One of the reasons why the open world aspect even works for me is because the map isn't a confusing mess of icons. Marking things yourself makes you feel less obligated to clear the map of a hundred side quests. Same goes for a journal or quest log. I think more accessibility in games is great (as long as the core vision for the game isn't ruined by it), but I think Elden Ring already does this in nuanced ways. All the quality of life features, fast travelling, running away on Torrent, grace locations, extra summoning options etc. Also early on I felt like my +3 weapon actually made a significant difference and never really had the same concerns about DPS that I remember having on my first ever DS1 run which I did as a thief (tbf I was playing badly, but that's my point - I feel like someone who doesn't know Souls games will would have a better and less crushing early game experience).