Elden Ring Review

The Lands Between

Elden Ring sets FromSoftware’s punishing combat loose in a vast open world. As a Tarnished, you ride the spectral steed Torrent across the Lands Between, resting at Sites of Grace as you seek to mend the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord.

Combat and Builds

The stamina-based combat rewards reading attacks, managing poise, and committing to dodges. Ashes of War, summonable Spirit Ashes, and a huge spread of sorceries and incantations support enormous build variety, and you can call on co-op or face invasions along the way.

Exploration and Discovery

From the rolling fields of Limgrave to the rot-soaked horror of Caelid, exploration is driven by pure curiosity rather than map markers. Sprawling legacy dungeons like Stormveil Castle and Leyndell sit alongside countless catacombs, caves, and hidden bosses.

Unforgettable Bosses

The bosses are legendary — the gatekeeping Margit, the spectacle of Starscourge Radahn, and the brutal Malenia, whose Waterfowl Dance has humbled millions. Overcoming them delivers some of the most satisfying victories in all of gaming.

Challenge Made Approachable

It’s demanding and offers little hand-holding, but the open structure is forgiving in its own way: when a wall proves too tough, you can simply ride off, grow stronger elsewhere, and return. It’s the most approachable FromSoftware game yet.

A Few Faults

It isn’t flawless — some bosses and catacombs are recycled, and performance can stutter — but these are small marks on a monumental whole.

Verdict

Elden Ring is a monumental achievement — vast, rewarding, and endlessly replayable. A modern classic and a high-water mark for the open-world genre.