Raise your hand if you’ve played through a FromSoftware game without using a guide. If your hand’s up, you’re a rare and impressive bird, clearly suited to a life of luxury in some billionaire’s menagerie. I can’t think of a developer I associate more heavily with online guides and wikis than FromSoftware. While it’s certainly possible to beat their games without outside help, I think the vast majority of players look up weapons, NPC questlines, boss strategies, even basic item descriptions to better piece together what the heck is going on in Dark Souls or Elden Ring.

Who’s related to who? Who betrayed who? Whose magic and hubris destroyed the world? To the internet! 

I always assumed FromSoftware knew good and well that its players turn to wikis and multi-hour YouTube videos to explain everything, and FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed as much in our interview for PC Gamer’s cover story on Shadow of the Erdtree, which you’ll be able to read before the expansion’s out.

“Of course players are going to consult guides, and there’s going to be a wealth of information on the web and in their communities where they have access to the secrets and the strategies. We expect that,” he said.

But as FromSoftware’s games have become more and more popular, I wondered if the studio has tried harder to surprise or outsmart players. Some of the bosses in Elden Ring do seem to have attack patterns peppered with long wind-ups, surprise fast swipes and changes in rhythm that are meant to catch longtime Souls players off guard. Does the studio do the same with its secrets and try to design around guides? Or do they totally ignore them?

“We obviously understand [players use guides], but we don’t make or plan anything with that as a prerequisite. If anything, we try to cater to the player who is completely blind and wants to go through organically. If they can’t do it, then there’s some room for improvement on our behalf, and we’d like to try to embrace those players more in the future.”

For Shadow of the Erdtree in particular, Miyazaki said, once players have made it through enough of the base game to access the expansion, the developers “have faith that they will be able to continue, find these secrets and overcome these challenges.” 

There’s no need to feel sheepish if you do play FromSoft’s games with a Fextralife tab open at all times, though; Miyazaki casts no shade in your direction:

“We don’t necessarily cater to players who are reading guides as they go. Of course, it’s a perfectly valid playstyle, and we respect those players who like to approach it with a guide in hand. We just want to let you know it’s not our prerequisite, designing the game in their favor.”

On that note—if you’re diving back into Elden Ring for the DLC, check out our Elden Ring guide with links to build suggestions, NPC quest walkthroughs, where to find enough smithing stones to upgrade your gear, and more.