Elden Ring is something very special even among open-world games. One of our readers describes what makes the game so much more fascinating than all the competition.
This article was written by our reader Wieland Wüller and published as a guest article on MeinMMO.
I’m now crossing the world of the intermediate lands in Elden Ring for the fourth time. Tre von Siegburg, that’s what I called my person from noble origins, looks a bit clumsy, but has so far been able to hold his own against his opponents.
Tre von Siegburg is driven by only one goal: fame and honor for his noble house. And really nothing should be able to stop him.
A short stopover in the misty lakeland of Liurnia – new resources and levels are needed. Surprisingly, we don’t encounter any major problems here either.
We continue our journey until Tre von Siegburg suddenly discovers Rya, who introduces herself as a servant of the House of Vulkan. She asks me to retrieve her stolen necklace from the Black Guard, which just so happens to be nearby. Tre von Siegburg actually didn’t want to have to deal with other people’s problems – but what kind of delays can a necklace cause?
Well, strangely enough, this very necklace caused the completion of his journey to be delayed by several hours.
Elden Ring shows first trailer for new DLC “Shadow of the Erdtree”
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Elden Rings quests – merciless, but also rewarding
For me, this ball that was set in motion by Rya’s Quest can only be set in motion by From Software’s open-world game “Elden Ring.” Because Elden Ring has a very special way of bringing us players closer to the quests and diverse stories surrounding the characters and the world.
While, for example, in a “The Witcher 3” or a “Far Cry” we are guided from one quest to the other and the game progress largely comes from following predetermined points and paths, From Software with Elden Ring does not shy away from making huge ones Hiding quest lines behind NPCs who first have to be found in the big world of the intermediate lands.
From Software even goes one step further and separates the game progress from the numerous quests in Elden Ring. If I don’t feel like helping certain NPCs with their quest, I may not be able to explore certain areas at all.
Although these areas are purely optional, the player is still potentially missing out on several hours of new content as well as other characters who have very interesting stories to offer. I don’t even want to get started on the rewards we’re missing out on that could make the game more enjoyable.
Anyone who thinks “Well then, I’ll just do it later” is unfortunately looking a little too optimistically about the future. From Software even goes so far as to delete entire quest lines if you are too advanced in your game and therefore in the story.
Indulgence and inattention while exploring are punished mercilessly. In most cases the only solution is a new character or the New Game+.
A fitting and current example would be the encounter with Mogh, Lord of Blood. Its area and exciting boss fight are only available to us if we have followed Varre’s quest to a certain point.
More relevant than ever: In order to get access to the upcoming Elden Ring DLC “Shadow of the Earthtree”, Mogh, Lord of Blood must be laid. So you should definitely tackle this quest!
The open world of Elden Ring is what makes the quests really good
Admittedly, at first glance that doesn’t sound so good. The possibility of missing something the first time through is particularly high with gigantic worlds like that of Elden Ring. Considering the fact that entire quest lines are canceled by progressing too quickly in the main story, it’s pretty easy to miss something.
But what sounds bad on paper is, in my opinion, one of Elden Ring’s greatest strengths. And this strength only works so well because Elden Ring’s open world is incredibly well designed.
NPCs and the associated quests are usually not randomly placed in any locations, but are scattered in different areas in a planned and intentional manner. Most of the time this even has a story-relevant reason for the NPC. Sometimes the NPCs tell us the reason for this themselves, but it can often be the case that the area around us reveals part of this story.
This brings me to the point of why the open world of Elden Ring in particular can afford to be so careless with the quest progression system.
The level design of the intermediate lands
Elden Ring is a prominent example of how nothing is randomly placed and triggered in the intermediate lands. We don’t have to look for interesting points using the UI elements, such as a waymarker or the familiar question mark on the map, but rather we can see and guess at the relevant points of the intermediate lands based on the worldbuilding.
One of the most famous examples of Elden Ring’s level design is probably this screenshot:
This is the first entry into the open world of Elden Ring and shows us, through the level design, what goals, steps and options are available to us.
For example, we can see directly from the large Elden tree what big goal we are trying to achieve. The Stormshroud Fortress is also a great point that immediately catches the player’s eye and could serve as a first clue.
What many other open world games want to show with waypoints and markers, Elden Ring presents its world in an understandable and intuitive way.
An example of how certain locations in Elden Ring can tell a story is the area around the Tree Guardian. Upon further inspection (and exploration), the area around the tree guard pretty much extinct. Could this perhaps tell a first story about the function of the roaming guardian?
This is how an open world is fun
To be honest – I’m not a fan of open world games at all. Except in a few cases, I avoid playing games with large, freely accessible worlds. Elden Ring is such a big exception for me. I can decide for myself how deeply I want to immerse myself in the stories of the intermediate lands and, above all, for the first time I have the feeling that I am really being fully rewarded for exploring.
Quests in such a big world are really fun for me for the first time, because I’m not just a silent partner and run from A to B, but I also have to consciously let everything take effect on me – if I want that.
Anyone who has the understandable fear of missing out on any quests and rewards in Elden Ring is in luck! Collectors and completionists can find a complete overview of all NPC quests and other side activities on MeinMMO.