Topic: Elden Ring Hype Thread

@LN78 I’d also say don’t go for Horizon, it won’t compare. I started it before Elden Ring and dropped it fairly soon after that came out. I still haven’t gone back to it. That’s the thing though, my favourite games of the last year, Elden Ring, Deathloop, GotG etc have all felt like a breath of fresh air and push the industry forward in an interesting way. Whereas Horizon personally just felt like a little bit of a refined rehash, which is absolutely ok and it’s a decent game, but can be a tiny bit stale at times.

@LN78 lol everything will compare poorly to ER though

Someone mentioned CP2077 - that’s a really good game too, but not elden ring. At least the dots on the map involve shooting things

@nessisonett @velio84 Cheers guys - that seems to pretty much back up my own thought process on "HFW". I'm going into town in the morning to buy a pre-owned copy of "Deathloop" to play over the weekend - I've got a few bits and pieces to trade in anyway.

@Mega-Gazz I've had "CP2077" for my Series X since launch day. I've got a really bad taste in my mouth with that game that just won't wash away no matter how many updates it gets. I'll get back to it someday.

@LN78 sorry to jump in here but I read “FPS/Immersive Sim” and Arkane’s Prey instantly sprung to mind. It’s brilliant and in some ways similar to Elden Ring, possibly making it a great follow up game: slow paced, methodical, incredibly atmospheric and with a high degree of challenge and freedom. Also it doesn’t seem to click with everyone but if it does, it really clicks. For me, it’s a sci-fi masterpiece. Anyways, worth a try for the right price!

@nessisonett How do your thoughts on the CNT compare/contrast with your thoughts/impressions of the full game?

@Jimmer-jammer Isn't "Deathloop" an evolution of Arkane's "Prey"/"Dishonored" formula but with a Rogue-like timeloop gimmick chucked in for good measure? In any case thanks for the tip - I'll add it to the list!

@LN78 I unfortunately haven’t had the chance to play Deathloop yet so it very well could be! As for comparing Prey and the Dishonoured series, very different flavours in my opinion, with the only real tie being the label of immersive sim. Really excited to play Deathloop sometime though! For the foreseeable however, it’s back to the lands between 😄

I'm roughly at 50 hours-ish, just beat Morgott at the Capital...

Since tweaking my build and putting a concerted effort into actually equipping appropriate talismans etc, I am finding that I'm shredding through bosses... made me realise how inferior my previous setup was!

I'm not rushing to finish, but reckon I have another 15-20 hrs left. I might shoot for the platinum, but only if I can attain through this one single playthrough. By the time I finish (plat or no plat) I think I'll have had 'my fill'... and probably have a desire to play something new.

Like many have said, HFW is on my list also - but I agree it would likely be a mistake to jump straight in after ER.

Luckily for me - the Returnal DLC finished download today, and I am honestly itching to play it! Perhaps a divisive statement, but as much as I'm loving ER (and I really am!) it still doesnt compare to my experience with Returnal. I can't wait to see what Housemarque drop next

@TheBrandedSwordsman The network test was basically a worse version of the main game. The full scale of the game is so incredibly vast and full of way more interesting dungeons than Limgrave. Plus the technical issues are fixed.

@LN78 I have that issue every single time I finish a meaty game I really like. The best thing to do, in my experience, is to take a couple of weeks off from playing games. Let the experience settle until you're ready for something else. Good time to catch up on some novels, tv shows, etc. you've been putting off.

Genuine question...I should first mention that I generally don’t get on with FromSoftware games because of their difficulty. So my question is this - as Elden Ring is their first open world game, am I likely to get any mileage out of playing it if I avoid the bosses? I realise this means I won’t finish it, but is it possible to still enjoy other parts of the game?

@Nightcrawler71 You can explore about half the map without beating a single boss. And bear in mind that there are loads of little dungeons with much easier bosses that will ease you in. You could spend 30 or 40 hours before even attempting Margit!

@Nightcrawler71 I think it’ll be too hard for me to finish as it stands. Unless perhaps I respec my character and try following a guide to make a more efficient build, which I am happy to try if it comes to it. I think I probably have enough “skill” but not the patience required. So don’t assume you won’t be able to finish it, i think with enough patience you will surprise yourself. I have cleared Demon Souls, Bloodborne and DS2. But as it stands I’m 80 hours in and I feel I have plenty of content that I am still capable of getting through and I’ve loved my time with it. I absolutely recommend everyone try it to be honest.

@Ralizah There is usually not a day which I don't play video games in some sort. Going a couple weeks without sounds like hell to me!

@Jimmer-jammer @LN78 I've played both Deathloop and PREY and I wouldn't say they felt similar to play. Both great games, although I did fall off Deathloop hard towards the end.

@JohnnyShoulder @Razilah I've pretty much just gotten into current gen (my Series X and PS5 have literally been gathering dust) after playing almost exclusively retro games for over a year. I've got a ton of games to catch up on but "Elden Ring" really is such a tough act to follow! I'm definitely giving "Deathloop" a try later on today, though. I had a look at some reviews last night and I love the retro-futuristic aesthetic - it reminds me of "The Prisoner" which is one of my all time favourite shows - so that's a big plus and I loved the "Dishonored" games. Almost certain I'll enjoy it.

@JohnnyShoulder hopefully I enjoy Deathloop as much as their previous work. It certainly looks interesting. I really don’t know when I’ll be done with Elden Ring though. 80 hours, level 61 and only recently finished up the academy, so I’m guessing I probably have another month or two on my play through, especially seeing as the amount of hours I’ve been pouring into it over the last month isn’t really sustainable for me consistently. How’s your play through going?

@colonelkilgore Hey bud, how are you? Long time no speak. As a fellow melee/UGS player I wondered if you could shed some light on how viable that kind of build is in the game compared to older titles in the Souls series, especially in light of these comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/t80p8w/is_it_just... ?

Finished that game at 176 hours. Messed up two trophies (was mostly blind playthrough so I wasn’t being careful) so I’ll have to get the frenzy ending and all armaments on the next playthrough — which will be a mad monk!!

@TheBrandedSwordsman hey buddy, I think it’s perfectly fine to go pure melee mate. As with Demons Souls, I would assume that spell-casters probably have it a bit easier… but i wouldn’t imagine that it’s half as much fun. Think I’m on the final stretch now and I’ve one-shot’d the vast majority of bosses so far. I have heard the last bunch of bosses (which I’m about to face) are the toughest, so that’ll be interesting.

Ironically, this time I have put a load of points into INT, not because I want to cast or anything… it’s just the UGS (or CGS in this game) requires INT at 22 to use.