Info about ELDEN RING: Official game description: ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree Edition ======================================== ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree Edition includes: * ELDEN RING * ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree expansion ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree Deluxe Edition =============================================== ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree Deluxe Edition includes: * ELDEN RING * ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree expansion * ELDEN RING Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack * ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree Artbook & Soundtrack About the Game ============== **THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FANTASY ACTION RPG** _Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring._ • A Breathtaking World Full of Excitement and Mystery ----------------------------------------------------- The Lands Between are part of a vast continent where magnificent open fields and huge dungeons with complex and three-dimensional designs are seamlessly connected. As you explore, the joy of discovering unknown and overwhelming threats awaits you. Mastery of the terrain and knowledge of its secrets can help you overcome enemies and defeat formidable bosses or lead invading players into traps. • Defeat Challenging Foes in Intense Combat ------------------------------------------- Combat in ELDEN RING is simple to learn yet offers hidden depths of mastery. As you seek to become the Elden Lord, you’ll need to explore the balance between attacking and avoiding damage, use a wide variety of weapons, spells, & summons, and perfect your timing to take advantage of your opponents’ weaknesses. • Create and Build Your Own Character ------------------------------------- In addition to customizing the appearance of your character, there are countless ways to combine the weapons, armor, usable items, and magic that you equip. You can develop your character according to your play style. No matter if you prefer bold physical confrontation, tactical spellcasting, or the subtle art of stealth, you’ll be able to find gear that supports your choices. • An Epic Drama Born from a Myth Created by George R.R. Martin -------------------------------------------------------------- The founding mythology of Elden Ring was written by George R. R. Martin and adapted into a rich multilayered story. Intersecting goals and desires between the characters create an intense narrative that weaves throughout the Lands Between. The events of the game can unravel in many ways, depending on your interventions. • Play Alongside a Massive Worldwide Community ---------------------------------------------- The Tarnished community is massive and active. Your friends may already be among them. You can play with up to two other Tarnished as your cooperative teammates, either by inviting them using a shared password or by summoning them from a pool of nearby community members. There are also ample opportunities to face off against other players, either through co-op invasions, invited duels, or the many player battle options available in the three Colosseums. Release date: Feb 24, 2022 Categories: Soulslike Combat, Open-World Exploration, Character Customization, Boss Fights, Multiplayer, Action RPG, Exploration, Cooperative Multiplayer Feature scans: - MTX: score 20; verdict: Positive with Minor Concerns; summary: The analysis of user reviews for the game and its DLC reveals a mixed sentiment. While there are concerns about the high pricing of the DLC, many users find the game and its additional content to be of high quality and worth the investment. The overall sentiment leans positive, with users appreciating the depth and value of the game's content. - Mods: score 10; verdict: Vanilla Ready; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals that while many users prefer and recommend mods for enhancing gameplay and co-op experiences, there is no widespread consensus that the game is unplayable without mods. Most mentions of mods are related to preferences and enhancements rather than essential fixes. - Wiki: score 10; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key issues impacting the user experience. Technical issues such as game freezing, input delays, and camera problems were frequently mentioned, causing significant frustration. The lack of quest markers and the difficulty in tracking quests were also major pain points, forcing players to rely on external resources. Navigation and exploration were challenging due to the lack of in-game guidance, leading to frustration and reliance on external maps and guides. Additionally, the game's mechanics and customization options were criticized for being unclear and requiring external resources to understand. The crafting system and progression mechanics were also found to be complex and not well-explained, often necessitating the use of external resources. - Proton/Linux: score 25; verdict: Works Well with Minor Tweaks; summary: The game generally runs well on Linux, with many users reporting better performance compared to Windows. However, some users experience minor compatibility issues that require specific launch options or tweaks. Overall, the consensus is positive, with Proton compatibility being highlighted as a strong point. - Steam Deck: score 60; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several critical issues affecting the Steam Deck experience. Anti-cheat problems are a significant concern, with many users reporting the need to disable it for smoother gameplay. The control scheme is another frequently mentioned aspect, with mixed reviews on its ease of use and mastery. Game stability is also a notable issue, with numerous reports of crashes during character creation and gameplay. Additionally, there are mixed experiences with the Steam Deck's performance, including issues with HDR and frame generation. These factors collectively impact the overall user experience, highlighting areas that need improvement. - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $55.00 - $60.00 - Reasoning: The evidence shows that many users find Elden Ring to be worth its full price of $60. Several reviews explicitly state that the game is worth the full price, and some even suggest they would pay more for the experience. The sentiment is strongly positive regarding the value for money, with users emphasizing the game's quality, depth, and the extensive content it offers. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 150.0h - Story completion: 50.0h - Session length: 4.0h - Endgame: 50.0h - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes several quotes that give insights into the playtime metrics. The first quote mentions spending 12-14 hours just riding around and exploring, which suggests a significant session length and a focus on exploration rather than completing the main story. The second and third quotes highlight the distraction and time spent on various activities within the game, indicating a high level of engagement and potentially long play sessions. The fourth quote mentions spending 15 hours on a single boss, which suggests a high level of difficulty and potentially long play sessions focused on overcoming challenges. Based on this evidence, we can infer the following playtime metrics: - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game starts slow with a significant amount of initial exploration and learning, but it becomes highly engaging and fun as players delve deeper into the game world and mechanics. - Stance: Fun after initial exploration - Anchor: Exploration and discovery of the game world - Time to anchor: 12h 0m - Friction: Initial learning curve; Slow start with exploration - Unlock drivers: Discovering new aspects of the game; Playing with friends - Conditions: Exploration mindset; Patience for initial slow pace - Player Archetypes: - The Completionist Explorer (buy) - Motivation: Exploration and mastery of game mechanics - Playstyle: Thorough and experimental, often using external resources to enhance understanding and experience. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: Dex main; solo experience - Reference games: Dark Souls series; Zelda Breath of the Wild - The Technical Challenger (sale) - Motivation: Overcoming challenges and appreciating technical excellence - Playstyle: Focused on skill improvement and technical performance. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: soulslike player; technical player - Reference games: Dark Souls series; Sekiro - The Cautious Critic (deep sale) - Motivation: Avoiding negative experiences and critiquing game design - Playstyle: Critical and cautious, often providing warnings and advice to others. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: deep sale - Labels: veteran player; critical player - Reference games: Dark Souls series; Sekiro - The Challenge Advocate (buy) - Motivation: Promoting the game's challenging aspects - Playstyle: Enjoys and promotes the game's difficulty. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: hardcore player; challenge seeker - Reference games: Dark Souls series; Sekiro Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Stunning Visuals and Atmosphere (weight 0.49): The game is praised for its beautiful and immersive visuals, detailed environments, and breathtaking landscapes. Players appreciate the art direction, atmospheric design, and overall aesthetic appeal. - Reward and Exploration (weight 0.4): The game offers a sense of discovery and rewarding exploration. Players find it enjoyable to uncover secret paths, new areas, and hidden content. - Challenging and Rewarding Gameplay (weight 0.33): The gameplay is described as challenging yet fair, with a deep and demanding combat system. Players appreciate the difficulty and the sense of achievement from overcoming challenges. - Engaging and Challenging Boss Fights (weight 0.32): Boss fights are highlighted for being intense, memorable, and well-designed. Players enjoy the variety, challenge, and rewarding nature of these encounters. - Variety in Weapons and Builds (weight 0.29): The game offers a wide variety of weapons, spells, and character builds. Players enjoy the flexibility and customization options available. - Immersive World and Lore (weight 0.24): The game's world is described as immersive, rich, and engaging. Players enjoy the deep lore, worldbuilding, and atmospheric design. - Positive Overall Impression (weight 0.1): The game is highly praised for its overall quality, including art, music, combat, and boss fights. Players describe it as excellent, highly polished, and amazing. Common complaints: - Open world feels empty (weight 0.14): The open world is criticized for feeling too large and empty, lacking interesting interactions, content, and rewards. Players find it boring and unmotivating due to its sparse and repetitive nature. - Lack of clear narrative (weight 0.14): The game's story is criticized for being unclear, hard to follow, and requiring external research. Players find the narrative structure opaque and lacking direction. - Quest system requires guides (weight 0.08): The quest system is criticized for being too cryptic and hard to follow without external guides. Players find it nearly impossible to complete quests without additional help. - Frustrating platforming (weight 0.07): The platforming sections and gameplay are described as frustrating and difficult. Players experience frustrating deaths and challenging gameplay mechanics. - Unpredictable enemy attacks (weight 0.07): Enemies are noted for having unpredictable and overpowered attacks, making it difficult for players to predict and react to enemy actions. - Initial difficulty and confusion (weight 0.07): Players experience initial confusion and difficulty when starting the game. The learning curve and initial struggles are mentioned as frustrating aspects. Gameplay feedback: - Challenging boss fights (weight 0.25): The game includes a variety of boss fights, each with unique and complex movesets. These battles are challenging and require players to learn specific attack patterns and behaviors. - Variety of playstyles (weight 0.23): The game offers a wide range of playstyles, builds, and customization options. Players can choose from different character classes, weapons, and fighting styles. - Complex combat mechanics (weight 0.18): Combat in the game is engaging and involves trial and error. Mechanics include parrying, avoidance-based strategies, and a smooth combat system. - Open-world exploration design (weight 0.18): The game features an expansive open-world design with verticality, dynamic events, and hidden secrets. Players appreciate the freedom to explore and the rich, detailed environments. - Character customization (weight 0.11): Players can extensively customize their characters, including builds, weapons, armor, and upgrades. This high level of customization allows for diverse character development. - Co-op and multiplayer (weight 0.1): The game features cooperative gameplay and multiplayer interactions. Players can engage in seamless co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. - Narrative and lore depth (weight 0.08): The game features a complex storyline and deep lore. Character interactions and quests contribute to a rich narrative experience. - Exploration and discovery (weight 0.06): Exploration is a key element, with players discovering hidden content and new areas. The open-world design encourages self-discovery and interaction with dynamic environments. - Enemy behavior and design (weight 0.05): Enemies in the game exhibit various challenging behaviors and are strategically placed. This adds to the difficulty and engagement of combat. - Unique art style and music (weight 0.05): The game blends various mythological and artistic influences into a cohesive experience. It features a unique art style and music that enhance the overall atmosphere. - Mixed feelings on open-world design (weight 0.05): Some players feel that the open-world design leads to aimless searching for items and prefer more structured, intricate level design. The vast areas can feel empty and lack guidance. - Spirit summoning mechanics (weight 0.05): Players can summon spirits for help during combat. This mechanic adds a layer of strategy and assistance in challenging situations. - Crafting and progression systems (weight 0.04): The game includes crafting and upgrade systems that allow players to enhance their builds and equipment. This adds depth to character progression. Performance notes: - High-end PC requirements (weight 0.09): The game requires a high-end PC with a very good CPU and GPU. This has been a barrier for players with less powerful systems. - FPS locked to 60 (weight 0.08): The game has a 60 FPS limit, which has been a point of contention among players. Some also experience FPS drops, adding to the frustration. - Optimization issues (weight 0.07): The game has optimization issues on PC, with some players reporting poor optimization, while others praise the optimization. - Occasional crashes (weight 0.05): There are reports of occasional crashes and server crashes, which disrupt the gaming experience. - Camera mechanics issues (weight 0.04): Players have reported poor camera mechanics, including lock-on issues. These problems affect the gameplay experience negatively. - Texture quality issues (weight 0.04): Some players have noted that the game has muddy textures and weak texture quality, affecting the visual experience. - Minor bugs and glitches (weight 0.03): Some players have reported minor bugs and glitches, but these do not significantly impact the overall gaming experience. - Lack of ultrawide support (weight 0.02): The game lacks settings for ultrawide monitors, which has been a point of frustration for some players. - Mouse and keyboard support (weight 0.02): There are reports of poor mouse and keyboard support, which affects the gameplay experience for PC users. - Freezing problems in specific areas (weight 0.02): Players have reported freezing problems in specific areas like Leyndell, which disrupts the gaming experience. - Console-centric design (weight 0.02): The game is designed primarily for consoles, which is evident when playing on PC. This has been a point of frustration for some PC players. - Performance in windowed borderless mode (weight 0.01): Some players report better performance in windowed borderless mode, which has been a workaround for performance issues. Recommendations: - Challenging and immersive gameplay (weight 0.2): The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy challenging and immersive gameplay. It offers deep lore and open-world exploration, making it suitable for patient and determined players seeking a unique and rewarding experience. - Highly recommended for all players (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for a wide audience, including both fans and new players. It is highly recommended for its value and content, making it suitable for everyone. - Diverse weaponry and combat styles (weight 0.09): The game features over 300 weapons across various classes, each with unique movements. This diversity allows players to choose their preferred combat style, enhancing the gameplay experience. - Exceptional world and creature design (weight 0.07): The game's world design, textures, and creature designs are considered perfect. It is also noted for its cinematic quality and the discovery of new creatures and places even on subsequent playthroughs. - Immersive and enjoyable experience (weight 0.06): The game is praised for its immersive and enjoyable experience, offering a complete gaming experience that is both unique and highly recommended for purchase. - Best fantasy game experience (weight 0.06): The game is considered one of the best fantasy games, offering an experience that feels like playing in a fantasy book or movie. It is highly recommended for fantasy game lovers. - Recommended despite flaws (weight 0.05): Despite some complaints and challenges, the game is still highly recommended. Players acknowledge its flaws but find it worth playing. - Rich and diverse content (weight 0.05): The game offers a vast amount of content, with a large and diverse map, extensive lore, and numerous weapon classes. The DLC is also praised for adding more content and depth. - Experiment with builds and weapons (weight 0.04): Players are encouraged to experiment with different builds and weapons, adding to the game's replayability and customization options. - Give the game time to appreciate (weight 0.04): Players are encouraged to give the game time to fully appreciate its depth, complexity, and unique features, as initial impressions may not capture its full value. - Recommended for Souls game fans (weight 0.03): The game is highly recommended for fans of Souls games and open-world exploration, offering a familiar yet unique experience. - Worth the investment (weight 0.03): The game is considered worth the price, offering a high-quality experience that justifies the investment. - Depth and emotional impact (weight 0.03): The game is praised for its depth and emotional impact, offering a rich and engaging experience that resonates with players. - High ratings and recommendations (weight 0.03): The game receives high ratings, with many players recommending it with a 10/10 rating, indicating its high quality and enjoyment factor. - Recommendation to play base game and DLC (weight 0.03): Players recommend experiencing both the base game and its DLC, as they together provide a comprehensive and enjoyable gaming experience. - Play without guides initially (weight 0.03): Players are advised to play the game blindly on their first run to enhance the discovery and immersion experience. - Wait for promotions (weight 0.03): Some players suggest waiting for a promotion or sale before purchasing the game or its DLC to get better value. - Recommended for Open World RPG fans (weight 0.02): The game is highly recommended for fans of Open World RPGs, offering a vast and immersive world to explore. - Detailed exploration and customization (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for players who enjoy detailed exploration and character customization, offering a rich and engaging experience. - Recommended for Souls veterans with adjustments (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for veterans of Souls games with some adjustments, offering a familiar yet fresh experience for seasoned players. - Masterpiece (weight 0.02): The game is considered a masterpiece by many players, highlighting its exceptional quality and impact in the gaming world. - Great single-player experience (weight 0.02): The game provides a great single-player experience, making it suitable for those who prefer solo gameplay. - Not for casual players (weight 0.02): The game is not recommended for casual players due to its challenging nature and depth, making it more suitable for dedicated and experienced gamers. - Most players will enjoy it (weight 0.02): The consensus among players is that most people will have a great time playing the game, highlighting its broad appeal and enjoyment factor. - Backup save files online (weight 0.02): Players are advised to backup their save files when playing online to avoid potential issues or losses. - Enjoy at your own pace (weight 0.02): Players are encouraged to enjoy the game at their own pace, allowing for a more personalized and relaxed gaming experience. - Explore thoroughly (weight 0.02): The game encourages thorough exploration, rewarding players with hidden content, lore, and unique experiences. - Play with preferred controls (weight 0.02): The game allows players to use their preferred controls, enhancing the comfort and enjoyment of the gameplay experience. - Play offline to avoid hacking (weight 0.02): To avoid potential hacking issues, players are advised to play the game in offline mode. - Start with Dark Souls 3 (weight 0.02): Some players recommend starting with Dark Souls 3 for better content and gameplay before diving into this game. - Explore other locations if stuck (weight 0.02): When stuck, players are encouraged to explore other locations to progress and discover new areas and content. - Talk to NPCs multiple times (weight 0.02): Players are advised to talk to NPCs multiple times to uncover more dialogue, quests, and lore, enhancing the gaming experience. - Recommended for new players with conditions (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for new players under specific conditions, such as being prepared for its challenges and depth. - Try Lies of P (weight 0.02): Players suggest trying Lies of P for better technical performance and content, offering an alternative experience. - Recommends easy mod for PC players (weight 0.02): For PC players, there is a recommendation to use the easy mod to adjust the game's difficulty and enhance the gaming experience. Other player notes: - Best horse in games (weight 0.02): Players praise the horse mechanics, considering it the best among all games they've played. - DLC requires base game (weight 0.02): Some players express regret over not owning the game personally and having to purchase the base game to access the DLC. Emotions: - Frustration (weight 0.49): Players are frustrated by a variety of gameplay issues, including an uneven difficulty curve, performance problems, and repetitive content. Specific complaints include frustrating platforming, poorly designed areas, and the reuse of enemies and assets from previous games. Additionally, players find the game's quest system confusing and overly reliant on external guides, which detracts from the overall experience. - Disappointment (weight 0.17): Players feel disappointed due to the open world feeling empty and boring, with a lack of rewarding content in exploration. The combat system is criticized for being repetitive, and the soundtrack is considered weak. Additionally, the quest design is confusing and uninspired, leading to a lack of immersion and narrative depth. - Satisfaction (weight 0.17): Players find satisfaction in the game's detailed character creation, the freedom to explore and prepare before facing bosses, and the sense of accomplishment from beating tough enemies. The combat system, variety in builds and weapons, and the overall high quality of the game contribute to a rewarding and engaging experience. - Excitement (weight 0.16): Players are excited by the engaging combat mechanics, the vast and immersive open world, and the variety of activities and exploration. The game's challenging and rewarding boss fights, along with the freedom to discover new areas and builds, contribute to a sense of adventure and anticipation. - Joy (weight 0.13): Players experience joy from the beautiful open world, engaging narrative, and the freedom and variety in gameplay. The high replayability, diverse combat system, and the sense of achievement from overcoming challenges and exploring the world contribute to a positive and enjoyable experience. - Enjoyment (weight 0.1): Players enjoy the high replayability and immersive world, along with the engaging gameplay and unique combat mechanics. The rich lore, beautiful world, and the challenge and difficulty of the game provide a positive and enjoyable experience, despite some difficulties. - Admiration (weight 0.09): Players admire the game's ambitious world design and deep lore, as well as the impressive graphics and detailed gameplay mechanics. The game's deep combat mechanics, variety in gameplay features, and the immersive and challenging world design contribute to a sense of awe and respect. - Awe (weight 0.05): Players are in awe of the game's vast and detailed open world, stunning visuals, and impressive boss performances. The breathtaking graphics, atmospheric music, and the sense of discovery in the game world contribute to a profound and immersive experience. - Nostalgia (weight 0.04): Players feel nostalgia due to memories of the game's world and characters, as well as personal experiences related to the game. The comparisons to previous games in the series and reflecting on the journey and experiences evoke a sense of longing and sentimental attachment. - Love (weight 0.02): Players express love for the game's atmosphere, lore, and overall experience. The deep appreciation for the game's world, combat, and narrative, as well as the lovable characters and cutscenes, contribute to a strong emotional connection and affection. - Anger (weight 0.02): Players feel anger due to poor game design and narrative, server crashes during critical moments, and frustrating gameplay experiences. Dissatisfaction with the game's storyline, character development, and game mechanics and bugs contribute to a sense of frustration and irritation. - Pride (weight 0.01): Players feel a sense of pride from overcoming challenges and defeating bosses, as well as completing the game 100%. The sense of accomplishment and respect for the developers' work contributes to a feeling of achievement and self-satisfaction. - Sadness (weight 0.01): Players experience sadness due to emotional connections to characters and events, as well as the loss of characters and emotional weight. The story of the jellyfish sisters and the loss of freshness and emotional void contribute to a sense of melancholy and sorrow. - Gratitude (weight 0.01): Players feel gratitude for the game's impact on their life and interests, as well as the positive impact on personal growth and life lessons. The game's influence on gaming habits and the discovery of new games contribute to a sense of thankfulness and appreciation. - Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the detailed and honest review, as well as the positive overall experience. The beautiful visual design, engaging lore, and FromSoft's business practices and game design contribute to a sense of recognition and value. - Engagement (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the strong character development and engaging story, as well as the game's ability to keep the player engaged and rewarded. Despite frustrations, the game's compelling content and rewarding gameplay contribute to a sense of involvement and commitment. - Curiosity (weight 0.01): Players are curious about the mysterious story and complex character stories and lore. The intricate narrative and the desire to uncover hidden details contribute to a sense of intrigue and exploration. - Reflective (weight 0.01): Players reflect on personal experiences and the game's impact, as well as comparing the game to another and realizing the growth in gaming experiences. The introspective and comparative analysis contribute to a sense of contemplation and self-awareness. - Humor (weight 0.01): Players find humor in personal anecdotes and humorous observations, as well as imaginative and amusing descriptions of in-game experiences. The lighthearted and entertaining moments contribute to a sense of amusement and laughter. - Amusement (weight 0.01): Players are amused by humorous and imaginative narratives, as well as humorous descriptions of in-game experiences. The entertaining and playful aspects of the game contribute to a sense of enjoyment and delight.}