Elden Ring Game Trailer

Elden Ring is an action role-playing game played in a third-person perspective and features elements similar to those found in its predecessors, the Souls series as well as Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, with gameplay focusing on combat and exploration. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained that players start with a linear opening but will eventually progress to freely explore the Lands Between, including its six main areas, as well as castles, fortresses, and catacombs scattered throughout the vast open-world map. These main areas are interconnected through a central hub that players can access later in the game's progression—similar to Firelink Shrine from Dark Souls—and will be explorable using the character's mount as the main mode of transport, although a fast travel system will be an available option. Throughout the game, players will encounter non-player characters (NPCs) and enemies alike, including the demigods who rule each main area and will serve as the game's main bosses.[1][4][5]

Combat in Elden Ring relies heavily on character-building elements found in previous Souls games and related intellectual properties, such as calculated & close-ranged melee-based combat with the use of skills, magic abilities, as well as blocking and dodging mechanics. Elden Ring will introduce mounted combat and a stealth system, the latter being a core gameplay element from Sekiro; these features are expected to encourage players in strategizing their combat approach with each unique enemy they encounter. The game will make use of a player character stamina bar after being absent from Sekiro, although its overall influence over combat was reduced compared to previous titles that utilized it. Unlike in Sekiro, resurrection mechanics after in-game death won't be available, however some elements were added to ensure players' progression within the game.[1][6]

Miyazaki stated that the customization in Elden Ring would be richer, as players will be able to discover different skills through their exploration of the map instead of unlocking skill trees as in previous FromSoftware games. These skills are interchangeable with a large variety of weapons which, alongside equipment, magic abilities, and items players can craft using materials found within the world, can be used to customize the player character.[4][6] The game will also feature summoning mechanics, where players can summon a large variety of collectible spirits hidden throughout the game's world map, including previously defeated enemies, as allies to assist them in battle. Similar to the Souls series, the game's multiplayer will allow other players to be summoned for cooperative play.[