Review

I'm currently right before (spoilers) Radagon, but this game is one of the best I've ever played. The amount of obsession I gained just from playing the game for a few hours is insane. I've been non-stop thinking about it since I first played. It's my first Souls game, and it's easily convinced me to play the others. I did a pure Int build, with mainly Glintstone and Carian spells. Next playthrough I plan on doing a Strength and Faith build. I think it says a lot that halfway through the game, I already decided what build I wanted to do next. I have about 65 hours in the game, and most likely will have more over the summer. The combat's fun, the exploration's fun, literally everything about it is fun. The only thing I don't like too much is that it's not very hand-holdy with the questlines, but Souls fans and some other players might enjoy that more than me (someone that likes to do literally everything in a game). And the mandatory prompts... those get in the way of combat too much. I can't recommend this game enough. If you enjoy watching someone else play it (I watched a LOT of Jerma's playthrough when both the base game and DLC came out), it's even better playing it for yourself. I plan on getting Shadow of the Erdtree this summer, which I'm incredibly impatient about because more Elden Ring is exactly what I need right now (part sarcasm because it's finals week). GO PLAY IT!!

5/9/25 - I wrote that review a couple days ago, when I was hunting for sorceries and incantations for before the final boss. I beat the game tonight (with Ranni's ending), and I 100% will stick with the 11/10 (as if it was going to really change...). I respec-ed into a Strength and Faith build before going into NG+, and honestly, faith is a lot cooler. I mostly just wish there was more post-game stuff to do, but the fact that NG+ goes up to 8 is honestly good in and of itself. Go play this game if you love hard, flashy combat, and exploration.