FromSoftware should learn one lesson from the Elden Ring torrent

Although there will be a lot to learn Elden Ring As FromSoftware's first attempt to combine open-world and Soulslike design, one key lesson should come out of Torrent and its approach to world navigation. Unlike previous Soulslike games from FromSoftware, Elden Ring broke the mold in many ways with open world design and the Spectral Steed mount among the more obvious examples.

Even with rumors that FromSoftware's next game will ditch open worlds and go back to traditional linear design, there's still a chance that future developments will return to this world design due to its popularity in gaming. With this in mind, Elden Ring is FromSoftware's testing ground for what worked and what didn't work for open-world Soulslike, especially in regards to Torrent. After all, since Soulslikes are notorious for their complex yet rewarding gameplay, an in-game anchor for navigating the open world should provide a nice balance to the rest of the game and its mechanics.

We analyze how the Elden Ring torrent works and does not work in Soulslike

As a core design philosophy in the Soulslike games, the core mechanics are tied to key items in the game, such as how players regenerate health using Estus's vial of Dark souls series or Healing pumpkin Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. by extension, Elden Ring used a similar approach with his Spectral Steed Whistle item, which players need to summon Torrent. If players want to easily summon Torrent without going into their inventory, the whistle can be assigned to an item slot, such as in their pouch.

Elden Ring foresaw how torrenting would affect Soulslike gameplay

Based on this approach, it seems that FromSoftware knows how much Elden RingThe in-game mount pushes the boundaries when it comes to previous ideas and designs in Soulslike games. For example, players can use Torrent to their advantage, such as when fighting larger or faster enemies, or running away from fights that are too difficult or when they are low on health. Requiring players to hand over an item slot for a whistle is one step FromSoftware is taking to balance Torrent with traditional Soulslike gameplay.

Elden Ring throws a ball when revived torrent

However, while other features, such as allowing players to use only one hand while driving, go further to balance Elden RingMounted combat, player-regardless Torrent health is where FromSoftware's next open-world game could learn a lesson. Although the healing torrent in Elden Ring it's not the biggest problem, the problems occur when Torrent has been killed and needs to be revived to be called again. This can be done by whistling and spending one of the Vial of Crimson Tears charges, but a drop-stopping prompt that interrupts the gameplay forces players to confirm it.

FromSoftware's next open-world game should learn from Elden Ring's Torrent

Although it seemed like a small detail, forcing this prompt on players was enough to make them frustrated Elden Ringcommunity, even leading to mods that restore Torrent to default, or social media memes like the one below.

Here, the mods outline one lesson FromSoftware can learn from Elden RingA torrent that allows players to disable hints via in-game options. Alternatively, to save players from wasting Flash of Crimson Tears charges, FromSoftware's next Soulslike game could include an update to replace the whistle in the next game, similar to Estus Flask's own updates, where players can eventually remove any costs or prompts and immediately revive your horse.