Once you’re done with Elden Ring, the soulslike genre can feel incredibly daunting. Yes, you can tackle FromSoftware’s previous games like Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, but there’s a whole world out there. In recent years we’ve had Lies of P, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Remnant 2, and even Jedi Survivor. There’s too much to choose from, and while that’s a great problem to have, there’s one game I need to recommend above all else. 2023’s Lords of the Fallen reboot has turned into a spectacular game, and even if it feels too familiar to Dark Souls at first, that’ll change the more you play. Even better, it’s just had another free update and is about to be 50% off on Steam.
Lords of the Fallen’s new 1.6 update is perfect for new players, as the early areas of the fantasy soulslike have been overhauled to make mechanics easier to understand. The tutorial area should now be easier to navigate, and the Umbral Lamp’s (which helps you explore a sort of mirror world) unique abilities are explained at a better pace. Both of these changes should better set up new players to navigate the rest of the game.
As you make your way through the land of Mournstead, though, the 1.6 update has even more changes. The Umbral realm now has more subtle soundscapes and adjusted enemy spawn locations to improve the difficulty curve. When I first played Lords of the Fallen I found the Umbral to be packed with enemies, and no real thought was put into their placement. Now, that should be a problem left in the past.
If that’s not enough, the last Lords of the Fallen update turned it into a roguelike. A collection of gameplay modifiers mean you can randomize enemy placement and loot drops, while also adding in permadeath or taking out checkpoints. For me, these are the types of updates that set Lords of the Fallen apart from the competition. The game’s post-launch roadmap has been stacked with free content, giving you more to do and even more ways to play. Elden Ring will remain tough to beat, but the team at CI Games has done more than enough to give Lords of the Fallen an identity all its own.
While I still stand by my Lords of the Fallen review from last year, we’re looking at a very different game today. Not only have balance patches and bug fixes improved the experience, but the sheer volume of free updates offers up so much more to play with. Lords of the Fallen now has more questlines, armor sets, spells, and mechanics than it did at launch, without costing you an extra dime. You can even try out a boss rush mode, something FromSoftware fans have been clamoring for.
Lords of the Fallen is 50% off on Steam, so you can expect to pay $29.99 / £24.99 until Monday November 11. The sale starts on Monday November 4 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT / 7pm CEST. You can find the game here.
If this is your first time in Mournstead, we’ve got all the best Lords of the Fallen classes and Lords of the Fallen weapons for you.
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