Summary
After the success of the base game and the Colosseum update,Elden Ringshould double down on the community’s active support for PvP. One way to do this is to revive a past FromSoftware mechanic that blended PvP with traditional boss fights and bring it to futureElden Ringcontent.
Not only would this give connoisseurs ofElden Ring’s PvP multiplayer a new way to play, but it could naturally add an interesting layer to the game thatElden Ring’s boss fightsare missing out on. Also, it could pave the way forElden Ring’s PvP multiplayer to have a much-needed progression system and incentives for players to regularly engage in PvP.
Dark Souls 3 Features That Should Return For Elden Ring
PvP Boss Fights
In the Ringed City DLC forDark Souls 3, players can encounter a boss fight that involves dueling with another player instead of a traditional boss fight against an NPC. Upon entering the fog wall in the Church of Filianore, an eligible player who is pledged to the Spears of the Church Covenant will be summoned, who will then assume the role of the boss in this encounter. Ultimately, this is an extremely memorable fight due to how unique and challenging it is.
Given the large following PvP multiplayer has inElden Ring, it’s arguably time that this unique FromSoftware boss fight mechanic makes a comeback. With the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion coming in the near future, this expansion would naturally be a good candidate to host this kind of encounter. Otherwise, anyfuture expansions forElden Ringshould also consider giving this feature a chance.
While this specific boss fight inDark Souls 3was required for players to progress in the Ringed City expansion, the PvP element of it was technically optional. IfElden Ringbrings this kind of mechanic back it should also make it optional. That way, players who usemods forElden Ringor those who prefer not to participate in PvP can still progress beyond this encounter.
Dark Souls 3isn’t the only FromSoftware game to feature this kind of boss fight mechanic, with a similar boss fight for the Mirror Knight inDark Souls 2and the Old Monk inDemon’s Souls. However, speaking ofDark Souls 3, this could be a good opportunity to bring another feature from the game toElden Ring, the PvP Covenants.
PvP Covenants
As much of a role that PvP plays in the game’s community, there is surprisingly little to no progression to be earned from engaging in or winningPvP multiplayer inElden Ring. Reintroducing mechanics similar toDark Souls 3’s Covenants could be a great way to give players an incentive for regularly participating and achieving victory inElden Ring’s PvP. The Covenants inDark Souls 3allowed players to pledge themselves to several different factions that corresponded to bosses or regions in the game to participate in PvP activities that were tied to those areas.
Elden Ringalready has a feature that plays out quite similarly to how the Covenants worked inDark Souls 3, via the Blue and White Cipher Rings. These rings allow players to either request or volunteer themselves to be a Hunter that will answer the call to join another player and defend them from Invaders. However, the key difference between this feature inElden Ringand theCovenants inDark Souls 3is that there are no exclusive rewards or progression for Hunters to gain. Consequently,Elden Ringshould consider adding a variety of Covenants that players can pledge themselves in service to, where they could earn worthwhile rewards for regularly playing PvP multiplayer.
