ELDEN RING: the right habits for your first hours

To start ELDEN RING properly, test its possibilities before searching for a perfect route. The Steam page presents an Action RPG built around open areas, large dungeons and battles combining weapons, spells, summons, attacks, dodges and weakness exploitation. Your first hours should help you identify the method that suits you, then use it long enough to judge your progress.

The Steam version lists a February 24, 2022 release date, single-player, online PvP and online co-op. French is available for the interface and subtitles, but not the audio. Choose the language that makes the menus and text easiest to understand before you begin.

Start with a focused first session

There is no need to understand everything from the starting screen. A useful first session should answer three questions: which controls feel natural, which combat distance suits you and which method helps you understand a difficult encounter.

1. Set the interface and subtitle language according to your preference. Steam confirms French for both elements, but not for the audio.
2. Start in solo mode and focus on the main controls. Test an attack and an evasive move, then observe what happens when you keep your distance.
3. Try one approach with a weapon, then another using spells or summons. Change only one element between attempts.
4. When you meet resistance, identify the source of the difficulty: distance, attack timing, movement reading or the lack of a suitable response.
5. Return to the same situation after making one change. This shows which decision actually improved the result.

This routine avoids a common beginner's mistake: blaming every failure on character level or equipment without examining the approach to the fight. The official description emphasizes attacking, dodging and exploiting weaknesses. Those are the first variables worth comparing.

Find a combat method you can read

The best starting choice is not the one presented as universal. It is the one that lets you read the situation and react without multiplying your decisions. Steam lists several families of actions; use them as a framework for testing your first encounters.

This comparison is more useful than making a definitive choice too early. A weapon or technique may feel comfortable in one situation and less clear in another. Keep a main method, while remaining flexible enough to test a different response when your first reading fails.

Explore without turning every detour into a task

The Steam page describes a world made up of open areas and large dungeons. That structure can tempt beginners to explore everything immediately. Set one simple objective per session instead: understand an area, check a combat method or reach a point that can serve as a landmark.

In an open area, observe the space before committing. Look for places where you can fight, reposition and read attacks at a workable distance. In a large dungeon, slow down further: the environment can reduce your margin for error, and a rushed decision teaches less than a controlled attempt.

Do not turn every detour into an obligation. If a situation blocks you, step back and test another approach in a more understandable space, then return with a precise question. Exploration becomes more productive without pretending that one route suits every player.

Three mistakes that slow down beginners

The first mistake is changing your method after every failure. You can no longer tell whether the problem came from the attack, the dodge, the distance or your reading of the opponent's weakness. Keep the same control setup and approach long enough to make a meaningful comparison.

The second is trying to use every possibility at once. The Steam page mentions weapons, spells and summons, but it does not say that you must combine everything from the start. Test one option, observe its effect, then add another only if it addresses a specific problem.

The third is confusing difficulty with a lack of information. When an encounter resists you, ask whether you are attacking too early, staying too close, refusing to dodge or failing to exploit a weakness. Each answer suggests a concrete adjustment; repeating the same attack only reproduces the same result.

Finally, do not neglect text readability. French is listed for the interface and subtitles, but not for the audio. Using a language you understand for written information reduces hesitation in the menus and keeps your attention on combat.

Learn solo before testing online modes

Steam lists single-player, online co-op and online PvP. For a first introduction, solo play is the clearest setting: you can repeat an action and observe its result without depending on another player. Once your controls are familiar, co-op can help you discover an encounter at a different pace.

PvP serves another purpose. It compares your decisions with those of a real player, but it is not the clearest tool for understanding every basic aspect of the game. Learn the controls and reactions in solo mode, then use the online modes when you already know which approach you want to test.

Check the key information before playing

The official Steam page remains the reference point for checking the title, application 1245620, Action/RPG genre, languages and online features. You can also check the latest jeu.video gaming news, the Articles section and the News page for upcoming content related to the games you play.

For information directly related to ELDEN RING, use the official ELDEN RING page on Steam. The cover artwork also comes from the official Steam CDN.

Frequently asked questions

To keep following the topic, also check our article on Hades II on PC: the best settings for smooth combat and our article on Green Hell on PC: cross-play with consoles.