Elden Ring Is The First Game To Make Grinding Fun

thegamer.com:

Grinding inherently sucks. I hated running around in the tall grass and fainting every Rattata I saw in Pokemon Red as a kid, and I hate being forced to play Ultimate Team friendlies to unlock packs and players in FIFA 22. But sometimes, you’re just a bit underlevelled or you need to wade waste-deep into the boring stuff in order to beat Brock or have a chance of packing FUT Birthday Luis Suarez.

I’ve never really got into MMOs. I played Runescape as a kid, but only on Wednesdays when my brother and I went to the library after school to play games on the computers for 50p an hour. I also recently dabbled in The Lord of the Rings Online, which could be the most accurate depiction of Tolkien I’ve seen to date. The Rings of Power may have new characters, but Númenor will have to take inspiration from Tolkien’s words and illustrations if it wants to rival LOTRO’s accuracy.

Related: Playing Elden Ring As A Jouster Is The Best Way To Explore The Lands Between

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. The reason I’ve avoided MMOs in the past is because of the grinding that comes with them. Maybe I had time as a kid, but finding a raiding party where everyone is regularly available and committing to regular grinding sessions? I get that there’s a social aspect to this too, but if you’ve ever tried to organise a DnD campaign or just get your friends together for a regular gaming night, you’ll know that this is easier said than done.

But Elden Ring approaches grinding in a different way. Instead of saying ‘farm this enemy’ or ‘catch a stronger horse,’ it just lets you go somewhere else. Do something else. I’ve seen countless bosses or areas that I’ve simply noped out of and picked another place to go, just because I can. Sure, you can