"If Elden Ring Is So Good, Why Am I Not Playing It?"

Original Video by Ratatoskr • Video
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[@Lostlimbart]

Elden ring was low-key stressful when you go down a random hallway and you find an entire hidden city

[@AveSequoia]

Bro tell me about it then your like “fuck I have to backtrack first because there was two other hallways before”

[@AshRaf-to5gu]

Lmao

[@IVameless]

@@AveSequoia And then those other 2 hallways lead you to 2 different new hidden cities lol

[@exodore2000]

@Michael B Some people would call that a transcendent moment.

[@SoSlowSoto]

Is high key. Nothing low key about it.

[@SkellyHertz]

Some games are amazing because you can play them over and over, and some are amazing because the first playthrough is so magical, but you can't go back and you must treasure those memories.

[@321Leviathan]

Yes, and Elden Ring is neither of those things

[@wobblysauce]

Yep, some love replay ability… others one and done.

[@Tyanus2]

@@321Leviathan exactly

[@NotEvenDeathCanSaveU]

You cant go back? Actually if it was so great, you crave going back to it and most people do exactly that.. DS3 and Elden Ring dont seem to have that to such an extent, and ds2 was so active because of the great pvp system. I think these games just lack something, the mystery, grandiosity, the magical atmosphere the older games like DS1 and Demons souls had. I played those 2 a ton, then ds2 even more cos of addicting pvp, but when it comes to DS3 and Elden Ring, I dont have much desire to play it again. As I said, it lacks something I cant directly describe, a soul perhaps.

[@sycoskater]

This. The only other game that did this for me was The Witcher 3

[@keyamazed1038]

First playthrough was around 150 hours. Every subsequent playthrough has been about 20 hours lol. I love Elden Ring so much because you can do as much or as little as you want.

[@robinolsson7003]

First playthrough was just over 100 hours. Then I made another character and played through the game in about 80 hours. Then I went back to the first character and did NG in about 5 or so hours lol.

[@kyleschroeder714]

Same lol

[@Djinn-Dani]

am I the only one who's first playthrough was abt 30 hours I did volcano manor and ranni but didn't beat malenia till after.

[@jinxmajinme]

@@Djinn-Dani that’s exactly what i just did

[@squidbuck9209]

You just gave a broad description of every video game ever made.

[@mannytprimeministerofthemanate]

I think his situation is unique to him. I’m pretty sure Miyazaki said in an interview NOT to try and do everything in one play through or smt like that. For me I missed whole area and bosses like the sewers and Placidusax which had me replaying the game multiple times.

[@tannersandusky2621]

I felt exactly like him in the mountain tops that area was a chore and the only area where I didn’t kill every enemy at least once

[@antonprieto6647]

Dude i agree. He's just tired because he decided to explore every nook and crany of the game. I mean, of course that could get you tired? Literally FOMO

[@AlejandroRodriguez-cy8ee]

@@antonprieto6647 i mean many open world games do this and encourage it. and for many that is the way to play it, uncover as much as you can and get rewarded for it

[@Aramythr]

Well, it depends on the person right. Whenever I take out the trash and there's like 6 big bags, I'm the kinda guy who'll try to take them all out in one go rather than take multiple trips (in my city you don't have personal bins, but public ones down the street.). In the same way I played ER, doing as much as possible in my first playthrough.

[@NewbPhil]

nahhh, I had a "normal" length first playthrough of 120 hours and I completely dropped the game for about 6-8 months because I was just _done_ with it; spending literally 5 full days' worth of time playing one game over the course of like 4ish weeks just burns you out. I started a new run recently and am having a lot of fun, but I don't think it's unique to him to be burned out by such an incredibly long first playthrough. I agree that he obviously overdid it with the 250 hour playthrough, but you don't have to go that deep to get burnt out.

[@JJBeauregard1]

I think it's totally normal to not play a game 24/7 or even "only" have one playthrough in it and still have it have a spot in your favourites list.

[@orlandogastelum1539]

exactly man. the game is just huge. that literally it.

[@pandora8734]

yeah, I remember the pain and suffering while fighting Malenia. But you know, when I think about it.. When I defeated her.. Man.. That moment was amazing! I want a rematch with her and I just need a big motivation to go over the game and fight once more..

[@MarkWilson-ij9jd]

Agreed, if I do one playthrough a year, I'll still be playing it in 10 years.

[@yugitrump435]

The best part of the game, imho, would be the feeling of starting your first NG+. You start thinking you're gonna stomp everything in your way, and while you can with the minor mobs, you still find enemies right away who slap you back down

[@shavedata5436]

sekiro was this for me

[@Rin-ix9dl]

its just the souls games thing, u finish a run or two, then u play other games, then u come back to it again. i just like the feeling of making a new character every time i come back to the game, not every game has to be play 24/7

[@reachcole514]

@@zombislayer42 the only other ds games I played ds3 which I played through once and sekiro which I didn't complete. Done 3 playthroughs on elden ring.

[@CB-lw7ty]

"not every game has to be play 24/7" This was like half the point of the video. Dudes like: I'm going to play it all in 1 go, non stop, until everything's done, even if Im burnt out numerous times... Also questions: Why don't I feel like playing again when it was soo long and grindy but I think its good? Maybe because you didn't take a break and play other things lol.

[@Saltytomatoe]

@@CB-lw7ty it's ironic that in order to enjoy this "masterpiece" you need to spend time away from it... kinda contradicting don't ya think? I played red dead 2 like a mother fucker and not once did I think to take a break and or play something else.. because the game was great

[@CB-lw7ty]

@@Saltytomatoe I wouldn't call it a "masterpiece" I actively hate that word in gaming because its become a term associated with "I love" rather than true objective ideals which would define a masterpiece, you'll find people calling Sackboy a masterpiece somewhere. Ultimately it's just every Fromsoft game you've every played in a more expansive open world which I think is an expectation at this point and behind the times more than ahead to be a masterpiece. However when it comes to taking breaks, we do it in everything, even if you love your job and have an amazing one you need a break, we don't have Christmas every day of the year, we take breaks away from partners, family etc, taking or needing breaks away from something great doesn't diminish whether its a great thing or not, its more an understanding of how much you can absorb at it's peak.

[@han16al46]

@@Saltytomatoe ever wonder why is it that when you're full, you need some time before you can eat again even though the food is great?

[@flowgauge2399]

I really enjoyed the symbolic representation of the mountaintops being after leyndell. Leyndell is the climax of your heroic journey where you learn that you must do something terrible in order to enter the tree. I feel like the mountaintops embodies that sorrow much like the snowy mountain in another game called journey. It's just really beautiful in that way

[@SaladBoy72]

Sir, this is a Wendy's

[@EE12345]

I don't think it's that deep

[@jalalalap-akalala]

@@EE12345 it really is that deep, have you not played the souls games?

[@Digger-Nick]

@@jalalalap-akalala It's really not. What little plot there is makes literally 0 sense and is completely pointless

[@jalalalap-akalala]

@@Digger-Nick you must be simple but that's ok! Go and play god of war, there's something for everyone

[@hoodedrain7925]

Elden Ring is the only game where stepping on a rock with your left foot at 3:00am punishes you and now you gotta fight Goku

[@Ton-uy1xd]

LOL Malenia is pretty much Goku

[@Silver4Hire]

Literally Rune Bears

[@everythingpony]

Please tell me where?

[@Java_94]

@@everythingponydragons, random night time bosses

[@Zynarch97]

I miss fight clubs. I remember in DS3 when I had done lot of different builds I just went past Pontiff to the fight club arena sometimes to watch other people dueling and going into the fray myself. It was such a nice social gathering which imo was one of the best parts about the game. It's a shame Elden Ring doesn't have that.

[@Metadaxe]

@@dratoriasgaming9935 It's weird to hear that fight clubs are dead, because there is no reason I can see for why that should be the case, other than the community just giving up on them. Ratatoskr's explanation, of it being a change in the game's mechanics, rings hollow to me. Fight clubs have been a part of dueling culture since Demon's Souls, when they consisted of a host summoning up two blues and a black phantom. You do not need to be able to summon 5 black phantoms at a time for a fight club to exist.

[@ericswag8465]

@@Metadaxe i think its harder because you could summon 5 phantoms in dark souls 3

[@LokiHades]

@@Metadaxe it’s not for a lack of trying but due to player count limit. I hope they can expand it with dLC(s) or an update but it probably isn’t happening.

[@LiLConnerPeterson]

Fuck I miss that.

[@Nightwalk444]

Fightclubs were super gay. Chads were invaders

[@ihatetobethatguybut...5135]

I played Elden ring four times in a row but I’m happy with my game time, just cause you wanna play other things now doesn’t mean you don’t like Elden ring and doesn’t mean it isn’t a masterpiece

[@kevinburke1325]

It isn't a masterpiece. It's copied and pasted garbage.

[@moisesmartinezmorales5885]

@@kevinburke1325 L

[@kevinburke1325]

@@moisesmartinezmorales5885 you are the L. Let's see, bunch of giants, knights, dragons, zombies, wizards. Whoop de doo so original. Not.

[@kevinburke1325]

@@barbarrox you are the L. Let's see, bunch of giants, knights, dragons, zombies, wizards. Whoop de doo so original. Not.

[@kevinburke1325]

@@barbarrox I don't like God of War Ragnarock either so LOL at you. All modern games are garbage and that includes elden ring. It was super predictable just like any other game.

[@Pfromm007]

It''s rough when you want to take your time on a game like this, yet all your friends are talking about parts of the game you have yet to experience.

[@why8298]

This is why I preordered it and beat the game before any of my friends did.

[@ewag8950]

@@why8298 yeah i literally just made the week it came out as free as possible and beat the game in 5 days 55 hrs gameplay and beat malenia after 7 days and 70 hours gameplay did a bunch of other runs and got to 250 hours play time and now i haven't touched it in over 6 months

[@Digger-Nick]

It's not elder scrolls, it's not an "experience" in the slightest

[@queuebe4068]

@@Digger-Nick What do you mean by that?

[@Digger-Nick]

@@queuebe4068 Mean by what? It's not some grand rpg / adventure game. It's an action game where you mindlessly kill lobotomized enemies in a barren and lifeless "open world"

[@NobleWarrior]

Im terrified to go back. Loved it. Got through it, but it kicked my ass. Never play these type of games and i had 7 break downs and am an emotional wreck.

[@primeirrational]

Dude, first playthrough is getting good while second playthrough is easy because you’ve gotten good. Try it again and see how much better you do second time!

[@arineido]

I definitely cried a few times

[@hartake6667]

I just started December on the discount and having mine pray for me 🙏🏾

[@FTG_Overlord]

Get good

[@zkiron7932]

@@wykydytron DS 1 is easier.

[@JackoTJK]

Can we just say that after saying "I completed 90% of the game I did allot" in the next 30 minutes he found 3 dungeons he'd never done and met Patches and Blaidd...

[@taylon5200]

And meeting blaidd is a massive questline and half the story contained in that questline lmao. He did like half the dungeons at most

[@khanager2814]

Wait so did he totally miss Rannis questline? Did he miss Nokstella too? If he missed all of that he missed some of the best content in the entire run.

[@dotulord7775]

@@khanager2814 If he never met Blaidd then yeah, that's about true

[@uthoryan9151]

@@khanager2814 not necessarily, on my first playthrough i never met blaidd and still got the age of stars ending.

[@Elzzaw]

@@uthoryan9151 I'm the same. I was playing with my friend at the time who did the Blaidd quest and got the finger-snap and stuff and I completely missed that by accidently progressing with the next step of the quest. Unfortunately, and interestingly, since I didn't meet Blaidd I didn't get any of the quest-line regarding choosing whether to trap him or not. He just showed up outside Ranni's tower as an enemy after he helped with the underground stuff and I had absolutely no idea why he was suddenly hostile. I only learned that he had his whole questline because I was always on call with my friend while we played.

[@moneywastedcollecting]

I do agree with the scale though, there is so much to explore but once you kind of learn all the good items, you can skip 70% of the exploring. DS1 will always be my favorite.

[@citrus1229]

based take

[@onegirltwojackets2835]

DS2 Better

[@moneywastedcollecting]

@@citrus1229 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@moneywastedcollecting]

@@onegirltwojackets2835 I think I finished ds2 once and just couldn’t keep playing for some reason.

[@lesterparker1594]

Elden ring is the only game I’ve ever beat, and went for a 2nd playthrough.

[@chemical4287]

I totally burnt out in the middle of the game trying to go to every rock in each area and had to take a break. Such a great game. Lol

[@ZreaperOfficial]

When he brought up covenants and waiting for backup when you saw a gank squad it brought me back to the times when player covenants were the hot thing in DS3. Anyone else remember the bloodshades and the crusaders?

[@oli551000]

I didn't get fatigued at all. In fact quite the opposite. I remember going through the mid and late game, while attempting to 100% it, just hoping and praying🙏🏿 that there is more content, that this world holds another 50 hours of content hidden somewhere.

[@rtyzxc]

I get this, like, finally there's a world you can roam and that isn't disappointingly small, and that would have been great if I played differently. However, because I played it with no-miss mindset, it ruined it and I got burnt out like the guy in the original video.

[@baronsengir187]

This

[@heyimanameheyimalastname]

@@rtyzxc I did a completionist playthrough too which took me ~230 hours, and never got burnt out. When it ended, I mourned that it was over and there was no more to keep going through

[@MikeTheD]

These commentary channels get into the weeds fairly often and project their own gaming habits, as a content creator antsy to make a new video. Who knows when the thought of this particular video popped into his head, and they can reverse-engineer that hot take. I’m not saying he did this precisely, because it’s a fair point to claim it’s “too long” and that’s what made the rationalization powerful to him, merely food for thought about the possible mindset of content creators and the understandable pitfalls.

[@tyrgannusgaming6657]

The vast majority of the side dungeons aren't amazing, but I found half the Hero's grave to be quite memorable and Auriza Side-Tomb to absolutely blow my mind the first time. The gimmick was reused a couple times later unfortunately, but that first time was phenomenal

[@karkatsface7227]

My first elden ring playthrough was 100+ hours I then went for all the endings and you can beat the game in less then a day if you really wanted to. It just depends on what YOU want to do. The story compared to other games (maybe not dark souls) is short. My current NG+ has probably less the 20 graces unlocked because I just did what I needed to do for the ending I wanted.

[@SoulInajar]

Sounds boring Ngl

[@valentines7639]

Replaying long games is a big challenge because there is not the feeling of the unknown. You know what's gonna happen and how to beat each enemy so after a while it just becomes a chore to do.

[@butter7878]

Very true

[@superultrathanksmom3845]

So, you take different routes, skip enemies, try bosses at lower levels so you can steamroll some early ones. People beat this game at level one, surely you can beat some bosses underleveled. I think it forms a greatly rewarding gaming experience.

[@valentines7639]

@@superultrathanksmom3845 challenge runs exist to try to make a NEW experience. The type of instance that is damaging on replays is like choosing different options to arrive at the same point. I know a game is about the journey but in order to care about the journey you must have a goal. If you've already reached the goal before, why go on that journey again

[@NRG56]

Especially when you fight the same boss 17 times

[@FUNktshnl]

I guess Elden Ring is not meant to be played completely, it is meant to create an individual experience with different encounters and dungeons. When you dont do all dungeons, there is more to explore for another playthrough.

[@adammay6663]

@@omegaxtrigun What? That’s not at all what they said. People were surprised because they played Elden Ring like a Souls game where you have to explore every inch of every area when it’s clear Elden Ring was designed to be played more like an open world RPG. There’s nothing wrong with designing/playing a game either way, but if you play something like Skyrim and try to completely clear out every quest and dungeon in every area you go to in the main story of course it’s going to drag on and get repetitive. That’s what they’re saying

[@enman009]

@@omegaxtrigun I like how you took this point and completely missed the fact that any ARPG or Open World will have similar subterranean structures. Expecting all 52 dungeons/caves/graves/cells to be unique is unreasonable. EDIT: I misunderstood the message and I'm sorry, since he was replying to Frozenkex's comment, who seems to not show now.

[@eatmyass]

@@enman009 I like how you took a comment and just randomly turned it into “this game is designed poorly” for some reason

[@adammay6663]

@@omegaxtrigun Tbh I thought you were replying to OP because the comment was deleted so I completely misunderstood. Ima take the L. My bad

[@Grimmlocked]

@@adammay6663you don’t have to explore every inch of the souls games either

[@nars1288]

I think that’s the great thing about Elden Ring, you can go crazy completionist style or get strong enough and just skip things and finish it. Certain areas were fun to me because I knew it was an area that benefited my build. I also beat the game with my husband and our friend though. We did everything together and that definitely gave it a different experience. We also had some breaks in between because we waited for each other to play (unless one of us was just exploring to find different places to work on next)

[@CeraphineLuna]

I still enjoyed it of course, but I wish I'd taken more mini breaks so I didn't burn out for 3 months like I did. But that's usually the price I pay for trying to 100% everything

[@incius8341]

True about the area's complementing builds; I had a strength build my first playthrough so I liked the synergy it had with caelid as strength related gear populated it, and fire weapons were effective against enemies in it. Liurnia has an abundance of spells, Altus has faith and perfumes, Mt.Gelmir has a mix of strength and hex and Limgrave has a little bit of everything. So on following playthroughs you don't have to scour as much.

[@fornaciaribruno]

I have played it since launch (250+hours) and now after one year, I'm playing it all over again from scratch, exploring everywhere AGAIN. Still having a blast

[@GeorgioSubs]

God the mountaintop of giants point is so true. I was so hyped to get to the erd tree and so disappointed that nothing really happened and I had to turn around and go explore a baren wasteland with reskinned enemies that hit 10 times harder all of a sudden.

[@redfuryin]

i think it would be a cool addition to the game if you could have a way to fight the bosses again through some sort of feature at the round table hold. like an instanced fight, because id like to make new builds and fight bosses with the new build without having to do all of the in between stuff.

[@kgamer142]

I enjoyed elden ring about as much if not more than all the other souls games. I had about 6 or 7 builds by the time I stopped playing. Possibly my favorite in the franchise now

[@drasticbread249]

I totally connect with feeling the burnout from trying to complete every little part of every region before moving on in Elden Ring. For me, that lasted until I got to Mt. Gelmir, and some of the side content like Gelmir Heroes Grave and the Fallingstar Beast in the crater was feeling less like fun and more like a grind. Leyndell brought me back a little bit, but when I entered the Mountaintops I was over 100 hours deep and decided not to bother with minor dungeons anymore. When I got to Farum Azula and Haligtree, all I had the motivation to do was fight the bosses, so I just looked up KZbin videos that showed me how to sprint right to them because those dungeons were nightmare zones of OP enemies and bad platforming.

[@bullpaxton2001]

I love the scale as it offers replayability but I can relate. On my first playthrough i spent 200 hours and then ran out of steam at the mountain top of the giants. I wasn't getting frustrated just worn out. Just played it again and beat it but i had to take a break.

[@ghostarray6022]

I remember finding Siofra area early and I was so hyped by the scale of this game. It was a magical moment that reminded me of playing Zelda as a kid. But later I had to take a couple days long break when I found the underground area of Leyndell royal capital. That was the only time I got overwhelmed by the scale of the game. I somehow knew that area would be a grind, and of course it was lol.

[@inc6732]

I AM SO GLAD he watched his video, the way he speaks about topics abt elden ring is phenomenal

[@fleezy1579]

You can tell that even the Game Designers got this way when they were making the mountain tops of the giants and towards the end. It was extremely long, never ending 😂. My first play through was 120 hours.

[@soulbrok3n112]

My first playthrough was 600 hours probably 100 hours afk. And replaying it right now because of early quest I messed up. ( must add my first souls game that actually completed ). Now going to replay and beat all the souls after lies of p.

[@alexsolesbee6214]

I did the same thing of playing through every bit of the game and still missed so much. Once I finally got to the kiln of the giants I thought the game was pretty much over. I was so sad. Then there was so much more to go. I honestly never wanted it to end haha

[@butter7878]

Honestly how I felt too

[@samsunggalaxytaba3858]

What giants are you talking about?

[@alexsolesbee6214]

@@samsunggalaxytaba3858 my bad.Forge of the giants

[@angeltzepesh1]

Its weird, because i felt the same and i sank over 150h in it, doing pretty much everything. But if you would ask me me to play it again, i would never do it.

[@franks6349]

not every game needs to be played 24/7, some are just incredibly amazing to experience…..my first elden ring play thru was 130 hours, explored A LOT… that being said now 8 ish months later i started elden ring again a few days ago and it has been amazing… it’s just one of those games re visit… that first play through makes this a GOATED game one of the best of all time

[@0xszander0]

Exactly. I think honestly a lot of people don't replay it immediately because they know the second playthrough cannot top the first one. But is that a issue? I don't think so, you just need a break from the game. The guy in the vid is just making up things to make a vid.

[@Saltytomatoe]

Can't really call a game a master piece if you need regular breaks...

[@1984Variant]

@@Saltytomatoe why?

[@jdestrada6281]

You played the game for 5 days in a row? Without stopping or?

[@davidson6738]

@@scotaloo77g73 how is it a joke? It’s been pretty damn fun recently

[@Luxorcist]

My first playthrough, as much exploring as i could manage, took me 125 hours. since then, ive beaten in 3 more times and my total playtime is just over 300 hours. The first playthrough is long but it feels good and its a memorable experience. After you do all your initial exploring you can skip over a lot of things that dont benefit your character.

[@eldenring_area]

Extremely phenomenal job!!! 😄

[@JeffNoel]

I still remember opening my first chest and waking up in that damned mine with the walking-spider-mofos-shooting-aimbot-spidersilk and proceeding with 3 hours of wipe only to realize I was going straight to the boss and exit was the other way. First playthrough was EPIC. I skipped the magic school on first run (mistakenly) and discovered that place wayyyyy later too lol.

[@Razielts1]

1:30 i did 3 playthroughs on Elden Ring, and going on to the fourth. Magic builds in elden ring are awesome and varied to the point that 11 magic focused builds are possible. i wanted number 12 to be a character that used the cannon shield and the jar cannon, but it doesnt shoot jars so i'm sad. On other Dark souls games i just did one playthrough and that was it, bloodborne i did twice.

[@duckyduckington9736]

On most souls games there is always an optimal strategy. In elden ring, pretty much anything is viable in its own regard.

[@TalZadios]

Its not just that duel clubs aren't there it's that if you invade it's 50/50 your going to fight 3 people vs yourself in mostly unwinnable situations. The player limit is 4 so if the host summons 2 phantoms your on your own.

[@ericstaples7220]

I mean you have a lot of advantages as the invader. Monsters will help you. You can abush the host by blasting them off a ledge. Half the game is ledges. The host and his summon players may very well be low on potions, while you are filled up.

[@Emperorhirohito19272]

@@ericstaples7220 those aren’t advantages. 3 people are better at knocking 1 person off the edge than the other way around. Most of the time 3 people are going to have more flasks than 1 person.

[@Emperorhirohito19272]

@@marcosdheleno it is what happens, most of the time a time of 3 beats 1 guy. Some epic KZbin highlights do not change that fact.

[@Emperorhirohito19272]

@@marcosdheleno ok…? Is this Hillary Clinton’s alt account?

[@TalZadios]

@@ericstaples7220 Host always has complete advantage. Extra stats(Rune arc), double estas, summonable allies. Phantoms can restore their estas by killing random mobs & players, so they're usually good. What you are describing is a situation where you catch them with their pants down.

[@DennisHeikki]

every invasion is a gank with one person spamming fallingstar beast's claw, and another with moonveil, rotten breath, or stone shield with a poking sword. 1v1 would definitely be a lot more fun, although that option exists in the academy duelling place. hopefully they add a lot of life to pvp and re-playing bosses through the arenas!

[@posthardcoresinger]

My big problem was that I was expecting something like Storm castle from the start of the game to be replicated with different attention to detail and themes throughout each zone, but there wasn't ever anything like it again.

[@posthardcoresinger]

@Yu chill out lil bro. I said "like storm castle". The haligtree is probably the best comparison once you get further into it (although the early section I find annoying). Farum was a fun / unexpected addition and I had a lot of fun invading people there but it still feels like it lacks the same detail the castle had, it's more circular and not a ton extra to find. Many of the enemies and at least one of the bosses is a rehash. Also Malakath or w/e is lazily designed in terms of his mechanics difficulty. Even Volcano Manor just kinda flat out sucks and feels less adventurous than the first castle. I'm saying it seems like they worked harder to polish the first zone, and it's a bit more packed with more understandable story elements / characters etc. When I saw radhans castle from afar I was expecting wayyyy more from it. However it's super brief and really just a place to house his fight.

[@duckyduckington9736]

@@posthardcoresinger I will agree with you on stormveil being the best experience but for 2 reasons. There is an absolute fuckton of hidden content BUT you also could go straight to the boss super fast. The other instances of this imo are snowfields and liurnia, the rest of the area's like volcano manner are basically a weaker version of stormveil. And i loved it either way (radahns castle was a letdown but it was more of a stronghold to prep your gear for the radahn fight. Lorewise it makes alot of sense and it has a decent amount of stuff when u visit it for the 2nd round.

[@BigBeter]

@@posthardcoresinger lmfao typical fanboys raging at you for having any slightly differing opinion holy shit. I did have the same thoughts as you though

[@biohazardousbacon]

I never felt exhausted by the game and I was in awe all the way through to the end. Mountaintops was sick. Farum Azula was sick. However, I didn't try to complete every little cave and catacomb, I just did what I wanted to do and never felt obligated to do any more. I think that's why other people felt exhausted by it - they wanted to complete every little thing and it was just too much to do and daunting. I like to play these games multiple times through so I never felt that completionist drive the first time through.

[@minusp895]

I feel like the mountaintops should have been a region between other better ones. Having two giant snow regions back to back late game was exhausting. Haligtree is the best.

[@LokiHades]

They made the mistake of not presenting anything new towards the two endgame open world areas. There’s some cool unique stuff there in itself in some of the side dungeons but why am I fighting Magmaworm 3, after Wolf of Radagon 4, after Night’s Cavalry 7&8? CSC and Mountaintops back to back feels like a huge chore if you went 100% mode. Haligtree, Faram Azula, Leyndell, all fantastic. Endgame lore bosses? Lots of fun.

[@jy1178]

I agree. I feel like mountaintops get too much crap though. I really loved mountaintops, I didn't like consecrated snow fields as much, but I feel like people just lump these two regions together as if they're both terrible.

[@dabdaddy4508]

I got a feeling the dlc will be the arenas like the one the pot guy guards. It’ll be for pvp and it’ll be like solo duo and 3v3s

[@click8708]

My problem with Elden Ring was the endless reskins and bosses, people were Soyjaking over them and I just burned out super hard. The majority of bosses in the game are rekins, felt like the same enemy with a shinier health bar. I found bosses I beat first and second time easy taking me 15 attempts to beat because I was just so burnt on caring to actually play as well, I wanted to just instakill the reskins (not all, those big snake like bosses I loved each time) and move on with the game. Its strange because the game was fantastic, I loved the setting and the enemies and the areas, but beating on the same enemy no matter how well designed just killed it for me, it was like a chore. I was going through pretty hard alcohol withdrawals at the time too so maybe that was a factor, I want to love the game but I just can't I say the first half is like 10/10 for me, but the second half was like 3/10 with the occasional 9/10 late game bosses.

[@NRG56]

U ain't lien that was the biggest issue i had. I also hated how lifeless the world was

[@timmcgraw3096]

Indeed, I agree with the statement in the video. I completely explored the whole world in the Elden Ring, and I was still very passionate when I played through the game second time. But the third time, I stopped in front of the Snow Mountain area and never run the game again.

[@MrTommiTomsen]

I stopped playing Elden Ring by the time I reached Radahn in NG+. But I really took my time with the first playthrough and savored it, which ended up taking about 230 hours. Considering that all of From's other games took me about 80-ish hours to finish the first time around, I'm pretty happy with the amount of play time I got out of Elden Ring. It's like having played through three of their other games. Now I'm just waiting for a DLC to drop so I can go through all of it again. I'd rather wait and not get burned out on the game too much, so I can enjoy it all the more once new content releases.

[@Gorlami90]

This game is a masterpiece. Yes the first playthrough was probably the most magnetic and immersive gaming experience I’ve ever had, besides maybe ds1, or Zelda ocarina of time. But I did get the same feeling of I don’t want to do all this again. But that’s the same with every souls game, every successive playthrough is just get what you want for your build and npc quetlines you missed.

[@Strike1stCobraKaiTV]

I'm doing a brand new playthrough right now of ER and I've played it a billion times. I beat it the first week it was released, kept the game not updated for a good 2 months after it got released. I'm still finding things in my new playthrough rn. Its so much fun still and finding new dungeons and areas is still happening. I've beat ER like 5 times and only have 226 hours.

[@sherlockscones]

For anyone on pc looking for that first playthrough experience again, do a randomizer run with full randomization of key item locations. Just as enjoyable if not at times MORE enjoyable than your first playthrough because there will be moments where every area you explore serves a purpose in chasing down that one hidden item you desperately need to continue forward.

[@StandardCabrera]

I agree, I did a really complete playthrough too, cleared everything, got the platinum and never touched it again. PvP isn't my bag. I'll play the dlc but I can't be asked to replay the whole game again

[@StandardCabrera]

@Riddlesof1 he was a ridiculous real first boss. First time round took me like 50 attempts if not more lol. My favourite overall is still sekiro, that game rules.

[@DeLtA8042]

I felt the same way, once I got to the mountaintop I was getting exhausted, but I just stopped playing for a couple weeks then got back to it. Total first play-through was around 150 hours

[@Nyarurin]

I still haven't finished my first playthrough of ER. The snowy mountains got better of me. I hate snow. But i hope to get back to it someday.

[@Thezedword12]

I think patching in things to create a better pvp culture would be a great idea tl revitalize elden ring

[@Morstius]

Think it also depends on what kind of game should it be, should the game do everything? The devs probably don't see massive reason to add PVP since they're probably busy on other projects, and having 250 hours of content just from the world might be considered enough for some players.

[@11Survivor]

And yet the Colosseum has released...

[@naiiin6949]

But they did add pvp. They just cut a lot of the fun aspects from the pvp of previous games, mostly the stuff that's actually building up a real community feeling

[@RedCrow.]

For my 3rd playthrough i started using the item map from the Elden Ring Wiki. It shows the location of everything including caves etc.

[@DiZtheJedi]

I keep Elden Ring feeling fresh every time I play because I always leapt between different weapons and spells. Sword of Night and Flame, Darkmoon Greatsword, Coded, Blasphemous Blade, dual swords, Golden Halberd, Dragon Communion, fire incantations, glintstone sorcery, and on and on and on. Take advantage of the farming opportunities to multi-specialize and enable some variety. Sticking to a single style of gameplay compounds with the fairly repetitive enemy-type as you get further into the late game.

[@HarukanoF20C]

Elden ring was my first souls game... IT KICKED MY ASS! But I didn't give up, I got better, I recognized the attack patterns, I used a plethora of weapons to learn all the combat moves. It is probably one of my top 3 games of all time. I love this game. I made so many builds I got through NG+6. I STILL LOVE THIS GAME! Whenever I want to look at weapons online or what not, I cripple myself to a normal weapon and I use it as if someone of that era would. No over the top weapon arts e.t.c... It's so fun to just roleplay and set yourself in an era! It's not like some MMO where you have 80,000 health and get him 176 times before you can simply revive... Best gaming experience by far! The world to me is just epic!

[@aniima5335]

nice man. i’m sure you have heard this a million times but do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and/or Bloodborne. you won’t regret it. Ds3 is the easiest transition after being used to elden ring. ds1 may be too heavy and throw you off.. but the souls games are renowned for a reason.

[@BigBeter]

@@aniima5335 this is why I tell people to do the opposite and start from ds1 all the way to sekiro. People are used to the fluid combat but once they play ds1 it’s a very jarring experience due to how clunky the controls can be in terms of rolling and healing to the point people stop playing. Which makes me sad cause they’re missing out on an awesome game due to those issues. I started with Ds3 and had that experience going to ds1 cause I loved the lore so much and wanted to make connections from the first game and ds3. I’m giving ds2 a try soon because so many people dont like it but I still wanna give it a chance. I REALLY wanna play bloodborne but my ps4 literally turned into a jet trying to run it and died. My all time favorite has to be Sekiro though, the combat is unrivaled for how simple it is, and it was the first game to teach me move readings, timings, trying out different strategies and prosthetics for an advantage over enemies. Ultimately having me implement them to the ds3 DLC and future games which I LOVED cause I came back to Sister Friede and obliterated her on my first try back, I first tried demon prince, I soloed Midir in 4 tries and Gael in 7. Either way, I love and cherish every game Fromsoft has released because they all have their unique details about them and even teaching moments to learn from each game

[@BigBeter]

I’m honestly glad you had a much more enjoyable experience, especially it being your first souls game, so welcome! I loved Elden Ring but after sinking 300 hours into exploration alone and then beating the game, I can’t bring myself to doing a second playthrough THOUGH I DID TRY TO. Maybe i’ll give it a try once more since I took a break from it for a good 3 months now. Pssst… as everyone else has said now you must enjoy the rest of the games and what they have to offer

[@moneywastedcollecting]

I have a file saved on elden ring before beating the fire giant, just incase it’s like dark souls dlc where you have to progress to a certain point for a portal or something, didn’t want to get too far but I feel fire giant is far enough for a dlc prep file save.

[@rainygamedays5873]

Dude same lol

[@moneywastedcollecting]

@@rainygamedays5873 lol smart planning ahead !

[@psyfozim]

Now ya thinkin'!

[@moneywastedcollecting]

@@psyfozim 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@flackenstien]

I explored everything I possibly could, and I never got tired. I was too busy being constantly amazed. The ice zones I considered to be more about amping up enemy level rather than learning new types, especially in the Consecrated Snowfield. It felt brutal and unforgiving, like the cold of the mountains itself. I enjoy going from overlevelled to being absolutely humbled by the mobs. I have yet to finish the game, because of how much I was enjoying it. I want to save the final sips for after DLC is announced.

[@Wiktorino1984]

I dont like it cold zones, special they where very unbalanced and force super weapons to use with high lvl abilities.

[@obi-wankenobi592]

I think invasions need a rework of some kind. Ditch the finger remedy and make rune arcs the multiplayer item. Have every boss you beat automatically activate one (like ds3 embers). Then allow single invasions and 1 co-op summon. If you want more co-op summons use taunters tongue, which will allow more invaders. Furled fingers can be scrapped or reworked, maybe they’re the new seeds of a giants tree? But remove crafting them, just buying or finding them.

[@fracturedsolace145]

My first playthrough was 400 hours and I loved every minute of it. Every time I discovered a new area I was amazed and happy that it kept going and I didn't want it to end. I had to force myself to beat the game because I didn't want it to end.

[@evergreenblossom]

wow you're just like me

[@jessebensen3569]

Mine as well, though I wouldn't be surprised if I just left my character chilling over-night on many occasions, so the play-time isn't all that accurate.

[@PatrickBrophy]

I played Elden Ring for 177 hours on just one playthrough. I explored everything as that is what I always do. I only ever dabbled with Souls games previously. I would go back and play it again, but there are tons and tons of other games to play.

[@SuperWhoopiecushion]

I'm pretty much exactly the same. It's how I play games, I do everything I can do before the end. I cannot repeat any game I play so I prefer it this way

[@incius8341]

if the multiplayer was more fleshed out making new builds/ playthroughs would be a lot more tempting. DLC might improve that so fingers crossed.

[@Gwyndolin-hk4ql]

I am doing an elden ring lv1 run. It's interesting how I can quickly get good weapon rings upgrade materials without much fights. But it is also quite exhausting to ride around the map for things. Also I did pvp in ds1 ds3 but not in ER. It took way too long to patch the weapon art damage at that moment pvp population was mostly gone

[@tristanbomhof9191]

I really really love Elden Ring, it's been so long since i played a game i got totaly sucked in too. those first 100+ hours flew by. but because of the sheer size of this game im not gonna replay it really soon, its the same thing i got with Skyrim. Amazing game and always fun to come back to from time to time.

[@joelbarnes6632]

My first play through took 240 hours I found every campfire and was close to getting every weapon then I spent 60 hours playing two more rushed play throughs to get every weapon twice and every armour set, needless to say I didn’t have run into the problems brought up in this video I was fully captivated and didn’t play any other game for the 300 hours I spent over the span of like 3 weeks, banger game.

[@DWN-024ShadowMan]

With so many things to collect, I just wish the drop rates for some items weren't as ridiculous as they are.

[@joelbarnes6632]

@@DWN-024ShadowMan brother that one great sword that drops from the reskin of the boss at castle morne who only spawns in Leyndell out side the lift that takes you to the melania’s divine tower far as away from any campfires, not to mention it’s missable after Leyndell changes, the weapons shit however it’s cool that no one really talks about it.

[@bartongeorge1126]

am i reading this wrong or are you saying you played 14 hours a day for 21 days straight?

[@Walamonga1313]

I played about 120 hours doing everything and platting it, with a side of pvp. Didn't give me much more than that on PS. I 100% again on PC and it took me around 30 hours. Compare that to 1200 hours (and counting) of DkS3

[@jarhopper]

Elden was my first Fromsoft game, and since then i completed all the souls titles. I then realised im so much butter at different games too, i now play the hardest difficulty in assassins creed, witchers and such, cos its barely a chellenge otherwise. just a fun fact

[@MichaelPohoreski]

Yup! After you played Fromsoft games you realize difficulty in games from other devs are an utter joke. 😂

[@KingDragonBlood]

Never felt that way either and I personally love the mountain tops (i love snow areas)

[@semajjajames3540]

Gonna be going back for a full second play through. Beat it the first time as a lightning build and madness. Gonna be doing a tanky shielded/ strength colossal. Maybe in a month or two. Got a few other games to finish first.

[@Reechop]

I can't wait for the DLC.

[@jackholt6860]

4:45 that's with DLC too I assume. 9:10 is so true I was struggling on some of those bosses then found out you can just wear havels and face tank all of them. For me the worst part about replaying ER is you need to go to all over the world to get the bell bearings to upgrade your stuff which if you use more than one weapon and a summon is atleast 9 different dungeons or questlines. Even to get to my fav boss Mohg I have to do a quest first or go to the village of albinaurics and fight c. o'neill and that just unlocks the lift to consecrated snowfield I still have to fight a bunch of invaders and take a teleporter to Mohgwyn palace.

[@random58585]

I think a huge improvement would be that you should be able to fast travel to all bosses when you reach Ng+ or ng+2 so you can just do the fun part without all that walking and re-exploration. Or at least keep all the graces you had before Ng+ so you can Speedrun the bosses or just know where you didn't explore thoroughly yet.

[@VonSturm]

I hope for a dlc that adds more things to the base game, not just on the new maps

[@MonkeyD.Moritz]

There will 100% be one like that. The game performed too well not to get one dlc adding new area(s) bosses and weapons

[@MonkeyD.Moritz]

Oh wait I misunderstood what you wished for my bad

[@VonSturm]

I hope for that too :D

[@Valkyrie_3d]

I played it for the first play like 80 hrs did everything then speed ran 2 more playthroughs to get the endings

[@pricefieldx]

it think what made my experience with the game ideal was because i only tried to 100% AFTER completing it naturally so not searching what's where just exploration when i felt like it or wanted more gear then coming back to the legacy dungeons after, also i never limited myself to a single build i used every larval tear I ever found before my second playthrough so combat never got samey, though i do agree that the dungeons have little to no replay value.

[@guyfromdubai]

I havent finished Elden ring, but the first challenge I set myself after realising you could beat the intro boss was to beat it with the hardest class (forget the name). I must have died over a hundred times (I barely played DS3 before ER) but eventually it fell. That kill felt so good

[@JoeMercer7]

My first play through took me round 100 hours and I started to feel like at the end it was getting a chore for sure one of my favourite games of all time

[@unimpressivedota6585]

I ended up getting to the point where I ran a new build every time I played. - plan a route and go. Like ~4-6 hours and I had beaten the final boss.

[@wheme6061]

See this is where touching grass and females come into play

[@unimpressivedota6585]

@@wheme6061 I work outside and have a girlfriend 😆

[@mattballinz9606]

I loved this game and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t usually play single player rpg’s. Fallout, Skyrim and this were the few where I was hooked.

[@ianreyes6936]

I mean they can add those pvp features the guy is talking about in the video and is going to look super cool and good having a fight club in a colusseum, so im excited if the devs actually bring more options for PVP!

[@EldenFiend]

I think that elden ring is so amazing with its surprises that it's too hard to play a second playthrough and have the same expectation.

[@baronnashor158]

second playthrough you just go and do the build you really wanted to make and get creative , and try more pvp.

[@lp.shakur]

ng+ is pretty much boss rush mode, the whole map unlocked, you know where everything is, it's to try out different builds basically

[@SnakesAnimations]

Ratatoskr’s voice is so great to listen to in these videos idk why it’s just built for commentary

[@MarvinMonroe]

Agreed, but sometimes he sounds a little "too proper" and kinda overenunciates and its a little annoying

[@SnakesAnimations]

@@MarvinMonroe that’s fair. Personally I think the posh vibe fits Elden Ring but that’s just preference

[@Ryattt81]

He sounds like Sam Harris to me.

[@PhantomRed13]

Smh

[@JK_Snacks]

As always, no right answer for subjective questions. For me, I was dumbfounded when I got teleported to Leindell by the chest at the tower and saw how big the map is comparing it to Limgrave I spent hours traveling around. But instead of getting frustrated or overwhelmed, I got excited to know just how much more there is to this game and how much more there could be. I was full of joy and delighted when I stumbled across a hidden area like the underground wells or the Jarberg. Alas, I completed the game after 98 hrs while missing 3 items in total, and instead of being burnt out, I was so happy to try out all the crazy builds I had while playing with my sword/shield build, and was happier than ever to play NG+ solemnly with the pre-bug fix Gold shield cannon build. To me, this game was exactly what I wanted but better in every perspective. Richer story and lore, humongous map to travel, crazy builds to try, rememberable npcs with unique personality, and the OPEN WORLD ohh…the OPEN WORLD. This vast, gargantuan world filled with doubtful mysteries, interesting people, complex structures, beautiful sceneries, terrifying monsters lurking around every corner that wants to tear me apart like wet tissue and I charge head on with a sword and shield with nothing holding me down but my own skill and understanding. To me at least. although there were this technical issues like frame dropping; Elden Ring was, is, and will be an astoundingly magnificent game and certainly the GOTY.

[@xxdemestrosxx]

I'm totally with you on the sark souls experience. it's the video game reference till anor londo. 10/10. It's a shame that it didn't age well, not because of the game itself, but rather because of the gameplay tuning fromsoft was adding in the subsequent games (movesets, tempo,...)

[@joaquinmontoya6528]

Not playing it again because I've been playing Elden Ring since it was Demon Souls.

[@eleongo]

Not playing it another time until new dlcs or I feel like it with mods.

[@DylanOfSicily]

Ratatoskr’s channel is so insightful and relatable!!! Thanks for posting this

[@fion3il258]

Feel the exact same way as this guy. I'm currently at altus plateu at ~70 hours in the past couple days and I have almost all the map so far explored. Just today I've felt a bit burnt out. I'm gonna take a break because I'm not appreciating it enough

[@tonydelia9998]

The platinum trophy is relatively easy to get for ER. There are the trophy bosses, getting all the legendary Spells, weapons, talismans and summons, and there's only like 6 of each. The most taxing was the 3 endings, you need the Elden Lord, Age of Stars and Frenzied Flame endings. Time consuming but not difficult if you know what I mean.

[@War_Numen]

I think alot of the bloat is removed in NG+. You can do as much or as little as you want. There isn't any point in going into alot of dungeons because you already have the spirit ash or talisman from it but yet, if you want to it's there. It's really fun to just plough through the bosses again and use a tear to respec and play the game in a different way.

[@jakelee8789]

Imo Elden ring is amazing 😍 I have 550 hours in it at this point. I do work and come home and play. I started as soon as it come out. I took about a 3 month break then came back to it. It's awesome. I am not playing it to just beat it but to explore it and live in it as an alternative world. It helps me to escape 8 hours a day into another world 🌎. The different cosplays you can do, and helping others that's new by leaving my sign down at all post, I guess it depends on how you look at it. I love it

[@silverlining2677]

The most fun I have after end-game is helping other players by setting up a summon sign. Especially when multitasking.

[@zXDaishiXz]

I think a simple solution would be to give more adjustment options to “rebirth” and the ability to set the difficulty to whatever NG+ level within what you’ve completed. If you could decrease your levels and maybe restore them to your acquired max, and let people change their base class, it would open everyone up to new play throughs and builds but with what the game retains; without having to search every corner or grind. Your only restriction to this feature on a subsequent play through would be finishing the academy and a larval tear. And the only PvP accessibility restrictions would be relative to your refinement level.

[@WINZ0W]

I did nearly 250 hours on my first playthrough, as close to a 100% playthrough as is possible.

[@notachance3444]

Isn’t as close to 100% as possible….100%? I don’t understand the wording there, maybe I’m not understanding.

[@WINZ0W]

@@notachance3444 You can't get 100% on the first run because part of the achievements for ER is getting all 3 endings after defeating the Elden Beast.

[@co4611]

it's very common for gamers to not replay open world games due to their size, this isn't video essay worthy lol

[@ajolleyduck2933]

I'd be down for a PvP DLC like asmon was saying towards the end. Great suggestions.

[@Buff-Wings]

First play through for me was 120 hours, then 70 and then

[@M.T.R.19]

I really love this video, My personal expereince with this game was completely different, I beat it multiple times with different builds, and each playthrough I discovered something new, which would lead to a new playstyle. I think it is a mistake to try to complete a game like this 100% the first time.

[@Theonlymayz]

I was wondering who could possibly hate that game and I’ve found my answer lol really it’s the beginning that is tough , but if you like overcoming challenges in video games then elden ring is the best game ever .

[@samthemessiah9330]

Sekiro ds1 and ds3 all clear 🤷‍♂️

[@-Krosis]

@@samthemessiah9330 DS2

[@jeffphisher3801]

I've got 300+ in ring doing invasions, coop helping anyone best stuff and then 3 extra characters. For them I just get the stuff I need for the build and kinda explore randomly and run to alot of the items and boss fights and Mrs around. my main first character I try to get everything I can I think I have almost everything other than some missed quest items waiting for dlc before Ido up to ng+7

[@schnoz2372]

So i missed farum azula entirely because i needed to respec and then go back, but forgot to go back and just ended up going to the end of the game. And i have to basically go thru the whole game again in order to reach that area. It feels kinda cool tho to have something to look forward to thats still pretty new

[@Qbop]

I'm 32, & Elden Ring was the first souls game I've ever played. I've played all the greats growing up, and I can say without a doubt Elden Ring was one of, if not the most exhilarating, complete adventures I've ever played. It was such a great game.

[@brodieb5066]

First souls game is magic, which is why ds1 is so important for most people. You are lucky to have elden ring as your first, as the others will never quite be the same now.