I like watching Elden Ring content now that I’m done with the game. I tried to avoid it as much as possible before the game released because I wanted the full experience, but once I finished the game, all Elden Ring content was fair game.
My favorite is Eurogamer with Aoife and other-Ian because they are the least-macho about FromSoft games. Aoife adores them and is better at them than average, but she is not preternaturally good at them like many FromSoft content creators are (they’re good at it, I mean. Like really good at it). Other-Ian loves the games and are good at them, but he’s impatient. That causes him to die more than he needs to.
Aoife did not mess with magic before Elden Ring. She was very careful to say that it was just because she did not like magic, not that there was anything wrong about it, but it was clear that she did not fully believe it. She has taken to magic in Elden Ring, saying she feels that magic has been shorted in the past few games. Which, uh, she can’t really say because she’s never played with magic before.
Full disclosure: I have never played Demon’s Souls because it is not on the PC. It is commonly known that the magic in that game was broken and OP. You had access to unlimited mana, which has not been the same in any of the other games. I cannot say if magic was OP in that game, but I can speak to the rest because I’ve played them all. There really is on magic in Bloodborne or Sekiro, so we are talking about the Dark Souls and Elden Ring when we talk about FromSoft magic.
The reason I am beating this drum again is because I was watching Elden Ring content and there was one I had started watching and stopped mid-video. I already low-key didn’t like the group because they were aggressively masculine. Not to the point of toxic masculinity, but not very inclusive. Lots of ‘bitch’ and other such epithets. I pressed play to see why I had stopped watching (and for whatever reason, YouTube rewinds a few seconds when you watch a video again) and within seconds, one of the guys said that he didn’t use magic because it was cheesing. He wanted to get up in the grill of–
“Oh, fuck you,” I said out loud and stopped the video. That was why I had stopped watching and why I never went back. I am so fucking tired of that attitude and I don’t need to support anyone who espouses it. Again, it’s different than people who don’t want to use magic because it’s not their playstyle. But saying it’s cheesing when it’s IN THE FUCKING GAME is just utter bullshit.
I have played as a Pyro from the first Dark Souls game. And I still struggled mightily. Here’s the thing. All the bro-nalists out there saying it’s so pussy because you’re not getting your hands dirty (even if they are not using those literal words, they are heavily implying it). There is one journalist who has out-and-out stated that he played as a mage and enjoyed it. Andrew Reiner, formerly of Game Informer. I believe it was when Dark Souls II came out, he played as a mage and was very open about it. He got a lot of hate about it from the GI readers and from his colleague, Dan Tack, who used to be the Souls guy at Game Informer (before leaving for Bandai Namco Bandai). Reiner said as I have said, “It’s in the game. Miyazaki himself has said that he liked magic.” I appreciate that he was unapologetic about him because he was the only journalist I’ve seen that has not shit all over magic in From games.
Back to Aoife for a minute. As I said, she did not play magic in the other games, so how she could say how it was in Elden Ring in comparison to the past games….well, I’ll give her a pass on that because magic in Elden Ring IS better. But, see, I can say that because I’ve actually used magic in the other games, not just relied on what other journalists who have also never used magic have said about it. Honestly. All the journalists who have decried magic have also said in the same breath that they had never used it.
The funny part, though, is that some of what journalists are gushing over magic-wise in Elden Ring are in the other games. She loves the swords that surround your head like an aura before deploying at the nearest enemy. Yeah, that was in the other games, but in star form, rather than sword. The greatsword made of magic? Also in DS III. The kamehameha that everyone gushes over? Also in DS III. Swarm of Flies? Also in DS III, but under a different name. It’s called Dorhy’s Gnawing.
I will say that the way to get the spell slots is much better and easier in Elden Ring. The spells are much more varied and interesting to use. I’m able to have 10 spell slots instead of 5 (with a ring, 4 without). And I feel comfortable splitting my flasks 7/7 (healing/FP) instead of 10/5 because you can get flasks back for killing whole groups of enemies. Plus, I keep a healing incantation in my spell slots, too, so I can heal myself (and my allies) by that method.
Here’s the thing. And I’ve made this point several times. I can say that any build is OP if I wanted (and fans have done that as well. Havel monster? Pussy. Big Daddy? Wuss! Zweiing it up? Oh, please. You’re barely even playing the game. For the hardcore fans, it’s onebro or nothing.
I want to emphasize that I’m for playing the games however you want to play them. I just get tired of hearing about how it’s cheesing it or taking the easy way out to use magic. Here’s the thing–before Elden Ring, there was a limit to how much you could use the spells. In the first two games, you had a limited number of times you could use the spell until you rested at the bonfire. Those dismissive about never having to get close to the enemy don’t know what the fuck they are talking about because magic does not last the whole time. And, because I pour all my stats into my pyros/magicks, that means that the weapon I’m using is something dinky like the battle axe. Which is what I used for my entire first playthrough of Dark Souls.
Here’s the thing. I accepted this framing until I finished Dark Souls III (after beating the first two games) and decided to try the game again as a strength character. When I reached the point where I could wield a greatsword, I was wrecking shit like it was nothing. And finding my comfort zone as a strengthcaster was a revelation.
When I played Dark Souls as a Zwei Pyro, I realized that all the hardcore fans who bleated about how eeeeeeasy magic was in the games were so full of shit. Since I had actually done a strength build (unlike them who did not use magic at all), I felt I could comment on melee v. magic. Melee is much easier. MUCH easier. You can kill enemies in one or two hits without worrying about them hitting back. What do you mean I can’t just say that with confidence and brook no argument? That’s what the anti-magic assholes do.
I’m done with it. Not only is it ableist (because part of the reason I am a caster is because of my shitty reflexes and spatial issues), it’s just boring as fuck. And sexist (toxic masculinity at it’s best). Why the need to denigrate something rather than just affirming what you like? I’m glad that more people are open to magic in Elden Ring, but it doesn’t need justification. Magic in most of From games is fun to mess around with. Full stop. I shouldn’t have to rationalize that.