WhenElden Ringwas first released I bought a copy straight away. I did this even though I had bounced off several Soulslike games, not out of dislike for them, but more because my creaking age reduced my once decent hand-eye coordination.
I’d managed to hit the halfway point ofDark Souls 2before putting it aside; I finished its follow-up miraculously, andBloodbornehas been bested a couple of times. Smough and Ornstein prevented my completion of the originalDark Soulsand anytime I tried a Soulslike, dedicated to loving it, I soon had to face the fact that I just wasn’t very good at them.
And yet.
Advert
Advert
I threw myself intoElden Ringwith devotion and wild abandon, because I knew it would be “An Unmissable Open-World Masterpiece.” I chose a magic build because I do so rarely in other RPGs and The Lands Between was not kind to me. Not because I wielded a staff, but because my thumbs didn’t want to cooperate. I couldn’t dodge enemies while casting spells, the deaths began to grind on me after countless hours of trying to ‘get good’. I sold my copy after about a week and decided I’d try to steer clear of the genre from then on.
Fast forward to last week and a couple of my colleagues here at GAMINGbible.
Malenia
Advert
Advert
My first port of call was Margit who, with just a few waves of my staff, crumbled in one attempt. I was happy but didn’t get my hopes up too high. I knewElden Ringcould bring me back down with a thud. I texted my workmate Sam, our Soulslike expert, and asked him where I should go next and I realised another reason why I was enjoying the game so much this time round - the wealth of knowledge.
Miquella
Advert
Advert
While I enjoy discovering things in games along with the rest of the player base, there’s something delightful in looking up build guides, asking friends for directions, or watching 90 minutes of lore videos on YouTube. I wasn’t alone in this journey, I had someone on the sidelines coaching me, I could seek out the best places to visit as a mage, or I could play on my Steam Deck while I listened to the calming tones of a deep dive video.
I am now looking forward toShadow of the Erdtree, even though I still have lots of the main game in my future, and I’ve spent many hours since the trailer dropped researching Miquella, the possible origins of Messmer, and how The Land of Shadow connects to the world above through Miquella’s cocoon. Honestly though, even if I don’t finish this playthrough for whatever reason, my fondness for the game has increased from this revisit and I can’t get enough.
Yes, I’ve only played for around 15 hours and there is pain in my future, but for now, I’m enjoyingElden Ringmore than I thought I possibly could. I’m looking forward to my couple of hours of playtime each evening - tucked up in bed because the Steam Deck runsElden Ringlike a dream - and I’m very attached to my little mage who is so tenacious in her moving forward.
Topics:Dark Souls,Elden Ring,Fromsoftware
