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Soulslike games are challenging for beginners, but they are not automatically too difficult to enjoy. Their central skill is learning: you study enemy patterns, make mistakes, adjust, and try again. The experience varies considerably by game. ELDEN RING gives a new player room to explore elsewhere, improve a character, use Spirit Ashes or player summons, and return to a difficult fight later. A more linear Soulslike may offer fewer ways to change the situation. Expect a deliberate learning curve rather than an ordinary easy-to-hard menu, and choose a game whose pace and support tools match how you like to play.
What makes Soulslike games difficult?
The difficulty is usually intentional rather than a sign that you are playing incorrectly. The official DARK SOULS page describes a world in which players “must learn from death to persist through this unforgiving world.” In an interview about ELDEN RING, FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki similarly said: “We want players to use their cunning, study the game, memorize what’s happening, and learn from their mistakes.”
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Elden Ring (PS5) (European Version) | $34.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Elden Ring, 1 PS5-Blu-ray Disc | $74.25 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Elden Ring: Nightreign - Seekers Edition /PS5 | $43.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Bandai Namco Entertainment Elden Ring (PS5) | $40.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Elden Ring - PlayStation 5 | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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That creates a different loop from games in which you can usually overpower an encounter by choosing an easier setting. A first attempt at a boss may be useful even when it ends quickly: you learn the attack that reaches furthest, the pause before a grab, the distance at which a projectile is launched, or whether healing is safe. The next attempt is meant to use that information.
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- Timing matters more than button speed. Watching an animation and waiting for an opening is often safer than attacking as soon as you are close.
- Failure has a cost. Depending on the game, a defeat can require a run back to the encounter or put resources at risk, which makes careless attempts feel expensive.
- Knowledge compounds. Once you recognize an attack or level layout, later attempts become more controlled, even if your character has not changed.
This can be satisfying if you enjoy problem-solving, but frustrating if you expect steady progress on every attempt. There is no genre-wide statistic showing how many tries a beginner needs, and no objective ranking that proves one Soulslike is the easiest. Difficulty depends on the game’s structure, the tools it gives you, and your preferred pace.
#1 Best Overall
- Collaborating with George R.R. Martin to create the ELDEN RING mythos has been a genuinely delightful experience and a source of wonderful inspiration. The team is working hard to ensure that the world of ELDEN RING will be a fascinating place for players to explore, filled with peril and wonder from its furthest reaches to its lowest depths. This is a FromSoftware title through and through, rich in fantasy and RPG action. We sincerely hope you look forward to it.
- Building the world of ELDEN RING with Miyazaki-san and his team was a treat! The graphics, mythos, and action-RPG gameplay will deliver an unforgettable experience. I can’t wait for people to see what ELDEN RING has in store for them.” Said George R.R. Martin.
Are Soulslike games impossible if you have never played one?
No. “Challenging” and “impossible” are different claims. A new player can learn the conventions while playing, provided they are willing to observe before attacking and accept that some early attempts are information-gathering rather than victories.
The most useful mindset is to treat a defeat as a diagnostic. Ask what actually caused it: did you run out of stamina, heal inside an attack, stand too close to a delayed strike, or enter the fight without understanding the arena? Changing one behavior at a time makes improvement visible. Trying to win by repeating the same sequence usually produces the same result.
You also do not have to prove that you are playing “the right way.” Miyazaki said he wanted new players to feel “unpressured” and able to approach the game at their own pace. In games that provide summons, stealth, ranged options, exploration, or build variety, those are intended parts of the design, not illegitimate shortcuts.
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Why ELDEN RING is a practical first Soulslike
ELDEN RING is a plausible starting point for someone who likes exploration and wants several ways to respond to a difficult obstacle. Its official PlayStation page lists editions for PS4 and PS5: ELDEN RING – PS4 & PS5 games.
It does not have a conventional difficulty selector. Bandai Namco’s gameplay material instead emphasizes a world with different dangers and the freedom to approach situations through exploration, equipment, and allies. That distinction matters: there is no menu option that simply reduces enemy damage, but there are choices that can make a particular encounter more manageable.
Rank #3
- Elden Ring: Nightreign - Seekers Edition /PS5
Leave a hard fight and return later
An open world means a boss is not always a mandatory test at the moment you find it. If an area or enemy is overwhelming, travel elsewhere, collect materials, discover a different route, and return with a stronger character or a better understanding of your equipment. Bandai Namco specifically recommends exploring other areas or coming back to a difficult boss later.
Use Spirit Ashes and player summons
Spirit Ashes can draw an enemy’s attention, creating time to heal or attack from another angle. Multiplayer summons can also provide help, subject to the game’s online requirements and the specific encounter. These options change the pressure of a fight; they do not remove the need to learn what the boss does.
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Equipment and character development let you test different solutions. A shield may make a close-range exchange safer; a ranged attack can create distance; a different weapon may fit a boss’s openings better. Stealth and careful route selection can reduce the number of enemies you fight at once. You are not required to defeat every threat by standing directly in front of it.
How DARK SOULS differs for a beginner
DARK SOULS demonstrates the more traditional structure associated with the genre. Its official page explains that bonfires act as checkpoints and restore health and magic, while defeated enemies return when you rest. It also describes cooperative play. The result is a loop in which the checkpoint is valuable but the route between it and a difficult encounter may still matter.
| Beginner concern | ELDEN RING | DARK SOULS |
|---|---|---|
| Can you leave a difficult obstacle? | Yes. Its open world supports exploring other regions and returning later, according to Bandai Namco’s gameplay overview. | The official material describes a connected world and bonfire checkpoints; it does not establish the same open-world freedom to bypass a wall indefinitely. |
| Checkpoint or run-back structure | Fast-travel and varied sites of grace reduce some travel between activities; the exact route depends on the location. | Bonfires restore health and magic, but resting also respawns enemies, so the route to a boss can remain part of the challenge. |
| Summoned help | Spirit Ashes and player summons are available tools, with conditions that vary by situation. | The official page describes co-op, but the supplied source does not specify every summoning condition. |
| Combat approaches | Exploration, upgrades, equipment, stealth, ranged attacks and different builds can change how an encounter is handled. | The official source confirms the checkpoint and co-op structure but does not provide a complete comparison of stealth, ranged or build options. |
| Explicit difficulty setting | No conventional difficulty menu, according to Bandai Namco’s comparison material. | Not stated in the cited official page. |
Do not treat this table as a ranking of which game is easiest. It shows why the first experience can feel different: ELDEN RING gives you more ways to change the circumstances around a problem, while DARK SOULS makes the checkpoint-and-route loop more central.
A beginner’s first-session plan
You can make the learning curve less chaotic by giving each session a specific purpose. The following sequence is designed for ELDEN RING, where the cited support options are documented; other Soulslikes may not contain the same tools.
- Learn movement before chasing damage. Practice walking, dodging, blocking, sprinting and managing stamina against a low-risk enemy. Notice how long recovery takes after each action.
- Watch one enemy without attacking. Observe its range, delays and recovery animation. Your goal is to identify at least one safe opening, not to win immediately.
- Use a checkpoint deliberately. Rest when you need to replenish resources, but remember that the game may repopulate ordinary enemies after you do so.
- Try the obstacle once as reconnaissance. Enter the boss or difficult area with a simple question: what attack defeats me first, and where can I stand safely?
- Change one variable. Upgrade a weapon, alter equipment, use a Spirit Ash, summon another player, or approach from a different route. Avoid changing everything at once, because you will not know what helped.
- Leave when the fight stops teaching you. Explore another area, gather upgrade materials, and return later. Progress elsewhere is a designed strategy, not an admission that you failed.
- Set a stopping point. Repeated attempts while angry tend to produce rushed inputs. Take a break and return when you can watch the enemy again.
What should you expect during combat?
Observation before aggression
Many attacks have a readable start-up animation, but some are delayed to catch a panic dodge. Keep enough distance to see the motion, then respond rather than guessing. A shield, dodge, retreat or jump can each be correct depending on the attack and your equipment.
Resource management
Health, stamina, healing charges, ammunition and magic are all forms of decision-making. Spending every resource to deal a little extra damage can leave you unable to survive the next exchange. Learn when to disengage, and avoid beginning an attack that will leave no stamina for defense.
Run backs and checkpoints
If a game requires a return trip after defeat, the walk is part of its pressure. Use it to practice the route, but do not let a long run convince you that the boss is unbeatable. In DARK SOULS, bonfires restore health and magic while respawning enemies; in ELDEN RING, the open structure often lets you choose a different activity instead.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How much time does a first playthrough require?
Time varies with exploration, build experimentation, optional areas and how often you retry encounters. Bandai Namco describes fully exploring the Lands Between as a “100+ hour experience.” That is a publisher estimate for choosing comprehensive exploration, not an average completion time and not a promise that every player will spend that long. A focused route can be shorter; a completionist route can be longer.
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Best Value
- ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware Inc. and produced by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG and FromSoftware's largest game to date, set within a world full of mystery and peril
- Journey through the Lands Between, a new fantasy world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator of the influential DARK SOULS video game series, and George R. R. Martin, author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire
- Traverse the breathtaking world on foot or on horseback, alone or online with other players, and fully immerse yourself in the grassy plains, suffocating swamps, spiraling mountains, and foreboding castles
- Create your character in FromSoftware’s refi ned action-RPG and defi ne your playstyle by experimenting with a wide variety of weapons, magical abilities, and skills found throughout the world
- Charge into battle, pick off enemies one-by-one using stealth, or even call upon allies for aid - many options are at your disposal as you decide how to approach exploration and combat
Plan for uneven progress rather than a fixed number of levels per evening. You may spend one session learning a single boss and another session clearing several areas quickly because the earlier practice paid off.
How to choose your first Soulslike
Judge a game by the support and pace it offers, not by reputation alone. Before buying, look for answers to these questions:
- Can you leave an obstacle and progress elsewhere, or is the route mostly linear?
- What happens after death: is the checkpoint close, and do enemies return?
- Can you summon an NPC or another player?
- Are stealth, ranged attacks, equipment changes or different builds meaningful options?
- Is there an explicit difficulty setting, or does the game rely on in-world tools?
- Does the pace suit you: slow observation and deliberate encounters, or faster pressure and shorter recovery windows?
The available evidence is strongest for ELDEN RING and DARK SOULS; do not assume every game marketed as Soulslike has their checkpoints, summons or exploration systems. If you want flexibility and enjoy wandering, ELDEN RING is a reasonable first example. If you prefer a tighter, more directed structure and are comfortable repeating routes, a classic checkpoint-focused design may suit you better.
Common beginner mistakes and practical fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| You die while healing | You heal inside the enemy’s attack range or during an active combo. | Create distance first, wait for a recovery animation, then heal. |
| You are hit immediately after dodging | You dodge on reflex against a delayed attack or roll repeatedly without watching timing. | Watch the attack’s release and make one deliberate dodge. |
| Every attempt looks identical | You are repeating a plan that the encounter has already punished. | Change one variable: position, equipment, upgrade, summon or route. |
| The journey to the boss is exhausting | The checkpoint is distant or resting respawns enemies. | Learn a safer path, avoid unnecessary fights, or choose another area while you improve. |
| You feel guilty using help | You are treating optional support as a test of legitimacy. | Use the tools the game provides; the objective is to find an approach you enjoy. |
When a Soulslike may genuinely be a poor fit
These games may not suit you if repeated failure feels unacceptable, if you need a selectable difficulty level, or if you prefer constant forward progress without revisiting encounters. That is a preference, not a lack of skill. Even a flexible game can demand patience, and no support option guarantees that every player will enjoy its rhythm.
For everyone else, the first few hours are best understood as learning a new grammar of movement, timing and risk. Once you stop measuring success only by whether the latest attempt ended in victory, each encounter supplies information you can use. The genre remains demanding, but demanding is not the same as inaccessible.
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