Chapter 841 - 840: Universal Praise

"High difficulty, this has always been a characteristic of Soulslike games, and I don't deny it. I believe that behind every player who conquers a game's BOSS, there's also a player who gives up in frustration. I truly apologize to those players who find there are too many hardships to overcome in the game."

"Difficulty is a designer's privilege, and not every game needs to cater to everyone. I've always believed this and acted on it."

"But at the same time, high difficulty and hardness aren't the only labels for Soulslike games… High difficulty gives meaning to the game experience, and I don't intend to give that up. It is indeed one of the game's labels."

"However, compared to high difficulty, I hope more players can feel the joy of overcoming difficulties and hardships. In real life, death is a terrible thing, but in games, we can give death more meaning. It shouldn't just be painful; it can become enjoyable."

"Regarding players thinking that spirit ashes and powerful weapon art combinations make the game easier, I don't deny that. In fact, when developing Elden Ring, that's exactly the direction we were heading."

"Unlike games that strictly demand players improve their skill level, in Elden Ring, we've made appropriate changes. However, this wasn't a compromise to lower the game's barrier to entry. We want players to have more ways to solve a problem that feels tricky to them."

"Yes, that's right – 'solving problems.' In previous Soulslike games, there were many similar things, like helpful messages left by players before, or the ability to have helpful allies. In Elden Ring, presented as an open world, we have more choices and have filled this world with more content."

"This way, when players encounter an insurmountable difficulty, they can explore the world and discover content that will help them overcome it. I believe players will really enjoy this problem-solving process."

......

When players saw Lucas's long post, their first reaction was a bit of confusion.

Although Lucas had previously interacted with players and even streamed gameplay, he always gave players the impression of being "one of them," a designer who understood them.

But this was the first time he had posted such a lengthy explanation. In fact, many players wondered if someone had impersonated Lucas's ID.

However, after reading everything Lucas said, many players clapped their hands and cheered.

"Although Boss Lucas said a lot, all I got from his words was one meaning: the game is hard, but don't worry, players, because it's all my intention."

"So, this is why you designed so many disgusting monsters and traps in the game, Boss Lucas, to deliberately torment us?"

"Ahem… Brothers above, don't derail the conversation! Although I also really want to take down Boss Lucas."

"Honestly, Boss Lucas explained it well. As for tackling bosses head-on in an open world or finding other ways to break through, isn't that normal?"

"Exactly! Although it's a Soulslike game, honestly, Elden Ring gave me a feeling of playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."

"If there are flaws, there definitely are, but they don't overshadow the good. This is definitely one of the best open worlds I've played in the last few years!"

"+1. It's a single-player game, can't you play however you want? Those who say certain builds are too strong, can you not use them? Or if you don't use them, you can't defeat the Valkyrie, the Black Sword, or Starscourage? "

"On one hand, they say the strategies are too strong and make the game boring. On the other hand, they use them and then say the bosses are designed to be so hard so players will use these strategies. They get to say all the good and bad things. It's just not admitting they're bad at the game, isn't it?"

"Exactly. Difficulty itself is a characteristic of Soulslike games. It's just that Elden Ring, compared to previous Soulslike games, offers many more ways to overcome difficulties. Now they complain about the in-game strategies making it boring and wanting to experience honing their skills to win, but then they complain the monsters are too strong. They've said it all."

Although Lucas didn't explicitly say it in his post, some very rational players understood that the players who complained about spirit ashes and weapon arts making the game boring were simply changing the subject.

Single-player games also have a concept of balance, but balance is off when one particular strategy is so overpoweringly strong that other strategies are completely incomparable.

For example, strategy A can instantly kill a boss, while strategies B, C, and D yield too little benefit and only chip away at the boss's health.

This is a form of imbalance.

In Elden Ring, Lucas, referencing balance from his previous life, made appropriate adjustments to iconic items like the Moonveil Katana, the Glass Cannon build, the Mimic Tear ashes, and certain spear strategies.

While it's impossible to create a perfectly level playing field, these are all viable strategies, and their strengths are not vastly different.

In terms of effectiveness, at least for the first and second playthroughs, there won't be any strategy that's simply not strong enough.

Furthermore, this is a single-player game, and how it's played is entirely up to the player, unlike online games.

In most online games, many players actually have no choice.

Because if you don't use a certain strategy, others will, and it will negatively impact your gameplay experience. Even if you don't want to use it, you might be forced to for your own enjoyment.

As a single-player game, Elden Ring's PVP and PVE content are completely different modes.

These strategies used in PVP would simply get you easily defeated. As for builds like the Golden Greatshield and Cannon, Lucas specifically adjusted their balance in the game.

It can be said that there's absolutely no valid reason to claim that someone else's use of a strategy negatively impacts your game experience.

If there's any impact, it's likely from external factors, such as the psychological persecution of not being able to "show off."

Of course, a small number of players still expressed dissatisfaction with Elden Ring online. Some more radical players even declared Lucas "excommunicated" from the Soulslike community.

However, Lucas didn't seem to care. After posting his long message, he disappeared from public view.

The general sentiment surrounding Elden Ring topics completely shifted.

At the same time, Elden Ring truly exploded in popularity, not just in terms of reputation, but also in terms of sales.

In the past, Soulslike games, besides their inherent excellent content, were also known for their outstanding meme potential.

The combination of excellent art, lore and world-building, artistic level design, coupled with high difficulty and streamers suffering through it, spread through social media and gave Soulslike games high visibility.

But in reality, a larger portion were "cloud players" (those who watch others play). Playing a Soulslike game yourself is a completely different experience than watching. Especially for players with poor motor skills, they genuinely couldn't experience the fun of Soulslike games.

When you can't even defeat regular enemies or bosses, how can you appreciate the grand narrative, how can you appreciate the intricate story design?

But Elden Ring is different. Without guides, 90% of players would likely struggle.

However, with the release of walkthroughs, besides needing to learn boss attack patterns and movesets, subsequent players can significantly reduce their suffering.

This also led to Elden Ring having the highest sales among all Soulslike titles.

Exquisite graphics, perfectly balanced and rich gameplay, and stunning art design and world-building – these elements have made Elden Ring, a Soulslike game transitioned to an open world, receive universal acclaim from both players and media.

(End of chapter)