Elden Ring follows the same formula as other From Software games with its high level of difficulty. However, due to the open world design, it is actually the most accessible Souls game to date. There are plenty of ways for players to deal with a challenging enemy without having to bash their head on the wall over and over.

In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the 10 tips and tricks to lower Elden Ring's difficulty.

1. Put more points in Vigor

Vigor is pretty much the most important stats in any Souls game, especially for casual players. Unless you are a dodge/parry god with the ability to evade everything, putting more points in Vigor would prevent the enemies to one/two shot you.

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"Just get more HP"

More HP gives breathing room for players, allowing them to heal up.

2. Use a Shield

Shields in Elden Ring are not as powerful as in previous Souls games, but they are still good for new/casual players. They give the ability to block a portion of the damage in exchange for Stamina, which is useful against a lot of attacks.

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The heaviest shields block the most damage.

The size of the shield determines how much damage you can block before your guard is broken.

3. Explore the map and level up

One of the secret to beat Souls game is to grind levels. A bit more points in Vigor and your damage stat of choice could increase the effectiveness of your character massively.

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Elden Ring's World map.

Unlike other Souls game where you have to beat the boss to progress, in Elden Ring, it is possible to just ignore the boss and explore other areas. Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears are two of the incredibly helpful things you can find hidden around Elden Ring's open world, both of which increase the effectiveness of your healing flask. New weapons, armors, Spirit Ash... etc are also super helpful.

4. Summon other players

If you are stuck on a boss or a hard area, summoning other players to help might be a great idea. 2 or more players will draw the aggro of the boss, making the fight much easier. Some skilled players can even solo the boss for you.

Elden Ring Coop Boss
Elden Ring Coop against a Boss

Take note that real players will increase the HP of the boss, and if they die early, the fight would actually get harder.

5. Make use of Spirit Summons

Players can use Spirit Ash to summon NPC followers in certain places in the world of Elden Ring. As Souls games are designed around solo adventure, having another target to draw aggro makes the fight much easier. You can even summon a copy of yourself with the Mimic Tear.

Elden Ring Spirit Ashes
Elden Ring Spirit Ashes

Spirit Summons are just as good as actual players summon, as it does not increase the HP of the bosses.

6. Try a Magic build

Magic or ranged builds are often looked down in Souls games, as these builds deal damage from afar instead of going up close and personal. Ranged/Magic builds are pretty good in Elden Ring - they allow players to cheese a lot of fights and synergize really well with spirit summons.

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You don't have to worry about timing your dodge if you spam magic from afar.

To deal with a hard boss, just get some summons to tank for you and spam your spells from afar.

7. Swap armor based on situation

No set is necessarily better than another, but one thing that is certain is that some armor sets will absorb more damage of a specific type, like the super high physical damage-absorption Bull Goat Armor.

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One of the best armor set in ER.

Therefore, switching armor based on the enemies you face is crucial. If you are heading into an area with monsters dealing fire damage, equip the best fire resistance armor you have.

8. Use Ashes of War

Ashes of War enrich Elden Ring's combat greatly by adding new effects to your weapon attacks. Some of these are simple, like a damage buff or a sweeping slash attack, but some are specialized like the Giant's Hunt that allows you to lunge forward with a high damage poke.

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Ashes of War revolutionize the usual Souls combat.

By experimenting, players can figure out the best combos to make their Elden Ring journey more comfortable.

9. Try to get at least Medium equip load

This is one of the more common piece of knowledge amongst Souls players: the heavier your equipment, the slower your dodge roll. This equip load system prevents players from just wearing the best armor they have all the time, as these are often the heaviest.

Beating Elden Ring Overloaded Iron Pineapple Grab
You don't want to fat roll in ER.

Staying under 70 percent equip load is recommended to retain the normal roll state, but going under 30 percent will give you even more effective rolls. Skilled players might even wear nothing as they just don't plan on getting hit.

10. Acquire Poise

Poise is a special stat in Souls games that determine the stagger time when players get hit by attacks. Players can wear heavy armors or use various equipment and items to increase their poise.

With good poise, players would have an easier time escaping from combo attack with multiple hits.

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