Everyone likes a challenge from time to time, some even where their hobbies are concerned. That’s whyElden Ringand other Soulsborne-type games have so many players from day to day. It’s a far cry from games that make you feel invincible, but it can be a lot of fun trying to overcome unforgiving enemies that are so obviously stacked against you.
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When exploring Caelid and the rest of the land between, sometimes you want even more of a challenge. Whether you have already beat the game before, or you just want to have the most challenging experience possible, there are actually ways to make Elden Ring even harder than a normal playthrough.
8Use A Different Controller
Why not dive into Elden Ring with an alternative to a controller or mouse and keyboard? This is a great option for tech-gurus and PC players especially.
you’re able to find plenty of odd playthroughs online, with a wide array of controller alternatives. Dance pads, pianos, even bananas have all been used to attempt to beat a game that many consider to be hard enough already. It’s an odd challenge to enter into, but, with some creativity, you can find yourself a controller that is both odd and adds an extra bit of toughness for your next tarnished.
7Go Against The Meta
The creators of the game have done well to make sure there is no one-hit-wonder weapon to break the game with. That being said, not every weapon is built the same.
You’ll have a lot better luck with Rivers Of Blood than you will a Zweihander or basic Club. That’s just how it goes. Do some sleuthing and see what weapons consistently have little to offer even at higher levels, and use solely that weapon. It is a rough idea, but one that will make you appreciate blocking and dodging that much more.
6Spellcasting Only
There are a wide variety of spells offered for those tarnished with agift for the arcane. But, it may not be the easiest time when that’s all you have in your arsenal.
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Spell-focused players have a lot to overcome; casting a spell takes time, it is mostly a ranged type of combat, enemies have various resistances, plus many spells can be interrupted when you’re damaged. All of this adds up to an interesting but far from easy playthrough. It does get easier as you get better seals and more varied spells, but the first few bosses well definitely be a challenge.
5Use Your Least Favorite Play Style
Anyone who has played through the game at least once has an attribute they prefer putting their points into. So, why not do a run where you focus on the stat you never used before?
Whether it’s intelligence, faith, dexterity, or any other attribute, it can be fun to see how your playstyle will differ from before. It makes for an interesting learning curve that may take quite a bit of time to master. Especially if you have to find all new weapons to attach to that attribute.
4A No Death Run
This is far from recommended, but it is technically possible to do. There’s no part of the game that you have to die in.
People have even defeated the beginning Grafted Scion without dying, so defeating other enemies without returning to a grace site is certainly possible. This will definitely be a time sink, so you may want to clear your schedule and have some patience. If you pull it off though, it will be quite the rewarding experience.
3Use Mods
Thanks to the modding community, there are plenty of mods to choose from to make Elden Ring a different experience. Even some that make the game far harder.
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A lot of these mods alter the enemy AI or damage output, making each enemy you run into a harder experience. There’s nothing worse than getting killed over and over again by a Soldier of Godrick that you used to be able to two-hit. Take a look at some of the mods available to you and see how you can make your game more challenging depending in your style.
2No Summons
The creators were nice enough to give you plenty offriends to summonto help you fight; however, a simple but effective way to make the game harder — bosses especially — is to not use them.
It’s a very different challenge trying to solo these bosses. Notably Radahn, with all the summons that you are allowed, it is pretty impressive how easily he can take your health bar to zero when it’s one-on-one. This will be a test of balancing aggression with knowing the enemies' movements, so prepare to fight bosses over and over again.
1Don’t Use Runes
Elden Ring has a pretty impressive leveling system. So it’s quite a task to avoid that completely and stay at level one.
This will also mean you won’t bebuying anything from merchants, so it will be scavenging weapons and gear only. Being stuck with the starting attributes is definitely a hard fight, but like so many other challenges in this game, it can be done. Still, there is some comfort to come from no longer worrying about losing all your runes to a boss you keep dying to.
