What is the "True" way to play Elden Ring?

[SimplyFinn]

People say using Spirits is sort of a cheese and that you've not really beaten Elden Ring if you used them. Same for Summons or some Status builds. You're using a strong Ash of War? Youre Cheeseing. Youre farming for runes? Cheesing. Youre running a strong mage build? Cheese. Some people even consider using the Physick potions to be a dishonest way of playing.

So my question is what is the "true" way of playing Elden Ring?

[H3llF!r3]

lv 1 naked with a stick or bare hand like all souls

[Dam Stark]

Originally posted by Mr. Rogers:

Originally posted by Dam Stark:

Are we to pretend now that the combat is not the core mechanic of an action rpg? All the work that goes into boss moveset and trying to balance that with the player's arsenal is not a core mechanic according to you. The audacity.

I'm sure they crafted that beautiful dance so you can cheese it with a bleed dps behind a greatshield without even bothering with it while a mimic distracts the boss -salty steam user probably.

If they didn't intend for it to be used, then they could've just made it like Sekiro. You get one weapon and no leveling. You only get increases per boss you've killed. And everything is balanced around that. But they didn't do that. They put shields in the game. They put bleed in the game. They put mimic in the game. They've had all this time to see how people use all the things they put in the game, and they've left it all in. You just have a preferred playstyle, but that doesn't make it the correct or defacto right way to play. There is no right way. There are bosses. You kill them. If they dead, you did what you were supposed to however you chose to do it.

There's stuff that's in the game and they didn't intend for, look at all the nerfs, just because something is in the game it doesn't mean they intended for it. Talking mostly about cheese builds and OP Weapons/Shields/Skills which end up inevitably nerfed. Game design is a fluid process. (And FROM has not been good at balancing even going back to King's Field)

Then again we were talking about summons for the most part, I never said they weren't intended. On the contrary, it is the intended easy mode which has been present on all of these games. I only cite Miyazaki's intentions insofar as what they do in the game contradicts it.

>There are bosses. You kill them. If they dead, you did what you were supposed to however you chose to do it.

That's your opinion, I disagree. It is not at all about the destination, it is about the journey. As a game designer you don't place all the love into these fights just so that everyone can skip them. Of course you need the casual players to rake in cash so they accommodate for them with OP mechanics, some of them are intended (like summons) others are there by omission (cheese builds) but at the end of the day you know that there's part of your audience that is fundamentally going to have an entirely different experience than the core players who identify which elements trivialize your gameplay loop and decide to not use them.

[Pacino]

Play it however you want. Most importantly make sure you don't criticise any aspect of the boss design in the hub, apparently the ER fanbase won't accept anything less than unbridled praise.

[OgichiGame]

Originally posted by Dam Stark:

That's your opinion, I disagree. It is not at all about the destination, it is about the journey. As a game designer you don't place all the love into these fights just so that everyone can skip them.

That's the part that you're not getting. They're not skipping the journey, they're just having a different journey. And it's entirely preference. Personally. I like playing offline with colossal weapons, two-handed, no shield. Others prefer doing guard counter shield builds. Others prefer magic. Even the people that come up with ways to minmax crystals, talismans, and other buffs to completely decimate a boss have their own journey of figuring out how to do that in the first place. Because for them, figuring out how to do that is what they find fun, and the game allows it. That's why the game is popular because of all the variety it allows for in playstyle.

[Dam Stark]

I don't disagree that is the reason why the game is popular, as I said before the imbalance has worked in FROM's favor in my view. I don't disagree that people have different preferences. I do disagree with the notion that they are having "just a different journey" Sure that is superficially true but it's the difference between climbing a mountain or taking a Ski lift to the top. Obviously the experience itself means something else to the people that didn't skip the core gameplay mechanics. Even if it's the "same" destination.

I know I don't mince my words and you guys probably hate me because I like to banter but I see even the "let people play how they want bro" guys always preface this with " I play solo but..." So it's obvious that everyone understands this on some level, it's just that there's a political divide here wherein you aren't allowed to point it out explicitly because that makes you an "elitist"

[Echorion]

They only added like 80+ ashes to the game so you wouldn't use any.
They only added shields and strong weapon ashes so you wouldn't ever equip them.
They only added spells and incantations so you wouldn't cast them.
They added coop and summoning, gave NPC summons entire dialogue chains, so that you would never ever summon them.

Play how you want, use whatever you feel like using. If you want to create additional challenges for yourself and impose greater difficulty via restrictions you set for yourself, if that is what you enjoy that is 100% okay too.

Whatever you find the most enjoyable is the correct choice.

[Dam Stark]

^Strawman

[vamirez]

Originally posted by Dam Stark:

^Strawman

Oh, please explain to us how the above is a strawman.

[zero]

Originally posted by Dam Stark:

^Strawman

thats a strawman now? lmao

[Dam Stark]

Originally posted by vamirez:

Originally posted by Dam Stark:

^Strawman

Oh, please explain to us how the above is a strawman.

Already have multiple times, in this and other threads. You are either deliberately misrepresenting me or just not reading. I think this is why most people only post "git gud" and "you didn't play the game" responses. Sometimes there's no use trying to get your point across.

In fact I think shouting into the void here (both you and me) is not really a productive use of either our times. Most people understand why these things break the game, some use them in spite of it because they don't care, others pretend not to care and then try to defend that all day long here, the rest simply got gud.

It is not lost on me that these forums are like 20 guys just talking past each other lol. Wish all of you a good day. I'm out of this thread.

[zero]

that was a non answer if there ever was one.

[Echorion]

Originally posted by Dam Stark:

Originally posted by vamirez:

Oh, please explain to us how the above is a strawman.

Already have multiple times, in this and other threads. You are either deliberately misrepresenting me or just not reading. I think this is why most people only post "git gud" and "you didn't play the game" responses. Sometimes there's no use trying to get your point across.

In fact I think shouting into the void here (both you and me) is not really a productive use of either our times. Most people understand why these things break the game, some use them in spite of it because they don't care, others pretend not to care and then try to defend that all day long here, the rest simply got gud.

It is not lost on me that these forums are like 20 guys just talking past each other lol. Wish all of you a good day. I'm out of this thread.

Originally posted by Dam Stark:

I don't disagree that is the reason why the game is popular, as I said before the imbalance has worked in FROM's favor in my view. I don't disagree that people have different preferences. I do disagree with the notion that they are having "just a different journey" Sure that is superficially true but it's the difference between climbing a mountain or taking a Ski lift to the top. Obviously the experience itself means something else to the people that didn't skip the core gameplay mechanics. Even if it's the "same" destination.

I know I don't mince my words and you guys probably hate me because I like to banter but I see even the "let people play how they want bro" guys always preface this with " I play solo but..." So it's obvious that everyone understands this on some level, it's just that there's a political divide here wherein you aren't allowed to point it out explicitly because that makes you an "elitist"

"I like to play with limited tools and resources" 100% valid, some people like a harder challenge. Some folks like to aim to be parry gods, others want to focus on min max builds, people enjoy different aspects.

"I like to play with friends or other people, I find it the most enjoyable to interact with others" great, totally valid. I had a TON of fun playing through a third time recently in the coop mod and had more fun probably than even the first time I played the game (personally).

"I do not have the time or really patience to fight the same boss over and ove fpr too long, I just enjoy the world and exploring, I'll end up just losing interest in the game stuck on a boss- so I use a min maxed build guide and mimic tear maxed out for a lot of it." This is a totally fine experience.

"My way is better/the intended experience, and I will judge or accost others if they don't agree" See that, THAT is Elitest. THAT is a problem and is what is generally scorned and is the more toxic problem that culiminates in the community when people refer to it.

I played a Necromancer build I HEAVILY enjoyed that used undead themed ashes. I'm not going to have any agreement or respect for someone claiming my enjoyment was invalid, or not good enough, or not the intended experience, or anything else- because I had my intent and I experienced it and it was great.

[Señor Brown]

Wretch, RL1, no summons, no spirit ashes, no weapons, no rolling, no jumping, no sprinting, no controller, no mouse, no keyboard, no guitar hero, no dance pad, no sound, no screen, no computer, and has to be blindfold run.

[TieDyeShyGuy]

1th- Find all seedbed curses and birth the curse of the omen through yourself as he is the dung eater which means you are the dung eater.

2rd- Help Coryn deal with his theological and existential crisis which helps Goldmask assert his dominance over the old order by leading him to the perfect place to lay down and T-pose ad infinitum at the erdtree

3st- Become Rannis king consort by traversing Miyazakis masterpiece the empty yet magnificent lake of transcendent healing

4nd- Ignore Deez's plights for your safety by following the Saint Astraea and succumb to the horrors of a hug (and the debuff that still plagues your hp) Fight off garl of vinland lich of the deep and take astraeas runechild. (Give Deez's armors to Diss for additional story with astraea)

5st-Kill the big friendly giant who did nothing wrong just sitting around with his birdbath yet no birds to bathe. Talk to melatonin; Bear seek seek lest. do not let her fall in the bowl of spicy cereal.

6rd- Help a friendly maiden find her way by offering vibrant and flavorful orange grapes which allows her to see the distant light. This light is the flame of victory. Claim victory. For Victory is yours. Melatonin is now angy because your toxic and will now gaslight and ghost you. This is for the best.

7nd- Complete the trade quest by getting the claim check to biggoron to get the biggoron sword so you can help an amputee get to the haligtree only to betray her and kill her or betray her and let her end herself.

8st- HEAD ON! APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD! HEADON! APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD! HEAD ON! APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD!

9rd-Go claim the throne of previous elden lord Plastic Reflux. Once you have prevented acid reflux claiming the old throne of stale water and time.

10nd- Take the now fixed needle acquired from HEAD ON! and stab yourself right in the heart. Dont worry youll be fine. You have now cleansed yourself of that toxic victory flavored gatorade. Maybe now melatonin will take you back.

11st- Boss rush part of the game. Kill doggo of doom, godfrey and garfield, john cena, marika, and finally the god of this world wielding the previous dead god as a sword.

12rd-And now with rannis summon sign and the option of each age before you.
Age of fracture. Do not elaborate.
This is the true way.

[Wild]

If it's in the game, it's meant to be used.