Elden ring, the lands between where a brave tarnished is set on his goal to become Elden lord, and that brave tarnished is you, in this list, we will be explaining the top 10 reasons Elden Ring is so hard, and what you should be wary of, in this far and difficult land.

Elden Ring is the newest FromSoft game with new spells, enemies, and outfits (pictured) you will find the game really fun!

10. The Open World

With a beautiful open world (pictured above)  you will be fully immersed in the Lands Between. 

With a world as vast as Elden Rings you’re bound to feel overwhelmed at times, but don’t fret brave tarnished because exploration is the fun part of Elden Ring. Go in and explore that cave, fight the soldiers of Godrick, level up, and, PREPARE TO DIE! You’re bound to die a lot even if you are a souls veteran. For souls vets this is also a big change of pace from previous Fromsoftware titles, the linear gameplay is gone and you forge your own path, Fromsoftwares iconic difficulty is back and harder than ever but the way you embrace it is entirely up to you, by hitting your head against Margot a 100 times or by leveling up and making a “pinwheel” out of him is your choice.

9. Hugs

Fia (pictured) is one of the first NPCs you'll meet and her hugs are just as deadly as she is.

If you’ve played Elden Ring for a short while you will recognize this face, Fia the deathbed companion, who embraces the player. After receiving your hug, an item pops up on your screen. Baldachin’s blessing. Only Fromsoft can make hugs bad for you, as the “blessing” actually takes away 5% of your max hp, with the upside of; if the item is used it grants a small boost in poise at the cost of 20 FP. Most new players won’t realize they have a health debuff until late game, ask me I was this person until Mohg.

8. Torrent 

What is a Brave Tarnished without their noble steed Torrent (pictured)

A great addition to the game is Torrent, your steed. With Torrent being able to double jump, using spirit springs to jump up to high places (or onto mausoleums), and being able to fight on horseback has made traversing and combat in Elden ring quite satisfying. The only problem is when Torrent dies, which is a lot if you’re struggling with a giant hurling flame balls your way. Firstly you get knocked off, which is understandable, for trusty Torrent has been sent to the shadow realm. Secondly, the pop-up screen that asks if you’re willing to use a flask of crimson tears, to bring him back to life takes longer to confirm than killing the boss without Torrent, but that doesn’t mean that horse combat isn’t worthwhile.

7. Vague Questlines

Alexander (pictured) is the best NPC in the game.

 From Pot Bro Alexander to shrimp merchant Blackguard, it isn’t as easy as an assassin's creed game to finish a questline in Elden ring. If you’ve played any souls game before you know what I’m talking about, and Elden ring has a lot of NPCs with questlines stretching till the end of the game. The rewards for each quest are worth it especially if you like to see every corner piece of this game, and you’re in luck there are a lot of guides for each NPC, but be prepared to cry as Vaati would say, as some of these NPCs quests really tug on your heart strings.

6. Transporter Chests

Transporter chests look just like normal chests (pictured) and you'll surely be bamboozled at least once by these new mimic chests.

With mimic chests being an important enemy in dark souls, it was quite sad to not see them in Elden ring, but we did get something new. Transporter chests, as soon as you open the chest you’re caught in white smoke and ensnared in it. The chest will send you to different areas on the map but I’ll leave that surprise for you.

5. Leveling

With so many new weapons leveling (pictured) will be your first priority. 

Leveling in Elden ring is a lot like dark souls with small differences, but to a newcomer, it can be overwhelming, if you try to be a jack of all trades you’ll never have enough points in strength to use that greatsword to its full scaling possibilities. If you don’t level up vigor you’ll never be able to withstand that first boss hit, and without stamina, you won’t be able to wear that amazing helmet with a pair of boots. The bright side to all this chaos is, as soon as you figure out how weapon scaling works with leveling up your character as you see fit, you’ll be quite satisfied with how strong your character has become, and now you’re one step closer to becoming the Elden Lord. 

4. Poison Swamps

With the lake of rot (pictured) being one of the deadliest places in the game, you'll be in for a treat with the number of poison areas in the game.

With poison lakes being a very important aspect of the Fromsoft franchise and Miyazaki that absolutely adores seeing people suffer in the lakes of rot, there will obviously be poison swamps. This doesn’t make it bad in any way, there is nothing better than running out of flasks, a slimmer of health, stamina slowly regenerating and the grace is just beyond the horizon… with a second to spare you touch the grace, rest, and onto your next adventure through the swamp.

3. Invasions 

Multiplayer is a really fun aspect of the game, and with invasions (pictured) you'll have a great time playing with other people.

Invasions are back and you better be prepared, from NPC invasions to real people invading your world, you’ll always be on your toes with Elden ring. Unlike dark souls it isn’t as easy to be invaded in Elden ring, you’ll only get invaded if you play co-op or use a special item called taunters tongue, but if you wish to have the feeling of the glorious one v one duel you’re in luck for you can get two special items; the small red effigy and the duelist’s furled finger to place a red sign on the ground and be summoned to duel in another players world. 

2. Bosses 

As Godrick will be one of the first bosses you'll face (pictured) you'll have an amazing time fighting him.

With Elden ring having the most bosses in any Fromsoft game, it’s good to see no expense was spared in the crafting of these bosses, with some of these bosses having more moves and combos than Bruce Lee, it might get frustrating at times to keep dying to that same boss, but the most satisfaction you’ll get from any Fromsoft game is the accomplishment of finally beating that tough as nails boss. Talking about tough nails with our number 1.

1. Malenia, Blade Of Miquella

Malenia (pictured)  is one of the best bosses in the game and you'll most likely face her as one of the last bosses.

Melania is by far one of the hardest bosses in all of gaming, with moves that can decimate your health bar from 100 to 0 in a matter of two hits whilst healing her, she may seem unfair. Her waterfowl dance is probably the hardest move to dodge, with it being a “one shot” at 50 vigor. You’ll never have a better feeling after buying that second controller because you threw yours against the wall, and then defeating Melania, Blade of Miquella right after. If you’re brave enough to face this fierce opponent, be prepared for one of the most epic, and beautifully fought fights in gaming history, for if you defeat her your strength befits a crown. 

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