It's not scary, I promise!
INTRODUCTION
FromSoftware games have a notorious reputation for being some of the hardest games on the market, and that notorious image has made many gamers that are unfamiliar with their games intimidated to try them out. I, myself, am a seasoned vet when it comes to the "Souls" genre, having played every major FromSoft title and beaten each one. In this article, I want to reach out and speak to those who are new to the genre and may feel intimidated despite wanting to hop on to the hype train that is Elden Ring, one of the greatest games to ever be released (in my opinion, of course).
This will not necessarily be a "How to play Elden Ring" article. I am not going to go over the controls or offer a guide for different zones and areas in the game. This is going to be more about you. How you as a player should approach the game in a more personal/mental sense, not mechanical. With that out of the way, let's get right into this article!
IS ELDEN RING EVEN THE RIGHT GAME FOR YOU?
Before you even think about buying Elden Ring, you need to do your research to determine if it is the right game for you. I know it's the new hot game on the market and everyone is talking about it, but a Souls game isn't necessarily made for everyone. No product can be made for everyone and unfortunately, a lot of people have purchased Elden Ring being unaware of what kind of experience they are about to get into. So, I'm going to very briefly ask a slew of questions that you should answer for yourself and if you answer no to a lot of them, then Elden Ring is probably not the game for you. Here it goes:
Do you enjoy non-linear, open world games where exploration is the name of the game?
Do you enjoy a challenging gaming experience where you are expected to fail many times and are asked to learn from those failures?
Do you enjoy games without much story? Or, a story that is not a straightforward and must be pieced together on your own?
Do you enjoy games that don't necessarily tell you everything you want/need to know? Are you okay with having to find out things on your own in a less "hand-hold-y" type of way?
Are you willing to sink a fairly significant amount of time into learning the game mechanics to become better? Elden Ring (and all Souls games, for that matter) is a game that takes a bit of time for newcomers to learn and get used to.
If you answered yes to all of or most of these questions, then Elden Ring is probably the game for you! If you answered no to most of these questions but still want to buy it and give it a try, just try to go into the game with an open mind and if it doesn't end up connecting with you, that's totally fine as it's just not the type of game for you.
THE LEARNING PROCESS
If you fire up Elden Ring for the first time expecting to know everything and already be a master at the combat system, then you will very quickly find yourself wanting to toss the game in the garbage. As a newcomer to the Souls genre, you must understand that there is a bit of a learning process you must go through when playing for the first time. Elden Ring is not a simple game where you can load it up and turn your brain off (a game like Call of Duty would fit that bill, for the most part). All FromSoftware titles require a considerable amount of focus and patience from the player.
I guarantee that your first ten or so hours (or maybe more) will be a bit frustrating and you will get your butt kicked. You may even rage quit a few times if you're not having the best of days. However, do not be discouraged! No one can be great at something right off the bat. Every skill takes time and practice, especially when you're just starting out. So, don't call yourself "bad at the game" or anything like that. All of us, and I mean all of us, were in the same boat as you. Every great Souls player you see was once a struggling newcomer that had to die a thousand times before getting where they are today. If you have the time, the patience, and the will to push through this initial learning process, then you will be rewarded with one of the most satisfying and downright fantastic experiences you can have in all of gaming.
UNDERSTANDING THE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY OF FROMSOFTWARE & ELDEN RING
If you are like one of many gamers who may be confused as to how dying hundreds of times over is fun, then this section will explain to you why that is the case. As I somewhat mentioned above, Elden Ring, and every FromSoftware game for that matter, is a game that asks you to learn through repeated failures. You should not take a death in a FromSoft game as a measuring of your skill but rather as an advancement of it. Every time you die, you learn something about the enemy or obstacle you were facing. If you were fighting an enemy, you learn more about their attack patterns and when you should dodge out of the way or go in for a strike. If you were trying to get through a dungeon, you'll come to memorize the layout of it and successfully dodge and avoid any traps that may get in your way. Overtime, you will come to master taking down these challenges and you can very clearly see the progress you're making in improving your Elden Ring abilities.
There have been many people asking why not an easy mode in Elden Ring? What about people who don't want to take the time to learn through failure and just want to steamroll through the game like other titles? Well, the answer for that is that Elden Ring is specifically designed with a single, universal difficulty in mind. The massive game is perfectly balanced and crafted for this one difficulty and the user experience would not be the same otherwise. Below I will share a quote from the Souls series creator and Elden Ring game director, Hidetaka Miyazaki addressing the "easy mode" discussion. He sums it up perfectly:
Yes, we have. It’s a valid discussion. I feel like our approach to these games, not just Elden Ring, is to design them to encourage the player to overcome adversity. We don’t try to force difficulty or make things hard for the sake of it. We want players to use their cunning, study the game, memorize what’s happening, and learn from their mistakes. We don’t want players to feel like the game is unfairly punishing, but rather that there’s a chance to win a difficult encounter and make progress. We understand that Souls-like games are regularly associated with impossible levels of difficulty with high barriers to entry. But we try to design the games to make the cycle of repeatedly trying to overcome these challenges enjoyable in itself. So we hope that with Elden Ring and the new options it provides, it will be a success in that respect. In Elden Ring, we have not intentionally tried to lower the game’s difficulty, but I think more players will finish it this time. As I mentioned, the player’s level of freedom to progress through the world or return to a challenge later are all elements that I feel will help people get through the game at a more leisurely pace. Also, there isn’t a focus on pure action. The player has more agency to dictate their approach against, for example, the field bosses in the overworld and how they utilize stealth in various situations. We’ve even reduced the number of hoops that you have to jump through to enjoy it in multiplayer. So we hope the players embrace that idea of receiving help from others. And we feel like the overall clear rate will go up this time because of these things.
- Hidetaka Miyazaki
IF YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE, DON'T BE AFRAID TO SEEK HELP
Many people, for whatever reason, view seeking help as a sign of weakness and that they're not good enough to complete the game on their own. All I can say is don't think like this! As a newcomer, asking your friends and the community for help/advice should be one of the first things you do! That's how most, if not all, Souls players grow and learn to become a Souls expert. If you are having trouble navigating an area, look up a guide to help you get through it. If you are having a tough time defeating a certain boss, don't be afraid to have some of your buddies come into help or call in other players who are willing to help online. If you aren't doing enough damage or feel like you're dying too easily, look up some videos on how to obtain powerful weapons, how to create certain powerful builds, or anything like that.
Think of these online guides and videos as new age strategy guides. In the past, game developers would publish full-on printed books that would detail how to get the best items, the best routes to go, how to find secret areas, and many other important tidbits about the game. You aren't "bad" or "stupid" for following these new age strategy guides. Everyone in the community does it to some extent and it's no fun to be stuck bashing your head against something when a quick google search could help you get through.
REMEMBER, ELDEN RING HAS A BUILT-IN EASY MODE FOR YOU TO USE, IF YOU NEED IT
Instead of an easy mode option you can select before loading up your game save, FromSoft somewhat subtly implements an easy mode into the game for all of their games. This comes from the in game mechanics and systems that are available to all players. In Elden Ring, summoning spirits, friendly NPCs, and friendly players all make the game significantly easier in almost every way. Having allies allows them to distract for you and give you time to get a quick heal in or unleash a strong attack on your foe. Many "hardcore" Souls players will make sure to not use these tools because of how easy it makes the game.
I'm sure you may know that some of these "hardcore" players can be toxic to the community as they look down on people who use spirit, NPC, or player allies. They view it as cheap and not the "proper" way to play a Souls game. However, the people saying this are in a significant minority of people and most of the Souls/Elden Ring community is more than accepting of how you want to play the game and love to help out players that are new to the genre. Do not feel discouraged by these people to use these systems. They are in the game for a reason after all, so use them at your own will. I, a "seasoned vet" of the Souls genre, use the summon systems from time to time also! Sometimes, I don't have much free time to play so I want to get through certain areas faster and use summons to help. Moral of the story is play how you want to play!
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FUN
At the end of the day, remember that Elden Ring is just a game and you aren't supposed to take it too seriously! Games are supposed to be fun and if you don't find yourself having much fun, then it's okay to go play something else. We live in a golden age of gaming where we have thousands of options to choose from and if Elden Ring isn't your style, there's something out there that is.
However, I hope that Elden Ring becomes one of your new favorite games and you become a part of the millions within the Souls community! I also hope that this article helped any newcomers out in some way. The goal of this piece was to help newcomers ease into the genre and give them some perspective before diving straight into the unknown.
Good luck to all you brand new Tarnished on your journey to becoming the Elden Lord!
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