IronPineapple: Man, what a great video. The way that you just “get it” and are able to articulate your appreciation and criticisms is such a delight, and hearing you say that this is one of your all time favorite games makes me so happy. You’re totally right about how combat is both a conversation and a puzzle, and that puzzle extends to exploring the world and piecing together the lore. The way you’ve fully engaged with these parts of the game is really satisfying to see, and I think trying to truly piece everything together and speculate is a very underrated part of the experience that many sadly don’t bother with. Anyway, I empathize a lot with people being kinda awful. It’s easy for people to say that you should just ignore it, but it’s rarely that easy especially when you account for the volume of comments. With that in mind, I fully accepted that I wouldn’t get the chance to hear your thoughts on Fromsoft titles any more, so seeing this video was such a great surprise. I hope you’re not too discouraged from tackling similar projects in the future because every friend, content creator, and video essayist I know who is familiar with your work consistently recognizes you as the best.

TheSliferSlacker: Noah firing back all the shade he can against the people who tormented him with the other video is DELICIOUSLY satisfying.

thirteen3678: Hey, just in relation to the segment about the feedback on the last Elden Ring review, I just wanted to let you know that that video has become one of my favourite of all time, and I frequently use it as a comfort watch when I've had a rough day. It's not only phenomenally made and written, but it changed how i view Souls games, and let me come at them with a more peaceful angle, helped me reccomend them to friends, and, as an aspiring/hobbyist developer, changed how I think about game design. So I just wanted to thank you, for helping me in ways i never would have expected. Your work has been genuinely touching and affecting for me, and i do a little giggle every time i see a new video youve made, or spot a new article you wrote in the wild. Thank you.

christophermartin1785: Old and Busted: Soulslike

New Hotness: SSS - Sad Swordsman Simulator

mothersbasement: Your Dark Souls videos are some of your best

spiraljumper74: Cozy is right. You know how I played SotE? I got fucking blazed and went through the dlc at a SNAIL’S pace. I took three hundred pictures, I wrote dozens of funny and thematic messages which got thousands of reactions, I changed my build in name, look, theme, and stats every time I found a new weapon I loved. I was a Knightly Dragon Cult Apostle, a Beastly Cleric, an undead Paladin, a Frenzied Monk and a Fencing Valkyrie. I leveled up my dlc spirit ashes and used them in thematic and interesting ways. I spent entire evenings just helping people kill Mohg, just so I could see them excitedly SPRINT to Miquella’s cocoon. It was an incredible experience. It’ll always be among my fondest gaming memories.

nicoblasss: I had no idea people responded negatively to your previous fromsoft videos.

I thought they were a beautiful and eloquent way to present your experience with the games.

An experience that probably isn't that uncommon, but rather, a less often talked about one.

So I was really happy to see that perspective portrayed by such an excellent essayist like yourself because, as you said on those videos, the difficulty of these games is so often missrepresented that keeps players away because of that reputation alone.

Which is criminal.

Seeing those videos of yours pop-up on my feed was such a pleasant surprise and a welcomed addition to your already amazing collection of work.

<3

0uttaS1TE: Dropped everything for this. Literally. My floor is so messed up you'd think Miyazaki made a new poison swamp.

zsigobence: I hope you don't actually believe your previous videos were actually hated. It is true some hate them but far more people feel seen and enlightened by your experience. To this day they are my favorite videos from you and have given me a brand new way to see these games, a way a part of me I discovered already knew of, but the rest of me needed to be told about.

GenePark: Man I have called these games cozy and relaxing since dark souls 1. It’s wild to me that people aren’t able to accept or see how that could be, but you are not alone, and your insight and critique resonates loudly among so many players of these games. Thanks so much Noah.

jscudderz: When I first played Elden ring it's world made me think "this is the world as Don Quixote imagined it". the somehow coherent dream logic of it all, the tragedy, the scale, such a good game. And it is a cozy series, idk how ppl don't see it, once you learn it's movement and to accept the tools it gives you it is so cozy.

kevinwillems8720: That intro has real, "I'm gonna talk about the story of the Quake games, and there's nothing you fuckers can do to stop me" energy and I've never been more here for an energy than I have for this.

spiraljumper74: “A suffering that grew from a small clearing in the land of shadow into the sinister, glowing glory of the Erdtree itself.”

And yet I cannot but be absolutely rocked by the poignancy of the Shaman’s Village. It is perhaps my most favorite location in the entire series. Somehow the weight of the history there, the spring-stone of all that pain that would flow out into the Lands Between, it feels as heavy to me as Ash Lake did in Dks1.

dorinsmith2033: "Prepare to Die" as a marketing campaign has done more to shape the fandom's reality of a series of games than any comparable example I can think of. It's happened to deeply frustrating effect, precisely for the reasons you outlined in an earlier video: it makes people miss the flexibility and openness of these games to meet players wherever they are.

But to that, I'd add another contributor is likely the cottage industry of Soulsborne playthroughs, no-hit runs, and gimmick runs (e.g., broken sword only or level-1 games). With this content being such a sizeable majority of related fan content, I have to assume this is why so many Soulsborne "fans" are closer to being Kaizo Soulsborne fans. It's like they insist on playing a different game than the one they have in front of them, a game which is afforded by the base game but still distinct from it.

AlienBusDriver1: It's so strange to me that people get mad at you for your Souls opinions, I've been a fan of these games since Dark Souls came out and I find myself agreeing with almost every word you say. I find these games unbelievably relaxing, and honestly they were a massive help in some of the toughest times of my life. Don't let anybody tell you how to play these games, the correct way to play them is the way you have the most fun.

jasonhorsley2637: > Buckle up buttercups, because not only are my opinions bad, I have a lot of them.

What a god damn battlecry.

roramdin: it's unfathomable to me that people hate your past soulsborne videos. the inheritors video truly is one of my favorite ever posted to youtube, i return to it frequently. much love noah, i hope that backlash never happens again.

Josh-gl7kl: All your videos bring me such joy and comfort, Noah. Thank you for what you do. You're the best.

dreamcastaway: A sleepless night means I get to peep your work quite early! Always happy to see you continue to do The Work. Hope you're well!

noobsplooge101: As someone who had a few disagreements with your dark souls video, It is fucking WILD to hear how incredibly UNHINGED people get when you have an opinion about a game they like.

Your writing on games has Impressed and inspired me consistently over the years, so much so that I would struggle to pick something you've written that I genuinely don't like, I hope that you continue to make in depth content like this and have confidence that what you make is truly quality.

icetera6195: Pausing the video as you're talking about people's reactions to your previous FromSoft entries.

I'm genuinely heartbroken to hear that's how people received your work. I think that your videos are without question some of the best additions the the community our there. I've listened to them multiple times and pushed them on anyone who would listen.

It's the internet, people have their opinions, you can't hug every cat and all that, but I wanted to express just how much I've appreciated everything you've written and shared about a series I adore

uruginty4473: Noah - your previous two FromSoft videos are some of my all time favourite things you've put out on this channel. Your philosophy and approach to the Dark Souls games are what finally got me into them! People on the internet can be just so fucking awful - so I want you to know how much those videos meant to me and how much I appreciate everything you said in them.

r31n0ut: Personally I really like your dark souls videos, I think I've listened to the whole thing like 8 times now. It's funny that you bring up your depression because your videos are actually a great help to MY depression. They're amazing comfort-content, on top of being just really insightful.

skyedragon2031: Your dark souls videos have helped me approach my own unconscious perspective on the “right” way to play them; I often unconsciously make things more difficult for myself. I have chronic pain and sometimes am kept awake by it—your dark souls videos have kept me company on many a difficult night. I am very glad it exists :)

Narratorway: "Buckle up buttercups because not only are my opinions bad, I have a lot of 'em!"

How can such a soft spoken guy drop a line this hard?

GoldTacoProductions: I'm not going to lie: I think this analysis has fixed the DLC for me.

I went in to it expecting to do what I have always done with the souls games: Fight difficult enemies, learn boss patterns, and die die die again until I 'git gud' enough for it to be enjoyable. Going in this way was truely miserable, and it made exploration become this resented thing I had to do before being allowed to grind my face against the bosses. Noah's shown me that the aim of this game (perhaps different from the souls games that've come before it) is to enjoy the experience along the way and overcome the journey bits at a time.

TinyGladiator: To contrast the bizarre hatred from losers who disliked your experiences with the Fromsoft games, I'll say that this whole journey has been nothing short of an excellent delight for me to watch, rewatch and rewatch again. The insight you have for these games is interesting, the honesty you have as you both retell your initial feelings and later analysis of the games and yourself, the delightful moments of humour and the same relaxed feeling I have with the videos that you mention with your cozy experiences with the games..

Seeing this video recommended had me immediately watch it, because doing otherwise was something that I didn't even consider.

They have given me deeper appreciation for the Soulsborne games, especially the ones I have played (perhaps one day I'll pick up Sekiro or the old Demon's Souls). While far more than just one, I'd like to say that your words have resonated deeply with me and likely far more people than those that would pointlessly deride you for sharing some wonderment, joy, frustration and thrills you had with it all.

Thank you, Noah. You really were the Dark Souls of Dark Souls players.

michaelmcdonald2005: It's important to note that the jars of the base game and the jars of the DLC do not follow the same rules. In the Shadow Realm, the jars were created from the flesh of shamans melded with other beings in a twisted effort by the Hornsent to ascend their victims' bodies to sainthood. The jars of the main game, however, are simply filled with the innards of great warriors. There is no punishment involved, and it is seen by everybody, including those placed in them after death (also important, as the jars of the DLC are very much alive during their torture), as a great honor. Marika allows this new practice very begrudgingly, as stated in an item description which I can't remember.

Appalitch: I cannot tell you how happy it made me to hear you stand your ground on your previous Dark Souls video. I am tremendously grateful that you decided to say fuck it. I hope it felt as good to say as it was to hear

cristianotsurudaprocopio8757: Particularly, I do love when you inflict your opinions on the world. Welcome back, I was really eager to see your take on this.

syrent: When I saw the notification, I swear I did a full on heart clutch like Sanford going “This is the big one! I’m coming for you Elizabeth!” I’m SO excited you made this!

whistletom: The OG Demons' Souls was the first game I imported because it wasn't available in Europe. I had no idea what it was. I just read Kevin Van Oord's glowing review and it clicked with me. When I sat down to play it I hadn't a clue what to do. I was dying on the first stairs in the oBletarian palce. As I played through I found various things to help me like being able to summon other players for bosses or specific items that could turn the tide on a boss. All these little additions to the game WERE the game for me. You had a baseline difficulty that, if you were skillful enough, could probably get through. But the joy, however, was being able to overcome something that most players would consider unsurmountable by using the various things on offer.

To me that's the beating heart of these games. These games are not particularly designed for a level 1 no hit playthrough. If they were then they would not provide so many ways of overcoming bosses and enemies.

I find the people who think there is only one "real way" to play these games among the most insufferable, gatekeeping and joyless assholes in all of gaming.

toonsem: To my delight, Hell has frozen over and Noah has released a video I never thought would see the light of day.

If this keeps up, we may even get "How Does Postal 4: No Regerts Compare to Previous Postals?" at some point!

(Kidding.)

Comicmongoose: The sheer, palpable joy I have right now not only seeing a new Noah video in my feed but seeing that it's a continuation of his analysis of Fromsoft's body of work is absolute

Saizmatters: Noah, your FromSoft videos are my favorite of your library. They made me realize that the lore of Dark Souls and Elden Ring are malleable just as the character build is. They gave me a new appreciation for, not only FromSoft games, but lore in games in general. I am happy you made a follow-up for Elden Ring. Thank you for all your hard work.

Handedamagnum: For what it’s worth, I hadn’t properly played a video game in decades before I watched your two previous Dark Souls videos in February, and now I own a PS5 and have played all of them (except Sekiro, which is in the post). Found your videos, and then the games an extremely profound experience, so regardless of how many other people hated them, those videos demonstrably, tangibly, literally improved my life.

JacobWHill: Noah your Dark Souls/Elden Ring videos are probably the best video essays about those games, period. And that's saying a lot considering that a Dark Souls piece is a mandatory assignment for Video Essayist 101.

sanield2782: As someone who has spent entirely too much time consuming ER lore videos on youtube, I welcome Noah's interpretation of the lore. Elden Ring's lore has SO MANY open questions that even top lore content creators still have yet to find sufficient answers for. The more speculation on lore, the merrier.

4freeedom: For what it's worth, it's your videos on the FromSoft games that actually got me to finally try Dark Souls after assuming that they weren't for me, a mostly strategy/turn-based RPG player. Your essays on the series feel like the most accurate and honest takes after the massive inflation of difficulty these games have received in online discourse.

odrithingamajig: It baffles me that Noah gets any flack for his Fromsoft videos, they're some of my favourite videos I've watched. I previously had attributed much of my enjoyment of the Souls games on the challenge, but they really illuminated that the challenge is really one of the lesser of the 'positives' to them and how similarly others' approaches to the games, approaches that I thought would somewhat lessen the value of the experience, can create a nigh identical resonance with them. I'm super stubborn in my playstyle and I do think it is, for me, the "right way to play", but it is fantastic to hear about the experiences of someone who approached the series from the opposite direction to me yet found an equally deep enjoyment in them.

dragonfly4546: As someone who's been a diehard FromSoft fan for a decade, please know that your videos on these games are perfect. Thank you, Noah.

DaveyGunface: Something I really enjoy about videos discussing FromSoft games, especially this video where you now have several hundred hours in Elden Ring alone, is seeing just how diverse and different any given players experiences with the same game can be (even despite the gamers

lambda9990: Jar burial in the Lands Between is different from what the Hornsent were doing with the shamans, it's mostly a positive thing, with warrior jars ritually fighting & ending up as fertilizer at the base of Minor Erdtrees

Audey: Speaking as a "No Summons Allowed" guy, I want to thank you for your previous Elden Ring video. I binged your whole Souls series just before this DLC came out, and it changed the way I approached SotE for the better. You spoke a lot about frustration rising to a point where it sapped the enjoyment out of the games. I took that to heart and for the DLC I allowed myself to use summons. I still abstained from using them on main bosses, because ultimately I am that guy who enjoys bashing his face against Gaius for 4 hours. But it was so nice to allow myself to fast forward past the umpteenth dragon fight or a particularly tedious catacomb boss, and quickly get back to the fun of exploring. It really upped my enjoyment, and in hindsight avoiding them is probably why the base game left me feeling so burnt out.

TDOTCRFH4: I've never soulsed but as a casual gamer your essays have done more to sell me on the genre than a thousand soulslike fans

timandfin: God damn you love to see it. I only listened to the previous Elden ring video dozens of times.

leeverguy: Can I say that it's cool that you're one of the only youtubers I've seen that have footage of themselves *doing co-op*? Like, even just summoning other players is something I've never seen happen, and yet my strongest memories of the DLC all have come from getting fed up with a boss and calling upon the power of friendship and these 8 cerulean flasks worth of Heal From Afar I found.

Lzaurio: Noah, the way you expressed your feelings about the franchise made me think, "Screw it, I have to find out what this "genre" is all about for myself." So, I bought a PS3 and Demon's Souls to experience the Souls series from the beginning because of your video.

I understand that not everyone would be as impacted by your video as I was and that it could lead to disagreement or even complete lack of interest. But aggressiveness? Disappointment? I know this is the internet, but this just leaves me dumbfounded.

I'm glad you've chosen to ignore those sad individuals who somehow feel hurt by someone else's passion.

ryeroyal: So glad we got this. I was a little disappointed the whole time playing Shadow of the erdtree that I wasn't going to get to hear how the experience impacted Noah's thoughts on elden Ring now that it is complete.

Mia_2512: I finished Disco Elysium recently, and was looking for people talking about it, and found your video on it. Really enjoyed the video and was curious about what else you made content on. The Souls series has been (kinda embarrassingly) a very core part of my life for almost 10 years now, and so, that was the second video I started watching, getting to about an hour, agreeing with almost everything that was said there, just when the notification for this video popped. Addressing just the first few minutes of the video, I want to say that I hear you, with what you said in the first hour of that video. The people you were criticizing very much do exist, and have made interactions in these communities worse. Fortunately, a lot of people do also recognize them and don't give a lot of room to their voices. So, I guess, in just a few words, as someone who has been in love with these games for more than a third of my life, I 100% hear you.

DUUDE101: What a wonderful surprise to wake up to

brownboy0990: FUCK YES LETS GOOOOOO

thinkstoomuch4445: I’ll take his as sign. My last video didn’t take off as much as I hoped and was I feeling down about it. I asked if I should continue YouTube as a hobby? Then you showed up! One of my inspirations to start YouTube in the first place. Yea, I’ll continue doing this.

BriteRory: So many people returning to the base game for the DLC all over again has been such a joyful experience to share. I went into the DLC a day after release because I'd started another new game plus cycle on my main character and had to run through Radhan and use Varre's quest line to rush to Mohg, only to get around 3/4 of the way through the DLC and realize I wanted to start all over again and enter the DLC on a brand new character, who doesn't already have the levels and means to dual wield all of the unique weapons and so on. And it has been so much fun, I'm currently level 102 and making my way through the capital after exhausting the underground besides Moghwyn Palace. Having to go through the patient motions of leveling up strength and endurance enough just to be able to two-hand a Giant Crusher has been just as rewarding as it was the first time around. I don't know if it is my truly number one favorite game of all time, but it is so close that it may as well be and is purely circumstantial.

jonathangrover3176: Just want to say, for the record, as a died in the wool Fromsoft fan and a game dev who's been trying to understand and make video games for over 10 years, your videos, including and, perhaps, especially, those on the Fromsoft games, are some of the best, most thoughtful, most thorough, most thought-provoking and eloquent on the subject. Several of my peers and colleagues in the industry agree, as do friends of mine who are somehow even more devout fromsoft fanatics than I am. Just stating that for the record in hopes of counter-balancing any negativity coming from other parties. Your work is highly valued and appreciated.

Urvuturama: Yeah, I remember the deluge of maidenless comments in response to your previous video.

The fact that this dlc proves your experience to be the correct one over the self-imposed challenge running crowd is so satisfying.

Oh, and this video is lovely too. No one writes about games the way you do. Which is a shame, but it makes every one of your videos feel like a little treat.

entroponetics: I think you're missing something essential about the final boss fight.

First of all, there's a meta-textual reason why it does not feel like a satisfying conclusion, and it's something Leda states almost explicitly before the penultimate battle royale. The question of "Why" is something that hangs over the entire game (both base game and DLC). Throughout the experience, you'll meet other Tarnished characters, who, for whatever reason, have simply lost either the will or the ability to follow the guidance of grace. They'll tell you as much. They choose to exist in this hostile world as mere citizens, and follow their own path wherever that may take them. You, as the player, however, are different. You follow the journey to its logical end and become Elden Lord, not because you want to, but because you feel like you have to, even if the reward at the end is only ambiguously satisfying, depending on the ending you get. Any other goal you attain beyond that is a product of ludonarrative that you insert.

But if you follow the narrative structure of every single game in this meta-series, you find the same thing. You're not struggling to survive (death is a key mechanic in these games and you get brought back no matter how many times you die, so survival becomes a non-issue) and you're not out to save the princess or even save the world (you have more opportunities to destroy it). You're following this path because you exist in this world to kill monsters and gods alike (a hoonter must hoont).

And that's why the DLC finale is what it is. Leda asks you, point blank, why you even decided to come to the Land of Shadow to begin with, assuming you're an agent of the Erdtree, and the only answer you're capable of giving is, "because it was there". Any other conclusion would have been antithetical to the core theme of these games. If you consider that an exercise in futility, then you haven't paid attention to the overarching narratives of anything FromSoft has made from Dark Souls 1 onward (with the possible exception of Sekiro, which was its own thing). Your role in these games is to be a destroyer. The role of Elden Lord is explicitly written that way. No matter which ending you get, you are not the God of the new world that arises in its wake. You are someone else's enforcer. Miquella chose Radahn for his strength. Marika chose Godfrey for his. Godfrey, in turn, tells you that your strength befits a crown when he dies by your hand (ditto Malenia). That strength is meant to serve you as a warlord and little else.

aydenlindsay8295: On the second to last fight with all the NPCs, I found it to be the most emotionally compelling part of these game. It felt genuinely heart wrenching. I think it’s meant to drive home how unrealistic Miquellas vision of the future is. He wants a world free of strife and governed by kindness. Forcefully imposed kindness. And that kindness is palpable when its effect are full throttle on the NPCs under his spell. But the MOMENT that his charm is broken all of these fairly pleasant people are broken in some inconceivable way. It could only end in bloodshed bwcauae these people haven’t had a chance for so long to govern their own lives. Kindness must be found in the world around you, in your friends, you environment, and most importantly in yourself. Miquellas kindness was always a false one so ofcourse these psople would abandon it the moment it abandoned them

Aug 03 2024

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