The Stranded Graveyard, which is also referred to as the Cave of Knowledge, is the location of the beginning of the Elden Ring tutorial. It is the point at which every player will start their journey, irrespective of the class that they select. It is also not required in any way, as the actual tutorial can be accessed by descending a large pit using a grappling hook, or it can be avoided by going around the pit and climbing the stairs to an elevator that will take you to the region of Limgrave.
It is up to you to decide which way to go, but I would recommend that new players check out the cave first. More seasoned players of Souls can skip the tutorial altogether, as they will not gain much from completing it other than a few items, an emote, and some currency.
###Chapel of Anticipation
You will awaken in the Chapel of Anticipation after completing the creation of your chosen Tarnished, which includes selecting their physique, class, and starting keepsake. There are no foes to be found in the desolate and forgotten location; however, there is a dead maiden close to the entrance who is holding a Tarnished’s Wizened Finger. When you use this item, you will be able to bury messages in the ground that other players will be able to read.
When you leave the building through the main entrance, you will see an enormous glowing tree in the distance, and across a large gap, you will see a large castle silhouetted against the storm. Follow the path that leads to the balcony that looks out over the castle, and you will see some wooden scaffolding descending to the left.
You can cross a long rope bridge that leads further across the high peaks of the island from here. At the end of the bridge is a large statue of Marika, which is guarded by a boss.
Grafted Scion is one of those extremely difficult foes that From Software likes to throw at new players right off the bat so that they can die. If you weren’t sure, this is one of those enemies that you should know about. Painfully. You don’t even need to worry about defeating this boss, and you don’t even have any way to heal as it is, so enjoy your first taste of Elden Ring. You don’t even have any way to heal as it is.
After you have been vanquished, it is likely that your body will sink to the bottom of the ocean, where the tides will carry you to a new location, and a mysterious girl riding a horse will find you there.
You will wake up in the Stranded Graveyard, and there is a large cave to the right that acts as a sort of introduction to the game and its mechanics. It is a helpful way to orient yourself, become familiar with the game’s controls, and get a sneak peek at some of the new content that Elden Ring has in store for you.
###The Cave of Knowledge
As you descend into the cavern below, you will be given an introduction to the use of items. Keep in mind that in addition to the items that you can cycle through on your D-Pad, you can also assign items to a quick slot.
The Cave of Knowledge Site of Grace, which functions in Elden Ring in a manner analogous to a campfire, can be found just ahead. When you stop to rest at one of these locations, your health and FP flasks will be replenished, most of your defeated enemies will be brought back to life, and you will be able to assign magic spells and search your storage. By collecting Ashes of War, a brand-new feature of Elden Ring, players can now alter the time of day, equip new weapon skills, and scale the properties of their existing weapons.
You won’t have to travel very far to find some fairly submissive foes that will let you practise either your magic or your melee attacks, as well as locking on to and circling around targets. After you have finished them off, the path will lead upwards, and you will have the ability to jump whenever you want in order to ascend the steps and reach a larger cavern. You might be targeted by an enemy above, in which case you have the option of either firing back with magic or moving forward to get out of the enemy’s line of sight for the time being.
When you emerge from the large cavern, you will find another shielded foe. This may be a good opportunity to switch up your strategy and try something new, such as switching weapons or adopting a two-handed stance. You can accomplish this by pressing Triangle/Y and either R1 or L1 at the same time. When you use your weapons in a two-handed stance, you can get a lot more offensive power, which can help you break through tough defences. In some cases, it can even pierce the hide of tough enemies, which can cause weapons used with one hand to bounce off of them.
Because each weapon comes with a default skill that can enhance your abilities in exchange for FP, and these can often be customised for each weapon as you find Ashes of War, wielding a weapon in two hands is also the best way to activate Weapon Skills.
Once you have eliminated a few more of the undead, you will proceed across the bridge where the soldier from earlier was chasing you, and the path will lead you to a large cave that is full of vegetation. This is a good location to practise the new stealth mechanic that has been implemented.
You are able to sneak up on enemies by crouching down and making less noise than normal, or move unseen through dense underbrush or plants. This gives you the option to choose when to unleash a sneak attack from behind for additional damage, or escape without being seen.
You will eventually have the opportunity to experiment with charging up attacks while either on the ground or while jumping in order to put additional force behind your attack. This can be useful for breaking the stance of an opponent, which then enables you to follow up close with a critical strike.
You’ll find a Stake of Marika in the room that’s beyond this one. These can be used in place of a Site of Grace to function as a pseudo-respawn point. This means that when you die, you have the option to either return to the last site of grace you were at when you passed away or to a Stakes of Marika that is possibly located much closer to the location where you passed away. You will, however, not be able to rest at the Stakes, nor will you be able to use any of the features that the Sites of Grace have, so you will need to choose carefully.
###Boss Fight – Soldier of Godrick
This boss is less of an actual boss and more of a way for you to test out everything you’ve learned in the Cave of Knowledge. It’s a good opportunity to practise what you’ve learned. Don’t let the inflated health bar fool you; the Soldier of Godrick actually has very low health and, despite being more hostile than the majority of the enemies you’ve faced so far, won’t be around for very long.
You should think about utilising the Guard Counter move here because it enables you to perform a swift and decisive counter-attack when you press RT immediately after blocking an incoming attack. This is a good opportunity for you to take advantage of this move. This is not to be confused with the Parry weapon skill of the shield, which must be timed just right as an attack is about to land in order to deflect the blow and leave the opponent open for a critical strike. This is a separate and distinct ability. The Guard Counter requires you to keep block down until after the attack lands before striking back with a powerful blow. Because it requires a short wind-up and long swing, it is best utilised when you are aware that the enemy is not launching a series of hits, and it is not as effective when used against crowds.
If you use these attacks, the Soldier of Godrick will most likely fall in just a few blows; however, you must remember to block or dodge roll around his sweeping sword swings, and you must continue to deal damage to him until he either expires or his stance is broken and he is vulnerable to critical hits in order to finish him off.
The only reward you will receive for defeating this tutorial boss is a few hundred Runes, which are the currency of Elden Ring and are used to level up and purchase supplies. However, more will be discussed regarding this topic in the following paragraphs.
For the time being, you can leave the room, which will put you back where you started above the Cave of Knowledge. Furthermore, the Strength Emote will be waiting for you on the ledge directly above the exit to the room. You can drop down from here, then proceed through the doorway, up the stairs, and you will arrive at the Stranded Graveyard Site of Grace.
You may also see a body hanging from a high ledge at the back of the cave where you started. Although you won’t be able to reach the body from this location, if you continue to explore the world outside of the cave, you may come across another cave that takes you to the body.
After leaving the site of grace, continue straight ahead and take the elevator to exit this tutorial and move on to the first region in The Lands Between, which is called Limgrave.
The path that you take from this point forward is largely determined by you: You can run directly to the closest Legacy Dungeon by following the strands of light from the Sites of Grace that point like arrows to the east and then north towards Stormveil Castle. There is already a vast open world for you to explore. However, there is a lot to see and do before then, and you should probably do some exploring before going into the dangerous place because there is a lot to see and do before then. You can begin by familiarising yourself with the content of Things to Do First in Elden Ring, which includes How to Level Up and Get Your Mount. You should also consider acquiring some essential supplies from the merchant who resides not too far away at the Church of Elleh (and maybe steer clear of that imposing mounted knight nearby). You should also investigate the numerous small dungeons that are scattered across the landscape in Limgrave, as these places frequently conceal valuable items and treasure.
After that, you have the option of viewing our Overview Guide of West Limgrave, East Limgrave, and the Weeping Peninsula to the south, or you can risk venturing further north towards the ominous Stormveil Castle, which is the location of the first Legacy Dungeon.