On Friday, the long-awaited release of FromSoftware’s latest action RPG: Elden Ring is finally here. We at MeinMMO summarize for you 7 important things you should know before buying it.
What is Elden Ring? The game is developed by FromSoftware, which is particularly known for the “Dark Souls” series.
Elden Ring also takes a similar direction, just notably more ambitious at every turn. It is played from a third-person perspective. You choose a class, your appearance, and dive into the gigantic open world, the Lands Between.
There, you can explore a vast sandbox consisting of wide plains, mountains, deep ravines, and all sorts of dangerous places. You can learn more about it in our video that gives you a 2-minute overview of Elden Ring:
However, we want to summarize some specific points that can help you decide whether Elden Ring is for you. Of course, completely spoiler-free.
Alternatively, you can check out our quick check of Elden Ring.
Buy and Preorder Elden Ring – Bonuses and Editions
What editions are available? Overall, Elden Ring comes in five different versions. Not all of these editions are available for every platform on which Elden Ring is released.
All editions at a glance:
- Standard Edition on Amazon (59.99 €)
- Launch Edition on Amazon (53.99 €)
- Deluxe Edition on Amazon (89.99 €)
- Collector’s Edition on Amazon (Sold Out)
- Premium Collector’s Edition (Sold Out)
Unfortunately, both Collector’s Editions are mostly sold out and only available at very high prices on sites like eBay. However, you can keep an eye on the shops from Amazon (via amazon.de) and Bandai Namco (via store.bandainamco.eu) in case new copies become available.
However, the number of Premium Collector’s Editions is limited to 6,000, so don’t expect any restock. Here are the contents:
Here were the preorder bonuses: If you ordered before the release, you will receive the bonus gesture “The Ring”. This gesture can be used directly in the game at launch, but you can also find it during the normal game progression.
Additionally, preorders also receive a digital adventurer’s handbook. The description states: “This handbook contains everything you need to know for an adventure in the Lands Between.”
Elden Ring has a massive open world
One of the most important innovations in Elden Ring compared to other FromSoftware games is the open world. Not only is it huge, but it is also freely explorable: almost everything you see on the horizon in Elden Ring can be explored.
Players explore the Lands Between in Elden Ring, and it has a lot to offer.
- 6 different regions
- You can visit these regions in any order.
- The game world has a day-night cycle and dynamic weather.
- There are mini-bosses, hidden loot, random events, and quests.
- Optional dungeons with their own bosses in caves, mines, catacombs, etc.
What MeinMMO author Tarek Zehrer thinks of this open world can be read here:
Playtime – How long does Elden Ring take?
How long is the game? According to the developers, the main story of the game is said to take around 30 hours – but only if you strictly focus on the main quest.
However, you should plan for significantly more time. The massive open world with its secrets and many bosses will make up an absolute lion’s share of the playtime in Elden Ring.
How many hours one can maximally invest in the game is currently hard to estimate. MeinMMO author Tarek Zehrer has invested about 50 hours in the game and is far from finishing it.
Academic and journalist Cameron Kunzelman said about Elden Ring on Twitter: “The game is destructively large. I’ve spent hours on it and feel like I’ve only seen 2% of the game.”
Difficulty – How hard is Elden Ring?
How hard is Elden Ring? Like all FromSoftware games, Elden Ring expects you to achieve gameplay perfection. You need to learn the complex combat system, develop good timing, and bring a lot of patience and a high frustration tolerance.
The developers openly state that they love the notorious elements of old games as designers and therefore reuse them. Therefore, if you play games to unwind after a stressful day, you are in the wrong place – Elden Ring is a hard nut to crack that requires your attention and effort.
However, Elden Ring is only hard, never unfair. You always know what you died to and why. Thus, you can learn with trial and error and attentive gameplay to master even the trickiest situations.
More information about the difficulty of Elden Ring, and tips on how to still succeed in the game can be found here:
PvP/Co-op – How multiplayer works in Elden Ring
Elden Ring offers multiplayer in both PvP and co-op modes. While it generally works well, it is traditionally not very intuitive or user-friendly. We summarize the basics here; for more detailed information, check out the following article:
This is how the co-op mode works: Players are “summoned” into your game world. This is done through specific items that allow you to call other players to you.
You can call up to two additional players for help, meaning you can travel with a maximum of three players. While the world is open to you, you cannot use your horse and cannot simply enter the next dungeon. The co-op mode differentiates between dungeons and open world.
If summoned players die, they are sent back to their world. Even if you defeat a boss, the summoned players will be sent back to their world and must be called again. If the summoner dies, all co-op players lose.
This is how the PvP mode works: With specific items, you can initiate an invasion into the world of other players. Your goal is to kill the player in their own world.
Conversely, you can also become a victim of such an invasion – even if you are in co-op mode.
You can also initiate specific PvP duels. You use a different item for these than for invasions. This way, you can find players who are looking for a fight against real opponents like you.
No typical classes
What classes are available? In Elden Ring, there are 10 classes, ranging from Warrior to Mage.
You can choose from the following classes:
- Vagabond
- Hero
- Warrior
- Prisoner
- Bandit
- Astrologer
- Prophet
- Beggars
- Samurai
- Confessor
You can find out what makes these classes special here:
Despite this selection, classes in Elden Ring work differently than in most RPGs. Only the equipment and starting skills are affected. Throughout the game, you can distribute additional skill points at will, thus changing the possible weapon and armor choices as well.
If you start the game as a Warrior and then put all your skill points into Wisdom, you can still play a Mage class with appropriate armor.
Thus, the class choice most significantly affects the start of the game but has few to no long-term consequences.
System requirements – How good must your PC be?
How powerful must my PC be? In addition to PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Elden Ring is also available on PC. To get the game running there, you need the following hardware:
| Minimum requirements | Recommended requirements | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | i5-8400 or Ryzen 3 3300X | i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600X |
| Memory | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| Graphics card | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB or AMD RX 580 4GB | GeForce GTX 1070 8GB or AMD RX Vega 56 8 GB |
| Hard drive | 60 GB | 60 GB |
In the reviews, the PC performance was often criticized. Our authors also faced issues on PC like severe FPS drops, which sometimes led to seconds-long freezes. A Day-1 patch is promised to address these issues.
These are the 7 most important things you need to know about Elden Ring before the release. PC players launch at midnight on the night of February 24 to February 25. Console players can start an hour earlier at 11:00 PM.
Are you excited about the game? Or are you still undecided, perhaps because of the game’s high difficulty? Let us know in the comments.
As a marketing gimmick, Elden Ring currently offers a chance to make 100 players Elden Lords and even do something good:
Elden Ring offers the chance to obtain a real title and land in Scotland.
