Successful Patterns for Designing RPG Encounters - pt. 1
The Success Story:
Ref. ufc294.tv. 2023. “15 Fabulous Secretes in Elden Ring!”
Only one of the Rune Bears in Elden Ring is “worth killing.” Rune bears are notoriously difficult to fight at all levels, and a pattern has arisen where players will fight them a few times and then avoid them for the rest of the game.
Some have:
different stats such as increased health
different appearances such as being covered in snow
new or altered attacks and animations, forming slightly different to entirely new attack combos
But, with all of that variability, all rune bear’s movesets and behaviors are very similar.
The one that’s “worth fighting” is the last one. If that bear were placed there in a vacuum without all of the Rune Bear variants prior, players wouldn’t have learned how to defend against its seemingly “unfair” moveset. Unlike most enemies in the game, it has
Extreme mobility
Back to back combo attacks
High damage (and poise damage)
The Pattern: “Reward Hard-Earned Lessons”
This highlights one of Elden Ring’s biggest prospects, which is its ability to boast familiar and diverse encounters spread across a ginormous open world.
