Elden Ring: PvP Lacks Grace, While Combat is Divine

Elden Ring:

Elden Ring: Exchanging Bonfires for Grace

Elden Ring: Exploring The Open World and Legacy Dungeons

Elden Ring: The Infamous Difficulty of Dark Souls Is Ashes

Elden Ring: PvP Lacks Grace, While Combat is Divine

Elden Ring: Goldmask's Revelation Can't Mend the Ending

Multiplayer isn't only cooperation. It's also conflict. Players invade other players, attacking from alternative universes. In previous Dark Souls games players joined factions or covenants. Each covenant offered different methods of engaging in PvP or cooperative play. The Watchdogs of Farron automatically invaded players in parts of Farron Keep, while the Warriors of Sunlight earned Sunlight Medals by helping other players defeat bosses. I joined defensive factions like the Blue Sentinels, not because I disliked PvP, but because I loved defending other Ashen Ones against invaders. Some of my favorite moments of Dark Souls III were PvP. Unfortunately, Covenants have been entirely eliminated from Elden Ring. FromSoftware seems determined to butcher not only coop, but also PvP.

To reiterate, multiplayer cooperative is worse. Additional players substantially increase the strength of bosses, while Spirit Ashes do not, incentivizing players to choose the latter. PvP suffered even worse insults. Eliminating Covenants reduced PvP interactions. Elden Ring created an item that functions like the Blue Sentinels. The Blue Cipher Ring calls wears to defend other players against invasion. I wore the Ring proudly. Oddly, while defending others, Elden Ringlabeled me a Hunter. Another oddity, my location didn't impact the summoning. I was summoned across distant regions to defend other players. I might be in Farum Azula, but defend a Tarnished miles away in Linuria of the Lakes. This implies that not many players wear the Blue Cipher Ring. That wouldn't be surprising. The Ring is never mentioned. Only the merchant at the Roundtable Hold sells it.

These are minor issues. The real problem; Hunting (as the game calls it) is an absolute failure. Though I tried many times, I was only able to participate in 10% of the battles I was summoned to. Connection errors prevented 5% of those battles. The larger issue was location. 85% of the time I was summoned too late (the Host or invader died before I could arrive), or I couldn't get to the battle. The problem was distance. In the best circumstances, summoning placed me a ten minute walk from the battle, and Hunters can't use their horse. Sometimes I was close, as the crow flies, but had to travel around an obstacle. The worst obstacles, an impassable ravine, ocean, or mountain range, require thirty minutes to traverse.

When I arrived in time, the invader inevitably fled. Elden Ring enforces no penalty against cowardly invaders. They can hound the host and Hunter from a distance for ages. I can't blame the cowards, fighting one versus three is nearly impossible. Of all my attempts at PvP, only 5% resulted in an enjoyable battle.

Now you're scratching your head, saying, why did he write “fighting one versus three”? That must be a mistake, right? No. As I played Elden Ring I had the creeping feeling of something wrong. No one invaded my world. I kept wondering why, until, eventually, I looked online. The developers created a new rule for PvP: a player will only be invaded if they are playing co-op. That limits PvP, rendering it pointless. An invasion, at best, is a one versus two affair. At worst, if a Hunter joins the defense, it becomes one versus three. Impossible! Only the best of the best invaders could win against these odds. I tried a handful of invasions myself, but I am merely average at PvP. Invasions become a niggling threat, where the invader, too weak to defeat two enemies simultaneously, is compelled to follow the players, hoping to strike when they are engaged by other enemies.

This compares unfavorably to Dark Souls III. In this article, I remember a 3v2v1 duel in the middle of a poison swamp. The Host, his co-op ally and myself, as a Blue Sentinel, fought an Invader, a Watchdog of Farron, and a Mound-Maker. The dynamic PvP duels of Dark Souls III were a strength that FromSoftware abandoned in Elden Ring.

There are two alternatives. One is player devised duels. Sometimes, as a Hunter, I was waved off from accidentally interrupting prepared duels. The combatants allowed me to watch as long as I didn't interfere.

The other PvP alternative is a new gamemode. FromSoftware shifted PvP into a separate arena, the Colosseum. Players unlock the Colosseum by completing objectives across the Lands Between. It has different forms of PvP, like a four person free for all, or a one on one duel. Players choose settings, like points vs death, or allowing Spirit Ashes. FromSoftware chose to reduce a core mechanic, locking it away in a separate area. Dark Souls players have always wanted a separate PvP mode, but I'm disappointed with the diminished co-op and PvP.

Whether fighting in the Colosseum or the open world, Elden Ring features such a expansive quantity of items, Ashes of War, spells, weapons, armors, and therefore builds, that knowledge is an essential armament. A player can't compete in PvP until they've acquired a vast store of knowledge, allowing them to counter their enemy's tricks, while deploying their own.

There are three lesser elements of multiplayer that exactly replicate the Dark Souls experience. One of the greatest joys of returning to a FromSoftware game is seeing the silvery phantoms of other players exploring the world. It's a joyful sight.

Then there are the bloodstains mentioned previously. These mark the location of defeated players. I found them in the oddest locations. In areas with no threats, no cliffs, no enemies, they splattered the ground. Regions with easy enemies were like swamps of gore. Anecdotally, a number of friends have told me that Elden Ring is their first Dark Souls game. Perhaps new players are the cause of the unusual number of deaths.

Finally, there are the messages and the messengers. You'll learn to recognize the categories. The helpful hinters, the scatological spammers, the jump off the cliff jokers, there's a secret scammers, and the pointless message posters. Players either approve or disparage a message. I'm nearly certain that both buttons have the same result. Whether the player approves or disparages a message, its value increases, rewarding the poster with a flask refill. 

Like Dark Souls, the protagonist of Elden Ring accesses a host of items. The healing flask of Crimson Tears and the focus point flask (mana), of Cerulean Tears return. Whenever the player gains flask charges they choose to allot them as either Crimson or Cerulean Tears. Elden Ring also includes a special flask called the Flask of Wondrous Physick. In the Lands Between the player discovers Crystal Tears. The player combines two Crystal Tears in the Physick. Each Crystal grants a special buff when the player drinks the Physick. The variety of Crystal Tears and the possible combinations are another opportunity for the player to experiment. With Smithing Stones and Somber Stones the player upgrades the damage on their horde of weapons. The Lands Between are overflowing with these stones, so don't worry about wasting them. All except the top tier of Stones can be purchased later in the game. Acquiring Bell Bearings from Bell Bearing Hunters unlock Stones for purchase at the merchant in the Roundtable Hold. Additional alterations can be made to weapons with Whetblades, which change the affinity of the weapon, and Ashes of War which change the Skill on the weapon.

In addition to weapon alterations, Elden Ring introduces crafting. I've always despised and neglected this element. Materials can be found freely in the wild, by killing animals, on enemies, or deep in dark dungeons. To craft an item, the player must own the proper cookbook. The Lands Between contain sixty cookbooks, detailing hundreds of recipes. 

Players also collect Great Runes when they defeat bosses, use prattling plates to communicate with other players, and insert stonesword keys into statues to access locked off locations. A host of unexplained keys crowd the player's keychain. Despite the vast list of items, the most important is the simple lantern! Not a wielded torch, this unlimited source of light attaches to your belt, keeping your hands free. What I don't understand: every time I had to load a screen, or came back from multiplayer experience, the lantern reset to off!

While the lantern was my favorite item, Larval Tears are game changing. Eighteen of these precious Tears are scattered across the Lands Between. I found fifteen of them without any guide. They can only be used with the aid of a specific NPC. This former boss, after her defeat, remains in her castle, taking a Larval Tear to aid the player in their Rebirth. Choosing Rebirth, also called respec, allows the player to reallocate all their Attribute Points. Respec allows the player to completely remake their character, from a Dexterity swordsman to an Intelligence Glintstone sorcerer. I used only one Larval Tear near the end of the game, to adjust my character for the finale, allowing them to wield the Rivers of Blood katana.

Another evolution of the Dark Souls revolves around combat. Dark Souls III and Elden Ring are remarkably similar, almost identical in the basics and feel of combat. Yet, Elden Ring has expanded the player's options. In prior games, keeping your feet on the ground (except when rolling), was the preferred tactic. Elden Ring adds special jump attacks, making leaping a viable option. The developers gave jumping its own button, while imbuing it with i-frames. Video games, like movies, are a series of pictures shown rapidly enough that they appear to move. Each picture is a frame. In the past games needed thirty frames per second (fps) to be playable. Modern games aim for a minimum of 60 fps, and a maximum of 120 fps. The I in i-frames stands for invincibility. Combining these two terms, means that for a few frames, while rolling or jumping, enemies can't hit the character. I-frames while rolling has always been a key element of Dark Souls, but their addition to jumping is new.

Similarly, Dark Souls always had parrying, but this feature evolved over time. It was a winning technique in the original Dark Souls. Parrying involves pressing the parry button with certain shields of weapons to deflect an attack, leaving the enemy open for a critical hit. It's still a viable tactic, but Dark Souls III offered new techniques that reduced its importance. Elden Ring has added an even wider range of alternatives, minimizing parrying importance further. To encourage regular combat the Lands Between offers a move that combines elements of parrying, blocking, and regular movement; the guard counter. Guard countering occurs when the player blocks an attack. Elden Ring plays a sound, and by pressing attack, the player performs a special attack: the guard counter. It isn't as devastating as a successful parry, but it is an easier and safer attack. A failed parry results in significant damage to the player. Missing the guard counter results in a continued defensive stance. Unlike the incredibly precise timing required for a parry, guard counter is easy to successfully execute with little downside.

Elden Ring also introduces crouching! This can be used in combat, but is more useful for a sneak attack, as it functions as a stealth element.

There is also a charge attack, which requires holding the button of the heavy attack until it releases on its own. Releasing the heavy attack button prematurely prevents the charge attack. Like Dark Souls III, characters can hold a weapon with two hands to increase effectiveness, or dual wield, but there is now an additional option called Power Stance. This requires equipping two weapons of the same type, like two katanas. Power Stance provides a new attack style that swings both weapons simultaneously, vastly increasing damage.

Across my Elden Ring experience I constantly experimented with my fighting style. I began by double handing a katana. I switched to a katana and shield combo to use guard counter. Later I tried a katana and a parrying shield. Over time I switched to dual wielding, first with a katana and estoc, then a katana and Frozen Needle (a rapier that shot ice at short range), and finally a variety of Power Stances with dual katanas (Moonveil, Rivers of Blood, and Hand of Malenia).

Across the Lands Between the player encounters mounted enemies. The player can fight from the back of their steed. While I find it easier to fight mounted enemies from a similar position, mounted combat is boringly simplistic, hack and slash with no intricacy. That's not to say I didn't use it! Dragons in the open world are particularly weak to a mounted horseman. Riding allows the player to avoid their breath attacks, stay with them as they fly, and get behind them when they land to attack, out of range of their claws.

While discussing combat, I want to touch on various status effects. There are seven major effects. Status effects build up over time when the player or enemy is hit by them, until they take effect. Katana users, such as I, inflict Blood Loss on enemies. Blood Loss damages the target for 15% of its maximum health. Frostbite, which I inflicted with the Frozen Needle, deals 10% of health as damage, while increasing damage and reducing stamina regeneration for 30 seconds. The status effects the player will deal with most are poison and rot. Dark Souls players will find poison familiar. Once activated, it slowly reduces the player's health. Scarlet Rot makes poison look like a soothing bath. Though Scarlet Rot is strangely beautiful, it is the most deadly substance (except water – you can't swim). It rapidly eats away at your health bar. Cures are rare and limited. Scarlet Rot ties together a number of critical plot and lore events, but that's for the next and final article.