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

[Lyric Suite]

Interesting game design to have the strongest version of this thing as a field enemy after they shove it as a boss in half the dungeons:

 

[Correct_Carlo]

I seriously don't remember Lyric Suite being this excited about anything since he discovered those Schuon pdfs on the internet like a decade ago.

 

[Lyric Suite]

I think FromSoft makes my favored action games at this point. Whatever flaws Elden Ring may have compared to their previous games, it's still mechanically far too interesting and the style much too congenial to my tastes for me to just snub it.

I also specified that since this is the end game i was going to make as good an account of myself as i can, so i won't have to do this ever again.

On that note, i think i can say i finally mastered those things. I was looking at the fextra page to see what kind of damage they were weak to since the last one i killed was a bit too tanky for my tastes, and i just learned that they are parriable, so i had to give it a try:

 

[mediocrepoet]

God damn it, I hate those stupid statues. Never once tried to parry them because it struck me as retarded/impossible due to their nature.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Likewise, never knew it was possible until now.

 

[Skinwalker]

So when should I start exploring the Altus plateau? Gideon Offnir sends me there as soon as I beat Renalla, but it kind of sounds like the endgame area (is it?) and I've still got the entire red desert (plus the whole underground area) to explore. Am I going to get sent there at some point, or are these optional areas to be explored whenever?

 

[Lyric Suite]

You can pretty much explore everything before getting there. Altus is on the way towards the end game. Whether you do the side content before or after it it's a matter of personal choice. Some side areas are actually higher level than Altus, like Caleid North (Dragonbarrow) and some of the final underground areas, but you can still do those before that.

One argument in doing everything before Altus is that you can actually finish a couple of major questlines right there and then and never have to think about them again. Altus will introduce new NPCs and start off new quests, so it kinda of feels like a new chapter. The argument against it is that the final areas in those quest lines are harder than Altus, and feel like they should be played later.

Personally, i would do Anisel, Sofria and Caleid South up to and including Radahn (he is usually the second major boss anyone kills if we ignore Rennala) before hitting Altus. Killing Radahn unlocks four questlines from various NPCs, two of which continue after Altus so it's best to just kill him before that. Whether you want to then clear up all the underground areas and finish up those major quests before hitting Altus it's up to you.

 

[Skinwalker]

Ok, then should I explore Siofra before or after Caelid, or does it not matter?

Also, it's kind of hard to tell whether or not I've messed up a questline in these games. A number of characters died unexpectedly for various reasons, but I'm not sure if there was a better way to do their quests, or if this is how it's supposed to go.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

So when should I start exploring the Altus plateau? Gideon Offnir sends me there as soon as I beat Renalla, but it kind of sounds like the endgame area (is it?) and I've still got the entire red desert (plus the whole underground area) to explore. Am I going to get sent there at some point, or are these optional areas to be explored whenever?

Altus Plateau itself is easier than even the nearer portion of Caelid, though note there are other zones to the west and east of Altus, and those other ones, of course, are more difficult. I suggest exploring the rest of Liurnia and starting Ranni's questline (find Ranni's Rise past Caria Manor in the northwest), which heavily involves underground areas.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Ok, then should I explore Siofra before or after Caelid, or does it not matter?

You can do Ainsel river first then meet Ranni. You should meet Ranni before Siofra and Caelid, and should probably guess a play order from the clues you get from her quest. Remember to talk to her guys often too. Did you unlock Blaidd btw? He is the one from her quest that's easy to miss. The way to unlock him is obscure as shit. Another one you can miss is Boc though they made him more obvious to spot in a patch.

Fia's quest is also tied to the underground areas and a catacomb in Liurnia, so should also do that as well, but first you have to get Rogier's quest going too. And D as well.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Heh, this guy reminds me of that wizard dude from Conan the Destroyer:



Kinda cute how you meet him as a boss first then as a field enemy in the very same zone.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Ok, this is wierd now the fog just followed me to the area that's supposed to be clear and it won't go away. Tried reloading, zoning, skipping time through the grace, quitting to desktop and relogging, and i even tried dying. It just won't go away:



I'm getting claustrophobic just looking at this shit wtf.

 

[Skinwalker]

Did you unlock Blaidd btw?

Yes, I met him in Mistwood and he helped me kill one of the Everjail bosses. I then met him in Siofra, but he left for Caelid to kill Radahn, which confused me because I thought the witch wanted us to find Nekron in the underground.

Rogier's quest going too. And D as well.

Oh, yeah... those guys... R.I.P.

there are other zones to the west and east of Altus

How big is this game?

 

[Cyberarmy]

How big is this game?

Yes.

 

[Lyric Suite]

So i tried three times and they kept aggroing each other lmao fuck it, let them have it:

 

[Lyric Suite]

Did you unlock Blaidd btw?

Yes, I met him in Mistwood and he helped me kill one of the Everjail bosses. I then met him in Siofra, but he left for Caelid to kill Radahn, which confused me because I thought the witch wanted us to find Nekron in the underground.

Did you talk to Sellen and told Blaidd about it?

The clues for why Blaidd went there to look for the eternal city should be found in the dialog somewhere.

 

[Lyric Suite]

How big is this game?

I think it's the largest single player game i've ever played, except maybe for Daggerfall which doesn't count.

 

[Skinwalker]

Did you unlock Blaidd btw?

Yes, I met him in Mistwood and he helped me kill one of the Everjail bosses. I then met him in Siofra, but he left for Caelid to kill Radahn, which confused me because I thought the witch wanted us to find Nekron in the underground.

Did you talk to Sellen and told Blaidd about it?

The clues for why Blaidd went there to look for the eternal city should be found in the dialog somewhere.

Yes, but it's still weird that the questline teases a mysterious underground "Eternal City", and then immediately switches to "go kill Radahn in Caelid castle" without ever reaching it. Anyway, maybe it still leads there in the future, we'll see.

 

[Lyric Suite]

The main clue is here, in what Sellen told you:

Spoiler

"Well, well... Seluvis is not a name I ever wanted to hear again... But, fine. If it will help you, my apprentice, I offer my knowledge. The stars alter the fate of the Carian royal family. And the fate of your mistress, Ranni. But long ago, General Radahn challenged the swirling constellations, and in a crushing victory, arrested their cycles. Now, he is the force that repulses the stars. If General Radahn were to die, the stars would resume their movement. And so, too, would Ranni's destiny"

On that note, once you kill Radahn, pay attention to the cinematic.

 

[Skinwalker]

Hmm... so it's not in Ranni's destiny to find Nekron right now... but if the constellations start moving then her fate will change? Or maybe the "stars" are the glowing dots that light up the ceiling of the underworld, and they'll form into some sort of staircase that leads into the city...

Anyway, don't tell me any more, but props to the game for getting me interested enough to start speculating.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

there are other zones to the west and east of Altus

How big is this game?

Elden Ring is about as large as all three Dark Souls games combined, so don't expect that the next zone will be the final one. Ever.

Although Altus Plateau itself is easier than Caelid, you do need to defeat Radahn in Caelid to progress Ranni's questline, as was already mentioned by Lyric Suite, and this questline leads to multiple underground areas beyond what you can have already reached.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Hmm... so it's not in Ranni's destiny to find Nekron right now... but if the constellations start moving then her fate will change? Or maybe the "stars" are the glowing dots that light up the ceiling of the underworld, and they'll form into some sort of staircase that leads into the city...

Anyway, don't tell me any more, but props to the game for getting me interested enough to start speculating.

Astrology is a huge part of the lore and the magic of the game. But yeah, I would tell you more but if you don't want to hear it, then that's okay

Caelid is a pain in the ass and much like Liurnia, some areas are okay to be done at a certain level and others aren't.

 

[Skinwalker]

I'm assuming the top part of Siofra river is inaccessible until later in the game? Or am I missing a teleporter? Can I get there from Incel river?

Also, how do I progress Varre's quest while playing offline? He wants me to use the "bloody finger", but that's an online item. Is there any workaround?

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

I'm assuming the top part of Siofra river is inaccessible until later in the game? Or am I missing a teleporter? Can I get there from Incel river?

Also, how do I progress Varre's quest while playing offline? He wants me to use the "bloody finger", but that's an online item. Is there any workaround?

You're not supposed to do Siofra in one go, I'd say. The horned fellas there hit pretty hard. Just go back to the surface.
Edit: come to think of it, there's like a whole network of underground parts and some of them are tricky/nasty and okay to leave for later.

Also no, you have to invade. You don't have to win though, just invade.

 

[Forest Dweller]

https://nebulas.sfwa.org/winners-58th-annual-nebula-awards/

NEBULA AWARD FOR GAME WRITING

Elden Ring, Hidetaka Miyazaki, George R.R. Martin (FromSoftware, Bandai Namco)