From Software Elden Ring - From Software's new game with writing by GRRM

[Bigg Boss]

OH NO A BOSS FIGHT MADE ME MAD! WORST GAME EVER. PLAYTIME: 5,000 hours and still comments years after the game is done.

 

[Terenty]

At the Mountaintops they clearly run out of budget. Shameless copy-paste of mobs and bosses.

Even before that I still felt I was fighting the same dogs, knights and giants everywhere.

 

[Ravielsk]

At the Mountaintops they clearly run out of budget. Shameless copy-paste of mobs and bosses.

Even before that I still felt I was fighting the same dogs, knights and giants everywhere.

I am only at the beginning but I played the network test prior to release and I have to say that so far I do not really see the point in making the game open world. Its not terrible but I seriously do not get the point behind making huge empty plains with a couple of copy pasted ruins with mostly the same enemies. I get the impression it was something they decided at the start of development because its the next logical step for the series but then had no idea where to go with it. For example the procession dragged by the two giants is a cool set piece but I fail to see the point behind it if all that is in the chest is a plain old great axe. Or these mini-dungeons that reward some minor resistance charm for defeating the boss. Its not like its bad but its not exactly doing anything that the old Souls games or Sekiro didn't.

In the network test those exact same dungeons either ended with some neat spell or a weapon/ash of war so despite playing with a somewhat over-leveled character for the Limgrave area it was still worth it and pretty exciting. In the finished game I am questioning why do they even exist.

 

[Infinitum]

trusty Brass shield

that shield is seriously good, but im such a superficial ass, im always like "uhh no it doesnt match my outfit I cant use it"

I ended up using that when refashioning my first character. Crucible Tree Chest, Crucible Axe greaves and gauntlets, Royal Remains helmet, Brass shield and the Sword of Milos. Ends up with a sort of bronze/brass/white Skeletor look. Odd colour combination, but it kind of works.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I like the open world, although I understand why some people don't. I think it's a question of stylistic preferences. I prefer games that let you play around in them without necessarily having a set narrative or prescribed objective. Even more so, I like having things laid out to give a sense of space and relationships that don't necessarily feel gamey and it strikes me as a continuation or culmination of what I liked about Souls level designs. This doesn't necessarily have to be a full simulation, but something along those lines. It's one of the reasons I love Dragon's Dogma or spent so much time on vanilla WoW even though I can't stand modern WoW.

I also like that the game has both intense combat sequences as well as fairly chill downtime where you're just tooling around on the horse picking weeds and you can spend as much time or emphasis on doing either portion of those as you choose. Some of the catacombs and small dungeons are fairly different than others, whether with small secrets/puzzles required to progress or many hidden doors. That being said, I get the complaints about some of the cut and paste sections, they just don't bother me as much or seem as egregious as in, say, Dragon Age 2.

The biggest reason (IMO) that they went with a new title instead of just calling it Dark Souls 4 or "DSOW" or something is that they were able to blend all of their previous ideas together. There are references to and elements of Dark Souls and Bloodborne in the design while also having new things like spells that require both int and faith, spells that require arcane, etc. and that can promote different sorts of characters. It also feels like it's trying to support higher level characters in general with more of an emphasis on PVE/single player.

It's not a flawless game. For instance, fuck the flying enemies, especially the goddamned dragonflies. Whoever programmed those should be given a razorblade enema. But imo the positives far outweigh the negatives, and the game is brilliant as a whole package.

Other than that, the issue isn't that you can't complain about Fromsoft games, it's that these days many Codex users can't sort out the difference between interesting and valid criticisms of a monocled nature vs. sounding like Lemongrab on a cocaine and shitposting bender.

 

[NJClaw]

For instance, fuck the flying enemies, especially the goddamned dragonflies. Whoever programmed those should be given a razorblade enema.

The only way I found to deal with dragonflies is to ignore them and go on with my life as if they didn't exist. Usually, they leave you alone if you don't pay them attention. For the giant bats, being on the horse does wonders, but then sometimes you have to fight them during a horseless section and there either you have a bow or patiently wait for them to decide to kill themselves against your sword.

 

[Jinn]

I like the open world, although I understand why some people don't. I think it's a question of stylistic preferences. I prefer games that let you play around in them without necessarily having a set narrative or prescribed objective. Even more so, I like having things laid out to give a sense of space and relationships that don't necessarily feel gamey and it strikes me as a continuation or culmination of what I liked about Souls level designs. This doesn't necessarily have to be a full simulation, but something along those lines. It's one of the reasons I love Dragon's Dogma or spent so much time on vanilla WoW even though I can't stand modern WoW.

I also like that the game has both intense combat sequences as well as fairly chill downtime where you're just tooling around on the horse picking weeds and you can spend as much time or emphasis on doing either portion of those as you choose. Some of the catacombs and small dungeons are fairly different than others, whether with small secrets/puzzles required to progress or many hidden doors. That being said, I get the complaints about some of the cut and paste sections, they just don't bother me as much or seem as egregious as in, say, Dragon Age 2.

The biggest reason (IMO) that they went with a new title instead of just calling it Dark Souls 4 or "DSOW" or something is that they were able to blend all of their previous ideas together. There are references to and elements of Dark Souls and Bloodborne in the design while also having new things like spells that require both int and faith, spells that require arcane, etc. and that can promote different sorts of characters. It also feels like it's trying to support higher level characters in general with more of an emphasis on PVE/single player.

It's not a flawless game. For instance, fuck the flying enemies, especially the goddamned dragonflies. Whoever programmed those should be given a razorblade enema. But imo the positives far outweigh the negatives, and the game is brilliant as a whole package.

Other than that, the issue isn't that you can't complain about Fromsoft games, it's that these days many Codex users can't sort out the difference between interesting and valid criticisms of a monocled nature vs. sounding like Lemongrab on a cocaine and shitposting bender.

A reasonable post on my codex? Well, I never!

Reflects my feelings on the matter almost perfectly.

 

[perfectslumbers]

fairly chill downtime where you're just tooling around on the horse picking weeds

Tbh one of my biggest problems with the game is it didn't feel like there was any down time. I was constantly getting mobbed by enemies in the open world!

 

[toro]

fairly chill downtime where you're just tooling around on the horse picking weeds

Tbh one of my biggest problems with the game is it didn't feel like there was any down time. I was constantly getting mobbed by enemies in the open world!

You don't enjoy summer strolls in Caelid?

 

[Anonymous Wife Scholar]

What would you like to see in DLC? I wish Ranni the Witch dedicated DLC.

Thank you anon! You are a good anon!

Spoiler

 

[Jinn]

fairly chill downtime where you're just tooling around on the horse picking weeds

Tbh one of my biggest problems with the game is it didn't feel like there was any down time. I was constantly getting mobbed by enemies in the open world!

I think in terms of this, for me, having the sense of freedom to just go out and explore wherever I want after some extremely tense and focused hours of gameplay is nice. There are still tons of threats out in the open world, but usually you have a bit more of a choice about who you want to engage with and when. In a lot of ways, it creates a perfect pace for my tastes, and is what allowed me to do some of the ridiculous and unhealthy marathon sessions of Elden Ring that I have. Double-edged sword, that.

 

[perfectslumbers]

I think in terms of this, for me, having the sense of freedom to just go out and explore wherever I want after some extremely tense and focused hours of gameplay is nice. There are still tons of threats out in the open world, but usually you have a bit more of a choice about who you want to engage with and when. In a lot of ways, it creates a perfect pace for my tastes, and is what allowed me to do some of the ridiculous and unhealthy marathon sessions of Elden Ring that I have. Double-edged sword, that.

Makes sense, I wish I felt the same way. It's still one of the best open world RPG's I've played but there's lots of minor niggles that add up.

 

[Old Hans]

lots of minor niggles that add up.

my biggest pet peeve are the sun shadows. even on xbox series s quality mode they look like they are at lowest possible setting and the patches of grass they keeping popping up in front of me.

 

[Andnjord]

I've goofed around restarting with the Samurai class with the goal of eventually turning him into a Dex or Arcane build, not sure yet. Sure, could have gone with the rogue, but I've never been a fan of daggers in Souls games. Not having a viable shield is forcing me relearn to parry and dodge properly, and also paying much closer attention to the ennemies movesets (I will say though that the addition of Guard Counters is really nice, makes shields a bit more active than they used to be). Got the quickstep ash of war on the Katana for now (yeah, I know the default Weapon Art is super strong, but it does feels a liiiiiiittle bit cheesy to spam it to victory). I've switched the shield to the parrying dagger, so now I have a half naked ninja running around quickstepping and parrying fools like there's no tomorrow

Update on Samurai Jim-Bob. Margit is still kicking my ass likes there's no tomorrow. While Quickstep was awesome against the other minor bosses so far, allowing me to stay real close to them and punish them instanteaunously or sometimes even mid-combo, with him staying close almost just sends him into a near continuous frenzy of non-stop combos. Goddamn.

Will try again some time later, I'll go back to missus Lightning bolt in your face for now.

 

[Kjaska]

Radahn down. I summoned some dude with two katanas. He promptly ran into melee while I was catching Radahn's arrows with my face and summoning all my other NPC friends (I never knew I was this popular!). I think he did all of the damage. I tried casting my rot dragon breath incantation, but there is no way to tell whether it actually connected with how the audio-visual feedback is organized in this game.

Was this fight nerfed a lot? I didn't expect to get him on my second attempt (I'm quite bad).

 

[perfectslumbers]

Was this fight nerfed a lot

Yep, patch 2 days ago nerfed him heavily

 

[Surf Solar]

Haa there been any place settled for fight clubs? I enjoy that in all the fromsoft games. PvP can be fun, there is so many one Trick ponies with the same weapon arts that easily crumble.

 

[Kruno]

https://steamcommunity.com/linkfilter/?url=https://i.redd.it/lm3vmbzru0o81.jpg

I respect this francise but really transform a game in mainstream only for casuals no challenge anymore i think i will go back to old games where challenge exist

I can understand you sold 12 mil of copies thats not mean you need to transform game in easy mode ,, was allready easy game with magic, Shields and OP Spirits

Very Dissapointed i have expectation Elden Ring be most hard game from you guys
Well its was nice how much it last

This is why Elden Ring is at the bottom of the modern FromSoft catalogue for me. It is fun to create builds and fight the end bosses with level 30-40 characters, but that is it, and it will get boring fairly soon.

 

[Surf Solar]

Haa there been any place settled for fight clubs? I enjoy that in all the fromsoft games. PvP can be fun, there is so many one Trick ponies with the same weapon arts that easily crumble.

 

[Serious_Business]

I like the open world, although I understand why some people don't. I think it's a question of stylistic preferences. I prefer games that let you play around in them without necessarily having a set narrative or prescribed objective. Even more so, I like having things laid out to give a sense of space and relationships that don't necessarily feel gamey and it strikes me as a continuation or culmination of what I liked about Souls level designs. This doesn't necessarily have to be a full simulation, but something along those lines. It's one of the reasons I love Dragon's Dogma or spent so much time on vanilla WoW even though I can't stand modern WoW.

I do agree that it's a question of taste, although I think the open world trend needs to die the fuck off. I hate it, personally. "Feel gamey" doesn't mean much ; this idea that open worlds would be realistic is nonsense. I suppose that I think any attempt at realism in art - or "simulation" in games - is nonsensical. It's not a good way to qualify anything. The point about space is more important, but it really is a break off from level design, which is about controlled space. Open space by definition destroys level design. There were already "in between" spaces in FS games, there were just shorter. My point is that I find it hard to conceive that any of this was more than a concession to the open world trend. It is paying off, apparently, from a monetary perspective. Did you see how many people are playing this on Steam? Utterly ridiculous. People just lap up this shit, it baffles me. I mean the game is good, sure, but what the hell is going on here? The open world makes it incredible? Why? At any rate, I think FS do their own thing, but in a way this game feels tired. They spent a lot of time developing this open world shit, one can only hope that their next games won't do the same. Although, I'm somewhat pessimistic, I feel like their creative life cycle as developers is coming to an end (these life cycles are damn short). To be fair I would have said the same after DS2, but they did release Bloodborne after that which is the holy grail to me. Maybe they'll find a way to make open worlds interesting one day.

 

[Silva]

Interesting how subjective these things are, because the last thing this game open-world evokes for me is a sense of realism/simulation. On the contrary, it feels like a big playground of random encounters with little rhyme or reason. The environmental storytelling of previous titles lost in the transition. This is the most gamey, pedestrian experience I had with a From game. Even Sekiro, a spinoff of the formula, had me enthralled for most of my playtime. Here I'm making an effort to keep playing just to see the end.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I do agree that it's a question of taste ... I suppose that I think any attempt at realism in art - or "simulation" in games - is nonsensical.

This right here would be a huge difference of opinion and taste in games. I go back and forth on it depending on the overall game experience, but in general, I like at least some simulationist aspects in games. It doesn't have to be hardcore, but an example of this that drew me in to the original Demon's Souls immediately is when your weapon bounces off walls instead of clipping through it, so you had to pay attention to what you're using, your positioning, as well as what you're fighting (e.g. slash damage sucks against heavily armoured enemies). Another example is that you can't just see everything in dark areas and need to consider whether to try and wing it or what sources of light you have.

The point about space is more important, but it really is a break off from level design, which is about controlled space. Open space by definition destroys level design.

I fairly fundamentally and completely disagree. Consider that even in the open world of Elden Ring, you still have inaccessible mountain ranges that you may have to maneuver around or find a spirit spring or a pass up to. There are areas that you might spot from a vantage point and then have to figure out between looking around and possibly using the map how to plot your way there. Furthermore, if that were true, people would easily find everything, but even with the ridiculous amount of time I spent in Limgrave, I found a new dungeon there yesterday and an entrance to another that I didn't know existed, but figured was probable based on the geography of the area.

It's just a different sort of design that's not to your preference, apparently. It's not like some sort of TES: Daggerfall procedurally generated crapshoot.

There were already "in between" spaces in FS games, there were just shorter.

Yes, and I tended to view them in more or less the same way that people look at modern corridor shooter maps. Go from point A to B and fight the enemies. Yay, some vertical trick to loop around or shortcut the level. (To be fair, many of these were pretty ingenious.)

My point is that I find it hard to conceive that any of this was more than a concession to the open world trend. It is paying off, apparently, from a monetary perspective. Did you see how many people are playing this on Steam? Utterly ridiculous. People just lap up this shit, it baffles me. I mean the game is good, sure, but what the hell is going on here? The open world makes it incredible? Why?

Re: the design, it could be, I'm not entirely sure either way. Re: the people buying it, I'm not sure that that has anything to do with the open world, honestly, but then, I had no hype for this game at all prior to starting to play it. I wasn't even sure I was going to play it at launch, but I was curious. I think it may be more about the general word of mouth reputation of From's games spreading with each title + not much to play from the next gen + many titles delayed due to COVID + many people staying in and playing games instead of whatever else they might do due to COVID. It's hard to say without the benefit of hindsight or figures about the demographics of who is picking it up and what they think of it. I'd be really surprised if it was due to the open world thing though.

At any rate, I think FS do their own thing, but in a way this game feels tired. They spent a lot of time developing this open world shit, one can only hope that their next games won't do the same. Although, I'm somewhat pessimistic, I feel like their creative life cycle as developers is coming to an end (these life cycles are damn short). To be fair I would have said the same after DS2, but they did release Bloodborne after that which is the holy grail to me. Maybe they'll find a way to make open worlds interesting one day.

I feel that way due to the similarities of the Souls mechanics and if it was another super linear Souls game, I'd probably have bounced off of it already. The open world is one of the main things that's breathed some fresh air into their games, imo. Similarly, using a new world with new concepts (even the ones that are retreads/mashups of their prior titles), new weapon types, spells, etc. at least leaves things feeling like they were to be discovered and explored. Even changes like varying old weapons' move sets and viability is a welcome change. At least now, people aren't thinking that they can beeline the claymore and be set for life, for example - the "truths" of the Souls games are at least a little bit askew and need to be re-examined.

Interesting how subjective these things are, because the last thing this game open-world evokes for me is realism/simulation. On the contrary, to me it feels like a big playground of combat encounters with little rhyme or reason. The environmental storytelling of previous titles lost in the transition. This is the more mundane, gamey experience I had with a From game. Even Sekiro, a spinoff of the series, had me enthralled for most of my playtime. But here I'm honestly making an effort to keep playing just to see the end. This is not even in my top 3 experiences of the last year (probably topped by Subnautica) which feels a disappointment for a Souls game.

I agree that it's pretty subjective since I bounced off Sekiro hard and considered that to be the second worst From game experience I had (after Eternal Ring). I completely disagree that the environmental storytelling is lost though. As soon as you enter Caelid, you can tell that something bad has gone down, whether you appreciate exactly what it is or not. You can tell that it's a land that's been in conflict with the half ruined forts, etc. There are areas with illusionists and, go figure, illusions that can be dispelled. It may not deliver what you were hoping, but that doesn't mean that the storytelling is missing. That being said, it doesn't really surprise me that my preferences are different than many. My personal Soulsborne game rankings are very different than what I normally see people post about here and elsewhere, so what appeals to me about the games is probably different than what others are getting from them.

 

[Sunri]

I hate those Mario jump puzzles

Spoiler

 

[Wunderbar]

Jumping mechanics were fine, it's just that particular area had invisible hitboxes fucking up your jumps. Overall I kinda liked that segment, it was very tense and unusual.

 

[SumDrunkGuy]

Does power stance really make that big of a difference with greatswords? I went and farmed a second Banished greatsword and I feel like I'm doing roughly the same amount of damage as I was two-handing a single sword. And now I'm fat rolling again because of the added weight. Not really seeing the benefit of using 2 Banished greatswords...

Also my swings are horizontal now. I liked the high slanted swings because it made killing airborne enemies easy.