'Elden Ring' Will Never Have An Easy Mode, Says FromSoftware

If you were hoping that FromSoftware might give players the option to turn down in the intensity of Elden Ring in a future update, we've got some bad news for you.

While the game's creator, legendary developer Hidetaka Miyazaki, feels bad that some of you are struggling to beat Elden Ring, he believes that the joy of the game comes from persevering and overcoming those seemingly impossible challenges.

Take a look at some of the best Elden Ring wins and fails (but mostly fails) below!

“I do feel apologetic toward anyone who feels there’s just too much to overcome in my games,” Miyazaki said in a recent interview with the New Yorker. “I just want as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship.”

“We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience. So, it's not something we're willing to abandon at the moment. It's our identity.”

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Elden Ring won't dial down the difficulty, even in an optional mode. Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are all uncompromising in their brutality. Whether that's right is open to debate, of course. But the bottom line is if Miyazaki doesn't want it, it's not happening.

With that said, Elden Ring does include a number of features that make it slightly more manageable than previous FromSoftware games. While I would never suggest that it's an "easy" game, the ability to go off in any direction and explore/level up before fighting tougher bosses is something we couldn't really do in past titles. It's also possible to summon (and power up) your very own NPC allies. It's very much like Pokémon for Edgar Allan Poe fans.

If you are really stuck right now, you might even consider checking out our top tips for survival in Elden Ring. And if all else fails? Maybe consider getting the game on PC, if you can, and installing a crap-ton of mods. No judgment from me!