A hardcore Elden Ring gamer shows how his DualShock controller has changed after a year of playing and mastering the game.

The upcoming expansion, Shadow of the Earth Tree, may prompt dedicated players to dust off their controllers or buy a new one. There is no release date yet.

A year of furious Elden Ring play can really change a controller, as one player recently proved. The hugely successful action RPG and many other Souls titles require a lot of technical skill to get through without dying, so there will be a lot of button-mashing that can take a toll on the hardware.

It’s been over a year since FromSoftware’s fan favourite Elden Ring was released, but its most dedicated fans are still playing it. The George R.R. Martin-inspired game still holds plenty of challenges and secrets for those who haven’t yet discovered them, and mastering its notoriously difficult content is one of the biggest draws.

As Elden Ring requires a great deal of repetition in order to develop even a modicum of competency to get through it, this naturally means that the gameplay requires a lot more button-mashing than many other modern titles that have been released recently. Redditor Brutalonym showed off the results of a year’s hardcore Elden Ring bashing: the circle button on his DualShock 4, which the player’s character uses to dodge and sprint in the game, is now completely smooth. Every PlayStation gamer knows that it should be naturally textured for maximum grip.

After a year of Elden Ring, my dodge/sprint button is completely polished
byu/Brutalonym inEldenring

Players of Elden Ring will know exactly why this particular button has been worn down. Souls-style games have a very specific style of play and usually require players to constantly dodge attacks with near-perfect timing, otherwise a strong enemy attack can take a large chunk of your life. Too many hits can easily kill a player, or at the very least force them to consume one of the limited potions available, depriving them of that opportunity at a time when they may need it most.

Although Brutalonym’s situation was not dire, as most controllers show this kind of wear and tear from owners who spend a lot of time playing, other Redditors found it humorous. Some praised the OP for getting good at the game (as internet culture heavily praises impressive performances in Elden Ring), while others shared stories of playing similar games so often that some visual elements may have been burned into their TV screens.

Dedicated players who have already explored most, if not all, of Elden Ring may want to dust off their controllers (or perhaps buy some new ones), as the upcoming Shadow of the Earthtree expansion is due for release soon. No release date has yet been announced by developers FromSoftware, but some say that the second anniversary in February 2024 could be the perfect time to release it, as it was announced last February during the game’s first anniversary celebrations. However, recent comments suggest that this is still a long way off.

Source : GameRant