Why you should skip Dark Souls and play Elden Ring instead

Date:
Fri, 15 Apr 2022 13:30:00 +0000

Description:
Put off by Dark Souls' reputation? Elden Ring is for you.

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Developer FromSoftware's games may be set in separate worlds, but because of the DNA they share, fans group them together as the Soulsborne series. Elden Ring is the latest title to join that family, and like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice before it, this monster-filled open-world RPG is a notoriously difficult game that even the most seasoned player will struggle to best. However, this reputation makes
the Soulsborne games a divider: for some, it's a badge of honor to complete them; for others, it's a series to avoid. ELDEN RING GUIDES

Elden Ring classes : a quick guide to every character type

Elden Ring mods : make the Lands Between even weirder by adding Thomas The Tank Engine

While the Soulsborne games are as demanding as veteran players claim, theyre also fair, and a game that punishes your mistakes isnt the same as one that simply punishes you. Still, it can be deeply frustrating when someone on the internet tells you to get good without saying how.

In celebrating their skill, the community around Soulsborne games, Elden Ring included, can put you off trying the series for yourself. And its easy to bounce off these titles, especially as each new game breaks the rules you learned to complete the previous one. Each Soulsborne game leans into a different style of combat: Demon's Souls and Dark Souls reward cautious defensive play, Bloodborne demands aggressive, close-quarters melee, and Sekiro drives you to develop your frame-perfect parries.

But if you stick with a Soulsborne game long enough to master it, your reward is a brutal fantasy story full of bizarre sights, unique monsters, and a
world that draws you deep into its depths with teasing lore.

It can be tempting to start at the beginning with a series as steeped in legacy as the Soulsborne games, and The Demons Souls remake for PS5 makes
that option more accessible than ever, but Id suggest Elden Ring is a much better entry point. The combats better than ever

The draw of all of FromSoftwares games is their combat. The worlds and story are fantastic, but you will be spending most of your time fighting, so you should start with the game where it is most developed.

Where Elden Ring differs is its open world.

Elden Ring's intricate combat mechanics may seem obtuse at first, but that will soon clear. After you blow past the early games Cave of Knowledge and complete a combat tutorial, youll pick up all the basics: rolling, blocking, and when to launch an offensive on your enemies. These tactics apply to the other Soulsborne games, but where Elden Ring differs is its open world: if
you find an enemy type thats too much for you, you can back up and travel somewhere else to find a different foe and experiment with a different combat style.

Bosses are no longer bottlenecks, preventing you from progressing until youve mastered them. You often have options of who to fight and when. You can step away, level up your character, change equipment, and come back stronger. (Image credit: Future)

There's a wide variety of unique weapons to discover and learn, with each
type behaving differently. Combined with the various bonuses and skills you unlock and your weight limit (determined by your stats and the equipment
youre wielding), theres a dizzying number of things to consider, even with
the smallest, most insignificant scuffle. Thats what makes Elden Ring satisfying to play; you have to figure this out on your own and you feel all the better for it by the end. You play at your own pace

There are only a few bosses in Elden Ring that you absolutely must conquer if you want to stay the course and reach the end of the game. Other than that, you can explore the Lands Between at your leisure. If you're comfortable taking on that massive pot-shaped enemy despite being a low level, have at
it. If you want to skip an entire section because you know you'll be dead before you can make a move, you can often do that. There aren't many games, let alone Soulsborne titles, that allow for this much freedom.

As a beginner, it helps you ease into Elden Ring and its challenges, giving you a sense of control over a dangerous world. (With that in mind, we've some Elden Ring tips for beginners.) Its full of foul, unsettling creatures

Having played many Soulsborne games, I thought I was ready for weird sights but, after spending over 100 hours in Elden Ring, I was wrong. Im still struggling with the image of a young woman eating eyeballs like grapes. Then there are the monstrous centipede-like guards that pounce on you from the shadows.

Elden Rings' curious horrors dont repulse, they intrigue.

Elden Ring is a surreal nightmare that demands further investigation. The inhabitants of the Lands Between are all dealing with unique, exquisite suffering that manifests as grotesque creatures, manic dancing, and
unsettling behaviors. These curious horrors dont repulse, they intrigue, pulling you deeper into this strange world. (Image credit: Bandai Namco Entertainment)

The world of Elden Ring is fascinating, and it pushes you to explore every nook and cranny, get stronger to defeat those difficult enemies, and open up every part of the map so you can suss out answers to all of your questions. There's a world to explore with a pulse of life that you cant deny,
creativity springs from every pore. And somehow, despite the weirdness, the rot, and the death, there's hope at the end of it all. That runs in stark contrast to many of the other Soulsborne games, and thats one great reason to submit yourself to the wild and wonderful world of the Tarnished. There is something Bloodborne does better than Elden Ring, though...



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/why-you-should-skip-dark-souls-and-play-elden-r ing-instead/


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