Elden Ring is considered, just like its spiritual successors, a tough nut to crack. The bosses are absolutely deadly, even normal enemies can send you packing with just one mistake. That’s why many players are proud of what they can achieve. However, Steam now shows that not that many gamers are so tough.
How good are the players really? Looking into the Elden Ring community, one often sees posts from players who seem to master the tough game with ease. They show how they take out 3 players alone in 15 seconds or defeat a boss with just 2 hits.
However, the reality for most players looks quite different. Steam indirectly tracks progress through achievements. These are earned for all sorts of feats, including defeating bosses.
Looking at the list of Elden Ring achievements on Steam, it can be seen that only about 54% of players have even passed the first boss (as of March 7, 2022):
- 54.3% of players have the achievement for defeating the shard bearer Godrick
- between 1 and 3% of people have unlocked one of the endings of Elden Ring
- at least 66.3% have defeated Margit, the so-called “first” boss for many, although he does not carry a shard
What about the PlayStation? Since the Soulsborne series is traditionally a controller game and at home on the PlayStation, the numbers here are also interesting. However, the trophies of the PSN do not paint a better picture of the elite players:
- 48.9% defeated Godrick on the PS4 (via PSNProfiles.com)
- 48.3% of players have the Godrick trophy on the PS5 (via PSNProfiles.com)
Elden Ring and Soulsborne Games – A Status Symbol
Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne are considered particularly difficult games. They fundamentally punish mistakes with death, and bosses often have a steep learning curve. Anyone playing them needs a high tolerance for frustration to avoid biting their controller.
Accordingly, those players who seem to find everything easy are celebrated. However, behind that often lies years of training, for which they are then celebrated. Or they provide laughter, when they flee from an insect in full concentration.
Among other reasons, there are discussions about whether one can play Elden Ring “wrong.” One group of players believes, for example, that magic is basically like cheating. After all, bosses can sometimes be killed with a single spell.
Whether one can really play Elden Ring wrong was also discussed by our experts in the MeinMMO Podcast:
However, as the numbers show, you shouldn’t be too proud to seek help. Besides the difficulty, Soulsborne games, especially Elden Ring, are famous for their story and worlds. There is much to discover, and it would be a shame to miss out on all of that just because you are too proud to use magic.
Especially as a “casual,” a little bit of help isn’t a bad idea. After all, even the absolute pros sometimes get stuck:
Elden Ring: One of the best Souls players in the world despairing for 14 hours on just one boss
