Leveling up in Elden Ring is an essential aspect of character progression, allowing players to increase their stats and become more formidable in the game’s challenging world. While some players may attempt to complete the game without leveling up, most will want to farm the Runes needed to level up their character as quickly as possible. Fortunately, earning Runes in Elden Ring is not overly difficult, and with some strategic planning, players can optimize their leveling process to enhance their character’s power.
To level up in Elden Ring, players need to visit three Sites of Grace in the game’s open-world, excluding Sites of Grace in dungeons. Once they reach the third Site of Grace, they will be approached by an NPC named Melina, who will enable them to level up their character. From that point on, players can level up by visiting any Site of Grace at their convenience. Some players have reported that they were only able to see Melina after visiting the Gatefront Site of Grace, while others have encountered her at the Sites of Grace near Agheel Lake. If players are unable to trigger Melina’s appearance, they can try visiting the Gatefront Site of Grace, which is the most commonly reported location for encountering her.
However, leveling up in Elden Ring comes at a cost. Players need to spend Runes at a Site of Grace to increase their stats, and the expense of leveling up becomes progressively higher with each stat increase. It’s important to note that the cost of leveling up one stat is not separate from the cost of leveling up other stats. Therefore, players should be mindful of their spending and prioritize which stats are most beneficial for their chosen class/build.
To optimize the leveling process, players should consider focusing on their character’s strengths and raising those stats to endgame levels before investing in weaker areas that enable additional playstyles. While it’s possible to turn weak stats into strengths, it’s a costly process that requires sacrificing the opportunity to enhance natural assets. Therefore, it’s generally more efficient to first build upon existing strengths to create a solid foundation before branching out to other stats.
It’s worth mentioning that Elden Ring allows players to level up their character according to their preferred playstyle. While choosing the right starting class for the desired endgame build can make things easier, players can always adapt and level up their character to better support their preferred playstyle as they progress through the game. This flexibility provides players with the freedom to experiment with different builds and strategies, making Elden Ring a versatile and dynamic gaming experience.
Additionally, Elden Ring provides the option to respec stat points, allowing players to redistribute their stats according to their changing preferences or strategy. However, this feature becomes available later in the game, after defeating Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, the main boss at the Academy of Raya Lucaria in Liurnia of the Lakes. Once players obtain the Great Rune of the Unborn, they can head to the Grand Library Site of Grace, where they will find an NPC who offers to redistribute their stat points. However, the NPC requires a rare item called Larval Tear as payment for the service.
Obtaining Larval Tears can be challenging, as they are rare items that can sometimes be found in chests and other open-world areas, but are more commonly acquired by defeating powerful enemies. Some enemies near the Lirunia of the Lakes area have a chance of dropping Larval Tears, but players are still searching for the most effective ways to farm these items. Once players have paid the required Larval Tear, the NPC will refund all the Runes spent on stat upgrades so far and allow players to reallocate them as desired.
