I never wanted to try to Souls game. The thought of being one shotted and having to start all over again from a single mistake always turned me off. I don't have as much time as I use to to "git gud". Fallen Order was the closest i ever played to a souls style game, but by the time you got force powers, the game became more like inFAMOUS games than Souls. I got Elden Ring for whatever reason and honestly... I've been enjoying the hell out of it despite some soul crushing moments. I like the freedom, the exploration, finding good gear laying around without having to fight anything. Gear that will give you a fighting chance to get even better gear. You're not forced to fight any of the bosses in any particular order You can skip bosses to get to most of the world with exception of the last 2 areas. The purpose of beating bosses to to progress the story. So I've played in a way where I've gone to most the world. geared up as high as possible.. allowing me 1 fully upgraded legendary weapon.. and being able to have an easier time with the story bosses... then there are "optional" bosses that are just savage AF and HP sponges. I've beaten a few but some are just beyond my skill level. Either way, I highly recommend this game as a non souls fan. At the very least, its worth your money when it goes on discount sometime down the road.