You could've always moved on and then returned to kill him later after getting some gear. You're not meant to fight the horse rider on foot.
Big fan of open world games but can’t personally see the the hype behind Elden Ring, perhaps someone can enlighten me?
- Thread starter Multievolution
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You could've always moved on and then returned to kill him later after getting some gear. You're not meant to fight the horse rider on foot.
I don't blame you for thinking so, because From games have always been pretty obtuse, but you're not supposed to fight him early on.
OP, the game is huge - it's like 3 Souls games stitched together as an open world. You could happily spend 100+ hours at least playing the game without progressing the main story quest in the slightest, just exploring what is already available. It's continued to build on the basics of the Souls combat formula, you have more tools and options at your disposal than ever before whilst still having that classic core Souls gameplay that series fans enjoy. I think it can also be the easiest Souls game, they've always had co-op, but the summon spirit ashes - pokemon enemy summons basically - can even solo a lot of bosses for you, so that barrier to entry some people fear of the series' reputation whilst isn't entirely removed, it's the lowest its ever been. At the same time if you're playing certain solo builds it's also the toughest game in the series, so something for everyone?
It has a similar open world design to BotW. Where instead of telling you to go places using markers, it makes points of interest actually look visually interesting, so you'll make the decision to go there without having to be explicitly told to do so.
Being given proper freedom in open world games has always been satisfying.
And that's without having to go into all the other things to love about the game (e.g. the combat)
Being given proper freedom in open world games has always been satisfying.
And that's without having to go into all the other things to love about the game (e.g. the combat)
Also, the game is quite a looker. Artistically, it is like playing through a dark fantasy novel come to life:
Elden Ring
Elden Ring
Elden Ring
...back to Stormveil...
Elden Ring
As well as it being incredibly immersive, I agree with you.
If you don't like the Souls formula then no, Elden Ring likely won't be for you.
However I will say that it is one of the more densely packed open world games I have ever played, it's not just the case of there's always something over the next hill, it's that the hill itself is normally interesting enough in its own right and sometimes might even stand up and punch you in the face.
However I will say that it is one of the more densely packed open world games I have ever played, it's not just the case of there's always something over the next hill, it's that the hill itself is normally interesting enough in its own right and sometimes might even stand up and punch you in the face.
For me, it's about discovering and conquering a hostile world, and doing it (almost) completely without guidance. You can't get this feeling just by watching, you have to be in the world and have it kick your ass repeatedly, until you become stronger and kick the world's ass. It's a big adventure.
I don't like any of the Dark Souls but I like Elden Ring. The one annoying part is the cheap bosses and gimmicky stuff meant to kill you, but you can level up and cheese your way to victory in a lot of cases. I find that exploring and going back to a formerly hard boss made fights trivial, like I would kill them in 2-3 hits.
I'm also playing int/dex mage, which is much better for me than pure melee.
I'm also playing int/dex mage, which is much better for me than pure melee.
Curious what was going through your mind: why did you continue to fight that enemy when you clearly weren't ready for it? I assume you're exaggerating the time you spent but there is no reason to fight that enemy at that time and you're not expected to. So why did you? What made you feel like you couldn't progress until you beat him?
The world is huge, very organic and fun to explore. It's basically From Software's showcase of level design. In my opinion watching others play it does not translate that well because sense of discovery is just not there. On top of that you have refined souls combat, overwhelming options to tackle encounters and some other additions to spice up the regular formula. It's also the easiest souls game just because of those options. In the essence it's still souls game though just better, bigger, more refined.
I'm with you OP and I have played it... a lot.
Open world games are my main interest, and amount to at least 80% of the games I play, but ER's world does nothing for me. Sure, it has some beauty to it, but for the most part the world feels dead and somehow old, antiquated (technically) very gamey and certainly in no way real. It's a shame, but, after 35+ hours and killing many bosses, the open world is just something to charge through to get to the next one, and not something to revel in and soak up. For the first time I find myself using fast travel (something I never do) as I'm bored of the world reset after every death and seeing the same basic AI patterns, in a mostly drab setting. Basically it's another just Souls game in murky, tech challenged open world areas.
It was money well spent though as both my kids love it. In fact it's the first time my youngest son has ever got into a SP game, so it's doing something right, but he doesn't care about the world, just the fight, and that's just fine.
Open world games are my main interest, and amount to at least 80% of the games I play, but ER's world does nothing for me. Sure, it has some beauty to it, but for the most part the world feels dead and somehow old, antiquated (technically) very gamey and certainly in no way real. It's a shame, but, after 35+ hours and killing many bosses, the open world is just something to charge through to get to the next one, and not something to revel in and soak up. For the first time I find myself using fast travel (something I never do) as I'm bored of the world reset after every death and seeing the same basic AI patterns, in a mostly drab setting. Basically it's another just Souls game in murky, tech challenged open world areas.
It was money well spent though as both my kids love it. In fact it's the first time my youngest son has ever got into a SP game, so it's doing something right, but he doesn't care about the world, just the fight, and that's just fine.
I feel like I have a unique perspective here. I normally dislike Fromsoft/Souls-style games but Elden Ring was a game I actually enjoyed...at first.
At the end of the day, it is a very ambitious open world game. However, it doesn't really do anything that hasn't been done before. It just does it pretty well. I think the added "wow" factor for a lot of people (especially people on this forum) is the fact that they took the Souls gameplay style and adapted it to an open world while keeping a lot of the core things that people liked about the previous more linear games intact.
I'll spoiler tag my personal opinion as to why I stopped liking it since it's less relevant to the topic.
At the end of the day, it is a very ambitious open world game. However, it doesn't really do anything that hasn't been done before. It just does it pretty well. I think the added "wow" factor for a lot of people (especially people on this forum) is the fact that they took the Souls gameplay style and adapted it to an open world while keeping a lot of the core things that people liked about the previous more linear games intact.
I'll spoiler tag my personal opinion as to why I stopped liking it since it's less relevant to the topic.
As for why I personally stopped liking it after awhile, I started to notice some really annoying trends.
Some of the "dungeon" designs were incredibly samey, and others were incredibly annoying to navigate. There's "challenge" and then there's "pointless labyrinthian areas that feel like they exist solely to disrespect my time". The bosses in the game? Great. The level design, on smaller scales? Not always great. In fact, I'd go as far as to say some the areas are downright poorly executed.
The scale of the game kinda makes up for it, but then you're just getting into a quantity>quality discussion. And before anyone asks me what specific areas I'm referencing, I wouldn't really be able to tell you because I haven't played in awhile and can barely remember the names of the important locations, let alone some of the other smaller areas.
I had a discussion with my best friend about it as he's a HUGE fan of the game and he disagreed with me, so I imagine most people here will also.
Some of the "dungeon" designs were incredibly samey, and others were incredibly annoying to navigate. There's "challenge" and then there's "pointless labyrinthian areas that feel like they exist solely to disrespect my time". The bosses in the game? Great. The level design, on smaller scales? Not always great. In fact, I'd go as far as to say some the areas are downright poorly executed.
The scale of the game kinda makes up for it, but then you're just getting into a quantity>quality discussion. And before anyone asks me what specific areas I'm referencing, I wouldn't really be able to tell you because I haven't played in awhile and can barely remember the names of the important locations, let alone some of the other smaller areas.
I had a discussion with my best friend about it as he's a HUGE fan of the game and he disagreed with me, so I imagine most people here will also.
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Personally I think Elden Ring is the open world game for people who hate open world games. If you LIKE the Ubisoft stuff, or horizon, GoT, or any of the other games like that Elden Ring can feel kind of "wrong." Just having fully missible items and quest lines that the game gives you no warnings about will be pain points for some.
You might be on to something. I generally don't like open world games but I played the living hell out of elden ring.
I think it's the best one in awhile. Typically I get burnt out on open world games but From did a great job leaving areas off the beaten path. Stuff like caves, ruins, dungeons, bosses, hidden quests like Boc, etc. The actual chalice dungeon quality ranges from…okay to forgettable though.
Still, it might be the first open world where I don't mind getting side tracked for hours. It's the best open world since Zelda, for me.
Still, it might be the first open world where I don't mind getting side tracked for hours. It's the best open world since Zelda, for me.
It is mostly Dark Souls 4 with wider areas and a lot more content than other entries, for a lot of people that is enough to be one of the best games. But as an open world i would say it barely is one, it is just bigger Dark Souls 3 with sequence breaking and more skippable content.
I usually get turned off very early in open word games because it just seems too much and little time with too much down time in between stuff. Once I started playing elden ring it felt different and I like how it looks and there seems to be something around every corner. It's definitely the best open word I have played.
If you use a companion app on your phone, you can play ER like a UbiSoft game (map, quest list etc) and won't be bothered by the difficulty (since you won't get lost areas that are too hard for your soul level).
Really think Elden Ring is for everybody.
The only similarity with BotW world design is the lack of non-diegetic markers, which is an extremly small part of world design. The rest is designed really differently they felt barely in the same genre (world interaction, dynamism, traversal tools, geography, map, etc)
I can't imagine the fun of exploring and discovering coming across in a video, of someone else playing the game.
It's one of the better open world games, but any open world will lose something if you're spoiling it for yourself.
It's one of the better open world games, but any open world will lose something if you're spoiling it for yourself.
It's fun. It has an interesting story but isn't overbearing about it. A lot of the things some people don't like about modern aaa gaming (towers and map icons, slow walking, unskippable cutscenes, detective vision) aren't here. Loads of customization and build options. Secrets that are hard to find. A ton of optional content. Good art design. Enemy and environmental variety. Turtles.
I'd recommend you stop watching play throughs of it because it ruins surprises though.
I'd recommend you stop watching play throughs of it because it ruins surprises though.
It's very big, it has good variety considering its size, and is an immersive environment to be in. The difficulty also adds to it's size - getting from A to B can consume a whole gaming session sometimes for me! And most importantly, the gameplay is very addictive - you know, the 'get gudder' thing. As a fan of open world games you would probably appreciate the world they've created, the aesthetic would grow on you once you're in it. The hype is because it's an excellent video game.
Amazing, how are people taking these shots? is there a photo mode?
I like that they only expand the map when you've entered the region. You have no idea how big the world is until the endgame.
Ehh....Personally I hate using my phone while gaming, and you can do that for literally every game in existence. Wiki's don't count towards the game's design. Look not everything is for everyone, and that's perfectly okay. I'm enjoying it but I know people who really hated it. People can like what they like and dislike what they dislike. It's all good.
To me this is the big thing. I was really worried the open world would ruin the game. I am not a fan of most open world design.
But for the most part it manages not to get in the way of the standard Souls experience.
The open world mostly just makes exploration even better, something that was already a strength in the Souls games, without adding all the usual fluff that open worlds tend to bring. There are no racing events, no game of dice, no brawling, no phone telling you about all the stuff you can experience around the corner. It is basically just a supersized Souls game. Thankfully.
That said, I really hope they dont double down on the open world in their next game. This is already taking it to the limit imo, they should focus more on making the "instances" (the castles, caves etc.) better instead.
I'm aware, I'm just using BotW as a reference point for one of the reasons that makes the open world so satisfying to explore. The non-diegetic markers make a big difference and exploration is much more fullfilling in both games because of them.
If OP has only seen video's of Elden Ring they probably have a good idea as to what world interaction, dynamism, traversal tools, geography and the map all look like in Elden Ring. Non-diegetic markers encourage player choice in a way that's not immediately obvious so i think it's important to single out.
It isn't that I didn't intend to change my load out as much as I haven't had to. I would have expected to find better equipment as I got further in the game but I'm still using the same weapons at hour 100 that I got at hour 25. I don't expect to find something useful every time, but nothing useful in 70 hour, yeah it's a bit extreme and disappointing.
I started a build as a samurai and didn't change equipment for an extremely long period of time. There was no need the base equipment felt very OP for a dex perspective. I also found that very disappointing.
Yeah, you haven't been to your first legacy dungeon yet haha.
I'm sure you'll have fun and like the game more once you get there.
This is what has been holding my interest in this, unlike previous Souls (I think I barely tried the first and second). The only other games that was able to hold me mostly because of the discovery/exploration was Xenoblade Chronicles X and Breath of the Wild, both are at the top of my most played games with over 300h. I'm closing to 40h in Elden Ring, let's see how long it will hold me interested.
Elden Ring is to open world RPGs what Breath of the Wild was to open world games. It's a breath of fresh air.
A compelling world with cool lore to unravel, many rewards and many unique weapons with solid gameplay, great level design. There's a lot to unravel and discover which, if you appreciate open world games, you will love, but there's very little of that sense of being overwhelmed and pulled in a dozen different directions. You are rewarded for your exploration but only as much as you want to be. You can do minimal exploration and have fun, you can look through every nook and cranny, you can study the lore through various items and quests or you can just rush through the game beating only the bosses, or you can perfect your abilities in combat in PVP or help others against PVP invaders or bosses. Regardless of where you happen to find enjoyment, there is plenty of it to be had.
It's a gorgeous big open-world game with Dark Souls combat and lore, with Breath of the Wild's sense of adventure, and discovery, and an immense amount of things and locations to uncover.
A compelling world with cool lore to unravel, many rewards and many unique weapons with solid gameplay, great level design. There's a lot to unravel and discover which, if you appreciate open world games, you will love, but there's very little of that sense of being overwhelmed and pulled in a dozen different directions. You are rewarded for your exploration but only as much as you want to be. You can do minimal exploration and have fun, you can look through every nook and cranny, you can study the lore through various items and quests or you can just rush through the game beating only the bosses, or you can perfect your abilities in combat in PVP or help others against PVP invaders or bosses. Regardless of where you happen to find enjoyment, there is plenty of it to be had.
It's a gorgeous big open-world game with Dark Souls combat and lore, with Breath of the Wild's sense of adventure, and discovery, and an immense amount of things and locations to uncover.
Kept me through to 120+ hours and the very end haha. Depending on where you're at, you're probably way further away from the end than you might realize. And the game will continue to give you stunning areas to discover.
I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I do, but 200+ hours in and still not done, I'm in love with this game.
I hesitantly got my girlfriend into it, who traditionally only likes farming sims/simple action games like My Time at Portia and the Lego games, and yet she absolutely adores Elden Ring and has more time than me logged (like 230 hours). We've played through just about every dungeon and boss together, and it's been an absolute blast.
This truly feels like a game made for anyone, which blows my mind because I was expecting it to be prohibitively difficult, but there are enough crutches in place to scale the difficulty to one's liking as much as, say, a Pokémon game. Just so we'll done, and I'm so excited to finally finish it (not much left at this point!), yet also don't want it to end.
Really hoping for some sizable DLC eventually.
I hesitantly got my girlfriend into it, who traditionally only likes farming sims/simple action games like My Time at Portia and the Lego games, and yet she absolutely adores Elden Ring and has more time than me logged (like 230 hours). We've played through just about every dungeon and boss together, and it's been an absolute blast.
This truly feels like a game made for anyone, which blows my mind because I was expecting it to be prohibitively difficult, but there are enough crutches in place to scale the difficulty to one's liking as much as, say, a Pokémon game. Just so we'll done, and I'm so excited to finally finish it (not much left at this point!), yet also don't want it to end.
Really hoping for some sizable DLC eventually.
Yep. I love FromSoft games, hate open world games, and think Elden Ring is amazing.
It feels more to me like an overworld than an open world. It connects all the cool places you can go to and gates harder content away until you unlock it. And it's packed with cool secrets.
This is the impression Id got from playing it and as a result used a refund on Xbox.
The things you like about open world games might not be in Elden Ring the way you might think.
And the things people like about Elden Ring might be completely different to what you like about open world games.
Its this. I've spent far too much energy complaining about Open World games, but this one shot up to one of my favourite games maybe ever.
They took the implied scale in Fromsoft's outstanding art direction and made it real instead of set dressing.
Some of them are screenshots, some are using a mod for photo mode. But yeah it looks really nice.
Is this what it looks like on PC? It looks nothing like this on PS5.
I don't really enjoy open world games, but Elden Ring is fantastic. The gameplay is so good and you're rewarded for really exploring every inch of the world.
It's a good open world, but I honestly don't see why it's revolutionary in any way aside from the crazy density of stuff to find in some areas. There's a lot of stuff to find, but pretty much all of the stuff you find is either for you to kill or to help you kill other stuff with it.
The exploration is fun because there's a lot of enemy variety and the map design is mostly great, but other than that it's just another open world game. If you enjoy the classic Souls formula but appreciate more freedom in where to go next (like I do), it's very enjoyable.
The exploration is fun because there's a lot of enemy variety and the map design is mostly great, but other than that it's just another open world game. If you enjoy the classic Souls formula but appreciate more freedom in where to go next (like I do), it's very enjoyable.