Elden Ring boss says using guides is ‘perfectly valid’ but it shouldn’t be required

Shadow Of The Erdtree is guide-approved (Bandai Namco)

FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has outlined his stance on using guides when playing their games, as he tries to embrace new players.

Dark Souls, Bloodborne and other FromSoftware titles have garnered a reputation for their uncompromising difficulty, with many players turning to guides for help getting through bosses or tracking down certain items.

Elden Ring might be the most approachable in terms of difficulty but it’s also the most expansive, with its huge open world making guides especially useful when it comes to combing every nook and cranny within The Lands Between.

Ahead of Elden Ring expansion Shadow Of The Erdtree, which adds a new realm into the mix, FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has spoken about the proliferation of guides around its games, explaining that they’re designed without those in mind.

‘We obviously understand [players use guides], but we don’t make or plan anything with that as a prerequisite,’ Miyazaki said in an interview with PC Gamer. ‘If anything, we try to cater to the player who is completely blind and wants to go through organically.

‘If they can’t do it, then there’s some room for improvement on our behalf, and we’d like to try to embrace those players more in the future.’

While he doesn’t want guides to be a requirement for Elden Ring, Miyazaki describes using them as a ‘perfectly valid playstyle’, adding: ‘We respect those players who like to approach it with a guide in hand. We just want to let you know it’s not our prerequisite, designing the game in their favour.’

Regardless of whether you use a guide or not, Shadow Of The Erdtree looks set to pose a significant challenge with a stack of new bosses and weapon types to master. Just make sure you’ve met all the requirements to access the DLC.

There isn’t long to wait either, with Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree set to be released later this month on June 21, 2024.

Elden Ring returns in a big way this month (Bandai Namco)

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