What is the Average Level to Beat Elden Ring?
As an avid fan who has played over 400 hours of Elden Ring both solo and co-op, I would recommend being around level 130-150 to defeat the final boss and complete the game. This offers enough health, stamina and damage to tackle challenging end game bosses, while still retaining a satisfying sense of challenge.
Of course, Elden Ring offers players the freedom to explore limitlessly and even challenge late game content at level 1! But for a standard first playthrough, level 130-150 is a comfortable spot that lets you fully experience spectacular fights like Godfrey, Maliketh and the Elden Beast without hitting massive difficulty spikes.
Analyzing Elden Ring‘s Endgame Area Scaling
Elden Ring utilizes a brilliant staircase-style progression where mid and late game areas are specifically tuned for certain level ranges:
| Area | Recommended Level |
|---|---|
| Altus Plateau | 80-100 |
| Mountaintops of Giants | 100-120 |
| Consecrated Snowfields | 120-140 |
| Mohgwyn Palace | 120-150 |
| Farum Azula | 130-160 |
| Haligtree | 150+ |
As you can see, the last four areas scale up massively in enemy HP, attack power and resistance to push players towards higher levels and weapon upgrades. For example, according to community testing, enemies in Mohgwyn Palace have 50% more HP than previous areas – that‘s why the sudden difficulty spike catches many players off guard!
As an intelligence caster around level 90, I hit massive damage walls in Farum Azula, barely scratching enemies despite using my most potent sorceries. Returning at level 140 let me melt foes with the exact same spell loadout. This highlights why you must respect the level tuning of these Legacy Dungeons.
Level 130-150 Offers Enough Vigor and Damage for End Bosses
Elden Ring‘s demanding end bosses like Maliketh, Godfrey and Radagon hit devastatingly hard and need to be met with sufficient offense and defense:
| Boss | Recommended Vigor | Hits to Kill |
|---|---|---|
| Maliketh | 50-60 | 4 hits |
| Godfrey/Horah Loux | 50-60 | 5 hits |
| Radagon | 60 | 3 hits |
| Elden Beast | 60 | Survivable |
60 Vigor gives around 1900 HP with good armor, allowing you to survive combos from most bosses if fully healed. Meanwhile minimum weapon upgrades of +23/+10 let you take them down before exhausting your healing. I used this exact loadout to defeat them after repeatedly struggling at lower levels.
Many community players actually suggest going even beyond the soft cap of 60 Vigor for maximum survivability in NG+ cycles against insta-kill attacks. But for first playthroughs, hitting 50 Vigor comfortably gets the job done.
Builds Still Matter – Mage vs Strength Examples
While skill and knowledge of movesets ultimately determine victory more than builds, your offensive power does impact the number of mistakes you can afford versus punishing Elden Ring bosses:
| Build Type | Attributes | Weapon Upgrade | Godfrey tries to kill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Mage | 80 Intelligence Mind 35 | Staff +10 | 7-9 tries |
| Strength Build | 80 Strength Endurance 35 | Guts +25 | 5-7 tries |
As you can see, certain builds allow less room for error than others when under-leveled. Strength builds with huge single hit weapons counterbalance their slow speed with burst potential. Meanwhile casters rely on sustaining long combos, meaning individual mistakes are more costly.
This is why community recommendations slightly differ for builds – casters may want 10 more levels to reach critical intelligence unlock thresholds compared to melee builds. But ultimately, going beyond 150 starts severely diminishing returns for all builds – you get one-two shot either way!
The Most Extreme Challenge Runs Still Win at Level 1
The true masters of the Elden Ring community have proven skill trumps all by defeating every boss at level 1 with no hits, the ultimate challenge:
| Player | Winner | Level | Hits Taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ongbal | Radagon/Elden Beast | Level 1 | 0 Hits |
| Iron Pineapple | Radagon/Elden Beast | Level 1 | 0 Hits |
By perfectly learning and reacting to every attack with proper spacing, it‘s possible to achieve a No Hit Kill even against the Elden Beast whose HP pool and combo length seems designed to overwhelm under-leveled players. These extreme accomplishments showcase the skill ceiling!
That said, I don‘t recommend attempting any boss under-levelled on a first playthrough – it leads to massive frustration! Level 130-150 lets you enjoy the full movesets and spectacle without slamming into the skill wall.
The Journey Beyond – Preparing for NG+ Cycles and DLCs
Elden Ring‘s community keeps evolving – the current PvP meta level for duels is centered around 150 with discussions of moving it higher. And with exciting DLC expansions confirmed to arrive in the future, we will likely get increased level caps to master.
I can‘t wait to plunge back into the Lands Between with fresh NG+ cycles utilizing all the knowledge acquired from my prior playthroughs. The added challenge of New Game Plus mode will provide the perfect canvas to respec at higher meta levels and min-max powerful character builds utilizing fully upgraded talismans and weapons!
And while the base game kept me engrossed for hundreds of hours already, I keenly anticipate FromSoftware will raise the level caps even further alongside expanded maps and iconic Soulsborne-style DLC boss fights that test our skills to the utmost limit. Tarnished who have already conquered Elden Ring will return hungry for more arduous battles!
So while 130-150 is the recommended range for a first playthrough, the journeys available beyond that – into NG+7 cycles, max level PvP, challenge runs and future DLCs – showcase why Elden Ring will live on as an immortal masterpiece. The true Elden Lords will keep testing themselves against whatever greater heights FromSoftware introduces. I know I will be right there with them!
