Blaidd, the half-wolf, greatsword toting guardian of Ranni the Witch, is an Elden Ring NPC with a popularity comparable to that of Solaire from Dark Souls , thanks to his friendly demeanor, combat prowess, and his disarmingly soft-spoken voice. Fortunately, Elden Ring gamers who want to give their character a wolf's head don't need to attack Blaidd for it. After beating the main boss in Caria Manor and progressing into the area beyond, players can acquire the "Black Wolf Mask" item by hopping up some walls near Seluvis's Rise, where Seluvis brews his potions . The description of this wolf head helm reads as foll

This isn't to say that the landscapes aren't gorgeous, the gameplay-cutscene transitions seamless (the game takes place in one take), and the mechanics – especially with Kratos's axe – aren't fun beyond belief. It's merely to say that story-focused players will find God of War one of the most emotional games ever, with a breathtaking catharsis achieved by the

Players have plenty to explore with Elden Ring's open-world map , and exploration sometimes leads to players dying from fall damage. Spirit Springs that are scattered through the map allow players to survive falls that would normally kill them within a certain range of the Spirit Spring. However, some of the Spirit Springs had a range that was much shorter than others. Patch 1.03 fixed the Spirit Springs in Caelid so they now have a larger range of effect and behave prope

While these notes can be incredibly helpful, a significant portion of them are more focused on getting laughs than offering support. In typical FromSoftware fashion, the messaging system in Elden Ring doesn't simply allow the user to type whatever they want, instead forcing them to choose between a curated selection of words and phrases. This might not be ideal for those interested in providing detailed notes and clues, but the restrictions have been a blessing for the comedically inclined, as they have led to numerous in-jo

When NieR:Automata developer PlatinumGames released the action RPG Babylon's Fall in March 2022, the expectations were high, because of the standards that Automata had set for the studio and for gamers. Instead, the game received a largely negative reception when it came out, and has had an abysmally low player ba

While players might not be happy about Elden Ring's quiet boss nerfs , this nerf to the Fallingstar Beast is a little different. This encounter wasn't mean to be as difficult as it was at launch, as the Fallingstar Beast in the Selia Crystal Tunnel wasn't meant to behave like the full-grown version. Because of this, the Fallingstar Beast was nerfed in patch 1.03 to the version of the enemy that developers intended it to be, which no longer includes a second phase for the fi

The map of Skyrim is undoubtedly vast and variable, but Elden Ring 's the Lands Between has it beat. Players won't know exactly how big Elden Ring 's map is at first, which makes its diversity even more astonishing. Whereas Skyrim offers visual diversity between its most important settlements, Elden Ring 's many locations have differences that are far more than surface-deep. For example, Noskella, Eternal City has almost nothing in common with Leyndell, as the former is a subterranean, dark, menacing landscape while the former is a regal and pristine metropolis. These opposing styles are evidenced through each city's unique art style, but also through their environment design, with Leyndell being far more open and sprawling and Noskella is more linear, with a greater focus on verticality and complex, Gothic architecture that highlights its incomprehensible nature. This difference is also present in the enemy types of each location (shining knights in Leyndell, giant bugs in Noskel

After a few hours in Elden Ring , New Zealand Trick gaming it will become clear that many things are not quite as they seem; there are invisible paths and platforms hiding past cliffsides, and a great number of the game's walls are mere illusions, crumbling after a single hit or roll. One of these hidden walls was infamous for taking 50 hits to break, though an Elden Ring update patched out this controversial inclus

Traversal in both games is worth mentioning as well. Elden Ring 's Torrent might not have enough lore , but the spectral steed plays a vital role in exploration, as players will have to use him for various platforming challenges in the open world, challenges that give way to valuable exploration opportunities. This can be contrasted with the many horses players can obtain in Skyrim , which primarily serve as a way to cross broad, empty stretches of land quic

This is just one of many examples of how Elden Ring does map diversity better than Skyrim , something that could become even more apparent through rumored Elden Ring DLC . While Skyrim 's many unique cities and natural vistas are impressive, Elden Ring 's man-made settlements, fantasy landscapes, and varied topography will constantly surprise players even after dozens of hours of gameplay. Elden Ring 's variety plays a major role in its satisfying, deep exploration as w