How does pause work here?

[Megiddo]

Good day! I've been looking for a new realm to explore, but I'm a player that gets called away from my computer very frequently and urgently at times. Having a complete and proper pause will be important to me. Larian was a studio that wasn't capable of creating any of their engines so that they would support a hard and proper pause. I really wanted to try the Souls series, but they, too, didn't consider the single player at all with their titles. Does the Elden Ring have pause available for their single players? Even during cutscenes, there are bound to be times that I'll be called away, so I'm hoping they were considerate enough to provide pausing during those, too. Thank you in advance.

[JocularJosh]

Originally posted by Megiddo:

Good day! I've been looking for a new realm to explore, but I'm a player that gets called away from my computer very frequently and urgently at times. Having a complete and proper pause will be important to me. Larian was a studio that wasn't capable of creating any of their engines so that they would support a hard and proper pause. I really wanted to try the Souls series, but they, too, didn't consider the single player at all with their titles. Does the Elden Ring have pause available for their single players? Even during cutscenes, there are bound to be times that I'll be called away, so I'm hoping they were considerate enough to provide pausing during those, too. Thank you in advance.

Nope. You'd have to use mods to pause the game properly.
You can rest at sites of grace which will keep you save though and there are more than enough out there.

[Clail]

No pause. Supposedly you can go to the help menu though that freezes NPC enemies when you are in it but i've no idea if thats still the case.

[EF_Neo1st]

Originally posted by Megiddo:

Good day! I've been looking for a new realm to explore, but I'm a player that gets called away from my computer very frequently and urgently at times. Having a complete and proper pause will be important to me. Larian was a studio that wasn't capable of creating any of their engines so that they would support a hard and proper pause. I really wanted to try the Souls series, but they, too, didn't consider the single player at all with their titles. Does the Elden Ring have pause available for their single players? Even during cutscenes, there are bound to be times that I'll be called away, so I'm hoping they were considerate enough to provide pausing during those, too. Thank you in advance.

Sit at a site of grace or go somewhere you are 100% sure there are no enemies, there is no pause in Souls games neither is pause in Elden Ring.

[oemzzz3]

All you can do is sit at a site of grace.

[dark-breed]

Originally posted by Megiddo:

Good day! I've been looking for a new realm to explore, but I'm a player that gets called away from my computer very frequently and urgently at times. Having a complete and proper pause will be important to me. Larian was a studio that wasn't capable of creating any of their engines so that they would support a hard and proper pause. I really wanted to try the Souls series, but they, too, didn't consider the single player at all with their titles. Does the Elden Ring have pause available for their single players? Even during cutscenes, there are bound to be times that I'll be called away, so I'm hoping they were considerate enough to provide pausing during those, too. Thank you in advance.

Menu and Close to Desktop the game will continue the next time you click at continue.

[RyuKazé]

Open resource manager prior to starting the game, then you can alt+tab out and essentially freeze the game using resource manager.

[Polaris]

Originally posted by Megiddo:

Good day! I've been looking for a new realm to explore, but I'm a player that gets called away from my computer very frequently and urgently at times. Having a complete and proper pause will be important to me. Larian was a studio that wasn't capable of creating any of their engines so that they would support a hard and proper pause. I really wanted to try the Souls series, but they, too, didn't consider the single player at all with their titles. Does the Elden Ring have pause available for their single players? Even during cutscenes, there are bound to be times that I'll be called away, so I'm hoping they were considerate enough to provide pausing during those, too. Thank you in advance.

If you have the interest and money for it, you can get a Steam Deck. The Deck allows you to suspend games that you're playing by clicking the power button, then you can wake it later using the same button to resume your game.

[EF_Neo1st]

Originally posted by RyuKaze:

Open resource manager prior to starting the game, then you can alt+tab out and essentially freeze the game using resource manager.

How would it work if you summon someone for help???
I guess summoned player would be sent back home due to disconnect.

[cridus]

there's actually a way to pause the game, but I don't think it works during multiplayer sessions (so you're good if you play solo).
open the menu, then open the first sub-menu (or any other of the first 4 or 5 I think), then press select and open "menu explanation". as long as that explanation will be open, the game will be paused.

[RyuKazé]

Originally posted by EF_Neo1st:

Originally posted by RyuKaze:

Open resource manager prior to starting the game, then you can alt+tab out and essentially freeze the game using resource manager.

How would it work if you summon someone for help???
I guess summoned player would be sent back home due to disconnect.

Exactly so. The game is no longer accessing the internet so you essentially kicked invaders/co-opers/helpers from your game.

I'd hope if they summoned help they wouldn't think of pausing this way.
The best thing for them to do is play when they have time and not during a period when they're constantly in need.

[EF_Neo1st]

Originally posted by RyuKaze:

Originally posted by EF_Neo1st:

How would it work if you summon someone for help???
I guess summoned player would be sent back home due to disconnect.

Exactly so. The game is no longer accessing the internet so you essentially kicked invaders/co-opers/helpers from your game.

I'd hope if they summoned help they wouldn't think of pausing this way.
The best thing for them to do is play when they have time and not during a period when they're constantly in need.

Try to tell that to those who play League of Legends . . .
10min into the game:
- "guys, lets rush it and try to win now, I have only 5min at best, must leave/eat, mum calling me"

[Complaintdesk]

When playing single player online, there is a simple way to pause your game for any length of time. To pause, open the menu screen, select inventory, press the help button, and then select Menu Explanation. I figured this out while standing at the blacksmith in Roundtable Hold. When I did the aforementioned procedure I no longer heard the sound of the blacksmiths hammer striking the anvil and knew my game had paused.

[Megiddo]

Thank you all for the replies. I had picked up the first Souls game years ago, but ended up parking it, when I learned that I wouldn't have any real pausing options as a single player. I'm still quite a bit confused as to if any of these titles can be played as a true single player game. They're all tagged as single player games, yet it sounds as if multiplayer/pvp elements are unavoidable?

Anyhow, outside of a very short windows, I'm very rarely ever able to commit to long sessions where I know that I won't be interrupted quite frequently and urgently. I'd most likely end up loving the multiplayer aspects when these opportunities present themselves, but they'd be rare enough that I'd need a real pausing option for my time spent as a single player. Would using a utility like Game Pauser by Jase (here on Steam) end up getting me banned for trying to play as a single player? I wouldn't be interested in using something like this for any multiplayer activities, but it would be pretty critical for my single player experience. Thank you again.

[EF_Neo1st]

Originally posted by Megiddo:

Thank you all for the replies. I had picked up the first Souls game years ago, but ended up parking it, when I learned that I wouldn't have any real pausing options as a single player. I'm still quite a bit confused as to if any of these titles can be played as a true single player game. They're all tagged as single player games, yet it sounds as if multiplayer/pvp elements are unavoidable?

Anyhow, outside of a very short windows, I'm very rarely ever able to commit to long sessions where I know that I won't be interrupted quite frequently and urgently. I'd most likely end up loving the multiplayer aspects when these opportunities present themselves, but they'd be rare enough that I'd need a real pausing option for my time spent as a single player. Would using a utility like Game Pauser by Jase (here on Steam) end up getting me banned for trying to play as a single player? I wouldn't be interested in using something like this for any multiplayer activities, but it would be pretty critical for my single player experience. Thank you again.

Yes you can play as single player all the way, game just will be harder without coop, but it is 100% avoidable (also forum, videos and guides are 100% avoidable and you still able, as a player, to figure out mechanics, what to do, where to go and finish the normal game).

Multiplayer is not a requirement to finish the souls games.