8 Ways Elden Ring is Different from Dark Souls Games (Click above photo to watch on YouTube)
By: Mr Constantine
Starting off with the first difference between Elden Ring and Dark Souls is the game structure. Elden Ring is an open world game but it's not entirely open world, rather an "open field" similar to Legend of Zelda games. While in the Dark Souls games, especially in Dark Souls 1, players are able to tackle different areas from multiple angles and even in different orders. However in Elden Ring, players are given the chance to plot out their own adventure across The Lands Between. The Lands Between consists of six major areas, each having their own main dungeon and boss that the player must defeat. In addition, you'll be exploring The Lands Between with an actual map, however the full map isn't immediately available to you yet...as you will need to find map fragments to fill it in, revealing more of the world as you play through the game.
Speaking about Elden Ring’s open-world structure, the second difference is going to be World Events and NPCs. Similar to other open world titles, Elden Ring would feature numerous different events out in the world that players can stumble upon while traveling. For example, players can attack carriages while they are still traveling. Another random encounter is where a camp of enemies can be seen getting attacked by a dragon, so the player can choose to either fight the dragon or ignore it. These Random Encounters and world events would really give Elden Rings open-world more “spice” and it makes every player's journey unique.
Moving onto the third difference, we have fall damage. In the Dark Souls games, we can all agree that fall damage isn't so forgiving. However, in the Elden Ring, gravity doesn't hurt as much. Falls that will usually get you killed in Dark Souls, will barely leave a mark in this game which makes falling feel less intimidating. The decision to make fall damage more forgiving in Elden Ring was likely done on purpose to encourage players to experiment more in the game, rather than to be afraid to make leaps of faith.
Diving into the fourth difference, we have combat mechanics. Dodge-rolling, staggering opponents and dealing critical attacks were all carried over from the Dark Souls series, but Elden ring has its own unique combat mechanics. Characters are able to wield a lot of weapons such as a bow, two handed sword, double bladed staff, sellsword twinblades, and many more. Each weapon sported their own unique moves and techniques which adds more variety to gameplay. Shields can also guard, counter, and perry which is the biggest addition in Elden Ring. You are able to block with a shield and launch a heavy attack right after blocking. Plus, Elden ring has also brought stealth from sekiro, and sleep arrows which adds a completely new way of engaging enemies in fights.
On to the fifth difference, we have crafting. In Dark Souls, there isn't any crafting mechanic so you only get items from purchasing from vendors and you would always have to prepare before venturing out. On The other hand, in Elden ring, you can now have the ability to gather materials while out in the world, and craft items on the go. This is such a game-changer because now you can simply hunt for resources that drop from hunting birds and beasts among other things, and craft different kinds of arrows and various items. This is such an interesting mechanic and it works really well with the open-world structure of the game.
Next up at number 6, another way Elden Ring is different from Dark Souls is that the game features rideable horses. Horse riding is something that the Dark Souls games never had so this feature generated a ton of excitement for Elden Ring. Players can obtain their horse mount early on in the tutorial area and the game also features horseback combat. It makes sense why Elden Ring would feature horseback riding since the game is an open-world and focuses a little bit on traversal. However, it is said that the mounts won't be accessible in multiplayer, according to the director of the game.
At number seven, we have stamina and fast travel. Unlike in Souls games, Elden Ring allows you to fast travel to a Site of Lost Grace at any time as long as you aren't in combat. So it means that you won't have to run back to a site you've already unlocked in order to fast travel. Elden Ring also gives you infinite stamina when you aren't in combat which means that you can sprint into battle without being out of breath once you arrive. Fast travel and the less focus on stamina removes a lot of limitations that the Dark Souls games had, and it definitely encourages players to explore the map even more.
And finally, the last difference is going to be Markers and Beacons. In Dark Souls, the game did not feature any of this but in Elden Ring, the game features a Marker and Beacon system similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. You can add markers to the world map to take note of different things, if you found a spot with resources or a dangerous enemy that you cannot fight yet, you can take note of their locations with different markers. There are also beacons that are spread all over the map, and they will act as a guiding light that you can use while exploring the world. The beacons highlight points of interest and they are called the Guidance of Grace.
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