Elden Ring: 6 Moments That Completely Change How You Play

Whether you're a seasoned veteran of Soulsborne and Soulslike games or a player who has never even breathed in the direction of such titles, when you jump into Elden Ring's world, you'll have to learn a few hard (and less hard) lessons. Mostly, these lessons will apply to brand-new players who have no idea about how FromSoftware likes to structure its narrative and its gameplay. It can be quite jarring, stepping in for the first time.

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By Ollie Tuscarny

Looking back to my own playthrough of Elden Ring, there were a few key moments that changed everything. Some of them were tough-to-swallow pills that turn you into a better player in the long-term, while others were key features you unlocked that made the game significantly smoother and easier.

Unlocking Torrent

You Realize You Don't Need To Follow A Linear Path

For the first time in a FromSoftware game, players were introduced to a mount: Torrent. This lovely creature is given to you at the Gatefront Ruins Grace by Melina, and it's easy to miss if you're not specifically following the guidance of Grace. It's completely possible for players to emerge from the tutorial area and, instead of walking forward, turn right and head back towards the Weeping Peninsula. In any case, once players have the mount, they can quickly explore a lot of the locations in Limgrave and beyond, all the way to Caelid, even.

You can also just ride past Stormveil Castle and take the hidden shortcut to Liurnia of the Lakes if you so wish, which would let you skip past two of the non-optional bosses. Of course, you'll have to come back for Stormveil Castle if you want to progress, but it's a cool concept that you can make your way past such an important location, or even beat some of the main bosses out of order. It gives a ton of flexibility to the game, which isn't the case in FromSoftware's previous games that put you on rails.

Encountering Tree Sentinel

You Learn That You Can Come Back Later When You're Stronger

A lot of players might have the mindset that whatever enemy stands directly in their path must be defeated. Elden Ring challenges that notion quickly by setting the Tree Sentinel just beyond one of the first Graces you rest at after you exit the tutorial area. While there are definitely players who can defeat this boss directly out of the gates, most newcomers will struggle and bang their heads against the wall. It's a silent message to come back when you're ready.

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By Jerrad Wyche

Elden Ring's advantage is that you don't have to take any fights you don't want to. It's always possible to walk away (unless, of course, you're in a boss room). Any enemy out in the wild will be deaggroed when you get far away enough from them, so Tree Sentinel is a lesson not in writing that lets you know you're free to go out and explore and return at your leisure. Level up a bit, get some better weapons, unlock your mount, and this fight becomes a cakewalk.

Talking To NPCs In The World

You Understand That You Have To Pay Close Attention To Quests And Dialogue

There's no quest tab or quest markers in Elden Ring. This can be a big shock for players who are not used to FromSoftware's usual formula, as it involves a lot of tracking from the player themselves. Sometimes, the quests might even be so obscure that you'll need to consult a guide to ensure you're not missing out on anything. For example, killing a boss might teleport an NPC to their next location and lock you out of an interaction that would have progressed their quest.

Another little detail is speaking to these characters more than once. In a lot of RPGs, NPCs deliver their full information at once without talking to them again and again, but in Elden Ring, you'll have to keep spamming the Talk option a few times to exhaust their dialogue. This one's one of the toughest and most frustrating lessons you'll learn, but when you do, you keep an eye out for characters and what they say exactly instead of just skipping through their speech like you would in some other games.

Fit the 9 games into the grid.

Dying To A Boss Over And Over Again

You Start Realizing That Defeat Is Part Of The Process

Most games teach us that when you see the Game Over screen, it's a really bad thing. You have to start all over again, and you basically failed, and you're not good enough. FromSoftware has always been famous for its "You Died" message, an infuriating and demotivating screen to see as your character crumbles at the feet of an unbeatable boss.

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By Andy Chapman

However, it's a tradition that builds resilience. Each time you walk into that boss room, you feel frustration, but eventually determination, as you're slowly but surely forced to learn the moveset and the phases of each great foe. By the time you finally manage to defeat your enemy, you're overjoyed and have a new perspective on how to approach challenges. You feel as though you've overcome something massive, and might even be surprised by what you're capable of. And guess what? You would have never made it there without being defeated over and over again.

Unlocking Rennala's Respec Service

You Learn That The World Is Your Oyster When It Comes To Buildcrafting

This one's more of a gameplay feature that changes and adds to your experience in Elden Ring. Once you beat Rennala, the main boss in Liurnia of the Lakes, she becomes a vendor in that same location. Speaking to her lets you respec your stats from zero using Larval Tears.

Now, granted, Larval Tears are not an infinite resource in Elden Ring, but there are enough of them for you to have plenty of fun by experimenting with different kinds of builds and weapon combinations. You realize, then, that there's a lot of nuance when it comes to builds, and there isn't just bonk and magic at your fingertips. It's one of the biggest charms Elden Ring has.

Getting The Summoning Bell

You Find Out That You Never Have To Encounter A Boss Alone Again

Another completely game-changing feature is undoubtedly the Spirit Summoning Bell. You acquire this item sometime early in the game by encountering Ranni the Witch in the Church of Elleh. This lets you summon the spirit of any being for which you've collected Spirit Ashes, particularly when fighting bosses. And the best Spirit to summon? A copy of yourself. This feature is so powerful that it can almost trivialize some of the game's boss encounters, and it's one of the biggest hikes in power you'll experience.

Even if you don't have the Mimic at your disposal, simply having a Jellyfish that the boss focuses on can be helpful enough for you to focus on doing DPS. Pair that up with some of the NPCs you can summon in certain boss fights, and it really makes you see these big battles in a different light—perhaps even find them a little less scary and intimidating.