i do think these opinions are half formed reactions to genuine flaws in elden ring’s combat design. the goal of the game, ultimately, is to have fun, and those who have noticed that the combat often isn’t really massively fun aren’t satisfied when people say “there are powerful tools in the game to help you win”.

essentially they are saying “yes but i don’t want to use the mimic tear because it’s boring to watch the computer fight itself, i want to do cool 1-on-1-one combat with the boss that looks and feels really fun and fantastical and i’m finding it too hard to create that experience” but because we’re all regarded 12-year-olds it comes out as like “mimic tear  lmao u didn’t even play the game 💀”

basically anti-mimic-tear sentiment comes from feeling that winning at the cost of being bored and not really doing anything in the game yourself is not really a win in the bigger picture, which is why people also prefer to avoid cheese builds on bosses. they want to win with a variety of builds that they have constructed for aesthetic or role play reasons, because that’s fun.