ELEX
Give it 20 hours
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours most reviews are negative (76%); after 35h it's 1 in 10 (10%).
- Fully opens up by hour 35.
- The opening is criticised more than in 98% of games we track.
- 24% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Survival” and “Thicker than Water” (Completed - Showdown with Kallax): from 87% to 25% of starters.
- 88% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 19,719 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 299 reviews: 48.4h for positive, 11.3h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (88.2% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Survival Completed - Survival 87% −13
- Thicker than Water Completed - Showdown with Kallax. Most players quit here 25% −62
- Visionary Completed ELEX. 24% −1
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (50)
story milestone ending side
- Up and Away First jet pack flight 100%
- Survival Completed - Survival 87%
- Hunter Killed 20 monsters. 71%
- The Big G Earned 1000 Elex shards. 70%
- Fencing master Completed - Stolen Equipment. 51%
- Atombouncer Teleported 20 times 51%
- Shard hoarder Earned 10,000 Elex shards. 48%
- Pack leader 5 companions 41%
- Flashback Completed - Chaos of Emotions.E86 38%
- Thief taker Killed 20 bandits. 38%
- Butcher Killed 50 people 38%
- Friend or Foe Killed 20 Albs. 35%
- Slayer Killed 300 monsters. 35%
- Luminary Reached level 20. 34%
- Leader Completed - Origin The Power of the Center. 33%
- Earner Completed - Tramp Confederacy. 33%
- Detective Completed - Decaying Powers. 29%
- Careerist Completed 300 missions. 29%
- Prepared Completed - Zardom's Battle Plan. 28%
- Turned the world upside down. Completed - Old Obligations. 26%
- Thicker than Water Completed - Showdown with Kallax. 25%
- Big Earner Earned 100,000 Elex shards. 25%
- Visionary Completed ELEX. 24%
- Acolyte Joined the Clerics. 24%
- Romantic Started a relationship. 24%
- Cultivator Joined the Berserkers. 23%
- Honorary Citizen Played 80 hours of Elex. 23%
- Balance of Power Sealed the fate of Abessa City. 21%
- Sewer Rat Completed - The Claws. 19%
- Big Game Hunter Killed 1000 monsters. 16%
- The Third Way Fed Mana to the Hybrid. 14%
- Pure Rebel Sided against the Hybrid. 12%
- Runner Joined the Outlaws. 11%
- Safecracker Cracked 50 safes 10%
- Splattermaster Fallen to death 20 times. 9.6%
- Pilferer 50 successful pickpockets 9.6%
- Natural Survivor Learned all survival skills. 9.1%
- Calaan Found Calaan 9.1%
- Fightmaster Learned all fighting skills. 7.7%
- Hero Learned all character skills. 7.6%
- Tinkerer Modified weapons 20 times 7.3%
- Flexible friend Learned all dexterity skills. 6.9%
- Human Cold is 10 or lower. 6.0%
- Beacon of faith Learned all Cleric skills. 4.9%
- Locksmith Picked 100 locks. 4.6%
- Beast of Xacor Served the Hybrid. 4.1%
- Coldhearted Cold value has reached 90 4.1%
- Nature Lover Learned all Berserker skills. 3.9%
- Picture Album Collected 20 pictures. 2.8%
- Master criminal Learned all Outlaw skills. 2.6%