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

[Wunderbar]

I've played some DS game in the past, didn't like it because of difficult combat with lots of dodge rolls and manual agility I don't posses.

you're going to have bad time with this game since it has a lot of twitch-skill-demanding bosses. There are some built-in cheese mechanics, though.

So, how is exploration in ER? Is it meaningful? Does it have any secrets? How's itemization? I don't like finding new pieces of stronger equipment every couple of minutes.

there are secrets, and the itemization isn't bad. The stuff you can find when exploring:
- magic, which includes your typical defensive/offensive spells, summoning ashes, and crystal tears (one time use magic ability that can be customized by mixing different tear ingredients)
- weapons (some of which have entirely unique movesets or special attacks), armor sets
- talismans (basically equivalent of rings from previous souls games)
- crafting books, infinitely reusable crafting components, whetblades (equivalent of smithing embers from previous souls games), upgrade materials
- magic items that make merchants expand the list of stuff available for purchase
- various key items, some of which give you hints on where to look for secrets
- huge secret locations with optional bosses
- optional puzzles.

What ruins this is the formulaicness of the world. The first open area you explore is really magical, then you get to the second area and start to realize that it's the same shit but with different coat of paint. Every big open area has a mine where you can find smithing resources, a cave with some miniboss that drops a talisman, a crypt where you fight stone statues and find ashes of summoning at the end, a walking mausoleum, a rune tower, a carriage with a weapon, a tree with the same copypasted miniboss, etc etc. The game is overly huge, but most of its content is copy-pasted. And what's worse is that you can't really skip the open world stuff and get straight to the well-designed story dungeons, because by doing so you risk missing the better gear/exp/upgrade mats/potentially powerful spells/useful talismans.

Elden Ring is basically a 40 hrs long game, spread thin on a 120 hrs long piece of bread.

 

[covr]

That copy-paste stuff sounds disgusting, never seen something like that in a game, sounds like a terrible idea to implement. It is really the same stuff? It would mean that nothing can surprise you after the first area.

Seems like a perfect solution to get 10/10 reviews as modern day reviewers only play a dozen hours into each game, maybe a bit more.

 

[covr]

But! If that first 40 hours is really good I could risk getting the game just for the first good part. 40 hours is a lot, with my current pace it is 2 months of playing.

 

[Wunderbar]

That copy-paste stuff sounds disgusting, never seen something like that in a game, sounds like a terrible idea to implement. It is really the same stuff?

it's pretty much a Ubisoft formula.

It would mean that nothing can surprise you after the first area.

as i've said earlier, in addition to copy-pasted open world areas, Elden Ring also has well-designed main story dungeons. They are really good, but you'll have to suffer through open world areas in order to get to the good stuff.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

As we've said before repeating shit is a thing in From games, however since previous games were all linear, it wasn't too much of a problem. Now, everywhere you go you're bound to find a lot of samey stuff. You only have a handful of land bosses, but dozens of land boss fights.

 

[fork]

I was thinking about buying this game. I've played some DS game in the past, didn't like it because of difficult combat with lots of dodge rolls and manual agility I don't posses. However I love good exploration with actual rewards, like Gothic/Myrtana/Might&Magic games.

So, how is exploration in ER? Is it meaningful? Does it have any secrets? How's itemization? I don't like finding new pieces of stronger equipment every couple of minutes.

If you don't like the hard combat in Dark Souls, stay away from this one.

 

[Multidirectional]

Yeah anyone who cannot finish Dark Souls 1 because of "hard combat" (it isn't, just make a high poise tank lol) would find Elden Ring to be stuff of nightmares.

 

[Dadd]

The DLC should replace all immersion-wrecking copypasted stuff with new original objects.

 

[MajorMace]

@MajorMace took it seriously for some reason

Tends to happen when pages after pages people belittle the quality of BB for the most moronic reasons and I fucking can't take it anymore.
BB is serious shit.

Still, playing shitty PC ports is still a better option than playing on a console like some unwashed filthy savage.

Matters fuck all tbh.

I think his point was that the consolefags think it's the best BECAUSE it is on "their" platform only.

I didn't play Bloodborne before 2019 because people kept dropping inuendos along that line. When I finally came around to finish it I felt betrayed and needlessly kept away from a great game. I'm entitled to exaggerated vindication.
Its horrendous framerate indeed is horrendous but to pretend the game isn't worth it is plain malice.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Playing a Souls game below 30 fps is pain indeed, but I finished the first one in such framerates.

 

[CyberWhale]

We need a Director's Cut/Enhanced Edition that removes all the filler and rebalances the game around it.

 

[MajorMace]

Playing a Souls game below 30 fps is pain indeed, but I finished the first one in such framerates.

It is, I'm not denying that.
My first hour of BB was fighting the urge to quit and sell back the game.
It's not just framerate : Aliasing literally hurts the eye, there's some god awful latency on the controls etc. All of this is true. You come from Sekiro and jump into BB : just imagine the contrast. My initial impression was beyond disappointment.
Once you're past the disgusting shock, there's an amazing game though, which I believe is better designed and presented than any other FromSoft title. It may be by simple virtue of exception, since it's the only one framed in this dark romanticism tone and palette, but I don't think its quality is mere illusion. The shit is crafted from start to finish with such an attention to detail, to the point that some connecting areas which could have been dragged three times their length and filled with copy pasted enemies like in some other FromSoft titles (the least gracious parts of them, I mean) are, in BB, reduced to a very small area and animated by a few, sometimes just one, ecounter(s). Byrgenwerth strikes me as a good example of how BB differs from the other titles. If it serves the narrative, pacing and atmosphere, they will not hesitate to include extremely short/small levels, but designed around a new gimmick/enemy. Something they also did a little in Sekiro iirc.

Sorry for this digression, I'll fight the urge to fanboy around BB in off topic threads from now on (I may lose said fight).

 

[Lyric Suite]

If you couldn't cope with Dark Souls you gonna hate Elden Ring to the core. Wayward combos full of delayed attacks, roll catchers and complicated attack patterns. This game was designed to trip up people who finished all the previous Souls games and while for the most part it isn't terribly hard when it gets tough it's gonna drive you up the wall.

Then again, you have a lot of added tools you can use to trivialize most things so there's also that.

 

[fork]

The game is shit in almost every way. I know I'm repeating myself, but Elden Ring is a parody of what made Dark Souls so uniquely great.

 

[Multidirectional]

This game was designed to trip up people who finished all the previous Souls games and while for the most part it isn't terribly hard when it gets tough it's gonna drive you up the wall.

They did that better with Sekiro, where instead of annoying hard to read enemy attack patterns it's the combat system itself that asks you to unlearn Souls muscle memory and play differently for a change. Enemies themselves, once you learn the combat, do not feel unfair. At least not for most part, fuck you Demon of Hatred.

That's why ER, while a good game, was also a bit of a disappointment for me because it felt like they were back to same bullshit they started with DSIII. Except with more options this time around at least, and shields were actually not complete garbage so I didn't have to dodge absolutely everything. But then maybe they don't really have anywhere else to go with Sekiro combat and it's best left as a one time thing.

 

[covr]

Fuck it, I've bought it despite what you've all said. I know I am going to regret this soon.

 

[Multidirectional]

Fuck it, I've bought it despite what you've all said. I know I am going to regret this soon.

As long as you share your butthurt with all of us here it's all good. Should've started with Dark Souls 1 though, a superior and much easier game.

 

[covr]

I think that's the game I've played in the past - hated it and uninstalled after 5 minutes. I hated controls, UI and combat in small corridors (cave? prison?).

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Fuck it, I've bought it despite what you've all said. I know I am going to regret this soon.

When you get out of the first dungeon, you'll find an NPC called Tree Sentinel. He is a questgiver and a big help for new players. Make sure to talk to him as soon as possible.

 

[Multidirectional]

When you get out of the first dungeon, you'll find an NPC called Tree Sentinel. He is a questgiver and a big help for new players. Make sure to talk to him as soon as possible.

Stop helping him! Now half the challenge of starting area is gone, great job buddy!

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

When you get out of the first dungeon, you'll find an NPC called Tree Sentinel. He is a questgiver and a big help for new players. Make sure to talk to him as soon as possible.

Stop helping him! Now half the challenge of starting area is gone, great job buddy!

To be fair, Elden Ring introduces new mechanics, with the horse and all. That NPC really helps you get used to those.

 

[Multidirectional]

I think that's the game I've played in the past - hated it and uninstalled after 5 minutes. I hated controls, UI and combat in small corridors (cave? prison?).

I've played some DS game in the past, didn't like it because of difficult combat with lots of dodge rolls and manual agility I don't posses.

So a tutorial level of DS1 was already beyond your agility. This is gonna be gud. Damn, maybe you should have started with Sekiro.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

The tutorial for DS1 neatly introduced everything you have to know about the usual From shenanigans. You're suddenly attacked by a boss, but you can avoid him, only to later find out that you could've disposed of him quite easily with one of the starting gifts, even to the point of getting a very powerful weapon. You also navigate the area discovering alternative paths, shortcuts and even the possibility of traps being thrown your way. And on top of it all, when you dispose of the boss, you still hear those stomping footsteps, making you think that there's more stuff there that you probably didn't see, and granted, there's another boss waiting for you, which in fact you're able to see as soon as you begin the area. And the only instructions given to the player are basically "do this".

Everything you see after this, not only in this game, but in every Souls game after this, is just different iterations of this basic formula.

 

[fork]

Another Polack, no wonder he's retarded.

 

[JDR13]

But! If that first 40 hours is really good I could risk getting the game just for the first good part. 40 hours is a lot, with my current pace it is 2 months of playing.

Imo, ER is worth getting even if you only play a portion of it.