Highlights

• After finishing Elden Ring, consider trying to collect all the achievements, runes, pieces of equipment, and weapons you might have missed.
• Experiment with new character builds, like going from melee fighters to mages and vice versa.
• If you're already too good at it, why don't you try a challenge run? We have some suggestions.

Has beating Elden Ring left a hole in your life? Beating the main storyline of Elden Ring will take hours, maybe even days, and even then it's likely that you won't have completed Elden Ring fully. After all, it's a huge game that has taken the world by storm, with almost an endless amount of aspects to explore and ways to be killed by challenging enemies.

But that's exactly why it's such a wonderful game! Even once you've finished the main storyline, George R.R. Martin and FromSoftware aren't finished with you yet. So why not try these if finishing the main part of Elden Ring has left a hole in your life.

Updated on April 15, 2024, by Marco Vito Oddo: The main story of Elden Ring is somewhat short, with only a handful of mandatory bosses between you and the final credits. However, the game is packed to the brink with additional content and secrets to uncover.

Plus, the steep difficulty curve of FromSoftware's games, allied with Elden Ring's huge open-world map, means you'll probably spend more than hundreds of hours to run out of things to do. Even then, there's more, as NG+ and challenge runs increase Elden Ring's mindblowing replayability.

14 Achievement Hunting

Typically, players who prefer to try and complete all the achievements will go about it in one of two ways. The first is to research what needs to be completed and work towards that as they explore the game for the first time. The second is to play the game all the way through then see what needs to be achieved and head back to give it a go.

No matter what way you prefer, one great thing to do after beating Elden Ring is to try and get all the achievements in the game. It may be a challenge and could require another playthrough but it will reveal missing items, battles, or locations depending on how much you've explored.

13 Collect Runes

This is another element for the completionists who need something to do after beating the game. Collecting Runes is a fantastic way to explore the map while upgrading your build, therefore increasing the power and enjoyment of the game.

It would be a struggle to get all the runes in the game, but there is nothing wrong with trying to get some more powerful weapons or exploring a new way to fight. You just need to be okay with a bit of grinding and a lot of hunting, but that could reveal some unseen elements of Elden Ring.

12 Try New Builds

One of the best things about Elden Ring is just how versatile the character builds can be. However, typically you'll need to prioritize ranged, spell, or melee attacks since they don't always work well as a combination of all three.

So, if you've been playing as a spellcaster for your first run-through, why not try making a completely different build and going through the game as a melee fighter? It brings a new element to the game and allows you to experiment with your own fighting strengths and weaknesses.

11 Collect Weapons

Some of the weapons in Elden Ring are fantastic. They can be huge, deadly, and have abilities that will blow both you and the enemy away. Therefore, if you've completed Elden Ring, a way to further that particular run could be to collect as many different weapons as possible.

This will allow you to try them all out individually and see which ones you prefer for your next run. Be warned, you will be a lot stronger after beating the game so expect the weapons to scale to where you are rather than being that powerful when you start a brand-new game.

10 Complete Dungeons

Ultimately, due to Elden Ring's open-world nature, it doesn't really matter how thoroughly you explore The Lands Between because there's always the chance that you've missed something! Now, if you're a completionist then it's a good idea to head back the way you came and keep an eye out for any dungeons you may have missed before starting that second playthrough.

If you enjoyed the dungeons and want to try and complete all of them then you'll also find some interesting loot and armaments that could change the way you play the game! After all, the more you discover now, the more you'll know for the next time you try the game from the start.

9 Kill Optional Bosses

While they may be a real challenge sometimes, bosses are undeniably entertaining and satisfying to fight. They give you a real sense of achievement and will often prove to be that lengthy battle you've been looking for after walking or riding for a while.

So, in the same way, that you might have missed some dungeons, why not try and wipe out those optional bosses you worked so hard to avoid at the beginning of the game? After all, you're a little more powerful now. Head back to the starting area and demolish that Tree Sentinel.

8 Play Some Co-op

Now you have the main story out of the way, why not try playing with a few friends? After all, it brings a new lease of life to the game as well as allows you to beat some challenging bosses with a little help. With co-op, there are always bosses to tackle.

If you leave your summon sign just outside the boss arena, then you should get some players trying to summon you into their world. It's worth mentioning that the matches are level based so you want to be as powerful as you can before doing this.

7 Invasions

If playing with a friend or a stranger isn't entirely what you want to do, why not try playing against them? There's always the option to invade a few players or even use the Duelist's Finger to try and mix it up a little with PvP.

Some prefer PvP to PvE and some hate it, so it's entirely up to how you'd prefer to play. That being said, it's pretty fun to make your character incredibly powerful or try out a wacky build and cause some chaos for some unsuspecting player!

6 Start That NG+ Playthrough

Once you've tried a bit of PvP, killed all the bosses you can find, and scavenged through some dungeons, you may feel like it's time to start all over again. Before you do that you should have a look at starting NG+ before resetting everything!

Essentially, it levels up the game's difficulty but allows you to keep all your weapons, armor, and levels, giving you a bit of an easy time when you start the game all over again. The game will even have better loot this time, so it's well worth trying to commit to that challenge if you're ready for it! The difficulty will increase up to seven times with as many completions, so why not push for the hardest and most rewarding experience?

5 Start A New Playthrough Altogether

Elden Ring is a tough game to play in the best of times. So sometimes the last thing you want to do is start an even harder second playthrough! Luckily there's always another option, simply starting again!

It's an opportunity to explore new character builds and focus on a different style of fighting! Ultimately, if you loved the storyline and loved the exploration and fighting then trying it all over again with a completely different character is probably the best idea. Especially if you've only just gotten used to the combat challenge.

4 Finish NPC Questlines

While you may have completed the main story, there are still so many side quests to do and some wonderful NPCs to meet! Some NPCs aren't ones you'll typically meet without going out of your way, and some of them have some incredibly memorable and intricate questlines to allow you to learn more about the wonderful characters.

Completing some NPC questlines brings a new fire into Elden Ring that is guaranteed to make you love the lore behind the game even more. There's also the opportunity to grab some fantastic loot too.

3 Explore

One of the best things about Elden Ring is the world you're thrust into at the beginning. It's dark, gritty, and beautiful, all at the same time. So why not take that in and really try to explore it! After all, it's incredibly easy to just head from point A to point B without really taking in the beautifully dark world that surrounds you.

Being an open-world game there will also be some locations you're yet to explore, so there's no harm in trying to seek them out before going in for a new playthrough! You never know, you might find some unique loot, a new boss, a new NPC, or even an entirely new questline you never even noticed.

2 Try Something (Sort Of) New

For many people, Elden Ring is the first FromSoftware game they've played, and the majority seem to love it. They can feel confident, then, that they will enjoy the developer's older titles, such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

The series have a ton in common, from gameplay to mood, and if you're one of the lucky few who hasn't explored it - you have whole worlds ahead of you to explore.

1 Do A Challenge Run

As fun as Elden Ring can be, the game will eventually run stale if you keep doing the same things. That's where challenge runs come into play.

Challenge runs are part of FromSoftware history and are extremely popular with the studios' fanbase. They consist of choosing some additional constraints and trying to finish a walkthrough while adhering to strict rules.

No Summons/Spirit Ashes Run

Giving away summons and Spirit Ashes is the best way to start challenge runs in Elden Ring. Once you have finished the game, you have a broad idea of everything that is waiting for you in the Lands Between. So, you can give away these resources to increase the difficulty.

Without additional players or spirits to aggro bosses, you'll have to face each enemy head on, learning to dodge properly and using every window you can to attack. It's a fun challenge that's not that hard, actually. Once you understand how to use equipment and magic in your favor, you'll realize that there are many clever ways to beat bosses without depending on summons.

RL1 Run

RL1 runs are the ultimate challenge. In it, you must start with the Wretched class and never level up. That means your choices of weapons, magic, and armor will be limited, and most bosses will be able to one-shot you.

RL1 runs are as challenging as Elden Ring can be, but also allow you to realize that muscle reflexes and patience are all you need to beat the game.

Cosplay Runs

Veteran Elden Ring players know that the game is all about that Elden Bling. Once you master its challenging gameplay loop, you can mostly ignore armor status and choose something that looks good instead. That opens a world of possibilities to do cosplay runs.

Want to serve Ranni as a knight? Use the Carian armor set and stick only with Carian weapons and spells. What if you want to become a demigod? Put on Mohg's armor, grab his spear, and go make the Formless Mother happy. The possibilities for cosplay runs are endless, and you can even try these challenges on NG+, after collecting all the equipment you need to become your favorite character.