Why an Elden Ring 'Return to the Midlands' event could be a big question

Elden Ring It accomplished something that many long-time FromSoftware fans never thought possible: it decisively brought Soulslike’s brutally difficult gameplay to the mainstream. While Elden RingFromSoftware’s cultural importance could perhaps have been predicted given the growing popularity of FromSoftware titles. after demon soulsThe gigantic reach and influence of the historical title was truly a surprise.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why. Elden Ring achieved the widespread success it did, surpassing companies like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and dark souls 3 before, but some educated guesses can be made. On the one hand, the massive scale of Elden RingFromSoftware’s open world, supported by clever environment design that facilitates exploration, made it an appealing prospect for new audiences; His reputation in popular culture was defined by more than just his intimidating difficulty. This type of accessibility allowed Elden Ring be much more engaging, welcoming new players while also being true to what returning fans had become accustomed to. With so much popularity, Elden Ring It would be perfect for a “Back to” event, but its own marketing appeal could be a hindrance in this regard.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Final Boss Nerf is a good sign for the future

The Elden Ring DLC may still host the toughest boss FromSoftware has ever created, but the developer was able to learn its limits because of it.

An Elden Ring ‘Return to the Midlands’ event could be complicated

Understanding ‘Return to’ events in FromSoftware games

FromSoftware games take a unique approach to multiplayer: players can summon each other to help in boss fights or participate in PvP battles, but they can also leave notes via an intentionally obtuse messaging system. This combination of asynchronous and real-time multiplayer lends itself to a strong sense of community, as it’s easy for players to feel like they’re fighting alongside kindred spirits, facing the same challenges and discovering the same story beats.

However, this sense of community can wane once the glow of excitement over each game’s initial release wears off, prompting “Return To” events, usually around the anniversary of the corresponding FromSoftware game. Examples of this would be:

transmitted by blood: Return to Yharnam
dark souls: Return to Lordran
dark souls 2: Return to Drangleic

These community-run events are both a celebration of the original games and a revitalization of their multiplayer components, helping to create a boom in matchmaking and PvP messaging, which can be a nice trip down memory lane. One would only assume that a similar annual event will eventually be hosted on FromSoftware’s best-selling game.

Elden Ring’s huge size could negatively affect an anniversary event

During, say, transmitted by bloodIn the Return to Yharnam event, players can expect to find a series of notes, both useful and fun, along the linear path through the game’s main story. Since everyone has pretty much the same experience, visiting certain locations, and fighting bosses in more or less the same order, the aforementioned sense of community is strong and consistent for everyone. But Elden Ring is huge and non-linear, doubly so after the addition of The shadow of the ErdtreeThe huge new map, which makes this type of universal experience practically impossible to recreate. In other words, Elden Ring It may be too long, wide and deep to host the same type of “Back to” events as its predecessors.

Furthermore, the unprecedented popularity of Elden Ring could make its scale a relative factor for future “Back to” celebrations. If millions of players return to The Lands Between at the same time, rather than thousands, then the game could still be densely repopulated with notes and PvP opportunities, with enough natural variation for everyone to experience something new. It may not be exactly the same as FromSoftware’s previous game anniversary events, but it could be just as fun, just in a different way.