7 rad reveals from the Elden Ring gameplay preview

Elden Ring’s short delay to February 2022 may be disappointing, but FromSoftware’s recent gameplay preview suggests it’ll be worth the wait.

Remember the pot boys from Elden Ring’s earlier trailer? Here’s their big brother, a voiced NPC who the player initially has to save from a tight spot, not unlike Siegward in Dark Souls.

The few NPCs in the trailer seem less like the cackling weirdos of Dark Souls, offering actual tips (and covetable outfits).

Enemies might even have better things to do than fight you, like this group of caravan guards who let the player run past peacefully.

FromSoftware is making multiplayer easier. It seems they’re doing away with their usual, unreliable summoning signs and letting players call in friends near checkpoints instead.

By abandoning linear paths, Elden Ring opens the door for secrets and shortcuts hidden all over its map.

Elden Ring’s open-world structure means you can sneak by some encounters entirely.

There are more options for attacking from stealth, like these sleep arrows, which can set up an easy one-hit kill.

Of course, enemies can be sneaky, too.

Short-term NPC summons look like a big part of Elden Ring’s combat. Some stick around and fight with you, while others perform a single attack and bounce.

There seem to be more ways to break an enemy’s guard, opening them up for critical strikes.

Elden Ring’s dragons looks way more mobile than in any other FromSoft game — and way more fun to fight.

This intense boss has a fire-breathing dragon for a hand. A summoned player in another clip seems to use the same attack.