Elden Ring has a lot of weapons. Built up across FromSoftware’s entire Soulsborne catalog, over three hundred weapons filling more than twenty broad categories leaves no Tarnished without at least one combat option to their taste. The nine primary weapon types in Rise of the Ronin sound underwhelming in comparison, though each one supporting multiple distinct combat styles goes a long way toward evening the odds. Still, Elden Ring’s fantastical armaments and spells give its fighting an edge in visual variety over the somewhat grounded Rise of the Ronin, and that will only become more pronounced over time.

It’s currently unknown if Rise of the Ronin will get Team Ninja’s typical post-launch DLC. Elden Ring, meanwhile, has eight new weapon categories coming in its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and that's not even getting into its new spells, Ashes of War, and unique additions to old weapon types. This greater variety stems from FromSoftware’s detail-oriented Souls design fundamentally differing from the loot system Team Ninja has used since Nioh, but Rise of the Ronin has proven that the latter has FromSoftware checked in one high-demand weapon group: guns.

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Rise of the Ronin Subtly Borrows One of Bloodborne's Best Mechanics

Rise of the Ronin shares a lot in common with FromSoftware's Sekiro, but it happens to borrow a surprising feature from Bloodborne as well.

Gunplay In FromSoftware's Soulslikes Has A Lot Of Untapped Potential

Bows, Greatbows, and Crossbows frequently rank among the worst weapon types in Dark Souls and Elden Ring. If players want ranged options to give them an edge, magic is usually the better option. The only time FromSoftware’s long-distance armory saw widespread use was Bloodborne, and its guns served a special purpose. Mostly used for parries or burst damage, Bloodborne’s firearms and hybrid Trick Weapons require resource management and careful build planning to unlock their true effectiveness, and even then, it's hard to say that jumping from scratch damage to a one-shot build is their intended design.

Despite all of that, Bloodborne’s guns are still a beloved part of its identity, and fans have taken to modding some of them into other FromSoftware titles. There is an unmet demand for satisfying gunplay in Souls-style games, and Rise of the Ronin just served a fresh helping of it. Its firearms include:

  • Bayonets — Primary
  • Rifles — Secondary
  • Handguns — Secondary
  • Fire Pipes — Secondary

Fire Pipes are best for particular scenarios, but the remaining weapons are useful enough to fill a surprisingly strong gun-based Rise of the Ronin loadout. Bayonets are a primary weapon class with unique ranged abilities, while rifles and handguns add options for burst damage, assassinations, combo extensions, and more, creating a surprising amount of mechanical coverage.

What Rise of the Ronin’s Guns Can Teach FromSoftware

Although its rifles were inherited from Nioh, Rise of the Ronin’s handguns add a new dimension to its combat, and could inspire better guns in FromSoftware’s future games. While rifles employ third-person aiming and are comparable to Bloodborne’s burst damage Cannons, handguns can be rapid-fired, shot while dodging, used for stronger critical hits, and even interrupt unblockable attacks in place of Rise of the Ronin's usual parry. They serve as the ultimate sidearm, being fast and loose enough that players can weave them into any approach, and probably hit foes who normally dodge rifle shots. All that’s limiting them is their ammo, making handguns perfect for a Bloodborne successor that wants its small arms to do more than parry.

Rise of the Ronin’s Bayonets Should Inspire Future Souls Games

Bloodborne seems to have answers to Rise of the Ronin's Bayonets in its Reiterpallasch, Rifle Spear, and Simon's Bowblade Trick Weapons, but the similarities don't last. Not only do Bayonets enjoy multiple stances and the use of status effect Whetstones like any melee weapon, they can also shoot different bullet types, like Monster Hunter's Bowguns. Most importantly, Bayonets do not use ammo to shoot. Paying stamina for weaker, but readily-available bullets could give main-hand guns a place in FromSoftware’s action-RPGs. Copying the versatility found in Rise of the Ronin’s firearms would make for a fun and viable play style in any Soulslike.