Volume II has an exclusive interview with Miyazaki
Elden Ring is getting a pair of official physical guide books later this year from Future Press, and by the time you get your hands on them, you might have forgotten enough to actually need them again. Joking! Kind of. I feel like this has to be 2022’s most wiki’d game, right?
Future Press is planning to release its “biggest project yet” — two hardcover volumes known as the Elden Ring Books of Knowledge — and they’ll cost $49.99 each. Volume I will be available this summer, and Volume II will be arriving in the fall.
In terms of a content breakdown, these are meant to be the exhaustive, definitive resource books for all things Elden Ring, so lots of stats, pictures, and insights.
What’s inside each guide book
For Volume I, that means “in-depth explanations and data for all of the gameplay elements and mechanics,” “ultra-detailed cartography” for the world map and dungeons, and an NPC guide “with every branch and possibility fully explained.” For Volume II, Future Press is focusing on combat for every Elden Ring play style, the creatures, the weapons, spells, and armor, as well as an “exclusive interview” with director Hidetaka Miyazaki.
The Elden Ring Books of Knowledge are up for pre-order on Amazon here and here.
A word of caution from Future Press: “Due to the ongoing global manufacturing and logistic difficulties, we do encourage everyone to pre-order their copy early to avoid disappointment later.” Officially, the release dates are “late summer” and “fall,” but Amazon is pointing to July 29 for the first book and September 30 for the second.
It’s fun to obsess over every little game detail — that’s been true of the Souls series at large, and it’s definitely true of Elden Ring — so even if these guides are coming “late,” they will still have a devoted audience, particularly if they turn out as well as they sound. I will say, the cover art, featuring Ranni and Queen Marika, looks pretty slick.
There’s something special about cracking into a beefy book about a game you really resonated with, so here’s hoping this two-parter meets expectations.
