I’m a late to the game. As with most things, I’m late to begin playing Elden Ring. I just started the game last weekend, and after I started, I read about a journaling technique that is used to help you learn. So I thought it would be fun to journal my way through. To see if it helps me learn the game. So here I go, journaling my Elden Ring experience.
Journal for Elden Ring
Basic Info
I’m using a Samurai. I’m currently at level 17, and I don’t dare go near anything that looks like a boss of any kind. So far, I’ve talked with Varre (sp?) at the very beginning, and I found Blaidd today. I spoke to a guy who was a bush. I also have my horse, Torrent, my Ashes of War, and my summon. Furthermore, I was able to locate the temple that allows me to get the glorious physick today, as well.
Today’s experience playing Elden Ring
I died a bunch today from falling. I actually ended up leaving a bunch of runes behind because I kept falling in the same spot, and I got sick of getting the runes and then falling again. Generally, though, I am starting to feel a little bit better about fighting. But I don’t dare face anything that is on a horse, or has a name.
I also, when I was going under some ruins, heard someone that needed help. But, I looked and looked, and I couldn’t find them, so I will be going back to that area to see if I can find them. I don’t remember what they said their name was.
I also found the map for West Limgrave, and I got some kind of axe something. Not sure exactly what that is for yet. I was able to upgrade my weapon as well using a smithing stone.
I am trying to make it to Caelid so that I can beat up the white dragon that is sleeping so that I can get a bunch of runes and level up. I also want to make it to a spot that has a big ball that if it falls off a cliff, I get a bunch of runes for as well.
For now, what I would like to be working on, while I’m trying to get to Caelid is to get better at aiming at enemies, because I always forget to do that in the heat of battle. Also, rolling, I need to get better at rolling out of the way or blocking.
Final Thoughts
The other thing, is how do I decide if I want to upgrade Faith or Intelligence? Or Arcane? Or all of them? Do I just find a spell or a weapon that needs one, and then go from there? So many questions. Elden Ring is very big, and I have a lot of questions that I can only answer by going through the process of playing.
The Hero’s Journey is the first plot type that I looked at when it first occurred to me that there was such a thing. I think it may have been the first one that appeared when I began a search. I feel like this plot type ends up in so many places, because it is so easy to recognize. Once I read about it, I immediately thought of Lord of the Rings. Joseph Campbell wrote a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This book goes through all the stages of this plot type. Without further ado, here are the seventeen stages:
The Hero’s Journey: Stages
The Hero’s Journey
1. The Call to Adventure
As we’ve seen with Plotting: Freytag’s Pyramid, Plotting: The Three-Act-Structure, and Save the Cat Story Structure plots have a tendency to begin with a “day in the life,” The Hero’s Journey is no exception. Our hero starts out living their normal life, and then something happens, changes, or someone invites them to do something that starts them on their journey.
2. Refusal of the Call
This is also a typical moment. The hero doesn’t want to go on an adventure. They want to keep on living their life, but there are reasons that they cannot say no, or other forces that keep them from saying no.
3. Supernatural Aid
The hero receives some kind of otherworldly help in the beginning of their journey.
4. The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is where they take their first steps into the new world. They really begin their journey at this point.
5. Belly of the Whale
This stage represents the final separation of the hero from their known world and self. The hero is showing their willingness to fully immerse themselves in the unknown and change themselves for the better. The hero may have a minor setback at this stage, or some other struggle where they lose something.
6. The Road of Trials
The hero experiences a series of trials, usually in threes; before he is able to move forward in their journey. These are fluid and ambiguous. They will lose some and have to keep moving forward and gaining confidence in order to move successfully through the story.
7. Meeting with the Goddess
The hero meets someone who provides them with something that will help them later on.
8. Woman as the Temptress
Despite the poor name for this stage; essentially it’s about something that the hero wants, but shouldn’t have. It’s really about the differences between what should be and what is.
9. Atonement with the Father/Abyss
The point of the story that everything has been moving toward. This is a confrontation with an entity that holds the power of both life and death within it. The hero has to trust in the figure that they will be able to confront whatever it is they need to confront, and come out on the other end better/unscathed, etc. The thing given by the other figure earlier in the story will be helpful at this point. The two figures should be mirror images of one another.
10. Apotheosis
The hero reaches a greater understanding. They have learned the lesson that they needed to learn.
11. The Ultimate Boon
The goal of the quest was achieved. Whatever the hero set out to do, was done.
Photo by Luci
13. The Refusal of the Return
Having found success in the other world, the hero does not want to return to the ordinary world.
14. The Magic Flight
The hero may have to run with the boon, if they have angered the gods, or have made them jealous by winning it.
15. Rescue from Without
Just as they needed aids and helpers to begin their journey, the hero may need help getting back to the ordinary world. This is particularly true if they were wounded or weakened.
16. The Crossing of the Return Threshold
This one seems a bit overly complicated. The hero, not only needs to return to regular life. But, they also need to retain the wisdom they gained on their journey. And they need to share that wisdom with the people around them. That’s a little hard to fit into the last chapters of your novel.
17. Master of Two Worlds
In the end, the hero will be a master of both their inner and outer worlds. They will be happy in both.
So, those are the stages of The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell’s book on the subject was published in 1949, so you will forgive a lot of outdated phrasing. However, you can easily see how any adventure story can fit into the stages. Campbell studies a lot of myths from a lot of different cultures to come up with the ways in which we tell stories across cultures.
This information is always good to know as a teller of tales, because, no matter what kind of stories you want to weave; you are adding to the tapestry of your own culture. You are putting your own mark in your way, making your own folklore if you will. Adding your own voice to the many that have come before you. And it matters. Allow your voice to be heard, remember that the way you see the world is important, your views are important. Your way telling of Beauty and the Beast or that incident that happened a couple of years ago that’s now family legend; it’s yours, and it’s important. I suppose that’s a post for another day though.
