Lords of the Fallen vs. Elden Ring: Which Game Is Better?

Lords of the Fallen borrows heavily from the Soulslike formula while introducing innovative mechanics of its own. Given that the game both embraces and breaks away from tradition, it’s hard not to compare it to other Souls games. There are many brilliant examples of the genre, but Elden Ring is arguably the most impressive of all. Some consider Miyazaki’s gigantic ARPG to be one of the best games of all time. From lore and exploration to combat and mechanics, there are important similarities and differences between Elden Ring and Lords of the Fallen. But does LotF actually have what it takes to challenge the giant itself?

Exploration and Lore

Elden Ring takes an expansive approach to both lore and exploration. The Lands Between offer players a massive open-world territory to explore, creating unlimited opportunities to make discoveries and mistakes. Lords of the Fallen, meanwhile, has a semi-open-world design, much like Dark Souls. It gives players meaningful choices about where to go and what to do, but it is much more restricted in scope than Elden Ring. Mournhold is a gloomy grimdark setting, whereas Elden Ring is much brighter and less miserable overall. Elden Ring‘s world offers more opportunities for exploration and the discovery of secrets, but LotF‘s is more enjoyable to traverse, thanks to a faster sprint speed and fewer empty areas.

Lords of the Fallen takes a classic approach to dark fantasy: a Big Bad ruined the world, and now you need to fix it. Despite its scattered storytelling style, its plot is more or less straightforward. Elden Ring‘s lore is, at every level, more complicated. From the elaborate family trees of key bosses to the snippets of lore found on every item, Elden Ring‘s story is like a puzzle that must be pieced together. Though both games attempt a version of this approach, Elden Ring just does it better. With George R.R. Martin involved in the game’s writing, it’s easy to see why.

Combat and Mechanics

Both Elden Ring and Lords of the Fallen have excellent combat. Elden Ring benefits from a huge pool of weapons, armor, spells, and summons, which provides a huge amount of replayability. Lords of the Fallen, though sprawling, doesn’t match its scope. That said, fights in LotF often feel better. Magic is less cumbersome, and bows and other ranged weapons are viable, not simply an afterthought. The most important difference is the ability to switch stances mid-combo in LotF. This “stance dancing” allows you to transition from single-handed to dual-wielding or two-handed without breaking the rhythm of your attacks. It’s unnecessary for PvE, but in PvP it’s an absolute blast that Elden Ring doesn’t match.

Ashes of War, summons, Torrent, and a variety of other mechanics help make Elden Ring more than just another Souls game. Yet Lords of the Fallen is arguably an even more innovative Soulslike. Your Umbral Lamp allows you to solve environmental puzzles, rip the souls from enemies, and even transition into the land of the dead, allowing you to explore each area in all new ways. Though it takes some getting used to, Soulflaying is smoothly integrated into combat and adds yet another layer of depth to what is already an exceptional fighting experience. It’s unfortunate that Lords of the Fallen doesn’t have the same enemy variety as Elden Ring to help keep its exciting combat fresh as you progress.

Lords of the Fallen vs. Elden Ring: Which Game Is Better?

It ultimately comes down to the details. That’s true of the complexity of the lore as much as it is the modeling of individual statues and flowers. No Soulslike currently available matches the scope and complexity of Elden Ring. Not only is the game deep, but it’s also supremely polished. Most of the bugs and crashes have been ironed out, which unfortunately is not the case with Lords of the Fallen. To be fair, LotF just released, and Hexworks is already working on fixing stuttering, crashes, and other issues. That said, we can only compare the games as they are now, not as they may one day be. Elden Ring is a polished experience, whereas LotF is not.

Overall, Elden Ring is the better game in most ways. But considering their wildly different budgets and team sizes, it’s an uncharitable comparison. Elden Ring is better, especially to get lost in for hundreds of hours, but that doesn’t mean it’s better for every player. If you’re looking for fast, fluid Soulslike combat and a foreboding world, Lords of the Fallen is the superior experience. Ultimately it comes down to taste, and it’s fortunate that players have such solid experiences to choose from.

Lords of the Fallen is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.