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Elden Ring Difficulty, Gameplay Details Revealed at TGS 2021

Bullet Club

Member

Elden Ring Difficulty, Gameplay Details Revealed at TGS 2021​


FromSoftware staff Yasuhiro Kitao shared a new development update on Elden Ring at TGS 2021 and explained some gameplay details related to difficulty.

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While Elden Ring was not featured directly at Tokyo Game Show 2021, the Famitsu x Dengeki TGS 2021 stream on October 3 featured Yasuhiro Kitao of FromSoftware, who shared some development updates and new details on the dark fantasy action JRPG, we translated everything below.

Yasuhiro Kitao is in charge of promotion, marketing, and production at FromSoftware and regularly appears at events. You’ve definitely already spotted his cool hairstyle before.

The discussion started early on in the stream, around 33:00, for around 10 minutes. The timestamp might be slightly off as the stream is currently still ongoing. Update: Now that the stream has ended, I’ve got a precise timestamp for you, 32:45.




Elden Ring and its seamless open world​

Yasuhiro Kitao started by explaining Elden Ring is a typical FromSoftware game with dark fantasy elements, but with several differences from Souls games. One of the novelties is how the game is open world and how it’s seamlessly connected to several dungeons.

You have small and medium-sized dungeons spread on the open world like underground tunnels. And there are what he called “legacy dungeons” which are huge castles and typical environments which also appear in Demon Souls and Dark Souls. One of the ways to enjoy the game is exploring the map and seamlessly discovering and entering areas like that.

Players traverse the open-world field using a horse, called Reima (Ghost Horse), which you can summon anywhere using the whistle. Except inside dungeons. The open world is huge and is designed to be another source of danger, different from the sense of danger you’ll get in dungeons, which adds to the fun. Kitao also touched on how the horse affects battles. For example, as seen in the gameplay trailer, when fighting giant enemies such as dragons, you’d rather be on horseback. But in narrower areas, it’s best to be on foot.

Next, Kitao explained that Elden Ring has no indications like “go to this dungeon next”. You’re free to explore and go wherever you want. Though sometimes you might be completely lost as to where to go next, so there are features that will help in those times, like maps.

Yasuhiro Kitao explained that, unlike past Souls games, you can find pieces of maps in the open world. You can then open the map and set objectives so they appear as pillars of lights to guide you.

TGS Elden Ring details – Game difficulty, development update​

Yasuhiro Kitao said he’d be “lying” if he stated Elden Ring was easy, but it’s not like the game is hard just to be hard. It’s designed so you can feel a sense of accomplishment when succeeding in doing something or discovering something, and the high difficulty is one of the ways to achieve that.

However, there are several systems that make the game easier to help players, like being able to summon allies. There is also a stealth system like in Sekiro that lets you backstab and oneshot enemies, to avoid harder frontal assaults. And if the dungeon you’ve just reached is too difficult, you’ll always be able to find easier dungeons to level up first, so this will help players a lot too.

Yasuhiro Kitao ended the segment by thanking the fans who didn’t forget about Elden Ring even when they went silent on the game for two years. And only revealed gameplay for the first time at Summer Game Fes in June 2021. He added that the development is progressing smoothly and they’ll try their utmost to answer our expectations.

Elden Ring is launching on January 21 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Source: Dualshockers
 

Apeopleman

Member
I like the idea of pillars of light to guide you to next mission. Always loved that feature in Dead space. Clicking down on R3 showed a line of where to go, and it was great because sometimes I got lost and didn’t want to look up a walkthrough on YouTube

can’t wait to hear how PvP will be. Hopefully won’t be as cryptic as past souls games
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
I wonder what is the maximum summons allowed in this game, could be a warband PVP lol
 

kanjobazooie

Mouse Ball Fetishist
Can Fromsoft/Namco please add cloud saves on PC this time? I've lost 4 or 5 Dark Souls playthroughs because I kept deleting local files like an idiot.
Sekiro had cloud support, so it's not a foreign concept to them. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Or perhaps PVP has something to do with it?
 

cireza

Member
I feel that we are finally going to get a proper open world, comparable in density to old classics such as Zelda on NES or Story of Thor 2 on Saturn...

The later is definitely an overlooked game. It had a great world, very well designed and the dungeons were all entirely connected to the world. They were part of the world. One of the final dungeons actually takes place over the world, in the clouds. Sounds a lot like BotW2... Fantastic level-design overall.

As for Elden Ring, too bad they felt that they needed a large world where you use a horse for traversal. I would have preferred a smaller world, and be by foot all the time. But let's wait and check the complete proposal.
 
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hlm666

Member
They have always had easy modes, just summon the npcs if your offline or summon a sunbro if your online. Most Sunbros have their shit sorted for pve to such a level you can spend the enitre fight finding the praise the sun gesture and quickslot it just in time to use it on them as the kill the boss.
 

Codes 208

Member
I don't think this open world is going to be anywhere close to BOTW but I hope for the best.
Yeah having an open world with connected dungeons sounds more like OoT or a traditional zelda game but with the added benefit of being able to go to dungeons in any order than BotW

but honestly thats still sounds awesome and im excited
 
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WitchHunter

Member
It’s designed so you can feel a sense of accomplishment when succeeding in doing something or discovering something, and the high difficulty is one of the ways to achieve that.

That's all. Fucking marketing monkeys cowering in the corner babbling about sales can fuck off. Weeny casuals, crying for easy mode, they can fuck off too. Bring on the cat nine o tails.
 
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Wunray

Member
For some reason I'm getting OoT feelings from this game. I believe this game if done correctly can stand up to the likes of BoTW and TW3.
 

Ghgghggh1

Banned
Souls of the wild! BOTW is my all time fav game [it dethroned OOT]. This game sounds really cool. Souls games are too hard fir me but i am keeping my eyes on this. May dust off my PS4 for this!
 

tommib

Member
It’s designed so you can feel a sense of accomplishment when succeeding in doing something or discovering something, and the high difficulty is one of the ways to achieve that.

That's all. Fucking marketing monkeys cowering in the corner babbling about sales can fuck off. Weeny casuals, crying for easy mode, they can fuck off too. Bring on the cat nine o tails.
I love you.
 
Hopefully it feels a little more balanced than Sekiro. For me personally, that was just a tad too difficult to really be enjoyable.

Demon's Souls used to really be more about exploration, preparation, and observation rather than just landing 100 parries. Hoping this turns into my favorite one since Demon's Souls.
 
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Soodanim

Member
Breath of the Souls
Souls of the Wild

I can't wait to run round this open world with a Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring and EZstealth

Players traverse the open-world field using a horse, called Reima (Ghost Horse), which you can summon anywhere using the whistle. Except inside dungeons.
That's what they think. Speed runners will find a way.
 
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JimmyRustler

Gold Member
Hopefully it feels a little more balanced than Sekiro. For me personally, that was just a tad too difficult to really be enjoyable.

Demon's Souls used to really be more about exploration, preparation, and observation rather than just landing 100 parries. Hoping this turns into my favorite one since Demon's Souls.
I 2nd this. Sekiro's fast paced gameplay wasn't my cup of tea at all. Hope Elden Ring is more classic Souls where the goal to success is to be patient and wait for the opening, not spam the attack and parry button.
 
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Killer8

Member
It’s designed so you can feel a sense of accomplishment when succeeding in doing something or discovering something, and the high difficulty is one of the ways to achieve that.

Literally what i've been saying in every thread regarding the difficulty. Suck it whiners.
 

Shubh_C63

Member
ER going to be easiest of Souls game, and still going to be a muf*cker.
Just don't be unfair like first entries, or elite status like Sekiro.
be Bloodborne I'd say. decent combination of aggression and evasion.
 

Fools idol

Banned
As long as you respect the mechanics in play, which for the most part are quite simplistic at the core level, none of the games in the series are particularly hard. The challenge comes from the patience of the player, or lack of, which makes these games special.

Also pretty sure this is discussed at length every time as Miyazaki likes to troll
 

TheContact

Member
i haven't played many japanese open world games so this is going to be really interesting. sounds good on paper so far
 

Pedro Motta

Member
Hopefully it feels a little more balanced than Sekiro. For me personally, that was just a tad too difficult to really be enjoyable.

Demon's Souls used to really be more about exploration, preparation, and observation rather than just landing 100 parries. Hoping this turns into my favorite one since Demon's Souls.
Actually IMO, Sekiro may be the easiest of them all, once you grasp the parry mechanic it's actually stright forward. It's also the less punishing of them when you die, you lose almost nothing and there is no consequence.
 

iHaunter

Member
Japan teaching filthy gaijins how to design open world games.

First with Breath of the Wild, now with Elden Ring.
Empty world with bad graphics and 5 enemy types? That's your ideal game design?

Very curious how the game itself plays. I want to see gameplay.
 
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Shubh_C63

Member
Actually IMO, Sekiro may be the easiest of them all, once you grasp the parry mechanic it's actually stright forward. It's also the less punishing of them when you die, you lose almost nothing and there is no consequence.
Most people while discussing has said that to me but, the parry window is not that generous in Sekiro. Also two kind of parry (thrust, slash) required quick reflexes which some didn't had, like me. I LOVE Sekiro and I happily quit at double ape fight.
 

Boneless

Member
Sekiro is not an RPG, which limits you very much in how you can approach difficulty. This wont have that issue.
 

Saber

Gold Member

TGS Elden Ring details – Game difficulty, development update​

Yasuhiro Kitao said he’d be “lying” if he stated Elden Ring was easy, but it’s not like the game is hard just to be hard. It’s designed so you can feel a sense of accomplishment when succeeding in doing something or discovering something, and the high difficulty is one of the ways to achieve that.

However, there are several systems that make the game easier to help players, like being able to summon allies. There is also a stealth system like in Sekiro that lets you backstab and oneshot enemies, to avoid harder frontal assaults. And if the dungeon you’ve just reached is too difficult, you’ll always be able to find easier dungeons to level up first, so this will help players a lot too.

Oh yeah, thats exactly what I like. And I like your explanation as well.
It's not really about the difficulty, but how you approach that counts. Aways use your smarts to deal with the situation, learn enemy patterns and choose the best way to proceed.
 
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