An Elden Ring player has managed to defeat one of the game’s bosses without taking a hit while simultaneously completing a game of Minesweeper, just to prove how overpowered the action RPG’s summoning system can become.
Elden Ring’s summons have become somewhat contentious since the game released. As with Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3, you’re able to summon friendly NPCs to fight by your side, calling on the spirits of fallen warriors to give you an edge over the game’s toughest enemies and bosses. While the game encourages you to use summons liberally, a small section of the Elden Ring community continues to disparage the mechanic, seeing it as cheapening the game’s prize.
Reddit user D-ISM has gone to great lengths to show just how overpowered those summons can become. Squaring off against optional boss Putrid Grave Warden Duelist, they summon the spirit of Ogha, the Redmane Knight, promptly position themselves in a t-pose on the side of the arena, and sit back while their knightly companion does all the work.
To drive the point home, D-ISM even brings up a game of Minesweeper during the fight, completing it in a fairly deft 78 seconds - the implication being it’s harder to get through a match of the desktop classic than it is to beat a boss in Elden Ring when you’ve got summons by your side. They also have a whack at Microsoft's Pinball and Solitaire, but aren't as successful with those.
Ogha is a particularly powerful spirit in Elden Ring who's able to fight in both close-combat and at ranged. As the Redditor’s video shows, they also have a powerful knockdown attack that stuns enemies, trapping them in an inescapable loop of arrow fire.
If you were to only watch this video, you’d get the impression that Elden Ring is a walk in the park. You'd also see that it's pretty funny to watch a player crack out Minesweeper while a putrid, ax-carrying mound of flesh struggles to charge toward them.
turning_on_elden_rings_autopilot_feature from r/Eldenring
Analysis: is Elden Ring really easy?
D-ISM’s video doesn’t tell the full story. While Elden Ring summons might feel like cheating, they’re carefully designed to supplement rather than counter the game’s punishing difficulty. There’s more to Elden Ring than just dodging and parrying your way to boss-beating victory, and you’re supposed to use its panoply of tools and magic to overcome the enemies festering within the Lands Between.
Summons aren’t golden tickets, either. As D-ISM points out, Ogha’s powerful knockdown attack is only effective against small enemies, so won’t do you much good against bigger Elden Ring bosses. Plus, the spirit has a mind of its own and will tend to wander off in search of other battles if the enemies you’re currently facing don't meet its interests.
So, don’t go thinking Elden Ring is a total piece of cake. You might be able to have a couple of hurried games of Minesweeper on occasion, but we reckon the words “You Died” will still be appearing on your screen pretty often.
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