• Prioritize Vitality early. Extra health drastically reduces frustrating one-hit deaths. More HP means fewer “one-shot deaths.” Aim for at least 20 Vigor by mid-game. Without early Vitality investment, death comes easily and often.
  
  
• Mind & Endurance matter. Mind boosts FP (mana) for magic and spirit summons. Endurance increases stamina and equipment load (so you can wear heavier armor without “fat-rolling”). 20 Endurance is enough for medium armor builds. 23 Mind is needed to summon one of the best spirit summons Black Knife Tiche but you will get it mid-late game so no rush!.
  
  
• Don’t spread yourself too thin ! — focus on a few stats that match your build.

Runes are your XP and currency. There are two great farming spots:

• Early Game: The giants zone south of Warmaster’s Shack in northern Limgrave is excellent for farming in the early game.
  
  
• Middle Game: Nokstella, Eternal City offers another efficient farming spot, with a Site of Grace next to easily defeated slimes.

Pro Tip: By mid game you can use a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot or the Gold Scarab Talisman to boost rune gains.

• New players origins: Samurai, Vagabond, and Astrologer are solid starts.
  
  
• Hybrid builds work. Don’t be afraid to experiment — Elden Ring gives lots of freedom (strength-faith, dexterity-arcane, dexterity-intelligence combos are good. But remember, to invest in Vitality early game.
  
  
• Example of hybrid character build:
  My build was a Samurai–Mage build. I invested in Dexterity early-mid game, then in Intelligence mid-late game. As equipments I used Moonveil (katana) for melee, and Carian Regal Scepter for ranged magic.
  
  Here are my endgame attributes:
  

Spirit summons can be game-changers:

• Early game: Lone Wolf Ashes are reliable distractions.
  
  
• Mid/late game: Black Knife Tiche is incredibly strong, dodging and dealing heavy damage.

Remember: summons cost FP, so raise your Mind stat a bit if you want to rely on them.

• Rest at every Site of Grace. They’re checkpoints, fast-travel spots, and level-up hubs.
  
  
• Don’t fight everything. Sometimes it’s smarter to run or sneak past enemies.
  
  
• Talk to NPCs repeatedly. They often move locations, and their stories only progress if you interact multiple times.

General Advice:

• Learn attack patterns before going on offense.
  
  
• Dodging is usually better than blocking.
  
  
• Summons can turn the tide by distracting bosses.

Margit, the Fell Omen: Your first real skill check. Summons help a lot here. Consider buying Margit’s Shackle from Patches (after his questline starts).

Malenia, Blade of Miquella: Probably the hardest boss in the game. Be patient, use summons, and bring Scarlet Rot resistance. No worries. She is a late game boss. I mentioned her just for warnings.

• Don’t overweight yourself — heavy rolls make dodging harder and will get you killed.
  
  
• Feel free to mix and match pieces — style + function can both matter. There comes a time where armor does not make a difference. My endgame favorite was a combo of Malenia’s armor and Consort armor for looks and defense.

• Elden Ring’s story is fragmented. If you want to fully understand it, keep notes or follow a community guide. I liked this one - Game Progress Route walkthrough[eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com]. It offered structure without spoiling too much, letting me stay engaged while understanding the lore better. By following this guide you will have less aimless wander and one hit deaths.
  
  
• Multiple endings exist — if you’re curious, you can achieve them in one playthrough by making a backup save game file. If you follow the above route walkthrough guide it will make it easy to discover the right spot for backing up. Backing it once in the late game is enough. I am using Windows 11, you can find your save game file by pressing the win+r keyboard buttons, typing %appdata%, it takes you to AppData > Roaming, select there the EldenRing folder and copy the folder inside and paste it to where you want to have the backup save file.

Elden Ring is challenging, but patience and exploration pay off. Invest in Vigor, use your Spirit Ashes wisely, farm smart, and don’t be afraid to seek community help when the game feels overwhelming.

Surviving the Lands Between is tough, but the victories will be some of the most satisfying moments you’ll ever have in gaming.

👉 I also wrote a short post [www.novmaryllis.quest]about my personal journey
☕ If this guide helped you, you can support me with a brew[ko-fi.com] — and as a thank you, you’ll get access to my brand-new desktop app.

Have fun playing! Time for Elden Ring.

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