this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2023
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The run back to your body helps you build up runes too, where a game where you're loading a save it reverts progress. The souls style allows death to create progress for people struggling. If you're dying then you'll be forced to build runes up and can then go level or upgrade gear.
Usually you shouldn't be too worried about losing souls though because they're fairly easy to come by. It's a bit of a trap in souls games to value your souls too much. There are many ways to farm them that don't take much time or effort, including just going exploring side content and finding new equipment. Once you level up yourself or your gear a few times, the part you were struggling with will be easier. That's how Elden Ring especially, but even Dakr Souls, is supposed to be played. If you're struggling and don't want to be, just go somewhere else. There's plenty of content to do.
This is definitely one of the things I originally didn't like about Souls games that have come to realize is a pretty cleverly designed mechanic. Earning enough souls to purchase something shouldn't take very long and it if is, then it means you already have what you need to be succeeding in your current area. The 'git gud' joke is worn out, but genuinely you just need to learn how to face off with enemies (or run past them) until they stop being scary.
The game will not let you progress without learning how to engage with the systems it presents to you. There are typically several or many viable strategies, you just have to figure out what works for you.
By the time you're dragging yourself through a toxic poison swamp you'll realize that your level is just a number and nothing lasts forever.
I have several hundred hours across the 3 souls games and ER, and I totally get that it's a well designed mechanic, which is why I love it. and yeah, I know that valuing souls too much is a mental trap that prevents me from enjoying the game, but I just can't shake it in Elden Ring for some reason, despite doing so more easily in souls games. (though, it especially sucks in DS2 because of soul memory but that's a whole can of worms)
The souls series is one of my favorite game series of all time, and I would definitely not change the blood stain mechanic whatsoever because I think it's about perfect. Especially with rings of sacrifice (or the weird twigs) and homeward bones to give you chances to mitigate the penalty when you really think you need to. It's excellently designed and forces you to improve at the game.
Despite that, it still causes me hesitation and demotivates me from playing the games sometimes. I have to be in a specific mood to want to improve at a game, and I'm in that mood less often as I have more things I need to spend my time on, and usually play games just to relax and have an easier time nowadays. I still love Elden Ring to death and it's genuinely one of the best games ever made (in my opinion), and yet I have a love/hate relationship with death mechanics in these games.