Character Creation for Elden Ring allows players to fully shape and customize their character. When creating a character, you are able to define a wide variety of features, ranging from its voice and face structure, to gamestyle-defining characteristics like its Class.
Elden Ring features a Rebirth mechanic that allows you to Respec your character. You can unlock this function by defeating Rennala Queen of the Full Moon. Once defeated, you'll be able to trade Larval Tears for a Respec. Please visit the Rebirth Page for more information on how to respec your character.
Character Creation in Elden Ring
In Elden Ring, you have the option to choose your character's Name, Body Type (Male/Female), Age, Class, Keepsake and tweak its physical appearance. Additionally, you have the option to choose among 10 character presets under "Base Templates". In this page you'll find a comprehensive description of what these attributes do and how they work.
What is the Best Class in Elden Ring?
Regardless of the type of character you choose, any Class allows you to complete your journey through The Lands Between. You should pick your character class based on the playstyle that best suits you, as combat styles greatly vary since the early stages of the game and these differences intensify throughout the game. That said, some classes provide an easier start. The recommended classes for beginners are Vagabond due to the straightforward starting gear and good stats for a melee focused playstyle, and Samurai as it starts with a Longbow and a good amount of arrows, and an Uchigatana which is a very good bleed weapon. For those looking for a magic casting class, the Astrologer is a strong beginner option with its focus in sorcery type magic.
Can I respec my Character in Elden Ring?
Yes, you will be able to reallocate your character's stat points once you have the ability to do so. In addition to learning the skill, you will be required to turn in a rare item in exchange for reallocating points. You will be able to get the ability to respec your character during your playthrough. Please visit the Rebirth Page for more information on how to respec your character.
Who do we play as in Elden Ring?
In Elden Ring, the players explore as a chracter is known as a Tarnished, part of a tribe that once lived in the Lands Between until they were expelled from the kingdom. The characters can be modeled to many different appearances during character creation and can be sorted into different Classes. The Tarnished are known as a group of outcasts who were once exiled. They return and rise to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between, which is where the gameplay main storyline begins. According to legend, they have been promised the Elden Lordship.
The Tarnished
In the opening of the official reveal trailer that was presented in E3 2021, we see a softly spoken, hooded woman saying "The Tarnished, will soon return." The question is, who and what is The Tarnished? Simply put, you are the Tarnished. As the player, you are one of the Tarnished that have been exiled upon losing their blessing of Grace granted by the Elden Ring and the Erdtree, a tree that hosts source and life of The Lands Between. Very much like previous Souls games, where you are the Chosen Undead or the Ashen One. After the shattering of the Elden Ring, you are then called back by this lost Grace to The Lands Between, along with other Tarnished to recover the shards of the Elden Ring, to make them whole once again, and to become the Elden Lord of The Lands Between.
Create Character Screen
Base Attributes
The first basic attribute to define in the main Character Creation window is Name, followed by the "Body Type" option, in which the sex of your character is chosen. This is done by selecting between two options: "Type A" (Male) and "Type B" (Female).
Next you can select you character's apparent Age: Young, Mature or Aged. Here the game explains that this option "only affects appearance" and "has no bearing on ability".
At the main Character Creation window, you are also able to preview both the initial Stats for your character, as well as the appearance of the character itself. You can zoom in or out and rotate your character's model for further examination.
Elden Ring Character Appearance
Besides Body Type and Age, there are two other sections to further shape the character's appearance: "Choose Base Template" and "Detailed Appearance". The first one provides 10 different appearance presets to choose from. Even though each is displayed with a brief description, this is not a background for the character, but more of a description of represented type of character.
The second section accesses the "Detailed Appearance" sub-menu. Here, a wide variety of appearance-defining controls are available for players to tweak the aspect of their character. It also offers options to save and recall custom presets.
Choose Base Template
"Choose Base Template" offers 10 different pre-set character appearances to set the starting point of your aesthetics customization process. These provide a wide range of varying traits such as hairstyle, skin color and body shape. Each template is displayed with a description of the intended type of descendance. However, note that this is not a background for the character itself, it doesn't reflect any narrative arc and won't affect gameplay.
ยงAvailable templates
Detailed Appearance
This section offers a variety of controls to tweak the aspect of the character. These options are divided in 5 groups: Age, Voice, Alter Skin Color, Alter Face & Hair and Alter Body.
It also offers options to save custom presets by selecting "Save to Favorites" and recall them using "Load Favorite".
Alter Skin Color
This tab allows you to modify the skin color of your character, either from a "Preset Colors" palette or by fine-tuning it with the "Adjust Color" option, which gives an even deeper control on skin tone.
The color of the skin is applied on top of the selected Base Template, and "Temporary Colors" can be stored.
details on the adjust color menu and functionality.
Alter Face & Hair
In the "Alter Face & Hair" menu, you will come across 11 more options to further manipulate specific parts of the character's face and hair. These are:
- Adjust Face Template: Select among a variety of pre-set faces.
- Face Structure: Modify the shape of the face with dedicated controls.
- Hair: Modify the character's hairstyle. (Five new hairstyles added with Colosseum update.)
- Eyebrows: Alter diverse properties of the eyebrows of the character.
- Facial Hair: Tweak parameters for the character's facial hair, i.e. beards or mustaches.
- Eyelashes: Controls for modifying different eyelashes parameters.
- Eyes: Modify various parameters for your character's eyes. Includes unlockable Eye Alteration setting.
- Skin Features: Fine-tune the skin of the character by adding and modifying skin details.
- Cosmetics: Choose among several different cosmetic add-ons.
- Tattoo/Mark/Eyepatch: Add a Tattoo, Mark or an Eyepatch to your character.
- Similar Face: Generate similar faces.
Alter Body
This tab allows you to modify the proportions of your character and some other cosmetic body-wide settings. List of settings:
- Head: Adjust size of head body part.
- Chest: Adjust size of the upper body area.
- Abdomen: Adjust size of the lower body area.
- Legs: Adjust leg thickness.
- Body Hair: Adjust abundance of body hair.
- Body Hair Color: Adjust the color of Body Hair.
- Musculature: Choose between Standard and Muscular options.
- Burn Marks: Skin alteration akin to hollowing in the Dark Souls series that can be turned on and off. Option appears after meeting the Three Fingers.
Elden Ring Keepsakes
Keepsakes in Elden Ring are optional pieces of equipment available to the player at Character Creation, granting additional strength at the start of one's journey. There are nine Keepsakes to choose from, but players may opt to start the game without one. This page covers their names, descriptions, usages, and recommendations for which to take.
All Keepsakes are obtainable later in the game, some near immediately, meaning that you can safely make your choice for the early-game.
Elden Ring Keepsakes
Name | Description | Usage |
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No keepsake. The past has been well and truly left behind. | - |
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A medallion inlaid with crimson amber. Increase maximum HP. | Talisman While equipped, increases max HP by 6% |
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The gold of grace shining in the eyes of the people of the Lands Between. Use to gain many runes. | Consumable Item Used to gain 3000 Runes |
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A golden seed washed ashore from the Lands Between. Said to reinforce Sacred flasks. | Upgrade Material Grants an additional charge for your Sacred Flasks, providing extra HP or FP restoration. |
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The ashes of small, diminutive golems. Ashes are said to hold spirits within. | Spirit Ash Summon two Fanged Imps to fight by your side |
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Three strange cracked pots that somehow mend themselves. A container for certain thrown items. | Container Used to craft certain Throwing Pots |
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Two stone keys shaped like swords. Breaks the seal on imp statues, but can only be used once. | Key Item Used to unlock areas gated by imp statutes |
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Five sacred branches charged with beguiling power. Said to originate from the demigod Miquella. | Consumable Item Used to pierce enemies, turning them into an ally for 3 minutes |
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Five pieces of boiled prawn. Boosts physical damage negation. | Consumable Item Used to boost Physical Damage negation for 1 minute |
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The crazed likeness of a noble whose eyes have been gouged out. Attracts enemies' aggression. | Talisman While equipped, constantly attract enemies' attention |
Recommended Keepsakes in Elden Ring
Keepsakes provide an opportunity for a personalized early-game advantage. Below are reasons for taking some of the more popular among them:
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Lands Between Rune - An instant 3000 Runes. Allows for early level-ups or Merchant purchases.
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Golden Seed - Grants an additional charge for your Sacred Flasks, providing extra HP or FP restoration.
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Fanged Imp Ashes - A duo of Fanged Imps that can deal significant damage to high health targets using attacks which inflict Blood Loss.
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Stonesword Key - Gain early access to areas gated by imp statues. These keys are readily purchasable, but at a starting price of 2000 Runes.
Not Recommended Keepsakes in Elden Ring
While Keepsakes will not have a significant impact on your overall experience, below are reasons why some fall short of a recommendation:
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Crimson Amber Medallion - Relatively minor health increase. Readily purchasable for 1500 Runes.
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Cracked Pot - Used to craft throwing pots, but requires Cookbooks for greater variety and collecting Materials for consistent use. Three are readily purchasable for 300 Runes each.
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Bewitching Branch - Inconsistent against different types of enemies, and limited quantity.
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Boiled Prawn - Fair damage negation and duration, but their limited quantity can make players hesitant to use them at the right time, if at all.
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Shabriri's Woe - Generating enmity can be situationally powerful. However, its strengths are better explored when players are more familiar with the available summons and Spirit Ashes.
Choosing a Class in Elden Ring
When you begin the game, you'll be able to choose from one of 10 classes. The choice you make affects the equipment with which you begin your adventure.
Each class has its own starting equipment and items.
Classes for Elden Ring are the combat archetypes available at Character Creation. Choosing a class determines the player's base Stats and the Equipment they start with. This page covers each class, their attribute point allocation, and equipment. In addition, this page also covers classes which were only available during the Network Test.
Elden Ring Classes Overview
Who should I start with in Elden ring?
Well-rounded Classes are recommended for players starting out with Elden Ring. Beginners will have to decide what playstyle they have, how they want to approach the game, and then how they want to Build their character later on. Each Class also comes with a set of starting equipment that can later be acquired through regular gameplay, so the most important things to consider are each Classes' Stats and strengths. Consider which kinds of Weapons or Equipment you prefer and then create a build that best suits when you prefer Melee, Ranged or Magic Combat. Players have created their own recommended Builds suitable for beginners or players with an Attribute in mind. Try out-ready made Builds for beginners or for players who want to try something new, then make modifications and switch out different equipment pieces to better fit your style. Find the best Builds here.
- Melee Vagabond: The ideal starting class for melee fighters and beginners due to its well-rounded nature and highest Vigor, giving new players the highest health pool to begin the game.
- Hybrid Casting Confessor: This class focuses on DEX and Faith making you a hybrid caster. Good for Magic beginners.
- High END Samurai: Samurai is a lot of people's favorite starting class because of its great starting Weapon, which gives you an advantage at the start of the game, and you start of with great Endurance.
- Magic Caster Astrologer: For those who want to focus on Magic and Sorcery
- Aggressive Warrior: A bleed-focused Build has been made for beginners who want to play aggressively. New players to this classes can try and make modifications to the existing Bloodblade Build.
Elden Ring Classes Guide
Elden Ring Classes Comparison
This table is useful tool for identifying the relative strengths and weaknesses of Elden Ring's starting classes:
Class | LVL | VIG | MND | END | STR | DEX | INT | FTH | ARC | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hero |
7 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 86 |
Bandit |
5 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 84 |
Astrologer |
6 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 85 |
Warrior |
8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 87 |
Prisoner |
9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 88 |
Confessor |
10 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 89 |
Wretch |
1 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 80 |
Vagabond |
9 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 88 |
Prophet |
7 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 86 |
Samurai |
9 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 88 |
Although some classes may have higher or lower total points than other classes, their levels are also varied. By 10th level, every class will have 89 points.
Elden Ring Classes Starting Equipment
Class |
Weapons/Items | Armor |
Astrologer |
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Bandit |
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Confessor |
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Hero |
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Prisoner |
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Prophet |
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Samurai |
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Vagabond |
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Warrior |
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Wretch |
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Stats Identifier
These are the Stats symbols for the game, representing the many attributes the player will spend Runes to level up and improve performance.
Network Test Classes
These were the Elden Ring Classes available on the Closed Network Test
- Anonymous
Any tips for making characters look like someone from another game
- Anonymous
This character creation is miles ahead of lords of the fallen because it actually let's you make a cute femboy
- Anonymous
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Guide for character creation when you've already beaten the game and got everything on your main character:
1. Think up a fun build / theme based around something you didn't try already.
2. Spend ages on tweaking every little face detail (again).
3. Fail to think up a name for your character ("I'll come back to that" - no you won't).
4. Set out into the world to collect the required stuff to build your new themed toon with.
5. Quickly realise that staying in character is going to be the opposite of fun since your options are so limited.
6. Die trying to fetch stuff. A lot.
7. FINALLY GET THE MAIN SPELL / WEAPON THAT MAKES IT ALL WORK WOOO!
8. Realise that the thing you played with as a curiosity on your main and were hoping to rely on to make this whole build viable is actually a terrible choice for a centerpiece - not enough damage on lower-levelled toon / too clunky / too high requirements / too easily bonked out of attack animation windup etc.
9. Lose interest, go back to main character, delete new toon a month later, having forgotten why you made it.
10. Remember why meta-slaves are such a feature in Souls games. Consider becoming one yourself.
11. Remember that becoming a meta-slave would be even worse than trying infinite terrible builds and do it all again with a new, no doubt even worse idea. I REGRET NOTHING :P
- Anonymous
New to Souls games. Couldn't decide on a class. Chose Samurai because it's the name of my favorite band.
- Anonymous
here to say that the aristcrat preset looks like the somebody that i used to know guy
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what does everyone mean by "only male and transitioning to male"? theres plenty of feminine options and masculine options for voice, hair, makeup, and clothes. kinda sad that I can't but an A-voice on a B character or vice versa, I want to make a man who is not buff but it simply isn't an option without wrinkling him.
- Anonymous
Slightly incorrect on the class comparison. Add the attribute values together then subtract the level, not add - they all come out at a flat base of 79 points regardless of class. Just worry about optimal spread, no class has bonus attribute points.
- Anonymous
Any suggestions on making a bleed frostbite build, im lvl 31-32 and has beat margret
- Anonymous
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My take:
Hero - Numen
Bandit - Warrior
Astrologer - Loner
Warrior - Draconian
Prisoner - Aristocrat
Confessor - Nightfolk
Wretch - Northerner
Vagabond - Seafarer
Prophet - Truth-seeker
Samurai - Reedlander
- Anonymous
Warrior=Warrior
Truthseeker=Prophet
Aristocrat=Prisoner
Loner=Hero
Northerner=Astrologer
Seafarer=Vagabond
Reedlander=Samurai
Draconian=Bandit
Nightfolk=Confessor
Numen=Wretch
Your opinion?
- Anonymous
I wish you could put tattoos on your body and not only your face
- Anonymous
Go ahead and do yourself a favor and set chin depth to around 200. I have never seen a person in real life with such a recessed chin like some of these presets that wasn't horribly injured in some way.
- Anonymous
Wow. Fromsoftware went all out on the Loner character and lore theorists.
- Anonymous
Need a way to choose between the unlocked options for eye alterations, doesn't make much sense for me to be stuck with mohg eyes after I've killed mohg and then ate over 6 more dragon hearts trying to get dragon eyes back. Frenzy eyes seem to take priority over both other eye alterations, and in my opinion are preferable to mohg eyes at least. But I think mohg eyes just make you look really sick, should've had a more bloodflame look
- Anonymous
Wish we could have had dreadlocks to give me more options for people trying to make characters of African, Greek, or even Indian descent.
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Can anyone help me with the settings for a female face that doesn't look creepy? No matter how much I tweak my characters they always look like serial killers
- Anonymous
the amount of raw masculine energy in the buff male is just-
- Anonymous
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Average ranni/melina is my favorite waifu fan vs average my own character is my favorite waifu enjoyer
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Can I get some clean pictures for the different hairstyles and facial hair? Before buying I want to make sure I can make my character have same bushy mustache as I do.
- Anonymous
You also get to choose a voice which can alter the screams when you die. And die. And die.
- Anonymous
idk if this is intended or not but the mature voice 1 preview or the one you heard in the character creator is really different than what you actually hear when you go into the world
- Anonymous
i just want to say bowl cut the haircut sucks im sorry but ewww who looks good in a bowl cut
- Anonymous
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When altering my appearance with the mirror or Renala, I can not see my face changing when using the sliders. Is there any way to solve this?
- Anonymous
Burn Marks applies a -10 Lightning and +10 Fire defense/damage negation effect.
- Anonymous
Hero - Hp Tali - Loner
Warrior - Seed - Numen
Vagabond - Woe - Seafarer
Confessor - Runes - Northerner
Prophet - Truth-seeker - Stone Keys
Astrologist - Aristocrat - Imps
Bandit - Nightfolk - Pot
Prisoner - Draconian - Branch
Samurai - Reedlander - Prawn
- Anonymous
why all of you Body Type B-ist said "kill all Body Type As"
please stop harassing me I'm just a normal handsome Body Type A looking for Body Type B because I didn't have any Body Type B as my BodyTypeBfriend yet
- Anonymous
Such a diverse character creator: Male or transitioning to male. Great job, From.
- Anonymous
Add a note about eye alterations. The option only appears after you do something during the playthrough that causes your eyes turn change color/look. You can turn it on or off
- Anonymous
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Youtube channel Soulssliders has plenty of sliders. People have said you can use DS3 sliders in Elden Ring. 300+ options there.
- Anonymous
NEW CONFIRMED DLC LEAKS AS OF 3/8/24
* 22 new body types
* TWO new hairstyles
* New starting class: Outer God - all stats set to 99 but you take on a ghostly incorporeal form unable to interact with any item in the game
* New base template: a giant human foot
* Two new keepsakes: one is a to-scale human pelvic bone that serves no purpose and the other is a milkshake that bring all the boys to the yard
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