The Lands Between is about to get a whole lot bigger. With the upcoming Shadows of the Erdtree expansion, now is the perfect time to start a new playthrough of Elden Ring. Let’s jot down some great build ideas to help you explore with ease.

For our purposes, “early game” in Elden Ring means you’re below level 50 and presumably in the starting area of Limgrave, Weeping Peninsula, or early Liurnia of the Lakes. Check out our starting class guide for the best starting classes. But here are four builds that are perfect for clearing the first few areas of Elden Ring, taking out Godrick, and setting yourself up for success.

Strength and Faith are a big theme in Elden Ring, with many boss weapons requiring both stats to function properly. A Confessor who splits their desires between Strength and Vigor will be rewarded with a build capable of a wide variety of buffs, can deal good damage with big weapons, and can take a hit. The biggest problem with this build is that its best weapon, the Golden Halberd, is found when you kill the Tree Sentinel, a tough boss this early on. Try to find a weapon you want to upgrade before you take the big guy down. You might be able to find weapon art outside of the Third Church of Marika using the Sacred Blade.

This build is also early enough to have multiple points in great stats for pivoting. If you want to change your build to accommodate Dexterity-based weapons, a Strength of 24 will let you switch to a Quality build with enough Faith to cast important buffs like Faith, Grant Me Strength. Be prepared to invest more in Mind and Endurance as you level up though to have more FP and Stamina.