Elden Ring Review & Gameplay Guide and Everything You Need to Know

Elden Ring is a landmark. Developed by FromSoftware under director Hidetaka Miyazaki, with the world built in collaboration with fantasy author George R.R. Martin, it was released on February 25, 2022 across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC — and it immediately became one of the best-reviewed and best-selling games in history, with over 28 million copies sold worldwide. It takes the punishing, deeply rewarding combat of the Souls series and transplants it into FromSoftware’s largest open world: the Lands Between, a crumbling realm of demigods, ancient beasts, and interconnected legacy dungeons that rewards exploration at every turn. Its massive expansion Shadow of the Erdtree launched in June 2024 and added another 40+ hours of content.

🏆 Quick facts: Elden Ring — Released February 25, 2022 | PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC | Developer: FromSoftware | Publisher: Bandai Namco | Metacritic: 96 | GOTY 2022 | 28M+ copies sold | Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (June 2024)

🎬 Elden Ring — Full Gameplay Video

Watch Elden Ring in action — Torrent traversal of the Lands Between, combat against iconic bosses, legacy dungeons, build variety, and what makes this the definitive Soulslike experience.

🎮 Elden Ring gameplay footage via YouTube. Developed by FromSoftware, published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.

📋 What’s in This Article

• The Lands Between — Open World Overview
• Combat — Core Systems & Attack Types
• Main Boss Order — Who to Fight First
• Best Starting Builds for New Players
• Spirit Ashes & Co-op Summons
• Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
• Is Elden Ring Worth Playing? Our Verdict
• Essential Tips & Tricks
• FAQ

🌍 The Lands Between — Open World Overview

The Lands Between is FromSoftware’s most expansive map by a considerable margin. Where previous Souls games connected hand-crafted areas in a linear-ish progression, Elden Ring begins with an enormous open landmass — Limgrave — and gradually reveals one of the most intricately designed open worlds in gaming history.

Key regions to know:

• 🌿 Limgrave — the starting area. Beautiful grasslands with castles, caves, and your first major dungeon: Stormveil Castle.
• 🌾 Liurnia of the Lakes — vast shallow inland sea with the Academy of Raya Lucaria at its heart.
• ☠️ Caelid — a scarlet rot-infected nightmare. Significantly higher level than it first appears. Don’t rush here.
• ❄️ Mountaintops of the Giants — late-game snowbound region with heavy lore significance.
• 🏙️ Leyndell, Royal Capital — the mid-to-late game hub city. Enormous and full of secrets.
• 🌑 Farum Azula — a crumbling sky-city suspended in time. One of the most visually spectacular areas in FromSoftware history.
• 🍄 Ainsel River / Siofra River / Nokron — vast underground river systems filled with unique enemies and rewards, accessible via coffins and elevators.

⚔️ Combat — Core Systems & Attack Types

Elden Ring’s combat builds on the Dark Souls formula but introduces horseback combat (via the spectral steed Torrent), a larger weapon moveset library, and the critically important Ashes of War system — swappable weapon arts that transform your weapons into entirely different combat tools.

Core Combat Mechanics

• ⚔️ Light Attack (R1/RB) — fast, low stamina. Build combos and apply status effects.
• 💥 Heavy Attack (R2/RT) — powerful, high posture damage. Staggers enemies when it fills their poise bar.
• ✨ Ash of War (L2/LT) — your weapon’s special skill. Can be swapped at any Site of Grace using a Whetstone Knife.
• 🛡️ Guard Counter (R2 after blocking) — one of Elden Ring’s most powerful moves. Deals heavy poise damage when triggered immediately after a successful block. Essential for shield-focused builds.
• 🪄 Jumping Attacks — airborne R1/R2 attacks deal bonus poise damage. Essential for breaking tough enemy stances.

Status Effects

• 🩸 Bleed — builds a meter; triggers a burst of % max HP damage on proc. Extremely powerful against high-HP bosses.
• ☠️ Rot — massive damage-over-time once triggered. Especially useful for dragon fights and high-HP endgame bosses.
• ❄️ Frost — lowers defense and applies damage on proc. Excellent in combination with other damage types.
• ⚡ Lightning/Holy/Magic — elemental damage that bypasses certain physical defenses. Boss-dependent effectiveness.

👑 Main Boss Order — Who to Fight First

Elden Ring’s open world means you can approach bosses in almost any order — but the intended progression exists. Here’s the recommended main boss sequence:

💡 Boss tip: If a boss’s health bar is purple or red relative to your level, it’s designed for a higher level character. Explore elsewhere, level up, and return. Elden Ring rewards curiosity — there is almost always somewhere productive to go if a boss is currently beating you.

⚗️ Best Starting Builds for New Players

• 🛡️ Vagabond (Tank/Strength build) — begins with heavy armor and a sword. Highly recommended for newcomers. High Vigor and Strength, Great Shield, straightforward blocking playstyle.
• 🗡️ Samurai (Dex/Bleed build) — starts with a Katana that can apply bleed. Strong throughout the game; Rivers of Blood Katana in the endgame is a fan-favorite weapon.
• 🪄 Astrologer (Sorcery/Int build) — ranged magic playstyle. Slower in bossfights but enormously satisfying once spells like Rock Sling and Comet Azur are unlocked.
• 🏹 Prophet (Faith/Incantations build) — heal-focused with elemental incantations. Harder to learn but powerful late game.

👻 Spirit Ashes & Co-op Summons

One of Elden Ring’s most generous additions to the formula: Spirit Ashes — spectral companions summoned from items found throughout the world. They range from simple wolves to full-powered knights, and they can distract bosses, deal damage, and create openings for your attacks.

Key Spirit Ashes to find early:

• 🐺 Wolves — three wolves that aggro and flank enemies. Extremely effective early game for creating space.
• ⚔️ Lone Wolf Ashes — one of the first you find. Reliable throughout the first half of the game.
• 🧊 Mimic Tear — copies your exact build and gear. One of the most powerful summons in the game; found in Nokron.
• 🌙 Black Knife Tiche — fast, evasive, applies HP-draining attacks. Exceptional against hard-hitting late bosses.

For co-op summons: use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy (craftable from the first merchant) to see golden summon signs near boss arenas. Summoning another player is not cheating — it’s using the tools the game provides.

🌳 Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Shadow of the Erdtree, released June 21, 2024, is Elden Ring’s only DLC expansion and is considered by many to be among the greatest game expansions ever released. It adds:

• A completely new open-world region: the Shadow Realm (Land of Shadow), comparable in size to the base game’s largest areas
• 42 new bosses, including Messmer the Impaler (widely regarded as one of the best FromSoftware boss fights ever)
• New weapons, Ashes of War, incantations, and sorceries
• New leveling system: Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes increase your damage output and defense in the DLC region
• Deep lore revelations about Miquella and the history of the Elden Ring universe

⚠️ DLC note: Shadow of the Erdtree requires defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood and Starscourge Radahn before you can access the DLC portal. Be sure you’re fully leveled (80+ recommended) before entering.

⭐ Is Elden Ring Worth Playing? Our Verdict

Elden Ring is the generational landmark its 96 Metacritic score suggests. It takes the most punishing aspects of the Soulslike formula and wraps them in an open world so richly designed, so densely filled with secrets and spectacle, that the challenge becomes part of the reward rather than a barrier to it. Every death teaches you something. Every discovery — a hidden path, an underground kingdom, a forgotten NPC quest — feels genuinely earned.

💡 Essential Tips for Elden Ring

• 🐎 Get Torrent (the horse) as soon as possible — talk to Melina at the third Site of Grace you rest at. Torrent transforms traversal and enables horseback combat against many overworld enemies.
• 💀 Don’t fear death — but do manage your Runes — if you’ve collected enough Runes to level up, fast-travel to a Site of Grace and spend them before pushing into dangerous areas.
• 👁️ Read enemy health bars — a gold-outline health bar indicates a major boss. A white health bar indicates a standard enemy. If a boss has a significantly larger health bar than expected, you may be under-leveled.
• 🪄 Magic is more viable than in Dark Souls — sorcery and faith builds have excellent fluid animation chains and excellent boss damage. Don’t write off caster builds as hard mode.
• 🤝 Use Spirit Ashes without shame — they’re in the game for a reason. Even the most hardcore Souls players benefit from having a Mimic Tear on a tight boss fight.
• 🌙 Explore at night — some enemies only appear or behave differently at night. The day/night cycle affects NPC positioning and unlocks certain questlines.
• 📜 Read item descriptions — lore is entirely told through item text. No cutscenes explain the world’s backstory. Read everything.

❓ Elden Ring FAQ

Is Elden Ring hard?
Yes, but it’s fair. The game never asks you to do anything it hasn’t given you the tools to accomplish. With Spirit Ashes, co-op summons, and the freedom to over-level against easier enemies before returning to difficult ones, Elden Ring is significantly more accessible than earlier FromSoftware titles.

How long is Elden Ring?
The main story alone takes approximately 45–60 hours. Full completion of all quests, optional bosses, and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC takes 100–150 hours.

What is Shadow of the Erdtree?
The only DLC expansion for Elden Ring, released June 21, 2024. It adds a massive new region, 42 new bosses including Messmer the Impaler, and deep lore revelations. Widely regarded as one of the greatest game expansions ever made.

Can I play Elden Ring without having played Dark Souls?
Yes. Elden Ring stands completely alone. Prior Soulslike experience is beneficial but not required.

What happens if you lose your Runes?
Your Runes are dropped at the spot where you died. Return to that location and recover them. If you die again before recovering, they are permanently lost. One run-back at a time.

Final Thoughts

Elden Ring is the game that proved the Soulslike formula could work at massive scale. From the first sight of Stormveil Castle on a hilltop above Limgrave to the final cosmic duel with the Elden Beast, every moment of Elden Ring is crafted with purpose, artistry, and an absolute conviction that challenge, discovery, and beauty belong together. It is essential playing.

Have you played Elden Ring? Which boss defeated you the most times — and how did you finally beat them? Drop a comment below!

Elden Ring is developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Released February 25, 2022 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. Shadow of the Erdtree DLC released June 21, 2024. Over 28 million copies sold worldwide.