An Elden Ring Sequel Needs to Use One of Dark Souls’ Best Tricks

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An Elden Ring Sequel Needs to Use One of Dark Souls' Best Tricks

Key Takeaways

  • An Elden Ring sequel seems likely given its success, despite future DLC being ruled out.
  • The sequel could revisit The Lands Between in a new time period, possibly as a prequel.
  • By transforming its iconic setting, an Elden Ring follow-up could offer rich lore and gameplay potential.

As a seasoned gamer with countless hours spent traversing the dark and enigmatic worlds of FromSoftware games, I can’t help but feel the tantalizing promise of an Elden Ring sequel looming on the horizon. With the success of the base game and its DLC, it seems inevitable that the developers will return to The Lands Between for another round of intricate storytelling and challenging combat.

Despite director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s known aversion to making sequels, given the phenomenal success of Elden Ring with over 25 million units sold and its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC shifting another 5 million units, it seems inevitable that we might see a sequel to this game in the future. Although additional content for Elden Ring has been ruled out, there is still potential for a new installment in the series, and its remarkable sales definitely motivate FromSoftware to consider developing it further. If a sequel to Elden Ring ever materializes, it could capitalize on its distinctive setting in a way similar to how FromSoftware expanded upon the Dark Souls trilogy.

Originally, the game ‘Dark Souls’ introduced countless gamers to the realm of Lordran. Following a brief stopover at Drangleic in ‘Dark Souls 2’, players were given a fresh perspective on Lordran in ‘Dark Souls 3’, witnessing how time had transformed many iconic zones from the first installment of the series. The open world of The Lands Between is widely regarded as one of the finest ever created for a video game, and it would be a shame not to revisit it after just one journey. If ‘Elden Ring 2’ were to emulate ‘Dark Souls 3’, it could offer players a compelling reason to return to The Lands Between.

Dark Souls Cleverly Reuses Levels as a Means of Environmental Storytelling

Lordran Wears Many Faces in the Dark Souls Trilogy

Although Dark Souls 3 appears to be set in a new kingdom called Lothric, it subtly connects its setting to the realm of the initial Dark Souls, Lordran. It’s challenging to determine the precise time gap between the two games, but recurring NPCs and locations in both suggest a bond beyond just being part of the Dark Souls series. While numerous areas in Dark Souls 3 resemble locales from the original Dark Souls, the two places that seem to reveal the most about the world’s evolution between them are the original Firelink Shrine and Anor Londo.

As I delve into the enigmatic Ringed City, I can’t help but be struck by the haunting beauty of the Firelink Shrine – a testament to its originality and history. This once grand location was likely Lordran, now swallowed by the earth beneath us. Unlike other Dark Souls locales, Anor Londo remains aloft, a city on a hill untouched by the burial that befell other lands. However, the decay of its once radiant spires whispers tales of time’s relentless march and the events that unfolded since the Chosen Undead ignited the First Flame.

How an Elden Ring Sequel Could Play With the Flow of Time in its World Design

In a potential sequel for Elden Ring, FromSoftware might draw heavily on their expertise from the Dark Souls trilogy. However, it’s important to note that they are not bound by any rules or conventions regarding the direction of the storyline. While there seems to be a significant time gap between Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3, indicating that centuries (possibly millennia) have passed, an Elden Ring sequel could take a different approach. Instead of depicting the once-majestic cities of The Lands Between slowly decaying over time, FromSoft might choose to delve into the past and showcase the world at its zenith.

Should a sequel to Elden Ring be developed, it could potentially thrive by updating and reinventing its distinctive world in a manner similar to how FromSoftware reworked the setting for the Dark Souls series.

Exploring places such as the underworld cities of Nokstella and Nokron when they were inhabited by the mysterious Nox, Elphael before it was tainted by the demigod twins’ corruption, or Leyndell during the Golden Order’s zenith would be an exciting opportunity to delve into some of The Lands Between’s most renowned locations in a future installment of Elden Ring. By designing this sequel as a prequel rather than a direct continuation, we could creatively reshape iconic locales from The Lands Between while adding depth to their captivating lore.

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2024-08-23 21:13