After two years of almost total radio silence, FromSoftware have finally unleashed their new game, Elden Ring, on the world. Created by Dark Souls mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, Elden Ring looks to be FromSoftware’s biggest game yet.
It wasn’t just a new trailer that FromSoftware revealed for Elden Ring at the Summer Games Fest, though. They also let loose a ton of details about the game, all of which we’ve collected here to give you the lowdown on what promises to be one of the biggest games of 2022.
Here are ten of the biggest things you should know about Elden Ring.
1. A Massive World
First and foremost, FromSoftware has promised that Elden Ring will indeed be their biggest game yet. Never before have players needed a mount to get around in any of the previous Soulsborne titles, which ought to tell you something about the size and scale of this game.
FromSoftware have also promised that the world will be filled with tons of exciting things to discover. Scenes from the trailer showed huge environments for players to ride through and explore, meaning there will be no shortage of things to keep you busy.
2. Your Trusty Steed
As mentioned above, players will be able to ride a horse to get around the world of Elden Ring, which is the first time this option has been available in a FromSoftware title. Cooler still, you seem to have the ability to not just summon the horse at any time but have it mounted with the same single button press that calls it.
This may seem like a small detail, but it has vast ramifications gameplay-wise. For example, let’s say you need to do some mounted combat or beat a hasty retreat from some enemies. The ability to have the horse under you the second you summon it will make a massive difference in terms of speed and versatility.
3. A Seamless World
It’s been a long-time trend of Soulsborne games to have looping worlds reminiscent of classics like Super Metroid or Castlevania. Elden Ring looks to raise the bar here, with the developers explicitly pointing out that, despite its massive size, the world will come together seamlessly.
Promised environments for this seamless world are a meadow overseen by a colossal shining tree, one of the most gigantic bridges we’ve ever seen, and, of course, the dreaded poisonous swamps.
4. Weather Dynamics
FromSoftware has been toying with day and night cycles and changes to the skies since Bloodborne. Dark Souls III and Sekiro picked up on this trend as well, but Elden Ring seems to be taking this idea to a whole new level. Integrating weather cycles into its world for the first time, FromSoftware is aiming to add more variety through these unique climatic features.
We don’t have full details on how the weather will work, but it appears that, like in many other open world games, there will be a day and night cycle as well as storms and other weather events during your journey. Though features like this may seem old hat, adding them to this already complex world should keep things fresh and intriguing.
5. Unique Motivation for NPCs
There’s an old joke for FromSoftware games that everyone you run into is either evil or crazy. Though we’ll likely run into both types here, it looks like NPCs will have unique motivations for either aiding the player or trying to sabotage them. This is likely where some of George R. R. Martin’s expertise comes into play.
With a long history of writing compelling, morally grey characters, Martin will be able to tap into that well to give us perhaps the most compelling side characters for a Soulsborne game yet. Imagine running into someone as complex as Jaime “Kingslayer” Lannister or Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, characters who are so layered that you completely rethink how you see them by the end.
Hopefully, that’s what we can expect from the characters and motivations that Martin is helping to pen for Elden Ring.
6. Bosses with a Grudge
There’s never been any shortage in FromSoftware games of big nasties that want to halt your progress, but they seem to have made it a little more personal this time around. The trailer was filled with monologuing villains that will be giving players Metal Gear Solid flashbacks in no time.
Once again, this is almost certainly Martin’s doing. Having characters with long histories and intense grudges offers far more to a fight, giving it emotional stakes as well as the thrill of battle. From the many armed insanity of the boss design in that trailer, it seems like a safe bet that these bosses will at least match the grandiosity of previous Soulsborne bosses.
7. Deep Lore and History
According to FromSoftware, George R.R. Martin’s primary role in Elden Ring was sketching out the history and lore of this world. Since the obscure and in-depth lore of previous Soulsborne games have been a central selling point for fans, it comes as no surprise the developer will be doubling down on this aspect.
Fantasy fans familiar with Martin’s work will know that this world is probably in good hands. Despite some folks having a problem with his ending for the series, A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones has an insanely detailed and complicated world with tons of backstory and long family lineages that date back to ancient times.
Despite all of the talk about the world and its history, we know remarkably little about Elden Ring’s actual plot. Words like “tarnished,” “Elden lord,” and “golden order” seem to come up a lot, but other than that, things remain pretty mystifying.
With a dedicated community of fans looking to break down each and every aspect of every Soulsborne game, perhaps we’ll learn more from the eagle-eyed and detail-oriented among them in time.
8. Four Player Co-op
Being able to play the game how you like has always been a Soulsborne staple. Elden Ring looks to be continuing that tradition by allowing players to either go it alone or with up to three optional helpers.
This will likely work like the summon system in Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Notably, Sekiro didn’t incorporate this feature, forcing players to hammer away at even its most brutal bosses alone. Elden Ring will allow players to balance difficulty a bit more this way and should lead to fewer smashed controllers as a result.
9. Create Your Own Character
While FromSoftware’s previous game, Sekiro, took away the ability to create a character of your own, Elden Ring seems to be bringing it back. Since there is no fixed character to follow, this means the story will be looser than Sekiro’s, with your main character rendered silent as a result.
With Elden Ring set to be the most plot-centric Soulsborne game yet, it is a strange about-face to include character creation again. However, hopefully, they will find the balance between the character creation elements and the depth of the world that marries the two together nicely.
10. Free Next Generation Upgrades
With PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S consoles still in high demand and short supply, many players will have no choice but to play on last-gen consoles to experience Elden Ring. Luckily, FromSoftware have promised that upgrading to the next-generation version of the game will be free.
Again, this is becoming a pretty standard feature during the transition between consoles, but it’s always lovely to hear. Being fan-friendly is excellent for building a developer’s image with their audience, and FromSoftware obviously knows this well.
Well, that about sums up everything we know about Elden Ring so far. FromSoftware has promised to show us more of the game as we make headway toward its release date of January 21st, 2022, so be on the lookout for more information in the coming months. Elden Ring will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S.
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