Elden Ring

An adventure soulslike action game in a dark fantasy world, created by the developers of the Dark Souls series with the involvement of the author of *A Song of Ice and Fire*. At its heart is a dying world where only warriors who have lost their blessing are trying to bring it back to life. Players can choose from a wide range of weapons and magic; an improved combat system gives them more control over their character; and the game has new role-playing elements compared to previous FromSoftware games.

How the world of Elden Ring came to be, and what it is, remains a mystery. The game reveals only a small part of it: the Lands Between, a continent in the middle of the ocean. The Outer Gods—powerful, incorporeal beings from space, beyond the reach of human understanding—are fighting for control over it.

It all began at the turn of an age, when the Lands Between caught the attention of a god known as the Greater Will. It drove away the patron of the Dragons who ruled there and began to build a new, “golden” order based on the Elden Ring and a set of lesser and greater Runes (commandments). It also created the Erdtree, which still towers over the land. The Erdtree controls everything that happens and allows the souls of the dead to be reborn.

The Golden Order spread through violence (the inhabitants of the Lands Between rose up against the outsiders), while the Fingers and their Readers won over new followers. Queen Marika, a perfect vessel for the god’s power, ruled over the land. In time, she showed a will of her own: she changed the Elden Ring and removed the Rune of Death from it, becoming Marika the Eternal—the ruler and god of the Lands Between.

This explains the many creatures in the game’s world that cannot truly live or die. Those who fell out of favor were stripped of “grace,” a life-giving force without which they were considered cursed and became “Tarnished.”

After hundreds of years of constant battles, in which all who opposed her were defeated or killed, Marika’s Golden Order was established. But an age of peace and prosperity did not last long. The queen began to doubt the Path and the means used to achieve it. She shattered the Elden Ring into separate Runes, gave them to her descendants, and disappeared. Her children soon began fighting for supreme power, plunging the Lands Between into an age of Shattering.

No one won the war. Each Rune-bearer suffered physical or mental damage, and the united kingdom became divided and weak. Hundreds of years passed, and decay spread throughout the Lands Between. The Greater Will stopped relying on Marika’s remaining descendants and, through the Erdtree’s grace, called the Tarnished to gather the Great Runes and restore the Elden Ring. Marika also returned, hoping to influence the Tarnished so that one of them would change the world for the better.

Elden Ring’s storytelling is a step forward from earlier Souls games: it has a well-written, if confusing, story; varied and lengthy NPC quests; more substance in the dialogue; and better-directed cutscenes. All of this is supported by rich lore hidden throughout the game.

The main and side stories are so closely connected that skipping the side stories may mean missing story arcs and many important details, which will affect the ending. There are 6 endings in all: one bad ending, one alternate ending, and 4 main endings.

All the NPCs have well-developed motivations and backstories, sometimes in great depth, but to learn about them, you’ll have to complete each character’s personal quest. The same can’t be said of the main character. The protagonist is one of many Tarnished who have returned to the Lands Between. Their backstory isn’t important; their story is written as the player goes along.

The result is a deep, many-sided story that reveals events from different points of view and lets you make choices. This isn’t typical “dark fantasy,” but a rich tale with room for simple joys and thoughts about life, for both touching and grim moments, friendship, and betrayal.

To understand it, you’ll have to read all the notes and item descriptions, listen closely to dialogues several times, study your surroundings, and so on. But, as in other games by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the story and NPCs are a secondary concern. You can finish Elden Ring without delving into the story.

The world is truly enormous, with 6 very different biomes, each with its own landscape and flora: sunny, forested plains, foggy swamps filled with foul-smelling fumes, fantastic mountains, and more. There are also gloomy castles, winding dungeons, and secret locations. And beneath this world lies another, underground. Everything has stunning art design in a dark fantasy style.

Because of its sheer size, the world feels too sparsely populated, with too few enemies and wild animals, and some areas feel copied and pasted. At the same time, the Lands Between has many unique, carefully designed areas where everything revolves around the player. You can travel quickly on horseback or through Sites of Grace (campfires), where you can recover your strength and do more.

You have complete freedom: go wherever you want right away, do whatever you like—there are no markers or required activities. However, because areas are divided by difficulty level, exploring the world won’t be easy. You need to search every inch: the world of Elden Ring is full of secrets containing valuable loot and experience. Once the hero finds the hub area, they’ll meet important characters, find several interesting quests, and discover new mysteries.

The world is home to many different peoples who are unlike one another: giants, living crystals, flying hawks, beastfolk, beings from other worlds, and, of course, humans. Here and there, you’ll come across merchants, blacksmiths, travelers, and other characters.

Elden Ring has 10 character classes, each with 8 different attributes and a selection of suitable weapons and armor. Your class only affects the first few hours. After that, you can develop your character however you like to fit your preferred playstyle: a Samurai can become a Mage, and a Mage can become a Prophet or a Wretch.

The leveling system carries over from the Souls games with minor changes. The build can be completely redesigned from scratch. You can learn a number of useful skills and spells only by training with friendly NPCs. Armor cannot be upgraded, but weapons can be upgraded in several ways. The dynamic day-night cycle also affects gameplay.

Crafting is extensive and even excessive: you can make everything from arrows and swords to grenades and weapon greases yourself, though finding the necessary resources in the open world—such as plants, animal remains, and loot from defeated enemies and chests—is no easy task.

The combat system takes into account character progression, skills, stats, and all of your equipment. The effects of health, stamina, and dexterity have been rebalanced. Checkpoints before bosses, spirit summons, basic stealth, and the ability to jump and sprint have been added. Mechanics from previous games have returned, including poise for enemies and bosses, Power Stance, and more.

Combat has not changed: study enemy patterns, defend against or dodge their attacks, and strike at the right moment. Bosses, both story-related and optional, still have several phases, each with its own movesets, attacks, timing, and minions. Some bosses can only be defeated while mounted. Your weapons and equipment should take each boss’s weaknesses into account. Enemy AI is still rather dumb, and the game’s hit detection is still criticized, even after patches.

Multiplayer is available after enabling it in the settings and activating summon signs.