As with the finest open-world games, this notion provides the game's basic framework — you must travel around the Lands Between to restore the Elden Ring — but it's not about following a linear plot. There is a golden trail that leads you to the next important boss or event (similar to the guiding wind from Ghost of Tsushima), which you can ignore if you so desire. There are a few impediments to growth, but the finest aspect of Elden Ring for me is how open it feels.
This definitely clicked for me early on. The guiding light takes you towards a castle at the beginning of the game, which leads you to the first major boss after you slay few guards. He's a gigantic, malformed swordmaster with too many horns sprouting from his head and a scorpion-like tail. I died so many times. No matter what method I attempted, I couldn't reduce even half of the huge fella's health. In most games, including previous FromSoftware titles, this would be a deal breaker. To advance, I'd have to bash my head against a brick wall.
