[Traveller]

Lots of nerfed Ashes.

And shortcuts. They removed a whole tree!

[Slow Ben]

I don’t have good enough ashes to know what’s needed yet. Been rolling with the bigass jellyfish. I’ve got Lluhtel the Headless but not enough fp to summon him.

Just beat Margit. I am not good at being patient, good lord, but got it done. Now I’m traipsing around Stormveil Castle.

I friggin love the Claymore.


I probable could have stuck with my original character instead of restarting, I really just needed to git gud, as the kids like to say.

[Traveller]

I'm about level 50 now. I have loads of Spirit summons but still end up using my wolves most of the time.

Singing harpies nesting on high, wind swept temple ruins. Giant ants in tunnels filled with bones. Huge dead guy on a throne. Unkillable spirit knight - oh no wait it's actually being summoned by that invisible snail in the corner...

It's such an amazing fantasy landscape ro be exploring. Each small area can be so densely packed.

Bosses still falling after 2 or 3 attempts though, which is probably why the game is doing better than it's more inaccessible predecessors.

[Stalker]

I totally agree - it’s so much more accessible between the open world and spirit summons / finger summons (which I say having soloed Dark Souls 1-3). You still get the classic experience of being 1 shot by bosses over and over again, or taken down by a pack of dogs, but the difficulty is not nearly the same.

I’m playing a black flame confessor build with the cipher pata weapon. Level 80 with about 50 points in faith. I’m tearing through everything I come across. Add one of the banished knight summons and I’m taking most bosses on the first attempt. Toughest fights so far were Margit and Godrick as I did those early with sword and shield. No summons either as I thought they were a one time use.

[Malankazooie]

Anyone know what that latest (small) update included? I jumped on after it installed and was getting a network error.

[Chance]

Been interested in getting Elden Ring but wondering is it just a fighting game or is there actually a decent story?

[Dadding]

Chance, on 24 March 2022 - 12:23 PM, said:

Been interested in getting Elden Ring but wondering is it just a fighting game or is there actually a decent story?

The story is great, but it's not really told in the way most stories are in video games. You get the story by reading item descriptions, listening to characters talk about their past, and piecing together some clues. There are "quests" in the game that involve you getting things and doing things for NPCs, but they're not really narratively-driven. The backstory and lore and story behind many characters is deep and rich and interesting and probably some of the best I've seen in video games, but in terms of the story of you playing the game, it's basically just: you walk around and kill things. But the places you visit and the people you kill have a lot of story behind them.

[Malankazooie]

Finally made progress, as I've dedicated some time to the game. Made it to Godrick and promptly got my ass kicked. Did that thing were you call help, and we fought a little longer, but still got our asses kicked. So back to grinding and leveling and getting better gear. I would say the game, as it relates to bosses, is every bit a souls game (I've played Dark Souls and Bloodborne). However, it is approachable to a less experienced Souls-like demographic in that the open world gives you a break from the brutal loop you can find yourself stuck in, like in the other games. You can call your horse and run away. But yeah, the bosses are still Souls-ass-kicking MFers.

[EDIT] Oh, I also made it to that Roundtable Hold deal (is it a social space?). Still trying to figure that place out.

This post has been edited by Malankazooie: 27 March 2022 - 09:08 PM

[Gorefest]

https://youtu.be/D1H4o4FW-wA

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Gorefest, on 30 March 2022 - 08:47 PM, said:

https://youtu.be/D1H4o4FW-wA

Too bad they say they'll never do an 'easy' or 'rpg only' mode---I have minimal interest in this sort of 'gameplay' (I'd rather focus my muscle memory on other things, like music) but the visuals are of course great and the writing (not sure about the role-playing...) seems promising. I'd be happy to watch the computer fight the bosses for me. (AI to beat the bosses?... shouldn't be too hard to train....)

[Maark Abbott]

Azath Vitr (D, on 30 March 2022 - 09:23 PM, said:

Gorefest, on 30 March 2022 - 08:47 PM, said:

https://youtu.be/D1H4o4FW-wA

Too bad they say they'll never do an 'easy' or 'rpg only' mode---I have minimal interest in this sort of 'gameplay' (I'd rather focus my muscle memory on other things, like music) but the visuals are of course great and the writing (not sure about the role-playing...) seems promising. I'd be happy to watch the computer fight the bosses for me. (AI to beat the bosses?... shouldn't be too hard to train....)

An artistic octopus recently posted a video in which she killed one of the bosses just by parrying and counterattacking.

[Bapop]

I've been playing it for a few weeks now and have hit the wall at the final (and two optional) boss. My trusted playstyle of sword and shield is no longer cutting it and instead of rethinking my approach I keep trying the same thing over and over. Thankfully there's constantly new stuff to discover by going back to places. Saw a video about someone using a spell I hadn't found and it turned out that Stormveil castle had a staircase, right next to where I died like 10 times, that I had never seen.

Really looking forward to doing it all again with a different playstyle once I succeed or change my strategy against the final boss.

[Malankazooie]

Can you respec your character? Or do you have to start a new game? I'm guessing if you can respec, it has some soulsy difficulty attached to it.

[Aptorian]

Finally bought Elden Ring and have set out on the path to become the Elden Lord.

Followed the advice I've heard on podcasts and followed the path from the bonfires. Got the ability to level up, summon a horse and summon some wolves.

I'm now hunting soldiers in the countryside and grinding souls or what ever they are called.

Is there anything else in the opening area I should be on the look out for?

[Slow Ben]

Make sure you grab the Crafting kit from Kale at the Church of Elleh. You’ll find and buy cookbooks and be able to make all kinds of stuff.

[Aptorian]

Yes, I've started buying crafting stuff already, the kit, some clay jars, a torch, etc.

Is it worth upgrading your starting weapons and armor? I've already found a u helmet and shield, so I'm wondering if it's worth buffing my sword.

[Slow Ben]

Absolutely it is. At a steady rate you’ll have to buff them or you won’t keep up with the enemies. I’m probably 50-60% done and my Claymore is +14.

Just don’t blow all your upgrades on a weapon you won’t use. But you can always buy more later.

Not so much with shields.

[Bapop]

Malankazooie, on 10 April 2022 - 08:57 PM, said:

Can you respec your character? Or do you have to start a new game? I'm guessing if you can respec, it has some soulsy difficulty attached to it.

I can and probably should. It's just my stubborness stopping me. Will try a different tactic and maybe even look online for some guides.

[Slow Ben]

Bapop, on 14 April 2022 - 07:25 PM, said:

Malankazooie, on 10 April 2022 - 08:57 PM, said:

Can you respec your character? Or do you have to start a new game? I'm guessing if you can respec, it has some soulsy difficulty attached to it.

I can and probably should. It's just my stubborness stopping me. Will try a different tactic and maybe even look online for some guides.

You can, but you have to make your way through the Raya Lucaria Academy and defeat Renalla. Then you can respec through her.

[Malankazooie]

My Elden Ring play is still on pause as I schedule my console's disc reader to be repaired. I had just started playing Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and didn't want to take my console in just yet. I'll probably get it in the shop early next week.

Anyway, about my brief Elden Ring play. I found the map for a part of the south section. There are times where you will need to use the shrine deal where you can change the time of day. Bats and wolves at first kicked my ass, but now I give them a pat with my sword. I stuck with my Prisoner character and damn I've had to focus on strength and dexterity to get to the point where I can wield a basic sword, a great sword and a flail. Now I'm looking into adding points to endurance so my carry weight can handle some armor, helmet and shield I've picked up. I hate that feeling when you are at heavy load status and are sluggish and rolling and dodging is like you are in molasses. I believe I left off where I was working on getting powerful enough to take on the beastie at the bottom of the Forlorn Hound Evergaol. Oh yeah, poison, beware poison early on. If it looks like a green pond on the map, don't walk into it. Also, beware those nasty flowers that mist you with poison. My only respite right now when poisoned, is to walk or ride to an open, safe area and die there, so I can easily retrieve my runes.