lden Ring is a third-person perspective, action, role-playing game with a focus on combat and exploration. It includes elements that are similar to those in other FromSoftware-developed games such as the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The game is set in an open world; players can freely explore the Lands Between and its six main areas, which include Limgrave—an area of grassy plains and ancient ruins—and Caelid, a wasteland that is home to undead monsters.[1] Open-world areas are explored using the character's mount Torrent as the main mode of travel; players can also use fast travel outside combat. Throughout the game, players encounter non-player characters (NPCs) and enemies, including demigods who rule each main area and serve as the game's main bosses.[2][3] Elden Ring also includes hidden dungeons, catacombs, tunnels, and caves where players can fight bosses and gather helpful items.[4]
At the game's start, the player chooses a character class, which determines their starting spells, equipment, and attributes.[5] Combat with enemies can be within melee range, or from a distance using ranged weapons or spells. Enemy attacks can be dodged or blocked using shields. In Elden Ring, spells allow players to enhance their weapons, fight enemies from afar, and restore lost hit points. The player can memorize a limited amount of these spells, which can be cast using a staff or sacred seal item.[6][7] Weapons in Elden Ring can be improved using ashes of war, which are obtainable "enchantments" that grant weapons new capabilities. Ashes of war can be applied to or removed from weapons, and each Ash adds a weapon art, a special ability that can be used during combat.[8] Aside from direct combat, stealth mechanics can be used to avoid enemies or allow the targeting of foes with critical hits while hidden.[9][10]
Checkpoints called sites of grace are located throughout the game; in these places, characters can increase the power of their attributes, change memorized spells, swap ashes of war, or walk to using fast travel. Upon death, players respawn at the last site of grace they interacted with. Alternatively, they may choose to respawn at certain locations highlighted by "stakes of Marika" provided they died nearby.[8][11][12][13][excessive citations] To increase their attributes at sites of grace, the player must spend runes, an in-game currency that is acquired by defeating enemies.[14] Runes can also be used to buy items, and improve weapons and armor. Dying in Elden Ring will cause the player to lose all collected runes at the location of death; if the player dies again before retrieving the runes, they will be lost forever.[15]
Elden Ring contains crafting mechanics; the creation of items requires materials. Recipes, which are required for the crafting of items, can be found inside collectibles called cookbooks, which are scattered throughout the world. Materials can be collected by defeating enemies, exploring the game's world, or by trading with merchant NPCs. Crafted items include poison darts, exploding pots, and consumables that temporarily increase the player's combat strength.[16][17] Similar to the Dark Souls games, the player can summon friendly NPCs called spirits to fight enemies.[18] Summoning each type of spirit requires its equivalent Spirit Ash; different types of Spirit Ashes can be discovered as the player explores the game world. Spirits can only be summoned near structures called Rebirth Monuments, which are primarily found in large areas and inside boss fight arenas.[19]
Elden Ring has a multiplayer system that allows players to be summoned for both cooperative and player-versus-player (PvP) play over the Internet.[20] Cooperative play involves the placing of a summon sign on the ground, which causes the sign to become visible to online players who have used a corresponding item. If another player interacts with the sign, the player who placed the sign is summoned into their world. Cooperative players remain in the same world until the boss of the area is defeated or until a summoned player dies and is returned to their home world. In PvP combat, a summon sign is used to challenge another player to a duel, or the player can use additional items to invade the worlds of others. World hosts may use a "taunter's tongue" to increase the likelihood their world will be invaded by others and to decrease the time between invasions.[21][22][23]
Synopsis
Premise
Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between, a fictional over which several demigods rule. It was previously ruled over by the immortal Queen Marika, who acted as keeper of the Elden Ring, a powerful force that manifested itself as the physical concept of order. When Marika shattered the Elden Ring and disappeared, her demigod children began fighting over pieces of the Ring in an event called The Shattering. Each demigod has a shard of the Ring called a Great Rune, which corrupts them with power. In the game, the player character is a Tarnished, one of a group of exiles from the Lands Between who are summoned back after the Shattering. The player must traverse the realm to repair the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord.
Plot
Early in their journey to repair the Elden Ring, the player-character the Tarnished encounters a maiden named Melina. Because the Tarnished is maidenless, Melina offers to act as their maiden, granting them the ability to turn runes into strength and giving the Tarnished a steed named Torrent. In exchange, Melina requires the Tarnished to take her to the Erdtree, the home of the Elden Ring. Melina later takes the Tarnished to the Roundtable Hold, a gathering place for other Tarnished seeking to repair the Elden Ring. The Hold's benefactor the Two Fingers instructs the Tarnished to collect the Great Runes and bring them to the Erdtree, where they can be used to repair the Elden Ring.
The Tarnished travels into the Lands Between, investigating its locales and defeating the demigods. After recovering at least two Great Runes, the Two Fingers allows them to battle Morgott the Grace-Given, the demigod guarding the Erdtree. The Tarnished defeats Morgott but find a wall of thorns blocking the Edtree's interior. Melina arrives and advises the Tarnished to find the Flame of Ruin, which they can use to ignite the Erdtree and burn the thorns. The Tarnished is then free to travel towards the Flame of Ruin or search for a way to harness the equally powerful Frenzied Flame.
If upon obtaining the Flame of Ruin the Tarnished did not gain the power of the Frenzied Flame, Melina takes the Flame of Ruin and sacrifices herself to set alight the Erdtree. If the Tarnished gained the power of the Frenzied Flame, Melina abandons the Tarnished, forcing them to use the Frenzied Flame to set alight the Erdtree. While the Erdtree burns, the Tarnished is transported to the ruined city Farum Azula. After defeating Maliketh the Black Blade and using his Rune of Death to fuel the fire, the Tarnished is returned to the foot of the scorched Erdtree. Inside, they fight Radagon, Queen Marika's consort cohabitating her body, and the tree's guardian the Elden Beast. After both are vanquished, the Tarnished gains access to Marika's shattered corpse, which contains the remains of the Elden Ring. Depending on the Tarnished's actions during the game, six different endings can be achieved; these include the Tarnished becoming the Elden Lord, the Elden Ring being destroyed by Ranni the Witch, and the Tarnished using the Frenzied Flame to destroy the Lands Between.
