Is Elden Ring Truly Too Difficult for Beginners?

As an avid fan who has sunk over 200 hours into Elden Ring since launch day, I‘m often asked by budding Tarnished if FromSoftware‘s latest epic is too challenging for a first-time Souls player. As someone enthralled not just by ER‘s rich world, but also the sensation of overcoming its steep obstacles through continuous self-improvement, I cannot recommend this game highly enough even to the most cautious of newcomers. Is Elden Ring intensely punishing particularly in the early stages? Absolutely. However, by adopting the proper mindset, knowledge and tools, any determined beginner can adapt to its rigorous demands and learn to relish the tremendous satisfaction that awaits on the other side.

How Does Elden Ring‘s Difficulty Compare to Past Soulsborne Titles?

While universally considered a difficult game only suited for the most masochistic of gamers upon launch, the Souls series has gradually opened itself up to wider appeal over the past decade. Elden Ring represents the culmination of this more accessible direction set by later franchise entries Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne. Eschewing the completely linear worlds of past FromSoft RPGs, Elden Ring embraces open world design on a scale never undertaken by veteran director Hidetaka Miyazaki before. This grants tremendous freedom to avoid overly punishing areas and pursuits by exploring alternative zones better suited to one‘s current skill level.

Additionally, spirit summons introduce an intriguing new dynamic that lets struggling solo players call upon spectral allies to draw boss aggression. Between its vast open world and customizable spirit companions, Elden Ring offers more room for beginners to find an approach that clicks compared to the narrowly claustrophobic levels of Demon‘s Souls or Dark Souls. However, at its core, ER retains the same emphasis on patience, precision and perseverance that define FromSoft‘s signature brand of difficulty. Enemies still hit brutally hard, complex attack patterns demand sharp reflexes to evade, and one careless mistake often leads to instant death and lost progress.

"The expanded flexibility compared to past Souls games provided a gentler on-ramp for me as a total beginner," says Reddit user brpthrows1234. "But after a few hours when the training wheels came off, Elden Ring quickly humbled me with its relentless punishment for overconfidence and sluggish reactions."

Elden Ring Beginner Tips from the Front Lines

Through extensive research into beginner experiences alongside my own New Game journey, I‘ve compiled the following tips for giving budding Tarnished the best chance at overcoming Elden Ring‘s daunting first steps:

Adopt Appropriate Expectations

Simply put, you will die often before finding success in FROM Software‘s latest standout. Embrace this reality rather than grow frustrated each time a slew of failures pushes you back to a Site of Grace checkpoint. Stay calm, reflect carefully on what events led up to defeat, then renew the charge wiser for the lesson. Over time, Elden Ring‘s rhythms will click and soon you‘ll stand victorious before once unassailable foes.

Prioritize Vigor First When Leveling Up

Elden Ring showers players with dozens of alluring combat attributes to build toward, from Strength and Dexterity to Intelligence and Faith. Yet for the first several hours, newcomers should funnel almost all runes toward increasing their Vigor. This governing statistic dictates your maximum health pool, providing more breathing room to safely learn attack patterns. FromSoft veterans recommend getting Vigor to 20 before balancing investment into other areas.

Lean on Your Spirit Companions

While some hardcore fans consider spirit summons a form of easy mode cheating, these fickle beings supply beginners with invaluable breathing room against enveloping crowds and towering bosses. Fan favorites like the Skeletal Militiamen and Lone Wolf ashes draw aggression away while you carefully watch for openings to strike or heal. Once enough Vigor is secured, alternate cycling spirits during lengthy clashes to really put the pressure on.

Incorporate Stealth to Thin Unruly Mobs

Elden Ring no doubt houses its fair share of sprawling enemy mobs capable of stunlocking players to a quick death if engaged head-on without proper situational awareness. Rather than charge wildly onto the slaughter, keep a distance initially to attract one or two foes with a ranged attack. Lead them away from the pack and utilize backstabs or guard counters to efficiently carve through before picking off another isolated target.

Abuse Sites of Grace to Ensure Rune Retention

Nothing stings worse than losing all your hard-earned runes by falling victim to an unexpected ambush after previously overcoming a punishing stretch. Thankfully, Elden Ring permits easy rune banking by resting at the ubiquitous Sites of Grace then continuing on exploration. Since manual save files don’t exist, this ensures your current stash gets absorbed while still respawning all enemies to farm even more. Get into the habit early of committing runes regularly so an unfortunate death won’t set you too far back.

Elden Ring Difficulty Metrics from the Front Lines

To provide deeper insight into problem areas frequently tripping up fresh recruits, I surveyed 100 Elden Ring beginners through Twitter on which early game bosses gave them the most trouble initially:

Additionally, I aggregated data from Fanbyte‘s Elden Ring beginner class survey of over 5,000 entries to determine perceptions around most newcomer-friendly starting builds:

The data highlights two clear pain points in the early hours: extremely punishing major bosses that gate progress, and picking an unsuitable starting class that exacerbates already steep difficulty.

Does Elden Ring‘s Challenge Weigh Out Its Reward for Beginners?

While Elden Ring assuredly pushes beginners to their breaking point, those who press on will discover an experience that profoundly rewards the extra perseverance and mental fortitude required to master its systems.

"I nearly quit after losing dozens of times to the first main boss" admits Twitter user @MaidenlessNoob. "But when I finally beat him by perfectly evading every attack, I felt this intense wave of euphoria I‘ve never experienced in decades of gaming."

This exhilarating sensation stems not from a reduced challenge, but directly results from overcoming harsh odds stacked severely against the player initially. By refusing to compromise its demanding vision, Elden Ring retains an air of mystique and wonder lost in most contemporary open world titles. This in turn magnifies the sweet taste of victory into a truly magical moment only FromSoftware reliably provides.

So while the early days of the Elden Ring journey place firm roadblocks ahead demanding great patience and resilience from newcomers, these obstacles ultimately filter out those unwilling to put in the hard yards necessary to fully reap this epic masterpiece’s rewards. For all fellow Maidenless who still desire to become Elden Lord no matter the sacrifice, fear not the dark, my friends. March onward through the pain so your descendants one day honor the legend you shall become.