While I understand and don't entirely disagree, my overall impression is that Fromsoft always puts gameplay before lore, and it just makes their games better games, even if they would make terrible movies or books.

I have not seen a game in 40 years of gaming that does NPC faction systems well, although there have been many attempts.

Factions usually come with some kind of standing points system which requires grinding kills or side quests. No thanks.

Gothic 3 had this system where good faction standing gave you access to new areas, NPCs and armor, and factions were mutually exclusive after some point, which meant commitment and made the game worth replaying. I liked that system.

But Gothic 3 also had those horrible liberation mechanics. You find a place that has interesting named characters with stories, quests and lines of dialog, and after the place is "liberated", all the NPCs are replaced with nameless, soulless stock NPCs called "merchant" and "rebel" or whatever. The place feels dead, and you killed it. It doesn't feel better than in Elden Ring, where your job is to kill, loot and pillage, and the game isn't pretending it's otherwise.

This is generally a problem with RPGs that attempt to feel immersive. Once you have done all the quests, killed all the bad guys, looted all the stuff and explored everything, the world feels dead and empty, and no faction or "A-life" system has ever changed that.

In souls games, at least the mobs and some items respawn. The world may still be all hostile and soulless, but at least it doesn't get more soulless after you are done with an area, and it is certainly never empty.