Elden Ring Walkthrough

This is a route of goals rather than a step-by-step script. Each stage tells you what you are trying to achieve and what to collect before moving on, so you can do the side content in whatever order suits you.

Stage one: Limgrave and the first Great Rune

Rest at a Site of Grace, accept Melina’s accord, and pick up the Spirit Calling Bell from Renna at the Church of Elleh. Explore Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula, upgrade your flasks, and take Stormveil Castle when Margit and Godrick stop feeling impossible.

Stage two: Liurnia and Raya Lucaria

Head north into Liurnia of the Lakes, find the Academy Glintstone Key, and clear Raya Lucaria Academy. Defeating Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon gives you a second Great Rune and access to respec, which matters more than it sounds: it means no build decision is final.

Stage three: Caelid and the Great Runes you skipped

Caelid is harsher than Liurnia, but Starscourge Radahn at Redmane Castle unlocks an underground region and one of the game’s best-known fights. You need two Great Runes to enter the capital, so this is the stage where you collect the ones you are missing.

Stage four: Altus Plateau and Leyndell

Reach Altus Plateau by the Grand Lift of Dectus or the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, then make your way through Leyndell, Royal Capital. The capital is a legacy dungeon in its own right, and the point where the game becomes more linear.

Stage five: the endgame

After the capital, the route runs through the Mountaintops of the Giants, Crumbling Farum Azula, and back to a changed capital for the final fights. Optional content — Miquella’s Haligtree, Mohgwyn Palace, and the whole Realm of Shadow expansion — is best saved until your character is finished.

Things to do before each stage ends

Before leaving	Do these
A region	Find the map fragment, open the churches, touch the Sites of Grace
A legacy dungeon	Find the shortcut lift or door and rest at the grace beyond it
A boss	Spend your runes, upgrade the weapon, check your flasks

If a stage stalls, the fastest fix is almost always exploration rather than persistence.