The Ultimate Elden Ring Location: Unleashing the Power Within

Highlights

Elden Ring is a great starting point for players new to the Soulslike genre, with its open world and more welcoming difficulty compared to other Souls titles.

Players in need of additional guidance in improving their combat skills should venture into the Tombsward Catacombs, located in the Weeping Peninsula of the Limgrave region. Serving as a minor dungeon, these catacombs provide a guided experience for novice players, featuring manageable foes, cunning traps, and enticing rewards. Concluding their exploration, players will face the Cemetery Shade boss, presenting a well-balanced challenge that assesses their grasp of fundamental strategies.

Elden Ring has quickly become the best-selling game from FromSoftware, surpassing all previous titles in record time. For many players, it serves as their introduction to the Soulslike genre. This game offers a favorable starting point with its open world, allowing players to take a break whenever the renowned difficulty of FromSoftware games becomes overwhelming. Additionally, the first area in Elden Ring is visually stunning and filled with peaceful wildlife, providing a more traditionally beautiful atmosphere. While challenging bosses are never far away, the overall experience is more inviting compared to other Souls titles.

The initial tutorial in Elden Ring also contributes to this player-friendly approach. Although it is not directly in the player's path like previous FromSoftware Souls tutorials, it is more concise and focused. While there is still much left for players to discover later on, the experience of navigating through a short and informative dungeon proves to be helpful. As players progress, they will continue to encounter new concepts for hours, but these small tutorial moments contribute to keeping their navigation and combat skills sharp. Similar tutorials can be found throughout the Limgrave region in Elden Ring, with one dungeon in the southern Weeping Peninsula effectively summarizing many of the game's important lessons.

Elden Ring's Tombsward Catacombs Are Hard To Miss

Players will eventually come across the Weeping Peninsula, located to the south of Elden Ring's starting point. This area appears to be designed for players to explore after encountering difficulty with Margit at the gates of Stormveil Castle. Castle Morne, a smaller but engaging dungeon, can be found at the southernmost part of the Peninsula. As players journey towards it, they will encounter a split in the path, with some players being led towards their first Minor Erdtree at the center of the Peninsula. Along the way, they will come across a peculiar statue that points towards the entrance of the Tombsward Catacombs, a short dungeon filled with skeletons. At nighttime, glowing jellyfish spirits illuminate the entrance, further emphasizing its location. Given the amount of guidance towards this minor dungeon, it is likely to serve as an important part of the early Elden Ring experience. Although the skeletons are easily defeated, they wield various weapons and require an additional strike to ensure a true kill. Additionally, players must disarm and use a flame trap to uncover a necessary lever, demonstrating the effectiveness of utilizing a dungeon's traps. With intriguing rewards and a seamless, fulfilling exploration, the experience of delving into this dungeon is both effortless and gratifying.

The Cemetery Shade Is An Excellent Early Boss

The Cemetery Shade at the end is the main event, notable for its unique and unsettling appearance, as well as its small health bar. It is specifically designed for beginners, with its chamber conveniently located in front of the Catacombs' entrance in case of failure. The Cemetery Shade is a shadowy, teleporting boss that primarily uses melee attacks, similar to another Tarnished enemy with dual swords. Its only ranged attack immobilizes the player momentarily for a grab, but this can be easily avoided or mitigated by hiding behind nearby pillars.

The Shade serves as a practical test for basic strategies. Holy enchantments are particularly effective in draining its health, but players can also succeed by adapting to its attack patterns and teleportation. Parrying and guard countering can quickly break its defense and create an opportunity for a powerful strike. Even those equipped with 100% physical-resistance shields must be mindful of their stamina and the potential for Bleed buildup. While the Cemetery Shade and Tombsward Catacombs are relatively easy, they serve as preparation for future challenges in Elden Ring. Defeating the Shade also rewards players with the remarkably powerful Spirit Ash for Lhutel the Headless, in case they require it. This extended tutorial may not benefit every player, but it will undoubtedly provide valuable assistance to newcomers.

Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.