When it comes to games that are all about the concept of “git gud,” there is going to be pushback when the drive to get better or learn the right strategy simply becomes too much to bear. The reason that FromSoftware has become famous for its Soulslike titles is that they were able to find the right balance that helped them push the game’s difficulty to certain levels while also ensuring that the game wasn’t impossible to win. However, with Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, that barrier has apparently been broken in most gamers’ minds. You might have seen the earlier post about a balance update, but fans are taking things a bit farther than that.
As noted by PCGamer, the modding site NexusMods has been filled up with mods for the Elden Ring DLC, and they’re mostly focused on making the game easier to play. For example, there’s one mode called “Journalist Mode” that allows gamers to take 50% less damage. When it comes to this title, that could be a godsend for those who have been seriously struggling. Or, if you simply want to get through the DLC without a challenge at all, there’s a mod that’ll let you take no damage no matter the fight. Some might call that cheating, but others would call it a “relief,” given the trials they had to go through up until that point.
For those who don’t want to get rid of the challenge fully, there are some mods that are simply about giving players extra in-game abilities without having to grind a BUNCH of levels to unlock them naturally.
So, we’ll ask the obvious question here, “Are people missing the point?” It’s difficult to answer, as the DLC has been called “far too difficult,” even by FromSoftware standards. The game’s director even noted before release that they were trying to “push the difficulty” in meaningful ways, and they might have got a bit too caught up in that. It’s hard to say.
It’s also important to say that despite the “Journalist Mode” that a certain mod joked about, there were plenty of journalists, including ones we personally know, that beat the game before it even released! That meant they didn’t have guides or mods to help them. Certain journalists online even called out these mods because they didn’t need them, and thus, the “Journalist Mode” title is a bit of a fallacy.
If nothing else, you now have options for handling the DLC, which is good to know.
