Gestures have been around in From Software games since 2009's Demon Souls. Using a few button presses, players can pick and choose from a variety of emotes that help them describe how they feel while exploring dark, dangerous lands. Gestures have once again returned with the release of Elden Ring, albeit with some slight input complications.
To access gestures in Elden Ring, players have to first press the menu button. This brings up a drop-down list of their equipment, crafting list, inventory, player stats, messages, and multiplayer options. It is from this drop-down list that they then have to sift all the way to an isolated section at the bottom right of the screen to choose from one of six of their assigned gestures - a process that should not be nearly as time-consuming as it is.
How Elden Ring Could Speed Up Its Gesture Usage
Gestures taking time to access may not seem so bad at first, but factoring in the reality that Elden Ring doesn't pause the game when pressing the menu button makes gesture selection a bit of a nightmare. Popping a gesture when enemies aren't around is easy enough, but doing so during a fight is more difficult than it used to be in past From Software games. This ties into the fact that the hitboxes in Elden Ring are so precise that sitting down with the "Rest" gesture can effectively allow players to dodge a high swipe from an opponent, resulting in some awe-inspiring feats of evasion.
There is a potential alternative, however. On PlayStation controllers specifically, players can hold the triangle button and use the controllers' motion controls to use a gesture mapped to that controller motion (there are small icons on the side of the gestures menu that show which way players have to tilt their controllers). However, seeing how cumbersome and unintuitive these inputs are, most Elden Ring players would rather turn off the motion controls than accidentally use a gesture when they don't want to.
Using From Software's PlayStation 4 exclusive Bloodborne as an antithesis, a side of the DualShock 4's touchpad was dedicated solely to accessing gestures, while the other side brought up a quick item menu. With one tap of a button, players could scroll through their assigned gestures and execute an emote in less than two seconds. Compared to Elden Ring, which uses the DualShock 4 and DualSense touchpad specifically for the game's map, Bloodborne's method of gesturing is easier and less time-consuming.
The biggest issue is that, apart from attaching them to Elden Ring's messages, players don't normally use Elden Ring's gestures when playing solo. Gestures are more often used in Elden Ring's co-op or PvP components, as there are actual players who get to see and react to them. Having to move down the obstructive menu to select an emote on the far right side every time can take players out of the immersion and delay their responses to others players' gestures or actions.
With this in mind, it would be a good idea on From Software's part to bring back the gestures tab on the DualShock and DualSense touchpads in a future patch for Elden Ring. One side of the touchpad would allow gamers to access the world map, while another would be dedicated just to gestures. Doing so would allow players to more easily access their emotes, making communication with other players much smoother and more immediate. It's a little thing, but being able to effortlessly interact with fellow Tarnished goes a long way when exploring the dangerous wonders of The Lands Between.
Elden Ring is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
