It’s no secret thatFromSoftwaretakes an iterative approach with its games. From the early days oftheSoulsfranchise tothe heights thatElden Ringrepresents, FromSoftware has regularly pushed the envelope with every release, while either ditching or reworking any ideas that don’t reach their full potential.
Something that has remained fairly consistent across all theSoulsgames, includingBloodborne and Elden Ring, is howFromSoftwarehandles build crafting and RPG progression. Using each game’s version of XP to raise certain stats is the easiest progression concept to grasp, but each game also introduces thematically relevant layers to this progression structure with each game, like the Caryll Runes ofBloodborneand the Great Runes ofElden Ring. For a future release, FromSoftware may want to find a happy medium between these two mechanics, presenting players with a new action-RPG build-crafting concept aligned with the developer’s previous ideas.
FromSoftware Should Find a Balance Between Caryll Runes and Great Runes
Bloodborne’s Caryll Runes Are Common, but Less Impactful
Bloodborne’s armor is mostly cosmetic, so gear-related buffs generally come down to two item types: Caryll Runes and Blood Gems. Blood Gems are tied to specific weapons, but Caryll Runes allow players to take advantage of a variety of distinct buffs, some of which, like Beast’s Embrace and Milkweed, can have major game-changing effects. That said, most Caryll Runes offer less transformative enhancements, such as slightly increasing stamina recovery or physical defense by a few percentage points.
Nevertheless, optimal use ofCaryll Runes can greatly improve performance inBloodborne, as their passive effects don’t consume any resources, nor do they have any real drawbacks or limitations. Additionally, Runes with the same effect can stack, and since three main slots can be used for general Runes (with one slot reserved for Covenant Runes), they can be useful tools for specialized builds and experimentation.
Caryll Runes may be viewed as an offshoot ofDark Souls' rings, as they offer minor, low-commitment buffs.
Great Runes in Elden Ring Are a Nice Idea, but Perhaps Poorly Executed
Great Runes are anevolution of a common FromSoftware Soulslike trope. Much like Ember inDark Souls 3and Human Form inDemon’s Souls, Great Runes allow for significant stat boosts that last until death. Unlike its predecessor mechanics, though, Great Runes are not activated upon defeating a boss, and only come into effect upon consuming Rune Arcs, a rare item. Players can also only equip one at a time, though they usually grant significant bonuses whenever they are activated, like major increases to all or specific stats.
The problem with Great Runes is that they are too limited in their scope. Their impact on gameplay only lasts until the player dies, so while using aRune Arc during a boss fight can give players an edge, this advantage is short-lived, and something of a crap shoot as well, as even a significant increase in stats often won’t be the deciding factor in a given battle.
Greater than this issue is that Great Runes are simply not very interesting from a mechanical perspective. The Caryll Rune feature, though far less impactful on its face, has a more holistic, long-lasting effect on gameplay, as players can leverage the system for build-customization, ultimately deepening the role-playing sandbox.
Perhaps a combination of these two fittingly rune-based mechanics could lead to a more engaging overall RPG formula in a future FromSoftware title. The pervasive and modular nature of Caryll Runes could be melded with the gravity of Great Runes, encouraging players to actually use the gear that they collect, rather than horde Rune Arc-type items,which is what can happen inElden Ring. Of course, this would require a great deal of balancing, but properly implemented, it could be a great way to mix the strengths of both systems while avoiding their respective weaknesses.
From Software
Based in Japan, FromSoftware is a development company best known for the Souls series and Armored Core franchise. Other popular games from From Software include Elden Ring, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and the King’s Field series.
