From Software Elden Ring - From Software's new game with writing by GRRM

[Bloodeyes]

So I got an iron sword finally from the leyndell drops. It didn't take that long really (4 rounds really, one after the other) but it was annoying because there really wasn't any nearby grace. It's actually... an impressive fucking weapon. I immediately buffed it to +24 and compared it to my Banished and Knights swords, and it dominates.

It's the best smithing stone greatsword. Its AR is so good it can even take blood scaling on a STR/ARC build and still hit decently hard. Cold or heavy it has better AR than the lesser colossal swords.

In my own game:

I'm burning out on ER. Finally. I'm hopping from challenge run to PVP to another challenge run, abandoning all of them to try something else. Right now I'm doing glitchless RL1 (no other restrictions). Its going great, two shardbearers down (Godrick and Radahn). Lots of setup progress is being made like getting cerulean hidden tear and banished knight Oleg, as well as progressing Ranni's quest far enough to get the upgrade mats needed to +10 him. I think it likely that I'll get as far as Fire Giant, maybe even Godskin Duo or Maliketh. But there's no way I'll be able to beat the game like this.

I'll go as far as I think I can, then try to get a bit further to where I can say I did better than I thought I could. Then I'm playing Dark Souls or Bloodborne or something. I think if I'm having to do extreme crap like RL1 to make the game exciting again its probably time to just move on.

 

[Matador]

Elden Ring is a bad action RPG. You need to get overpowered through broken RPG elements that require a lot of grind (clear everything in the huge map) or metagaming (know the locations of broken cheese summons) to have chances to beat some bosses (without devoiding your life to the game). And when you get OP the fight is not fun anymore.

In any Souls game before Elden Ring, you could reasonable have fun and challenge fighting any boss just with normal leveling, exploration rewards and upgrades; achieving a balance between RPG and action.

They designed the game explicitely to avoid pro streamers clearing it too easily the first days. I remember EpicNameBro struggling a LOT in some fights like Radahn, because he refused to cheese.

Very bad design IMO.

 

[Bloodeyes]

Elden Ring is a bad action RPG. You need to get overpowered through broken RPG elements that require a lot of grind (clear everything in the huge map) or metagaming (know the locations of broken cheese summons) to have chances to beat some bosses (without devoiding your life to the game). And when you get OP the fight is not fun anymore.

In any Souls game before Elden Ring, you could reasonable have fun and challenge fighting any boss just with normal leveling, exploration rewards and upgrades; achieving a balance between RPG and action.

They designed the game explicitely to avoid pro streamers clearing it too easily the first days. I remember EpicNameBro struggling a LOT in some fights like Radahn, because he refused to cheese.

Very bad design IMO.

I disagree. I've got a lot of time in the game but I'm only an intermediate skill level player. That's not modesty, PVP confirms this. I destroy casual players 3 at once with my colossal sword, but get demolished in 1v1 against skilled Souls vets while barely being able to touch them.

Summons are overpowered for sure, mainly because the upgrade mats to max them out are available way too early. But once you know what you're doing they're something of an annoyance. The right balance for them would have been to place the upgrade mats at the end game, so their HP is about half what it is. From definitely screwed that up. That being said they're not necessary to beat the game. They don't even help that much once you learn how to play because they fuck with the bosses movement and make them do wild, unpredictable shit. To steal a quote from my favorite ER challenge runner Bushy "Summons scale poorly with skill".

Level isn't that big of a deal beyond meeting weapon requirements and having enough vigor to not get one shot. The actual increase in damage you get from levelling your main stat beyond requirements is small but significant. Its worth doing, but it's not at all essential. I watch a couple LPs by gamer girls doing a first playthrough. Their builds make me physically cringe, they don't even know what their stats do. But they keep on trucking along through the game anyway. One is doing a no magic, no shield, low vigor, no summons run. She sucks but she's managing anyway, despite having her levels in DEX and scaling her two katanas blood and sacred without FTH or ARC.

As far as complaining about clearing everything... it's definitely not required but I've never wanted to play any RPG or ARPG any other way. I don't consider clearing the dungeons grind. I consider it playing the game. They're all quite unique and cleverly designed. Not unique to the point of having new art assets or enemies for each, but in their layout and theme. There's always something there to confound expectations established by previous dungeons, and even the reused bosses have some new twist each time you encounter them.

 

[Deflowerer]

Gazillion Souls games and still have to tell people to git gud. Jesus.

Although I don't think no criticism whatsoever shouldn't be directed towards the game, ofc.

 

[Dadd]

ENB struggled because he was forcing a dagger run and he constantly tests what weird stuff you can do with the mechanics.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I really liked a lot of the dungeons. Interesting designs overall.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Child of Malkav]

There's no way ER wins GOTY. Movie games win GOTY generally (well Sekiro was an exception).

 

[fork]

The worst FromSoft game selling like hotcakes. Great.

 

[Child of Malkav]

The worst FromSoft game selling like hotcakes. Great.

I know, it's depressing.

 

[Matador]

There's no way ER wins GOTY. Movie games win GOTY generally (well Sekiro was an exception).

Elden Ring is very in tone with the open world modern gaming sensibilities. An anime UBI soft game that is well made, conserve some of the Souls spark and respect the player. That's the reason so many Elden Retards were spawned this year.

Also good or decent AAA games are not longer made. Even by Awesome button/cinematic experience standards, this year is awful. Western gaming is dead because companies embraced sodomy and Neo Babilonic Evil, instead of designing games.

ER is going to win everything this year. It is the best mainstream game in the worst year in gaming history. No innovation, no new tech and no good games outside niche genres.

 

[Nathir]

The best FromSoft game selling like hotcakes. Great.

There you go

 

[Talby]

The worst FromSoft game selling like hotcakes. Great.

I didn't know DS2 was doing so well.

 

[HumanTotemPole]

My girlfriend is still playing and occasionally drafts me to beat fights she's struggling with. She's following a video guide built around running a Bloodhound's Fang & 50+ vig. Found that using the BHF neatly encapsulates my issues with ER's combat.

Use normal attacks, blocks, rolls etc? You'll often find an enemy has a reasonable (and occasionally unreasonable) set of tools to counter standard actions and that your own damage output is ok to mediocre.

Pull that magic left trigger though? Disgustingly easy. PvE enemies can't do shit versus that weapon art, a backwards leaping slash with an optional iframed (!) follow up attack. Without the ability to react to start up frames enemies get fucking smashed. Even if you get do tagged your damage output is boosted to the point that hit trading with bosses to win is perfectly viable. Old school Soulslike positioning and timing? Largely irrelevant.

I fear that more awesome buttons will follow in future. Inevitable given the commercial imperative to eternally broaden a big brand's appeal and market share.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Bought this two days ago. The bastards didn't discount it on steam. I found a cheaper key at gamebillet

3 hours in, having a great time so far. Finally, quality open wolrd design, no handholding, player uncertainty about his actions being properly managed by the designer. I can see myself getting to 500-600 hours easily.

Also, my gamepad skills are abysmal.

 

[Mauman]

Also, my gamepad skills are abysmal.

I think the game works pretty well with mouse and keyboard.

A few things take getting used to, but it's not horrible.

 

[Bloodeyes]

Use normal attacks, blocks, rolls etc? You'll often find an enemy has a reasonable (and occasionally unreasonable) set of tools to counter standard actions and that your own damage output is ok to mediocre.

Pull that magic left trigger though? Disgustingly easy.

I completely agree. I think weapon arts are cool but there are several in this game that require no skill at all to win fights with and that's not a good thing at all. The low damage of normal attacks compared to WAs and the high damage output of enemies means that if you're not using either status effects of a strong WA you're seriously outgunned and are facing a long fight where a couple mistakes can lead to death and restarting (which is great sometimes). I love this game but the balance is way off.

I ended up banning myself from even picking up the spiritcalling bell and certain ashes of war that I knew could power through fights without me having to learn them. I basically have to balance the game for myself with only my conscience as a guide. Not ideal. Things like Lion's Claw just shouldn't be in the game. You don't need to time it, you don't need to judge distance. It just hyper armors through literally any attack so if you have a bunch of red flasks and enough vigor to not get one shout you can beat any foe just with L2. Flame of the Redmanes is ridiculous. If I can use it to kill dragons at level 1 with a +0 dagger and have it be significantly easier than fighting them normally with a levelled character then that's a serious balance issue (no damage because it never even got to attack). I don't even pick those up now. The game is better without them.

I do like ashes though. You can make cool builds with them and its not like I don't want a strong character. I just want to be the one playing. I like to drive manual. Royal Knight's Resolve, Chilling Mist, Square Off, Unsheath. Now those are some OP ashes that are actually fun to use. They demolish foes but at least you need to do them in a punish window.

 

[Abu Antar]

The worst FromSoft game selling like hotcakes. Great.

Not that I think that this is the worst From game, but quality and sales aren't always connected. Look at the new Pokëmon. Despite all its technical issues and bugs, it sold 10 million copies in three days. It's the biggest ever Nintendo launch. God of War: Ragnarok is the new best selling Sony game. When you get big enough, you can just pump out shit, and rake in the money.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Use normal attacks, blocks, rolls etc? You'll often find an enemy has a reasonable (and occasionally unreasonable) set of tools to counter standard actions and that your own damage output is ok to mediocre.

Pull that magic left trigger though? Disgustingly easy.

I completely agree. I think weapon arts are cool but there are several in this game that require no skill at all to win fights with and that's not a good thing at all. The low damage of normal attacks compared to WAs and the high damage output of enemies means that if you're not using either status effects of a strong WA you're seriously outgunned and are facing a long fight where a couple mistakes can lead to death and restarting (which is great sometimes). I love this game but the balance is way off.

I ended up banning myself from even picking up the spiritcalling bell and certain ashes of war that I knew could power through fights without me having to learn them. I basically have to balance the game for myself with only my conscience as a guide. Not ideal. Things like Lion's Claw just shouldn't be in the game. You don't need to time it, you don't need to judge distance. It just hyper armors through literally any attack so if you have a bunch of red flasks and enough vigor to not get one shout you can beat any foe just with L2. Flame of the Redmanes is ridiculous. If I can use it to kill dragons at level 1 with a +0 dagger and have it be significantly easier than fighting them normally with a levelled character then that's a serious balance issue (no damage because it never even got to attack). I don't even pick those up now. The game is better without them.

I do like ashes though. You can make cool builds with them and its not like I don't want a strong character. I just want to be the one playing. I like to drive manual. Royal Knight's Resolve, Chilling Mist, Square Off, Unsheath. Now those are some OP ashes that are actually fun to use. They demolish foes but at least you need to do them in a punish window.

I actually found out today that I've missed getting the spirit bell for free

However as soon as I learned from youtube about spirit summons being there, in addition to stuff like "equippable specials that are supposed to work with a variety of weapon types" aka Weapon Arts, my first reaction was "they can't have all these alternative styles in and still keep it balanced".

Still, I can live with that. I'll just play less optimal and not read too much on how to optimize. Average enjoyer and all that.

 

[fork]

The worst FromSoft game selling like hotcakes. Great.

Not that I think that this is the worst From game, but quality and sales aren't always connected. Look at the new Pokëmon. Despite all its technical issues and bugs, it sold 10 million copies in three days. It's the biggest ever Nintendo launch. God of War: Ragnarok is the new best selling Sony game. When you get big enough, you can just pump out shit, and rake in the money.

Yeah, but it's sad seeing it happen to From.

 

[HumanTotemPole]

Use normal attacks, blocks, rolls etc? You'll often find an enemy has a reasonable (and occasionally unreasonable) set of tools to counter standard actions and that your own damage output is ok to mediocre.

Pull that magic left trigger though? Disgustingly easy.

I completely agree. I think weapon arts are cool but there are several in this game that require no skill at all to win fights with and that's not a good thing at all. The low damage of normal attacks compared to WAs and the high damage output of enemies means that if you're not using either status effects of a strong WA you're seriously outgunned and are facing a long fight where a couple mistakes can lead to death and restarting (which is great sometimes). I love this game but the balance is way off.

I ended up banning myself from even picking up the spiritcalling bell and certain ashes of war that I knew could power through fights without me having to learn them. I basically have to balance the game for myself with only my conscience as a guide. Not ideal. Things like Lion's Claw just shouldn't be in the game. You don't need to time it, you don't need to judge distance. It just hyper armors through literally any attack so if you have a bunch of red flasks and enough vigor to not get one shout you can beat any foe just with L2. Flame of the Redmanes is ridiculous. If I can use it to kill dragons at level 1 with a +0 dagger and have it be significantly easier than fighting them normally with a levelled character then that's a serious balance issue (no damage because it never even got to attack). I don't even pick those up now. The game is better without them.

I do like ashes though. You can make cool builds with them and its not like I don't want a strong character. I just want to be the one playing. I like to drive manual. Royal Knight's Resolve, Chilling Mist, Square Off, Unsheath. Now those are some OP ashes that are actually fun to use. They demolish foes but at least you need to do them in a punish window.

I actually found out today that I've missed getting the spirit bell for free

However as soon as I learned from youtube about spirit summons being there, in addition to stuff like "equippable specials that are supposed to work with a variety of weapon types" aka Weapon Arts, my first reaction was "they can't have all these alternative styles in and still keep it balanced".

Still, I can live with that. I'll just play less optimal and not read too much on how to optimize. Average enjoyer and all that.

Fanatical attention to mechanical detail and considered encounter design are what set From apart from other AAA developers. In my view Elden Ring's size and structure had a signifcant impact on both.

 

[DemonKing]

Also the Elden Ring boardgame is on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/elden-ring-the-board-game

Only $US429 (+postage) if you want to go "all in"!

 

[Mortmal]

Also, my gamepad skills are abysmal.

Go sorcery then, you'll thank me later.

 

[Bloodeyes]

Use normal attacks, blocks, rolls etc? You'll often find an enemy has a reasonable (and occasionally unreasonable) set of tools to counter standard actions and that your own damage output is ok to mediocre.

Pull that magic left trigger though? Disgustingly easy.

I completely agree. I think weapon arts are cool but there are several in this game that require no skill at all to win fights with and that's not a good thing at all. The low damage of normal attacks compared to WAs and the high damage output of enemies means that if you're not using either status effects of a strong WA you're seriously outgunned and are facing a long fight where a couple mistakes can lead to death and restarting (which is great sometimes). I love this game but the balance is way off.

I ended up banning myself from even picking up the spiritcalling bell and certain ashes of war that I knew could power through fights without me having to learn them. I basically have to balance the game for myself with only my conscience as a guide. Not ideal. Things like Lion's Claw just shouldn't be in the game. You don't need to time it, you don't need to judge distance. It just hyper armors through literally any attack so if you have a bunch of red flasks and enough vigor to not get one shout you can beat any foe just with L2. Flame of the Redmanes is ridiculous. If I can use it to kill dragons at level 1 with a +0 dagger and have it be significantly easier than fighting them normally with a levelled character then that's a serious balance issue (no damage because it never even got to attack). I don't even pick those up now. The game is better without them.

I do like ashes though. You can make cool builds with them and its not like I don't want a strong character. I just want to be the one playing. I like to drive manual. Royal Knight's Resolve, Chilling Mist, Square Off, Unsheath. Now those are some OP ashes that are actually fun to use. They demolish foes but at least you need to do them in a punish window.

I actually found out today that I've missed getting the spirit bell for free

However as soon as I learned from youtube about spirit summons being there, in addition to stuff like "equippable specials that are supposed to work with a variety of weapon types" aka Weapon Arts, my first reaction was "they can't have all these alternative styles in and still keep it balanced".

Still, I can live with that. I'll just play less optimal and not read too much on how to optimize. Average enjoyer and all that.

You can optimize your character and still have a fun, challenging experience with this game. Learning how the systems work and making strong, interesting builds is what kept me playing for so long.

I'd just avoid summoning and using abilities that don't require player skill unless this is your first time playing a souls game. You won't really break this game by having a good build, especially not the late game.

You'll break it by using flame of the redmanes, transient moonlight, corpse piler, lion's claw, summons, rotten breath, golden scarab talisman and to a lesser extent shields. Those are all the things I ban in even my casual playthroughs. There's nothing wrong with being strong. If you're not tanky and a hard hitter the late game has things that will push your shit in (unless you're really good at souls which I'm not).

 

[DemonKing]

Also, my gamepad skills are abysmal.

Go sorcery then, you'll thank me later.

Just be aware that in order to respec. your character you'll have to beat a boss that has heavy sorcery resistance. I ended up having to beat her down with a short sword as my sorceries were basically useless.