Character Creation
There are many things that have been updated in the character creation process with Dark Moon. From new cosmetics to new classes to new ways to start your game, here's the full run down!
New Cosmetic Options
Bloodborne introduced glasses and Dark moon adds them back in. In addition to the blindfolds and eyepatches, you can now select between the seven glasses seen above. A lot of these were ported from Bloodborne, but a few were grabbed from Sketchfab
There are also some new hairstyles available like Melina's or Ranni's for example. These are a work in progress as the ports by the community, especially for the ones that aren't from Elden Ring, aren't exactly perfect.
- Ikaros - Realistic Long Hair
- KRDCD - Godfrey, Malenia, Ranni, Melina
- ZLOHORT - DS3 Fire Keeper hairstyle
Omnipotent Statue
Once you drop into the Chapel of Anticipation after creating your character you'll be greeted by the Omnipotent Statue who will present you with a few options: Select Difficulty, Omnipotent Shop, and Skip to Journey 2.
New Difficulties
Dark Moon introduces two harder difficulties that were inherited from Shattered, but are tweaked a great deal in Dark Moon. You'll select between these and the Vanilla Elden Ring difficulty in order to leave the Chapel and enable the Rally mechanic.
- Vanilla: The basic Elden Ring experience.
- Shattered: 15% more damage received, 15% less Rune gain, 15% less effective flasks.
- Masochist: 30% more damage received, 50% less Rune gain, 30% less effective flasks. Player damage and resistances also lowered.
In addition to the flat changes listed above, Shattered and Masochist introduce Enraged enemies. While Enraged, enemies will exhibit new behavior depending on the chosen difficulty:
- Shattered: Enemies are more aggressive. They also have a flat HP increase of 15% along with passive HP regen.
- Masochist: In addition to Shattered's changes, enemies are now even more aggressive. 15% more HP for a total of 30% over Vanilla. Enemies get stronger every 20 seconds during combat.
If you ever need to change your difficulty mid-playthrough you can either return to the Chapel or simply speak to the copy of the Statue in Roundtable Hold near the balcony.
Omnipotent Shop
This is a shop that sells every single item in the base game (with a few exceptions) including cut content. The purpose of this shop is twofold: to allow for minor alterations of class loadouts and to allow for a build-your-own class system. Each new class begins the game with 50k Runes (with the exception of the Wretch who starts with 150k Runes).
You'll use these to purchase weapons, armor, and items, most of which cost 10k Runes each. You can do some really interesting things with this shop like, for instance, buying the Pureblood Knight's Medal and skipping straight to Mohgwyn Palace right away.
This shop closes the second you leave the Chapel, but once you defeat Elden Beast or skip to Journey 2 the Ranni Puppet in Roundtable Hold will open the shop once more.
Skip to Journey 2
In Dark Moon, New Game+ has been overhauled. The Omnipotent Statue gives you the option to skip ahead to Journey 2. When you do this, you’ll receive a ton of runes as well as some items to help you get caught up. You’ll also be teleported to Roundtable Hold immediately where you’ll find that you already have all the maps unlocked, the ability to level up and summon Torrent, as well as access to a few key graces across The Lands Between.
The skip provides enough Smithing Stone Shards to upgrade 3 Standard and 3 Unique weapons to max. It also unlocks the Omnipotent Shop at the Ranni Puppet if you’d like to purchase anything else with the over four million Runes you now have. Don’t forget to use some of those Runes to level up though! It should be enough to get you to around Level 110.
NG+ Scaling has been altered as well. Enemies scale higher overall, but they should be more or less the same in terms of HP/Damage across Limgrave, Liurnia, Caelid, and Altus. This is to incentivize progressing through the first part of the game in an irregular, non-linear fashion. Things ramp up again after Leyndell, however.
These changes, aside from the boon you get from skipping straight to Journey 2, are also active in every further cycle.
New Classes
And then of course we have some new classes as the cherry on top of these new systems. Each class is meant to be the representative for a certain stat or play style. Like the Great Knight being a STR Master or the Friend of Jars (returning from Shattered) being a pot-throwing king.
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_ Wretch
The Wretch is the only class that begins with no armor, but 150k Runes as opposed to 50k Runes. Use these Runes at the Omnipotent Statue to build your own class!
Comes stock with nothing but the Runes and Daedicar’s Woe.
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_ Great Knight
The Great Knight is a master of strength utilizing a Bastard Sword, Lordsword’s Greatshield, and Green Turtle Talisman.
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_ Thief
The Thief uses quick swipes to overwhelm their opponent. Master dexterity with two daggers, a bow, and Millicent’s Prosthesis.
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_ The Hunter
The Hunter has come to The Lands Between to, well, hunt. Armed with the Axe of the Hunter, Crepus’s Black-Key Crossbow, and Taker’s Cameo.
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_ Carian Scholar
Carian Scholars are masters of intelligence. Standard equipped with a Carian Knight Sword & Shield as well as an Astrologer’s Staff and Graven-School Talisman.
They also begin with knowledge of how to cast Glinstone Arc and Magic Glintblade.
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_ Alabaster Lad
Alabaster Lads have mastered the meteorite sorcery of their forefathers. Equipped with a Meteorite Staff, a Cragblade Shamshir, and Primal Glinstone Blade.
Their knowledge of meteorite sorceries begins with Gravity Well and Rock Sling.
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_ Pyromancer
Pyromancers are obsessed with the Fell God and the flames they stoke. Use your Magma Whip Candlestick, Giant’s Seal, and Faithfuls’ Canvas Talisman to burn your foes alive.
The Fell God has blessed you with knolwedge of three spells: O, Flame!, Flame Sling, and Flame, Cleanse Me
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_ Student of Blood
The Students of Blood worship The Lord of Blood. Their standard equipment includes a Bloody Seal, Ripple Blade, and Marred Wooden Shield.
These masters of Arcane begin with the ability to cast Bloodflame Talons.
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_ Warlock
Warlocks are experts in both schools of magic, Incantations and Sorceries. They use a Falchion along with a Talisman of Beasts and Radagon Icon.
They begin with the memory of Catch Flame and Glintstone Pebble.
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_ Friend of Jars
When you’re a friend of jars you need nothing but your bare fists and your Companion Jar.
You also, of course, have 10 Fire Pots.
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_ Perfumer
These Perfumers are students of a brillant man of similar convictions from another world. Equipped with an Erdsteel Dagger, Perfumer’s Shield, and Perfumer’s Talisman.
They also are standard with Spark Aromatics and Poison Aromatics.
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_ Archer
These great archers have mastered their weaponry. Equipped with a Greatbow and Longbow along with Arrow’s Reach Talisman.
They also begin with plenty of Great Arrows and Poisonbone Arrows. |
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_ Dragonslayer
The Dragonslayers are trained in their arts. Equipped with a Lightning Uchigatana, their favored Dragonslayer’s Chime, and Lightning Scorpion Charm.
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