Elden Ring: a thread specifically for spoilers

Games
#2936

Almost every time. In most games, you have a wide variety of game mechanics which are options you can turn on and off to suit your preferences. Elden Ring is just a game to me, not a religious experience, and I personally think it is silly to treat it as if it is some hallowed experience. It’s a combat RPG with a reputation for really difficult combat, but it’s just a game. The PVP invasion when you are doing coop (which is a very limited experience compared to a lot of other games) is just an unwelcome pain in the rump for a lot of us. Providing a toggle to turn it on or off would simply be a good user focused game design.

Personally I think there’s a “Being There” type of thing going on with the designers and long time DS players. “Oh, they intentionally leave out any guidance to the game mechanics so you are forced to go to an online community and become part of a larger society of DS players!” I don’t buy not, e.g. giving in game guidance to what the status icons indicate as some kind of brilliance - I put that in the lazy game designer category (how hard to put a tool tips type help there?)

I’m really enjoying the game at this point, I do appreciate the game design in terms of the world and the challenge. But I don’t buy into the argument that having a toggle to turn off invasions when in coop mode hurts anyone or the game.

#2937

That is very interesting to me. I have to admit, I’d have liked to seen this variant in ER to the point where you could be invaded (perhaps grace periods between invasions where it won’t happen again) even in single player. I think the other way to go would be mobs and bosses drop better loot or more frequently when you’re set to allow invasions, etc.

To rebut the replies of others, and while I’m completely new to the genre, I do appreciate that Miyazaki has stood firm and none of the Soulsborne games offer or allow much in the way of letting players to decide how the rules and mechanics work. It’s novel to me and had I not had the experience that I’m having now I’m sure I’d oppose it. And I wouldn’t want ALL games I play to be like that.

#2938

I guess I don’t play a wide enough variety of games to realize that so many offer such individual customization of the mechanics. I do remember wondering where the quick save was the first time I played DS1.

There is even in ER a time out period between invasions. Fifteen minutes I think.

Well, I guess to end the invasion discussion I would just say that they have existed since Demon Souls, the games have all flourished and have loyal communities. So while some dislike invasions others have learned to accept and/or enjoy them. To play an existing franchise and then want it to change for you seems wrong to me, like wanting Fallout to get rid of Super Mutants or Baldurs Gate to delete basilisks.

But I do respect your opinions.

#2939

I play offline so it’s not issue to me, but if in order to play co-op with a friend I had to have invasions, I wouldn’t play the game. They sound horrible.

#2940

You’re not missing much. As @tomchick is always pointing out, designers want to push a lot of the actual balancing and design work onto the gamer in the guise of giving us more choices. Unlike Tom, I’m actually okay with it more often than not, but it’s a lot of freaking work on the gamer’s part. Basically you have to play on multiple difficulties and play with various options in order to find the right difficulty for a good challenge. I really appreciate the Dark Souls games because they do all that work for you, so you don’t have to. You can just play and enjoy.

#2941

If you play on pc there is a mod that allows you to play co-op without invasions. But if the idea of dying sounds terrible then maybe ER or a DS game isn’t for you. :)

#2942

I am on PS5, but the idea of dying because some random person thinks that is fun, the games definitely are not for me. Offline is great though.

#2943

That random person is just playing the game as it is designed.

Combat in PvP is very different from PvE. An AI enemy has set moves that you may memorize and time after a few fights, but fighting another player adds a certain uncertainty to the fight. It can be a real rush testing yourself that way.

But I know not everyone feels that way.

#2944

There are already NPC invasions, so a PVP invasion is basically a harder NPC invasion to me. I’m already dying to regular bosses and NPC invasions, so another random add to the death count via occasional other players is just another /shrug. .

Granted, I’ve only had limited MP experience, but even from hearing friends who play PVP, there are basically established areas for PVP and even in those places, it’s not as bad as getting ganked outside of Crossroads in a WOW PVP server or anything.

#2945

Well I am glad they included an offline mode so I can play it contrary to how they intended it.

#2946

But, don’t you only get invaded if you are playing coop or use some sort of item or something? Why would you need to play offline?

I feel this game is balanced like an MMO. One difficulty to level the playing field with easy vs hard based on knowledge of systems, items, levels, etc. It ain’t hard to kill a zombie mook in opening area, but the bosses really require levels. It may not provide enough guidance in game for these systems, but google is really very simple and I don’t knock it much for the lack.

#2947

Yeah, you need to opt-in to getting invaded. It’s optional.

I never opted in and I wouldn’t want to play offline – I like seeing those ghosts and writing/reading messages.

#2948

My main problem with invasions is that they’re why I can’t pause this game. Some of us have families!

#2949

Optional unless you co-op the game. Then it is a feature. I don’t know why you would play offline? As annoying as some messages may be between them, the white ghosts and the bloodstains you miss a lot of info. Also some of those hidden door messages are true. And if you play solo you can’t be invaded.

#2950

When I watch YouTube videos of the games the amount of messages and ghosts looks really annoying to me. I keep hearing people say they like it though. As already established, this is not the game for me, but for what it is in off-line mode, I love it. This game nails the exploration and sense of accomplishment. I am grinding a lot, but I don’t mind at all, because I keep finding new places to grind in. Grinding is fun for me.

I will never finish it either, like most games I will just play it until I am not enjoying it anymore.

#2951

As someone who is just short of 300 hours in the game and has tried to find every cave and crypt, I have to agree how much fun it has been to grind my way thru ER.

#2952

Lee -

That’s what I figured at first too. But I really do enjoy reading and writing messages online. And I NEVER finish games but I’ve beaten ER two times now; one more and I’ll have 100% achievement.

I am not comfortable saying just how many hundreds of hours I’ve got invested so far.

#2953

I was exactly 100 hours to finish my first run. That’s enough for me for a while.

#2954

you can though, sort of, by picking the help menus in the equipment- or map screen. But you probably already knew that…

#2955

I did not! Thanks!