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

Tel Velothi

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Is it bad not to get this game? From everywhere I hear hype for it. I tried it for 2 hours - and I'm bored - exploration is almost non-existant (yeah, nice maps and places, but that's about it - not that much to interact and it's not that interesting), minimum lore, story, dialogues, world-building.
It's kinda hack'n'slash in an open world with kewl and BIG BOSSES. Yes, the combat feels great and animations are awesome. Am I missing something? I wouldn't want to.
 

NJClaw

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Yes, the combat feels great and animations are awesome. Am I missing something? I wouldn't want to.
No, that's 90% of the game. Legacy dungeons offer more interesting exploration and there are a couple of "wow" moments while traversing the overworld, but combat is what drives the entire experience. If you think that's not enough, this game is most definitely not for you.
 

Bigg Boss

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Sep 23, 2012
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Is it bad not to get this game? From everywhere I hear hype for it. I tried it for 2 hours - and I'm bored - exploration is almost non-existant (yeah, nice maps and places, but that's about it - not that much to interact and it's not that interesting), minimum lore, story, dialogues, world-building.
It's kinda hack'n'slash in an open world with kewl and BIG BOSSES. Yes, the combat feels great and animations are awesome. Am I missing something? I wouldn't want to.
No.
 

Lyric Suite

Converting to Islam
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Mar 23, 2006
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56,594
Is it bad not to get this game? From everywhere I hear hype for it. I tried it for 2 hours - and I'm bored - exploration is almost non-existant (yeah, nice maps and places, but that's about it - not that much to interact and it's not that interesting), minimum lore, story, dialogues, world-building.
It's kinda hack'n'slash in an open world with kewl and BIG BOSSES. Yes, the combat feels great and animations are awesome. Am I missing something? I wouldn't want to.

Ever played a Souls game?

Because this is pretty much just that, except with open areas and more padding.

Open areas are not actually as "empty" as people say. There's a crap ton of typical Souls gameplay set ups, hidden loot etc around every corner or under every stone. It's just... not as meaningful as it is in past Souls games because the quality of the loot is questionable (you find hidden butterflies or rare flower like teh wow) and the open map is just padding of the terrain with no interesting layout like in legacy dungeons (even though there is some decent vertical stuff every now and then).

With that said, i ALWAYS tell myself it will be quick once i enter a new area and i always spend what seems like forever uncovering everything, so the "emptiness" of the world is overstated it's just the recycling that ticks people off. For instance, most of the little dungeons use the same textures and the same enemies in it. Yes, each is ecqually unique and a lot of have interesting traps and gimmicks but it's all variation on a theme, which pretty much describes the whole game. A lot of the same enemies appear in different areas with some new look and some new abilties, non-story bosses are also given new abilities or they'll just throw two of the same in your face and call that a new boss fight and on and on.

If you are new to the series i'd personally just try the old Souls games first to get used to some of the basic elements of the formula (combat, the style of the writing etc) in a more carefully designed context. Alternatively, make it to Stormveil castle to get a taste of what the old Souls game were like.

TL;DR version: Souls games have always been about combat and level design. Story is sparse, understated and difficult to uncover. Open world adds quantity over qualty over both of those aspects. There's still a ton of great stuff in Elden Ring but the pure Souls formula just seemed better for this kind of game.
 
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Dhaze

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Belgium
Third time fighting her and I vote Loretta, Knight Of The Haligtree, as best boss in Elden Ring.

I went in as a full-fledged Carian Knight, hunter of filthy mages.

- Carian Knight set
- Carian Knight Sword with Carian Grandeur; Carian Knight Shield with Carian Retaliation and magical affinity; and Carian Glintblade Staff
- Magic Scorpion Charm; Graven-Mass Talisman; Spelldrake Talisman +2; and Curved Sword Talisman
- Greatblade Phalanx; Eternal Darkness; and Gavel Of Haima where spells are concerned
- Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear and Stonebarb Cracked Tear for the Physick flask

And it was fucking fantastic. I highly recommend you guys give the following a try.

During her first phase:

- Use strong attacks and Gavel Of Haima liberally
- Dodge her Glintblade Phalanx
- Counter Glintstone Star with Carian Retaliation and keep advancing towards her, as she's likely to chain a few of them, and with good spacing and timing you can easily catch and release two out of a maximum of four casts on her part
- Counter Loretta's Greatbow with Carian Retaliation and keep the pressure on her as she becomes wide open for a while after this move
- Dodge her physical or magic-imbued attacks, save (if your stamina permits) for the last attack in any given combo which you'll block to then execute a Guard Counter
- Anticipate breaking her stance, at which point you have time enough to charge Carian Grandeur to its maximum. For me, this did 1600 damage.

When her second phase starts, drink your physick, then:

- Attack and use Gavel Of Haima more sparingly, as the pressure she puts on increases
- Cast Eternal Darkness to protect yourself against the showers of Carian Phalanxes and Glintstone Stars
- As soon as you see her readying Loretta's Mastery, cast Greatblade Phalanx (whose poise damage when all three blades hit is huge) then rush towards her and dodge forward, casting one instance of Gavel Of Haima as your dodge finishes
- Same as before for her physical or magic-imbued attacks
- Stay glued to and under her when she does her three magic-imbued sweeps, and if your positioning and timing is right you can then cast Gavel Of Haima safely two times in a row for massive poise damage.

Can't believe people simp hard for a tsundere doll with a stupid hat when there's this veritable Chadette of silver and glintstones...
 
Joined
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So, I gave in on the weekend, made a purchase and played this game for like apparently ~20 hours already.

After initially trying like every "class" and starting gear the game has on offer, I decided to with the Astrologer as a starting base, focusing on magic and pumping almost everything in WIS so far. Also as a change in pace, as I seldom play a caster type in this sort of game. This had the "side effect" of course that I mostly skip out on the characteristic From Soft melee combat so far.

Seen a few debates however that going "Magic" is supposed to be "easy mode" (not sure). So I started a new character who's totally forced to go melee all the way through. Whilst it didn't take long to take down an optional dungeon boss (that is on top of the one in the tutorial :D) -- I found that it's like a completely different game for sure.

And that I have to switch strategies significantly. The next boss I approached is sort of floating through the air. One of his favorite schticks is getting near to you, elevating to an even higher position and crushing you under its weight. With the caster "all" I did was keeping distance between him, occasionally rolling on the floor to avoid his crush attacks, plus casting spells from a distance.

With the melee character that obviously doesn't quite work. And even his rolls are much slower and clunkier due to the heavy armor equipped. Been wondering since whether it's mostly a case of getting used to it or if those discussions have some merit.


That said: Based on the success of this, I'm fully expecting the upcoming Next Gen™ update to the Witcher to include quests that don't witcher sense themselves and an OW overhaul that means you can actually find your way all around it without the inevitable thousands of "helping hands". :incline:
 

FreshCorpse

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Classic Dark Souls design you think he is unfair and complete RNG bullshit then you see you just had to git gud.

I am still convinced this cocksucker is pure RNG Bullshit:



Now, the guy in the video did beat the cock-sucking Knight,, but he had 6 Flasks for healing at +3, and he still took a pounding.

I had to do that shit 3-4 levels after the start of the game, as a Samurai with no upgrades to my Flask and just a plain old Uchigatana.


Darriwil is difficult compared to what's around him but it's more that he wrecks melee-only players without shields. Dodging his three part combos is just very hard. Guard countering works very well against him though and if you have a greatshield (or the barricade shield art of war?) you can stagger him after almost every hit (his sword bounces off), giving you a free guard counter. Then you retreat and keep distance as your bleed meter gets higher (blood loss is near certain death).

One of the first bosses that is strong against a particular strategy.
 

Haplo

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Classic Dark Souls design you think he is unfair and complete RNG bullshit then you see you just had to git gud.

I am still convinced this cocksucker is pure RNG Bullshit:

Now, the guy in the video did beat the cock-sucking Knight,, but he had 6 Flasks for healing at +3, and he still took a pounding.

I had to do that shit 3-4 levels after the start of the game, as a Samurai with no upgrades to my Flask and just a plain old Uchigatana.

Darriwil is difficult compared to what's around him but it's more that he wrecks melee-only players without shields. Dodging his three part combos is just very hard. Guard countering works very well against him though and if you have a greatshield (or the barricade shield art of war?) you can stagger him after almost every hit (his sword bounces off), giving you a free guard counter. Then you retreat and keep distance as your bleed meter gets higher (blood loss is near certain death).

One of the first bosses that is strong against a particular strategy.

What else works well is the collosal sword rolling stab.
 

FreshCorpse

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Classic Dark Souls design you think he is unfair and complete RNG bullshit then you see you just had to git gud.

I am still convinced this cocksucker is pure RNG Bullshit:

Now, the guy in the video did beat the cock-sucking Knight,, but he had 6 Flasks for healing at +3, and he still took a pounding.

I had to do that shit 3-4 levels after the start of the game, as a Samurai with no upgrades to my Flask and just a plain old Uchigatana.

Darriwil is difficult compared to what's around him but it's more that he wrecks melee-only players without shields. Dodging his three part combos is just very hard. Guard countering works very well against him though and if you have a greatshield (or the barricade shield art of war?) you can stagger him after almost every hit (his sword bounces off), giving you a free guard counter. Then you retreat and keep distance as your bleed meter gets higher (blood loss is near certain death).

One of the first bosses that is strong against a particular strategy.

What else works well is the collosal sword rolling stab.

If you have a greatsword you are presumably so over-leveled that nearly anything works? People are beating this guy around level 15.
 

mediocrepoet

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Haplo

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Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Classic Dark Souls design you think he is unfair and complete RNG bullshit then you see you just had to git gud.

I am still convinced this cocksucker is pure RNG Bullshit:

Now, the guy in the video did beat the cock-sucking Knight,, but he had 6 Flasks for healing at +3, and he still took a pounding.

I had to do that shit 3-4 levels after the start of the game, as a Samurai with no upgrades to my Flask and just a plain old Uchigatana.

Darriwil is difficult compared to what's around him but it's more that he wrecks melee-only players without shields. Dodging his three part combos is just very hard. Guard countering works very well against him though and if you have a greatshield (or the barricade shield art of war?) you can stagger him after almost every hit (his sword bounces off), giving you a free guard counter. Then you retreat and keep distance as your bleed meter gets higher (blood loss is near certain death).

One of the first bosses that is strong against a particular strategy.

What else works well is the collosal sword rolling stab.

If you have a greatsword you are presumably so over-leveled that nearly anything works? People are beating this guy around level 15.

Like our Poet wrote, zweihander is available early and can be used two-handed basically from the start, at least by the Vagabond.
 

mediocrepoet

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Dhaze

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Nice, this is how my last fight against her with my character Manlius Maximus, colossal sword enjoyer went:

1.Bonk
2.Bonk!
3.BONK!!
4....
5. Win.

FromSoft devs – "For our new title, let us increase the number of tools available to the players. Let us create weapon arts can be applied to almost any weapon or shield, and invent new sorceries and incantantions, and a new flask, as well's a crafting system with consumables for various offensive or buffing options. In short, let us strive towards a more complex, involved system within the vast confines of which players will want to experiment—ultimately leading to a richer, more memorable experience in Elden Ring."

Andnjord – "Me go bonk!"

Seen a few debates however that going "Magic" is supposed to be "easy mode" (not sure).

Eh, that really was the case in Demon's Souls and the three Dark Souls, but it's somewhat less true for Elden Ring.

It's still true, in that most normal ennemies don't have the A.I. to deal with a caster. On top of that, the distance at which you can lock onto ennemies has been vastly increased from previous titles and a couple of spells like Loretta's Greatbow have huge range, meaning you can safely snipe so many ennemies it's downright insulting.

But it's a bit less true, because a lot of bosses are now aggressive, with attacks that come out faster than most non-basic spells. Also the agile bosses border on spastic, tending to just move so much that spells miss them entirely—when the bosses don't outright dodge the spells repeatedly with a casual sidestep, as if to taunt you. Though they dodge on cast, not on incoming damage, and that can be easily exploited.

All in all I'd say casters in Elden Ring are much more interesting to play than in previous titles.

/e: the vid in this Reddit thread actually contains a pretty good example of that (fight against one of the last bosses, so you might want to avoid it since you've just begun playing). Starting at the circa 58 seconds mark, you can see the player cast twice a specific, high-end and -requirements spell with very long range and excellent tracking—and both casts do nothing because the boss lives in anime land.
 
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Lyric Suite

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So i'm past the Capital and doing the area with the snow where you meet the Shabriri guy.

Is this the late game everybody complains about? Because so far it's the same shit this game as ever been. Not sure i see anything different.
 

Haplo

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So i'm past the Capital and doing the area with the snow where you meet the Shabriri guy.

Is this the late game everybody complains about? Because so far it's the same shit this game as ever been. Not sure i see anything different.

Well, at least in those other areas you could see shit.

Also been a while since a regular mob two-shotted my character when I first arrived there.
 

Andnjord

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FromSoft devs – "For our new title, let us increase the number of tools available to the players. Let us create weapon arts can be applied to almost any weapon or shield, and invent new sorceries and incantantions, and a new flask, as well's a crafting system with consumables for various offensive or buffing options. In short, let us strive towards a more complex, involved system within the vast confines of which players will want to experiment—ultimately leading to a richer, more memorable experience in Elden Ring."

Andnjord – "Me go bonk!"
:lol:

In my defence, it's in part due to this being my second playthrough and my brain having absorbed a lot of the game's patterns so that I don't need to think too hard about what I'm doing anymore, and in part due to playing a strenght build that can hyperarmour through enemy attacks while having enough damage mitigation (heavy armour+boiled crab) to live through it.

But yeah, the final result is pretty much "Me go bonk!" :positive:
 

Lyric Suite

Converting to Islam
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This game is extra bonky because of the jump attack.

I just bonked my way through the Zamor ruins. Just bonk, roll back, bonk, roll back, bonk = stagger, riposte and by by nimble sorts. Cleared the whole place without taking an hit.
 

NJClaw

OoOoOoOoOoh
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Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture
FromSoft devs – "For our new title, let us increase the number of tools available to the players. Let us create weapon arts can be applied to almost any weapon or shield, and invent new sorceries and incantantions, and a new flask, as well's a crafting system with consumables for various offensive or buffing options. In short, let us strive towards a more complex, involved system within the vast confines of which players will want to experiment—ultimately leading to a richer, more memorable experience in Elden Ring."

Andnjord – "Me go bonk!"
:lol:

In my defence, it's in part due to this being my second playthrough and my brain having absorbed a lot of the game's patterns so that I don't need to think too hard about what I'm doing anymore, and in part due to playing a strenght build that can hyperarmour through enemy attacks while having enough damage mitigation (heavy armour+boiled crab) to live through it.

But yeah, the final result is pretty much "Me go bonk!" :positive:
bonk1.png


Fear the old bonk, Laurence.
 

Andnjord

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The Eye of Terror
To be more detailed, here's what I had to do:

1. Rush through Caelid to acquire The Greatsword, carefully sneaking around the dino-doggos and dino-crows. Fight against the invader at the fist church of Caelid because you forgot she was there while having no level-ups and no upgrades on your crappy halberd (I hate the halberd movset)
2. Painstakingly raise strength to 21, realise you now have to run around naked to not fat roll until you can raise END high enough.
3. Fight Margitt and Godrick (and Renalla too, but she doesn't like getting Bonked! so she's easy) while still naked.
4. Carefully navigate the platforms behind the Bestial Sanctum to grab the Dragoncrest Shield talisman.
5. Fight one of the cracked up, ADHD lions in that Caelid Fort to get Lion's Claw.
6. Beat the Giant Jar's Challenge for the Great Jar's Arsenal.
7. Remember to use the mixed flask for Health Regen+ your choice of bonus to charged attacks or poise damage depending on the enemy.
8. Constantly switch between the bonus to jump attacks or bonus to charged attacks talisman depending on the enemy.
9. Spend ludicrous amounts of souls on boiled crab, keep farming those sweet sweet arteria's leaves and other crafting items to make consumables because you're no pansy who reads books and you pray to one but Crom.
10. Keep on pumping END to be able to wear the heaviest of armours. Invade the Great Horned Tragoth for said heaviest of armours, but do a lot of coop to redeem your blackened soul (for those that didn't read his armour description, he's actually a bro that goes around helping all sorts of people).

All of this before you're allowed to partake in the noble and subtle art of the BONK!
 
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NJClaw

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Great bonking guide. I would only add not to sleep on the Strength-knot Crystal Tear available on the road to the Greatsword, which allows to wield the weapon as soon as you pick it up (for 3 minutes at a time, but that should be enough for most bosses and small sections). For those who can't wait to maximize their swag, the Winged Crystal Tear gives virtually infinite equip load (but it requires you to reach the Capital Outskirts).
 

Andnjord

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I would only add not to sleep on the Strength-knot Crystal Tear available on the road to the Greatsword, which allows to wield the weapon as soon as you pick it up (for 3 minutes at a time, but that should be enough for most bosses and small sections)
True, but you only need five level ups to reach 21 strength with the Hero class, which is trivial to get at the start. EDIT: Forgot I had started as the Vagabond class. The Greatsword requires 12 DEX; the Hero starts at 16 STR and 9 DEX and the Vagabond 14 STR and 13 DEX, so the hero requires 8 level ups as opposed to the 7 of the Vagabond, and the Vagabond also has an extra point in Vigor. It doesn't make a big difference, just a little bit of optimisation.

For those who can't wait to maximize their swag, the Winged Crystal Tear gives virtually infinite equip load (but it requires you to reach the Capital Outskirts).
Good point, if only I didn't try to keep item switching at a minimum (I'm also very lazy in sorting out my inventory, so I always end up having 25 different armour sets in my inventory).
 
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