Elden Ring: The Final Preview
It’s been a few months since a chosen few were able to take their first steps into Elden Ring - thanks to From Software’s Closed Network Test - and explore just a small fragment of the open world that was teeming with mini dungeons, roaming field bosses, and plenty of secrets. With the release date looming large just a few short weeks away, I was given one last chance to explore as far as I could in the Lands Between. This time there were no barriers to stop me — just a lot of incredibly tough adversaries waiting to kick my ass.
Rather than trying to solely progress through Elden Ring’s “main path” that led through incredibly grueling “Legacy Dungeons”, I decided to spend my precious six hours finding out exactly how the open world really works, and there’s a lot more than meets the eye.
The first thing I learned after creating a brand new character for my short adventure was how absolutely essential the Lands Between is as a stepping stone to your journey to become an Elden Lord. In truth, there’s nothing stopping you from running straight from the tutorial cave to the first main dungeon that houses one of several demigods you’re tasked to defeat. But like trying to race right to Ganon from the start in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there’s a good chance the enemies in Stormveil Castle will wipe the floor with you. Even brimming with confidence from my time in the Closed Network Test, I was swiftly put into my place by the first boss fight just trying to get into the dungeon proper, and I realized the previous beta may have given players a lot of powerful toys to play with much earlier than you’re going to find them now. Odds are if you thought the Network Test was too easy, you’re in for a rude awakening.
In
Read more on ign.com
