Chapter 839 - 839: Player Controversy

When many players first started playing "Elden Ring," they basically approached it with the same mindset they used for games like "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice," "Bloodborne," and "Dark Souls" – the "Soulslike" games.

In terms of combat systems and unique styles, "Elden Ring" really isn't all that different from those other Soulslike games.

But the open-world aspect gave "Elden Ring" countless possibilities.

It's similar to how in the Dark Souls prequel, players could do a speedrun to get the Necromancer's Sword, cut off the dragon's tail for the Wyvern Sword, or run over to farm the Black Knight Halberd.

This is also a way to lower the game's difficulty. However, "Elden Ring" offers even more freedom in its design, a vaster map, and more content to explore.

This open-ended design means "Elden Ring" allows many players to find an easy route to victory, making the game not just a source of stress but also incredibly satisfying.

For example, melee players who get the "Hoarfrost Stomp" skill can turn into skill spamming monsters. Combined with its wide area-of-effect and frostbite effect, they can defeat difficult bosses with much more ease and style.

Alternatively, they can use the 100% physical damage negation and the stamina pause effect from skills to turtle their way through everything.

When paired with a special item called the Mimic Tear, found in the Eternal City, the effect can sometimes be greater than 1+1=3.

Although Lucas slightly balanced the Mimic Tear in terms of damage, aggro, health, and AI, as a spirit ash that can use the same weapons, spells, and skills as the player, it's still incredibly powerful, especially for certain builds.

For instance, with "Hoarfrost Stomp," or when facing enemies with low posture, dual-wielding colossal weapons can keep them from standing up.

As for mages, who are favored by many players, there are a multitude of playstyles. They can use the Cerulean Hidden Tear to boost spell damage and intelligence, going for a glass cannon build that can kill enemies in a single hit.

They can also use more quickly cast Glintstone spells, combined with a dagger that has the "Quickstep" skill, to become a very agile mage.

For many mages, the magic professor at the top of the Raya Lucaria Academy, with his flashy summons and greatbow, and his somewhat sneaky combat style, left a deep impression on many players.

Unfortunately, "Flashy Summon" is a spell exclusive to the boss, but players aren't without alternatives.

The "Quickstep" skill is the alternative, offering a longer dash range, faster startup, and longer invincibility frames compared to a dodge roll.

The only cost is a small amount of FP and stamina.

Besides this, the faith-based Incantation builds in the game are also quite strong. Although the signature "Sunlight Spear" skill from Dark Souls has become a bit weaker in "Elden Ring."

However, the Dragon Hearts obtained after defeating dragons, and the Dragon Communion Incantations exchanged at the Dragon Communion Cathedral, open up many possibilities. Especially the Scarlet Rot Dragon Breath, combined with bleed arrows and a greatbow, and a main weapon with the "Seppuku" skill, makes the entire game incredibly easy and stylish.

Two breaths of Rot Dragon Breath let the boss feel the power of Scarlet Rot. Combined with the long-range bleed effect from arrows, the monster experiences what it means to be a despicable Tarnished.

And even if these combinations aren't enough to make the game easier, there's still a simple and brutal method: grinding for levels.

While it's not like traditional ARPGs where you can't be hit if your stats are high enough, the increased survivability from raising your stats still significantly lowers the margin for error in combat.

At the Bestial Sanctum Site of Grace in Caelid, there are two giant crows nearby. If a mage learns "Rock Sling," they can earn 8,000 runes a minute.

There are also giant gargoyles on the treetops in Deeproot Depths; both mages and melee characters can easily defeat them. Each one yields 4,000 runes, which is enough to keep players happy for a while.

By completing the quest for the White Mask NPC at the Rose Church, which unlocks the Blood Dynasty, the giant crow near the first Site of Grace is worth 10,000 runes. Plus, the experience points from the smaller enemies lined up earlier, each giving 2,000, provides players with plenty of motivation.

You could say that if players want to, they can completely become a "Sword God of Ten-Mile Slope."

As long as my output is explosive enough, no boss can stop me.

Initially, on major platforms and in videos, these streamers were getting beaten to death, and players watched with great interest.

But as time went on, players' understanding of "Elden Ring" deepened, and more content was uncovered.

While suffering is still suffering, as long as you're not completely inept, most bosses can be defeated after dying ten or so times, getting stuck for half an hour to an hour.

This contrast even made many players feel a sense of satisfaction, leading them to want to try playing themselves.

After all, Soulslike games, while always famous, are even one of Nebula Games' top three IPs.

However, in terms of sales, they weren't exactly top-tier. The main reason was too many "armchair players" – not every player is willing to endure constant suffering.

But with "Elden Ring" having shortcuts that aren't based on game-breaking glitches, many players felt inspired to experience it for themselves.

And once these players entered the game, they immediately felt its charm.

Because combined with the rich gameplay, "Elden Ring" could very well be the easiest Soulslike game ever made, if players want it to be.

After briefly learning the boss's attack patterns, players can pass them with relative ease after a few attempts.

Of course, if players don't summon NPCs and don't use these builds, then "Elden Ring" will become the most difficult Soulslike game ever made.

These two extreme experiences have also sparked considerable controversy and discussion among players.

Tieba, streaming platforms, and community forums were flooded with all sorts of charged posts.

'The Spirit Ash system is truly one bad apple spoiling the bunch. I don't know what Lucas was thinking, creating something so devoid of skill, especially when combined with the Cerulean Hidden Tear and Great Glintstone Shard for mages, rendering any boss meaningless.

'If Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Sekiro allowed players to summon help freely when fighting bosses, would those games even be playable? It's hilarious! Don't tell me to just not use them. If I don't use them, pretending I don't know about them makes me look like a clown, knowing and pretending not to know, fooling myself.'

'It's like telling someone playing Dota they can't use their ultimate ability, or playing Call of Duty and not being allowed to reload. Such a good game, and they had to go and make it annoying.'

Clearly, these posts were mostly from players who were unhappy with the many options in "Elden Ring" that reduce the difficulty.

Similarly, Great Glintstone Shard for glass cannon builds, Hoarfrost Stomp, the poke-and-block shield strategy, and Rot Dragon Breath were all brought up by some players. Even easy grinding spots were also mentioned.

Of course, while there were objections, there was more support.

'No way? No way? Can you really say that about a single-player game? Spirit Ashes, shield poking, and Rot Dragon Breath can't be used in PvP. Plus, if your level is too high, you won't match with regular players, and there are damage adjustments. So what are people who say it's unbalanced thinking?'

'Honestly, don't you play single-player games however you want? If you want a challenge, don't use them. If you want it easier, use these builds. Can single-player games really be compared like that?'

'Holy cow, the 'spoiling apple' scripture is here!'

The discussion direction of this post sparked widespread debate among players, garnering over a thousand replies in just one day, with people arguing incessantly.

However, what many players didn't expect was that Lucas himself personally responded to this issue on the official Weibo account at this critical juncture.

(End of Chapter)