Elden Ring players, what are you up to and what've you got cooking?
I'm on my first playthrough and am currently doing a high vigor, dex, endurance build wielding a guardian swordspear and a black bow. I like the GS moveset and whenever I try something else, the damage kinda suffers. Still, I'd like to try out a Nagakiba build as well as I can do it without respeccing, but I need a few more smithing stones to bring it up to max level.
For armor, I'm rocking the bull goat. It's ugly as hell, but I'm not that gracious around my enemies and it's nice to be able to tank some hits. It is a little sad how terribly uncool my character looks towards the end of the game compared to the beginning. The game is hard, though, so I need the help.
Currently I'm at Brace of the Halligtree, but I've not done Crumbling Farum Azula yet and am thinking of going back and doing that first. I can progress fine mostly, but I admittedly do die regularly. If not from getting killed, then from falling off something.
Having great damage and the fully upgraded mimic tear, I ironically find the boss fights relatively easy and it's mostly just fighting regular enemies and surviving long enough to find the next grace that I find the most challenging.
Haven't played in over half a year, but I'm only on my first playthrough and have beat just one of the main bosses (Godric duh). I'll probably pick it up again later this year when I have less on my plate, but I have so many games in general I need to finish (Bloodborne being another)
What sort of build / weapons are you going for?
With big titles, I often feel like I have to get done with one before I can move on to the next. So after Elden Ring, I got lots of FPS games in the pipe, like Doom Eternal, High on Life, FarCry 6 and Resident Evil Village. I don't get that much playtime, so this'll take me a while.
I picked the samurai one, so I guess mostly Dex, though I had some problems prioritising between Strength and Dex early on iirc
Don't remember the names of the weapons I used anymore. Some I could dual wield, but I also had some success with a 2-handed hook-shaped spear thing at some point.
agreed on backlogs for games. I kinda feel like I have to go back to the ones that have been sitting on my shelf the longest and finish those, or else it will never happen. TLOU2 is one of the most egregious examples atm so I might try and finish that before I return to slightly newer games like ER
Hey, another dex build! You might wanna check out the guardian swordspear or the nagakiba katana (combined with the unsheathe ashes of war) then :)
I haven't played any of the last of us games. Looking forward to the upcoming TV show, though.
Ah yes, I figure there's quite a few weapons that would help my playthrough a lot if I knew where to look for them (especially considering I'm not that good at fromsoft games) but I've tried to mostly avoid looking up stuff for my first playthrough.
Unsheathe AoW improves Dex scaling does it? Haven't played around with assigning those a lot so far
And btw love the phone optimisation here. Beats squinting at my screen trying to read MB :laughing:
Quote from: GD on Jan 13, 2023, 12:14 AMAh yes, I figure there's quite a few weapons that would help my playthrough a lot if I knew where to look for them (especially considering I'm not that good at fromsoft games) but I've tried to mostly avoid looking up stuff for my first playthrough.
Unsheathe AoW improves Dex scaling does it? Haven't played around with assigning those a lot so far
And btw love the phone optimisation here. Beats squinting at my screen trying to read MB :laughing:
They have this system of whetstones that you can use to improve your weapons, so the first one makes it so you can apply ashes of war and the second makes it so you can also give your weapon an affinity. The keen affinity then improves dex scaling.
As you upgrade your weapon, scaling improves again, so unless I'm mistaken, a C dex weapon should end up at A with keen affinity and quite a lot of upgrades.
The guardian swordspear seems to be the best dex weapon that I've come across in terms of damage, but the nagakiba moveset and unsheathe is really cool plus it has bleed which is supposedly very powerful.
But I've also put all my upgrade resources into GS (now fully upgraded), so I don't have entirely fair comparisons yet. My Nagakiba is at +22 I believe (out of a possible +25).
Nice that you like the optimization :) I find it sorely lacking from MB.
Finished the game today and have killed all the bosses I know of. Those last boss fights were quite challenging. I ended up using fully upgraded star fists with lightning infusion and the bloodhound step AoW. It's got good DPS and the BS is great for avoiding boss attacks as well as getting to melee range.
I haven't started New Game+ just yet.
I'm only two or three hours in. I've switched to something easier for a bit after I kept dying but I will get back to it I'm sure.
I went with the Samurai.
Quote from: robhr on Jan 28, 2023, 09:57 PMI'm only two or three hours in. I've switched to something easier for a bit after I kept dying but I will get back to it I'm sure.
I went with the Samurai.
Probably a good choice :) at least I prefer the quicker weapons to the sluggish big ones.
Quote from: Guybrush on Jan 30, 2023, 12:12 AMQuote from: robhr on Jan 28, 2023, 09:57 PMI'm only two or three hours in. I've switched to something easier for a bit after I kept dying but I will get back to it I'm sure.
I went with the Samurai.
Probably a good choice :) at least I prefer the quicker weapons to the sluggish big ones.
Yeah I always go for the quick weapons.
By the way I think I accidentally reported you to a moderator when I was trying to quote you sorry.
Quote from: robhr on Jan 30, 2023, 01:17 AMQuote from: Guybrush on Jan 30, 2023, 12:12 AMQuote from: robhr on Jan 28, 2023, 09:57 PMI'm only two or three hours in. I've switched to something easier for a bit after I kept dying but I will get back to it I'm sure.
I went with the Samurai.
Probably a good choice :) at least I prefer the quicker weapons to the sluggish big ones.
Yeah I always go for the quick weapons.
By the way I think I accidentally reported you to a moderator when I was trying to quote you sorry.
No worries :)
Thanks for the heads-up!
I don't really play video games myself anymore, but I love watching my partner play Souls games. He crushed through Bloodborne about two years ago and I absolutely loved the atmosphere and aesthetic of the game, preferably in the dark on a big TV.
Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Jan 30, 2023, 03:25 PMI don't really play video games myself anymore, but I love watching my partner play Souls games. He crushed through Bloodborne about two years ago and I absolutely loved the atmosphere and aesthetic of the game, preferably in the dark on a big TV.
The perfect partner :love:
My wife's interest in Elden Ring or that world is unfortunately zilch. She has other good qualities, though. ;D
I haven't played the previous Soulsborn games, but I take it they're similar in style to Elden Ring which is absolutely fantastic. Just playing the game and travelling that world feels very inspiring in terms of getting my own creativity going. I love it.
I bought this game and it's still in the plastic unopened. I'm a bit afraid to get into it. I don't think I'm going to end up liking it to be honest. I have a stupid library of back catalog titles to get through. So one day I will open it and give it a whirl.
Quote from: DJChameleon on May 13, 2023, 04:19 PMI bought this game and it's still in the plastic unopened. I'm a bit afraid to get into it. I don't think I'm going to end up liking it to be honest. I have a stupid library of back catalog titles to get through. So one day I will open it and give it a whirl.
Did you ever give it a whirl?
I did finish Elden Ring (and every boss) and felt like I'd pretty much mastered it, but now I'm back in the DLC and getting my ass kicked again 😄
Most enemies die quickly, but the two bosses I've just found from running around kick my asses. The mobs do a lot of damage in general.
Also the game feels a little slow after Jedi Survivor 😄 but that's alright. I just need to get back in the ER groove.
Quote from: Guybrush on Jul 24, 2024, 02:53 AMDid you ever give it a whirl?
I did finish Elden Ring (and every boss) and felt like I'd pretty much mastered it, but now I'm back in the DLC and getting my ass kicked again 😄
Most enemies die quickly, but the two bosses I've just found from running around kick my asses. The mobs do a lot of damage in general.
Also the game feels a little slow after Jedi Survivor 😄 but that's alright. I just need to get back in the ER groove.
No I never did. I'm messing around with Suicide Squad currently.
I bought two new games for my Switch and a memory card only to find out that someone stole my Switch and sold it. So I'm back to chipping away at my ps5 games.
Quote from: DJChameleon on Jul 24, 2024, 02:56 PMNo I never did. I'm messing around with Suicide Squad currently.
I bought two new games for my Switch and a memory card only to find out that someone stole my Switch and sold it. So I'm back to chipping away at my ps5 games.
How do you know they sold it (your switch)? Was it someone you knew who fessed up?
Quote from: Guybrush on Jul 24, 2024, 02:53 AMDid you ever give it a whirl?
I did finish Elden Ring (and every boss) and felt like I'd pretty much mastered it, but now I'm back in the DLC and getting my ass kicked again 😄
Most enemies die quickly, but the two bosses I've just found from running around kick my asses. The mobs do a lot of damage in general.
Also the game feels a little slow after Jedi Survivor 😄 but that's alright. I just need to get back in the ER groove.
I'm almost through the entire DLC - I got to the final boss before I finished exploring everywhere, and the final boss of the DLC completely wrecked my shit. I can barely tank a single hit. So I bugged off to explore areas I hadn't yet.
One complaint I have about this DLC is that it's a little bit too big. Many people praised how big it was, and there's some merits to it, but it doesn't feel big like the base game does, where there's always something interesting right around the corner. There's just a lot of empty space in the DLC.
Not to spoil too much, but there's one area that basically necessitates using a mechanic that was never truly necessary in the base game that is just a complete slog to get through. Not only that, but it might also be the most truly confusing area to navigate in the entire game, base and DLC. You'll know it when you get there. :laughing:
Quote from: SGR on Jul 24, 2024, 06:07 PMHow do you know they sold it (your switch)? Was it someone you knew who fessed up?
I know the person that stole it and because of what activities they are into they would sell it to buy other things.
Quote from: SGR on Jul 24, 2024, 06:17 PMI'm almost through the entire DLC - I got to the final boss before I finished exploring everywhere, and the final boss of the DLC completely wrecked my shit. I can barely tank a single hit. So I bugged off to explore areas I hadn't yet.
One complaint I have about this DLC is that it's a little bit too big. Many people praised how big it was, and there's some merits to it, but it doesn't feel big like the base game does, where there's always something interesting right around the corner. There's just a lot of empty space in the DLC.
Not to spoil too much, but there's one area that basically necessitates using a mechanic that was never truly necessary in the base game that is just a complete slog to get through. Not only that, but it might also be the most truly confusing area to navigate in the entire game, base and DLC. You'll know it when you get there. :laughing:
I killed the dancing lion boss today on second attempt. I basically let my mimic and summoned NPC tank it while I ranged it and dodge rolled when it got close, so felt a bit like cheesing it, but what the hell.. getting to that boss took a little more effort.
I definitely have noticed that empty space. I was kinda taken by surprise because the base game world is rather rich. It made me think it might be made more for exploring on your steed.
That big wicker man giant killed me a bit early on. I left him thinking I can figure him out later and now I'm kinda wondering if perhaps he's intended to be fought on horseback.
Quote from: Guybrush on Jul 25, 2024, 12:44 AMI killed the dancing lion boss today on second attempt. I basically let my mimic and summoned NPC tank it while I ranged it and dodge rolled when it got close, so felt a bit like cheesing it, but what the hell.. getting to that boss took a little more effort.
Bear no shame in using the mimic (or summons)! I use it in every boss fight. :) There's a weird kind of purity testing in the Souls game communities about things like this. Does it make the fights easier? Yes. But I'm almost 30, and I don't have the time or the fucking patience any more to beat these boss fights the 'legit' way (solo). I will use every single tool the game gives me to win without shame or regret.
When it comes to those big ass furnace dudes, I still haven't figured out how to beat them. :laughing:
Quote from: SGR on Jul 25, 2024, 09:56 PMBear no shame in using the mimic (or summons)! I use it in every boss fight. :) There's a weird kind of purity testing in the Souls game communities about things like this. Does it make the fights easier? Yes. But I'm almost 30, and I don't have the time or the fucking patience any more to beat these boss fights the 'legit' way (solo). I will use every single tool the game gives me to win without shame or regret.
When it comes to those big ass furnace dudes, I still haven't figured out how to beat them. :laughing:
Yeah, it's not an exploit so completely legit strategy. In a way, figuring out a way to make boss fights easier is also kinda clever (unless you're just looking up cheese methods on YouTube).
Also, I'm in my 40s and just wanna play it however I find it enjoyable. Needlessly spending hours on one fight isn't necessarily what I like the most.
I did spend at least a good hour trying to beat ancient dragon Sesennax (?) or something above jagged peak. In my best attempt , I got him down to like a 5th HP, but eventually I get stun locked and flamed and die.
I'm not even sure I need to kill him, but it made me take a break from the DLC as I figured there was stuff I could do in the base game so I looked up an interactive map and.. oh shit. There are even Golden seeds and Sacred tears I hadn't found yet and I think I found like 4 extra world bosses just from riding around randomly. The mirage tower I hadn't done and I found two more dungeons..
I'm OP back in the old world of course, but that makes it a nice way to get back in the groove. There are so many game mechanics that I've yet to really explore, like throwable consumables. What the hell is perfume? So yeah, I'll wrap things up there, learn a bit and then go back to the DLC after 🙂
Quote from: Guybrush on Jul 26, 2024, 09:08 AMYeah, it's not an exploit so completely legit strategy. In a way, figuring out a way to make boss fights easier is also kinda clever (unless you're just looking up cheese methods on YouTube).
Also, I'm in my 40s and just wanna play it however I find it enjoyable. Needlessly spending hours on one fight isn't necessarily what I like the most.
I did spend at least a good hour trying to beat ancient dragon Sesennax (?) or something above jagged peak. In my best attempt , I got him down to like a 5th HP, but eventually I get stun locked and flamed and die.
I'm not even sure I need to kill him, but it made me take a break from the DLC as I figured there was stuff I could do in the base game so I looked up an interactive map and.. oh shit. There are even Golden seeds and Sacred tears I hadn't found yet and I think I found like 4 extra world bosses just from riding around randomly. The mirage tower I hadn't done and I found two more dungeons..
I'm OP back in the old world of course, but that makes it a nice way to get back in the groove. There are so many game mechanics that I've yet to really explore, like throwable consumables. What the hell is perfume? So yeah, I'll wrap things up there, learn a bit and then go back to the DLC after 🙂
Ah yes, Bayle the Dread above the Jagged Peak. He's rough.
I just managed to beat the final boss of the DLC the other day. All I'll say is good fuckin luck. :laughing:
My suggestion would be to get all the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes before doing real attempts.
Quote from: SGR on Jul 31, 2024, 11:30 PMAh yes, Bayle the Dread above the Jagged Peak. He's rough.
I just managed to beat the final boss of the DLC the other day. All I'll say is good fuckin luck. :laughing:
My suggestion would be to get all the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes before doing real attempts.
I killed him today on the tenth real attempt or so. After a few tries, I copped out and changed build to something that could kill him relatively easily (poking him from behind fingerprint shield). I used my Mimic tear as well and eventually got him.
I was getting kinda tired of the game tbh as it's been way too much of a time thief and my wife had also started complaining 😅 I haven't built around any of the previous DLC bosses, but now I'm glad I got it done without too much effort because the ending of the DLC was hugely anticlimactic. I wasn't even sure why I'd killed the final boss at all, so spent a little time lore-digging.
Spoiler
I still don't quite get it. Was Miquella such a bad guy?
Whatevs. It was a great DLC even if the ending wasn't satisfying. Now I'm ready for other things 🙂
As a quick comment, tanking in this game is very powerful and ridiculously so when you add the fingerprint shield.
I'm not sure I'd call it cheesing because you're not breaking any rules, rather just being smart. FromSoft made these items and people are just using them in straight, stand-up fights. Still, the build I used is so tanky it feels a little bit like cheating.
It still wasn't as easy as this guy makes it look, but I ended up spending more time on Gaius as well as the.. what's it called.. skeleton knight on a horse.
So for myself, the mounted bosses were the hardest.
I also realized whatever feels the most challenging is going to gave a lot to do with how many scadutree fragments and level of blessing you have when you fight them. I beat Radahn (and Bayle) with lvl 17. Since then, I found a few more getting it to level 18.
If I do anything else in this game, it's probably just finding those last upgrades.
By the way, while I ended up doing a Rivers of blood bleed build for most of the DLC, I kept my trusty Guardian Sword spear with me.
https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Guardian's+Swordspear
You can infuse it with spectral lance, making you able to throw a ghostly spear at targeted enemies.
Its damage is boosted by at least two talismans (often 3 in my case when I got bleed going) as well as buffs so the damage is actually very good and the FP cost is low.
I couldn't see the point in bows when I could just toss spears at things. Also worked great against some bosses like Rakshasa. He dodges if he's far away, but you get him if he's closer and it quickly breaks poise.
If you use summons, you can also let those tank while you toss spears. I believe that's how I eventually got the mounted bosses.
Quote from: Guybrush on Aug 10, 2024, 11:52 AMAs a quick comment, tanking in this game is very powerful and ridiculously so when you add the fingerprint shield.
I'm not sure I'd call it cheesing because you're not breaking any rules, rather just being smart. FromSoft made these items and people are just using them in straight, stand-up fights. Still, the build I used is so tanky it feels a little bit like cheating.
It still wasn't as easy as this guy makes it look, but I ended up spending more time on Gaius as well as the.. what's it called.. skeleton knight on a horse.
So for myself, the mounted bosses were the hardest.
I also realized whatever feels the most challenging is going to gave a lot to do with how many scadutree fragments and level of blessing you have when you fight them. I beat Radahn (and Bayle) with lvl 17. Since then, I found a few more getting it to level 18.
If I do anything else in this game, it's probably just finding those last upgrades.
No shame in how you beat the DLC. I was and am a faith build, and that's how I play most Souls games so that I get my trusty lightning spear. I only engage in CQC when I have to, otherwise, I'm pelting your ass from afar and putting my faith in God. Most of the base game was rather easy, bar the last few bosses, but some of these bosses in the DLC really gave me a run for my money, even with summons.
Quote from: SGR on Aug 12, 2024, 04:54 AMNo shame in how you beat the DLC. I was and am a faith build, and that's how I play most Souls games so that I get my trusty lightning spear. I only engage in CQC when I have to, otherwise, I'm pelting your ass from afar and putting my faith in God. Most of the base game was rather easy, bar the last few bosses, but some of these bosses in the DLC really gave me a run for my money, even with summons.
I will usually try various approaches. My favourite way to play is faster melee with dodging. I didn't parry much in Elden Ring (fighting without shields). This Rivers of Blood bleed build suits me very well. I played most of the base game using that sword spear, but changed things up later on. When I finally beat Melania, I was using the starfist weapon (kinda like spiked boxing gloves). I doubt it would be anyone's first choice for that fight, but pairing it with bloodhound step (short teleport) allowed me to get close and still dodge most of her attacks when I got her moves down. I never spent more time learning to do one fight in a video game, though.
Following guides this time around makes me realize how incredibly many valid builds there are in the game, many of which melts bosses.
One video I saw was a guy doing a consumables only run where everything was killed by tossing pots, using perfumes etc. Too much inventory management for me, but seemed valid 🙂