Elden Ring Beginner Guide — First 10 Hours in the Lands Between

The first ten hours of Elden Ring decide whether the game clicks or bounces off. The rules below are the ones the game never explains — follow them and Limgrave stops feeling hostile.

Which starting class should I pick?

Any of them — classes are starting kits, not locks. For a smoothest first run, Samurai (great starting katana, bow for pulling enemies) or Vagabond (highest Vigor, forgiving armor) are the classic picks. Patch 1.17 added two more origins via the Tarnished Pack — Heavy Knight (Strength/Endurance specialist) and Idus Knight (Dexterity-led hybrid). Full stat comparison: best starting class.

What do I do first in Limgrave?

1. Get Torrent. Follow the road from the Stranded Graveyard to the Church of Elleh, then the Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace — Melina appears and gives you the Spectral Steed Whistle plus the ability to level up.
2. Grab the Whetstone Knife at Gatefront Ruins — it unlocks Ashes of War, the weapon-skill system that defines builds.
3. Loot the easy upgrades: a Flask upgrade (Golden Seed) grows at the glowing sapling near the road, and the Limgrave map fragment sits at the stele on the path to Stormveil.
4. Meet Smithing Master Hewg at Roundtable Hold (unlocked via Melina) — weapon upgrades matter more than levels.

What should I avoid early?

• The Tree Sentinel at the Church of Elleh road — a mounted field boss that one-shots new characters. It is optional and stays put; come back around level 25–30.
• The dragon Agheel in the lake — also optional, also later.
• Selling boss Remembrances for runes — they convert into unique weapons/spells at Roundtable Hold.
• Spending runes before a boss fog gate — bank them on levels first; dying twice loses the drop forever.

How does combat actually work?

Everything costs stamina — attacking, blocking, dodging, sprinting. The green bar is the real health bar of Elden Ring combat: empty stamina means no dodge and broken guard. Two rules carry the whole game:

• Dodge through attacks, not away from them — i-frames cover the middle of your roll, so roll into the swing as it lands.
• Guard counters are free damage — after blocking a hit with a decent shield, a heavy attack slams back hard.

Spirits change everything: the Lone Wolf Ashes (Renna’s gift at the Church of Elleh, at night) let a weak character solo fights meant for two. See our progression route for where this leads, and the all-endings guide for where it finishes.

How does Elden Ring run on Switch 2?

The Tarnished Edition port is a PS4-fidelity build, not a PS5 one — Digital Foundry measured a dynamic 720p–1080p picture docked and 432p–864p handheld, with a 40fps cap that spends most of real play at 30–35fps and dips hardest around Caelid. Loading is the highlight: roughly 12 seconds from Roundtable Hold to First Steps, vs 18.6s on Xbox Series S and 35.6s on PS4. It is a good portable Elden Ring, not a showcase port.