FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Vagabond is the best choice for beginners — highest starting Vigor (HP) and solid melee stats. Samurai is great if you want a bleed-focused playstyle. Astrologer for magic. Avoid Wretch unless you want a challenge.

Follow the golden guidance lines from Sites of Grace toward Stormveil Castle, but explore Limgrave fully first. Visit the Church of Elleh, get Torrent from Melina, and explore the Weeping Peninsula (south) for easy Sacred Tears and Golden Seeds.

Soft Cap: The point where stat scaling becomes less efficient. For Vigor, it's 40. Hard Cap: The point where scaling becomes nearly worthless. For Vigor, it's 60. Check the Characters page for all stat caps.

Weapon upgrade level matters more than character level. A +12 weapon at level 40 outperforms a +3 weapon at level 80. Find Smithing Stones in mines and tunnels. Also check your weapon scaling — level the stat that gives the highest letter grade (S > A > B > C).

Hold Y/Triangle + RB/R1 to two-hand your right weapon. This multiplies your effective Strength by 1.5x. At 66 STR, two-handing gives 99 effective STR — the maximum scaling benefit.

Mimic Tear +10 is the best overall — it duplicates your entire build and gear. Obtain it in Nokron after defeating Radahn. For early game, Jellyfish (tanky, poisons) or Lone Wolf (splits aggro) are solid choices.

Yes! After defeating Rennala in Raya Lucaria Academy, you can "rebirth" using Larval Tears. There are ~18 Larval Tears per playthrough, so experiment freely with different builds.

Rest at a Site of Grace and select "Level Up." You need Runes (XP) which are dropped by enemies and bosses. If you die, you drop your runes at your death location. Die again before retrieving them and they're lost forever.

Find Map Steles — stone obelisks on main roads. They glow and have a map icon. Interact with them to reveal the region map. Each major region has its own fragment.

Those are Golden Runes — consumable items that give Runes when used. Pick them up and use them from your inventory. Higher numbers = more runes. Golden Rune [1] = 200 runes, Golden Rune [13] = 10,000 runes.

Rest at a Site of Grace to unlock it as a fast travel point. Open the map and select any discovered Site of Grace to teleport. You cannot fast travel while in combat, inside most dungeons, or during co-op.

1. Both players set the same Multiplayer Password in the menu.
2. The host uses a Furlcalling Finger Remedy to see summon signs.
3. The friend places a sign with the Tarnished's Furled Finger.
4. The host summons the friend.

Note: Co-op partners are sent home after the area boss is defeated.

You need to use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy (craftable with Erdleaf Flowers). Also, your weapon upgrade level and character level affect matchmaking. If you're too high level or have a +25 weapon, you won't see low-level signs.

No! Every boss can be overcome with the right approach:

• Explore other areas and come back overleveled
• Upgrade your weapon — this matters more than levels
• Use Spirit Ashes to split enemy attention
• Summon co-op help — the community is very active
• Learn the boss patterns — every attack is telegraphed
• Check our Boss Strategies for specific tactics

Death is part of the learning process. Even veteran players die 50+ times to Malenia.

• Early: Vulgar Militia near Bestial Sanctum (Caelid) — ~1,000 runes each, accessible via Limgrave portal
• Mid: Greyoll's Dragonbarrow — kill the sleeping dragon with bleed for ~80,000 runes
• Late: Mohgwyn Palace — bird farm with a bow (~40,000 runes per minute)