hinting at bottomless chambers
beneath; winding, island-haunted
shores that conjure up the Shadow of
the Colossus. But there are some
disappointments that illustrate what
a challenge From has set for itself, in
starting up a conversation between
Souls and the open world.
The new emphasis on 360 degree
wandering requires a degree of
simplification and standardisation,
which seems totally opposed to the
intricacies of Souls level design.
There’s a touch of Far Cry to certain
enemy gatherings – take out the
horn-blowers first, or they’ll summon
reinforcements! – and the freedom to
tackle them in any order makes them
feel all the more interchangeable.
Sites of Grace – where you can level
up and fast travel – are found
moments away from each other
rather than being precious
discoveries. For all the surface
spectacle, Limgrave doesn’t seem to
have much of an underbelly: many
optional dungeons are just stairways
to boss chambers. Horseback combat
often turns skilled opponents into
angry traffic cones, to be ridden
around and hacked apart without
much regard for their movesets.HORSING ABOUT
Above all, there’s the bombardment
of raw materials. Elden Ring sharesmany types of consumable with
Souls, from flammable resins to foods
that accelerate stamina recovery, but
you can now craft your own on the
hoof using berries, bones, and bits of
gold-studded excrement. This is
helpful, but it alters the ambience. In
Souls, the real value of treasure is that
it makes the geography intriguing.
You’ll see a glowing trinket dangling
from a gibbet and suck in your
breath. Can you reach that item on
this path, or must you circle back
later? Assess your blindspots: where
will the inevitable ambush come
from if you dare to collect it? It feels
like you’re playing poker with the
designer, except that rather than a
trump card the designer has a
firebomb cocked to throw.
Elden Ring’s grander dungeons
can be similarly mischievous. Below
the seaward wall of Stormveil Castle,
there’s a sparsely wooded cliffside
with dropped valuables unobtrusively
defended by softly swooping eagles.
At the other end of Limgrave, in the
Murkwater Catacombs, goblins poseSWORDS AND ENDS
Our favourite weapons in Elden Ring so farORDOVIS’
GREATSWORD
This family-sized
cleaver has an
eye-watering AoE
weapon skill... and an
extremely long
wind-up. Time its
usage carefully.REDUVIA
This heavy metal
album cover of a
dagger has a
typically short reach,
but you can use
Blood Blade to
perforate foes with
streams of gore.CARIAN
GLINTSTONE
SHIELD
A starting item for
Enchanted Knights,
this shield’s Sorcerer
Hunter skill absorbs
spellfire and spits
Glintstone bolts.Elden Ring
COVER FEATURE
WHEN I GET THE
ELITE BELOW 50%
HEALTH, THEY
RAISE THE STAKES