Elden Ring is the hottest game currently on the market, reaching a staggering 765,000 players on launch day as well as almost 1 million viewers across all Twitch streams. Though its difficulty can be a barrier for some, the unique new take on a Souls-like game has caused many players to see what the Elden Ring hype is all about.
The massive amount of attention surrounding the game has also caught the eye of popular streamers, and has lead to funny moments such as Dr. Disrespect claiming he's the best Elden Ring player and mocking other popular streamer xQc. One other incredibly popular streamer, who has been saying since the first announcement he would be playing the game, is Asmongold.
In the past, Asmongold has been known for being one of the most popular content creators for MMO titan World of Warcraft, but as time has gone on the game has experienced a steady decline in content, player numbers, and overall opinion. This player experience has also affected Asmongold, who just recently criticized the newest World of Warcraft raid.
Starting 55 minutes into the above video, Asmongold reaches his breaking point with the raid and states he would rather go play Elden Ring. This is an unfortunate message to be sent by a streamer who, at one point, was considered by many to be one of the go-to World of Warcraft content creators alongside other huge names such as Swifty. Contrasting with fun dungeons such as Elden Ring's Tombsword Catacombs, in Asmongold's eyes the new raid is too frustrating as well as most likely too challenging for more casual players.
However, it is also possible that the reason Asmongold dislikes the new raid and would rather play Elden Ring isn't any fault of World of Warcraft's. Instead, it may be the issue of a longtime player's frustration over a game that they've been playing for 15+ years at this point being offered a fresh, fun experience. Rather than grinding out an extremely tough boss in the new raid, perhaps Asmongold is enticed by shenanigans such as one-shotting an Elden Ring boss. Conversely, Asmongold admits he's probably just being lazy, so the reasons for wanting to move back to Elden Ring are inconclusive.
The message being taken from Asmongold's comments are twofold: that Elden Ring is dominating in sales and player opinions alike, and World of Warcraft is continuing its descent. This is not to say that World of Warcraft is not doing relatively well, as compared to most of the gaming industry it is still incredibly dominant. However, between story direction, grindy gameplay, and a not-so-steady stream of content, it's easy to see why streamers like Asmongold are considering jumping ship for the time being.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.