Elden Ring (From Software RPG)

TwistedMetalGear said:
So I'm 66 hours in and I haven't leveled up a single weapon. That's probably not the way the game is meant to be played so it makes me wonder... Is it worth it to level up mid-tier weapons? Or should I be hoarding smithing stones until I get some S-tier weapons?
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I think you are uneccessarily making life harder for yourself, if you don't upgrade a couple of whatever weapons you like using. And its very possible some of those weapons will end up with "S" scaling in certain upgrade paths.
 
TwistedMetalGear said:
So I'm 66 hours in and I haven't leveled up a single weapon. That's probably not the way the game is meant to be played so it makes me wonder... Is it worth it to level up mid-tier weapons? Or should I be hoarding smithing stones until I get some S-tier weapons?
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When you level them up, they'll go to C's and B's, by +15 level. Unsure past that. I'm using a "Unique" weapon that I upgraded to +!0 and it is a game-changer for my piss-poor button-smash/miss half telegraph moves playstyle. In more capable hands, its god tier, even with its B/C scaling.
For casters, there's definitely some S-tier stuff out there, available mid-game that, reports have, will carry you through end-game and beyond.
 
I'm using a weapon that I found before even the first boss of the game, it's not unique, it's not special, but at +18 and with a cool Ash of War on it (sacred blade) it's more powerful than any other weapon I've seen all game. By far.

I picked up this absolutely awesome, huge ass dragon scale sword that's bigger than me and required a rather hefty stat investment to even carry the damn thing. I even went and used somber Smithing stones to upgrade it to +5 (max I can do atm) and my basic, not unique +18 lordsworn greatsword does more damage per hit and also attacks nearly twice as fast. 🤷‍♂️
 
TwistedMetalGear said:
So I'm 66 hours in and I haven't leveled up a single weapon. That's probably not the way the game is meant to be played so it makes me wonder... Is it worth it to level up mid-tier weapons? Or should I be hoarding smithing stones until I get some S-tier weapons?
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You can beat the game with any weapon, even the ones you start with. The Souls games are not like typical arpgs where you level up a few times and all your previous gear is outdated.
You will be able to buy stones from vendors later on, so don't be stingy with them - Look for the little circular black tunnel icons on your map for the areas where you get stones or bearings to give the vendor which allow you to buy them.
TheSlySyl said:
my basic, not unique +18 lordsworn greatsword does more damage per hit and also attacks nearly twice as fast. 🤷‍♂️
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The heavier weapon will have +poise damage that can probably stun/stagger bosses way easier for critical attacks, making some fights way way easier. It's why raw damage numbers are not always the ideal method of comparison.
 
Just an FYI some weapons can be better than others for killing different enemies. I leveled a few different weapons and switched them out when I needed to. I mained katanas but also had some hammers upgraded. I learned that the hard way after getting stuck at the end of a dungeon. There is also a situation where a heal can be a weapon that really helps with a specific annoying enemy. One that is fast and evasive. Even with low int/mind/faith you can still use heal if you are melee. Another thing try using an effect against an enemy that use that effect ie posion against posion. Bows and crossbows are great for this since you can make the ammo with the effect. One last thing enemies will attack each other and you will get runes when they die. You can sit back and watch and gain some runes if want. You don't have to be very close either but might have to run by to trigger it or use range.

I started the game playing very straight forward hack and slash then learned along the way that there are different ways to approach battles across the board. It's a lot more fun trying different things than just doing one thing all game especially since this game can make you want to throw your pc out the window after trying something for the 50+ time.
 
dub77nj said:
Just an FYI some weapons can be better than others for killing different enemies. I leveled a few different weapons and switched them out when I needed to. I mained katanas but also had some hammers upgraded. I learned that the hard way after getting stuck at the end of a dungeon. There is also a situation where a heal can be a weapon that really helps with a specific annoying enemy. One that is fast and evasive. Even with low int/mind/faith you can still use heal if you are melee. Another thing try using an effect against an enemy that use that effect ie posion against posion. Bows and crossbows are great for this since you can make the ammo with the effect. One last thing enemies will attack each other and you will get runes when they die. You can sit back and watch and gain some runes if want. You don't have to be very close either but might have to run by to trigger it or use range.

I started the game playing very straight forward hack and slash then learned along the way that there are different ways to approach battles across the board. It's a lot more fun trying different things than just doing one thing all game especially since this game can make you want to throw your pc out the window after trying something for the 50+ time.
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That’s a good tip. I ran Katana as primary and a flail as a backup weapon type as the rock guys you find in the mine type dungeons are strong against slash and weak against blunt.
 
dub77nj said:
Just an FYI some weapons can be better than others for killing different enemies. I leveled a few different weapons and switched them out when I needed to. I mained katanas but also had some hammers upgraded. I learned that the hard way after getting stuck at the end of a dungeon. There is also a situation where a heal can be a weapon that really helps with a specific annoying enemy. One that is fast and evasive. Even with low int/mind/faith you can still use heal if you are melee. Another thing try using an effect against an enemy that use that effect ie posion against posion. Bows and crossbows are great for this since you can make the ammo with the effect. One last thing enemies will attack each other and you will get runes when they die. You can sit back and watch and gain some runes if want. You don't have to be very close either but might have to run by to trigger it or use range.

I started the game playing very straight forward hack and slash then learned along the way that there are different ways to approach battles across the board. It's a lot more fun trying different things than just doing one thing all game especially since this game can make you want to throw your pc out the window after trying something for the 50+ time.
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The torch is basically free melee fire damage. Doesn't cost any fp and low stat requirements. Makes short work of slimes and miranda flowers which are extremely weak to fire. A single hit from a torch will stunlock a giant miranda flower (which tend to be ridiculously tanky) for about 5 seconds and typically interrupt the beginning of their aoe attacks. They can still attempt to bash you while burning but that's easily predictable.

Also holy damage pretty much one-shot undead enemies. More importantly, when they go down the first time they do not resurrect.
 
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It was cool, but it pissed me off how easy it was by the time I got there. I kind of wish they'd put in a 'match my level' option like some other games, so the enemies are at least always scaled to you if you want.
 
TwistedMetalGear said:
Ancestor spirit boss fight... Wow. Probably my favorite so far. The boss itself was easy but the music and atmosphere was the best I've seen so far. The whole siofra river section is really cool. Otherworldly.
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Yeah, it was an especially beautiful piece of design. I'm not entirely sure why its there, as I kindof just stumbled upon that area and put two+two together and lit the torches.
 
KazeoHin said:
Yeah, it was an especially beautiful piece of design. I'm not entirely sure why its there, as I kindof just stumbled upon that area and put two+two together and lit the torches.
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It would have stuck with me more, had there not been those Aimbotting Railgunning mofos out there. By the time I got to the boss, I was done with that zone.
 
Bullitt said:
It would have stuck with me more, had there not been those Aimbotting Railgunning mofos out there. By the time I got to the boss, I was done with that zone.
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At least those Ghost Bullboyz don't appear out of thin air like the other ghosts - Ghost Knights are the worst.
 
SeymourGore said:
At least those Ghost Bullboyz don't appear out of thin air like the other ghosts - Ghost Knights are the worst.
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My nemesis in the game, so far, are the greatsword Crucible Knights. My scrub brain, just cannot get their moveset down, at all. Every time I come across one of those, its a 4-8 death fight. Spear Cruicible Knights, they're just clowns. The ones with the greatsword and shield, I'm a little bitch.
 
Bullitt said:
It would have stuck with me more, had there not been those Aimbotting Railgunning mofos out there. By the time I got to the boss, I was done with that zone.
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Those Ghosty bois with their one-hit-kill arrows were an absolute nighmare, but lucky the environment was varied enough to get the jump on them more often than not. but yeah, frustrating.
 
BassTek said:
That’s a good tip. I ran Katana as primary and a flail as a backup weapon type as the rock guys you find in the mine type dungeons are strong against slash and weak against blunt.
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The game is intuitive with what kind of weapon is effective. Hard or armored enemies are going to be strong against slashing attacks, but weaker against blunt attacks. All the SoulsBorne games have been like this. You really are handicapping yourself if you stick to a single weapon.
 
Armenius said:
The game is intuitive with what kind of weapon is effective. Hard or armored enemies are going to be strong against slashing attacks, but weaker against blunt attacks. All the SoulsBorne games have been like this. You really are handicapping yourself if you stick to a single weapon.
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I pretty much always use the Ultra Greatsword in 2h stance. It doesn't really seem to matter what the enemy is resistant to in it's case.


Made some progress this weekend:
Beat the crucible knights in Nokron, the Gargoyle duo, the Tree Sentinel duo, a couple of Volcano Manor invasions, beat the Godskin dude in Volcano Manor, completed The Shaded Castle, the crucible knight/misbegotten warrior duo in Redmane, as well as finished up a handful of quests.
About 100 hours in now.
 
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I've been carrying a small arsenal of just in case weapons, but usually just have one of two sets active for most of the time.

I actually still use the fully powered up Bloodhound Fang for most of my basic wandering, and mid-level bossing. Using the L2 then R2 combo will take chunks out of just about anything I've come across yet. Then the blood dagger in the other hand. Sometimes I'll swap a staff into the other hand for some ranged attacks. I have a horn-bow for very rare occasions that require more distance. Then I have a noble-straight sword maxed out with gravity effects. Good for flying things. I have some others from later in the game, but I still stick more or less to these for most fights. I'll usually have to swap them in the equipment menu though, because I like to stay light, and having them as secondaries slows me down.
 
polonyc2 said:
Elden Ring Patch 1.03.3

-Fixed a bug in the balance adjustment of the boss "Starscourge Radahn" in update 1.03, in which the power of some attacks was unintentionally reduced

https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/elden-...ficial_post&utm_campaign=ELDEN_RING_update103
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'FROM Software noticed that some of Radahn's attacks were unintentionally reduced in power. This was a mistake as ALL of Radahn's attacks were meant to one shot you. This has been fixed for your convenience.'
 
I got two more great runes last night. Beat the Academy and Rodahn. Now I'm level 67 and while that damn greatsword is still my best weapon, I have a really badass halberd that does a double charge attack that I prefer while on horseback.

I think I finally need to go to caelid. 😰

Edit: Holy shit, I actually was beating Rodahn while the servers were down and being patched. Talk about luck!
 
Is there actually a strategy for Radahn besdies summoning companions and running around on horseback?
 
Run away, loop around, hit with charged attack from horseback is basically the strategy for 99% of bosses where you can use Torrent.
 
cvinh said:
Is there actually a strategy for Radahn besdies summoning companions and running around on horseback?
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I stayed just behind my summons, then ran in on foot, hit him with the two attack charged combo of my sword, then tried to stay in close. I actually got him down to about 15-20% that way. I ran out of time though, and haven't been back yet. I'll probably utilize my horse a little bit on the next try, to get a bit of distance in before hopping off, and using that same attack strategy again.
 
cvinh said:
Is there actually a strategy for Radahn besdies summoning companions and running around on horseback?
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Physical damage works best and is priority, but infusing with magic, fire, or lightning will make every swing count.

Summons are useful for distraction. I wouldn't rely on them for anything else.

Of course if you truly want to cheese him, then give him scarlet rot (rotten breath). Then just run around on your horse watching his health bar slowly tick down. They nerfed it a bit recently, but not enough really. Lore wise it doesn't make any sense that he's extremely weak to scarlet rot since he's already driven mad by it.
 
Do you guys resort to googling how to do quests? It feels like horrendous game design when a character says "go find so and so, they're somewhere in Limgrave." I get that they want the player to explore, but Limgrave is fucking massive. It's like I have no choice except to google where this character is located. And that's very unrewarding.
 
TwistedMetalGear said:
Do you guys resort to googling how to do quests? It feels like horrendous game design when a character says "go find so and so, they're somewhere in Limgrave." I get that they want the player to explore, but Limgrave is fucking massive. It's like I have no choice except to google where this character is located. And that's very unrewarding.
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i try to avoid googling, but yeah, there are times when the steps in a quest are clear as mud. example:
when i came to the "Blaidd the Half Wolf" npc, the one who's sitting on top of some ruins howling periodically in the Mistwood area, it was clear he was an npc or a boss, but i couldn't figure out what to do to talk to him or "activate" him in some way. there were messages on the ground saying things like "seek up, then time for gesturing" and i could see them gesture with one i didn't have. there was literally no clue or hint from the game itself about what to do w/ him. eventually resorted to google and you have to talk to the npc merchant near the start of the game at Church of Elleh, and you can ask him about it and he teaches you the "snap fingers" gesture. how the hell would i have ever figured out i had to go back to that one specific npc?!? it makes zero sense. even assuming you did talk to that npc randomly on your own without googling, why the hell is "snapping your fingers" some magical specific thing he responds to? ffs, at least make one of the default gestures like waving or beckoning work the same way.
 
I avoid it, but occasionally do it. I really don’t feel I have to prove myself to anyone. I’ve been playing games since the end of the 70s! (Granted I was 3 years old, but I remember holding the Bally pistol grips and flying my X-Wing around.)

If a puzzle is obtuse or not worth the time that I can squeeze some game hours into, I’ll look it up. I put some time into it though first. I also hunt down just the tip I need, not the whole walkthrough of an area, though if that fit the situation then why not.

I play games for me, and I decide what’s rewarding or not.

This game has really pulled me in like no other though in recent years. I’ve been taking my time with it, and enjoying every minute of it. I know I’m not even close to the best souls player, but this game has me, like no previous From game.

I feel good about my “earned to googled” ratio.

For example I had somber smithing stones 1-5 and 8 and 9, and extras of some, but couldn’t for the life of me find 6 and 7 despite tens of hours exploring even beyond my level. I got a location tip, and took it from there.
 
TwistedMetalGear said:
Do you guys resort to googling how to do quests? It feels like horrendous game design when a character says "go find so and so, they're somewhere in Limgrave." I get that they want the player to explore, but Limgrave is fucking massive. It's like I have no choice except to google where this character is located. And that's very unrewarding.
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I'll try and figure it out, but the example that Colonel Sanders brought up, is one of my biggest bugbears with the Souls "quests." There are so many NPCs and if you don't find the right one, at the RIGHT TIME, you get locked out of them. Coming in midway through a questline, will just yield nothing.
I have such a FOMO with these games, since I might play them a 2nd time, but I want to see all there is to see Yeah, I'll use a walkthrough to find out what in the hell to do next. I just want to see the story unfold.

Play the game and enjoy it your way (except cheating in PVP, that's uncalled for) and have the fun and enjoyment out of the game.
 
TwistedMetalGear said:
Do you guys resort to googling how to do quests? It feels like horrendous game design when a character says "go find so and so, they're somewhere in Limgrave." I get that they want the player to explore, but Limgrave is fucking massive. It's like I have no choice except to google where this character is located. And that's very unrewarding.
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fextralife is bae
 
cvinh said:
Is there actually a strategy for Radahn besdies summoning companions and running around on horseback?
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After reading about this patch, I noticed that I was apparently supposed to receive help/summons which apparently didn't arrive in my game. I talked the all the people in the castle (there were 3-4) and they showed up after I won. Yet they didn't show up in battle and I didn't see any summons signs on the ground.

Anyway, with that fight I just charged at him (on my horse) and would do a double jump whenever he fired one of those huge arrows. Once I got pretty close, I stayed on my horse and tried to get behind him. From there, I just started wailing. If you're close, a lot of his stuff misses. Especially if you keep circling and trying to stay right on his ass. In the second phase of the fight, you can actually keep him from initiating it right away. He pauses and starts gesturing and whatnot, but you can keep hitting him. The time I beat him, he landed for phase 2 with only a sliver of health. I did that another time, but he actually landed on me, which was an instakill. I think I beat him on the 5th try or so. A few other times I tried a more finessed approach and just got mauled. Sometimes just getting close/behind and going apeshit is the answer.
 
Domingo said:
After reading about this patch, I noticed that I was apparently supposed to receive help/summons which apparently didn't arrive in my game. I talked the all the people in the castle (there were 3-4) and they showed up after I won. Yet they didn't show up in battle and I didn't see any summons signs on the ground.

Anyway, with that fight I just charged at him (on my horse) and would do a double jump whenever he fired one of those huge arrows. Once I got pretty close, I stayed on my horse and tried to get behind him. From there, I just started wailing. If you're close, a lot of his stuff misses. Especially if you keep circling and trying to stay right on his ass. In the second phase of the fight, you can actually keep him from initiating it right away. He pauses and starts gesturing and whatnot, but you can keep hitting him. The time I beat him, he landed for phase 2 with only a sliver of health. I did that another time, but he actually landed on me, which was an instakill. I think I beat him on the 5th try or so. A few other times I tried a more finessed approach and just got mauled. Sometimes just getting close/behind and going apeshit is the answer.
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Yeah, the flank+apeshit seems to work pretty well on the dragon skin soldiers, and a particular sentinel.
 
J3RK said:
Yeah, the flank+apeshit seems to work pretty well on the dragon skin soldiers, and a particular sentinel.
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For the most part it has worked pretty well on most bosses. Especially the larger ones who swing down/wide and only hit you if you're in front or to the side.
As someone playing 100% melee, the techniques I use most are jumping R2 and either flanking or getting as close as possible to the front of most bosses. Jump R2 is great for initiating stun and is essentially the Dark Souls great club F+R2, but for every weapon.
 
I thought my battlemage hugue was OP until I found this mimic tear. Pretty much spams your own skills for no cost at all. What an OP summon.
 
cvinh said:
I thought my battlemage hugue was OP until I found this mimic tear. Pretty much spams your own skills for no cost at all. What an OP summon.
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Until the AI derps out as it whips out a Beast-Repellent Torch instead of something useful.
 
I still have yet to cast a single spell. I feel like I'm doing quite a bit of damage to most enemies, but there are a few where I'm wondering if I need a backup weapon or some kind of magical enhancement. The Flying guy outside of Gurranq's room and the Tree boss south of there just aren't taking any damage at all. That's with a +21 Uchi (Heavy) and a 40 STR. Both do really heavy damage to me, too. I'm going to play around with some of the random items I have and see what I can do. Pretty much everything else tends to be manageable. Even the Bell Knights aren't too awful now.
 
Domingo said:
I still have yet to cast a single spell. I feel like I'm doing quite a bit of damage to most enemies, but there are a few where I'm wondering if I need a backup weapon or some kind of magical enhancement. The Flying guy outside of Gurranq's room and the Tree boss south of there just aren't taking any damage at all. That's with a +21 Uchi (Heavy) and a 40 STR. Both do really heavy damage to me, too. I'm going to play around with some of the random items I have and see what I can do. Pretty much everything else tends to be manageable. Even the Bell Knights aren't too awful now.
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I'm on my second playthrough (not NG+, just new character) with full INT. I ran to Caelid, picked up the meterorite staff, and it just absolutely wrecks with rock throw. I keep an Uchi for melee and bust out Moonveil if things start to look dire.

I just cleared Rennala using rock throw only. Very easy.
 
Domingo said:
I still have yet to cast a single spell. I feel like I'm doing quite a bit of damage to most enemies, but there are a few where I'm wondering if I need a backup weapon or some kind of magical enhancement. The Flying guy outside of Gurranq's room and the Tree boss south of there just aren't taking any damage at all. That's with a +21 Uchi (Heavy) and a 40 STR. Both do really heavy damage to me, too. I'm going to play around with some of the random items I have and see what I can do. Pretty much everything else tends to be manageable. Even the Bell Knights aren't too awful now.
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I don't case much. Every once in a while. There's an annoying semi-stationary large enemy in the Ainsel River area. I hid behind a chunk of ruins, and would just peek out, blast it a few times, hide, repeat. I used up all my FP though, and had to finish it off with a few arrows. Anything else though, it's pretty much sword or dagger. My main sword has a nice vertical circular arc move, and another nice move to follow up with, so I can take down bats, birds, etc. quite easily. I have a nice, small shield, but I don't use it. I've got it in my inventory just in case, but I'm just not a shield user. I love to do damage and move around quickly.

I do want to play through with mostly Int and Fth sometime though. I've never played a From game that way. I pretty much had a dagger-mage in DS3, but leaned heavily on the weapons, and less on the magic.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
i try to avoid googling, but yeah, there are times when the steps in a quest are clear as mud. example:
when i came to the "Blaidd the Half Wolf" npc, the one who's sitting on top of some ruins howling periodically in the Mistwood area, it was clear he was an npc or a boss, but i couldn't figure out what to do to talk to him or "activate" him in some way. there were messages on the ground saying things like "seek up, then time for gesturing" and i could see them gesture with one i didn't have. there was literally no clue or hint from the game itself about what to do w/ him. eventually resorted to google and you have to talk to the npc merchant near the start of the game at Church of Elleh, and you can ask him about it and he teaches you the "snap fingers" gesture. how the hell would i have ever figured out i had to go back to that one specific npc?!? it makes zero sense. even assuming you did talk to that npc randomly on your own without googling, why the hell is "snapping your fingers" some magical specific thing he responds to? ffs, at least make one of the default gestures like waving or beckoning work the same way.
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I didn't even notice the wolf (Blaidd) there when I went to the ruins, I thought the howling was background noise, but I was an Archer so I frequently went to Kale to buy arrows, then I got the dialogue prompt about the Howling in Mistwood. But yea now that I think of it there is likely no way to figure this out without randomly needing to buy something from Kale.
 
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