Fans of the ever-popularSoulsseries, as well as its similar playing spin-offs, went mad when a trailer revealing FromSoftware’s newest game,Elden Ring, was shown during E3 2019, with many praising a return to the dark fantasy genre that madeSoulssuch a beloved franchise.
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So far, fans have only been given a short cinematic trailer and a few key pieces of information, but what has been revealed paints an exciting picture of what is to come. As far as what the game will actually play or look like, one can only go on rumors and speculation until it’s officially confirmed by FromSoftware.
10Fact: George R.R. Martin Is Behind The Worldbuilding
Even if someone has never heard of FromSoftware orDark Souls, they more than likely have heard of George R.R. Martin. As the author of one of the most successful adult fantasy series,A Song of Ice and Fire, it’s needless to say that fantasy fans can look forward to the nextSouls-like game.
Martin was confirmed to be linked to the upcoming title during the reveal presentation, working alongside long timeDark Soulsdirector Hidetaka Miyazaki.
9Rumor: 5 Different Endings
One of the major draws of the Souls franchise, as well asBloodborneandSekiro, is its replayability. It’s easy for three players to each see a different ending to the game depending on their playstyle and how much they chose to ignore the side content, butElden Ringis supposedly even bigger, with fivedifferent endings.
Soulsendings are generally fairly different from one another and usually add another layer to the already rich lore of their respective worlds, so it’s unsurprising to hear thatElden Ringwill have multiple endings when it’s released. Players will just have to wait and see to confirm exactly how many endings there are.
8Fact: Published By Bandai Namco
UnlikeBloodborneandSekiro, which were published by Sony and Activision respectively,Elden Ringwill be published by Bandai Namco, the same as theDark Soulsseries. Some are seeing this as a grand return to form for FromSoftware, as many potential buyers were hesitant to invest inSekiroknowing that Activision was behind publishing.
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While it turned out that players had nothing to worry about and Sekiro went on to become one of the best games of this generation and wonseveral awards, it seems unlikely thatElden Ringwill face the same problems as its predecessor did.
7Rumor: Each Class Starts In A Different Area
In a twist on many modern RPGs, it has been rumored that each class of character will begin in a different place in the world. While this sounds exciting, if true, it also begs the question of howElden Ringwill handle difficulty.
Traditionally, enemies increase in difficulty as new areas open up to the player, but if each player is going to take adifferent routeto the end, then the enemies will either always be the same difficulty or there will be some kind of scaling system as one completes an area.
6Fact: Will Be “Open-World”
Aside from the overall scale ofElden Ringpromising to be the biggest world created by FromSoftware, Miyazaki claimed it would be an “open-world” game, although clarified that it might not be the right phrasing for the type of game he is making.
Either way, the promise of being able to explore a world on an even larger scale than previously seen promises to make for an exciting game.
5Rumor: Horse Riding And Mounted Combat
As with any open-world game, the topic of convenient transportation is always an issue for players. InElden Ring’s case, rumors have been circulating that players will not only be able toride on horsebackbut also bears, tigers, and other more unique creatures in the world.
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While it is an exciting idea, FromSoftware games haven’t had anything like it in their games before, and if the rumor is true, it could be present an interesting new twist on traditionalSoulscombat with the addition of mounts.
4Fact: Will Keep Intense Boss Fights
During his E3 interview, Miyazaki confirmed thatElden Ringwould keep the intense, tough as nails boss fights that fans of theSoulsseries have come to know and love.
This is entirely unsurprising, considering it seems like FromSoftware has well and truly found a comfortable niche in creatingSouls-like games. It seems the studio is unlikely to go back to making theArmored Coreseries any time soon, despite how long it has been since its last release.
3Rumor: Also Being Released On Generation 9 Consoles
As well as most of the current generation of consoles, it has been rumored thatElden Ringwould also be coming to the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This can be seen as both exciting and worrying, as there are concerns that a port to the next generation of consoles will postpone its already unknown release date.
On the flip side, it could make for one of the first times sinceBreath of the Wildon the Nintendo Switch that a new generation of consoles have a decent game library to back it up – even if it’s only one game.
2Fact: A Return To Customizable Characters
WhileSekirowas a well-received title, many fans of past FromSoftware games didn’t appreciate that there was no way to customize the main character.
In his E3 interview, Miyazaki confirmed that character customization would return inElden Ring, as he felt that it suited the RPG mechanics of the game that the team was trying to focus on. For players who like to make their characters look utterly ridiculous as in pastSoulsgames, they might be in luck.
1Rumor: Release Date
Unfortunately for people waiting on bated breath for this title, there’s no definitive release date as of yet. That being said, it is rumored thatElden Ringwill release some time in late 2020 or mid-2021, based on a couple of factors.
Firstly, the game is said to be in a similar development cycle asSekiro, meaning if it started around the release ofThe Ringed CityDLC forDark SoulsIII, it should be nearing completion by late 2020. Secondly, it has been rumored to be released on next-generation consoles as well as the current generation, which are also expected to be released at the end of 2020.
