The smoothest route through Elden Ring’s base game runs Limgrave, Stormveil Castle, Liurnia, Caelid, the Altus Plateau and Mt. Gelmir, then Leyndell, the Mountaintops of the Giants, the optional northern areas and finally Crumbling Farum Azula and the Ashen Capital. Below is that order region by region, with the main bosses, a target level and the questline steps worth doing while you are there.
Treat the levels as a pace guide rather than a difficulty rating: they reflect the runes and upgrade materials you will naturally have if you follow this order. The upgrade numbers refer to regular weapons. You can wander off this path at any point, but sticking close to it means fewer missed items and less backtracking. For a full list of what can be missed, see Missable Content.
Route at a glance
1. Limgrave (levels 1–20)
Buy the basics at the Church of Elleh, take the map and Whetstone Knife from Gatefront Ruins, and rest at graces until Melina gives you Torrent. Skip the Tree Sentinel for now. In the east, grab the Flask of Wondrous Physick at the Third Church of Marika, clear Fort Haight for the Dectus Medallion (Left), and beat the Tibia Mariner in Summonwater Village. Avoid the Rune Bears around Mistwood: loot and leave.
Quests: start Boc, Roderika, Varré, Alexander, D and Yura. Mages should find Sellen in Waypoint Ruins. Do the Finger Snap gesture to the howling wolf near Mistwood Ruins to meet Blaidd.
2. Weeping Peninsula (20–30)
Kill Flying Dragon Agheel at Lake Agheel (Torrent and spirit ashes help), climb Oridys’s Rise for a Memory Stone, collect the churches’ Sacred Tears and the Minor Erdtree’s Crystal Tears, then clear Castle Morne.
Quests: Irina and Edgar runs through Castle Morne. Help Blaidd against Bloodhound Knight Darriwil at the Forlorn Hound Evergaol.
3. Roundtable Hold and Stormveil Castle (30–40)
Beating Margit at the castle gate unlocks the Roundtable Hold. Talk to everyone there and upgrade your weapon as far as you can before going on. Inside Stormveil, take Gostoc’s side route, summon Nepheli for Godrick, then restore Godrick’s Great Rune at the Divine Tower of Limgrave.
Quests: Hewg and Roderika, Gurranq (Deathroot), Fia, Diallos, Gostoc, Nepheli and Rogier. Pick up the Chrysalids’ Memento in the castle for Roderika.
4. Liurnia and the Academy of Raya Lucaria (40–70)
South Liurnia (40–50) is about gathering: cookbooks, the Academy Scroll for Sellen, and the Academy Glintstone Key, which lies near Glintstone Dragon Smarag. You can grab it and run. The Academy (50–60) ends with the Red Wolf of Radagon and Rennala; beating her also opens Rebirth. East Liurnia holds Jarburg and the Church of Vows, where you can absolve NPCs you angered. West Liurnia (60–70) leads through the Village of the Albinaurics and Caria Manor (Royal Knight Loretta) to Ranni’s Rise.
Quests: Thops (give him the spare Academy key), Rya and Boggart, Patches, Latenna, Jar-Bairn, Hyetta, and Ranni. Do not miss Albus, the pot in the Village of the Albinaurics who holds the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right).
Careful: finishing Seluvis’s questline means betraying Ranni, and you would need an absolution at the Church of Vows to get her quest back.
5. Siofra and Ainsel rivers (50–70)
Ainsel River, reached from east Liurnia, is easy and full of Smithing Stones; its Dragonkin Soldier guards the end. Siofra River, reached through the well near Mistwood, asks you to light eight fire pillars before the Ancestor Spirit will appear, and has its own Dragonkin Soldier and a Golden Seed.
6. Caelid (60+)
Western Caelid is fine at this point; the east is tough, and Dragonbarrow in the north is best left until around level 80. Visit Sellia, then go to Redmane Castle for the festival and Radahn. Some players do the Altus Plateau before Caelid instead; both orders work.
Quests: speak to Alexander and Blaidd before the Radahn fight. Meet Gowry and Millicent near Sellia, and see Jerren about the festival.
7. Nokron, Deeproot Depths and the Lake of Rot (70–80+)
Radahn’s fall opens a crater near Mistwood leading down to Nokron. There you face the Mimic Tear and the Regal Ancestor Spirit, pick up the Fingerslayer Blade for Ranni, and clear the Valiant Gargoyles in the Siofra Aqueduct. Deeproot Depths brings Fia’s Champions and Lichdragon Fortissax. The Lake of Rot (80+) ends with Astel, which finishes the underground areas.
Quests: this stretch carries Ranni and Fia towards their endings, plus the second half of D’s story.
8. Altus Plateau (60+)
Climb up through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice from north Liurnia, or join both Dectus Medallion halves at the Grand Lift of Dectus. The right half sits in a chest atop Fort Faroth in Dragonbarrow. If you take the lift, Rya offers to take you to Volcano Manor; it is better to wait. Clear the Shaded Castle and gather the area’s flask upgrades.
Quests: Millicent continues here, and you meet Goldmask for Corhyn and Goldmask.
9. Mt. Gelmir and Volcano Manor (80+)
Fight the Magma Wyrm at Fort Laiedd, collect the Memory Stone and Comet Azur, then take on Volcano Manor.
Point of no return for quests: finish every Volcano Manor questline before you kill Rykard, or their rewards are locked until New Game Plus. See the Volcano Manor questline, Bernahl and Diallos.
10. Leyndell, Royal Capital (90–110)
Upgrade everything before you go in. Beat the Draconic Tree Sentinel to reach the capital, the golden shade of Godfrey at the Erdtree Sanctuary, and Morgott in the Queen’s Bedchamber. His fall removes the barrier in the outskirts and opens the road to the Forbidden Lands. The Sealed Tunnel in the outskirts gives a Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing.
Quests: give Boc his sewing tools and make his final choice, help Corhyn and Goldmask with the Golden Order Principia, and afterwards visit Godrick’s grace for Nepheli’s Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. Explore the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds now or later.
11. Forbidden Lands and Mountaintops of the Giants (90+)
Defeat the Black Blade Kindred and ride the Grand Lift of Rold up to the Mountaintops. Clear Castle Sol and the frozen lake, and gather the flask upgrades on the way to the Foot of the Forge.
Point of no return: after the Fire Giant, Melina at the Forge of the Giants sends you straight to Crumbling Farum Azula. Do the Consecrated Snowfield, Mohgwyn Palace and the Haligtree first if you want them.
12. Consecrated Snowfield and Mohgwyn Palace (90–100+)
Use both Haligtree Secret Medallion halves at the Grand Lift of Rold and choose the switch option to reach the Snowfield. A waygate there leads to Mohgwyn Palace and Mohg, Lord of Blood. Varré’s Pureblood Knight’s Medal also goes there, but the palace is hard if you use it early.
13. Miquella’s Haligtree (120+)
Through the Haligtree and Elphael you meet Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree, and at the very bottom Malenia. Millicent’s story ends here.
14. Crumbling Farum Azula (120+)
Expect the Godskin Duo, an optional Dragonlord Placidusax and the Beast Clergyman, who turns into Maliketh. This is the only place where Miquella’s Needle can remove the Flame of Frenzy. Bernahl may invade on the bridge if his quest is done.
Point of no return: defeating Maliketh sends you back to a burnt Leyndell, and the Roundtable Hold changes drastically. Clear the Shunning-Grounds and wrap up capital business before this fight.
15. Leyndell, Ashen Capital (150+)
Face Sir Gideon Ofnir, then Godfrey in the flesh, who becomes Hoarah Loux. Rest at the Elden Throne grace and step into the light for Radagon and the Elden Beast. Corhyn and Goldmask are found here for their last steps.
Careful: in the Shunning-Grounds, passing the Three Fingers’ door locks you into the Frenzied Flame ending unless you later use Miquella’s Needle. See Hyetta and the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending.
Choosing your ending
Which ending you can pick depends on the questlines you finished: Age of the Stars (Ranni), Age of the Duskborn (Fia), Age of Order (Corhyn and Goldmask), Blessing of Despair (Dung Eater), the Frenzied Flame, or the default Age of Fracture. Our Endings section has the details, and first-timers should start with the Beginner’s Guide.