Key foods
- First, visit the Church of God to buy a blacksmithing table, crafting kit, and a spirit summoning bell.
- Head to Samon Water Village early for a valuable spell, NPC quests, and boss fights.
- Take the opportunity and clear Castle Morne early for a valuable Grafted Blade.
Elden Ring is a big and scary game. As with other FromSoftware titles, the difficulty can be punishing at times. Unlike other games, this is an open world game and its size can make it hard to know where to go next. You can go anywhere you want almost from the start. But where to go first?
This list of places is just a drop in the bucket of places worth visiting in Middle-earth. However, there are things in these places that will help you on your trip and should not be missed. Arise now, you stained one. Adventure awaits you.
Updated on September 23, 2024 by Kyle Chamaillard: The Elden Ring launched in 2022, but new players are still stepping into the Lands Between for the first time. If you're overwhelmed by the vastness of the world, here are a few places you should first look to help you on your journey.
13 Church of God
The Church of Allah is the first place you should visit when you enter the wider world. Just follow the path of light from where you start and avoid the patrolling tree guard on horseback. This church includes site of grace, blacksmith's table, and business helmet.
Kale sells you a Crafting Kit that allows you to craft simple items while adventuring. Be sure to come back here after meeting Melina and getting the torrent. Rena is waiting to give you your first summon, Spirit Bell and Lone Wolf Ash.
12 The ruins of the gate
Following the road north from Allah's Church will eventually lead you to the ruins of Gate Front. Several of Godric's soldiers are camped in the ruins, so it's wise to swing around to the far west, where you'll find Grace's site near the gate to Stormveil Castle. Resting on this site, Grace will introduce you to Melina.
This mysterious woman allows you to use the sites of grace to spend runes to level up your character. He also gives you the Spectral Steed Whistle, which allows you to summon a steed to torrent – making it faster to explore the wider world. If you have what it takes to clear the ruins of enemies, you'll find an underground room containing a Whetstone Knife and a Storm Stomp Ash of War.
11 Bock, a demi-human
While you're still at the gate to the Stormveil Castle area, you should explore the area just east of the telescope on the road from the Gatefront Ruins to the bridge. If you hear a voice calling you, you are in the right place.
The voice belongs to Boc the Seamster, a unique demi-human who apparently crashed on Captain Don Cheadle's planet after being kicked out of a cave. Freeing him will trigger his quest line and allow him to make some pretty cool changes to your armor for free.
10 Samon Water village
The village of Samonwater is found in the northeastern part of Limgrave, just outside the Caelid border. It's worth traveling to this area early to pick up a valuable talisman, start an NPC quest, and encounter an interesting boss who drops an item for another questline. It can be overwhelming when you first enter, but once you defeat the Tibia Mariner that defends it, the area becomes much easier to explore.
Destroying the Mariner's Tibia will net you a lot of ruins and a Deathroot, which will be used later in the game to advance a quest. While you're exploring the village, be sure to grab the Green Turtle Talisman before you leave and talk to D Hunter of the Dead to activate his quest line. Make sure you have the Deathroot before talking to him as it will mark your map with the location you need to bring it to.
9 Third Church of Marika
A little southeast of Salmon Water Village, Marika's Third Church is a must-see for any player. With only a few wolves on patrol, it shouldn't be too hard to go inside to pick up two items that will help you a lot in the early hours of your adventure.
The first is a Sacred Tear, an item that increases the power of your Sacred Flask, allowing you to recover more HP and FP than before. The other item you can only find here is the Flask of Wondrous Physical, a consumable item that can give you certain benefits depending on which crystal tear you attach to it. You can also find a dispatch gate that will take you to a place where you can hand the Deathroot over to Gurranq to begin his quest.
8 Moren Castle
When you're confident in your character but don't want to face the bigger dungeons like Stormville Castle, a great way to test yourself is to visit Morne Castle at the southern end of the Weeping Peninsula. The optional dungeon is full of enemies that you can farm for ruins and critical items and weapons that are worth seeking out as soon as possible.
Castle Morne may seem daunting as you approach it, but it's not nearly as challenging as the other areas at the beginning of the Elden Ring. To avoid being surrounded by dangerous enemies, you have to be stealthy, or you can run towards them while swinging your weapon and hoping for the best. If you can defeat the area boss, you'll earn the Grafted Blade, a great early-game weapon for skill and power builds.
7 Burnt ruins of the dragon
The burnt ruins of the dragon can be found at the southern end of Agil Lake. A big surprise is waiting for you on the way, but you can avoid it by careful detour. Once you're in the ruins, you'll see some enemies that aren't too dangerous, and a set of stairs that lead to a chest.
This is not the chest you want. This is a trap that transports you across the map to a very unfriendly area. Low walls surround the chest you want to open. Use the torrent to jump down those stairs and grab the Twinblade, a powerful primary weapon.
6 Early dungeons
You have your trusted horse. You have your first set of ashes. Now you want to test your ability. The Gatefront ruins are probably still a bit of a challenge at this point, but there are a few smaller cave dungeons in the area that are great for getting your feet wet. You need a torch which you can get from Merchant Kale.
Groveside Cave and Stormfoot Catacombs are smaller dungeons that can help you understand what to expect next. These early dungeons are optional, but the Flamedrake Talisman you get from defeating the Groveside Cave boss can be a useful item.
5 coastal cave
Beach Cave is an optional location with a familiar face. If you've freed Bok from his tree prison, you'll see him in a rough state at Grace's site. Working your way through the dungeon will lead you to a difficult initial boss fight, but will reward you with the sewing needle you need to advance the Boc quest line.
After defeating the boss continue moving through the cave and you will find yourself in the Dragon Church. Later, when you have some dragon hearts, you can buy spells here.
4 Limegrave Tunnels
If you're looking to upgrade your equipment at the forge tables, you'll need some Smithing Stones. Limgrave Tunnels, located in the northwest corner of Lake Agheel, is where you can get some.
Creatures in tunnels are immune to melee attacks, so if you have any magical trinkets, tunnels are the place to show them off. Just make sure to save some FP for the boss at the end of the dungeon. Clearing the tunnels should net you a handful of Smithing Stones, a Dark Smithing Stone, and a Roaring Medallion.
3 Three huts
There are a few cottages in Limegrave that are worth your time. The Artist's Shack, The Warmaster's Shack and Stormhill Shack. Each of these places has something to offer.
The Artist's Shack puts you on your way as an art collector. The Warmaster's Shack will have a merchant selling Ashes of War. There's also a boss if you know where to look. In Storm Hill Cottage, you will meet a woman named Roderika. Talking to him a few times will get you a new pose and the excellent Spirit Jellyfish Ash.
2 Morewater Cave
reach to Morewater Cave It can be difficult. Follow the path down to the lake south of the bridge at Limgrave. Follow the beach north and under the bridge, but be careful. Upon reaching the cave, Nerijus Bloodfinger will attack it. You'll get help from another NPC, but still, it's a tough fight.
After clearing the cave and looting a chest, FromSoftware veteran Patches will fight you. You'll have the chance to save his life during the battle, after which he'll become a merchant and sell Margate shackles, Stonesword keys, and more.
1 Fort Hitt
Kenneth Hite has a problem. He is supposed to be the next ruler of Limgrave, but has no seat to rule. He wants you to shake his hand and be cleansed Fort Hitt.
You'll find Kent on the road north, past the bridge leading away from the Gatefront ruins. He will be on top of some tower debris that is across the road. Go to his castle and defeat the knight at the top and Kenny will reward you with an Erdsteel Dagger. And maybe even a knight.
