The amount of folks already commenting to add a pause feature maybe don’t realize that when they are playing a Souls game, they’re playing online. It’s like pausing Destiny, FFXIV, or Halo muliplayer; it’s a live, online, shared space at all times, not a design philosophy.

None of the comments referenced in the article seem particularly salty to me.

Exactly! I was reading some of these comments, and the article in general, thinking this exactly thing. It is the literal start, you have nothing, it doesn’t matter if you die. Even later in the game when I think I might die, I will still try things that seem like certain death, just to be sure of that.

I was over 30 hours in before I learned what the guard counterattack actually was. I saw the tutorial and assumed it was just “if you hit after blocking it does more damage”. Then I spent 30 hours with dual claws not blocking.

Seems like a lot of people would love Elden Ring to look a little more something like this

People out here saying “I didn’t want to fall for the trap!”....there’s nothing to lose at this point in the game! You have no runes! Why wouldn’t you at least try jumping down after reading messages/etc.?

I feel like anyone who felt they needed very explicit help would safely google it or bring up a Let’s Play or beginner’s guide video, and anyone who wanted the experience to be completely blind would be amused by missing the tutorial. Leaving only the tiny niche of people who want the experience completely blind but…

But the first bit of direction you receive via the first site of grace tells you to go to the church. (Leveling and mount occurs after 3 sites of grace have been found, no matter where they are. So unless you really suck...)

I play offline, so until you mentioned messages of other players, it seemed absurd to me that someone should see the only two obviously interactable things in the room and ignore them. But I can see how the message would get lost now. Having said that, it teaches you that a) exploring is encouraged, b) what sort of…

I mean the only way you “miss it” is if you don’t both to look around which is in and of itself a lesson in these games.

Starred for not spelling it “sike” like a reprobate

I mean if you take a second to look you can see a little ledge to jump to down there. They even have something glow like a bug so you’ll notice it before jumping. The only way you’d miss it is ignoring everything and just running out.

What a delightful delirious mess of an opening this game has. Not just one, but two unwinnable encounters that you’re immediately guided right into. And then the tutorial cave being a spooky drop that looks like it will kill you. Devs really trying to make sure you learn not to trust anything.

You don’t even know who Fia is until you talk to her.

lol did someone piss in your corn flakes?

Forget parrying. Use critical counter instead, you stay protected (as long as you have endurance), and melt their stance meter. 

This article is supposed to be some kind of confession.

Far as I’m concerned, unless you’re one of these admittedly impressive people who can beat Dark Souls blindfolded at SL1 while using a DDR controller, there is no shame at all in the occasional bit of cheese in a FS game.

The autosave is continuous enough that if you quit out to the menu you’ll lose at most a few seconds of progress.

Yes, it’s called “Kill all the baddies in the immediate vicinity, then go hide in an obscure corner while you make your sandwich.”