A masterpiece of a game, Elden Ring is easily one of the greatest RPGs of the last 10 years. By introducing an open world, Hidetaka Miyazaki expanded and revolutionized the Soulsborne genre that he cultivated. If it only featured an open world, the game would be great, but there are way more innovations packed into this one game. Elden Ring features a robust magic system, the polished combat the Souls series is known for, and deep and interesting lore created by none other than George R. R. Martin.

FromSoftware crafted a wonderful RPG that players can easily get lost in for countless hours. There is always a new piece of lore to uncover, and from a gameplay stance, Elden Ring has refined the gameplay of the Dark Souls games. New mechanics were also introduced in this new evolution of the Soulsborne genre, including fast travel, unlimited stamina outside of combat, and several small dungeons to explore. However, not every new mechanic works in the game's favor. In particular, Elden Ring's crafting mechanic adds little to the overall game and actively goes against its design philosophy.

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Crafting Doesn't Fit in With Elden Ring's Design

A screenshot of the crafting screen in Elden Ring

Crafting weapons and items has become a popular mechanic in games, and most modern triple-A games feature it in some form. While it's unlikely that crafting was implemented in Elden Ring because it's trendy, that doesn't change the fact that it offers nothing to the game's overall experience. Players can only craft a few items from the start, and to unlock the option to craft more items, players have to find or purchase "cookbooks." Cookbooks are scattered across the world, and each one unlocks a few more items that the players can craft. However, most of these items can be found in several areas throughout The Lands Between without the need to craft them. That means, excluding multiplayer items, crafting can be largely ignored throughout the entire game without a major change to the gameplay or overall experience.

Besides the fact that most of the craftable items can be found normally in the world or purchased from vendors, crafting doesn't support the overall design of the game. If players are meant to use crafting to have access to useful items without grinding, then locking them behind cookbooks -- which some players may never find -- doesn't provide them with reliable access to those items. Further, the craftable items provide players with slight advantages in certain areas, but this doesn't apply if the player hasn't found the recipe. Frankly, Elden Ring would offer players the same benefit if it had an increased number of areas or enemies that held these items instead.

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Elden Ring's Crafting Feels Underdeveloped

The open world map in Elden Ring

Elden Ring's entire design philosophy revolves around discovery and overcoming hardships, but the crafting mechanic doesn't support this. The Lands Between beckons players to explore the world and discover new story segments, quests, and treasures. If the items made from crafting were more readily available throughout the world, like the Erdleaf Flower, it would further encourage players to explore new areas and discover these items. While players do have to explore to find the cookbooks, they are usually hidden or sold by merchants, and players may miss them entirely. However, this doesn't halt progress for players because the items can be found elsewhere. If the mechanic were removed, the game would remain largely unchanged.

Crafting doesn't affect Elden Ring's difficulty in any substantial way, but it does feel underdeveloped and underutilized. Previous Souls games have succeeded in providing players with tools without needing to add a crafting mechanic. While the open-world design of Elden Ring had to be updated from previous games, crafting may not have been the best solution. The mechanic doesn't add much, if anything, to the overall gameplay and has little bearing on the game overall. Fortunately, this also means the game as a whole doesn't suffer from its inclusion. Despite it being an unnecessary mechanic, future titles may find a way to incorporate it better or ditch it entirely.