FromSoftware should learn a lesson from the Elden Ring torrent

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

Despite rumors that FromSoftware's next game will break away from open worlds and return to traditional linear design, there is still a chance that future developments will return to this world design due to its prominence in gaming. With this in mind Elden Ring is a testing ground for FromSoftware on what worked and what didn't work for a Souls-like open world, especially when it comes to Torrent. After all, since Soulslikes is notorious for its difficult but rewarding gameplay, an in-game holder for open-world navigation needs to make sure it fits well with the rest of the game and its mechanics.

Whenever FromSoftware returns to the Open-World genre, it should avoid repeating this Shadow of Erdtree mistake

One boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree had less impact than intended, and future open world Souls games should avoid its mistakes.

We break down how Elden Ring's torrent works and doesn't work in the soul

As a core design philosophy in Soulslike games, core mechanics are attributed to key gameplay items, such as how players regain health using the Estus Flask from Dark souls series or Medicinal gourd v Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. By extension, Elden Ring A similar approach was taken by the Spectral Steed Whistle item, which players need to summon the Torrent. If players would like to quickly summon a Torrent without going into their inventory, then the whistle can be assigned to item slots such as those in their pouch.

Elden Ring anticipated how much the torrent would affect soulslike gameplay

Based on this approach, FromSoftware seems to be aware of just how much Elden RingThe in-game mount pushes the boundaries of previous ideas and designs in Soulslike games. For example, players could use Torrent to their advantage, such as by going up against bigger or faster enemies, or running away from fights that are too difficult or when they are low on health. Requiring players to push back the item slot for the whistle is one of the steps FromSoftware is making to balance Torrent with traditional Souls-like gameplay.

Elden Ring drops a ball while reviving Torrent

However, while other features, such as allowing players to use only one hand while driving, go further towards balance Elden RingCombat mounted, Torrent's player-independent health is where FromSoftware's next open-world game could learn from. Although Torrent is healing Elden Ring isn't his biggest problem, the problems arise when the Torrent is killed and requires reviving to be resummoned. This can be done by blowing a whistle and spending one of the Flask of Crimson Tears charges, but an immersive game-breaking prompt forces the player to confirm this.

FromSoftware's next Open-World game should learn from the Elden Ring torrent

Despite seeming like a small detail, forcing this challenge on players was enough to cause frustration inside Elden Ring's community, even leading to mods that revive the Torrent by default, or social media memes like the one below.

Here, the mods outline one lesson that FromSoftware could learn from Elden Ring's Torrent that allows players to disable challenges through in-game options. Alternatively, to save players from wasting Flash of Crimson Tears charges, FromSoftware's next Soulslike game could include an upgrade to replace the next game's whistle, similar to the Estus Flask's own upgrades, where players can eventually remove any costs or challenges and instantly revive their steed. .