To this day, very little is known about FromSoftware’s upcomingElden Ring. Fans are excited for how similar, but different, this title could be from otherSoulsgames. Interestingly, it seems likeElden Ringwill be more like aDark Soulsgamethan anything else, based on the recently leaked footage. This is despite the incredible sales ofSekiroandBloodborne,but it seems that the more open field-design of theDark Soulsseries might be more compelling for the upcoming game.
While it remains to be seen exactly how it connects or differentiates,Elden Ringis not the first time theSoulsformula has been entirely blown apart.Dark Soulsmods first appeared when the game launched on PC. Since this point, different mods of the series have thrived, and the most popular of these mods are always ones that radically alter the game.
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Some modders refer to these as “remixes,” and that is true to an extent. Mods likeDaughters of AshforDark SoulsorCindersforDark Souls 3definitely shuffle around items, enemies, and encounters to give the game a fresh feeling for veteran fans. Interestingly, this is not the only additionDark Soulsmods make. For incredibly deep mods likeCinders, the very nature and tone of the game itself shifts.Cindersopens up the game by connecting more areas, introducing new character classes, and even creating new intertwining questlines. When mods are this good, they can sometimes suggest what games are missing, or what their successors Should add. In the case forElden Ring,Dark Souls 3’sCindersmod does just that.
Elden Ring Classes
TheDark Soulsseries is known for its class system. Choosing a different character class changes the game radically, with some of the most interestingDark Soulsclasses coming with key items that let players sequence-break the game. One of the many things thatCindersdoes toDark Souls 3is add a whole host of new classes. Thebest classes inDark Souls3have very exciting spells and items, andCindersadds so many more.
In this case, “many more” means 19 new character classes in the game. Included in this list are Priests, Outcasts, Captains, Hunters, and even the corrupted cleric class “Skeptic.” This would be good to take intoElden Ring, expanding on all the classes Souls games have featured in the past. WithSoulslike class optionslike “peasant,“Cindersallows for players to be characters that fit into a “low fantasy” setting a lot more comfortably, as well as live up to the dark fantasy of the franchise. Rather than sticking to traditional fantasy archetypes,Elden Ringcould, and should, adopt the wide range of character options available inCindersto allow for characters with more personal stakes in its potentially more gritty world.
Like Cinders, Elden Ring Will Open The Environment
Much has been written aboutElden Ring’sopen-field concept, and it seems like the game is gesturing towards a larger, more open design than previous games from the developer.Sekiro’senvironments were indeed vast and can be accessed in various orders, but the speed of the game’s travel makes this distance rather trivial. In comparison, mostSoulsbornegames do not feature grand, open spaces, as even games likeDark Souls, often praised for its inter-connected world, do not generally have wide-open spaces to explore. This makes sense, as the collapsed world are ones naturally limited by the entropy of time.
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Dark Souls 3, while it received widespread praise, did attract some criticism for somewhat linear paths around its world. InCinders, one of the mod’s more ambitious additions is creating more interlinking passages between areas. In total, there are 11 new ways to move between different areas, nearly doubling the original available paths.Dark Souls 3has some areas with a truly epic scale, but adding these linkages makes these areas much easier to access, giving the game a much more open feel. WithCinderspopulating the more plentiful widerareas ofDark Souls 3with many more paths around the environment, it emulates the ideal open design thatElden Ringpromises.
Items Could Be Very Important
What is the eponymousElden Ring?Looking at the fantasy mainstays that it might draw from, it is reasonable to assume that it is an item. In fact, aSkyrim Elden Ringmodadds “the ring” as a wearable item in game. As such, it appears that most fans do expect to see the ring as an object in game, so perhaps it will be a wearable ring, like some of the best items in theSoulsborneseries. On the other hand, it may be more like the Lord Vessel, an essential quest item that radically shifts the game in a way that has not been sinceDark Souls 1.
Cinderstakes theitems ofDark Souls 3, and bestows them with much more importance. For instance, the burial gifts chosen at the start of the game are not simply stat increases or ways to access obtuse late-game lore. At the very beginning of the game, players can opt to take an item that can automatically unlock a warp to a bonfire in the game. This means that a player could jump to near endgame content from the first moment, radically altering the corresponding playstyle. A mechanic like this is so wildly different to the careful progression of the usual game, it can even alter how the world feels to play. Using items in such a radically different way would be a great boon forElden Ring,allowing players to craft their own unique path and place into the game’s world, should it take any inspiration from mods like this.
Elden Ringis in development, with PC, PS4, and Xbox One as confirmed platforms.
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