Understanding how to level up in Elden Ring from Sites of Grace is an essential part of progression and mastering the Lands Between, and when you start playing Elden Ring you might at first be a bit bewildered at why there’s no apparent option to do so. Don’t worry – we can show you how to level up in Elden Ring below, and how it ties into the question of what to do with Melina’s accord in Elden Ring yet. Not sure who Melina is and what her accord has to do with anything? We can explain that too. Check out our guide below for everything you need to know about how to level up in Elden Ring, and become the best Tarnished you can be.
How to level up
How to level up in Elden Ring
As you play through Elden Ring, you’ll notice defeating enemies awards you with varying amounts of Runes – these Runes can be spent on boosting your individual character Attributes. However, this is not something you can do right off the bat in Elden Ring. After completing the tutorial, you must reach the Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace and rest there. The first time you do this, you’ll be forced into a cutscene, followed by some dialogue, where a maiden named Melina will make you an offer. Once you’ve decided what to do with Melina’s accord in Elden Ring and accept the offer, she grants you the ability to spend Runes you’ve accrued. She’ll also give you the Spectral Steed Whistle that allows you to summon Torrent – thanks, Melina!
Levelling up explained
Levelling up in Elden Ring explained
Now, you can rest at any Site of Grace that you’ve discovered and can spend your Runes to level up in Elden Ring. When you do rest at a Site of Grace, choose the option from the menu that says, ‘Level Up’. You’ll then be taken into a stats screen with lots of numbers. On this screen you’ll be able to see your:
- Character level
- Current Runes
- The Runes needed to reach the next level
- Your current Attribute Points
- All character stats that are affected by changes to your Attributes – this includes your total health (HP), Stamina, maximum Equip Load, and Attack Power.
You can scroll through the list of Attributes and allocate as many points as you have new levels. For example, if you have enough Runes to take you from level 18 to level 20, that’s two levels, so you’ll get two Attribute points to spend.
When you allocate a point into an Attribute, all character stats that are affected by the change will turn blue, indicating that they have been improved. You can add and remove Attribute points to see exactly how much each stat improves which will better inform your leveling up decisions. If you need more information, you can follow the in-game controls to see a simple view and get help boxes that have individual Elden Ring stats explained in more detail.
All Elden Ring Map Fragment locations
Interested in finding all the Elden Ring map fragments? Check our guide to become the greatest cartographer of the Lands Between!
Once you’ve allocated some Attribute points, confirm your choice and your character level, Attributes, and stats will all be permanently increased. You’ll keep any Runes that didn’t get spent so that you can save them for your next level too. While Elden Ring level up changes are permanent at first, you will be able to find a rare item further into the game called the Larval Tear that allows you to reallocate previously spent attribute points. If you’re interested in finding out more, check out our Elden Ring respec and Larval Tears page!
It’s also important to know that the required number of Runes for each level increases as you level up, so the higher your level, the more expensive each level is. Dying also causes you to drop your currently held Runes, and if you aren’t able to retrieve them and die again, they’re lost forever. Bosses will give you large amounts of Runes that will usually allow you to level up multiple times, but they’re rare, so you’ll explore the Lands Between to find some Elden Ring Rune farming locations to help you out.
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