Elden Ring Has "Easy Modes" You Aren't Actually Using
The latest FromSoftware game, Elden Ring, lives up to the studio's reputation for brutally difficult games, but there are a few ways to make it a bit easier that players might not be using. Although nothing may make a FromSoftware game truly "easy," some things can go a long way towards helping players navigate the Lands Between and the many enemies that inhabit it. Elden Ring's creator, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has apologized for the game's difficulty, but also that there will never be an official "easy mode" for FromSoftware's Soulslike games, so it's up to players to make their own. Thankfully, Elden Ring has provided more avenues for mitigating difficulty than any FromSoftware game before it.
In Elden Ring, players become a Tarnished, an undead warrior seeking to gather all of the shards of the shattered Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord. There are a variety of classes that they can start out as, each of which suit some playstyles better than others. Elden Ring's best Astrologer builds wield devastating spells, and it's just one of the 1o. No matter what class they pick, they're in for a fight, since Elden Ring is filled with enemies and bosses that would love nothing more than to see them put down the game and never pick it back up again. Before one abandons it for good, however, they should try a few methods for making what many regard as the hardest FromSoftware game yet quite a bit less brutal.
One way to make the game, if not easy, then at least less difficult, is to explore the game and level up before taking on any tough bosses. Collecting Golden Seeds from the small Erdtrees can also upgrade the game's health and magic flasks, giving players a far higher reserve of health and FP earlier in the game. Ashes of War and spirit summons can give players an edge in battle, and items like pickled fowl's feet can provide boons of runes and items for leveling and gearing up. Elden Ring's Spirit Summons can be awesome when used correctly, and crafting helpful items can also turn the tide and make an impossible-feeling situation far more approachable.
A big part of what makes Elden Ring different from past FromSoftware games is its open world. Players aren't limited to a linear path; they're free to explore and do whatever they want, whenever they want. If they want to spend hours killing deer and other minor enemies in the very first area of the game, then they can with no consequences. And if they want to make the game just a bit easier, then leveling up in the game's earlier areas might just be the way to go. Avoiding bosses is easier than ever before in a FromSoftware title, so grinding minor enemies to gather runes, level up, and get both gear and crafting supplies can go a long way to help players not die (as much). Exploring Elden Ring's world makes it easier to strike down the various enemies of the Lands between, and while it might seem obvious, it's more immediately useful in Elden Ring than it probably ahs been in any of the Dark Souls games that came before it. Leveling up might require a visit to a certain Site of Grace, but the increased stats can make all the difference.
After facing the Grafted Scion, players receive two Flasks, the Flask of Crimson Tears and the Flask of Cerulean Tears. They're used to restore players' health and FP respectively, and are a major boon when fighting both bosses and regular enemies. At the beginning, the Crimson Flask is good for three uses before it needs to be refilled by resting at a Site of Grace, while the Cerulean Flask is only good for one. It might seem like they would grow less useful as time goes on, but they can be upgraded if one knows how. The Golden Seeds located in Limgrave and Elden Ring's many other locations can upgrade the Flasks and give them more charges. They're hidden throughout the Lands Between, but they're well worth the relatively minimal effort it takes to find them, as even just one charge can be the difference between conquering a boss or falling to it repeatedly. Players who simply scour the map on horseback can acquire a great number of them without needing to fight, even in areas that are meant for characters far above their current level.
Ashes of War are valuable items in Elden Ring. Players can use them to give their weapons new skills and affinities, and since they can change how a weapon scales to player stats, they're tremendously helpful in making sure a weapon is pulling its weight. Each weapon or shield can only have one at a time, but since they're not a consumable item and cost nothing to equip or remove, players can experiment with them however they want from any Site of Grace after they've obtained the Whetstone Knife. The right Ash of War can also make bosses much less painful to fight, and a guide can point players to Ashes of War that will work particularly well against certain bosses. Elden Ring's essential items can be easily missed at times, so getting the Whetstone Knife early on is vital.
Spirit Summons are another thing that can make Elden Ring just a bit less brutal. Whether it's by distracting enemies or fighting alongside the Tarnished, they can be a great help with bosses or larger world encounters. They can't be used everywhere, however, and players will need to collect the corresponding Spirit Ashes in order to summon them. They can also only be summoned once before needing to be recharged at a Site of Grace, and cannot be used during co-op play. They're more restricted than Ashes of War, but can be even more effective if used correctly. Since many Spirit Ashes of different types and strengths can be found, and they can also be upgraded, they can be used throughout the game without losing their effectiveness. Beating Elden Ring bosses like Flying Dragon Agheel becomes much more doable with Spirits by one's side.
Of all of the things that could help one conquer the Lands Between, food is possibly the strangest. Pickled Fowl's Feet are consumable items that give temporary beneficial effects when used. They come in two varieties; the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot, which will boost the amount of runes obtained by 30%, and the Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, which will increase the Item Discovery stat by 50. Both of them are highly valuable items, and although they might not be useful in combat, they can be used to get a great deal of runes and items quickly, making them very effective when farming. The effects also persist after resting at a Site of Grace, which makes them even better.
Possibly the simplest thing that players can do to make the game less difficult is to actually make use of the crafting system. Crafting items in Elden Ring can make all kinds of useful things, from throwing knives to elemental bombs. All players need to do is buy the Crafting Kit from Kalé, who can be found in the Church of Elleh not far from the end of the tutorial. It only costs 300 runes, which shouldn't take too long to get, and once they've bought it, it opens up a number of possibilities. Kalé also sells three Cookbooks, which will unlock additional recipes that players can craft, and there are many more found scattered all across the world. For those who want to play an archer build but are worried about how they'll get more arrows without paying a ton of runes, it's almost essential. Elden Ring hides more than a few secrets that players will have to work to uncover, but they will help players expand their range of options and find avenues to overcoming the game's greatest challenges.