wingspan publisher’s next board game is inspired by Zelda, Elden Ring, and The Witcher

Vantage is an open-world science fiction roguelike unlike anything seen before on a tabletop

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Share All sharing options for: Wingspan publisher’s next board game is inspired by Zelda, Elden Ring, and The Witcher

Jamey Stegmaier, co-founder of Stonemaier Games , has made an indelible mark on board gaming since he entered the space in 2011. Not only has he designed and published incredible strategy games like Scythe and Viticulture , but he also helped produce and publish Elizabeth Hargrave’s genre-defining nature-themed board game Wingspan and its sequel . On Wednesday, he announced a secret project, the culmination of seven long years of work. It’s called Vantage , and it might be one of the most exciting tabletop projects slated for 2025.

Stegmaier describes Vantage as an open-world, cooperative, roguelike science fiction-themed adventure game inspired by modern video games. In a recent livestream , he noted that the primary inspiration was the iconic The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , but he’s also drawn in themes and mechanics from such disparate titles such as Elden Ring , A Short Hike , and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt .

Players will take on the roles of explorers headed to an unknown extrasolar planet. A malfunction leads to a crash landing, scattering from one to six players all across the map. There are 100 landing sites in total which, together with 800 additional location cards, make up the unnamed planet’s singular, cohesive surface. Cards are organized in such a way that players can freely traverse the entire planet, moving vertically and horizontally across its surface in the style of The 7th Continent .

The trick is that you can’t show what you see to the other players at the table. Each player only has their own perspective — their own vantage point — and must communicate what’s in front of them to the other players.

To be successful, players must share as much as they can about the strange new world in front of them. Because of the roguelike nature of the game — which wipes your character, their skills, assets, and other abilities away when you fail to survive the experience — the only true measure of advancement is your own personal experience of the mysterious planet itself.

“The only thing that persists from one game of Vantage to the next,” Stegmaier said, “is your information, your knowledge of this planet and how you might apply that to future games.”

The way that the game limits communication, combined with a huge number of cards in the box — more than 1,700 total, Stegmaier said — should make every journey unique.

“Even if you play the same character, and you happen to crash land in the same location as before, you can just go east instead of west,” Stegmaier said. “You can go north instead of south. You can interact with that location in a different way than before. So there’s a lot of replayability that I’ve baked into this game.”

“It is not a campaign game,” Stegmaier stressed. “You are playing until you win, or until you fail. [...] And then you start over from scratch.”

While the design has largely been completed, as well as most of the game’s art, Stegmaier said that Vantage is currently in a blind playtesting phase. That means prototypes are being run through a gauntlet of players who have no idea what to expect when they open the box. Next comes graphic design and finalization of the materials inside the box — especially the manual that will help onboard new players. More information, including pricing and the final release date, will he shared in the months to come.

Those interested in learning more are encouraged to sign up for the Stonemaier Games newsletter .

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