an amazing open world that is an unforgettable blast to explore, filled with amazing side activities - until you realize that you'll be doing the same activites with meagre changes in every single area. they're still better than the industry standard tho, and the world the side activities find themselves in is still breathtaking.
the legacy dungeons, so the areas that are like previous soulsborne games with elevator shortcuts and stuff like that, are easily among the best fromsoft has ever come up with.
the bosses are kinda dissappointing. they are deliberately designed in a way where it's borderline impossible to dodge some attacks, sometimes due to the attack itself, but more often due to the boss having zero recovery time after finishing their combo, meaning you dodge their whole combo, go for an attack, and they immediately start up their next attack, catching you in your assault. if i made a top 10 soulsborne bosses list before and after elden ring, i wouldn't need to change anything about it. also like half the boss roster appears like a dozen times in different settings throughout the game, which just takes away from their "main" boss fight. there are still some pretty great boss fights here though.
all in all, some parts, especially while exploring the world, felt like 11/10 the greatest game of all time, and some parts, especially late game bosses, left a lasting bitter taste in my mouth. still 10/10 because amazing experience but there is not a single soulsborne game i'd want to replay less than elden ring