Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is already a kick in the ass for players. The brutal DLC takes a challenging game and makes it even harder. Players joke about how a character higher than level 500 and with the strongest build in the game can be pulverized by a random creature in a field. Now that it’s out, FromSoftware has successfully cemented its reputation for making difficult games, but that’s not all. Players themselves and the culture surrounding FromSoftware games can play it Elden Ring even more difficult, as some players shame others for using certain items or fighting styles.
As FromSoftware developers have diversified the toolkits players can use to defeat their games’ many monsters, a subset of intense fans have responded by discussing which ways to beat the game are valid. Tools like the Mimic Tear Ashes can summon a duplicate of a player’s character to fight alongside him or her during a boss battle, or magic spells like Meteorite or Astel can fire a barrage of meteors at an enemy. These items exist in the regular base version of the game, but some people claim that they can reduce specific challenges because they can be used from a distance. Now, with the difficulty level even higher Shadow of the Erdtreeprominent streamers and players on social media platforms like Reddit are taking to the platforms to discuss why it’s actually okay to use these tools, especially now that the DLC has become even more difficult.
Im_dontai, a streamer with over 1.9 million followers on Twitch, has been streaming the DLC since its release. In one clip, he pushed back against the broader culture of players who disapprove of features like a magical build or the Mimic Tear, and those who complain about the game’s difficulty.
“It’s because y’all are playing it the way the internet makes you feel like you should play it,” Imdontai said in a stream. “Yo, no magic, no summoning, no mimic, no armor. […] The game is crazy hard, and I’ve got my damn Mimic by my side, buddy. I play the way I want to play. I don’t care who calls me a bitch, and neither should you. Play the game the way you want to play it.”
The idea that Elden Ring must be played without a summons originated before that game’s release, and ties into a decade-plus long conversation about difficulty in FromSoftware’s previous games. All modern FromSoftware games have included ways for players to get help with certain challenges, either by calling on NPCs or other players to fight alongside them. Old Ring also greatly expanded the repertoire of fighting styles and magical powers available to players. Yet there are still players who say that this is not the “right” way to play a FromSoftware game. If you had a problem beating a boss, magic and summons are not the answer. The right response, according to die-hard fans, was to “git gud” and learn the correct attack patterns for each boss without the need for magical ranged attacks, NPC summons, or (in the case of Elden Ring) mind-set. But now players have the DLC in their hands, and it’s… well… really heavy! So much so that it’s led to a broader conversation about the role of summons and other supports in the game.
Reddit user TheHessianHussar shared a post on Reddit discussing summons, which has been upvoted more than 11,000 times. “To anyone still not using summons… Just do it. The game is literally balanced around summons,” the user said. “I’m an old-school souls gamer myself, and I was one of the people who refused to use summons because I wanted to play the old way. The ‘ethical’ way, I told myself. But let me tell you, they are no longer optional.”
Commenters agreed with the general sentiment to oppose those who say you shouldn’t play the game with the extra support. One person responded by comparing the sentiment to “low self-esteem, insecure teenage bullshit”, and others said that people who don’t like players using summons can “touch grace”. It’s not like using sorcery and summons makes a difficult game that much easier; every player still has to learn how to fight every boss. Furthermore, Old Ring is largely a single-player game, and whether or not someone uses summons has no impact on other players.
The Reddit post suggested that you need call to beat the DLC. That’s not entirely true, but maybe the time has come to let people just play the game the way they want. In heartfelt conversations, the idea of using no-summons comes up Elden Ringsome players have talked about how ‘rewarding’ it can feel. No matter how you play Old RingWhether you enjoy it as a horse girl simulator or you play it for fashion, the game can feel rewarding. You can even run away and that’s still a valid way to deal with an overwhelming enemy! So now at least some players support each other — with or without a call — in playing the game the way each person wants.