Elden ring has no doubt lived up to its expectations and is something we are all looking forward to playing; this article will address any doubts you have about the gameplay mechanics and especially the combat style.
Magic and ranged:
The magic and range-focused combat seems to be a massive improvement and is quite fun to play. People might be getting a considerable mobility boost since players will be able to move and cast some spells on horseback quickly.
Another big focus this time around is on summonable AI spirits to draw enemies or even deal some damage for you. This should help with stationary spells and attacks with a long cast time.
Some spells also have allow for a hybrid playstyle between ranged and melee attacks, some spells are just to be cast and forgotten as they will do everything else for you, and you can focus on dealing damage with another weapon.
The bow has also turned out to be very agile as it allows you to move around freely while you’re firing it. You can also sneak up on targets, and if you fire at them the special arrow which incapacitates a target from stealth allows you to creep up on them and then finish them.
You also craft items like this on the go presuming you have the required resources, overall we can say that Elden Rings seems to have gone with a 50 50 balance between close range damage and ranged attacks.
Melee combat:
There is a lot to talk about in melee combat. We can see instances of players absorbing attacks which they then use to charge their own attacks. It also seems that the special attacks of different weapon types are going to be a significant deciding factor for your builds; these can be things like range strikes or long combos that certainly don’t seem to obey the laws of physics. Some classes also give you the ability to jump around freely while attacking, which also appears to be a focus here as well.
Plunging or some heavy attacks can even break enemy stances which allow for a critical hit if you land them. You can also stall out charged heavy attacks and release them with a bit more flexibility.
We also thankfully still have those old fashioned parries and blows, so it is safe to say that the melee combat system in Elden Ring is looking to be quite impressive, something that we have seen that your choice in weapons is going to affect your playstyle primarily due to its special attacks significantly.
And that’s about how we can sum up Elden Rings combat system. If you would like to see a more visual representation check out the video below, you can also see my other article on all the spells that are out in Elden Ring.
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