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

[Lyric Suite]

I refunded this shit and Valve accepted. The only save I had was NG+4, so I did the Mohg covenant shortcut and tried to beat Mohg. Died repeatedly. I couldn't even get to the dlc, so I refunded this shit. It would have been impossible on NG+4 anyway. Maybe one day I'll get it on discount if I want to replay the whole game, but I honestly doubt it.

If you are going to release a dlc 2 years later you can't bury it behind a high level boss. I forgot how to even play this fucking game. I usually love From, but they are idiots on this one.

This has got to be the most retarded thing i've read in this thread.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Stellar Blade is honestly harder than this. I got stuck on bosses for way longer in that game. One guy took me a couple hours to beat.

 

[Lyre Mors]

I get the same feeling exploring a lot of the big, beautiful, but completely empty areas. There's a dazzling first impression, it all looks amazing, and a lot of care obviously went into it, but then over time I get a creeping, unsettling, unfamiliar feeling that I've never gotten in a From game ... boredom.

Another seemingly regurgitated criticism I just don't get. There's points of interest, and either a new full structure, or mini dungeon, or in general something significant to fight or find easily within less than 2-4 minutes of travel in any direction at any given time. Are you guys who are complaining about this crouch-walking everywhere, or just massive sufferers of ADHD? I just don't get it.

 

[Suicidal]

There's something weird with the damage scaling in the DLC. Minibosses in optional dungeons frequently have attacks that don't look too threatening yet hit me for 50-70% of my health bar and they can also spam them. Meanwhile the main story bosses that I've fought so far have much more reasonable damage and very rarely does something hit me for over half my health unless it's some huge heavily telegraphed nuke.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Too teh hard, muh difficulty.

Every single FromSoft game has this kind of reaction. The knevtching is getting kinda boring now.

All the arguments people are laying at the DLC are the exact same type of arguments people hurled at the base game. Delayed attacks, super fast combos, "tracking" (whatever that means), it's the same shit.

My guess is that 90% people instead of learning how to play the game ended up brute forcing their way through bosses using cheese. You can't do this in the DLC because stats have been maxed. Elden Ring was a bit like this too towards the end. You could die in three hits even with 60 vigor and your maxed out weapon didn't oneshot the boss anymore like it could earlier. I'm guessing DLC is like this too, meaning you either quite literally "git gud" or you are shit out of luck, and few people actually ever wanted to get good in those games.

 

[Nathir]

I've just beaten Divine Beast Dancing Lion, what an exciting fight. Great design, a lot of surprises and beautiful music. The moment it starts changing the elements with which it attacks and the music is getting more and more heroic is the reason I play video games. FS should work on camera tho, it really hurts the experience when your biggest enemy is not a boss you are fighting. Even tho camera is a whore, this is one of the best FS bosses ever, top 5 for sure.

I thought the reason to play video games is so that you can cry about them on the codex?

Anyway, killed a giant red bear and got his pelt as a reward. Finally something to replace the Wolf Head with.

 

[Crayll]

Avoiding spoilers so I'm not entirely sure how many more I have to go, but I'm pretty sure I've beaten every DLC boss at this point except for 3, maybe 4. Did them all with no summons, no ash, and apart from getting stuck on Messmer for a couple hours it hasn't been too bad. Nothing has been anywhere near the level of difficulty of Isshin or Orphan of Kos, anyone saying so is either gimping themselves by not collecting blessings, refusing to adjust their build to match the boss, or has forgotten how hard From's previous games/base ER are.

Actually I wonder if everyone bitching about the difficulty is coming in fresh from not playing ER since release. I started a character a week before the DLC and apart from the initial damage bump before finding blessings it really isn't that much of a departure.

best review on steam

The reason I give SOTE a negative review is because many of the main bosses are now just simply a series of cheap tricks being spammed repeatedly at insane speed that chunk your health.They are NOT fun to fight with the Dark Souls style player combat system used in Elden Ring. I personally gained no satisfaction whatsoever from defeating any of them, instead only a feeling of the kind of relief that comes after you remove a splinter.

The player combat itself is not adequate for the enemies you face. It does not offer an compelling; skill based experience like Sekiro and Bloodborne did. Those games had mechanics that made facing highly aggressive enemies more engaging AND enjoyable. Elden Ring forces you to be incredibly passive; You are relegated to rolling around and keeping distance waiting to get 1 hit in on the boss (hopefully) before this tortuous loop begins again.

The difficulty at this point simply boils down to the bosses tricking you into rolling too early or late and then frame catching (roll punishing) you for not getting a frame perfect roll, a roll that has input delay on it as it only occurs after the button has been released, meaning that the roll is based on prediction instead of reaction in many cases as the bosses delay an attack only to release it instantly. I also have noticed that many times that the hit-boxes seem appear before the weapon is actually swung... This means you HAVE to learn each individual boss's timings on so many of their attacks to avoid them because they don't make intuitive sense. Rubbish!

In the past the way you'd avoid these delayed attacks is by outflanking them; but they now give most of these bosses near infinite tracking on their attacks FORCING you to time a dodge the way the devs want, and some of these attacks have way to many active frames so they will automatically hit you even if you roll into them. You will be waiting to get 1 hit in after a boss does 10+ attacks in a row, when you go to get damage to move the fight forward, the boss jumps away or has specific trading attacks that startup in reaction to the first frame of your attack animation; Not many people know this, but the bosses in Elden Ring basically input read! Because of this the wise tactic is to actually wait and roll around and only punish specific attacks instead of attacking when a boss is seemingly in neutral. This makes for passive boring game play. If you're going to do this, ADD ATTACK/ANIMATION CANCELLING so we're not trapped doing an attack that is going to be punished by the boss.

This review is retarded too. If you're leveling vigor, getting blessings, and using armor and defensive buffs (all things NG+17 degenerates wouldn't do) the damage is more than manageable.

Messmer was the fastest boss so far, but with light rolling and a fast weapon you can very easily weave attacks into your dodges while he's doing most of his attack strings, once you learn the pattern. You're not forced to wait and get one hit in at a time unless you're using a heavy weapon, which again is a build problem if you don't want to play like that.

 

[Lord of Riva]

I will soon be able to start, I wonder as I would love to play a game solely in hand to hand arts It's not clear to me how that is handled, if you don't equip any weapons then you are using it?
How does it scale, are there specific weapons and can you access the new weapon types prior to reaching the DLC areas ?

Looking forward to beating the game that for many is supposedly to hard, time to get gud again.

 

[Crayll]

I will soon be able to start, I wonder as I would love to play a game solely in hand to hand arts It's not clear to me how that is handled, if you don't equip any weapons then you are using it?
How does it scale, are there specific weapons and can you access the new weapon types prior to reaching the DLC areas ?

Looking forward to beating the game that for many is supposedly to hard, time to get gud again.

There are various fist weapons in the base game that you can get relatively early. They're not flashy and use the basic punching animations.
The DLC added a martial arts item you equip in a weapon slot that gives you fancier animations and kicks. You can't get that without going into the DLC areas.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

There are various fist weapons in the base game that you can get relatively early. They're not flashy and use the basic punching animations.
The DLC added a martial arts item you equip in a weapon slot that gives you fancier animations and kicks. You can't get that without going into the DLC areas.

Another weapon ripped straight from Dark Souls 2. You can tell that whenever FS is lacking creativity they just go back to Dark Souls 2 and borrow something from it. That's how you know it was the best.

 

[abija]

bitch please
I've been beating this drum since DS3 and every year it rings more and more correct

Yes, you've been sperging about action combat for a long time. Doesn't make you right but sure as hell made a lot of people shit post about your beloved DD.
Even though they desperately flocked to them, these are not games designed for elitist spergs.

 

[Lord of Riva]

I will soon be able to start, I wonder as I would love to play a game solely in hand to hand arts It's not clear to me how that is handled, if you don't equip any weapons then you are using it?
How does it scale, are there specific weapons and can you access the new weapon types prior to reaching the DLC areas ?

Looking forward to beating the game that for many is supposedly to hard, time to get gud again.

There are various fist weapons in the base game that you can get relatively early. They're not flashy and use the basic punching animations.
The DLC added a martial arts item you equip in a weapon slot that gives you fancier animations and kicks. You can't get that without going into the DLC areas.

So it just stacks onto the normal fist weapons, fine by me. Thanks for the headsup.

 

[S.H.O.D.A.N.]

If you're leveling vigor, getting blessings, and using armor and defensive buffs (all things NG+17 degenerates wouldn't do) the damage is more than manageable.

You answer to a critique of the mechanical aspects of a combat system boils down to "get more stats"?

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

bitch please
I've been beating this drum since DS3 and every year it rings more and more correct

Yes, you've been sperging about action combat for a long time. Doesn't make you right but sure as hell made a lot of people shit post about your beloved DD.
Even though they desperately flocked to them, these are not games designed for elitist spergs.

You keep bringing up DD, not him.

 

[Stoned Ape]

Started this yesterday evening, did some exploring and got myself to level 3 Blessing, then started to try to clear out the plains. My attacks just seemed to bounce off the Furnace Golem so I decided to leave that for later and made my way to an abandoned-looking mausoleum with a mist curtain. Inside a ghost cosplaying as Guts (who called himself the Black Gaolbird Knight) spawned in and shot me about 10 times with a pulley crossbow while I tried to cast shadow comet. Things went downhill from there.

I got repeatedly smacked around by him using my INT heavy build. I had 60 VIT and 25 END with decent armour, but he seemed to completely resist being staggered when 2-handing his sword and attacked slightly quicker than I could with my Dark Moon Greatsword. He could also reliably kill me with 2-3 hits. Additionally, he seemed to input read so I'd get auto hit as soon as I tried to attack him if he was idle. Bitch even grab-critted me to death a couple of times.

After getting nowhere for about an hour or so and trying almost everything I had to hand, I used a Larval Tear to respec into a VIT 60, MND 30, END 35, STR 60, FTH 25 ouga-buga build so I could apply some buffs and then grabbed my old +21 Greatsword and loaded up Giant Hunt with a Heavy infusion on it. I ran up to his spawn point and bounced him up into the air repeatedly from about 1/2 a second after he arrived until he died, he didn't even get to shoot his stupid crossbow.

Now I also have the attributes I need to use the Blasphemous Blade, too; I've not actually tried it before but Vampiric Healing seems to trivialise resource management while exploring.

Expansion seems much less annoying if you embrace the cheese.

 

[Silverfish]

You answer to a critique of the mechanical aspects of a combat system boils down to "get more stats"?

Yeah, that's why the stats exist.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Started this yesterday evening, did some exploring and got myself to level 3 Blessing, then started to try to clear out the plains. My attacks just seemed to bounce off the Furnace Golem so I decided to leave that for later and made my way to an abandoned-looking mausoleum with a mist curtain. Inside a ghost cosplaying as Guts (who called himself the Black Gaolbird Knight) spawned in and shot me about 10 times with a pulley crossbow while I tried to cast shadow comet. Things went downhill from there.

I got repeatedly smacked around by him using my INT heavy build. I had 60 VIT and 25 END with decent armour, but he seemed to completely resist being staggered when 2-handing his sword and attacked slightly quicker than I could with my Dark Moon Greatsword. He could also reliably kill me with 2-3 hits. Additionally, he seemed to input read so I'd get auto hit as soon as I tried to attack him if he was idle. Bitch even grab-critted me to death a couple of times.

After getting nowhere for about an hour or so and trying almost everything I had to hand, I used a Larval Tear to respec into a VIT 60, MND 30, END 35, STR 60, FTH 25 ouga-buga build so I could apply some buffs and then grabbed my old +21 Greatsword and loaded up Giant Hunt with a Heavy infusion on it. I ran up to his spawn point and bounced him up into the air repeatedly from about 1/2 a second after he arrived until he died, he didn't even get to shoot his stupid crossbow.

Now I also have the attributes I need to use the Blasphemous Blade, too; I've not actually tried it before but Vampiric Healing seems to trivialise resource management while exploring.

Expansion seems much less annoying if you embrace the cheese.

Why is your endurance so low? That's like the most important stat next to vigor.

 

[Crayll]

If you're leveling vigor, getting blessings, and using armor and defensive buffs (all things NG+17 degenerates wouldn't do) the damage is more than manageable.

You answer to a critique of the mechanical aspects of a combat system boils down to "get more stats"?

Because this is the variety of game known as an 'RPG' I would hope players would take the time to gather equipment, spells, items, and yes, level up, as needed to prepare for an encounter. This isn't a pure action game where you're intended to roll around like a crackhead getting frame perfect dodges 100% of the time. If you want to do that, that's fine, but you shouldn't be surprised when it's a punishing playstyle.

Started this yesterday evening, did some exploring and got myself to level 3 Blessing, then started to try to clear out the plains. My attacks just seemed to bounce off the Furnace Golem so I decided to leave that for later and made my way to an abandoned-looking mausoleum with a mist curtain. Inside a ghost cosplaying as Guts (who called himself the Black Gaolbird Knight) spawned in and shot me about 10 times with a pulley crossbow while I tried to cast shadow comet. Things went downhill from there.

I got repeatedly smacked around by him using my INT heavy build. I had 60 VIT and 25 END with decent armour, but he seemed to completely resist being staggered when 2-handing his sword and attacked slightly quicker than I could with my Dark Moon Greatsword. He could also reliably kill me with 2-3 hits. Additionally, he seemed to input read so I'd get auto hit as soon as I tried to attack him if he was idle. Bitch even grab-critted me to death a couple of times.

After getting nowhere for about an hour or so and trying almost everything I had to hand, I used a Larval Tear to respec into a VIT 60, MND 30, END 35, STR 60, FTH 25 ouga-buga build so I could apply some buffs and then grabbed my old +21 Greatsword and loaded up Giant Hunt with a Heavy infusion on it. I ran up to his spawn point and bounced him up into the air repeatedly from about 1/2 a second after he arrived until he died, he didn't even get to shoot his stupid crossbow.

Now I also have the attributes I need to use the Blasphemous Blade, too; I've not actually tried it before but Vampiric Healing seems to trivialise resource management while exploring.

Expansion seems much less annoying if you embrace the cheese.

The gaol knight is the first indication that you're supposed to move on and find scadutree blessings before coming back and challenging him, like the Tree Sentinel in the base game. The damage is much less painful then. He still has a shitton of poise then, but you can adapt by dodging and looking for openings, blocking and using guard counters, or using ashes of war to poise break like you did.

Not directed specifically at you, but speaking of guard counters, the furnace giant you find immediately after starting the DLC drops a phyisck item that makes them ridiculously effective. Almost as if From is encouraging you to use all the tools at your disposal and not just attempt to dodge roll everything.

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Deflecting+Hardtear

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Do you still have to go all the way back to Rennala to respec? I need more damage and I haven't killed the bitch on this playthrough.

 

[Stoned Ape]

Do you still have to go all the way back to Rennala to respec? I need more damage and I haven't killed the bitch on this playthrough.

I've not got that far into the DLC but as far as I know she's still the only way to respec

 

[d1r]

Steam friend of mine regarding the difficulty of the DLC:

So, in the new areas only, you are affected by two blessings: Sacdutree Blessing and Spirit Blessing
The first raises all your damage and absorbs each level of it you have
Second does the same for spirit summons
But... they have a really big effect
I went into the last boss with nearly 80% Absorb values
Which is unheard of in previous Soulsborne, where usually you're lucky to have 50% even wearing thing you can to boost that defense
But, if 80% is the expected, and I'm getting killed in 3 hits...
If you have only 60%... or 50%... you're probably going to die in 1. Maybe 2 at most.

I suspect they probably won't do this again though. It worked for me because I understood it and didn't mind full clearing everything to get all the pieces needed to level it.
But it is easy to misunderstand, underestimate, or not have enough of it.
Or even just to not want to have to do *everything* to not get 1-2 shot by bosses
Probably going to be hell on challenge runs
They'll all become "don't get hit" by default unless they also include gathering up the blessing items

 

[Stoned Ape]

Why is your endurance so low? That's like the most important stat next to vigor.

I didn't really have any need to boost END past 25 with my INT caster build to beat the base game and all major bosses. I put 35 in after respec because that's basically what I had left after getting everything else I want. Next points will have go there as I get them. If I get into real trouble I'll use another Larval Tear to move stuff around again, but the only place I can really cut from is STR and I'd prefer to avoid that.

 

[Ivan]

I liked this track. Only one that really stood out to me. Reminded me a bit of Sekiro with the flute.

 

[Stoned Ape]

Not directed specifically at you, but speaking of guard counters, the furnace giant you find immediately after starting the DLC drops a phyisck item that makes them ridiculously effective. Almost as if From is encouraging you to use all the tools at your disposal and not just attempt to dodge roll everything.

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Deflecting+Hardtear

I'd happily try that out, but with how much damage I do to that Furnace Gollum it would take me about an hour to chip away at its health stack and I'm pretty sure I'd miss a jump after about 50 minutes and be burnt to a crisp.

 

[Crayll]

Not directed specifically at you, but speaking of guard counters, the furnace giant you find immediately after starting the DLC drops a phyisck item that makes them ridiculously effective. Almost as if From is encouraging you to use all the tools at your disposal and not just attempt to dodge roll everything.

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Deflecting+Hardtear

I'd happily try that out, but with how much damage I do to that Furnace Gollum it would take me about an hour to chip away at its health stack and I'm pretty sure I'd miss a jump after about 50 minutes and be burnt to a crisp.

The furnance giants are like the bow/halberd golems, they take tiny chip damage until you stagger them and then lose half their health from a crit. You have to stagger them 3 times to get a crit though.
They're one of the actual complaints I have about the DLC, not fun to fight just tedious.