Key conclusions
- First, visit Ele Church to get a Blacksmith's Table, a Crafting Kit, and a Spirit Summoning Bell.
- Head to Summonwater Village early for a precious talisman, NPC quests, and a boss fight.
- Take the opportunity to clear Castle Morne early to get the Grafted Greatsword.
Elden Ring is a big, scary game. As with other FromSoftware titles, difficulty can be punishing at times. Unlike the others, this is an open-world game, and its size can make it difficult to know where to go next. You can go almost anywhere, right from the start. But where to go first?
This list of places is just a drop in the bucket of places to visit in the Land Between. However, these places have things that will greatly help you in your journey and are not to be missed. Get up now, you tainted one. Adventure awaits you.
Updated on September 23, 2024 by Kyle Chamaillard: Elden Ring was launched in 2022, but there are still new players stepping into the Lands Between for the first time. If you're overwhelmed by the scale of the world, here are a few places to look first to help you on your journey.
13 Church of Ella
Ela's church is the first place you should visit when you step out into the wider world. Just follow the trail of light from where you started and avoid the patrolling Tree Sentinel on horseback. The church contains the Place of Grace, the Blacksmith's Table, and the Kale Merchant.
Kale will sell you a crafting kit that lets you craft simple items while you're adventuring. Be sure to come back here after meeting Melina and getting the Torrent. Rena will be waiting to give you the Spirit Calling Bell and Lone Wolf Ashes, your first challenge.
12 Ruins of the gate
Following the road north of Elle Church will eventually lead you to the Gatefront Ruins. A few of Godric's soldiers have set up camp in the ruins, so it would be wise to go around the west side, where you'll see the Place of Grace near the gates to Stormvale Castle. Resting in this place Laska will introduce you to Melina.
This mysterious woman will give you the opportunity to use favor sites to spend runes to level up your character. She also gives you the Spectral Steed Whistle, which allows you to summon the horned steed Torrent—allowing you to explore the wider world faster. When you have everything you need to clear the ruins of enemies, you'll find an underground room that contains a Whetstone Knife and Ashes of War Storm Stomp.
11 Side, half-human
While still near the gates of Stormvale Castle, you should explore the area east of the telescope along the road from the Gatefront Ruins, heading towards the bridge. You are in the right place when you hear a disembodied voice calling you.
The voice belongs to Buck Sway, a unique demi-human who appears to have encountered Captain Don Cheadle's planet after being kicked out of the cave. Freeing him will start his questline, allowing him to make cosmetic changes to your armor for free.
10 The village of Somewater
The village of Somenwater is in the north-east of Limgrave, close to the border of Clyde. It's worth going to this area as early as possible to pick up a valuable talisman, start an NPC quest, and face an interesting boss who will drop an item for another questline. It can be overwhelming when you first arrive, but exploring the area becomes a lot easier after you defeat the Tibia Mariner guarding it.
Destroying the Tibia Mariner will give you a lot of ruins and a Deathroot that will be used later in the game to advance the quest. As you explore the village, be sure to grab the Green Turtle Talisman before you leave and talk to D Hunter of the Dead to activate his questline. Make sure you have the Deathroot before you talk to him, because he'll mark a place on your map where you need to bring it.
9 Marika's third church
A little southeast of Somanwater Village is the Third Church of Marika, an important place that every player should visit. With only a few wolves patrolling, it won't be too much trouble to sneak inside to pick up two items that will greatly aid you in the first few hours of your adventure.
The first is the Holy Tear, an item that increases the power of your Holy Vial, allowing you to regenerate more HP and FP than before. Another item that can only be found here is the Flask of Wondrous Physical, a consumable that can give you certain advantages and benefits depending on which Crystal Tears you have attached to it. You can also find a Sending Gate that will lead you to where you can hand the Death Eye to Gurank to start his quest.
8 Morne Castle
If you're feeling confident about your character but don't want to tackle the big dungeons like Stormvale Castle, a great way to test yourself is to visit Morne Castle on the southern tip of the Weeping Peninsula. The bonus dungeon is filled with enemies that you can farm while searching the ruins, and vital items and weapons that should be sought out as early as possible.
Morne Castle may seem intimidating when you approach it, but it's not as difficult as the other areas at the start of the Elden Ring. You need to be sneaky to avoid being surrounded by dangerous enemies, or you can run right at them, swinging your weapon and hoping for the best. If you can defeat the boss of the area, you will receive a large sword with a grafted blade, which is a great early game weapon for building agility and strength.
7 Dragon-burnt ruins
The dragon-burnt ruins can be found at the southern end of Lake Agil. A big surprise awaits you on the way, but you can avoid it by carefully going around the circle. Once inside the ruins, you'll find a few enemies that aren't too dangerous, and a set of steps leading down to a chest.
This is not the chest you want. This is a trap that teleports you across the map to a very unfriendly area. Low walls surround the chest you want to open. Use Torrent to jump over, go down this ladder and grab the Twinblade, a formidable early weapon.
6 Early dungeons
You have a faithful horse. You have your first set of ashes. Now you want to test your courage. Gatefront Ruins is probably still difficult at this point, but there are a few smaller cave dungeons in the area that are perfect for getting your feet wet. You will need a torch, which you can get from the Kale merchant.
Groveside Cave and Stormfoot Catacombs are smaller dungeons that can give you an idea of what to expect later on. These early dungeons are optional, but the Flamedrake Talisman you get after defeating the Groveside Cave boss can be a handy item.
5 Coastal cave
Coastal Cave is an optional location with a familiar face. When you've freed Bok from his wooden prison, you'll find him in rough shape in the Place of Grace. As you make your way through the dungeon, you'll get into a difficult early boss fight, but this will reward you with the Sewing Needle needed to progress through Bok's questline.
Continue moving through the cave after defeating the boss and you'll find yourself in the Church of the Dragon Communion. You can purchase spells here later when you have the Dragon Heart.
4 Limgrave Tunnels
If you want to upgrade your gear at the blacksmithing tables, you will need blacksmithing stones. Limgrave Tunnels, located on the northwest corner of Lake Aguil, is where you can get some of these.
Creatures in the tunnels are immune to melee attacks, so if you have any magical chops, the tunnels are the place to show them. Just remember to save some FP for the boss at the end of the dungeon. Clearing the tunnels will net you a handful of smithing stones, one dark smithing stone, and a Ravu medallion.
3 Three shacks
There are a few shacks in Limgrave that are well worth your time. Artist's Shack, Warlord's Shack, and Stormhill Shack. Each of these places has something to offer.
The Artist's Shack takes you on the path of an art collector. There will be a merchant in the Warmaster's Shack that sells Ashes of War. There's also a boss if you know where to look. At Stormhill Shack, you'll find a woman named Roderika. After talking to her a few times, you'll get a new pose and some excellent Spirit Jellyfish Ash.
2 Moorwater Cave
Get to Moorwater Cave can be difficult. Follow the path down to the lake south of the bridge at Limgrave. Follow the bank north and under the bridge, but be careful. Blood Finger Nerius will burst in when you reach the cave. You'll get help from another NPC, but still, it's a tough fight.
After clearing the cave and looting the chest, FromSoftware veteran Patchy will engage you in a fight. You will get the chance to save his life during the battle, after which he will become a merchant, selling Margit handcuffs, stone sword keys and other items.
1 Fort Haight
Kenneth Haight has a problem. He is tipped to be the next leader of Limgrave, but he has no place to rule from. He asks you to give him a hand and get out Fort Haight.
You'll find Kenneth on the road north, past the bridge heading away from the Gatefront Ruins. He will end up on the ruins of the tower that lie across the road. Head to his fortress and defeat the knight atop it, and Kenny will reward you with the Erdsteel Dagger. And maybe even chivalry.
