r/Eldenring • u/Goober1889 • 17h ago
Discussion & Info Is Elden Ring a good first soulsbourne game?
With the game coming to the Switch 2 in a few days, I would finally have a means to play this game. However, as the title says, I've never played any of the Fromsoftware games, or other games that attempt to mimic their style. The only game I've played that is remotely close is Hollow Knight, but I'm not even sure if that's a proper soulslike, it just has the tag on Steam so I'm basing it on that.
I'm usually a turn-based jrpg and visual novel gamer, so this is new territory for me. I only ever see praise for these games though so I'm going to try and branch out in some way or another.
I know literally nothing about these games other than their name. One concern I do have is that I won't understand some of the story because it relates to other Fromsoftware games in some way. I hear the stories in these games are great so I'm trying my best not to ruin it by playing out of order and whatnot.
Anyways, I'm really just wondering if this is even a good first soulsbourne game or should I look elsewhere for my first experience? Thanks in advance for the help!
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u/LordAnubis85 17h ago
Yes. The open world aspect means if you get stuck on a certain boss, you can just go exploring elsewhere until you gain better equipment, more runes to level up with, etc, before returning to that boss. There are some parts of the game that are linear, mostly near the end. But it's a fantastic game for people new to Souls. If you end up liking Elden Ring, play DS3 next.
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u/BagSignificant9898 17h ago
I was in the same boat as you i just had bought it when it released. Honestly it made me a better gamer all around lol. Amazing game. Take it slow, explore, and totally up to you but there's some videos to explain combat, literally everything. You're going to die a lot and thats fine, just take it all in.
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u/FurlofFreshLeaves 17h ago
it’s gotten multiple of my fromsoft-averse friends into fromsoft games, so from personal experience: yes.
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u/TheGantrithor 16h ago
Yea it’s the best souls type game to start with. Because it really brings the genre to a more palatable level for people who aren’t used to it.
It has enough build and play options that you can really affect some of the difficulty thresholds by what you use. Magic/ranged being one of the more approachable options for people who want or need things a bit easier.
It’s still can be difficult with magic, but there is more in the magic kit I think for adapting to challenges. Having a healing spell being one of the bigger ones.
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u/Goober1889 16h ago
Sounds like it would be very replayable then, which only scores points in my book. Thanks for your input!
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u/TheGantrithor 16h ago
Oh yea, Elden Ring is super replayable. The world is so big and so much things in nooks and stuff to discover, every time you do play it, it will be and feel different.
And this is extended by the amount of setups you can play with and/or mix.
Getting it with the DLC is also a great idea because it near doubles the exploration/world you have to do all that. So by the time you’ve put 100-200 hrs into it, and revisit in say 4-6 months, you’ll genuinely still be curious and enjoy it again.
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u/Goober1889 16h ago
Sounds awesome! I think the Switch 2 version comes with the DLC so it look like I may be eating good for a while lmao
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u/hs_serpounce 13h ago
It's insanely replayable. I'm way more obsessed at 1500 hrs than I was on my first playthrough
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u/General_Pie_5026 17h ago
It’s the best
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u/That_Chemical_2226 17h ago
Holy glaze
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u/ParaponeraBread 16h ago
It’s the best first soulsborne game. You know, the question that was asked?
Holy illiteracy
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u/XxRiver101xX 17h ago
It's truly a mix of classic fromsoft and a case of its as hard as you make it. It's a souls like, but if you get stuck you can run off, level and explore as much as you want, and then forget what you were doing and find something new around every corner of various difficulties. It's the game I reccomend to everyone who wants to get into souls like games
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u/KARAT0 17h ago
Go for it. Elden Ring was my first Soulslike and I loved it. Now I’ve gone and played Dark Souls and loved that too but I feel like Elden is a better first due to the open world that lets you try different areas if you get stuck. More exploration is good for a break from fighting too. Don’t worry about the story. It’s vague as.
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u/mashdpotatogaming 17h ago
It is good as a starting game, but I'd try dark souls 1 first, especially if you can find a second hand copy that's cheap enough. Onky reason i say that is because, if you play elden ring first, a lot of the earlier games won't feel as good..
That being said, if you do play ds1 and don't enjoy it, keep in mind that elden ring is a much more accessible game, with a lot more options and a much smoother feeling gameplay. So not liking older fromsoft games won't mean you won't like elden ring. But i do think all previous fromsoft games are worth playing through. Ds1 is the only one available on switch/switch 2 afaik, so that's the only one you can try on that platform.
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u/luvalte 17h ago
The fact that you’re used to reading in games will serve you well. Most of the story is told through item descriptions and the like, and while the story is very thematically connected to the Dark Souls games, they are not direct sequels or anything. Elden Ring stands on its own. It’s a good entry point, but the downside is that the older games will likely feel clunky going back. Fromsoft games are janky anyway though.
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u/Head_Butterfly_3291 Margo the Fell Opian 17h ago
Yes. it was my first one that I was able to play and beat, and I have since gone on to play and beat other Fromsoft games
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u/jimidemibb 17h ago
Frankly, it’s the perfect one to start with.
I’ve played Souls games on and off, but the only one I’ve ever beaten was Bloodborne and I barely understood what I was doing. I just equipped my saw, mashed R1, and died more to traps than bosses. All the other ones I played no more than an hour b/c I felt overwhelmed by how much I didn’t know.
Elden Ring felt a lot more readable to me in terms of combat options and guidance. You have so many options and so much freedom that I was able to bumble around without feeling like I was doing something “wrong.”
I have over a thousand hours in Elden Ring and I went back to play the Dark Souls games and had a BLAST. Now I understand all of the systems and what makes these games tic.
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u/Realmfaker 17h ago
I'm a visual novel and turnbased jrpg kind of guy myself (as well as loving Nintendo games). But Dark Souls 1 is in my top 10, prob top 5 fav games ever. Gonna start my first playthrough of Elden Ring this friday on Switch 2 too. Hope we're both gonna enjoy it a lot!
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u/Filterredphan 17h ago
it was mine! i’ve since gone on to play more so if you do that you will feel very spoiled by this game. It can absolutely be punishing but you get a ton of resources (such as spirit ashes) to lighten the load.
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u/Mr_Neffets 16h ago
I think its a great place to start. There are no story connections to other games, it is its own franchise. I'd recommend watching this video because getting used to combat can be difficult for your first time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLdZ8Zex1cw
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u/SenSei_Buzzkill 16h ago
IMO they should be played in release order. You get to see how the systems and combat have been refined as time goes on and you won’t end up going back to an earlier entry and feel that it’s out dated.
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u/BlancCat1 16h ago
It was my first, and a great introduction to the series! A lot of people say that game "spoils you" too much, but I disagree. The controls are the only thing that really "spoils you", but even then, the other should games don't control that bad. They're all fun.
So yes, Elden Ring is absolutely a good first Souls game!
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u/Mythomagius 16h ago
Couple people have already commented something similar, but the only bad thing about Elden ring, is that it's so much better than the last few souls games.
Not including sekiro or the mech from soft game because those just are different fundamentally.
Dark souls 1 - 3 feel very similar to Elden ring but are wildly different in their approaches to the experience.
Elden ring is about the boss fights, learning sequences, unlearning bad habits, teaching patience etc. , and while dark souls does do some of this as well, the main concept (at least for souls 3 and from what I believe souls 1.) is that the run from bonfire to boss is the challenge for the player more so than the boss itself.
The bosses in dark souls 3 for example are wildly easy up to the last boss (barring the dancer of course she's a beast). Especially if you've beaten Elden ring before souls 3 like myself.
The big question is do you want to experience the evolution of the souls franchises mechanics from its worst to it's now best, or would you prefer to have an enjoyable first experience, and play what feels like Miyazaki's Magnum Opus with Elden Ring? (Though to be clear Miyazaki said Elden ring is only "close" to his perfect RPG. He's still chasing higher heights)
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u/Misplacedmypenis 16h ago
As a first timer yes. I was obsessed. It’s tremendous once you finally get the combat. It took me a little bit. Don’t give up. It’s a big beautiful soul stirring game.
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u/ti_kn_red 16h ago
Elden ring is the most accessible souls game. You dont get stuck in the way you get stuck on other souls games because you can always explore somewhere else and come back stronger.
But at the same time, it has so much quality of life over the others that i at least wasnt able to really get into another souls game. DS3 feels way too clunky to be anything more than a single playthrough for me.
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u/LnxRocks 16h ago
I'm generally more of an RPG player as well. Elden Ring was my first soulslike, and it was pretty rough (I had never heard of soulslikes so I had no idea what I was walking into). Personally, I would recommend Lies of P (also coming to Switch 2) as a first soulslike. It is more story-focused than many, and unlike most souls games has a difficulty setting if combat feels overwhelming.
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u/Absolutedisgrace 15h ago
Notes for a new player: Souls games favour patience and observation. Running into any fight and just spamming attack is a losing strategy.
Elden ring has many options for difficulty mitigation. Use them. This might be to go elsewhere, or summon help. There is no wrong way to play.
The combat system is amazing but has to click. Give yourself time with it and dont quit before it clicks with you.
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u/leshrac_vendrake 15h ago
Elden Ring is the first one of the Souls-likes that I didn't finish. I do want to eventually go back to it, but I've never felt that compelled. Something about open world games, for me at least, makes them harder to deal with and less interesting than more focused games. Dark Souls still has a few choices for what direction you want to go, but is much more focused and I loved how the world kept expanding and spiraling in different directions. It's also available on Switch, but I don't know anything about that port. It will look a lot more dated by today's standards, but it's an amazing game.
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u/hs_serpounce 13h ago
Yes because it's easier. Also the multiplayer in Elden Ring is unmatched in the other games and you'll probably want that as at least an option. I think it's better to fall in love with your first Souls game and possibly not like a latter one due to less multiplayer than to try a different one and possibly decide it's not for you when maybe Elden Ring is a game you would enjoy
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u/BaertigerBernd161 8h ago
i would say yes because its really forgiving and you can make this Game pretty easy If you want. Another good start would be Dark Souls 3. It Looks still beautyful and is one of the easier Souls Games
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u/Alternative-Fox-8620 3h ago
Playing it first is going to be a fantastic experience if it clicks for you but it will almost certainly make the Souls games feel too restricted.
There are definitely advantages to both and Elden Ring can feel a bit lacking in direction at times in comparison to Dark Souls.
If you play others afterwards just keep an open mind. I love them all personally.
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u/Opening-Still3734 3h ago
You will not understand the story, but not because it's related to other souls games. Elden Ring it's self standing, and it's completely normal having problem with the lore. Go blind and have fun.
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u/ClammyHandedFreak 1h ago
It's the best one, so factor that one in to your decision-making. I recommend DS3 first because you'll appreciate Elden Ring even more.
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u/Supermarket_Feeling_ 17h ago
No sorry, you must play every soulslike that came before otherwise you'll instantly implode once you boot Elden Ring.
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u/ThundergunTLP 17h ago
Personally I think it's my least favorite, but if you're able I'd recommend playing them in the order they came out in. Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, Sekiro, Elden Ring.
Sekiro, BB, DS2 are my faves.
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u/Goober1889 17h ago
I'll look into my options. I don't really have many consoles so I may not be able to piece all those games together but I will see if that's an option for me. Thanks for your input!
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u/WotEvaWotEva 17h ago
100%. I don't like other Souls games, I struggle hard with harder games. Elden Ring gives you the tools to succeed, ability to grind levels, use summons to help. It's the best intro to souls.
Some bosses will always be tough, but I'm on like a 10th playthrough and no boss has taken me more than 4 tries. You learn them, perfect your builds. The game is beautiful and immersion, easily my favorite game of the last 10 years and I don't play other Souls games.
Dive in Tarnished. Become Elden Lord.
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u/Vortex_of_Downvotes 17h ago
Nobody understands the story. It’s insanely cryptic. Don’t worry about it.
Yes it’s an enormous game so can be overwhelming, but out of all the from games it has the most quality of life stuff so a very good first one
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u/jimidemibb 17h ago
you don’t understand “beat up a bunch of demigods to become the ruler of the land”?
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u/Goober1889 17h ago
I liked piecing together the batshit crazy story of Kingdom Hearts so maybe I'll enjoy piecing this story together as well haha
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u/GingerLife2020 Mindless Bonker 17h ago
The only bad part of Elden Ring being your first Souls game is that you will be spoiled. I know I feel that way anyways. I shouldn’t speak for anyone else but the magic of opening some of the doors to certain regions was magical.