Off My Chest
RULES:
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Remember when Elden Ring came out and how mad the hardcore souls enthusiasts were when casual players (like myself) wished there was an easier mode? I couldn't get past the first harder enemies and it just wasn't fun because I'm awful at those kinds of games. Some people really hate when you don't play for difficulty or the challenge. Personally I play games to get lost in a digital world not to prove I'm the best.
I still haven't beat even 1% of the game because I gave up on it and went back to games I'm better at. Like my 500th playthrough of Half Life 1 or Hell Divers 2 on medium haha.
Okay, that's a completely different issue though. The reason that difficulty selection gets push back is because developers are often very lazy in how they implement it, and it makes the "hard" modes little more than an exercise in tedium rather than an actual challenge. So people who enjoy the Dark Souls style games tend to get protective over one of the very few significant titles which scratches that itch these days. There are a wealth of significantly easier games to explore (and frankly better, too, unless you are there for the challenge).
That's a great point and I definitely agree from that perspective. I didn't really mean that it necessarily should have been implemented so much as the people that actually got mad that "you wouldn't be playing it the way it was meant to be played". I absolutely understand the technical issues that go into it (built server APIs at an indie game studio for some years if you can believe that after saying how bad I am at Elden Ring). It was just that the very idea that someone could want a more forgiving experience causing some other gamers to seeth over it for some reason as if someone's casual gaming desire affected their ability to enjoy the game.
I told you what that reason was though, and you ignore it in favour of imagining strangers as entirely unreasonable antagonists.
Seething over someone wanting to enjoy a game they bought is unreasonable. Some people get pissed at the suggestion it should have an easier mode.
Accessibility takes nothing away from the way those players want to play Souls games. Simple, small adjustments to enemy health, damage, invincibility frames, and speed could go a very long way to making the game worth the money people paid for it.
It's especially frustrating that Elden Ring was constantly pitched as the most accessible souls game, but it's still not nearly as accessible as fans and reviewers made it out to be.
Exactly. It's like some players want to gatekeep the game in a way where it's an exclusive experience with this weird "If you're trash then git gud or you shouldn't play" mentality.
Weird how there's this "there shouldn't be an easy mode" mentality yet the community absolutely ate up the whole "Let me solo her" meme where another player literally came in and fought people's fights for them and that was totally acceptable.
They only like those games so they can feel better than others. Gatekeeping is part of their fun.
If the souls games had much more to offer than difficulty like they claim, then the game would still be good with a lower difficulty.
Do they really though? Or are you just imagining the people you argue with online in the least charitable light?
Have you been on Reddit? I'm not saying this is the ER community as a whole by any means. My entire whole point is "why does anyone care how I or anyone else wants to play a single player game" even if it's only a few people. I've seen comments verbally berating players for saying they wished there was an easier mode. Yes they're the minority but my point was never "all players are like this".
I didn't ignore it, I just didn't address your points individually. I just don't think someone being "protective" of a game is a good reason to be mad when people who readily admit they suck but still wish they could play it because there's nothing else really like these games for combat, pace, and worlds etc.
I don't intend to act like all the fans are these angry seething fools. I'm just saying that it's ridiculous that some of them would get mad about the idea that someone would actually prefer an easy mode. As if their enjoyment of the game is directly impacted by the level of difficulty another player plays on. Like the OP here, if someone save scums then who cares? If I'd love an easy mode for Elden Ring then who cares? It literally only impacts the person playing it. I like to play games for the worlds they create. Not to challenge myself. My job and life does that enough for me.
If there was an easy mode where enemies had say 50% HP (just an example) how would that impact anyone but me? Why is it justified for hardcore Souls-like fans to be upset about that?
A few tips, one of my favorite games but it is daunting.
Early enemies that you can’t beat like the horse rider mini boss are meant to be skipped initially and returned to later. There are a lot of immediately accessible areas which are pretty tough, but there’s also beginner dungeons. You kind of have to poke around and find them.
Co op makes this game way, way easier. Use the furled finger to place a sign down and be summoned as a helper. This is a great consequence free way to learn. If you die you keep all your runes and can upgrade and purchase stuff, and you can figure out where enemies hide, traps are, or what moves enemies use. Sometimes other players will show you useful tactics, and having someone distract enemies while the other person attacks from behind trivializes a lot of fights. Finally, helping someone beat a boss rewards you with a chunk of runes, and a finger remedy.
You can use a finger remedy to summon help to your world. This can have the consequence of allowing invaders, but you can summon two helpers at a time usually, resulting in a 3 on 1 fight for invaders. If you get lucky your helper will destroy bosses for you so keep an eye out for summoning signs at boss doors. Often times those people are well prepared to assist and may know the boss weakness and move sets.
If you don’t want player help but still want an assist you can use “summoning ashes” with a summoning bell. You can get this at the church where one of the first merchants is - go there at night after you’ve acquired your horse. As you play further you’ll find more powerful summons to help you, some with special abilities, some more useful than others. It requires mana to use these and will replace player helpers (only one at a time), but you won’t get invaded, can resummon them if you have mana, and they are useful as a distraction to enemies.
There’s a lot to discover, and bypassing harder parts to backtrack later is highly recommended. Beginner dungeons usually reward you with summoning ashes after defeating their bosses. Knowledge is power in Elden Ring, don’t be afraid to die to gain that knowledge.
It’s still a tough fucking game though, so I don’t blame you if it’s still not your thing. If any of that seems helpful though maybe give it another try!