Elden Ring Guide: Everything You Need for the Lands Between and the DLC

This is the map of everything Elden Ring throws at you, in the order you actually need it. The base game holds 308 weapons, 70 sorceries, 101 incantations, 91 Ashes of War, 96 talismans, 202 Sites of Grace and 238 bosses. Shadow of the Erdtree adds 70 more weapons plus 10 shields, 14 sorceries, 28 incantations, 25 Ashes of War, 39 talismans, 20 Spirit Ashes and 30 armour sets on top. Nobody sees all of it in one run. This page tells you which parts matter first, and links out to the deep guides for each.

If you are starting today, go to the Elden Ring beginner roadmap for a step-by-step first ten hours, then come back here as a reference.

Where the game is in 2026

Worth knowing before you buy or reinstall:

• Current balance state: regulation 1.16.1. There is no 1.17 or later — the base game’s balance has been stable for a while, which means build guides written against 1.16 are still accurate.
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. Shadow of the Erdtree is available on all of them.
• Elden Ring Tarnished Edition — the all-in-one Switch 2 release bundling the base game, Shadow of the Erdtree and extra classes, weapons and Torrent customisation — is dated 28 August 2026, delayed from an original 2025 window. The same extra content ships separately as the Tarnished Pack on the other platforms that day.
• Elden Ring Nightreign is a separate game, not a DLC. It reuses the setting but is its own standalone release with its own structure. If that is what you are after, start with our Nightreign beginner’s guide instead — nothing on this page applies to it.

Learning the ropes

Character creation

You pick a starting Class — Samurai, Bandit, Hero, Astrologer and so on. It genuinely does not matter past the first few hours. Classes only set your starting stats and kit; you can build in any direction from any of them, and you can respec entirely at Rennala once you reach Raya Lucaria. Appearance is changeable from the Roundtable Hold. Pick the one whose starting weapon looks fun and move on.

Related: how to level up · max character level · how to respec

The regions

The Lands Between splits into roughly 10 to 14 areas depending on how you count the underground. The main sweep:

• Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula
• Liurnia of the Lakes
• Caelid
• Altus Plateau
• Mountaintops of the Giants
• Consecrated Snowfield
• Crumbling Farum Azula
• Miquella’s Haligtree (optional, brutal)

Shadow of the Erdtree adds the Realm of Shadow as a separate land mass — Gravesite Plain, Scadu Altus, the Abyssal Woods, Jagged Peak, the Ancient Ruins of Rauh and Enir-Ilim. It is roughly Limgrave-sized in surface area but far denser.

See also: where Elden Ring takes place · reaching Miquella’s Haligtree

Sites of Grace

There are 202 Sites of Grace in the base game — the equivalent of Dark Souls bonfires. Unlike older FromSoftware games you can fast travel to any Site you have already lit, from almost anywhere. Rest to refill flasks, level up, respawn enemies and swap Physick contents. The golden guidance beams that point out of some Sites indicate the direction of main-story progression; follow them when lost.

Stats and builds

Eight attributes: Vigor, Mind, Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith and Arcane. The one piece of advice that applies to every build in the game is level Vigor early and level it more than you think. Forty is a floor for the mid-game; fifty is where the game stops one-shotting you.

Armour mostly affects defence and poise, with occasional passive effects. Talismans — 96 of them in the base game, plus 39 in the DLC — carry the real build-defining bonuses, from flat stat increases to damage-on-successive-hits effects.

Weapons, spells and Ashes of War

The base game’s 308 weapons, 70 sorceries and 101 incantations are already more than any single playthrough can cover, and every infusable weapon can take one of 91 Ashes of War on top. The DLC pushes those to roughly 388 weapons (plus 10 new shields), 84 sorceries, 129 incantations and 116 Ashes of War.

Upgrading uses Smithing Stones in ascending ranks; unique weapons use Somber Smithing Stones instead and cannot be infused. Do not spread upgrade materials across five weapons early — pick one and take it to +6 or better before branching.

Related: best weapons · best spells · best Dexterity weapons · where to get Bloodhound Step · how to parry · two-handing weapons

For build direction, our four samurai builds and power stance dual-wielding guide both cover current-patch stat spreads and DLC gear.

Spirit Ashes

Summonable allies, unlocked with the Spirit Calling Bell from the Church of Elleh in Limgrave. Several are stronger than you are, and using them is not cheating — the game is balanced around them being available. Upgrade them at Roderika.

Related: upgrading Spirit Ashes · best Spirit Ashes

Torrent

Your horse, and the reason the map is traversable. Double-jump on Torrent clears cliffs that look impassable, and the spectral springs launch you up entire mountainsides. Get him early — see how to summon your horse.

Multiplayer

Co-op summoning, invasions and duels are all here, gated by Furlcalling Finger Remedies and summon signs. Related: is Elden Ring multiplayer · is it cross-platform · the best Elden Ring mods

Collectibles that matter

Map Fragments

Each region’s map starts blank. Map Fragments — marked by obelisk icons — reveal the whole layout. Grab a region’s fragment before doing anything else there.

Great Runes

Dropped by Shardbearer demigods. Each must be restored at a Divine Tower before it works, and then activated with a Rune Arc for a temporary buff that lasts until you die.

Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears

Golden Seeds increase the number of flask uses and sit near golden Erdtree saplings. Sacred Tears increase how much each flask restores and are found in churches. Both are permanent, both are the highest-value collectible in the game, and both are worth detouring for every time.

Crystal Tears

Added to the Flask of Wondrous Physick, obtained from the Third Church of Marika in Limgrave. One use per rest, but you slot any two Crystal Tears you like — this is your per-boss customisation tool, and most hard fights have a Physick mix that meaningfully helps.

Progression: the to-do list

The main story

There are no quest markers. The short version: beat two Shardbearers to gain access to Leyndell, then follow the story to Farum Azula and the final fight. Our Elden Ring boss order guide lays out the full route, including the DLC.

Related: how long to beat Elden Ring · how to beat Malenia · hardest bosses

Legacy Dungeons

The largest, densest areas, each ending in a major boss. Six in the base game:

• Stormveil Castle
• Academy of Raya Lucaria
• Leyndell, Royal Capital
• Volcano Manor (optional)
• Miquella’s Haligtree (optional)
• Crumbling Farum Azula

The DLC adds Belurat Tower Settlement, Castle Ensis, Shadow Keep, Enir-Ilim and the semi-legacy Midra’s Manse.

NPC questlines

Elden Ring’s quests move when you do, and NPCs vanish permanently if you progress the world too far. Talk to everyone twice, and check back after every major boss.

Related: Ranni · Millicent · Alexander · Sellen

Endings

Six endings, most gated behind questlines you must not accidentally lock out. Full walkthrough: how to achieve all Elden Ring endings.

Shadow of the Erdtree: what you need to know

The DLC is not a bolt-on area — it is a second game’s worth of content with its own progression rules.

How to get in

Two requirements, then one interaction:

1. Defeat Starscourge Radahn in Redmane Castle, Caelid.
2. Defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood in Mohgwyn Palace — optional in the base game, mandatory for the DLC.
3. Interact with Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Palace. That is the permanent warp point into the Realm of Shadow.

Scadutree Blessings — the thing that actually sets difficulty

Your rune level barely matters inside the DLC. Two DLC-only systems do:

• Scadutree Fragments raise your damage dealt and damage negation in the Realm of Shadow only.
• Revered Spirit Ashes do the same for your Spirit Ashes and spectral Torrent.

A level 150 character at Scadutree +0 will be flattened by fights that are fair at +10. If a DLC boss feels impossible, the intended response is to go exploring and collect more Fragments, not to grind runes or respec. Rough guidance: +5-7 for Rellana, +10 or higher for Messmer, +13 or more for Romina and the final stretch.

Curious about the story side? Our piece on the cut Miquella scene reframes a good deal of the DLC’s narrative.

FAQ

Do I need Shadow of the Erdtree?

Not to finish the base game or see any of its six endings. But it is genuinely enormous — around 70 new weapons, 42 new spells, 39 talismans and a full new land mass — and it is where most current build guides now point. Get it after your first playthrough, not before.

Is the base game still being patched?

Balance-wise it has settled. Regulation 1.16.1 remains the latest official version, which is good news for build planning — nothing you invest in is about to be rebalanced out from under you.

Should I play Nightreign instead?

Only if you want a different game. Nightreign is a standalone release set in the same world with a completely different structure. It is not a sequel to this experience and none of the progression here carries over.

What level should I be for the DLC?

Around 120-150 with a fully upgraded weapon is the common recommendation, but Scadutree level matters far more than rune level. Enter early, explore the opening region, and collect Fragments before pushing bosses.

How long is Elden Ring?

Roughly 60 hours for a focused main-story run, 100 to 130 for a thorough first playthrough, and another 30 or more for the DLC. See how long to beat Elden Ring for the breakdown.

Everything else we have written on the game lives on the Elden Ring hub — bookmark that and this page, and come back whenever the Lands Between stops making sense.

Content counts sourced from Fextralife’s base-game and DLC tallies. Verified against regulation 1.16.1, July 2026.