![]() It was a great feeling to know that unlike Dark Souls, where I had to beat my head against a troublesome boss if I wanted to progress, I was free to delve deeper and deeper into the Lands Between if I felt stuck against a certain encounter. It made me wonder just how far into the world I could get without ever having to face down one of the mighty demigods that ruled each domain. With a little bit of trial and error while exploring, I was able to slink past not only Stormveil Castle, but later the Academy of Raya Lucaria, which loomed tall over the second region like some evil Hogwarts. In fact, I soon realized there was nothing stopping me from bypassing Elden Ring’s main legacy dungeons entirely. ![]() Not once was I ever remotely instructed to visit most of these places, and the joys of discovery only grew greater and greater. If not for the faint outlines of the cavern ceiling, I might have thought I was looking directly into the cosmos. Later, I found a secret lift that took me deep down into an underground ruin with its own rivers and forests, illuminated by glimmering lights embedded in the rocks far above. Seeing the ever-present swirling fog of Stormveil fade away to reveal the large flooded valley of the region known as Liurnia of the Lakes made me almost forget I was being chased by wolves as I stopped to take it all in. This is even more apparent when taking in the sights of Elden Ring’s gorgeous vistas. Like most FromSoft titles, Elden Ring encourages and rewards exploration - and now has much more room for creativity than simply giving you more than one corridor in a castle to check out. In that sense, the early regions serve as a proving ground not only to test your mettle against various types of enemies big and small, but also as a veritable treasure trove of rewards hiding all over the place. Odds are if you thought the Network Test was too easy, you’re in for a rude awakening. Even brimming with confidence from my time in the Closed Network Test, I was swiftly put into my place by the first boss fight just trying to get into the dungeon proper, and I realized the previous beta may have given players a lot of powerful toys to play with much earlier than you’re going to find them now. But like trying to race right to Ganon from the start in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there’s a good chance the enemies in Stormveil Castle will wipe the floor with you. In truth, there’s nothing stopping you from running straight from the tutorial cave to the first main dungeon that houses one of several demigods you’re tasked to defeat. ![]() The first thing I learned after creating a brand new character for my short adventure was how absolutely essential the Lands Between is as a stepping stone to your journey to become an Elden Lord.
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