Your first ten hours

1. Make a working character

Meet Melina, receive Torrent, and take the Limgrave map fragment near Gatefront. At the Gatefront ruins, retrieve the Whetstone Knife from the underground chest so you can change supported Ashes of War at a Site of Grace.

Vagabond starts with several equipped armaments and can be in heavy load. Unequip the spare Halberd or another item until the Status screen shows medium load. Every equipped slot counts, including items you are not currently holding.

2. Build a margin for mistakes

Explore Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula before demanding a win against Margit. Use Golden Seeds for flask charges and Sacred Tears at churches for stronger healing. Spend early levels on Vigor while meeting your chosen weapon’s requirements.

Explore Limgrave Tunnels for Smithing Stones. Choose one main weapon to upgrade rather than dividing the first few tiers between six weapons. A weapon upgrade usually gives an early character a clearer improvement than several damage-stat points.

3. Pick the branch that interests you

Samurai can keep Uchigatana. Bloodhound’s Fang comes from Darriwil in an evergaol. A caster can improve the starting staff and buy Sellen’s spells. These routes work before you can assemble a complete late-game loadout.

The Greatsword detour into Caelid is optional and dangerous. You can take the carriage chest and leave, but you still need its requirements and enough equipment capacity. Avoid interpreting an early pickup as an easy early build.

4. Progress when the setup works

Beat Margit and explore Stormveil when you can survive mistakes and deal consistent damage. Alternatively, the eastern cliff route around Stormveil reaches Liurnia; it does not complete the castle’s quests or rewards for you.

Raya Lucaria and Rennala unlock rebirth. After that, decide whether to keep your first plan or rebuild around a new weapon. The RL150 examples are destinations; early progress is built from the tools actually available.

Continue through the archive

BossMargit, the Fell OmenBossRennala, Queen of the Full MoonArmamentUchigatanaArmamentBloodhound’s FangField guideUpgrades, levels & rebirth