10 New Features We're Most Excited About in Elden Ring

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VOICE OVER: Riccardo Tucci
WRITTEN BY: Caitlin Johnson
"Elden Ring" is set to have some pretty different features from past FromSoftware releases. For this list, we'll be looking at the most exciting new elements coming to the game. Our list includes the Birdseye Telescope, Crafting, Powerstancing, Stealth, and more!
Script written by Caitlin Johnson
"Elden Ring" is set to have some pretty different features from past FromSoftware releases. For this list, we'll be looking at the most exciting new elements coming to the game. Our list includes the Birdseye Telescope, Crafting, Powerstancing, Stealth, and more! Which new feature are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!
“Dark Souls” changed the game when it introduced the Estus Flasks that regenerate automatically every time you die or visit a bonfire. “Elden Ring” is going to develop the “Souls’” healing formula even further, because now you’ll be able to replenish your flasks when you clear a mob of enemies as well. You’ll get a different number of flasks depending on how big or difficult the enemies were, and there’s still a cap on how many you can carry in your inventory. But this does mean that if you’ve been exploring for a long time, you don’t need to worry about finding a rest spot to refill your healing items: you can just do it by getting into combat.
“Elden Ring” is going to introduce a full crafting system, more in-depth than any of the upgrade or boss weapon creation systems in previous FromSoft games. This means that you’re going to be scouring the Lands Between for important materials so that you can create consumable items. You will need another item to do this, the Crafting Kit, which you’ll also need to purchase with your precious runes, but after that, you’ve got it forever. Many of the plants and animals you’ll encounter in the world can be killed for the crafting resources and materials they provide, much like in other open-world games.
“Elden Ring” is going to give you an actual jump button. This is certainly going to take some getting used to if you’ve played the other games that leave you stuck to the floor, but it opens up a world of opportunities for your mobility. The game is going to have jump attacks that will make it even easier to stagger an enemy, as well as other special attacks related to terrain. For instance, you can attack while on a ladder now, and there are even more attacks to bring out as you fall.
Another new way to play “Elden Ring” is the addition of deep stealth mechanics. Now, if you played “Sekiro” in 2019 you’ll already be familiar with FromSoftware’s stealth credentials, as that game had a decent amount of sneaking around. There was also some stealth in “Bloodborne”, but it wasn’t anything like the stealth we’re going to be getting in “Elden Ring”. You’re even going to be able to sneak around and do instant-kill assassinations. It’s clear that FromSoft is taking a lot of the great parts of “Sekiro” and implementing them here, combining the best elements of every previous “Soulsborne” game into one incredible package.
The thing that makes “Elden Ring” truly different to its high fantasy predecessors is the open world. While the maps in “Dark Souls” games were “open” in that they were connected and you could walk between them, “Elden Ring’s” is huge and you’re free to explore all of it. However, if you find yourself lost or disoriented because of the map’s size and all the choices now afforded to you, never fear. The various Birdseye Telescopes placed around the map let you see the landscape from above, so you can spot major landmarks, points of interest, or anything else from a real vantage point. There’s also another telescope that you can carry around to see distant objects.
These can be collected in the world and applied to your weapon to change it up, boosting some attributes and negating others, making using one at all an interesting choice for any player. Or, indeed, deciding not to use one because you don’t want to risk the debuff. They’re definitely going to add more gameplay variety and can be equipped and unequipped as desired. Most can only be applied to a specific weapon type, but this further adds to the variety since all of your equipment can be buffed in numerous different and unique ways. Collecting those Ashes of War and working out which ones work best with your build is going to keep people occupied for years.
“Dark Souls II” may be a polarizing release – beloved by some, but hated by others – but it did have something great: powerstancing. Powerstancing will be making a grand and welcome return in “Elden Ring”, as seen in the network test. This means that if you’ve got two weapons of the same type, you can dual-wield them and gain access to an entirely new move-set, and it also lets you dual-wield any two weapons and just have more to do with them. You’ll have more builds at your disposal, more combat techniques, and more to learn.
“Elden Ring” has online functionality, something we’re very excited about since “Sekiro” didn’t have any co-op. This means that if you have the correct items, you can summon other players into your game to help you, you can invade other players, or you can offer your help. However, interestingly, “Elden Ring” also has an offline summons system. You could summon certain NPCs in other games, like “Bloodborne”, but in “Elden Ring” you’re going to be summoning “spirits”. These ghostly allies have hit points of their own and will vanish when they run out, but you can take advantage of them as long as you have the Spirit-Caller’s Ash. You also need to be within the vicinity of something called a “rebirth monument”.
Previously, certain maps and areas of worlds would look as if it’s always the daytime or always the night. Anor Londo is always sunset, for instance. This isn’t the case for “Elden Ring”, however, which has a true day/night cycle that means time will pass as you explore the world. Even “Bloodborne” fixed its time of night to certain in-game events, so this is very new for FromSoftware. There are also going to be some unique enemies that will appear at night, like the Black Knights, though the night-time won’t make the game much harder than it is during the day. It’s also got dynamic weather systems, so you’ll be seeing the Lands Between in many different states.
By far, “Elden Ring’s” biggest and most defining new feature is the Spectral Steed. This is your new horse, named Torrent, which you’ll be able to summon to your side whenever you like after you pick up an item called the Spectral Steed Whistle. You can traverse the world, platform over huge objects, use launch pads to gain incredible height, and engage your enemies in combat. You can be knocked off, however, which leaves you extremely vulnerable, and the horse is not available if you’re playing online – whether that’s being invaded, doing the invading, or getting assistance. It’s going to change up the gameplay drastically and make it even more fun.
"Elden Ring" is set to have some pretty different features from past FromSoftware releases. For this list, we'll be looking at the most exciting new elements coming to the game. Our list includes the Birdseye Telescope, Crafting, Powerstancing, Stealth, and more! Which new feature are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!
#10: Flasks
“Dark Souls” changed the game when it introduced the Estus Flasks that regenerate automatically every time you die or visit a bonfire. “Elden Ring” is going to develop the “Souls’” healing formula even further, because now you’ll be able to replenish your flasks when you clear a mob of enemies as well. You’ll get a different number of flasks depending on how big or difficult the enemies were, and there’s still a cap on how many you can carry in your inventory. But this does mean that if you’ve been exploring for a long time, you don’t need to worry about finding a rest spot to refill your healing items: you can just do it by getting into combat.
#9: Crafting
“Elden Ring” is going to introduce a full crafting system, more in-depth than any of the upgrade or boss weapon creation systems in previous FromSoft games. This means that you’re going to be scouring the Lands Between for important materials so that you can create consumable items. You will need another item to do this, the Crafting Kit, which you’ll also need to purchase with your precious runes, but after that, you’ve got it forever. Many of the plants and animals you’ll encounter in the world can be killed for the crafting resources and materials they provide, much like in other open-world games.
#8: Special Attacks
“Elden Ring” is going to give you an actual jump button. This is certainly going to take some getting used to if you’ve played the other games that leave you stuck to the floor, but it opens up a world of opportunities for your mobility. The game is going to have jump attacks that will make it even easier to stagger an enemy, as well as other special attacks related to terrain. For instance, you can attack while on a ladder now, and there are even more attacks to bring out as you fall.
#7: Stealth
Another new way to play “Elden Ring” is the addition of deep stealth mechanics. Now, if you played “Sekiro” in 2019 you’ll already be familiar with FromSoftware’s stealth credentials, as that game had a decent amount of sneaking around. There was also some stealth in “Bloodborne”, but it wasn’t anything like the stealth we’re going to be getting in “Elden Ring”. You’re even going to be able to sneak around and do instant-kill assassinations. It’s clear that FromSoft is taking a lot of the great parts of “Sekiro” and implementing them here, combining the best elements of every previous “Soulsborne” game into one incredible package.
#6: Birdseye Telescope
The thing that makes “Elden Ring” truly different to its high fantasy predecessors is the open world. While the maps in “Dark Souls” games were “open” in that they were connected and you could walk between them, “Elden Ring’s” is huge and you’re free to explore all of it. However, if you find yourself lost or disoriented because of the map’s size and all the choices now afforded to you, never fear. The various Birdseye Telescopes placed around the map let you see the landscape from above, so you can spot major landmarks, points of interest, or anything else from a real vantage point. There’s also another telescope that you can carry around to see distant objects.
#5: Ashes of War
These can be collected in the world and applied to your weapon to change it up, boosting some attributes and negating others, making using one at all an interesting choice for any player. Or, indeed, deciding not to use one because you don’t want to risk the debuff. They’re definitely going to add more gameplay variety and can be equipped and unequipped as desired. Most can only be applied to a specific weapon type, but this further adds to the variety since all of your equipment can be buffed in numerous different and unique ways. Collecting those Ashes of War and working out which ones work best with your build is going to keep people occupied for years.
#4: Powerstancing
“Dark Souls II” may be a polarizing release – beloved by some, but hated by others – but it did have something great: powerstancing. Powerstancing will be making a grand and welcome return in “Elden Ring”, as seen in the network test. This means that if you’ve got two weapons of the same type, you can dual-wield them and gain access to an entirely new move-set, and it also lets you dual-wield any two weapons and just have more to do with them. You’ll have more builds at your disposal, more combat techniques, and more to learn.
#3: Summons
“Elden Ring” has online functionality, something we’re very excited about since “Sekiro” didn’t have any co-op. This means that if you have the correct items, you can summon other players into your game to help you, you can invade other players, or you can offer your help. However, interestingly, “Elden Ring” also has an offline summons system. You could summon certain NPCs in other games, like “Bloodborne”, but in “Elden Ring” you’re going to be summoning “spirits”. These ghostly allies have hit points of their own and will vanish when they run out, but you can take advantage of them as long as you have the Spirit-Caller’s Ash. You also need to be within the vicinity of something called a “rebirth monument”.
#2: Day & Night
Previously, certain maps and areas of worlds would look as if it’s always the daytime or always the night. Anor Londo is always sunset, for instance. This isn’t the case for “Elden Ring”, however, which has a true day/night cycle that means time will pass as you explore the world. Even “Bloodborne” fixed its time of night to certain in-game events, so this is very new for FromSoftware. There are also going to be some unique enemies that will appear at night, like the Black Knights, though the night-time won’t make the game much harder than it is during the day. It’s also got dynamic weather systems, so you’ll be seeing the Lands Between in many different states.
#1: Spectral Steed
By far, “Elden Ring’s” biggest and most defining new feature is the Spectral Steed. This is your new horse, named Torrent, which you’ll be able to summon to your side whenever you like after you pick up an item called the Spectral Steed Whistle. You can traverse the world, platform over huge objects, use launch pads to gain incredible height, and engage your enemies in combat. You can be knocked off, however, which leaves you extremely vulnerable, and the horse is not available if you’re playing online – whether that’s being invaded, doing the invading, or getting assistance. It’s going to change up the gameplay drastically and make it even more fun.
