Elden Ring is the Best Souls Game for Beginners in 2024

As an avid gamer and fan of the notoriously difficult action RPG Souls series from FromSoftware, the question I get asked constantly lately is: which Souls game is the ideal entry point in 2024 for newcomers to the genre? My emphatic recommendation is Elden Ring on PC and modern consoles.

Why Elden Ring is the Best Souls Game for Beginners

While not technically a direct sequel, Elden Ring evolves the satisfying gameplay loop and oppressive worlds that make these games so rewarding for fans. However, Elden Ring is undoubtedly the most accessible of the bunch with the lowest barrier to entry for several key reasons:

• Overwhelming Critical Acclaim & Popularity: Elden Ring sold over 17.5 million copies in its first year, garnering near universal perfect review scores and Game of the Year awards. This mainstream success makes its online community thriving for beginners.
• Open World Freedom: Elden Ring allows you to freely explore its lush open world, often letting you dictate the pace of challenge. Other Souls games consist of more linear, interconnected levels that funnel you into punishing boss fights. Veterans agree this freedom is key for less experienced players.
• Accessibility Options: Elden Ring added more ways to customize the experience, including a jump button, expanded magic and stealth options, spirit summons to call computer-controlled allies, and being able to respec your character. This flexibility lets you ease the brutality.
• Approachable Starting Classes: Classes like the Prophet and Prisoner come ready-made for magic and ranged combat options, allowing newcomers to avoid much of the ruthless melee combat initially. Other Souls games thrust you immediately into tense, in your face skirmishes.

Simply put, while I‘d still label Elden Ring as "very difficult" overall, it‘s hard to imagine an entry point with broader appeal and ways to help overcome obstacles for players of all skill levels. Those wanting to one day graduate to the classics now have the perfect onramp.

But Where Should Experienced Fans Start Instead?

As mentioned above, I would gently guide brand new players towards Elden Ring first. However, for gamers with some Souls experience or looking for the purest expression of these games, where is the ideal entry point? This comes down to preference, but below is my Souls ladder ranking favorites to least:

To me, FromSoftware perfected the Souls formula with Bloodborne and Sekiro, but all these offer intensely rewarding challenge and worldbuilding for fans. I‘d advise playing chronologically, but you can‘t go wrong with any of these classics!

What Makes Souls Games So Enjoyably Punishing?

The Souls series notoriously straddles the line between intoxicating highs and controller-throwing frustration. But what exactly gives these nightmarish quests such feverishly devoted fans?

The Power Fantasy Payoff – While you start as helpless as a newborn babe in these games surrounded by monsters eager to ram a lance through your skull, that first triumph over a towering boss that slaughtered you repeatedly is euphoric. Slowly amassing strength through tiny incremental upgrades to eventually dominate enemies that once laughed at your feeble attempts is intensely rewarding.

Environmental Storytelling – Souls games tell lush, poetic stories not through endless cutscenes, but by encouraging exploration of intricately designed worlds. Piecing together cryptic item descriptions, crumbling architecture, and glimpses of spirits long past makes you an investigator, building ancient narratives like a macabre detective.

Jaw-dropping Presentation – Simply put – no other games look or sound like Souls games. Bleakly beautiful vistas flooded with color, particle effects, and shadow contrast with bizarre, creative creatures and characters pulled from the team‘s darkest nightmares. Haunting, minimalist orchestral scores accentuate the dread.

Multiplayer Elements – You‘re never fully alone in these desolate realms. Glimpses of other poor souls in their own doomed struggles offer comforting camaraderie. And competitive invasions, cooperative boss fights, and obscure secrets you piece together as a community make them wonderfully social.

Souls games certainly aren‘t for all palates. But appreciating challenge and unlocking the magic behind their design philosophies reveals incredibly rich, unforgettable journeys. Have the mettle to push through the pain, and few gaming series offer more fulfillment.

Final Advice Before Deciding On Your First Souls Game

As someone who adores seeing new fans fall under the Soulsborne spell, I‘ll leave you with advice I give everyone hovering over the "Purchase" button for their first stay in these lands.

First, embrace death and losing souls/runes/blood echoes. These games have conditioned us to dread failure and fight tooth and nail against defeat. But in Souls, each death makes you examine what went wrong and how to avoid it next time, while currency used to level up comes easily. The frustration fades once you accept death as a teacher, not a loss condition.

Next, take things slowly and methodically initially. When entering each new area, inch forward with shield raised observing enemy patterns, looking for ambush spots in the terrain, keeping your camera locked and circle strafing to spot sudden attacks from the sides or behind during combat. Once you feel comfortable predicting moves, cautiously engage to learn openings to safely retaliate. Rushing forward button mashing like other action games will only end in tears.

Finally, fight the urge to lookup guides and walkthroughs at first, instead focusing on exploration. Not knowing what awaits around the next corner or if that item is treasure or a trap is the true Souls experience. Jot notes, read item descriptions, search every nook and cranny. Having the unknown loom makes each accomplishment sweeter. Veterans on forums will still happily nudge you if a section grows frustrating.

Patience and an openness to learn are key in these realms. Trust me though – plunge into the darkness, steadily conquer the challenges thrown your way, and little in gaming rivals the high once you‘re fully hooked on Souls! Now steel your nerves, champion – your arduous but rewarding quest awaits!