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Elden Ring is a lot different than how games have normally been played. Some of the sites of grace will point you in the direction of the main quest, but as you explore the world, you will find so much stuff from NPCs that progress quests to gear or other secrets. It is all about exploration. I really liked how they really leave it all up to you to figure things out, but I did use YouTube to find a lot of things and progress the side quests.

but I did use YouTube to find a lot of things

An understatement! It's quite vital to use it.., otherwise you don't know what all these weird things are that you collect.