Gripping gamers everywhere with its dark fantasy games, FromSoftware creates highly anticipated games time and time again. The latest in this field is a collaborative piece from the creative minds of Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin. This addition to the gaming world is titled Elden Ring.
Game players can't help but think of Elden Ring as another Dark Souls game. Although the release takes inspiration from the notoriously difficult Dark Souls series, it's a unique and intriguing new adventure. FromSoftware's classic structure is clear to see, but the open-world aspect of the game and some fan-longed-for tweaks, such as platforming and stealth, bring the game to a whole new level.
Similarities
Fast Travel
In Elden Ring, little balls of light are called Sites of Grace, but, essentially, they're the same thing as the bonfires in Dark Souls. Players activate these as fast-travel checkpoints, where they respawn upon death or travel from other points around the world. The sites also restore health, magic, and, similar to most FromSoftware games, the enemies along the players' path before death.
Leveling Up
At the Sites of Grace, players can choose to spend their runes, equivalent to souls. The currency is, like Dark Souls, used to level up and buy items. Players obtain runes by defeating enemies.
Among certain bonfires in Dark souls, firekeepers, the most helpful NPCs in the Dark Souls series, act as the sworn guardians. Similarly, Elden Ring features Melina, who wears a hooded cloak like the firekeepers and appears at rest spots like the firekeepers.
Core Combat
The core combat system is the same as Dark Souls. These features include dodge rolling, estus chugging, and a slightly more forgiving stamina pool. The most recognizable combat feature is probably the wielding of melee and magical weapons. The combat differs slightly with the addition of jumping attacks, countering after blocking, and spirit summoning.
Stats
When it comes to Elden Ring's player stats, many are recognizable. These include vigor, mind, endurance, dexterity, intelligence, and faith. There are a few differences for players to note before tossing their runes into the same stats they typically use in a Dark Souls game.
The only significant difference is the absence of the vitality stat. Players' maximum equipment load is now bundled into the strength stat instead. Luck is gone too, but the stat's effects are under the new arcane stat, which controls the likelihood of looting items from dead enemies, increases death resistance, and allows some magical abilities to scale in power.
Co-Op and Multiplayer
Dark Souls has an online multiplayer option. By using humanity or an ember, a player will turn into a multiplayer host. They can summon up to two friendly white or golden phantoms and be invaded by hostile red phantom, instigating PvP battles. Elden Ring features a similar souls-like player summons, where the host can summon up to three friendly phantoms.
Differences
Platforming
One big difference in Elden Ring is the player's ability to jump. They can easily hop onto a stone wall or walk along a building's ledge, opening new ways to defeat foes, such as leaping off a building to catch them off guard. This aspect is also expanded on the Spirit Steed, with the game providing Spirit Springs as areas that can launch players into the air via horseback. Along with platforming enhancements comes less fall damage than in Dark Souls.
Stealth
Until now, FromSoftware mostly veered away from stealthiness, aligning with a widely known theme of direct combat. Alas, a lesson presumably learned from responses to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring implements stealth features. Along with jumping, stealthy maneuvers make a notable difference to the Elden Ring gameplay. For instance, players can crouch-walk through grassy areas to avoid enemies and knock foes out with Sleepbone arrows before killing them.
Multiple Dungeon Types
On a grander scale than Dark Souls, Elden Ring provides six major dungeons in its world, along with smaller catacombs, mines, and caves. The dungeons offer the option of entering through the front, by defeating a bunch of guards or through the side, which requires more platforming. The smaller areas are full of traps, some familiar foes, like skeleton warriors, and classic invisible walls that hide treasure. Players can also find bosses in these locations.
NPCS And World Events
The most notable and exciting difference in Elden Ring is that it's an open-world game. Much like other open-world games, it hosts various events in the world for players to encounter. For instance, players can encounter mini-bosses and even regular bosses at random. Players can also stumble upon random camps of enemies, where dragons can fly in out of nowhere.
Weather effects, like rain and thunder, also impact the game. If they're not careful, players can be struck by lightning
World Map
Probably the biggest change from Dark Souls is that Elden Ring lets players explore with an actual map. However, it isn't fully available until players find map fragments to fill it in, revealing more of the world as they play.