Some people like developing an artistic skill. This is that. Fuck up on the piano? Start that part over and get it right this time. Fuck up in elden ring? Start that part over and get it right this time. Both have acceptable amounts of variation that lead to success. Elden ring is in fact easier, because things can change that aren’t solely your skill level (stats/gear). There’s a lot of reasons the souls series and similar games are conducive to speedrunning, this loop of self-improvement is a major one.
When I read comments like yours, they come across as saying “practicing anything is stupid and I do not see the benefit”. It’s easy: practicing anything is fun and you only get to see the benefit after you fail, then succeed. If there’s some mental disconnect you have where you can’t envision success for yourself, or you think succeeding won’t be fun, it certainly isn’t the fault of the game or the community.
And some people don’t want to deal with the difficulty and just want to explore. Sure, it’s not rewarding for you, but it is for them. So yeah, I think a separate easy mode would be fine as long as you still get to choose it and it’s not forced on you.
Exploring the DLC instead of ramming your head against bosses LITERALLY makes it easier, providing ~60% damage reduction BEFORE ARMOR in the dlc zone via scattered consumables. You didn’t even try to play the game you are implying you want to
There already is an “easy mode”. It’s an RPG, you can just over-level yourself and max out your weapon upgrades if it’s too hard. If that’s not enough you can summon two whole players to do the fighting for you.
To prep for the DLC I made a new character, beelined it to my favorite spot to grind runes, and with my character at level 100 I just went through the world 1/2-shotting all the mobs. Then for all the bosses I couldn’t kill in a handful of shots I just summoned two people to help. It does take patience but you can make the base game an absolute cakewalk.
Well, again, a separate easy mode wouldn’t affect you at all. Not everyone is going to be like you. You and I find it rewarding to overcome the difficulties the game presents, and for people who want an easy mode to explore and have a chill time with, it’d be just as rewarding for them to focus on what they want to focus on. I really don’t see the point of getting all bent out of shape over it. Even papa Miyazaki said he is OK with people wanting to use mods to make the game easier or to do silly things (as long as it’s offline so it doesn’t ruin it for others), as long as they’re having fun, that’s all that matters. I would be fine with an easy mode. Everyone has different definitions of fun, after all, and tbh, I do see the obvious appeal of an easy mode. It would expand the player base, for one. It’d open it up for casual less skilled players, which I see as a net win. The gatekeeping mentality of this community has to go.
