Elden Ring is ridiculously huge and will take eons to fully explore. That's especially true of the dungeons in the game's open world. In Elden Ring players will explore many dungeons, but not all dungeons are the same. 

Scattered across the Lands Between are catacombs, caves, tunnels and ruins, which contain a wealth of items, materials, weapons and, of course, enemies. Knowing what's in store for you before entering a dungeon will help you prepare for the battle ahead and know where to go if you need certain items. 

Here are the different types of dungeons in Elden Ring and what you should expect.

Legacy Dungeons 

The most important aspects of Elden Ring's story and required bosses will come via the Legacy Dungeons, which are sprawling, bespoke areas filled with unique enemies and treasure. Each will have multiple grace sites as well as several bosses, some are required to progress through the game while others can be skipped. 

Stormveil Castle, Raya Lucaria Academy and Leyndell, Royal Capital are three of the Legacy Dungeons players will need to conquer in order to complete the game. 

Catacombs

Underground grave sites called catacombs are found all over the Lands Between. These smaller dungeons are usually filled with undead enemies and are laden with crafting and upgrade materials such as Grave and Ghost Glovewarts. Both are used to level up Spirit Ashes once you've unlocked that option with Roderika in the Roundtable Hold. 

There is one boss for each catacomb, and the reward for clearing the dungeons can be a weapon, spell or Spirit Ash. The first catacombs you'll find in Limgrave are the Stormfoot Catacombs, Murkwater Catacombs and Deathtouched Catacombs. 

Tunnels

Like how catacombs are the go to place to farm materials required to upgrade Spirit Ashes, tunnels are where you'll find Smithing and Somber Smithing stones to enhance weapons. Miners are the common enemy you'll face here, and they are especially tough to take down since their hard skin makes them strong against slashing weapons. However, they are weak to blunt weapons or magic. The same goes for the bosses of the tunnels who will typically drop weapons when defeated. 

Tunnels found near the start of the game are Limgrave Tunnels and Morne Tunnels. 

Caves 

Unlike catacombs and tunnels, caves don't have an important upgrade material to farm. Instead, they're filled with dangerous wildlife and demi-humans. They're also much quicker to clear than the previous dungeons. Look to rush in and take out the boss to earn yourself a weapon, talisman or spell. 

The caves near the start of the game include the Groveside Cave, Coastal Cave and Murkwater Cave. 

Hero Graves

Some of the more dangerous dungeons to find are the many Hero Grave sites. There are only four, but a common element is a chariot adorned with spinning blades that travels along set paths. These vehicles will kill players in one hit regardless of health, so timing is everything here. Think of these dungeons as something of an obstacle course. Hero Graves can also have more than one boss to fight, with the last one being incredibly tough as it usually consists of a fight with two tough enemies at the same time. 

Clearing a Hero Grave nets you an elite Spirit Ash, which are powerful summons that can hold their own against bosses. The first Hero Grave, Fringefolk Hero's Grave, is actually right near where you start but requires two Stonesword Keys. 

Ruins

Unlike the previous dungeons, ruins are found above ground instead of underground. They are easily identifiable with their crumbling structures. The number of enemies at each ruin can vary and there will likely not be a boss. However, most ruins will have stairs leading down to a treasure chest or even an important character that is tied to a side quest. 

The ruins in Limgrave include the Gatefront Ruins, Mistwood Ruins and Waypoint Ruins.