Elden Ringhas generated a huge amount of hype since its announcement, and that kind of excitement inevitably generates rampant speculation, rumors, leaks, and prediction. WhileElden Ringwill likely not launch for a long time, there is plenty of information, with varying reliability, floating around about what the game will entail and how From Software will once again leave its fans in awe. By far, the most fascinating tidbits have revolved around “kingdoms,” which are rumored to be central to the gameplay and setting, although no one knows exactly how.
Elden Ringwill not be the first From Software game with vying factions and multiple regions defined by their rulership, but the involvement of George R.R. Martin, the alleged scale of the game’s world, and several other sources suggest that kingdoms will be uniquely integral to gameplay and story in a way that they have not been in previous games. From Software rarely incorporates game mechanics that are not related to story elements, so how exactly they will tie such a large open world into both gameplay and lore will almost certainly shape the entire expereince.
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Elden Ring’s Kingdoms in the Story
There are a few key sources of evidence that kingdoms will play a large role inElden Ring. First and foremost is the importance of various factions and similar “kingdoms” in previous From Software games.Dark Souls 3’s storyincluded clashes between realms like Lothric, Pontiff Sullivan’s Irithyll, and Aldrich’s Cathedral of the Deep, whileSekiro’s story involved Ashina, the Ministry of the Interior, and various sub-factions within each side. It makes complete sense for From Software to transition those conflicts from hidden lore into a more central part of their new game.
The involvement of George R.R. Martin is another huge hint. The legendaryGame of Thronesauthor teamed up with FromS oftware to craft a mythos for the game, which is practically theperfect collaboration for creatingElden Ring’s story. Of course, one of the defining features ofGame of Thronesis its complex, multifaceted tale of politics and intrigue, which seems to be a perfect fit forElden Ring’s prospective setting.
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Lastly, arecent leak aboutElden Ring’s kingdomswent into an impressive amount of detail about how kingdoms will work in the game. This leak should be taken with one gargantuan grain of salt though, as sources are absent and much of the information included could just as well be educated guesses based on publicly available information. With that in mind, the leak states that there will be eight individual kingdoms in the game connected by the large central field, and each area will correlate to a starting position for one of the game’s classes. That makes a lot of sense considering what is known so far, and implies that the story of the game will rely heavily on the point of view of the player, encouraging multiple playthroughs.
From Software’s games often require multiple playthroughs and large-scale community collaboration to unveil deep stories that still remain up to interpretation. A game with so many factions and possible perspectives would doubtless be ripe for exactly that sort of storytelling, which many From Software fans have come to crave. This would be another way forElden Ringto improve onDark Souls' storytelling, evolving theSouls-like formula in a very different direction thanSekirodid.
Elden Ring’s Kingdoms in Gameplay
If the aforementioned leak hits anywhere close to the mark, which it very well may, it has big implications forElden Ring’s gameplay. Interestingly, there is already aSoulsgame that has a very similar system to the one alleged in the leak:Demon’s Souls. The progenitor of the entireSouls-like genre may never get its much-requested remaster, but it may find some continuation of its spirit inElden Ring. InDemon’s Souls, each of the game’s primary areas could be accessed in any order from the central hub, and would often be more or less difficult depending on the player’s class, setup, and playstyle.
If starting area is tied to class, then the difficulty of each of the other zones may be related more to player class than objective toughness. For example, a magic user might breeze through their starting area, but struggle through the beginning zones for a melee class. That would mesh well withElden Ring’s heavy RPG elementsand open world concept. It was much the same inDemon’s Souls, with enemies like skeletons posing a brutal challenge for anyone without a blunt weapon, falling easily before a low-level player with a mace.
A heavy emphasis on character creation and the re-introduction ofmultiplayer elementswould lend itself well to that sort of design, encouraging players to team up with others who are strong where they themselves are weak. This only lends more credibility to the leaks and rumors so far- the features that they suggest are almost all in line with From Software’s design philosophy and the direction that they are likely to take the game. Even if they are just educated guesses, they make an uncanny amount of sense.
Of course, another key feature of From Software’s signature style is that they always surprise even the most well-informed fans. From Software is such a renowned developer because they seem to take their design several steps deeper than anyone can predict, which has made theirSouls-like games into one of the mostenduring influences on modern game designin recent memory. There is no doubt that kingdoms will be extremely important toElden Ring’s story and gameplay, but even the wildest speculation may not come close to the level of care, attention to detail, and quality that will be packaged into the end product.
Elden Ringis in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
