Ways Dark Souls Is Better Than Elden Ring

When it comes to Soulslike experiences, players are often directed to either the Souls series or Elden Ring – two massive franchises under the genre, but with completely different approaches. With Elden Ring being more of an open-world experience, players can bask in the glory of defeating rather challenging minions and bosses while unlocking more locations and securing gear. Meanwhile, the more “constrained” nature of Dark Souls also received its fair share of audiences – especially those who love a good spatial challenge, as well as those who love the idea of taking full advantage of everything they’ve got to fight a boss.

Although both franchises have amazing title offerings, some players might be curious just what could push them from having no choice to lean more towards Dark Souls. While both game series seem to have some similar circumstances, there are some differences that set a clear distinction between the two titles, and some of these factors can make players sway towards Dark Souls as their favorite in the genre.

Perfect Barometer For The Soulslike Experience

Nothing Ever Gets As Intense As Dark Souls

Many fans consider Dark Souls and Elden Ring as the perfect barometer for Soulslike experiences. Beginners may appreciate Elden Ring for its polish and overall approach to exploration and combat. The open world being separated into “zones” is perfect for easing players into more challenging experiences whenever they feel comfortable. Not to mention, many accessible builds feel tailored to Arts of War and “bigger” skills, making fights more bearable for newcomers.

In contrast, Dark Souls is the embodiment of “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature” among Soulslikes. The restrictive nature of locations makes exploration limited, and fights with mobs take a turn for the worse much faster when players are careless. These are on top of sometimes janky movement on the part of players, while bosses often have harsher movesets. However, players who do get through the hardships offered by Dark Souls might find most other Soulslikes bearable (note: not necessarily easy) by comparison, as they have encountered some of what they might love and hate the most about Soulslikes across the trilogy.

Linearity Offers A More Straightforward Challenge

Fights Become More Focused, Without The Burden Of Exploration

Open-world games aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but those who played Soulslike and want a change of pace will appreciate the freedom to enter fights and disengage from them easily, thanks to the open environments of Elden Ring. Granted, the sheer detail in Elden Ring zones can drag players into exploring them for both the lore and items in store, but these guarantee players don’t just play the game for fights alone.

However, players who want to get straight to the action will appreciate the level of linearity offered in Dark Souls. Progression across areas is extremely straightforward in the trilogy, so it’s ultimately just one area after another, with mobs and bosses in increasing levels of complexity and difficulty. The focus then becomes about the fights, not necessarily exploration. There’s no need to worry about missing an important item for a build in an area, as Dark Souls areas are easily explorable for both loot and fights.

Combat Feels Fair On Both Sides

Enemies Often Have Bigger Attacks, But Move Largely The Same Way

Soulslike fans love Elden Ring for making them feel “larger” in a world so desperate to eliminate them. Their bosses might have flashier attacks and faster movesets, but Elden Ring players can come equipped with impressive spells and intense combos of their own. Defeat might be commonplace when these bosses start dishing out absurd combos, but the game offers the players the means to fight like hell before going down and trying again.

In contrast, Dark Souls in general provides a very “grounded” approach to combat, even with spells and especially boss fights. There’s no “too big” of a spell for an area or a fight, and bosses don’t feel “beyond” the game’s physics. Save for size, unique attack animations, and larger areas of effect, bosses seem to interact with the world to a similar degree as the player. This makes combat feel “fair” on both sides, and the challenge more worthwhile to achieve.

PVP Variability Is More Enjoyable

PVP Builds Are Distinct Enough To Make Multiplayer Showdowns Exciting

Although both Dark Souls and Elden Ring offer PVP by “going to” another player’s world, each game’s approaches to combat are wildly different. While Elden Ring has a plethora of attack options beyond the usual weapons and spells, many feel like PVP builds are very Arts-centric – making spams feel “cheat-y” instead of challenging. Unique builds are forced to either counter or have some Arts element integrated into them to keep up with the meta.

In contrast, Dark Souls builds offer different ways of cheesing damage, which means there’s no one common set of “meta” points for players to achieve. Magic and melee builds aren’t the end-all, be-all classification of Dark Souls builds, as some builds center around dealing specific types of damage, using a specific set of spells, or securing the win through a precise combination of factors.

Take One Build Progression Through All Fights

Stat-Checking Enemies Isn’t The Only Recommended Strategy

Since Elden Ring zones have distinct themes and several bosses, it’s reasonable to expect they have a specific “gimmick” that players can exploit based on what items and gear they have built so far. Since Elden Ring is a Soulslike that attempts to cater to a wider playerbase, a common way of dealing with a challenging boss is to stat-check them – as in, figuring out how the boss reacts to certain attacks and damage types and then dealing with them appropriately. This encourages players to explore builds to fight bosses with, ensuring there’s always a way to make combat fresh.

In contrast, Dark Souls bosses have gimmicks that often revolve around a type of movement, combo, counter, or attack. As long as players can find ways of adapting to these elements, they can carry whatever build they prefer throughout the games. This isn’t to say that any one build can deal with bosses equally, but rather players who prefer a specific playstyle may feel satisfied with the challenge bosses offer, as no one weapon type or combat approach is ever “the most ideal” for them.

Limited Resources Force Creativity In Fights

Fewer Items Mean Fighting Bosses With More Creativity

Not only does Elden Ring boast a larger area for exploration and combat, but bosses are also given a more fluid moveset. This isn’t meant to make fights more challenging for no reason, but rather for players to maximize what weapons, armor, and skills they can find when exploring areas. Players are encouraged to find the heaviest-hitting playstyles based on what they’re comfortable with, so they feel equally as powerful as mobs and bosses in the location.

In contrast, smaller areas and limited resources in Dark Souls offer more challenging fights in how “constricted” things are. Not only do boss fights happen in a specific zone, but players only have access to the limited equipment they can make builds out of. This means players have to cheese their way into securing the advantage in every fight. Soulslike lovers may appreciate this approach, as they’re forced to think outside the box – location bugs, boss blindspots, spammable combos now become part of the equation.

Faster Overall Gameplay Loop

Builds Are Much Faster To Create And Test

Being a Soulslike experience, it’s no surprise that Elden Ring also offers a wide variety of builds for players to create and experiment with. However, being set in an open world means acquiring every part of the build will inevitably enhance one’s overall immersion in the game. Since Elden Ring regions have their own themes, bosses, and intricacies, even a player’s journey to complete an item set or a casual gameplay stroll can lead to the discovery of an area of interest or an obscure piece of lore. Casual players may appreciate this added layer of storytelling, but action fans might feel this is a bit slow for their taste.

This is where Dark Souls can fit their alley, as the more “linear” progression of the trilogy meant easier access to locations – ergo, creating sets and builds much faster. Fans who want to experiment with new combos or test their mettle in multiplayer can “complete” their builds and do so in a shorter amount of time. Beyond build creation, the linearity of the trilogy meant players can replay their favorite Dark Souls game much faster. This might mean a tradeoff of immersion versus a faster gameplay loop, but it could be worthwhile for fans who want to get straight to the action.