At that moment, I could hardly be more motivated. But I also couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Breath-of-the-Wild Feeling and Ego Cracks

After the tutorial, I land back at the beginning of the tomb, which is quickly traversed. Friendly player hints like “No death ahead” quell initial fears, and it doesn’t take long until my enchanted knight steps into the light of Limgrave for the first time. 

And yes: The first view of the open game world, with this huge energy tree in the background – it’s truly majestic. Apparently, other players feel the same: “Nice view ahead,” or “Ah, Elden Ring” some write on the ground. The gameplay video from a few days ago gives a good impression:

I reach the first “site of grace”, where I recharge and which serves as a reset point if I should indeed die. I initially don’t waste any thought on this, as everything is going well. Even the NPC, who cheerfully informs me that I would die alone and forgotten somewhere here, doesn’t dampen the good mood.

I set off, and indeed a feeling akin to Zelda: Breath of the Wild “in grown-up” arises. There, nasty-looking yet fascinating creatures wander the paths, eagles take off from a rock into the heights, and you repeatedly find small groups of enemies to challenge. You look into the distance, spot a mountain peak, and think: “I should definitely wander over there when I have time.”

But time is currently lacking. We want to see how difficult the game is. 

The First Real Fights – and the First Deaths

I passed by a knight, whom I send to the afterlife with my newly learned stealth abilities, or fight flying creatures that turn out to be a bit tricky but manageable. All in all, it goes unexpectedly smoothly. 

Then I reach a first outpost. Encouraged by my previous experiences, I charge directly at the guard and attack with my spear. But: The guy pushes back. 

After a brief skirmish, which forced me to resort to ranged combat and cost me my healing potions, the knight is defeated. Unfortunately, it seems that the camp noticed someone has been knocking unfriendlily. And against the next three fighters confronting me, I stand no chance. 

I experience my first Elden Ring death. The first of many. 

Time and again, I attempt the camp. Two more frontal attacks fail, so I change my tactic. Like in Assassin’s Creed, I sneak through the tents and fences to eliminate enemies stealthily. But in the open path in the middle of the camp stands the chief, who can’t simply be assassinated. He survives my attack and elegantly dodges my spells afterwards. I hadn’t seen him before, and I didn’t expect it either. I died again.

I’ll spare you the further details. After several attempts, I thought: Oh well, outpost. Let’s move on, we want to see more of the beginning. 

But it turns out: The camp was a good foretaste of what was to come.

My Encounter with Margit – Between Ambition, Frustration, and Pride

The further I progress, the more deaths accumulate. I get a mount that noticeably speeds up my traversal through the open world compared to my simple boots. With it, I reach a cliff and simply jump up – only to encounter a row of giants at the top. The result looks similar to attacking giants in Skyrim. So, back to the site of grace. 

To progress in the story, I am supposed to climb a kind of mountain path upwards. However, it’s guarded by archers and another giant. It turns out: I don’t see how to deal with this in battle either. 

Fortunately, I can hop on my mount and simply dash past everything. I race upwards, leaving the enemies behind. And looking at the number of opponents, I assume that this is even intended by the developers.

But at the next challenge, there’s no dashing past or sneaking by. Because after entering the fortress at the end of the path, I encounter a real boss of the game on a stone bridge. And I’ll tell you: “Margit, the Fell Omen” has absolutely nothing to do with the pathetic Soldier Godrick from the Cave of Knowledge.

Margit does not wait for you to attack. Margit takes his giant staff, jumps into the air, and smashes your helmet to pieces. Margit also does not simply get hit, but rolls to the side or elegantly dodges. And when you think you’ve figured out Margit’s movement, the lunatic summons a monstrous energy hammer or conjures a blade in the other hand that makes acquaintance with your head. 

Margit also has a health bar that remarkably absorbs damage – in stark contrast to mine, which is usually empty after three hits. To use a healing potion in between, you have to create a bit of time and space so you don’t get done in while drinking. Especially when, like me, you press the wrong buttons in all the chaos. Honestly, that seldom worked out.

I died. Often. And every time, the death ended with Margit’s phrase: “Bury these foolish ambitions.”

But my ambition was sparked. “Git Gud” and so. 

I kept entering the mist to challenge Margit. And again and again, the guy smashed me. Here’s to the loading times of the PS5. If the intervals between fights had loaded longer, the controller would surely have ended up in the corner.  

Occasionally, I thought I had it down – only to die again. This must have been similar to how Dr. Strange felt in his fight against Dormammu, if you know the movie. Only Margit unfortunately did not start to get bored.

And so “Git Gud” honestly turned into “Git Help”. 

Rescue by Support 

In Elden Ring, there are multiple multiplayer options. You can invade the worlds of other players to attack them. Or you support each other in battle. That’s what I needed. 

I called for help, and to my delight, I received responses. Again and again, players came into my world to join me in battle against Margit. But even with two, the boss seemed unbeatable – until suddenly he wasn’t. 

I caught a teammate who seemingly knew what he was doing. He attacked Margit consistently, without running into his death traps – while I was casting spells with my wand like crazy. And as Margit’s health bar lowered, I realized: This time it’s going to work.

And it truly did work. 

Margit was defeated and I could hardly believe it. I actually got to move on! I was really damn proud – with a little blemish. Because somehow, I thought it felt a bit like cheating. Isn’t it precisely this challenge that Souls-like games are about?

However, I truly don’t know if, and if so when, I would have tackled this beast alone.

Is it too hard?

After the big Margit duel, we continue in the castle, where you encounter numerous additional, smaller enemies. They are easier again but can still deal considerable damage if you become careless. That’s probably how it’s supposed to be: Not unfair, but a challenge. 

The hints on the ground from other players save you from traps over and over again if you wish. A crazy creature that broke through a few decaying barrels with its scythe to split me in two, I had thankfully seen coming due to a warning. However, I didn’t expect a stupid knight shooting explosive arrows.

What I want to say: Those who play carefully and attentively will get through well here. Those who become careless will quickly find themselves back at the last save point. And that can sometimes be quite far away. 

For me personally, the journey ended at a “strong opponent,” for whom there was a warning, but whom you had to defeat. He sent me back to the last site of grace so many times that I decided to leave it at that.

But: I will definitely return, as soon as Elden Ring is released next year. 

MeinMMO author Max Handwerk was allowed to spend a few hours in “Elden Ring”. The excursion turned into an emotional rollercoaster of enthusiasm, motivation, fear, frustration, and pride. Here you get a first insight into the game. 

Somewhere between “Oh dear” and “How cool is that?” – that was my first reaction when I was told that I should take a few steps in Elden Ring to write a little experience report. 

This dilemma is quite simple to explain:

• On the one hand, I love fantasy settings and open worlds. I devoured games like Skyrim, Witcher, or even Breath of the Wild. Furthermore, George R.R. Martin is involved with Elden Ring, which is not the worst announcement, and the gameplay video shown shortly before the test really excited me. So, “How cool is that?”. But…
• …when it comes to Souls-like games – I was initially cautious. My previous experiences went like this: I bought Dark Souls long ago for the Xbox 360. I still remember mastering the beginning of the game, only to go the wrong way somewhere and repeatedly get torn apart by skeletons. Then I lost my bearings and experienced so much frustration that I gave up. 
• A similarly disappointing fate awaited me in Bloodborne, where I received a lot of enthusiasm from other players but couldn’t find any access myself. 
• With Sekiro, which I found grandiose in terms of setting, or the Demon’s Souls remaster as an exciting title for the PS5 launch – I didn’t even dare to approach. The only game that some would describe as Souls-like that I managed was “Jedi: Fallen Order”. 

You can imagine: I approached Elden Ring with plenty of respect. Still, I was damn excited about what to expect. 

First Steps and First Successes

This is how the journey begins: The test starts with the selection of your own class. The options were:

• Warrior
• Enchanted Knight
• Prophet
• Hero 
• Bloody Wolf

Although the “bloody wolf” grinned at me purely from a design perspective, I chose the “enchanted knight”. He seemed to provide the perfect combo of magic and melee – perfect for a fantasy journey. 

Equipped with a spear, a wand, and a shield, I set off. Starting point: The anything but cozy and friendly “Tomb of a Hero of the Marginalized People”. 

The dark cave feels oppressive and inhospitable, but at least you are not directly hacked to pieces by enemies. And: You are not completely alone. Because on the ground, you will find messages from other players repeatedly, providing hints about where something interesting might be hidden. Additionally, their ghosts sometimes wander around as a point of orientation. Also, you can see in the form of red “blood stain” ghosts where they met their end – also helpful when you want to avoid traps. 

Thanks to these aids, you feel a little less abandoned. Moreover, the entry is facilitated by the “Cave of Knowledge” that we can reach at the beginning by making a bold jump into a deep hole. This leads not into the realm of fall damage but into a proper tutorial. 

The cave offers just about everything you need in terms of basics: From the unsuspecting enemy that you can secretly eliminate (yes, stealth is an option in Elden Ring) to a few simply laid out soldiers that you can beautifully defeat in melee. I learn both how to send enemies to hell with magic and the jump attack and block-counter mechanics.

At the very end, you even encounter a “Soldier Godrick” – and to my personal horror, he has a health bar stretching across the entire bottom of the screen. “Now it’s time,” I think: The notorious Dark Souls death trap snaps shut. But no: A few counters, and the colleague bites the dust. 

This was unexpected but also boosted my confidence. “Ha,” I thought, “If I can even take down this boss without any problems, then the rest should pose hardly any more significant problems.”

At that moment, I could hardly be more motivated. But I also couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Breath-of-the-Wild Feeling and Ego Cracks

After the tutorial, I land back at the beginning of the tomb, which is quickly traversed. Friendly player hints like “No death ahead” quell initial fears, and it doesn’t take long until my enchanted knight steps into the light of Limgrave for the first time. 

And yes: The first view of the open game world, with this huge energy tree in the background – it’s truly majestic. Apparently, other players feel the same: “Nice view ahead,” or “Ah, Elden Ring” some write on the ground. The gameplay video from a few days ago gives a good impression:

I reach the first “site of grace”, where I recharge and which serves as a reset point if I should indeed die. I initially don’t waste any thought on this, as everything is going well. Even the NPC, who cheerfully informs me that I would die alone and forgotten somewhere here, doesn’t dampen the good mood.

I set off, and indeed a feeling akin to Zelda: Breath of the Wild “in grown-up” arises. There, nasty-looking yet fascinating creatures wander the paths, eagles take off from a rock into the heights, and you repeatedly find small groups of enemies to challenge. You look into the distance, spot a mountain peak, and think: “I should definitely wander over there when I have time.”

But time is currently lacking. We want to see how difficult the game is. 

The First Real Fights – and the First Deaths

I passed by a knight, whom I send to the afterlife with my newly learned stealth abilities, or fight flying creatures that turn out to be a bit tricky but manageable. All in all, it goes unexpectedly smoothly. 

Then I reach a first outpost. Encouraged by my previous experiences, I charge directly at the guard and attack with my spear. But: The guy pushes back. 

After a brief skirmish, which forced me to resort to ranged combat and cost me my healing potions, the knight is defeated. Unfortunately, it seems that the camp noticed someone has been knocking unfriendlily. And against the next three fighters confronting me, I stand no chance. 

I experience my first Elden Ring death. The first of many. 

Time and again, I attempt the camp. Two more frontal attacks fail, so I change my tactic. Like in Assassin’s Creed, I sneak through the tents and fences to eliminate enemies stealthily. But in the open path in the middle of the camp stands the chief, who can’t simply be assassinated. He survives my attack and elegantly dodges my spells afterwards. I hadn’t seen him before, and I didn’t expect it either. I died again.

I’ll spare you the further details. After several attempts, I thought: Oh well, outpost. Let’s move on, we want to see more of the beginning. 

But it turns out: The camp was a good foretaste of what was to come.

My Encounter with Margit – Between Ambition, Frustration, and Pride

The further I progress, the more deaths accumulate. I get a mount that noticeably speeds up my traversal through the open world compared to my simple boots. With it, I reach a cliff and simply jump up – only to encounter a row of giants at the top. The result looks similar to attacking giants in Skyrim. So, back to the site of grace. 

To progress in the story, I am supposed to climb a kind of mountain path upwards. However, it’s guarded by archers and another giant. It turns out: I don’t see how to deal with this in battle either. 

Fortunately, I can hop on my mount and simply dash past everything. I race upwards, leaving the enemies behind. And looking at the number of opponents, I assume that this is even intended by the developers.

But at the next challenge, there’s no dashing past or sneaking by. Because after entering the fortress at the end of the path, I encounter a real boss of the game on a stone bridge. And I’ll tell you: “Margit, the Fell Omen” has absolutely nothing to do with the pathetic Soldier Godrick from the Cave of Knowledge.

Margit does not wait for you to attack. Margit takes his giant staff, jumps into the air, and smashes your helmet to pieces. Margit also does not simply get hit, but rolls to the side or elegantly dodges. And when you think you’ve figured out Margit’s movement, the lunatic summons a monstrous energy hammer or conjures a blade in the other hand that makes acquaintance with your head. 

Margit also has a health bar that remarkably absorbs damage – in stark contrast to mine, which is usually empty after three hits. To use a healing potion in between, you have to create a bit of time and space so you don’t get done in while drinking. Especially when, like me, you press the wrong buttons in all the chaos. Honestly, that seldom worked out.

I died. Often. And every time, the death ended with Margit’s phrase: “Bury these foolish ambitions.”

But my ambition was sparked. “Git Gud” and so. 

I kept entering the mist to challenge Margit. And again and again, the guy smashed me. Here’s to the loading times of the PS5. If the intervals between fights had loaded longer, the controller would surely have ended up in the corner.  

Occasionally, I thought I had it down – only to die again. This must have been similar to how Dr. Strange felt in his fight against Dormammu, if you know the movie. Only Margit unfortunately did not start to get bored.

And so “Git Gud” honestly turned into “Git Help”. 

Rescue by Support 

In Elden Ring, there are multiple multiplayer options. You can invade the worlds of other players to attack them. Or you support each other in battle. That’s what I needed. 

I called for help, and to my delight, I received responses. Again and again, players came into my world to join me in battle against Margit. But even with two, the boss seemed unbeatable – until suddenly he wasn’t. 

I caught a teammate who seemingly knew what he was doing. He attacked Margit consistently, without running into his death traps – while I was casting spells with my wand like crazy. And as Margit’s health bar lowered, I realized: This time it’s going to work.

And it truly did work. 

Margit was defeated and I could hardly believe it. I actually got to move on! I was really damn proud – with a little blemish. Because somehow, I thought it felt a bit like cheating. Isn’t it precisely this challenge that Souls-like games are about?

However, I truly don’t know if, and if so when, I would have tackled this beast alone.

Is it too hard?

After the big Margit duel, we continue in the castle, where you encounter numerous additional, smaller enemies. They are easier again but can still deal considerable damage if you become careless. That’s probably how it’s supposed to be: Not unfair, but a challenge. 

The hints on the ground from other players save you from traps over and over again if you wish. A crazy creature that broke through a few decaying barrels with its scythe to split me in two, I had thankfully seen coming due to a warning. However, I didn’t expect a stupid knight shooting explosive arrows.

What I want to say: Those who play carefully and attentively will get through well here. Those who become careless will quickly find themselves back at the last save point. And that can sometimes be quite far away. 

For me personally, the journey ended at a “strong opponent,” for whom there was a warning, but whom you had to defeat. He sent me back to the last site of grace so many times that I decided to leave it at that.

But: I will definitely return, as soon as Elden Ring is released next year.