Elden Ring players normalize using summons in the DLC

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is already a kick in the ass for players. The hard DLC takes a challenging game and makes it even harder. Players are making jokes about how a character higher than level 500 and with the strongest build in the game can be pulverized by a random creature in a field. Now that it’s out, FromSoftware has successfully cemented its reputation for making difficult games, but that’s not all. Players themselves and the culture surrounding FromSoftware games can play it Old Ring even more difficult, because some players shame others because they certain objects or fighting styles.

As FromSoftware developers have diversified the toolkits players can use to defeat their games’ many monsters, a subset of avid fans have responded by discussing which ways to beat the game are valid. Tools like the Mimic Tear Ashes can summon a duplicate of a player character to fight alongside them during a boss battle, or magic spells like Meteorite or Astel can fire a barrage of meteors at an enemy. These items exist in the regular base version of the game, but some people claim that they can reduce specific challenges because they can be used from afar. Now the difficulty level is even higher for Shadow of the Erdtreeprominent streamers and players on social media platforms like Reddit are taking to the platforms to discuss why it’s actually okay to use these tools, especially now that the DLC has become even more difficult.

Im_dontai, a streamer with over 1.9 million followers on Twitchhas been streaming the DLC since its release. In one clip, he railed against the broader culture of players who disapprove of features like a magical build or the Mimic Tear, and people who complain about the game’s difficulty.

“It’s because y’all play it the way the internet makes you feel like you should play,” Imdontai said on a stream. “Yo, no magic, no summons, no mimicry, no armor. (…) The game is hard as hell, and I’ve got my damn Mimic by my side, buddy. I play how I want to play. I don’t care who calls me a bitch, and neither should you. Play the game the way you want to play it.”

The idea that Old Ring must be played without summons comes from before that game’s release and is tied to a decade-plus conversation about difficulty in FromSoftware’s previous games. All modern FromSoftware games include ways for players to get help with certain challenges, by enlisting NPCs or other players to fight alongside them. Old Ring also greatly expanded on the repertoire of fighting styles and magical powers available to players. Yet there are still players who say this isn’t the “right” way to play a FromSoftware game. If you had a problem beating a boss, magic and summons aren’t the answer. The correct response, according to die-hard fans, was to be “git gud” and learn the correct attack patterns for each boss without the need for ranged magic attacks, NPC sumons, or (in the case of Old Ring) mind-set. But now players have the DLC in their hands, and it’s… well… really heavy! So much so that it’s led to a broader conversation about the role of summons and other supports in the game.

Reddit user TheHessianHussar shared a post post on Reddit discuss summons that have been upvoted more than 11,000 times. “To anyone still not using summons… Just do it. The game is literally balanced around summons,” the user said. “I’m an old-school souls gamer myself, and I was one of the people who refused to use summons because I wanted to play the old way. The ‘ethical’ way, I told myself. But let me tell you, they are no longer optional.”

Commentators responded to the general sentiment to push back against those who say you shouldn’t play the game with the extra support. One person responded by saying feeling for “low self-esteem, insecure teenage bullshit,” and others said that people who don’t like players using summons can “touch the grace.” It’s not like using sorcery and summons makes a difficult game that much easier; every player still has to learn how to fight every boss. Additionally, Old Ring is largely a single-player game, and whether or not someone uses summons has no impact on other players.

The Reddit post insinuated that you need summons to beat the DLC. That’s not entirely true, but maybe it’s time to just let people play the game the way they want. In heartfelt conversations about the idea of ​​using no-summons runs in Elden RingSome players have talked about how “rewarding” it can feel. No matter how you play Old Ringwhether you like it as a horse girl simulator or as your play it for fashioncan make the game feel rewarding. You can even run away and that’s still a valid way to deal with an overwhelming enemy! So now at least some players are supporting each other — with or without a call — in playing the game the way everyone wants.