Re-logged because people were leaving comments regarding my accessibility and approachability criticisms, and I don't want to waste air discussing it. But I guess here's my argument if you really care:

As said in the log, I am finding the experience to be incredibly satisfying! I love prodding at mechanics and systems and get lost. I love dealing with arcane bullshit in a game and learning from it. I love testing my patience and discipline and practice to overcome unfavorable odds. I want others who may not have my built up knowledge of these sorts of games, or same ability required to time and execute controller inputs, to be able to find that same enjoyment! Even if that means our experience isn't entirely similar, we will have more common ground than not in our experiences, and that's worth it to me.

And the argument many people will have (and I saw in the comments made on this log previously) is that there are built in systems for mitigating difficulty, like the ability to summon others for help with certain encounters (and ashen spirits making this even possible without an online connection!). Additionally, the open nature of the game allows you to have other things to do if you are stuck in a spot. These are all good things, and do make the game more approachable for newer players. But many of the helpful systems are not concretely, explicitly detailed. And the game could afford to have some things explained more explicitly, a one-time prompt advising you to consider summoning someone, or using one of your ashen spirits if you repeatedly fail a boss would do worlds to make it clearer.

The other argument I hear in these conversations is largely around designer intent. That the games would be "ruined" by having difficulty options, or the player's experience would be ruined if they played on a difficulty too easy for them. I personally love when Elden Ring is pushing against me, whether through a combat encounter or through the openess of the game being just as daunting as it is wonderous. That's the good stuff. But, there is other good stuff too. Riding around on Torrent and taking in the world is just excellent. There are so many "holy shit!" discoveries to be enjoyed even just idling about the world. The sights and sounds, making my character look cool, all of the enemy designs and the implied stories they evoke, journaling my tasks to keep track of everything. To say this game isn't flexible enough to provide a great experience for someone even if it wasn't as punishing in spots is selling the game short. It can have some difficulty modifiers and still be a great game, and be the experience a person wants out of it.

TLDR: Trust that players know what they want out of a game, and know what tools or assistance they may need to get that, and provide it to them when possible.