I have not forgotten the Middle Lands of the Elden Ring: the first view of the Necrolimbo after leaving the catacombs, Stormshroud Castle, the proud Leyndell, the fear Caelid causes me, the magic of Raya Lucaria Academy and Rennala, the amazing Rykard, Placidusax and Mohg, my love to Ranni and Malenia…
I have not forgotten Elder Ring. Not all the golden and star power would make me forget the 200 hours I’ve been through in the Midlands. Much less after preparing a guide with +40 entries dedicated to unraveling all its secrets.
I know the world of Elden Ring very well and I’m sure I still miss things… because no guide can be as reliable as one that comes from FromSoftware itself. And that, dear Sinluz, is exactly what iGamesNews has received thanks to PLAION Europe.
The Book of Lore, Elden Ring Volume 1
Elder Ring was released on February 25, 2022. Since then, oceans of physical and digital ink have been written about FromSoftware’s odyssey, guided by Hidetaka Miyazaki and supported by himself George R. R. Martin.
I don’t see anyone wanting to use a guide during their first game of Elder Ring, but at the same time I am aware that many things are extremely difficult to discover and understand without the help of all the guides that have been written. They are tributaries that add to the same river of knowledge.
The Book of Knowledge, Volume 1 It is the first of two installments that make up the definitive guide to the Elden Ring, the official travel manual for any Unlighted who stands as Lord of the Circle. It’s so final and official that Miyazaki himself, the Elden Ring development team, and Bandai Namco all helped craft it.
How is Volume 1 of The Book of Knowledge?
Elden Ring Book of Lore Volume 1 is made from Hard cover y best quality paper. The binding is simply sublime. Includes a gold cord-shaped bookmark and a double-sided poster showing a map of all of the Middle Lands in detail. Worth putting in a frame!
The front cover features a beautiful illustration of Ranni on a black background and surrounded by a frame with golden motifs. At Ranni’s feet you can read: “The Middle Lands. Elden Ring, The Books of Lore, Volume 1”. The spine has the same text. The back cover shows the golden Elden Ring rune on the same black background.
The guide has a total of 512 pages in Spanish. The content is divided into 5 huge chapters that introduce the reader into the deep world of the Elden Ring.
- Chapter 1, Systems Guide (4-29): The most basic topics of Elden Ring are covered, from progress and basic movement, through equipment and icons of debuffos, until the operation of online multiplayer. The basics of combat are covered in Volume 2.
- Chapter 2, World Guide (34-196): the reader is introduced to the use of the guide through maps, character creation and an overview of all areas of the surface of the Middle Lands. We are talking about maps in two and three dimensions with icons so detailed that they even point to the plants that you can find. A real savagery.
- Chapter 3, Dungeon Guide (206-348): the reader is reintroduced to the use of the guide through maps, how the underworld works and all the areas that are hidden under the surface of the Intermediate Lands are detailed with maps in two and three dimensions. There are no words to describe the level of detail.
- Chapter 4, Quest Guide (354-501): almost the entire remaining page of the guide is dedicated to offering a very detailed profile of each character that appears in Elden Ring, including the events that make up their missions, how they intertwine with each other and the dialogues. We are talking about +50 tokens full of lore.
- Chapter 5, World History (502): the guide dedicates its last pages to offer an overview of the history of the Middle Lands. She defines the lines of conflicts and the forces that fight for power. A sneak peek of what’s to come in Volume 2.
I have no words to describe the incredible work of research and data management
All the content of the guide is official, which includes every map of every area of the Middle Lands. All accompanied with markers of absolutely ALL items and NPCs. It does not forget the inhabitants who tend to make it difficult for us to pass.
The Art of The Book of Lore, Volume 1 of Elden Ring
It doesn’t matter if you like to read or not, because this guide caters for all tastes. It has a lot of text, but also lots of visual material: maps, screenshots, illustrations… And, bless Márika, how beautiful are the illustrations!
The visual section of this guide has been attention to detail. My only drawback is that the size of the letters can make reading difficult for people with certain vision problems. Nothing worrisome. It would have been necessary to make one or two more volumes with the amount of information there is.
In conclusion: a precious manual for anyone aspiring to be Lord of the Circle
Anyone with even the slightest bit of love and curiosity for Elden Ring should have these two volumes on their bookshelf. It doesn’t matter if you want it to be 100% complete, as a lore hunter, artist, historian or virtual archaeologist. And I don’t just mean those who have a controller or keyboard in their hand!
The Books of Knowledge offer an opportunity to all those people who are attracted by the work of FromSoftware, but who do not want to face the challenge of playing. It is a door to discovery at all levels and in all forms. I have renewed my love for Elden Ring and hope to do so again with Volume 2.
Table of Contents
