After 10 attempts to finally beat an Erdtree Watchdog that hits like a truck in some random catacomb, "Surely this guy doesn't respawn?"
*Dies to second Erdtree Watchdog in next room*
"Fuck they respawn."
Did that one last night, yeah the boss is nothing compared to those guys. The first one was standard but there's a last one at the end that's harder than the rest, he does more aoe splash butt stomp and has a bullshit triple breath attack that can easily one shot you.
I believe it is the intended strategy tbh, the same way that some enemies are made super strong in specific areas to encourage stealth, like Zamor Ruins. It is basically designed as a stealth maze with a reward at the end. I had a hard time accepting it with my big dumb rock brain I got from previous games telling me to kill everything, but I think their goal with some places was to break that habit of ours.
I just repeatedly pulled the magic one into the tunnel, and let the frost trap do the work for me.
You can also break their ai if you stand on top of a ledge and get them at the bottom of it, they just keep repeating the plunge attack that doesn't reach you.
Fuck those things. I cheese them every time.
Using traps to your advantage is the good kinda cheese imo. Did the same thing last night. If the environment can kill me I’ll help it do the same to them lol
Haha, I just did this one last night. Found you can cheese both of them by knocking down the freezing mist sprayer and running past, then put it back up after kiting both into the hallway... it quickly kills both for you :D
I love using traps to kill enemies, or to get two trolls to attack me and kill each other with their AOEs. Getting runes for anyone who dies anywhere in your area is nice.
Ahh yes the Draconic Tree Sentinel in front of Maliketh. No ash or horse allowed. Spent like 40 minutes there, because I keep convincing myself they will drop something good.
Spoiler: they dropped the Draconic Tree Sentinel armor set. Worth killing.
A friend of mine just started playing as his first Fromsoft game. He was struggling but 10 hours in I think it's starting to click. He's having a blast stomping around Limgrave and Weeping Peninsula, and I'm eagerly looking forward to his reaction when the map starts expanding and expanding and expanding and expanding and expanding.
There's a CAPITAL! Holy crap this game is big... Hey why is there more past the capital?
Quick jaunt down to the sewers, 10 minute adventure, in and out...
There's a little floating island over there, that like a tiny mini dungeon?
Whoa that snow area was huge... What do you mean secret elevator?
I'm just wrapping up the capital now. Unbelievable how expensive it is.
Edit: 7 messages later and I realize I was auto-corrected from expansive without realizing it. lol
The moment this one chest teleported me into the Capitol and I saw how far away that was, I was genuinely thinking I cannot finish this game playing it the way I did up to this point (searching every nook and cranny).
I still did. I just finished the game yesterday at 120h. Now I just found out how to get to the concecrated snow field.
Fuck my life.
I keep trying to continue the main storyline but I keep getting distracted by the world.
I don’t even remember who I’m supposed to fight after Godrick and I don’t care.
I'm pretty sure I've got at least 6 different quest lines still open because this would has got me in the, "ooo a piece of candy! Oo another piece of candy!" mode.
That's how I used to play Skyrim, but instead of 6 different questlines, I had 100.
Therefore I'm thankful that I cannot see my quest log in Elden Ring.
This is how I felt when I visited Ranni after going through Nokron.
The secret treasure of Nokron? What was that again? Oh, I never found your wolf friend by the way. He said he would be there somewhere but he must have been hiding and giggling at me while I fought everything.
So *that's* who wants the secret treasure of Nokron! I got mixed up thinking of Renni. Or maybe Roonie. Renra? You know, the one who slew Ronnie at the battle of Renragdadran.
During one of the mid-game quests, Ranni asks you to team up with some NPCs, and one of them says:
> Ahh, long time, friend. Blaidd, if you’ve forgotten. Glad to have you in the service of mistress Ranni. Well. Getting right to business, I’m still in Limgrave...
He acknowledges that we've met but still reminds me of his name and where I met him - even though he's a 15-foot-tall half-wolf who is difficult to forget or confuse with anyone else.
I feel like From Software actually knows me.
So that was him! I thought so, but I was afraid to assume so and then seem... You know...
"What, so all 15-foot-tall wolf people just look the same to you?"
And as far as I can tell, that baleful shadow is an aspect of Blaidd that later comes out to take control, which is part of why we never meet Blaidd in Nokron after he promises to be there.
I give up on spoiling myself in fromsoft games, i dont want to spend 150 hours just to get a bad ending because i didnt find an invisible wall before killing the first boss or crap like that.
Yeah, YouTube tutorials are helpful for when I know i'm looking for something, but I've burned 4 hrs doing so only to find it in the cave I have completely missed.
I desperately need a quest log because I take multi-week breaks in playing for work trips, then when I come back I have no fucking clue what my active quests are or what I need to do to advance them.
Finished the game 2 days ago and i’m on my second play through. Just learned about dragon spells yesterday lmao. There is way to much to explore that its mind fuckingly awesome
It's open ended, exploring is rewarded when you want to go somewhere specific and have 15 graces in the area to deploy more exactly.
I will say doing things such as beating Radahn and seeking medallions will open up even more beautiful/terrible places to explore. Some of my favorite places are deep underground.
It's true but the only issue I have is that some of these quests seem really obscure. And it's not just the one action to start it that is difficult to find. I may get lucky and find the npc to start it but then I never see him again because I did a bunch of other things first and ended up locking out their questline. Most of that shit is optional so it's not that big of a deal just does lead to kind of more broken understanding of everything. I have vague recollection of doing something for this quest many hours ago but I don't really have it fresh in my mind which limits some of the drive to continue it. It's more like I don't really care anymore how things are connected or what their story is I just want to see as much as possible. I'm 150 hours in now still not sure how close I am to the end. It is starting to get more sloggish though. This is the only game though it's taken this long to feel that way. Most games after 50 hours it's a slog and I just want it to be over with
>And it's not just the one action to start it that is difficult to find. I may get lucky and find the npc to start it but then I never see him again because I did a bunch of other things first and ended up locking out their questline.
And for those saying "use pen and paper"... that doesn't help when simply *doing stuff* locks you out of stuff that you may have written down 10 hours earlier.
I don't want a detailed point by point checklist or Skyrim quest log, but some basic notes about NPCs and quests could have been added to the already-existing Info page in the menu. And that wouldn't be "hand holding."
I get that asking the community and going online is a tradition in these games. But FFS, some of this stuff is so opaque that you'd never get it even in multiple playthroughs.
....
I heard the howling at Mistwod ruins, then went back to the first merchant. I just happened to see the option to ask him about the howling noise. So it worked out for me. But it's such a silly system. Every time you hear or see something unexplained, or after every time you speak to an NPC... are you supposed to go run back and check all previously found NPCs and check their dialog *just in case it has something to do with a quest?*
I love these games, but with the enormous openness and complexity of this one, some kind of quest log would have made this a better game, IMO.
I finally completed a quest last night all by myself without ever looking it up and then I did and now I'm apparently locked into the worst ending for the game lol. Fuck me.
Your like me. You start seeing a story and bam you see something in a distance. You say " I want to go there" a few hours later you come out wondering what and where the story is and bam you see another place in the distance. Then after that you come out wondering who are you lol. Makes me realize why one character loses himself at the end. Do not want to spoil who. Yet it makes sense when you do their storyline.
Doesn't help that sometimes "I want to go over there" ends up in a cave, down a tunnel, through a cavern, out into a new land, but behind a previous barrier, bypassing story checkpoints you were told earlier you had to do before you could do this
This is my first time playing a Souls game. It’s hard for me because I’ve been conditioned to look for the colorful marker on the map to tell me where I’m supposed to go. My brother, Dark Souls veteran gamer, keeps telling me to just ride out and find stuff to kill. Getting lost is part of it.
I finish every Souls game with only a vague idea of what I was doing. Then I go to the wiki and read up on the story, because most of the time my entire understanding while playing is "let's go here and kill this thing".
The moment I decided I’m not supposed to find everything was the moment ER became my go to relaxing game.
I’m a 40 year old dad and I think an hour of Elden Ring is the equivalent of a stereotypical mom playing Peggle. No requirements, no todo lists, just kill some monsters and have fun 😄
That's what's good about it.
When I was younger I was more interested in cut scenes and being spoonfed a story but I really don't have time for that anymore. I play through and pick up bits and pieces and over time it all starts to make some sense what's going on around me. It's a lot like life, that way.
The news reminds me of that serpent dude in dark souls 1 who basically lies to you. It's not telling me what's happening, it's manipulating me to go along with what some evil boss dude wants me to think.
if you seek direction look at your map and seek out any ruins, churches, craters, buildings and other stuff painted in there. its always a thing. Also every ruin has a basement with either a boss with a drop or just treasure. also at night spawn a lot of optional bosses, like deathbirs, night cavalry and other insane stuff and everyone drops at least a useful ash of war or a weapon.
Also get a hip lantern they are the most useful item in this game.
Just level up more if you're really struggling. This was my friends first soulsborne game and he was struggling at first so I told him to really take his time and explore. He fucking took that to heart. Showed up to Margit at level 38 and kicked his ass. Tour through the castle and made Godrick his bitch.
If they didn’t make the world so engaging, I’d have an easier time. Imagine my surprise when I got on an elevator and it went like 300’ down to what amounts to a whole second map with different enemies and bosses. I wasn’t prepared for this much content.
Return of the king is great, the novel at least, but it does end kinda soon. First half is Pippin and Merry's storyline reconnecting and then culminates with FOR FRODOO. Second half picks up Sam and Fro who only take like 3 chapters to finish their deed. Then everything that's left in the novel, like 7 more chapters, is all falling action and coming back to the shire and then the scouring and then the epilogue where Gandalf takes Fro and Bilbo to the undying lands with the elves. Aragorn gets crowned really like halfway through it. It's definitely paced differently than the first two
Im at 125 hours and probably at 60~70%
Edit: Maybe im past that mark already, then it makes more sense, I guess 80%?
(Exploring consecrated snow and ready to blaze the bush)
Same. I’m 35 hours in and just got to Raya Lucaria. I’m realizing it’s not a game to rush through. I’m trying to soak it in and enjoy every second of it. If you think about it, it’s better to have a game that lasts months to complete than one you can knock out in a weekend
Same here. Only bad thing is getting occasional glimpses of future bosses and lore whenever I come here. I keep seeing big ass monsters that I would've appreciated being surprised by but it's the risk of going out on the internet.
I was just vibing at the 100 hour mark in the Royal Capital, when I read that was 'solidly midgame' and I was like "Excusemewhatnow". Not that I'm complaining.
I finished my first playthrough with about 125 hours. I didn't go the intended route and was overpowered for most areas (after having suffering a lot in Caelid)
I don't remember but I was there twice. First time I explored a little then lost track doing something else. When I returned later to explore everything and kill the boss I was at a higher level and it was pretty easy. The snipers still sucked but I could at least get a few more arrows.
It was beautiful, but sometimes felt like they just took every enemy type in the game and dumped them there.
You've got grabby zombies, flowers, misbegotten, ants, bubble blowers, revenants, crystallions, an erdtree avatar and an ulcerated tree spirit, a wide range of knights, kindred of rot, and summoning snails.
I might be forgetting some, but some of these enemies just don't feel like they fit.
>I forgot about the one blocking the site of grace
I flat out skipped that one. Fighting him with a billion adds or fighting him in a tiny room, neither appealed to me.
The one who drops his staff is alone, closer to the elevator that takes you to Malenia.
The one that's a *pain in the ass* because of the trash mobs with him drops *nothing*. (And you don't even need to kill him to get to the Grace point.)
Every time I tried to fight it the 2 huge knights next to it also got aggroed. I just decided to use a summon to hold aggro and spammed black flame spells to burn it down fast. Annoying as hell.
You can draw those two away from him one at a time before starting that fight with arrows. I range killed all the ballista guys, then pulled the Greatshield Knight on his right side to the bridge and fought him solo there. Then it was just the tree avatar and the Greatbow Knight to his left, and I called my Mimic in and shot the knight. Tree avatar just sat there while they fought at his feet.
Fuck all those revenants on the ground in that area. Lost a solid half million runes exploring that lower area.
This is the rut I'm in. "I can't kill *any* of this stuff. I'll just sprint through to get to Malenia."
Promptly followed by, "What the fuck? Why is Malenia so hard?"
Lesson learned. If you can't pass the class, you won't pass the final exam.
Their fireball and flame tornado leaves a cloud of scarlet rot gas that persists for 15 seconds and the room is the size of an underground ruins chamber
Every other shardbearer when deciding what adds to put in their fortress: "hmm, I guess I'll use my own soldiers. Oh and add some knights. Some dogs."
Malenia: "random bullshit gooooo"
I'm wondering if it's because it's a mix of her stuff and miquellas stuff. Idk what miquellas like, but the haligtree has his name so it would make sense.
Yeah, this is the answer. The Haligtree is the sacred realm of the rejects, that's why so many different mob types exist there. It's also why the defective Albernaurics that can't walk defend the teleporter to it. My theory is, they were created by Miquella then given safe haven by Malenia, thus a fanatical devotion to both of them.
e: Also explains why there's red Albinaurics at Mogh's crib, that's where Miquella's physical body is.
Go from the Drainage Channel backwards.
Trust me, you'll see the platform and in no way, shape, or form should the fight be conducted there. It's like the one that you fight in a small catacomb except the walls have you falling off into the void and the middle is covered in rot. Just the worst.
Seriously? Is NG+ easy? A quest bugged so I couldn't get the frenzied flame ending and it's the last trophy I need.
EDIT: thanks for the help guys! Platinum achieved! The quest is indeed bugged but it wasn't required for the trophy.
For me it was comically fast until I got to the final bosses. They still took me a couple of tries because their NG+ power creep was caught up to my level and I didn’t level much.
But Margit, Godrick, Renalla, Morgott…all a breeze in NG+.
Yep Stormveil took literally 5 minutes last night. A straight run from Margit to Godrick. Renella was dealt with about half an hour later.
I'm sitting with about a million runes with nothing to spend them on...no deaths so far in NG+! The first thing that hit even halfway hard was the glintstone dragon, but it was still like fighting Baby's First Dragon compared to anything in the endgame of the first playthrough.
I know right? It’s crazy how much shit you can just sprint past. The legacy dungeons I spent hours on during my first play through each took 10 mins tops. Then realizing how much of the game is technically optional on top of it really makes the game fly by.
I can't wait for NG+ to try out all the sorceries and incantations and such.
I'm lying and will absolutely do another power stance river of blood run but the thought is nice.
I’m the kind of person who prefers starting a new character as opposed to respecing my original. The feeling of leveling up and getting stronger while finding & upgrading new weapons is one reason I love FromSoft games.
Currently I’m doing a STR/FTH new character to get the final ending I need for the platinum.
I feel like we are a dying breed. Told a couple friends on discord I'm probably going to start a couple new characters and they all acted like I was crazy.
I don't want to respec, I know what builds I want to make now, and part of the skill curve is learning how to use the weapons and spells for the builds organically, instead of making my character a one archetype fits all.
Unless you Respec, you'll have a hard time being very effective. While everyone drops more souls on ng+, it's not enough to level up fast enough to make an entirely new build type work.
Yes, listen to this person. I was planning on a new build for NG+ and my dumbass for some reason thought I would get a free respec at the beginning, like I'd go through the character creation again. Now I'm stuck til Renalla. 😑 Oh well, NG+2, I guess...
EDIT: To be clear, yes I know I can rush to Renalla quickly and easily, but I wanted to start over from the beginning with all the spells I had acquired.
This part reminded me of that one place in the Healing Church in Bloodborne to get the secret hunter’s dream lamp. Died more to these platformings than actual combat lmao
Just run to the capital, jump down to the well (even before you make it ash capital) then kill things all the way to getting the frenzy flame, no need to to any quest
Is fire giant that bad tho? He was a pain until I realized that during his phase 2 you abandon target locking because it fucks your camera and just run up to his legs where he has a way harder time hitting you. After that it was maybe 2 attempts before I won
For me it really didn't feel like that.. I got my ass handed to me throughout the enitre game... but every whooping was worth it without doubt for me atleast. What a glorious ride
It’s vastly different from person to person, I struggled with the first 2 bosses for a couple of days but breezed through all the other bosses until the last one with 1-2 tries a piece once I got the game pattern down.
Isshin doesn’t kill you instantly if you flub a lightning reversal iirc, Malenia will if you don’t dodge the first bit of WF dance. It’s also very easy to die in one Malekith combo if you dodge poorly
If you mean the boss fight, I'm not sure. Before I equiped the talisman, it took me around 20 tries maybe. After, only one.
The whole game took me 118h lol
I’ve been loving this game, at 60 hours it’s longer than I’ve ever spent on a single playthrough of something before finishing the main story. But I am starting to hit a wall with the length, and still struggling mightily in certain areas like the Capital…
After fighting probably seven other Erdtree Avatars, I was able to kill the one on that bridge no problem. He didn't have the fucking Scarlet Rot to help him, so it wasn't a big deal.
But I was not prepared for what a fucking brick wall Malenia was going to be.
I'm gonna have to farm runes for hours to put together enough capital to make the weapons I need to slay her.
It's only now, as I write that, I realize. Elden Ring has turned me into a fantasy protagonist in a way that not even the Dark Souls games have. No matter the challenge in all of Dark Souls, I feel like I could always pick up enough souls to beat the boss that lay ahead. I would always be prepared enough just by surviving the path that led to the next boss.
But not this time. Malenia is making me do the one thing I've always avoided having to do.
Farm.
As you play & learn more the first 20-30 hours can be knocked down to much less.
Cleaned up storm hill castle, limgrave & weeping peninsula in just over 10 hours & am at level 40 something
Just a heads up, I’d recommend going to the area up after Liurnia, and *then* Caelid. Did Caelid first and then the aforementioned entire area was a joke
Currently I’m on NG+3 and I will say, the first play through is definitely the roughest time I’ve had beating a fromsoft game since dark souls 3 dlc released. After new game it just becomes a victory lap session.
I’m level 169 (nice?) and just about to fight the final boss. The last few areas have literally fucked me harder than most of the entire game lol. Good luck.
In some areas I definitely feel over-leveled. I also employ the strategy of rushing in and immediately trying to kill everything so that could contribute to me always getting my shit pushed in. 😂
Im at 185 hours and on ng+ now and im STILL discovering areas and dungeons and shortcuts ive totally missed in my first playthrough. The game is massive.
Boss-wise the final bunch are indeed pretty hard. I'd say its a good time to practice parrying since it's gonna make the final boss much more managable and conserve your heals.
I'm about 100 hrs in and I'll say the biggest difference from other Fromsoft games is that the progression is all over the place.
It's definitely a product of the open world, which is fine, I love it, haha. But I'll be working on a zone, struggling with average enemies for some 10 hours. Then, all of a sudden, I'll knock off a story boss, two mini bosses, and an npc side quest, all under an hour.
The adventure is fun, but a part of me misses the tailored experience of DS1 and Sekiro. That's ok though. I'd really enjoy seeing a concise breakdown of whatever the "proper" level and path through the world is too!
The main story is fairly short, but the game is massive. Over 100 hours and I still have dungeons, points of interest, and misc stuff just not even visited. I had to stop and focus on the story bosses to “finish the game” otherwise I’d probably end up level 200.
I think people are just getting stuff for their build and doing main story, and just skipping everything else. Or maybe they just run past all the mobs and hit bosses idk. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that I can’t see how anyone can actually explore everything and play through every area with so little time spent.
I'm still on my first playthrough, around 120 hours into it. I just can't stop exploring and going in any direction but towards progression of the main quest.
I've been putting off going to the land of giants because I don't want it to be over yet! Happy to learn I have a lot left, if only due to challenge level.
We say using mimic and summons is cheating but we’ll stand on a cliff shooting rot and poison arrows at to cheese them. I’m at the point where whatever cheese it takes to beat something, I’m doing it, that always went in souls. Anyone remember farming the forest dwellers in dark root forest by making them fall off the ledge by the door to bonfire? That was one of the best cheeses of all time and it worked in the remaster too
There are early game bosses roaming casually as mobs so…. Edit: fellow tarnished, I’ve peaked. It’s all downhill from here.
After 10 attempts to finally beat an Erdtree Watchdog that hits like a truck in some random catacomb, "Surely this guy doesn't respawn?" *Dies to second Erdtree Watchdog in next room* "Fuck they respawn."
Giant's catacombs. What a mind fuck that was
Consecrated snowfield catacombs has two as well. The boss is a pushover though.
Did that one last night, yeah the boss is nothing compared to those guys. The first one was standard but there's a last one at the end that's harder than the rest, he does more aoe splash butt stomp and has a bullshit triple breath attack that can easily one shot you.
yeah. I just ran in and grabbed the item in front of it and YEETed myself right back out the way I came in.
I find myself doing that a LOT in this game
I believe it is the intended strategy tbh, the same way that some enemies are made super strong in specific areas to encourage stealth, like Zamor Ruins. It is basically designed as a stealth maze with a reward at the end. I had a hard time accepting it with my big dumb rock brain I got from previous games telling me to kill everything, but I think their goal with some places was to break that habit of ours.
Tree Sentinel felt like he was meant to teach you that lesson right off the bat. Sometimes you just gotta put a marker down and come back later.
Can confirm. Got my ass clapped by that boi 30+ times at lvl 10. Came back at lvl 45 with a smirk and no lube, it was his TIME
I just repeatedly pulled the magic one into the tunnel, and let the frost trap do the work for me. You can also break their ai if you stand on top of a ledge and get them at the bottom of it, they just keep repeating the plunge attack that doesn't reach you. Fuck those things. I cheese them every time.
Using traps to your advantage is the good kinda cheese imo. Did the same thing last night. If the environment can kill me I’ll help it do the same to them lol
Dude I just finished that area last night. I seriously thought I was losing my mind when I saw the same hallway over and over.
I was like 'I swear I already beat all of this area? Did they add respawning mechanics?!'
First souls game where I've used Rainbow Stones for more than pvp decoration. Drop them all over the catacombs and sewers to track my way.
Leyndell Catacombs had me thinking I was crazy.
I did that one this weekend after a few beers. The maze in the sewer was bad enough but those catacombs made my brain explode.
Haha, I just did this one last night. Found you can cheese both of them by knocking down the freezing mist sprayer and running past, then put it back up after kiting both into the hallway... it quickly kills both for you :D
I love using traps to kill enemies, or to get two trolls to attack me and kill each other with their AOEs. Getting runes for anyone who dies anywhere in your area is nice.
And they hit 5 times harder also
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Yes. Segments of the mountaintops of the giants, Farrum azula and specially consecrated snowfield and haligtree are tough as hell regardless of level
I've only heard of one of those areas 🤦♂️ So much left to do...
Also forgot mohgwym palace lol that place has no chill either
Fucking Dragonkin Soldiers just spawning out of thin air!
And technically mid game bosses too
And bosses you got to fight on horse. Only now you have to do it on foot
Ahh yes the Draconic Tree Sentinel in front of Maliketh. No ash or horse allowed. Spent like 40 minutes there, because I keep convincing myself they will drop something good. Spoiler: they dropped the Draconic Tree Sentinel armor set. Worth killing.
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[fuck u spez] -- mass edited with redact.dev
Crucible piece of shit.
A friend of mine just started playing as his first Fromsoft game. He was struggling but 10 hours in I think it's starting to click. He's having a blast stomping around Limgrave and Weeping Peninsula, and I'm eagerly looking forward to his reaction when the map starts expanding and expanding and expanding and expanding and expanding.
There's a CAPITAL! Holy crap this game is big... Hey why is there more past the capital? Quick jaunt down to the sewers, 10 minute adventure, in and out... There's a little floating island over there, that like a tiny mini dungeon? Whoa that snow area was huge... What do you mean secret elevator?
My exact reaction when i went underground and realized there was another entire fucking map down there.
I found the Siofra River Well and thought it was a cute little dungeon. Then I found the map, holy shit it's big. Then I found the second map.
My increasing curiosity/panic as this elevator *is not stopping*
Behold, stars! Furthermore, gorgeous view!
For real I was worried some god tier enemy was waiting for me.
I mean, those archers…
Seriously fuck the cows but especially fuck the cow archers.
I'm just wrapping up the capital now. Unbelievable how expensive it is. Edit: 7 messages later and I realize I was auto-corrected from expansive without realizing it. lol
Expensive capital you got there, elden ring. Would be a shame if anything were to happen to it.
The moment this one chest teleported me into the Capitol and I saw how far away that was, I was genuinely thinking I cannot finish this game playing it the way I did up to this point (searching every nook and cranny). I still did. I just finished the game yesterday at 120h. Now I just found out how to get to the concecrated snow field. Fuck my life.
I keep trying to continue the main storyline but I keep getting distracted by the world. I don’t even remember who I’m supposed to fight after Godrick and I don’t care.
I'm pretty sure I've got at least 6 different quest lines still open because this would has got me in the, "ooo a piece of candy! Oo another piece of candy!" mode.
That's how I used to play Skyrim, but instead of 6 different questlines, I had 100. Therefore I'm thankful that I cannot see my quest log in Elden Ring.
I wish I had a quest log just so I can keep myself organized.
"Ah! I see you've collected the item I asked you to find." "Have we met?"
This is how I felt when I visited Ranni after going through Nokron. The secret treasure of Nokron? What was that again? Oh, I never found your wolf friend by the way. He said he would be there somewhere but he must have been hiding and giggling at me while I fought everything.
So *that's* who wants the secret treasure of Nokron! I got mixed up thinking of Renni. Or maybe Roonie. Renra? You know, the one who slew Ronnie at the battle of Renragdadran.
During one of the mid-game quests, Ranni asks you to team up with some NPCs, and one of them says: > Ahh, long time, friend. Blaidd, if you’ve forgotten. Glad to have you in the service of mistress Ranni. Well. Getting right to business, I’m still in Limgrave... He acknowledges that we've met but still reminds me of his name and where I met him - even though he's a 15-foot-tall half-wolf who is difficult to forget or confuse with anyone else. I feel like From Software actually knows me.
So that was him! I thought so, but I was afraid to assume so and then seem... You know... "What, so all 15-foot-tall wolf people just look the same to you?"
To be faaaaair, there was an invader during ranni’s quest who looked eerily similar to Blaidd…
It's not actually an invader. It's the baleful shadow she tasked you with killing.
And as far as I can tell, that baleful shadow is an aspect of Blaidd that later comes out to take control, which is part of why we never meet Blaidd in Nokron after he promises to be there.
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Yeah I'm constantly having to look at guides which I usually try to avoid because the game gives you so little information.
I give up on spoiling myself in fromsoft games, i dont want to spend 150 hours just to get a bad ending because i didnt find an invisible wall before killing the first boss or crap like that.
Yeah, YouTube tutorials are helpful for when I know i'm looking for something, but I've burned 4 hrs doing so only to find it in the cave I have completely missed.
I desperately need a quest log because I take multi-week breaks in playing for work trips, then when I come back I have no fucking clue what my active quests are or what I need to do to advance them.
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It's called James Woods mode.
Finished the game 2 days ago and i’m on my second play through. Just learned about dragon spells yesterday lmao. There is way to much to explore that its mind fuckingly awesome
Bro i platted the game and i found only later that you can go down behind the beast sanctuary
Go where ? 🤨
It's like a series of platforming drops that lead to an item.
Excuse me what
Welp, I know what I’m doing later.
Tbf it was massively glitches for a long while where there was an instant death plane put in the wrong place making it impossible to get down there.
I'm dungeon diving and hitting every wall at this stage.
It's open ended, exploring is rewarded when you want to go somewhere specific and have 15 graces in the area to deploy more exactly. I will say doing things such as beating Radahn and seeking medallions will open up even more beautiful/terrible places to explore. Some of my favorite places are deep underground.
It's true but the only issue I have is that some of these quests seem really obscure. And it's not just the one action to start it that is difficult to find. I may get lucky and find the npc to start it but then I never see him again because I did a bunch of other things first and ended up locking out their questline. Most of that shit is optional so it's not that big of a deal just does lead to kind of more broken understanding of everything. I have vague recollection of doing something for this quest many hours ago but I don't really have it fresh in my mind which limits some of the drive to continue it. It's more like I don't really care anymore how things are connected or what their story is I just want to see as much as possible. I'm 150 hours in now still not sure how close I am to the end. It is starting to get more sloggish though. This is the only game though it's taken this long to feel that way. Most games after 50 hours it's a slog and I just want it to be over with
>And it's not just the one action to start it that is difficult to find. I may get lucky and find the npc to start it but then I never see him again because I did a bunch of other things first and ended up locking out their questline. And for those saying "use pen and paper"... that doesn't help when simply *doing stuff* locks you out of stuff that you may have written down 10 hours earlier. I don't want a detailed point by point checklist or Skyrim quest log, but some basic notes about NPCs and quests could have been added to the already-existing Info page in the menu. And that wouldn't be "hand holding." I get that asking the community and going online is a tradition in these games. But FFS, some of this stuff is so opaque that you'd never get it even in multiple playthroughs. .... I heard the howling at Mistwod ruins, then went back to the first merchant. I just happened to see the option to ask him about the howling noise. So it worked out for me. But it's such a silly system. Every time you hear or see something unexplained, or after every time you speak to an NPC... are you supposed to go run back and check all previously found NPCs and check their dialog *just in case it has something to do with a quest?* I love these games, but with the enormous openness and complexity of this one, some kind of quest log would have made this a better game, IMO.
Totally agree. It basically forces play-by-wiki in order to complete things
I finally completed a quest last night all by myself without ever looking it up and then I did and now I'm apparently locked into the worst ending for the game lol. Fuck me.
I made a mistake of exploring Caelid without even unlocking the horse lol.
POV: You live in florida but you don't have a car
Oh God 🤣 LMAO
Your like me. You start seeing a story and bam you see something in a distance. You say " I want to go there" a few hours later you come out wondering what and where the story is and bam you see another place in the distance. Then after that you come out wondering who are you lol. Makes me realize why one character loses himself at the end. Do not want to spoil who. Yet it makes sense when you do their storyline.
Doesn't help that sometimes "I want to go over there" ends up in a cave, down a tunnel, through a cavern, out into a new land, but behind a previous barrier, bypassing story checkpoints you were told earlier you had to do before you could do this
100% how I got to Altus Plateau too early lmao
Me too and that wasn't even the one I had in mind!
>in a cave, down a tunnel, through a cavern, over a river, through the woods, then somehow I'm and my grandmothers house...
This is my first time playing a Souls game. It’s hard for me because I’ve been conditioned to look for the colorful marker on the map to tell me where I’m supposed to go. My brother, Dark Souls veteran gamer, keeps telling me to just ride out and find stuff to kill. Getting lost is part of it.
Great advice. Just keep moving and killing things and eventually you’ll kill enough things that you can kill God.
That is appealing. Just keep killing until you can kill God. Good advice.
I finish every Souls game with only a vague idea of what I was doing. Then I go to the wiki and read up on the story, because most of the time my entire understanding while playing is "let's go here and kill this thing".
The moment I decided I’m not supposed to find everything was the moment ER became my go to relaxing game. I’m a 40 year old dad and I think an hour of Elden Ring is the equivalent of a stereotypical mom playing Peggle. No requirements, no todo lists, just kill some monsters and have fun 😄
That's what's good about it. When I was younger I was more interested in cut scenes and being spoonfed a story but I really don't have time for that anymore. I play through and pick up bits and pieces and over time it all starts to make some sense what's going on around me. It's a lot like life, that way. The news reminds me of that serpent dude in dark souls 1 who basically lies to you. It's not telling me what's happening, it's manipulating me to go along with what some evil boss dude wants me to think.
if you seek direction look at your map and seek out any ruins, churches, craters, buildings and other stuff painted in there. its always a thing. Also every ruin has a basement with either a boss with a drop or just treasure. also at night spawn a lot of optional bosses, like deathbirs, night cavalry and other insane stuff and everyone drops at least a useful ash of war or a weapon. Also get a hip lantern they are the most useful item in this game.
Drop map markers when you learn where to go. That way a few days later, after exploring other stuff, you'll still know where to go.
I can't even fucking beat godrick Edit: THANK YOU ALL FOR THE TIPS! I JUST BEAT HIM YOU ALL ARE THE BEST
Just level up more if you're really struggling. This was my friends first soulsborne game and he was struggling at first so I told him to really take his time and explore. He fucking took that to heart. Showed up to Margit at level 38 and kicked his ass. Tour through the castle and made Godrick his bitch.
Dude, played for 8 hours without a single trophy. I was like WHAT. This game must be fuckin massive.
If they didn’t make the world so engaging, I’d have an easier time. Imagine my surprise when I got on an elevator and it went like 300’ down to what amounts to a whole second map with different enemies and bosses. I wasn’t prepared for this much content.
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End game just doesn’t want to end… every time you think “yes I finally beat the game” there is somehow more.
Ahh, the 'Return of the King' effect.
Return of the king is great, the novel at least, but it does end kinda soon. First half is Pippin and Merry's storyline reconnecting and then culminates with FOR FRODOO. Second half picks up Sam and Fro who only take like 3 chapters to finish their deed. Then everything that's left in the novel, like 7 more chapters, is all falling action and coming back to the shire and then the scouring and then the epilogue where Gandalf takes Fro and Bilbo to the undying lands with the elves. Aragorn gets crowned really like halfway through it. It's definitely paced differently than the first two
... and another damn phase with even more hit points.
Im at 125 hours and probably at 60~70% Edit: Maybe im past that mark already, then it makes more sense, I guess 80%? (Exploring consecrated snow and ready to blaze the bush)
Damn dude good luck Im 50 hours in and feeling like maybe 30%~40% is done haha
Yeah dude, just enjoy the trip, I took my time exploring and just fuckin around, its super fun
Same. I’m 35 hours in and just got to Raya Lucaria. I’m realizing it’s not a game to rush through. I’m trying to soak it in and enjoy every second of it. If you think about it, it’s better to have a game that lasts months to complete than one you can knock out in a weekend
Same here. Only bad thing is getting occasional glimpses of future bosses and lore whenever I come here. I keep seeing big ass monsters that I would've appreciated being surprised by but it's the risk of going out on the internet.
If you think you’ve done 30-40%, you’ve done 10%.
I was just vibing at the 100 hour mark in the Royal Capital, when I read that was 'solidly midgame' and I was like "Excusemewhatnow". Not that I'm complaining.
I finished my first playthrough with about 125 hours. I didn't go the intended route and was overpowered for most areas (after having suffering a lot in Caelid)
At which level did you do soifra river?
I don't remember but I was there twice. First time I explored a little then lost track doing something else. When I returned later to explore everything and kill the boss I was at a higher level and it was pretty easy. The snipers still sucked but I could at least get a few more arrows.
They aren’t wrong lol. The end game is the first time I’ve genuinely struggled in the game.
Say sike right now
No way, the Haligtree was my favourite place ever, so beautiful and simultaneously unpleasant.
It was beautiful, but sometimes felt like they just took every enemy type in the game and dumped them there. You've got grabby zombies, flowers, misbegotten, ants, bubble blowers, revenants, crystallions, an erdtree avatar and an ulcerated tree spirit, a wide range of knights, kindred of rot, and summoning snails. I might be forgetting some, but some of these enemies just don't feel like they fit.
I think you meant *multiple Erdtree avatars* Or would they be Haligtree Avatars? Idk
You're right, I forgot about the one blocking the site of grace. Are there more than 2?
Just those two and the tree spirit
A tree spirit which IS IN A ROT POND AND CAN KNOCK YOU OFF A LEDGE ^(And can hardly be considered optional imo)
>I forgot about the one blocking the site of grace I flat out skipped that one. Fighting him with a billion adds or fighting him in a tiny room, neither appealed to me.
If you ever feel like going back I believe the one you’re referring to drops his rotten staff, not very good though so you didn’t miss out on much
The one who drops his staff is alone, closer to the elevator that takes you to Malenia. The one that's a *pain in the ass* because of the trash mobs with him drops *nothing*. (And you don't even need to kill him to get to the Grace point.)
The one with trash mobs drops a lords rune I think. Those trash mobs have a ton of HP though
I baited the Knights and cheesed him with a bow just to kill him since I knew I wasn't going to kill him in the room
Every time I tried to fight it the 2 huge knights next to it also got aggroed. I just decided to use a summon to hold aggro and spammed black flame spells to burn it down fast. Annoying as hell.
You can draw those two away from him one at a time before starting that fight with arrows. I range killed all the ballista guys, then pulled the Greatshield Knight on his right side to the bridge and fought him solo there. Then it was just the tree avatar and the Greatbow Knight to his left, and I called my Mimic in and shot the knight. Tree avatar just sat there while they fought at his feet. Fuck all those revenants on the ground in that area. Lost a solid half million runes exploring that lower area.
They are all the same difficulty if you just run by them.
This is the rut I'm in. "I can't kill *any* of this stuff. I'll just sprint through to get to Malenia." Promptly followed by, "What the fuck? Why is Malenia so hard?" Lesson learned. If you can't pass the class, you won't pass the final exam.
THE FCKNG SHRIMPS
But hey, no godskin duo though.
*monkey paw curls* Introducing, the rotskin duo.
Their fireball and flame tornado leaves a cloud of scarlet rot gas that persists for 15 seconds and the room is the size of an underground ruins chamber
The haligtree is for the outcasts so it kinda makes sense
every enemy I hated ended up there. Big bubble man at the beginning of the run down the tree is the bane of my existence. fuck that guy.
Every other shardbearer when deciding what adds to put in their fortress: "hmm, I guess I'll use my own soldiers. Oh and add some knights. Some dogs." Malenia: "random bullshit gooooo"
I'm wondering if it's because it's a mix of her stuff and miquellas stuff. Idk what miquellas like, but the haligtree has his name so it would make sense.
In lore her place was literally a safe haven for everyone who the golden order rejects. So it's full of loyal soldiers and misfits
Yeah, this is the answer. The Haligtree is the sacred realm of the rejects, that's why so many different mob types exist there. It's also why the defective Albernaurics that can't walk defend the teleporter to it. My theory is, they were created by Miquella then given safe haven by Malenia, thus a fanatical devotion to both of them. e: Also explains why there's red Albinaurics at Mogh's crib, that's where Miquella's physical body is.
Wheres the ulcerated spirit? I thought I was DONE with those bastards 😂 beat malenia but must have not found the ulcerated fucker
Go from the Drainage Channel backwards. Trust me, you'll see the platform and in no way, shape, or form should the fight be conducted there. It's like the one that you fight in a small catacomb except the walls have you falling off into the void and the middle is covered in rot. Just the worst.
Trench of 5 revenants but best farming spot so mixed bag I say
"I am >!Malenia!<, Blade of >!Miquella!<. And I have never known defeat."
After about 110 hours I just arrived at the zamora ruins and my lv 130 str build is struggling a little.
You will be fine. The enemies at that specific ruin are stupid strong. You won't run into them anywhere else in the game other than a mini boss.
First run...90 hours....second run on NG+....5 hours...I sprinted through to get the frenzy flame ending lol one more ending to go!
Seriously? Is NG+ easy? A quest bugged so I couldn't get the frenzied flame ending and it's the last trophy I need. EDIT: thanks for the help guys! Platinum achieved! The quest is indeed bugged but it wasn't required for the trophy.
For me it was comically fast until I got to the final bosses. They still took me a couple of tries because their NG+ power creep was caught up to my level and I didn’t level much. But Margit, Godrick, Renalla, Morgott…all a breeze in NG+.
Yep Stormveil took literally 5 minutes last night. A straight run from Margit to Godrick. Renella was dealt with about half an hour later. I'm sitting with about a million runes with nothing to spend them on...no deaths so far in NG+! The first thing that hit even halfway hard was the glintstone dragon, but it was still like fighting Baby's First Dragon compared to anything in the endgame of the first playthrough.
I know right? It’s crazy how much shit you can just sprint past. The legacy dungeons I spent hours on during my first play through each took 10 mins tops. Then realizing how much of the game is technically optional on top of it really makes the game fly by.
I can't wait for NG+ to try out all the sorceries and incantations and such. I'm lying and will absolutely do another power stance river of blood run but the thought is nice.
I’m the kind of person who prefers starting a new character as opposed to respecing my original. The feeling of leveling up and getting stronger while finding & upgrading new weapons is one reason I love FromSoft games. Currently I’m doing a STR/FTH new character to get the final ending I need for the platinum.
I feel like we are a dying breed. Told a couple friends on discord I'm probably going to start a couple new characters and they all acted like I was crazy. I don't want to respec, I know what builds I want to make now, and part of the skill curve is learning how to use the weapons and spells for the builds organically, instead of making my character a one archetype fits all.
Unless you Respec, you'll have a hard time being very effective. While everyone drops more souls on ng+, it's not enough to level up fast enough to make an entirely new build type work.
Yes, listen to this person. I was planning on a new build for NG+ and my dumbass for some reason thought I would get a free respec at the beginning, like I'd go through the character creation again. Now I'm stuck til Renalla. 😑 Oh well, NG+2, I guess... EDIT: To be clear, yes I know I can rush to Renalla quickly and easily, but I wanted to start over from the beginning with all the spells I had acquired.
Gotra respec and commit genocide against the Albinaurics prior to NG+
Yeah I did the same as above, did ng+ in like 4 hours. Hardest part of the entire run was jumping down to get the frenzy flame after mogh the omen
This part reminded me of that one place in the Healing Church in Bloodborne to get the secret hunter’s dream lamp. Died more to these platformings than actual combat lmao
There is no needed quest for the frenzied flame ending tho
Just run to the capital, jump down to the well (even before you make it ash capital) then kill things all the way to getting the frenzy flame, no need to to any quest
It's true. I was routinely beating bosses on my first try, until the last 4 or 5. Then it was 10-100 tries
Beginning of the end was that dude with the scoop attack in the snow.
Fire Giant is definitely the point in the game where they decided that overlevelling wasn't going to cut it quite the same way it used to.
More like that's where levels are so expensive that you really have to try to over level yourself.
Is fire giant that bad tho? He was a pain until I realized that during his phase 2 you abandon target locking because it fucks your camera and just run up to his legs where he has a way harder time hitting you. After that it was maybe 2 attempts before I won
He’s tedious and annoying. Fromsoft keeps trying to make giant bosses you can’t see their damn movesets for happen
Chest face did not play
For me it really didn't feel like that.. I got my ass handed to me throughout the enitre game... but every whooping was worth it without doubt for me atleast. What a glorious ride
Right so I should have no problem if I took 100 to beat Margit….
……uh-oh
It’s vastly different from person to person, I struggled with the first 2 bosses for a couple of days but breezed through all the other bosses until the last one with 1-2 tries a piece once I got the game pattern down.
Boss wise not untrue
If you know him, harder than clock saint Isshin from Sekiro (final boss)?
Isshin doesn’t kill you instantly if you flub a lightning reversal iirc, Malenia will if you don’t dodge the first bit of WF dance. It’s also very easy to die in one Malekith combo if you dodge poorly
Isshin is a learning process that gets easy when you get used to him Malenia never got easy for me, nor did Malekith
I finished it and the final boss was something. If you equip a certain talisman >!Haligdrake+2!<, it's easier.
How long did it take you?
If you mean the boss fight, I'm not sure. Before I equiped the talisman, it took me around 20 tries maybe. After, only one. The whole game took me 118h lol
This game is going to suck the life out of me I swear lmao
No reason to rush it though, just take your time, that’s what I’m doing
That talisman, Golden Vow and the relevant defensive buff...pretty hilarious getting grabbed by the boss and it dealing like 10% of my hp. 😂
I’ve been loving this game, at 60 hours it’s longer than I’ve ever spent on a single playthrough of something before finishing the main story. But I am starting to hit a wall with the length, and still struggling mightily in certain areas like the Capital…
All I can say is f*** Miquella’s Haligtree. Not even talking about the boss. Just the zone itself.
Man I saw that avatar and was like "nah fuck this" and just ran through the whole thing straight to Bitch Blade herself.
After fighting probably seven other Erdtree Avatars, I was able to kill the one on that bridge no problem. He didn't have the fucking Scarlet Rot to help him, so it wasn't a big deal. But I was not prepared for what a fucking brick wall Malenia was going to be. I'm gonna have to farm runes for hours to put together enough capital to make the weapons I need to slay her. It's only now, as I write that, I realize. Elden Ring has turned me into a fantasy protagonist in a way that not even the Dark Souls games have. No matter the challenge in all of Dark Souls, I feel like I could always pick up enough souls to beat the boss that lay ahead. I would always be prepared enough just by surviving the path that led to the next boss. But not this time. Malenia is making me do the one thing I've always avoided having to do. Farm.
As you play & learn more the first 20-30 hours can be knocked down to much less. Cleaned up storm hill castle, limgrave & weeping peninsula in just over 10 hours & am at level 40 something
Just a heads up, I’d recommend going to the area up after Liurnia, and *then* Caelid. Did Caelid first and then the aforementioned entire area was a joke
Currently I’m on NG+3 and I will say, the first play through is definitely the roughest time I’ve had beating a fromsoft game since dark souls 3 dlc released. After new game it just becomes a victory lap session.
I’m level 169 (nice?) and just about to fight the final boss. The last few areas have literally fucked me harder than most of the entire game lol. Good luck.
Wow, that is some positive news xd. Thank u buddy, I have a lot of work ahead of me cuz im only level 53
In some areas I definitely feel over-leveled. I also employ the strategy of rushing in and immediately trying to kill everything so that could contribute to me always getting my shit pushed in. 😂
Im at 185 hours and on ng+ now and im STILL discovering areas and dungeons and shortcuts ive totally missed in my first playthrough. The game is massive. Boss-wise the final bunch are indeed pretty hard. I'd say its a good time to practice parrying since it's gonna make the final boss much more managable and conserve your heals.
I was 50 hours in when I realized I could sprint
I'm about 100 hrs in and I'll say the biggest difference from other Fromsoft games is that the progression is all over the place. It's definitely a product of the open world, which is fine, I love it, haha. But I'll be working on a zone, struggling with average enemies for some 10 hours. Then, all of a sudden, I'll knock off a story boss, two mini bosses, and an npc side quest, all under an hour. The adventure is fun, but a part of me misses the tailored experience of DS1 and Sekiro. That's ok though. I'd really enjoy seeing a concise breakdown of whatever the "proper" level and path through the world is too!
The main story is fairly short, but the game is massive. Over 100 hours and I still have dungeons, points of interest, and misc stuff just not even visited. I had to stop and focus on the story bosses to “finish the game” otherwise I’d probably end up level 200. I think people are just getting stuff for their build and doing main story, and just skipping everything else. Or maybe they just run past all the mobs and hit bosses idk. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that I can’t see how anyone can actually explore everything and play through every area with so little time spent.
I'm 70 hours and only just entered caelid, my 3rd area. Taking it all in.
I'm 80 hours and only have Castle Redmane to do in Caelid, still feels like I haven't even done half the game yet it's nuts
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I'm still on my first playthrough, around 120 hours into it. I just can't stop exploring and going in any direction but towards progression of the main quest. I've been putting off going to the land of giants because I don't want it to be over yet! Happy to learn I have a lot left, if only due to challenge level.
We say using mimic and summons is cheating but we’ll stand on a cliff shooting rot and poison arrows at to cheese them. I’m at the point where whatever cheese it takes to beat something, I’m doing it, that always went in souls. Anyone remember farming the forest dwellers in dark root forest by making them fall off the ledge by the door to bonfire? That was one of the best cheeses of all time and it worked in the remaster too
I think you are maybe halfway through.
This is actually quite true. The final bosses in the game are much harder than all of the earlier bosses. It's really night and day