I'm not amazing at these games, particularly the faster ones, but I'm pretty good to the point I tend to play thematic builds or and actively eshew OP stuff because it's funnier to kill a dragon with a dagger than a big sword.

I think elden ring is almost flawless until after leyndell. Going from one of the best levels they've ever made, filled with thoughtful design to bats that 2 hit your 60 vigur build in the flat, empty snowfields is... A decision.

It's basically tradition that the bottom falls out of these games in the last bits. I think elden ring is just too big, even the levels with great design like elphale end up becoming tedious slog fests because there's just nowhere for them to take it. Hey look it's those basic soldiers, but they're umm golden now and they hit like a truck and umm explode and uhhh 8 Royal revenants. Hmm game design!

The broken scaling of everything means that a lot of the boss fights end up either you wombo combo them, they wombo combo you, or it's a tedious scratch and run away event. There's no epic genichiro or owl level toe to toe lightning duels. Even malania, a boss with absolutely stunning design, becomes dying to waterfowl dance in one/two hit/s over and over till you learn to dodge it or just snap and pull out the blasphemous greatsword and chain pancake her to death.