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Elden Ring is a crowning achievement for open worlds & is quite possibly the greatest game ever made.

MagnesD3

Member
You make some really good points and I do wish I saw the game like that. It’s just, for example, I never got that sense of connection between the zones. Yes, the same links and pathways are there, to be revealed, but it felt like a chore, rather than a moment of revelation.

Agree on the legacy dungeons. Really enjoyed them as they felt like traditional DS. And I loved Castle Morne.

I also thing the game is just flat out too big. And it’s also too obtuse. I spent three hours dicking around the zone before the wizard chick dungeon, trying to find the key to the door. It was in some random ruins across the map, behind a dragon.

That was the moment, probably after about 15 hours or so, that the game started to irritate me. That’s not ‘the magic of exploration’. That’s just arrogant game design.

I laboured on and beat the game after about 70 hours or so, but I had to seriously force myself. Doubt I’ll ever pick it up again.

Whereas I’m currently on my 6th or 7th DS3 playthrough.

I just hope From don’t abandon traditional Souls for Open World. It would be great for them to do both.
Oh yeah Castle Morne was great, really enjoyed how you climb down the dungeon to the boss in a little corner of the area. I'll agree the game can be obtuse (like fromsoft normally is) I do think it would be nice if you had a little note book in your inventory that kept up with things of interest, not on your map but things that the game hints might be worth checking out that youve already had hinted to you by the game (so it isnt spoiling anything) just in case you forget since the game is large.

To be fair in that instance for the Raya Lucarian Academy there is a map that shows you where the key is right at the door to the academy, now you do have to find the door first but there's a teleporter (maybe 2) that teleport you there and landmarks on your map that would indicate it as a point of interest to check, you also could just skip the academy altogether if you werent enjoying the Liurnia zone (it is very hard to navigate by design due to the mist which is good for atmosphere but can make you get annoyed by getting lost (cough see Consecrated Snow Field cough) and head towards the Altus Plateu, the Canorian Manor, Ansel River or Even Caelid if you dared.

Yeah if you werent having fun you definitely should have just dropped it for something else, 70 hours is too long to not enjoy yourself. It sounds to me you probably just didnt value the exploration part of it and preferred a defined road with less of a time commit.

I think they will do both but mostly linear, I actually think Elden Ring will be there only open world game for a long while until Elden Ring 2 (please let this happen!!).
 
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RickSanchez

Member
if, like me, you are also tired of everyone from YouTube reviewers to the Game Awards sucking this game's dick, i just went through the first 4 pages to collect some balanced or contrarian takes to help you counter the mass-masturbation session that Elden Ring fans have got going on here:

Bosses? world assets? combat animations? Caves? Recycle X5 & mix. Winning formula.

Say we send gamers back to caveman-era gaming with no way to pause? Force folks online to garner bits & pieces of the incoherent storytelling? Absolutely brilliant design & nothing wrong there!

Towns? Villages? Inhabitants? Any actual world interaction? Fuck that. Take your braindead one-liner NPCs & enjoy it.

Elden Ring AI: If boss see MC -> attack with janky animations till MC dead. Else -> Nothing. Just roam round damn spot forever like a moron.

Same mediocre FromSoft tech? *Overworld Stuttering Intensifies*

ER's an Iteration. Not an evolution. Same shit Souls have been about, but HEY NOW here's a horse! an open world hub! We added jumping!
Saying that these "major additions" are groundbreaking for open-worlds is subjective, but incorrect imo.

Okay but very flawed game. Lotta what's being hailed here have already been done elsewhere & better.

Not for people who want living, breathing open worlds with npcs, etc and not just enemies attacking you.

It is a great archetype of open world, but not the best open world for everyone.

Bloodborne and sekiro are better souls games imo.

This whole "greatest X ever made" thing is ridiculous.

You can like something without superlatives and hyperbole. I promise you it's allowed. 🤔

Two of the worst types of games combined (open world /souls ), wouldn't play it even if it scored 100% MC.

(yes I suck at hard games)

It does absolutely nothing interesting with the open world concept and recycles mechanics and tropes that got old in the mid 2010s. It's also a blatantly unbalanced and in many ways broken game with an ungodly number of useless loot, terrible boss AI, awful performance on PC, the same shithouse hitboxes as in 2010 etc etc.

I don't even like the game but even Death Stranding did something more creative and more coherent with its open world structure with the way it made traversal the main challenge. Of course BotW is still the gold standard with its systemic gameplay and world design.

The reason I start hating certain fanbases: arrogance & hyperbole.

OP how many games have you played in your life? One?

I loved my time with it, but much as with Breath of the Wild, I didn't consider the sense of exploration or discovery that transformative. If it was simply a case of creating minimalist maps, then anyone could do it, but where both ER and BotW let the side down is that the potential for discovery is always limited by the game mechanics. By the time you leave Limgrave the die is already cast: you'll find caves, catacombs and large, Souls-like dungeon areas, and in them you'll fight mobs, bosses, sub-bosses and occasionally traps, switches and invisible walkways. Outside that you'll find merchants, occasional NPCs and lots of ruins, but most of what you'll find in these places is crafting materials, weapons, armour and items.

It's all beautifully crafted and expertly directed. The combat is excellent, the dungeons are stellar and the bosses are up there with FromSoft's best and though I don't know what's around the next corner, most of the time, I can be fairly certain of what I'll find there: enemies, loot, traps, merchants, bosses. The Witcher 3 still takes the exploration and discovery crown, because, sure, you might have waypoint markers, and sometimes it's just a cheap mob and a loot chest, but just as often it'll be something quite unexpected, something that will spin off into a multi-part side-quest that all started because you picked up a soggy letter.

All good aside from bloat and repeated caves with bad rewards. I also don’t like many repeated bosses and too fast bosses combat. It’s just super fast and too frantic.
I think souls games are better. Ds3 with dlc is incredible.
Ds1 is perfect.
Ds2 is my personal fav.

I gotta say tho, I need to replay Elden ring and don’t do everything

BOTW and to some extent Skyrim, more so BOTW are both games where you have the freedom to do what ever you want and your own pace, much like ER.

I brought Skyrim in 2011, i've played 100s of hours and have never completed it, i never did the main quest line, i did my own thing.

BOTW is so hands off, it lets you take on the final boss in the first hour of the game if you want to.

If Elden Ring is considered "The greatest game of all time" then I give up gaming.

Forever.

Because I must be a million fucking miles out of touch.

I feel like people who say this is the best game ever never played the past From games.
ER is just the same exact shit theyve been doing for years but somehow worse - and easier.
I hate to say it, but the formula has gone stale - ER is basically Dark Souls 4. The way you summon stuff - write/read messages/combat - its the same old shit.
The game is still fine and quality but been there done that (multiple times).
Sekiro is still their crown jewel with this formula.

no game will ever be the best ever...you will have your personal best, like anyone, but that's about it.

take elden ring, for some people the open world destroyed the progression and balance of the typical souls game, and, well, it did.
but while some people are gonna miss the more structured "keep hitting that wall until either him or you concede", many other will relish the ability to say fuck to the wall and go find another one to bash their heads on.

both are perfectly valid points and both true at the same time, it's up to you if you like more structured and balance or more freedom and broke, because you can't have both, it's fundamentally impossible from a design perspective.

The weekly "elden ring is the best game ever" thread to farm reactions and circlejerk


Yeah yeah mate every game is the greatest thing ever in this board. I just read that Last of Us is the greatest story ever, Elden ring the greatest game ever, what else now ?

Lmao some of the gaffers are such uneducated clowns

Hilarious thread backfire.

Agree with all the complaints. I recently went back to it thinking I must have missed something and hated almost every second of it. There is a GOW Kratos built that went viral recently so I figured id try playing it with the frost axe and magma blades. Almost 8 hours of 'exploring' later, i still didnt even get to the enemies that have a 1/100 chance of dropping the magma blades and the frost axe didnt make the game play feel any different.

Because the enemy design is still absolutely awful. I always had trouble with their stupidly long windup mechanics. Every fucking enemy does this. But what stood out the most this time was just how aggressive and relentless they are. There is no window where you can get more than a few hits in. They all have attack combos that chain up to 5 attacks and within two seconds they have reloaded and launch another five attacks. Every fight with bosses or even smaller enemies take forever because of this ridiculous change to enemy design.

I was watching some high level gameplay and I realized that they wanted this game's combat to be a DPS game designed around maxing out builds. The only problem is that unless you youtube those builds or play on NG+, you wont get that experience until 60-80 hours in when you're overleveled. It took me hours to find the manor that has the chilled Ashes of War. Everywhere i went there was another hidden area where id get lost for a good 30 minutes. This is with following directions. Volcano manor was even more hard to find and then to get inside the entrance is actually hidden. Took forever to find the youtube video that showed which wall is a hidden entrance.

How this is supposed to be fun is beyond me. Give me bloodborne, DS3 and Sekiro over this repetitive copy pasta game with bad combat design decisions.

Half the reason I cannot stand the Souls series, apart from things like constantly being "the same game" and it's story telling mechanics, are the constant takes like these by it's fans.

They're a solid series. But they're not revolutionary nor innovative and really haven't been in over a decade. They're also not a game that's as hardcore and "skill based" as it's fans insist.

All the fans I personally know who gush about Elden Ring, and every other Souls game, and pretend like it's a true test of skill melt in Doom Eternal on Nightmare and have told me "I think this game is just hard for hards sake. I'm not into that." And drop the game. None of them can even reach Taras Nabad let alone beat it.*

So it's really that the Souls games are the most accessible series that allows fans to posture themselves as being "hardcore". It's the low bar to clear.

And then of course, as stated, due to their rabid adoration insist each new entry is innovative, revolutionary, etc as nauseam.

I really would have so many nicer things to say about Souls if it wasn't for it's fanbase.


Edit: and as for the open world mechanics of ER specifically, I've watched hours of gameplay (largely thanks to my ex) and I'm not sure how its doing anything 'new' in the genre. Now, within the Souls series sure its 'opening the world up' but with respect to Open World Gaming? No.


*I use Eternal here primarily because it's pretty recent, is truly challenging, and imo for an FPS a breath of fresh air. "Innovative" to steal the Souls fans favorite word, but really it's just different.
 
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ntropy

Member
if, like me, you are also tired of everyone from YouTube reviewers to the Game Awards sucking this game's dick, i just went through the first 4 pages to collect some balanced or contrarian takes to help you counter the mass-masturbation session that Elden Ring fans have got going on here:
omg someone loves something! how dare they!
 

RickSanchez

Member
omg someone loves something! how dare they!
They absolutely should dare to love something!

But loving a game as your all time favourite is one thing; and proclaiming said game as the greatest game ever made and expecting other people to agree is a very different thing.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
They absolutely should dare to love something!

But loving a game as your all time favourite is one thing; and proclaiming said game as the greatest game ever made and expecting other people to agree is a very different thing.
umm.....then dont agree? But thats not gonna stop people from expressing their love for the game, if you tired of people praising it then dont go to Elden Ring related thread.
 
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GigaBowser

The bear of bad news
"Crowning achievement in open worlds"

The open world is literally just a backdrop that you can't interact with at all other than to fight.

Souls peaked with Bloodborne and Sekiro and ER just caters to the casuals who never played a Souls game before and like easier games with big empty spaces.
 

Mess

Member
While I loved my time with Elden Ring, It may be the souls game I like the least in the end (yes, I do love DS2). I enjoy Souls games better as a focused experience and while an Elden Ring 2 is pretty much a given at this point I hope FROM doesn't go the open-world-only route for future titles.
 

Bernardougf

Gold Member
It's an issue because it's essentially pointless and ends up being a gigantic waste of time. It's not fun, engaging or challenging to take your donkey goat horse and run across vast expanses of nothing or occasionally engage in terrible platforming with the goofy looking double jump. Overworld enemies are basically useless because they give very little XP, seldomly have anything of worth to drop and can very easily be dodged with the aforementioned horse to get to whatever loot you've identified as desirable after watching your favorite content creator's guide on Youtube. The horse even makes the pathetic attempts at environmental hazards trivial since you can just safely run across copypasted poison swamps with it. On top of that the world itself is completely devoid of life, being the usual desolate shithole populated by hostile zombies Miyazaki has been recycling for the best part of a decade which means that the amount of surprises you can find in it is surprisingly small, making rewards for exploration another likely reskinned boss fight, admitedly beautiful vistas, the fuckawful quests I refuse to believe anyone progressed without a guide and the legacy dungeons.

Even there though I feel like I'm getting crazy when I see people constantly parroting the notion that these dungeons are "the best levels FromSoft ever designed" because I feel like they're extremely disappointing and forgettable. I don't know if people even noticed but the reason the first Dark Souls world was so remarkable wasn't simply because the map was interconnected; the areas themselves had a very strong identity not simply because of their visuals but also because of their mechanics, challenges and gameplay scenarios: the most obvious example if of course Sen's Fortress, which is an endless succession of various traps, guarding access to the land of the gods. But Anor Londo itself had its own unique identity, with a focus on tightly navigating hazardous paths above bottomless pits. First you have to realize the way to progress is to use a flying buttress as a bridge, then you have to carefully walk on beams hanging from the ceiling while fighting enemies, and finally you have the infamous parts with the archers. All of this is brilliantly contextualized by the fact you're trespassing on a place you shouldn't be in and are therefore forced to use risky, thief like maneuvers. I could also cite the tomb of the giants where you can't see shit, the depths and their maze like structure or the crystal caves with their invisible paths but hopefully you got the point by now.

Elden Ring's legacy dungeons in comparison feel remarkably samey, with a part inside the building, a part on the roofs, a lower part etc. There's no really unique challenges or interesting narrative context for them. You enter them, and everyone wants to kill you, and you're going to roll through it till the end. They're beautiful yeah, but that's about it. And that to me defines Elden Ring and its reception. I feel like people are completely incapable of analyzing its game design, its mechanics, its systems, the way they're balanced and interact with eachother, because it they could they'd see it's close to being utter shit. They see the awe inspiring scale, the evocative art direction, the huge number of loot, bosses, mini dungeons and think that makes it a great game. But it doesn't. It's all style over substance and quantity over quality. It's like a caricature of what made the first Dark Souls interesting made for the kind of cretins who feel like they belong to an exclusive elite club because they press the roll button at the right time.
Couldnt agree more ... this open world worship is something I will never understand
 
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ntropy

Member
"Crowning achievement in open worlds"

The open world is literally just a backdrop that you can't interact with at all other than to fight.

Souls peaked with Bloodborne and Sekiro and ER just caters to the casuals who never played a Souls game before and like easier games with big empty spaces.
i played DS after ER, and DS was much easier
smashed Smough and Ornstein on the first try blind
 
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TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
and proclaiming said game as the greatest game ever made and expecting other people to agree is a very different thing.
Maybe they are just sharing their opinion. If think a game is good, I'm going to say the game is good, and if that makes you seethe then that's up to you.
 
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"The greatest game ever made" is a term so worn out throughout the history of video games that it has little value today.
But i understand why some see Elden Ring that way. For me, this is one of the few games that awakened a somewhat dried up desire to explore EVERYTHING.

This works in several ways. First, well-placed points of interest, never so far away to get bored, never so close to get tired of them.
Second, anticipation. The world of Elden Ring can be rather harsh. The need to find something that will give some advantages is one of the dominating factors throughout a large portion of the game. And all this is amplified by a unsettling aura of the surroundings, subdued yet atmospheric soundtrack and the sense of danger, which is both alluring and alarming. Whether you dare to visit a certain location or leave it for later, you feel it getting under your skin.

All this makes exploration no longer a tedious necessity, but an adventure, an experience. Even if at some point it becomes mostly a quest for higher and higher levels, it does not lose its charm or purpose. Thanks to Elden Ring i felt like a little kid playing the first Fallout again, and that's precious. Enough to completely ignore the flaws, if i fuck up it's my fault and i must suffer. No pause option? Hide in the bushes. Uneventful quests? Who asked your opinion? You either do it or gtfo. Not enough smithing stones? Dig for them in your own ass if you think it will be faster and more efficient. This is how i see it.

If a game has that effect on me, it must be special. The greatest ever? Maybe not quite, but it's definitely up there.
I had to turn the music off in the end lol. You’re right, it’s extremely unsettling.
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
I'd put BOTW as my favorite open world of all time, easily makes fools of the rest of the stale genre and found a way to invigorate the concept. But Elden Ring is #2.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Elden Ring's legacy dungeons in comparison feel remarkably samey, with a part inside the building, a part on the roofs, a lower part etc. There's no really unique challenges or interesting narrative context for them. You enter them, and everyone wants to kill you, and you're going to roll through it till the end. They're beautiful yeah, but that's about it. And that to me defines Elden Ring and its reception. I feel like people are completely incapable of analyzing its game design, its mechanics, its systems, the way they're balanced and interact with eachother, because it they could they'd see it's close to being utter shit. They see the awe inspiring scale, the evocative art direction, the huge number of loot, bosses, mini dungeons and think that makes it a great game. But it doesn't. It's all style over substance and quantity over quality. It's like a caricature of what made the first Dark Souls interesting made for the kind of cretins who feel like they belong to an exclusive elite club because they press the roll button at the right time.
Wow. I am surprised to see someone finally mention this because I 100% agree. Best dungeons ever? Are people taking crazy pills? I had the same issue with BOTW's dungeons. They are basically twist the level puzzle boxes. There is no new weapon or ability or item the entire dungeon is built around. It's just turn the wheel to unlock the room. The shrine puzzles are better but feel like mini games. Why cant I get a proper zelda dungeon? Why cant I get a proper Souls castle that doesnt feel like it belonged in Dark Souls 2?

I definitely agree that people have absolutely no idea how to analyze game design anymore. And I dont just mean gamers on forums, critics are just as bad. Everyone is judging these games with a checklist by their side. Is there variety? Check. Open world? Check. Boss fights? Check. I saw a video that showed that the game has 350 bosses. How is this not a bloated game with copy pasta bosses and levels? It's funny how we trash ubisoft games but the moment our favorite games go open world, we jizz all over them.

Earlier this year, HFW came out. Looked amazing. Fixed all the issues people had with the first game... better animated NPCs during dialogue scenes, better side quests and more variety. Everyone loved it. Until we played it. They completely fucked up the combat system by making enemies more aggressive whilst giving them armor and nerfing Aloy. It completely ruined the combat for me, and it boggles my mind that it has an 89 on metacritic and no mention of them ruining their incredible combat system from the first game.

I have to wonder if people actually understood what made these games GOTY material in the first place. Did people just love TLOU for its story and cutscenes or did they like the combat? If they liked the combat why did they hate the second game when it has way better combat and some of the best setpieces and boss fights in the game? Dont like the story? Skip it. I dont care for it either. Doesnt change the gameplay. Souls games were all gameplay which is why its bizarre for me to see so much praise for a watered down version of the souls formula.
 
All the fans I personally know who gush about Elden Ring, and every other Souls game, and pretend like it's a true test of skill melt in Doom Eternal on Nightmare and have told me "I think this game is just hard for hards sake. I'm not into that." And drop the game. None of them can even reach Taras Nabad let alone beat it.*

So it's really that the Souls games are the most accessible series that allows fans to posture themselves as being "hardcore". It's the low bar to clear.
I think this here is the reason why souls is so successful. It's accessible difficulty.

We heard it all before "anyone can beat souls if you adapt to its rules " but its so true

No lighting refexes required or complex button combinations just hold up your shield and wait for an opening.

My brother hasn't gamed in a while I gave him my ps4 and God of war when I got a ps5.( Thinking god of war would be a good reintroduction)

He was making progress but playing in very basic way just spamming r1 and throwing the axe barely using anything else. It hit me then that dark souls would have been far more mechanically simpler for him at least combat wise. Obviously it's waaaay more punishing than god of wars easier modes.

As Gamers have gotten older and more "battle hardened" lol it's not really surprising that souls has ballooned in popularity where other hard games have struggled commercially.

Having said that Elden rings toughest bosses seem to be pushing the current combat system to its limit. Although it's leveled out with summons and broken builds etc.

It will be interesting to see if core gamers start to get bored of the souls formula or not. Maybe ninja gaiden or devil may cry will have it time in the sun next!
 

MP!

Member
it certainly is the most playable of the souls games
I hated them until elden ring

I still can't believe how stupidly convoluted it is to play multiplayer, dropping fingies all over the place and being booted every 5 minutes and having to re-do each area for everyone in your party

That alone knocks it out of greatest game ever made category
 

MagnesD3

Member
it certainly is the most playable of the souls games
I hated them until elden ring

I still can't believe how stupidly convoluted it is to play multiplayer, dropping fingies all over the place and being booted every 5 minutes and having to re-do each area for everyone in your party

That alone knocks it out of greatest game ever made category
What is this multi player? 🤔
 
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Wow. I am surprised to see someone finally mention this because I 100% agree. Best dungeons ever? Are people taking crazy pills? I had the same issue with BOTW's dungeons. They are basically twist the level puzzle boxes. There is no new weapon or ability or item the entire dungeon is built around. It's just turn the wheel to unlock the room. The shrine puzzles are better but feel like mini games. Why cant I get a proper zelda dungeon? Why cant I get a proper Souls castle that doesnt feel like it belonged in Dark Souls 2?
Agreed with you on both games. I liked stormveil castle alot, but man people really think ER has the best level design/structure? Just odd, playing DS1 now for the first time, I'm about 2/3 if the way through (I think at least) and I don't think stormveil would be in the top 3 or 5 if interesting places in that game. As for BoTW, yea the new Zelda NEEDS actual dungeons again. I really liked the game but the divine beasts/dungeons there were probably the low point of the game.
I definitely agree that people have absolutely no idea how to analyze game design anymore. And I dont just mean gamers on forums, critics are just as bad. Everyone is judging these games with a checklist by their side. Is there variety? Check. Open world? Check. Boss fights? Check. I saw a video that showed that the game has 350 bosses. How is this not a bloated game with copy pasta bosses and levels? It's funny how we trash ubisoft games but the moment our favorite games go open world, we jizz all over them.
Funny you mention that, as my thought playing ER was that is was a Ubisoft game just in souls form, which really makes the game suffer imo. Here are some repeat bosses that I faced early in in the game: erdtree burial watchdog, pumpkin head, Miranda the blighted bloom, and night Calvary. All of these bosses (outside of night Calvary, who I think is pretty cool) are some of From's most uninspired/lamest work I can recall. And I'm not even far into the game! I'm sure they come up even more throughout... Just gave me so many dark souls 2 vibes (this is not a good thing). Just bosses for the sake of bosses, which have such low quality of challenge and design.
It will be interesting to see if core gamers start to get bored of the souls formula or not. Maybe ninja gaiden or devil may cry will have it time in the sun next!
After not enjoying ER, I went to dark souls 1. As that was the last souls game for me to beat. Just to see if I was tired of the formula or it was something with ER itself. And gotta say, I love DS1 even with it being dated as hell lol. The combat that From creates is just so damn fun. I'm sure there will become a point where it gets old, but I personally am not there yet. Having said that, I do think From should try and change things up a bit.
 

Ogbert

Member
How do you do it? Mods? I beat it fully twice and was left disappointed both times. What keeps you coming back?
I just love it. I adore the feel of the game. I think there’s great build variety, although magic is off. Abyss Watchers are flat out my favourite boss in video gaming, so I look forward to trying a new build on them and seeing how I do.

Game isn’t too long. Doesn’t drag like DS1.

Every zone is beautiful. The only real chore is the catacomb section and the crappy skeleton dude fight.

Love it.
 
Agreed with you on both games. I liked stormveil castle alot, but man people really think ER has the best level design/structure? Just odd, playing DS1 now for the first time, I'm about 2/3 if the way through (I think at least) and I don't think stormveil would be in the top 3 or 5 if interesting places in that game. As for BoTW, yea the new Zelda NEEDS actual dungeons again. I really liked the game but the divine beasts/dungeons there were probably the low point of the game.

Funny you mention that, as my thought playing ER was that is was a Ubisoft game just in souls form, which really makes the game suffer imo. Here are some repeat bosses that I faced early in in the game: erdtree burial watchdog, pumpkin head, Miranda the blighted bloom, and night Calvary. All of these bosses (outside of night Calvary, who I think is pretty cool) are some of From's most uninspired/lamest work I can recall. And I'm not even far into the game! I'm sure they come up even more throughout... Just gave me so many dark souls 2 vibes (this is not a good thing). Just bosses for the sake of bosses, which have such low quality of challenge and design.
I felt elden ring is what an ubisoft style open world would feel like without all the map markers and hand holding. It's much better at first as you let the landmarks guide you and genuinely discover stuff.

BUT after playing it a while it somehow ends feeling familiar. Eventually I started looking at the map for places without markers to go and find new stuff. It became a game of putting markers on the map as opposed to clearing them off🤣

As there's no real narrative either you do essentially just clear out an area of it's content then move on with no reason to ever return.

It's essentially open world souls so it still a million times better than anything ubisoft has ever put out though!
After not enjoying ER, I went to dark souls 1. As that was the last souls game for me to beat. Just to see if I was tired of the formula or it was something with ER itself. And gotta say, I love DS1 even with it being dated as hell lol. The combat that From creates is just so damn fun. I'm sure there will become a point where it gets old, but I personally am not there yet. Having said that, I do think From should try and change things up a bit.
Souls combat just feels good as is always somewhat challenging so I think it will always be fun. There's always a new weapon or build to try out as well!

I think it will always be popular I do wonder if another franchise can take some of its player base if it offers deeper and more complex combat. Like Rise of Ronin or Dragon's Dogma 2 we will see!
 

Sygma

Member
Pretty incredible how people seem to miss this. To me, it felt like an Ubisoft game but just so poorly done. Dropped it after 25 hours and I think I fought Night Calvary 4 times. I fought 2 dragons who literally had the same moveset, just re-skined. Went through about a dozen copy and paste caves/catacombs, which had repeat bosses as well.

Truly don't get how people like the exploration. Feel like ER does it worse than any game Ive ever played.

BoTW is the only open world game that I feel like truly has innovated over the last decade or so.

Exploration is the strongest point of the game and its not even close. Sure you can make a case about upgrading mats always being in the same mining caves, and a lot of bosses re used throughout the world BUT they nailed everything about the very essence of exploration, and also on the rewards since the itemization in the game is absurdly strong. By not even picking examples in the same category, Baldur's Gate 2 and Pillars of Eternity 2 are the only other games I can think of where this specific aspect was nailed hardcore
 
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Brock2621

Member
Aight so I've actually gone radio silence and ignored almost everything concerning it as I've been busy playing through my backlog for the past year (every FF game, Ghost of Tsushima, Plagues Tale and on and on), but I think I'm ready to hop in. My question is, did they ever patch in ray-tracing? And if not is there an ETA? Frame stuttering issues fixed?
 

anthraticus

Banned
That open world actually detracted from it as the original Dark Souls was my favorite game in this series. Especially from a level design standpoint.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
did they ever patch in ray-tracing? And if not is there an ETA?
No, and no. Although some update added strings for RTX settings, so maybe soon.

frame stuttering issues fixed?
yeah, much better than at release. In fact I only had issues with that during my first two days playing the game. After that, smooth as butter.
 

manfestival

Member
finally beat the game but not sure if I care to go through the whole puzzle to get to the haligtree or whatever it is called. I want to do the content but it seems like a drag to do that whole thing just to unlock access. Is there an easier way to get there?
 

Muay Ninja

Member
Greatest game ever made is a bit of a stretch. It's good but I wouldn't go that far. Definitely one of the best Soulslike games.

Persoally I prefer the Demon's Souls remake over it. But that's just me.
 

Brock2621

Member
No, and no. Although some update added strings for RTX settings, so maybe soon.


yeah, much better than at release. In fact I only had issues with that during my first two days playing the game. After that, smooth as butter.
ok, dang... was really hoping for RTX before I jumped in. Aight well maybe I'll jump into Ghostwire then as it's in my backlog as well and then check back in. Appreciate it
 

NeverYouMind

Gold Member
I just love it. I adore the feel of the game. I think there’s great build variety, although magic is off. Abyss Watchers are flat out my favourite boss in video gaming, so I look forward to trying a new build on them and seeing how I do.

Game isn’t too long. Doesn’t drag like DS1.

Every zone is beautiful. The only real chore is the catacomb section and the crappy skeleton dude fight.

Love it.
I am glad you like it, but there is always a disconnect for me. I do love playing through Irithyll Dungeon, Untended Graves, and Archdragon Peak but it takes so long to get there that I often just lose interest before I get there. If Dark Souls 3 had a traditional save system I could have set up saves for entering these areas. If the game was less linear I could have even entered them in a reasonable timeframe. You could argue that if I kill Emma I could kill the Dancer and Mad King early to at least enter Untended Graves, but I am just not that great at the game. The materials for me to have a weapon and rings up to the task is mid game at best. Also, the weapons that are cool to me often do pitiful damage and do not poise break even after being maxed out. Meanwhile, something like Astora's Greatsword has great range and damage, but it bores me.
 
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u smokin dicc if u relly beleaf dat op.

Seriously tho? Not even close. It has an ethereal quality to it(at times) but, the game trolls you way too much. The whole game just feels like one big middle finger. Maybe some gamers enjoy that more than the standard fare but, so many choices are illogical. Like, why is there a distinct lack of balance towards the endgame? I get that it’s supposed to be the hardest content in the game but, From went fucking overboard. Secondly, the pause button shit; it’s just dumb. There are plenty of hard games that don’t have to resort to selfish tactics like these. It’s not “charming” or anything, it’s arrogant. Oh and before anyone tries the “git gud” shit on me, I completed the game 4x with platinum in tow.

On a more positive note; ER does have some of the best moments I’ve ever played in a game. The Alexander and Jarburg quests legitimately caused me distress(I guess that’s the whole point?) Fuck, my eyes are watering up rn…
 
"Crowning achievement in open worlds"

The open world is literally just a backdrop that you can't interact with at all other than to fight.

Souls peaked with Bloodborne and Sekiro and ER just caters to the casuals who never played a Souls game before and like easier games with big empty spaces.
How did ER cater to casuals? Genuine inquiry.
 

Woggleman

Member
ER is a great game but the only way you can interact with the world is by killing things. The game is one huge battlefield which has it's pluses but to be a great open world it has to be a believable and alive feeling place that feels like it goes on with or without you.
 

saintjules

Member
To say something is the 'greatest game ever made' means that a title needs to be played by most gamers, being flawless and praised in this world as it transcends through time, years beyond its release. That's what music classics do. Something vintage, fresh and innovative that captures and attracts anyone that listens to it on a universal scale.

This isn't it. Maybe for the souls genre it's the greatest to do what other souls games has before it perhaps, but that's about it.
 
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Gideon

Member
There is no greatest game ever made since it's all subjective, but for me personally, elden ring is my favorite game of all time, I didn't expect to like it since I disliked ds3 but somehow It kept pulling me in more and more and now I can't get enough 🙂

PS: SteamDB was just updated so maybe the dlc announcement is near 🙏
 
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Bekind

Neo Member
I mean, the term"the greatest" will always come down to personal preference. But ER is definitely at very top as one of the greatest games for sure.

So OP saying ER is the GOAT is understandable to his own taste. And many people may think the same as him. Nothing wrong with that.

For me, there are some other games which also have huge impact on me like ER that i would never forget the first time experiencing them, such as Ori, Sekiro, Bloodborne, BoTW, DS3, TW3, GoW 2018.

Just glad to experience all these masterpieces in my lifetime, man.
 
finally beat the game but not sure if I care to go through the whole puzzle to get to the haligtree or whatever it is called. I want to do the content but it seems like a drag to do that whole thing just to unlock access. Is there an easier way to get there?



Edit: there is a horse skip too which requires zero equipment.

I’ve never managed it. I try for 20 mins then give up and start my knife-dodging trudge around fantasy London.
 
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Bernardougf

Gold Member
How did ER cater to casuals? Genuine inquiry.
Dont know about casuals, but IMHO is the easiest soulsgame by a mile, Im level 80 , 60 hours into the game, the game is too easy, and when is hard it feels cheap hard and not "get good" hard, the open world element made From make choices and for me it didnt work, as a souls fans of course I like the game, but is the worse From game, even ds2 is much better.

As for casuals, well just check the thread, full of souls fans saying is not so great and at the same time people saying "never liked souls game but this one is tha bomb!"

Nevertheless is a comercial success just hope it stays its on thing, keep dark souls intact
 
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DavidGzz

Member
They absolutely should dare to love something!

But loving a game as your all time favourite is one thing; and proclaiming said game as the greatest game ever made and expecting other people to agree is a very different thing.

Isn't it easy to stay out of threads of games you don't like? People did the same for Zelda, I didn't agree, and you would never see me in threads of those games. It's pretty easy. Who is telling you that you must agree?
 

SweetShark

Member
It would had been...If the PC version (which I played) wasn't running like ass in critical moments and quit by itself in random momens.
 

MagnesD3

Member
To say something is the 'greatest game ever made' means that a title needs to be played by most gamers, being flawless and praised in this world as it transcends through time, years beyond its release. That's what music classics do. Something vintage, fresh and innovative that captures and attracts anyone that listens to it on a universal scale.

This isn't it. Maybe for the souls genre it's the greatest to do what other souls games has before it perhaps, but that's about it.
But the majority of people are really dumb/have no taste, there's a reason when you look at consistent sales charts there's a sports game or Call of duty near the top of sales..
 

Bernardougf

Gold Member
It would had been...If the PC version (which I played) wasn't running like ass in critical moments and quit by itself in random momens.
Its something that plagues fromgames, dream come true ? Sony buys From and now Souls Team can use sony,s first party graphical assets and other studios expertise (bluepoint?)... make the gams multiplat, dont make them, I dont give a damn, just give me all fromgames with bluepoint DS graphics!
 
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