Confession: How Reaper Got Me Addicted to Something Worse Than Drugs
It all started when I was 7 years old, having just discovered por- Just kidding. I got my first desktop back then though. I remember the first game I had played, Purble Place. There was a cake making game I was a menace at. My first ‘proper’ game was Need for Speed: Underground 2, and did I like it. I would spend hours grinding, just to finish first. Now I didn’t know much about cars then, but I remember my favourite was a Nissan model. The graphics and controls seemed damn interesting back then. I did play a few other games, but I don’t remember the names (bummer, I know).
Fast forward to a year ago, and I got the laptop I’m writing this blog with. It’s a pretty mediocre model, with i5 and RTX 3050, but still better than my PC. Well, a new laptop should have some games. I asked Reaper (check out his blogs too) to recommend me a game. Guess what he said? Elden Ring. Hundreds of games he could’ve recommended and he chose Elden Ring. His reason? “Since you’re starting with a difficult game, the next ones will be easy.” This was proved wrong when I got my ass whopped by the Chained Ogre in Sekiro not long after. This is my review and rant on how it feels playing a souls title as one’s first game (or first action game for the critics).
So, one fateful day in May, I hopped onto Steam and bought Elden Ring. I opened it the next day… and died to the first boss. Most of y’all did, I’m sure. Finished the tutorial after dying to the soldier of Godrick about 10 times or so. Now I know what you guys are thinking, but remember. My first action game. So anyways, I took the lift and opened the door. As I stepped out into the Lands Between, I felt awestruck by the sheer grandeur of the world. I had zero clue where I should go. I think this was when I fell in love with the open-world concept. The sense of exploring, ending up in new places, falling in traps, suddenly coming in front of a boss, linear maps could never beat that.
I touched the grace (grass lol) and headed down to the Tree Sentinel, pissed off after Varre called me maidenless. And got stomped to death by his horse. That was when I figured out I could around the boss. Kale, the first NPC in this game who was friendly with me. Then, I entered the wolf cave and fought the beastman of Farum Azula. BTW, I had started with the samurai class as I saw he had the most weapons among all. I defeated the beastman after 20+ tries and faced my next challenge. Clearing the soldiers of Godrick just down below in the valley. I may have gotten frustrated and seen a beginner’s guide video that showed how to get the Bloodhound’s Fang and the Bloodflame Blade incantation.
After getting stronger, I finally faced Margit with a rune level 32, a +5 Bloodhound’s Fang and still no experience of how to play. I defeated him in 5 tries or so (still an achievement ig). Then, I went on to face Godrick, Radahn and Renalla. After that, I dropped down into the underground cities and obtained the, wait for it, Mimic Tear spirit ash. I know you hardcore souls fans are screaming at me right now, but heh. I can play however I want. And don’t ask me how I knew about the Mimic Tear. I wasn’t seeing more guides, I swear. I went into Leyndell defeated the yellow version of Godfrey (they call him Pissfrey in Discord). And dang. Found out Margit, or rather, Morgott was still alive. Melina looks hot while fighting. So, I summoned my mimic too and got busy buffing myself while they took care of Morgott. Easy fight after that. And I exchanged his remembrance for the weapon. Finally, I could stop using my Bloodhound’s Fang.
I’d gotten the hang of the game by then. I charged through the Lands Between, slaying everyone in my way. Mogh, Godfrey, Radagon, the Elden Beast, and the numerous minibosses here and there, they all died. And I feeling invincible until I hit the roadblock named Malenia. Her attacks, her speed, everything completely overwhelmed me. So, I did what Miyazaki wanted all of us to do. Try over and over till we succeed. It worked. After what I think was the 100th try, I stood in front of her vaporizing body, no flasks, and an almost depleted health bar. And that was when I got it. The thing I’ve been searching for since the beginning, that I’d heard was the reason people struggle in these games. The hit of dopamine. That intense joy. The way my entire body tensed up and then suddenly relaxed. That was my peak gaming moment till now. I wish I could rewind time and go back, just to experience it again.
That is my experience playing Elden Ring as a new gamer. I did learn things like never giving up and being curious. Oh, and I think I’m now addicted to that dopamine hit. Elden Ring is better than other souls games if you’re a new player and wondering how to get into the souls genre. I mean, if I can do it, anyone can. Anyone who’s interested in games should definitely try it out. Its one of the best RPGs out there, and I think it will go down in history as one of best RPGs of all time.
I’ve recently started playing the DLC, and I’ve decided I won’t see any guides or any articles. I’ll just go wherever I want and fight whoever comes in front. I’m glad to say I’ve already defeated the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, Rellana and the Golden Hippopotamus. I’m now in the Shadow Keep and hope to complete it soon. So long, gamers.
