Are you a fan of those new-fangled computer games? If so, I reckon you’ve probably heard all about this Elden Ring that everyone can’t stop banging on about, haven’t you. It’s currently the second highest rated game on Opencritic, sharing that prestigious spot with Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5 and The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild. At the time of recording it’s outsold modern behemoths such as Horizon Forbidden West, Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Suffice to say, Elden Ring is having a bit of a moment.
So you’re probably looking at this and thinking “Hey, maybe It’s finally about time *I* got onboard the Souls train but… aren’t these games really punishing? How welcoming is Elden Ring to newcomers like me?”
The answer to that question is… sort of tricky. On the one hand Elden Ring is the most accessible Souls game to date, giving players a wide variety of ways to tackle the game’s difficult boss encounters. On the other hand… this is *still very much a souls game*, one that constantly pushes the player to their limits and purposefully keeps basic things frustratingly opaque.
To try and answer this question that’s seemingly on everyone’s mind at the moment, I sat down with Alice B and Ed T to have a lovely little chinwag about Elden Ring and how welcoming it is to newcomers. We also talk about hot sick, crabs and kebab vans because of course we do. Enjoy.
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0:00 Intro
01:34 Is Elden Ring Welcoming To Newcomers?
24:59 Outro
#EldenRing #Newcomers #RockPaperShotgun
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I missed the tutorial, but having played all the others I wasn't really looking for one…..
Well before even watching the video, I’ve never played “a souls game before”. I’ve never played Skyrim or anything even similar before. I did play breath of the wild recently and loved it. So a friend recommended this was coming out. I LOVE IT! I’m accidentally finding so much cool stuff and beating bosses that seemed impossible at first glance. It feels like home now. Still very frustrating and there isn’t much explanation as to what to do with this or that… it took a whole day playing to figure out how to equip items I had picked up… a lot of the mechanics aren’t explained but you figure it all out over time! Wretch int/Dex for now! Next play through I’m thinking pure strength build! There are just so many good/accessible weapons that require massive strength and I’ll never be able to really use presently
I think it's more forgiving than Demons Souls and Dark Souls and Bloodborne
It's amazing because they've raised the bar for the mainstream audience. It's certainly not niche. FromSoft are absolutely geniuses.
It could do better in that area.
I feel a lot will quit or already have quit thinking they were supposed to beat the Tree Sentinel.
Just like I think a lot more people than you'd think have quit Dark Souls because they thought they were supposed to beat the Asylum Demon with a broken sword.
I'm really enjoying elden ring, and I can agree that it's a mixed bag when it comes to how welcoming it is.
I think it's more welcoming in terms of difficulty, placement of checkpoints, and workable build variety. I think it's less welcoming in terms of knowing where to go next. The game kind of expects you to go do side bosses to get ready for the story bosses. Like the game tells you what the goal is really, but especially after lingrave I can see the lack of direction and need of special items to continue being frustrating.
Bloodborne was my first from software game. I have beaten it a couple times. I really like elden ring. But it's still weird that I can jump and crouch. Im also playing ds3. I have a friend who just started elden ring. It's his first from software game. I hope he doesn't give up.
I have played all the Souls games since Demon’s Souls on PS3 and would have to say that Elden Ring is for the most part more forgiving than the other games. Grace points are pretty close together makes for easy respawn (also Marika statues), your mount can quickly/easily get you out of most situations, and you have rays of grace to guide you if you are feeling lost(story wise). All just my opinion as everyone will experience the game differently.
Almost quit Elden ring until switching to Astrologer class.
I avoided all of the Souls games because of their reputation until Bloodbrorne released. I gave it a go on a lark and it wound up being my favorite game of all time (I haven’t finished Elden Ring yet despite having over 80 hours in it so far). After Bloodborne I went back and played Dark Souls 2: SotFS, Dark Souls, and Demon’s Souls (in that order) and within 6 months of trying Bloodborne From became my favorite dev.
A huge reason I love these games is because they made me remember why I grew up loving video games and that was learning how to beat them. Learning the systems and best way to maximize my enjoyment. And that meant not being afraid to “get my ass kicked.”
So anyone who is watching this and happens to read this, don’t be worried about getting your ass kicked. It’s a game. Make a mistake? Don’t repeat it. It’s really that simple. You do that and you might come away a fan.
I found Dark Souls too Hard,
This is way more accessible, you can leave a challenge, run away, power up and come back 👍
But it’s still not ‘easy’ I’ve died a lot 😂
Only souls-like games I really liked were Remnant: From the Ashes and The Surge. Not sure if that makes this for me. Haha.
There are 100% illusionary walls, just later on. In fact there are areas that are absolutely full of them, and even bosses hidden behind them. Definitely whack walls because eventually you will find one.
I won't spoil it for you, but there is a specific cave area that's absolutely full of them with a lot of cool treasure hidden behind them.
Why do you keep mentioning a £70 price tag? It’s possible to get it a lot cheaper than that. Steam sells at £49 and there are some sales even to make it less than that
Elden ring is the best game… for curious people looking for an adventure.
I'm a new comer. Yes.
Elden Ring/Dark Souls story telling feels like being a detective at a crime scene… or like being the criminal trying to not get caught.
Very welcoming, not really been hooked on any Souls games in the past but have been loving this game. If you hit a wall go do something else, level up more, do a side boss,etc… or if you have trouble on some bosses just call in a friend or a random person to help.
Everyone's a newcomer until they're not
what's with the nonsense giggling? Is this how a conversation between three socially maladjusted adults sounds like? You've also said basically nothing of value in near 30minutes
No. It's better than past games by a MILE, but still not what I would call friendly in any way.
I feel like this game compared to all the other From Software games breaks the barriers. In all the other games it’s mostly a straight path so when you reach a boss your struggling at you are stuck in a since. While in this game if your struggling you can just take a break, explore and level up. This is the first game I thoroughly enjoy especially with all the exploration and finding something new every where I go.
the german word for 'non-handholdy' is Geworfenheit😁
They made this game very easy compared to prior souls games. a) Easy to get around from point to point without much backtracking b) you get a really chunky stamina bar to start so you never have to upgrade this related stat if you dont plan to wear heavy armor c) summoning makes the game too easy, at least in the early going. I used it once on a boss and barely saw what the boss had to offer since the summons did too good a job tanking. d) shields are overpowered. Makes the game ridiculously easy; e) dungeons are too simple and straightforward for the most part. But they seem to be mostly side-areas. The main storm castle design is typical souls. Well done. Overall, I think its good for most casuals so its mostly fine. Its a good way to get it out to the mainstream.
I'll wait for a sale.
Yes, with failure. 😜
"So I think if you missed the tutorial, you failed at basic human curiosity" 🔥🔥🔥
Does it have to be? Not everything has to be welcoming and for everyone. There are enough other games to play if one doesn't feel 'welcome'
I think From have got the balance just about perfect – it still has the opaqueness and secrets that I love the Souls series for while explaining SOME of the game mechanics. Having an open world helps with accessibility – if you're hitting a brick wall on one boss, go and explore elsewhere and come back to them, although if you want to Souls it out you can still keep bashing on the wall until it (or you) breaks.
My absolute favourite game all time!
Definitely not on pc