Let me tell you, as a dedicated Tarnished who's spent more time in the Lands Between than in my own living room, the community's latest obsession has got me nodding my head like a praying mantis. We're all screaming into the void (or, more accurately, onto Reddit) for one last gift from FromSoftware before they pack up their golden needles and move on to their next masterpiece: Boss Gauntlets. I mean, come on! The heart and soul of Elden Ring lives and dies in those epic, controller-throwing, victory-screaming boss battles. FromSoftware gave us this incredible toy box of fights, and now we just want a sandbox mode to play with them all.
The spark for this whole movement came from a brilliant Redditor, G_CGuy, who basically looked at Sekiro's 'Gauntlet of Strength' and had a 'Why don't we have that?!' moment that resonated with thousands of us. He even whipped up a mockup so perfect it hurts that it's not real. The idea is simple yet genius:
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Replay Any Boss, Anytime: Stuck on Malenia in your main game but want to practice with a new build? Pop into the gauntlet and face her without resetting your entire 100-hour save file. It's a no-brainer!
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Back-to-Back Challenges: Imagine a gauntlet that throws Margit, Godrick, and Rennala at you one after another. Talk about a stress test for your build!
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The Ultimate Playground: This would be the definitive way to experiment, learn, and just have fun with the game's best content long after you've seen the credits roll.
Honestly, it's kind of wild this wasn't included from the jump, especially since FromSoft already nailed the concept in Sekiro. It feels like we're asking for the last piece of a puzzle we already paid for.
Now, of course, we can't all agree on everything. The community thread wasn't just a lovefest; there were some healthy debates, which is just us being passionate, I guess!
| The Debate Points | One Side Says... | The Other Side Counters... |
|---|---|---|
| Rewards | "If we can farm bosses endlessly, rewards need to be reduced after the first win." | "Nah, let us have our fun! It's a separate mode, give us the runes!" |
| Unlock Time | "Unlock it only after beating the game once." | "No way! Let us access it after we defeat each individual boss." |
| Co-op Impact | "If everyone can practice solo, no one will answer summon signs for help!" | "The true sunbros will always answer the call. Don't worry!" 😇 |
Look, I get the concerns, I really do. But at the end of the day, this feature would be pure, unadulterated joy for the core players who just can't let go. It's the perfect send-off.
And that's the real heart of the matter, isn't it? With Shadow of the Erdtree being such a monumental success, the clock is ticking. FromSoftware is famously quieter than a Mimic Tear about their plans. Are they cooking up more DLC? Is Elden Ring 2 already in the oven? Who knows! But before they ride off into the sunset on Torrent, we're all collectively holding up a sign that says, "Hey, just one more thing..."
Giving us boss gauntlets would be like the ultimate victory lap for this game we all love. It would cement Elden Ring not just as a game we played, but as a world we can revisit and play with forever. So, from this humble Tarnished to the masters at FromSoftware: hear our plea! Give us our gauntlets. Let us dance with our favorite nightmares one... more... time.