Which is the superior game: Elden Ring or Dark Souls 3?

Dark souls 3 vs Elden Rings : which is superior (Image via FromSoftware)
Dark souls 3 vs Elden Rings : which is superior (Image via FromSoftware)

Elden Ring, the newest game by FromSoftware, is undoubtedly heavily influenced by director Hidetaka Miyazaki's earlier titles, particularly the Dark Souls series. Elden Ring shares a lot of DNA with Dark Souls, the studio's former best-known game, resulting in undeniable parallels.

There are undoubtedly elements in Elden Ring that make it superior to Dark Souls, despite Elden Ring becoming as popular with critics and fans as Dark Souls was at the time. However, this isn't a straightforward improvement, as Dark Souls offers some features that the most recent game lacks.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinions.


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Which is the more enjoyable Role Playing Game: Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring?

1) Open World

Explore the magical realm and become the Elden lord (Image via FromSoftware)
Explore the magical realm and become the Elden lord (Image via FromSoftware)

The open environment of the Elden Ring is what distinguishes it from its forerunners and is one of the features that the game's marketing places the greatest emphasis on. Unlike Dark Souls, which has a linked but linear design, Elden Ring has a wide open environment that enables the player to walk practically anywhere right away, with linearity limited to certain Legacy Dungeons.

Explore the realm of Dark souls and uncover the secret (Image via FromSoftware)
Explore the realm of Dark souls and uncover the secret (Image via FromSoftware)

Even though Dark Souls includes a universe that is heavily connected and encourages exploration inside its levels, it isn't nearly as expansive as an open world.

Elden Ring has received praise for several reasons, including the gameplay modification, which many people consider to be an example of an open world that has done well and won this round.


2) Multiplayer

Hop on the game with your friends and take down foes (Image via FromSoftware)
Hop on the game with your friends and take down foes (Image via FromSoftware)

Dark Souls' peculiar multiplayer is part of what makes it so distinctive and idiosyncratic. Players can show up as Phantoms in other players' virtual worlds. They might travel to help, kill, protect specific regions, or punish sinful players.

Complete missions together and defeat all bosses together in unity (Image via FromSoftware)
Complete missions together and defeat all bosses together in unity (Image via FromSoftware)

The multiplayer in Dark Souls is renowned as a half-baked mishmash of mechanics with its invasion, summon, covenant, and other systems, but it nevertheless produces a distinctive experience that many cherish.

Elden Ring gets close, but its PvP falls short in some ways, not least of which is the fact that many people find it to be much more perplexing. So Dark Souls won the round.


3) Combat

Run, dodge, roll away from enemy attacks at perfect timing (Image via FromSoftware)
Run, dodge, roll away from enemy attacks at perfect timing (Image via FromSoftware)

The Souls series has always placed a strong emphasis on combat, with action-RPG games emphasizing problem-solving through martial arts. Despite being less open-ended than Elden Ring, Dark Souls' combat is nevertheless renowned for its engaging melee and enjoyable magic.

Ranged combat isn't really feasible in Dark Souls' level design, and the game's features also make it impossible to use stealth, horses, or other forms of transportation.

Players can virtually play the game anyway they choose because Elden Ring expands on all of these possibilities and more. Elden Rings won this round.


4) Experience

Experience open world gaming like never before (Image via FromSoftware)
Experience open world gaming like never before (Image via FromSoftware)

Elden Ring is an undeniable attraction, but playing in an open environment makes the game much more difficult. Relative to Dark Souls, which can be completed successfully as a series of sequential dungeon crawls, it provides the game with a great deal more material for a player to discover and can lead to a significantly longer playtime.

Defeat bosses to unlock a special place for players to roam (Image via FromSoftware)
Defeat bosses to unlock a special place for players to roam (Image via FromSoftware)

Elden Ring does indicate a crucial path for players, but completing that and only that gives access to a small portion of the game's material. Instead of finding secret passages, a player must travel great distances if they want to view everything in the Elden Ring. While many players like it, it may be intimidating for others. Dark Souls wins this round.


5) Bosses

Take down the strongest of the boss in the whole game (Image via FromSoftware)
Take down the strongest of the boss in the whole game (Image via FromSoftware)

Boss Design is one area where Hidetaka Miyazaki's games, including the Souls series, demonstrate design evolution. While there are many beloved boss battles in Dark Souls, they are often simpler. Many lack distinct stages, have shorter movement sets, and operate in a simplified context.

Learn the boss movement so you can defeat each boss with ease(Image via FromSoftware)
Learn the boss movement so you can defeat each boss with ease(Image via FromSoftware)

Elden Ring carries on the tradition started by Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and other Dark Souls games of making each boss, especially those in the storylines, more challenging and each battle more enjoyable.

Elden Ring's boss battles are undoubtedly one of its advantages with a variety of well-liked battles.


6) Duel

Duel with your friends for a friendly battle (Image via FromSoftware)
Duel with your friends for a friendly battle (Image via FromSoftware)

One of the most infamous battles in Dark Souls is the Boss Battle in Anor Londo, where the player faces off against both Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough simultaneously. Ornstein is quick, but Smough is slow and powerful. The battle is regarded as one of the most difficult in gaming and is well-liked by enthusiasts.

Enter certain duel areas to fight with friends, AI's and many more (Image via FromSoftware)
Enter certain duel areas to fight with friends, AI's and many more (Image via FromSoftware)

Elden Ring, like a number of previous FromSoftware titles, made an effort to recreate this battle by having players face off against the two bosses multiple times.

According to most accounts, it (Elden Rings) fails because the dual boss fights feature some of the game's most difficult boss fights' weakest opponents, so the winner of this round is Dark Souls.


7) Complete package

Elden Rings lets you experience rage, sadness, awesomeness in one game (Image via FromSoftware)
Elden Rings lets you experience rage, sadness, awesomeness in one game (Image via FromSoftware)

The first half of Dark Souls is generally regarded as being superior to the second, when a player starts to chase the Lord Souls, even if the entire game is a treasured classic.

This is owing, in part, to the latter portions feeling very literally incomplete, with players blaming development deadlines. The region most infamous for being undercooked and half-done is Lost Izalith, but it plays a significant role in the conclusion.

Uncover the dark truth that Dark Souls 3 hides (Image via FromSoftware)
Uncover the dark truth that Dark Souls 3 hides (Image via FromSoftware)

Elden Ring, on the other hand, appears to be complete.

Despite having significantly more material than Dark Souls, its reusable assets, together with far greater budget and production time, ensure that even the game's most remote, least important parts seem like they have been given time and care poured into them, providing a highly comprehensive and entertaining experience. Elden Ring won this round.


8) Originality

Original characters, storyline and gameplay in Dark Souls 3 (Image via FromSoftware)
Original characters, storyline and gameplay in Dark Souls 3 (Image via FromSoftware)

As a spiritual successor to Dark Souls, which it heavily borrows from in terms of gameplay, design, and mood, Dark Souls is not entirely original.

Nevertheless, it was praised as one of the most innovative and unusual games of its generation because of its brilliantly designed world, fun gameplay, and ambiguous and menacing tale.

Unearth locations never explored before (Image via FromSoftware)
Unearth locations never explored before (Image via FromSoftware)

The Elden Ring, while similarly lauded by spectators and critics, is less unique. Many see this as an evolution rather than a revolution because it radically changes the Dark Souls formula while also openly borrowing extensively from other Miyazaki titles. Despite this, many people still adore it and claim that "Dark Souls with an open universe" suffices.


Million dollar question: Which title is better?

One of the best soundtracks ever created for a videogame (Image via FromSoftware)
One of the best soundtracks ever created for a videogame (Image via FromSoftware)

Regarding the music composition, Dark Souls 3 is noticeably superior to Elden Ring. Nevertheless, both titles contain a number of flaws that prevent them from being the ideal experience. Ultimately, when the two are put side by side, Dark Souls 3 usually emerges on top.

Do you have what it takes to become an Elden Lord (Image via FromSoftware)
Do you have what it takes to become an Elden Lord (Image via FromSoftware)

It goes without saying that the newest iteration from FromSoftware features a number of new elements. Some of these have luckily made the experience miserable for many people, while others have worked out perfectly.


What Sets Elden Ring Apart?

The Elden Ring was created with the intention of expanding the Dark Souls genre beyond what the platform had previously delivered. Despite not exactly going in the right direction, the title is still a lot of fun to play for.

However, since open worlds have been introduced, it is more difficult for you to experience the same sense of urgency that used to accompany each completed assignment. Elden Ring's side bosses are incredibly weak, yet the major bosses are as powerful as those in Dark Souls 3.

The pace of the title has been noticeably slowed down by the inclusion of dynamic mechanisms like additional tools and newer things. Rather than confronting your worst nightmares, you are largely concerned with locating specific NPCs and items in the enormous globe.


What makes Dark Souls 3 so exciting?

A non-open-world, such as Dark Souls 3, limits the user's mobility to a predetermined path. While this diminishes the fun of exploring, it does allow the developers makers to handcraft a one-of-a-kind experience for the player base.

As a result, other bosses that are not adapted to the player's level can be challenged by other players. The notion is that providing players with too much control makes it difficult to perfect everything. As a result, the Elden Ring experience is not as unique as the one in Dark Souls 3.


The Ultimate superior title

Both titles perform admirably for their intended purposes. Elden Ring is by no means a bad iteration, but it does create a gap that has to be filled. It is a lot of fun to play on its own but leaves something to be desired when compared to other titles like Dark Souls 3.

The legendary moments created by Dark Souls 3 transcend what the title is meant to do and make it even more memorable for players. Elden Ring, on the other hand, enhances the visual attractiveness of a decaying environment in order to present its player base with a captivating story and experience.

Both are doing the same thing. Simply put, Dark Souls 3 does it better.


Conclusion

Overall, Dark Souls 3 beats Elden Ring. That does not automatically imply it is the best title available from FromSoftware, but it is almost there.

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