How Hard Is ‘Elden Ring’?

FromSoft’s Hidetaka Miyazaki has a reputation for creating very difficult games—so difficult that there is now an entire genre of “Soulslikes,” which blossomed from Dark Souls’ mix of incredible difficulty and environmental storytelling. If you’re in the gaming sphere, this reputation has likely reached your ears and eyes. You’re also probably familiar with the unfortunate sub-culture of people (mostly Gamer Bros) bragging about these games’ difficulty and shaming potential players for not being “up for it,” or being “wimps,” etc. Perhaps this has even turned you away from a game you may have otherwise played and enjoyed.

Happily, a game has arisen whose own reputation seems to be louder than this unfortunate phenomenon: Elden Ring. The hype for the George R.R. Martin-backed venture has been so large, and the reviews so astronomically raving, that many first-time Soulslike players are tempted to give it a try. But still, the question lingers: “Is Elden Ring too hard?”

Elden Ring is my first FromSoft game. I’ve played a bit of Nioh 2 (a Soulslike where I died a lot) and have challenged myself on hard mode on a number of action games (Breath of the Wild Master Mode clan, what’s up!). I came to Elden Ring fully prepared to die all the time and attempt the same dungeon for hours and hours, and I have—though perhaps not for as long as I’d thought. And I’ve won!

Elden Ring is hard, but it’s also undeniably doable. I was mentally preparing myself for much worse. Nioh 2, for example, felt harder to me up front. In Elden Ring, you have the luxury of leaving a fight that feels too difficult for your character at that moment. You can go off, farm runes to level up, and come back later. The game is constructed around giving you that option. It’s a beautiful thing.

The most useful traits to tackle Elden Ring, in my opinion, are patience and a sense of humor. Aside from being some cheesy desirable traits on a dating app, that mindset will keep you from feeling defeated when you die. Just like in games like Hades, death is the means through which you learn in Elden Ring. And, often, your deaths are absurd and hilarious. A freaking Deathbird just showed up out of nowhere and pecked me to oblivion yesterday. I audibly laughed.

There are a couple tricks to mitigate Elden Ring‘s difficulty, too. For one, stealth is always the way to go. Sneak up on enemies whenever you can. There’s also usually more than one way into a fortress, so never go in the front door. Try to find a side entrance where everyone’s back is turned.

Second: Whenever you can use your summoning bell, do so! Help is always good! You can use your spectral wolf friends to help you pick off enemies or to distract them while you sneak up on other ones. Getting help will make a huge difference. Later on, you can even ask NPCs to join you, too.

Lastly, make sure you research the classes before the start of your game. The ability to whip out a spell from behind a bush and kill a foe before they see you is another way to make the most of Elden Ring‘s stealth mechanics. But more than that, a magic-wielding class allows you to fight bosses from a distance. Many of FromSoft’s bosses run on patterns: You can clearly see the lead up to a giant about to swing his club, for example. But if you have a long-distance offensive spell, you don’t have to take as many risks dodging blows. In other words, magic is relatively safer than melee.

I picked the Prisoner, which I’d highly recommend to any other newcomer. Of all the classes, it’s the most versatile for the player who wants some melee capabilities and some magic capabilities. It also comes equipped with one of the aforementioned long-distance offensive spell. The Confessor seems to be another solid choice in this regard. The Astrologer has more of a 70:30 balance on the magic:melee ratio. But do either of them come with a dystopian and creepy iron mask? Hell no.

In short, don’t let anyone talk you out of Elden Ring because it’s “too hard.” It’s difficult, yes, but it’s not too difficult. I have yet to feel like I’ve hit some kind of defeatist wall. I believe in you! You can do it! All praise the mighty Alexander, the Warrior Jar!

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)