Perhaps the biggest release of 2022, Elden Ring is a massive undertaking for any player, so not finishing the game, for whatever reason, shouldn't make anyone feel bad. FromSoftware games are notoriously hard, with Elden Ring being a combination of many difficult trademarks in the Soulsborne games, requiring a fierce fortitude from players. With so much to engage with and understand within Elden Ring, it might even make sense to care more about the journey each individual player might take, rather than whether the game gets completed or not.
With over one hundred bosses, Elden Ring is a dense, all-consuming sort of title. Without the best trick for making Elden Ring bosses easy, it’s quite a difficult process to conquer bosses and press on throughout the Lands Between, the vast domain that is traversed throughout the game. There are over 13 regions that comprise the Lands Between, with interactive NPC characters, additional quests, enemies, and explorations in each area. Traveling throughout these different regions is made easier with the help of Torrent, a mountable horse, and fast traveling with Sites of Grace. Similar to the bonfires of Dark Souls, Sites of Grace are utilized in Elden Ring to not only make upgrades, but also save progress. The average gameplay time for Elden Ring is anywhere from 50 to 70 hours to finish the game, with over 100 hours to 100% complete the game, though it’s just as common for players to spend that amount of time in any one area.
In addition, Elden Ring’s character customization is as extensive, to the point where having at least five Elden Ring characters now is just as worthwhile an endeavor as beating the game. While FromSoftware have always had customizable characters, the customization of the playable character in Elden Ring is as intricate and detailed as the rest of the game. When creating the playable character, there is still the important option of which class to choose and which keepsake to take, but there is also a much more detailed process of creating the physical character. Though it is possible to respec characters throughout the game, the process of creating a new character and gearing them up is in many ways as much fun as progressing in the game itself, and it allows players to replay their favorite parts of Elden Ring in different ways. Ultimately, Elden Ring is much more than a game to complete and shelve afterward.
Elden Ring Is All About The Journey, Not The Final Destination
There are plenty of Elden Ring secrets missed on the first playthrough, which makes an interesting argument for not worrying about completing the game, and instead wandering around favorite areas, learning all there is to know. With so much content to explore, it’s completely fair for a player to get lost in the wanderings, playing the game as an explorer, rather than as a mission to be completed. The Lands Between consist of gorgeous landscapes, fun creatures, intriguing NPCs, knowledge to learn, bosses to beat, and areas to scour, there is no need to put so much pressure on anyone to finish the game. Elden Ring is all about the journey, not the final destination.
There are a number of reasons for players to not finish Elden Ring in the traditional sense. For some, Elden Ring is deeply uncomfortable as the body horror gets more and more gruesome. For others, the difficulty of the boss fights are simply too much, or the world may be a bit too expansive. These reasons and others are all fair and don't need to be scrutinized. Rather, it should be encouraged to explore all the unique ways different players can engage with a game as big and fantastical as Elden Ring.