Ok. This is it. This is going to be the final post (for now) about Elden Ring v. Dark Souls III. First of all, I was watching a Let’s Play of Dark Souls III (first time, unknowing), and there are things that I had forgotten happened. In the last post, I listed a few more pros and cons of each game. To start off this post, I want to talk about NPC questlines.
9. NPC questlines. There are tons of NPCs in every From game. In the first game, there were preset conditions that moved them to different places in the game and make them do different things. If you didn’t do certain things at certain times, you cut off their questlines. If you did things in a certain way, you advanced them. In this game, I would say it’s nearly impossible to figure out on your own how to do them precisely right on your first time playthrough. Hell, even now, there are certain steps that I’m never sure when to exactly do them. I only know the hard stops for certain questlines.
In the second game, most of the NPCs don’t move around. Once you find them and get them to go to Majula, they stay put. There are a few exceptions, but even those are fairly shallow and short. They are nowhere nearly as in-depth as the other two games or Elden Ring.
In Dark Souls III, there are some very intricate questlines. There are questlines that entwine. There are also questlines that contradict each other. I’ve included a video by Vaati Vidya about how to start each questline.
I like to do things as naturally as possible the first time I play a From game. Unfortunately, with Dark Souls III, that meant pissing off Yuria of Londor because I had the Fire Keeper heal the Dark Sigil because it wsa a new thing. I did not know what the Dark Sigil was, but why not?
Well, because Yuria refused to talk to me, that’s why not. I was roughly a quarter of the way through the game (which I did not know at the time), but I seriously considered starting over because I had fallen for Yuria the minute I laid eyes on her and was willing to follow her to the ends of the earth. I thought she would be the dark magicks teacher (wrong) and was dismayed that I would not be able to go down that road.
I was furious. I cursed out Miyazaki. but I ultimately decided to continue because I wanted to see the rest of the game. I did not want to do the first quarter all over again. Of course, I followed Yuria’s questline carefully in the second playthrough, making sure to look it up. That’s what htappens when I get burned–I make sure to take all precautions before going into the lava again.
This is actually the problem with elaborate questlines. At some point, I’m going to have to look them up not to miss any steps. I’m just not observant enough to put the clues together and make sure I do the right thing. In Elden Ring, I looked up the steps to Fia’s questline and found a spoiler to another questline. I was upset, but I accepted that this was the price to pay for doing Fia’s questline properly.
I think this is the frustration of the questlines in any of the From games and not specific to any one of the games. Frustrating, but also glorious. It adds to the feeling that the world isn’t there just for you. You may be the protagonist, but things happen around you. In most games, you are the main focus for everything. Like the game is made FOR you (which, of course, it is).
In From games, they seriously could not care less if you are there or not. They are maknig their levels and their worlds, and if you happen to be there–fine. If not? Also fine.
So let’s talk about NPC questlines from Dark Souls III and Elden Ring. In the former game, the Yuria/Anri questline/ending is quite possibly my favorite questline ever. I will have to think about it more, but I always choose it whenever I play the game. There are so many more, though. Siegward’s questline, which involves Patches, is epic as well. That’s probably the most poignant one. Greirat’s is really sad, too, unless you don’t let him go out for the last prowl.
I like that the questlines in this game are so thoughtful. They feel bespoke, though they aren’t. There are few enough to make them entwine in what seems like an organic way. If you do Sirris of the Sun’s questline, you have to be careful not to do Ringfinger Leonhard’s questline or you will seriously piss her off. I love that you have to essentially choose sides, and it makes every decision more weighty.
In Elden Ring, it’s even more of a good thing on a grander scale. Since the game is so massive, From was able to be even more intricate with the questlines. There is one (Ranni’s) that I have said I would have paid thirty dollars for it by itself. The first time, it took me fifteen to twenty hours to do the whole thing, including fighting Radahn. It blew my mind, and my god. Getting that ending made it all seem so damn epic. It’s not my favorite ending, mind, but it’s incredible. Of course, my favorite ending is the Lord of the Frenzied Flame, which is literally burning everthything to the ground.
I will say that overall, I prefer the NPC questlines in Dark Souls III to the ones in Elden Ring. I feel like they are more meaningful. I do appreciate that From is more generous with the questlines in Elden Ring (you can do them even if you miss a step or two, sometimes), which was a necessity because of how big the game is. Let’s talk about my favorite NPC questlines from each game. I’ve already mentioned the top three in Dark Souls III (Yuria, Siegward, and Sirris), so let me say which ones I resonated with in Elden Ring. Ranni (which inclues Preceptor Seluvis, Blaidd, War Counselor Iji, Radahn, Rennala (tangentially), and, apparently, Sorcerer Rogier), Patches (he acutally has a story this time), and best pot boi, Iron Fist Alexander. He is very much like the Onion Knight (with a healthy dash of Solaire), and his questline is filled with pathos. But there is also Millicent, who has an incredible questline as well. I have to call this one a draw because the NPC questlines in both games are so good.
I’m tired and have had a day filled with irritating things. My internet has cut out and come back on within a minute three times in the last half hour. I spilled my coffee earlier, dropped a carton of cashew milk on the floor, lost my phone (it was in my purse where I thought it was, but I just didn’t see it), and bonked myself on the head with the hilt ofone of my double sabers. And my internet just went out again. Gah.