Board Thread:Dark Souls/@comment-11923066-20130417154133/@comment-6003396-20130417170651

first let's review some definitions of "elemental": basic and essential; relating to or caused by powerful natural forces; "classical elements", from mythology/folklore: earth, water, wind and fire; the scientific term referring to matter composed of one chemical element; and then there is the term referring to the fantasy/D&D creatures, one of which is lightning (i think).

given the multitude of definitions, interpretation of what is or is not elemental is somewhat flexible, and it is not so far fetched to call the non-physical damage types/defenses in dark souls as "elemental" (for example, perhaps "magic" in DS is a basic/natural force). i also don't think that it is a source of confusion to call them "elemental", whereas "Special Damage/Defense" might be.