The Guides Elden Ring

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition — Nintendo Switch 2

Elden Ring — The Tarnished's Codex

Mage Builds · Sorcery · Bosses · Missables · New Game+

Covers base game + Shadow of the Erdtree · Patch 1.16 · Updated June 2026 · Image © Bandai Namco / FromSoftware

What Is Elden Ring?

Elden Ring is an open-world action RPG from FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin. You play as a Tarnished — an exile stripped of grace — who returns to the Lands Between seeking to claim the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord. What awaits you is a shattered world torn apart by the Shattering, ruled by demigods wielding fragments of the Elden Ring's power, each one a boss that will test everything you know about combat.

The game has no waypoints, minimal hand-holding, and a world that rewards exploration over rushing. Every cave, tower, and ruin holds something — gear, lore, spells, or one of the dozens of optional bosses that FromSoftware packed into the margins. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (2024) adds a full second continent — the Shadow Realm — with new bosses, weapons, and an entirely new sorcery lineage.

WizardsTower specializes in the sorcerer and mage playstyle — the Astrologer lineage, Intelligence scaling, and the vast catalog of sorceries that let you reshape fights from range. If you want to hurl comets, summon full moons, and channel crystalline star-fire from the Academy of Raya Lucaria, you are in the right place.

Core Systems at a Glance

SystemHow it worksWhere to learn more
Attributes Eight stats define your character: Vigor (HP), Mind (FP), Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, Arcane. Most weapons and spells scale with one or two of these. Soft caps mean the first 40-60 points in a stat matter most. Getting Started →
Sorceries Intelligence-scaling spells cast with a staff. Over 90 sorceries in the base game, dozens more in the DLC — from basic Glintstone projectiles to gravity magic, full-moon spells, and crystalline formations. The deepest magic system in any FromSoftware game. Sorcery Guide →
Spirit Ashes Summoned allies — spectral creatures ranging from wolves to a full doppelgänger of yourself (Mimic Tear). Essential for sorcerers who need a front-line distraction. You can only summon near a Rebirth Monument (indicated on screen). Mage Build →
Runes The currency of the Lands Between — earned from kills, used for leveling and shopping. You lose your runes on death but can recover them from your bloodstain. Lose them twice and they're gone. Rune Arcs permanently activate your Great Rune until you die. Getting Started →
Sites of Grace Checkpoints scattered across the world. Resting refills your Flasks (and respawns enemies), lets you level up, and saves your position. Their golden beams sometimes point toward the next recommended objective. Getting Started →
Elden Ring's learning curve is front-loaded. The first ten hours — learning to read attack windows, manage stamina, and use your Spirit Ash intelligently — are the hardest. After that, the game's systems click and each new boss becomes a puzzle you have the tools to solve.

Guide Sections

New to the Lands Between?

Start with the Getting Started guide. It covers class selection, the three keepsake choices worth considering, how to survive the opening hours in Limgrave, and the things the game deliberately never tells you.

If you've decided to play a mage — or you're curious why sorcery is consistently one of the most powerful builds in the game — go directly to the Mage Build guide. It walks the full Astrologer progression from level 1 through endgame, including the three staff upgrades that define each phase of a sorcerer's power curve.

Already in the game and stuck on a boss? Head to the Boss Guide. Worried you've locked yourself out of content? The Missables guide covers every point of no return in both the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree.

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