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

[PorkyThePaladin]

Also, this is my second run, but... why is it a problem to have a game that requires you to play it many times in order to master? Like yourself pointed out, the game gives you plenty of options to get past pretty much anything if you don't feel like training for it, but for those of us who want to do things "legit", yes, it sometimes can take time to master those bosses. I'm not getting what the issue is with that exactly. It took me a million coins to be able to finish Ghost n' Goblins as a kid and i don't even know how many times i had to play DoDonPachi before i was able to do my first 1CC run. Some games are just like that i don't see what the issue is here.

Any game that requires multiple playthroughs to master its combat system is trash. That is pretty self-evident. See games with actually good combat systems to see why: Warband, KCD, Sekiro, etc.

Besides, your argument was that those bosses are impossible no matter what. You talked about needing to have the reflexes of a 15 year old to go past them which clearly implies you think the difficulty lies in the twitch factor itself, which is not something you can overcome no matter how many times you try to play the game. If the problem is in the reflexes, playing the game for twenty times isn't gonna help you. If the limitation is physical, it will be there no matter how much "practice" time you put in. However, the fact even an old withered boomer like myself can master this game shows that it's not a matter of reflexes, it's a question of knowledge, which was always the highlight of Souls games for me.

Now you are just hiding behind cheap semantics. Anything can be done by applying a million-gazillion years to it. But no one without the reflexes of a young e-athlete can master ER's shit combat on the first and only run that normal people would be playing.

Try that with an actually difficult boss, like say Godskin Duo or Malekith.

Well, i did both of them solo, but my fights with both were kinda shit shows:


I started playing carelessly and recklessly at this point because i was seriously burned out (not the least because i had to redo the entirety of Consecrated Snowfield and the Haligtree on account of my save getting corrupted, some of you may remember that) and just wanted to get it over with. Definitely didn't spend a million hours trying to master either of those, which in hindsight is a shame.

When i get there with my SL1 toon i'll take the time to do them properly and i'll try to remember to call you when i post the video.

To quote the great Louis Armstrong: I see cheese of yellow and tears of red, and I say to myself, but goddamn you was bad...

 

[ERYFKRAD]

A DLC as good as The Old Hunters is scientifically impossible

Because it's bad?

 

[Lyric Suite]

So since this is Liurnia and to keep with the theme of the Wrech being whatever i decided to LARP as some kind of glint stone knight with a "barbaric" tinge to it while i'm this area.

I got the iron set which looks pretty good with that kite shield you get with the astrologer set from the merchant and it also works well with some of the weapons i'm using, like the long sword, broad sword, morning star and i even have that wierd axe that replenished FP i got from the death bird in the Weeping Pennusila which also fits well with the color scheme, likewise for that silver scarab thingy you wear on your head.

Don't mind the dragon breath i used it to clear out those annoying flowers in this cave but for the most part i'm going to stick to sorceries for a while since i barely used any. Ho, i'm also trying out some magic weapon arts. I never used this one before, pretty neat:

 

[MajorMace]

Btw one of the best additions of ER compared to Dark Souls games was the whole bunch of beastman/savage themed items and miracles centered around Strength/Faith hybrids.

I've been playing Strength/Faith on my first blind playthrough of every Souls game and it was quite a joy to discover Gurranq's "miracles".

 

[Silva]

A DLC as good as The Old Hunters is scientifically impossible

Indeed. But one with a couple good legacy dungeons and some cool but sensible bosses would already be a good thing.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Btw one of the best additions of ER compared to Dark Souls games was the whole bunch of beastman/savage themed items and miracles centered around Strenght/Faith hybrids.

I've been playing Strength/Faith on my first blind playthrough of every Souls game and it was quite a joy to discover Gurranq's "miracles".

One of the more annoying things about this game being so long that's not often mentioned is that there's a ton of options for build ideas or themed classes but you can't try that many of them as every playthrough takes forever. Luckily at least there's a bunch of those respec thingies all though usually i'm the kind of guy that once i set for an idea for a character i tend to see it through the whole game.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

"See that shit there ? That shit that bothers you ? That shit that you see ? Just don't see it !"
No shit !

Oh no you can see it, take it in, mull it over, and then dismiss it retards gonna retard, best not fret over it too much.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Lmao, who bitch this is:



Totally forgot this dude even existed.

 

[Jaedar]

So now that some time as passed, what is the most op build in elden ring? Is it still dual wielding big sticks and doing jumping attacks?

 

[Lyric Suite]

Yeah with frost in one hand, bleed on the other and rot on your dick.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Beware of nimble sort:



First attempt, not bad, though it seems i forgot when his hyperarmor kicks in but whatever.

I'm amazed i can still survive attacks. I figured as SL1 by the time i got to Liurnia i'd be one shot by everything in sight and yet it seems i can still tank some hits, including from stuff like the big lobsters. I assume the northern part is when i'm gonna have to turn into Operation Flashpoint mode, especially once i get to those fucking hands lmao.

Still, so far this run has been considerably easier than my first one and not only there's like 40 levels difference but i also didn't upgrade my weapon past +3, since this time i ignored the Rogier reward for killing Godrick. On my first run once that dropped i just upgraded everything to +8. So it's SL40 +8 vs SL1 +3 and the latter is actually easier.

BTW, sorceries are pretty wierd. There's like so many but a lot of them just seem to be a variation on the same thing and it's unclear exactly what uses some of them even have. I'll say, incantations were a lot more fun due to their variety. Aesthetically and thematically the whole glintstone concept is cool but the spells themselves are too samey. It's still fun to use them for the novelty if nothing else since i never did magic before.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

You'll go the sorcery route to become a glass cannon. Miyazaki probably prefers sorcerers rather than wizards when he plays DND. Bear in mind that glintstone sorceries to magic damage, while gravity spells (such as the rock sling one) do physical damage, because you're throwing rocks at the enemy. There's a lot of repetition, yes, but ER is the game where sorceries get their spotlight in the build scene, particularly because of how OP some Dex weapons are. Sorcery + bleed is a cheese factory.

 

[NJClaw]

I've always instinctively known Loretta was a cutie, but I didn't realize HOW FUCKING THICK she is:

Spoiler

GOOD GOD

Also, I've always ignored the Beast Champion armor, but the unaltered version has insane levels of swag:

Spoiler

BTW, sorceries are pretty wierd. There's like so many but a lot of them just seem to be a variation on the same thing and it's unclear exactly what uses some of them even have. I'll say, incantations were a lot more fun due to their variety. Aesthetically and thematically the whole glintstone concept is cool but the spells themselves are too samey. It's still fun to use them for the novelty if nothing else since i never did magic before.

Carian sorceries (piercer, greatsword, and slicer) are are a great way to complement the moveset of your primary weapon, while still allowing you to play the game in melee how Queen Marika intended. My favorite has to be Carian Piercer, since it gives you a very strong poke regardless of what's in your right hand and it sends most enemies flying, so you can almost always follow up with an ash of war attack (Carian Grandeur definitely being the most satisfying). Carian Greatsword is a great way to deal with huge packs of enemies, and Carian Slicer allows you to always have access to a fast-hitting attack, even if you're using a heavy weapon. If you rush to the north, you can get all of this online by the time you reach Liurnia.

But satisfying the requirements in a SL1 can be a pain in the ass, despite all the stat-boosting gear and options this game offers.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Man, they really made the AI so passive on those fights:



I expected the spear one to come after me non-stop but half the time he did nothing. Wonder how the Crystalians Trio fight is going to play out compared to when i did it then, before the patch changed the AI.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Man, they really made the AI so passive on those fights:



I expected the spear one to come after me non-stop but half the time he did nothing. Wonder how the Crystalians Trio fight is going to play out compared to when i did it then, before the patch changed the AI.

I hadn't realized they'd changed that with patches (stopped following the details after I put the game aside). Did they nerf everything?

EDIT: Just watched the video too. WTF? That thing used to be relentless, now he's like a union worker who had you come in during coffee.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Right. You can see me roll away from the mage one even though he was one hit away from dying because i instinctively expected the other one to poke me in the ass but instead he was on a coffee break or some shit.

 

[SharkClub]

I'm replaying again and I agree they totally ruined the multi enemy fights. They were a bit oppressive before but now the Crystalian Duo and especially the Scarlet Rot Crystalian Trio have been nerfed into the dirt. They're now completely non-threatening and undertuned. Godskin Duo and other multi fights are also easier now afaik but I'm not that far in yet.

Scarlet Rot Crystalian Trio used to be one of the hardest fights in the game, totally unironically. Yes it was total bullshit walking into that fog gate, having to deal with that and getting paid a measly amount of runes and a shit spell you're never going to use, but now it's barely a boss fight. The multi fights are quite literally full of cuckolds forced to watch while their partner gets fucked by the player.

 

[Lyric Suite]

That's just so lame WTF FromSoft.

 

[Bloodeyes]

I've been working on a DEX/FTH build for RL138. My plan was to start invading low level, then move up gradually through the rune levels as I get better. However, after trying RL 60 I realize that with down scaling that broken I may as well just learn at meta as at least I'll be able to do damage as well.

The dude is called The Blackguard currently, but I'll rename him something better if I can think of anything. I have a strict "no gold glowy shit" rule for my weapons. He's a bad red man, not a paladin.

I'm taking the character to NG+ to get doubles of some weapons, and I've already picked up the first copy of all the weapons I want except hand of Malenia.

52 vigor with CA+2 gives 1890 HP. 50 base DEX with millicent's gives 55, 40 FTH, 20 STR.

I'll eventually have:
- Godslayer's Greatsword (Main weapon)
- Black Knife (Soft swap)
- Godslayer's seal (offhand)
- Rickety shield (carian retaliation, softswap offhand)

Bloodflame blade/blackflame blade weapons. Some may be cold instead:
- Bloodhound's fang
- Hookclaws
- Flamberge (*2, maybe)
- Cross naginata (*2)
- Zweihander
- Hoslow's petal whip (*2)
- Scavenger's curved sword (*2)
- Venomous fang (may just poison infuse tho)
- Nagikiba (*2)
- Serpentbone blade (*2)
- Godsking stitcher
- Godskin peeler (*2, maybe)

Somber stuff:
- Vyke's war spear (*2)
- Zamor curved sword (*2)
- Eclipse shotel (*2)
- Winged scythe (*2)
- Bolt of gransax (*2)
- Hand of Malenia (*2)

Ranged
- Jar cannon
- Golem greatbow (rain of arrows)
- Black bow or pulley bow (mighty shot)

Spells:
- Blackflame blade
- Bloodflame blade
- FGMS
- Bestial vitality (bestiality)
- Flame cleanse me
- Barrier of gold
- Protection of the Erdtree (Maybe. Its a really good invader body buff but it's kinda gold and glowy)

Dex gets a lot of cool toys. I'm having a lot of fun with the build so far.

 

[Perkel]

 

[Lyric Suite]

Lmao, i was like "please don't fly please don't fly please don't fly" the whole time. There's one jumping breath attack he does in particular that i just can't figure out how to avoid reliably and luckily he didn't do it:



This guy almost gave me the worst PTSD when i used to get summoned for him since that specific attack either instantly killed me or the host. I just hate getting summoned for dragons in general just solo it with the horse dude.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Man holy really fucks those things up. Would have been even easier if i used holy pots but i wanted some modicum of challenge lmao:

 

[Lyric Suite]

Contemplating if getting eaten by the virgin now or wait for later. I wanna try getting to the patches encounter in Mt. Gelmir now since i missed it the first time, but having to do the virgin duo doesn't make me happy in the slightest.

I also wonder what happens if i get to the Volcano Manor now. I assume i won't meet the likely snake girl next to the grand lift but that encounter didn't mean anything anyway.

Also for some strange reason number of connections went down drammatically for the last two or three days. Not sure what happened i checked if i upgrated any weapon past +3 by accident but it seems i'm fine there. Tried helping somebody using a multiplayer password and was summoned fine, which i assume means i haven't been put on any special needs list among cheaters and the like. I had a lot of crashes since i started, game quitting to desktop for no reason during summons i hope the demented anti-cheat didn't just pick that up as "suspicious" behavior.

 

[Ravielsk]

Like I said before: the bosses in the DLC will make Malenia seem tame and fair by comparison. After the DLC I won't be touching their games anymore. They went off...way off. If I wanted to play a sonic game or whatever speedy Gonzales shit there is out there, well I'd probably be playing those instead. Fighting sekiro bosses with demon's souls character is not fun.

From unfortunately built up a reputation for making hard games and they stupidly insist on maintaining it. "Stupidly" because at this point they are trying to up the difficulty for players who have been playing their game for over a decade so the only way they can do it is to mechanically sabotage their own product. I played the network test beta which was just a few months before release and even that was in many ways basically a wholly different game. Poise and armor for example were about twice as high on all armors so you could take a hit or two without staggering even with medium armor, in retail you have to go full heaviest armor to get even close to that. Same with Vigor it used to give substantially more HP per point in network test than in the released game. In fact the game just straight up lies to you about your poise value because in reality its only 1/10 of what the stat screen shows.

I am sure much much more was straight up crippled to increase the "challenge" but these two are the ones I can easily prove.

 

[NJClaw]

Like I said before: the bosses in the DLC will make Malenia seem tame and fair by comparison.

I very much hope so, this poor bitch inevitably remains with just 30% of her HP after a single R2:



Almost every mechanic in this game is broken and allows you to curbstomp any obstacle. Any weapon that could be even remotely considered an endgame tool has a weapon art that annihilates everything. Most legendary spirit ashes trivialize 99% of the fights. Once you're familiar with the basics of how the game works, any semblance of difficulty or challenge is just the result of self-imposed restrictions. Of course endgame bosses seem unfair if you fight them only with your starting weapon without even using its special move, but that's because the game doesn't expect you to do that.

Don't get me wrong: I do think this game has a difficulty problem, it's just more complex than "bosses are unfair". Bosses have to be unfair just to gain the slightest chance of reacting to the unreasonable amount of overpowered tools this game gives you. I know the Dark Moon Greatsword might be the most glaring example, but it's still just the tip of the iceberg. I mean, by just spamming R2 without any consideration for my life, in this playthrough I killed Morgott, Radagon, and the Elden Beast before they could even initiate their second phase.