this took me way longer to complete than it should've but with all the previous souls games being (mostly) linear, I played them almost fully co-op with a couple of friends. I foolishy thought we could do that with Elden Ring, but I can't stress enough how much you shouldn't do that. Too many invisible/visible multiplayer walls, missing features (making your way around the lands between without Torrent is mostly just tedious) and archaic network features; I almost made myself fall out of love with the game. I started again, totally solo, only summoning when I needed help at boss doors, and the pure sense of discovery on offer here with that approach is almost unmatched by any other video game. It's totally baffling how much of this game is optional (meant as the highest compliment) - some of the most creative enemy designs and boss fights are just a step in the opposite direction. Get on your horse, ride somewhere that looks interesting, and die. Over, and over (again, the highest compliment).