Elden Ring is not the easiest Souls game; its open world and varied combat options may make it more approachable, but its difficulty still presents a significant challenge.
Many gamers have been debating, is elden ring the easiest souls game? The sprawling open world and introduction of new gameplay mechanics have certainly shifted the difficulty paradigm. Some believe these changes make it easier to navigate.
Others argue that the core experience remains intensely challenging. Despite these new elements, Elden Ring still demands skill and patience. Ultimately, the game retains that notorious souls-like difficulty fans expect.
Is Elden Ring the Easiest Souls Game?
The debate rages on among fans: Is Elden Ring, the sprawling fantasy epic from FromSoftware, actually the easiest of their notoriously challenging “Souls” games? It’s a question with no simple answer, as difficulty in these games is a complex thing. It’s not just about how much damage enemies deal; it’s about the entire experience – how the world is built, how you move through it, and the tools the game gives you to succeed. Let’s explore what makes Elden Ring different from its predecessors and if those differences translate to an easier experience overall.
The Open World Factor: A Game Changer
One of the biggest differences between Elden Ring and other Souls games is its massive open world. Instead of being funneled down specific paths, you can roam freely across the Lands Between. This freedom significantly impacts the game’s difficulty in a few key ways:
More Options, More Flexibility
In past games, when you hit a tough boss, your options were limited. You might have to grind for better stats, try a different weapon, or just bang your head against the wall until you won. Elden Ring lets you say, “Okay, this guy’s too tough for now.” You can just go explore somewhere else and come back later when you’re stronger. This ability to avoid frustrating roadblocks gives players a way to manage the challenge at their own pace. No longer are you stuck on a single path; you have the whole world to explore, level up, and find better gear before returning.
Discovering Secrets and Power
The open world isn’t just big; it’s filled with secrets. You might stumble upon a hidden dungeon with a powerful new weapon, find a crafting recipe for a useful item, or discover a new area packed with runes (Elden Ring’s form of experience). This exploration aspect makes you more powerful just by playing and seeing what’s out there. In previous souls titles the secret and power were hidden, but not very easy to find compared to Elden ring.
Avoiding the Brick Walls
Sometimes, you run into a boss that feels impossible. In other souls titles, you had limited options but in Elden Ring, you can simply ride away on your spectral steed, Torrent. This lets you postpone a difficult encounter and come back stronger, which makes the difficulty feel much more manageable. You are not stuck in a single area, with no option but to grind and get better at single boss, rather there are other options to go and explore.
Spirit Summons: Your Loyal Allies
Elden Ring introduces Spirit Ashes, which are collectible summons that fight alongside you. These aren’t just simple distractions either; some of them are quite powerful. Think of them as extra players helping you out. They can draw enemy attention, allowing you to get some free hits, or even deal significant damage themselves. Some particularly powerful summons can completely change the tide of a battle. Spirit summons were absent in past souls titles, which makes the game significantly easier.
- Tanking Damage: Some spirits are designed to absorb damage, giving you time to heal or attack from a safer distance.
- Dealing Damage: Other spirits are DPS (damage per second) powerhouses, capable of dishing out a lot of pain to enemies.
- Distraction: Even the weaker spirits can be useful for drawing an enemy’s attention away from you, which is helpful in tough situations.
The Power of Builds: Play Your Way
Elden Ring features a huge variety of weapons, spells, and items. This variety allows you to create a character that perfectly fits your play style. If you prefer ranged combat, you can create a sorcerer or an archer. If you like getting up close and personal, you can choose a heavily armored knight or a powerful warrior. The options are vast. These options are further enhanced by the ability to respec your stats later in the game, which was previously limited to only a few respecs. This flexibility means that if you’re struggling, you can easily change your approach without starting over.
Variety of Weapons and Skills
The game’s extensive selection of weapons and associated skills (Ashes of War) allows for players to experiment and find effective strategies to take down challenging foes. These weapon skills add an extra layer of customization and can significantly boost your combat ability. Each weapon type feels unique with unique attacks that give player opportunity to play according to their play style.
Magic and Incantations
Magic in Elden Ring is powerful. Sorceries offer ranged attacks, while incantations provide support and healing, alongside offensive options. These spells offer diverse ways to tackle enemies and are a major upgrade compared to past souls game. Some spells can even completely trivialize certain boss fights. The diversity of magic combined with flexibility of weapons and builds allow the player to easily play the game.
Accessibility Improvements: Making the Game Less Punishing
FromSoftware has made some changes that might seem small but they add up to a more user-friendly experience. These aren’t about making the game easy in general but they are about making it less frustrating and more approachable for a wider range of players.
Map and Fast Travel
Having a map from the get-go is huge. It lets you mark points of interest, track your progress, and fast travel around the world. This means less time is spent wandering around, and more time engaging with the content. Previous Souls games did not have this feature and players would feel lost and aimless. Elden Ring provides players with a detailed map and a fast travel system from beginning which improves the game significantly.
Checkpoints (Sites of Grace)
The Sites of Grace (Elden Ring’s version of bonfires) are more frequently placed and usually close to boss arenas. This means less time is spent walking or riding back to a boss after dying. Having checkpoints closer to the boss fight is a big help for player and gives them the confidence to try again even after multiple deaths. In other souls game, often the distance from the bonfire to the boss fight would be long, which makes it more frustrating to play the game.
Crafting System
Elden Ring’s crafting system is simple, yet useful. Players can gather materials and craft items such as healing potions, throwing knives, and buffs. This ability to craft is very beneficial and gives the player an advantage over other souls games where there was limited consumable items.
Is it Still a Souls Game?
Despite these changes, Elden Ring is still very much a Souls game at its core. It still has tough enemies, challenging bosses, and a mysterious world to explore. The core concepts of exploration, fighting, and learning still exist. The game just provides players more tools and more options to tackle these challenges, without changing its essence. It still punishes mistakes, requires planning, and rewards patience. However, the way you approach these challenges is much more flexible, thanks to the open world, spirits summons, diverse builds, and better accessibility features.
The “Easiest” Isn’t the Same as “Easy”
It’s important to remember that “easiest” doesn’t mean “easy”. Elden Ring will still challenge you, especially if you’re new to the genre. There are still some bosses that will require you to learn their moves and to use all of your strategies and resources. Even veteran players find themselves dying and struggling in the Lands Between. The game offers many tools to tackle challenges, but it is up to the player to learn and implement those strategies in the game. The bosses of this game still remain challenging, and require player to learn their move sets. Elden Ring just gives players more ways to overcome its challenges.
A Matter of Perspective
Ultimately, whether Elden Ring is easier than other Souls games is subjective and varies greatly between players. Some players will find the open world and spirit summons to be a big help, while others might still struggle with the game. Some players will say it is the easiest souls game because they have access to many tools, and some will say it is difficult because those tools and features of the game are not helping them in anyway. The difficulty of the game will vary from player to player. It depends on individual playstyles, previous experience with souls game, and also the way player approaches the challenges of the game.
Why Some Still Find It Difficult
Even with all the tools and options, players can still find Elden Ring difficult. Some of these reasons include:
- Learning Curve: It is still a Souls game which means there is a certain learning curve. It takes time to understand combat mechanics, enemy patterns, and build types.
- Boss Variety: Some bosses are extremely difficult and require a lot of learning and strategy. Even if you are good at the game, some bosses will punish even the seasoned players.
- Information Overload: The open world is vast, with many items, weapons, and mechanics to learn, which may feel overwhelming for some players.
- Personal Playstyles: Some players may prefer a stricter, more linear experience. Others might find the open world to be too much and less focused. This leads to more frustrations.
In the end, the discussion around the difficulty of Elden Ring comes down to the perspective of each individual. Some players will surely find it easier than past titles due to the freedom it offers, while others may have a different perspective. The game’s open world design, spirit summons, build diversity, and improved accessibility make it less punishing compared to previous games. Despite the changes, Elden Ring still retains core souls element that will still challenge players.
Whether Elden Ring is the “easiest” is debatable, but it’s definitely the most accessible and versatile souls-like experience to date. It’s a game that encourages players to experiment, adapt, and explore. And while it can still be challenging, it gives players the tools to overcome those challenges in their own way.
Is Elden Ring a good "first" Souls game?
Final Thoughts
Elden Ring’s open world and its many options certainly make it less punishing than previous FromSoftware titles. The spirit ashes provide significant support for many players. This results in an easier path compared to the notoriously difficult bosses of past souls experiences.
Therefore, is elden ring the easiest souls game? It depends on individual experience, but many find its forgiving nature more accessible. The game provides greater player agency, which helps mitigate the usual difficulty. The vast world, summonable allies, and numerous builds let you mitigate struggles that the player finds.
