Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion Announced

[Captain Kelsten]

From make a From game, people are shocked it’s a From game. 

[robdood]

1 minute ago, scottcr said:

Ah. Good point. I need to go and do the boss. Noped out last time!

Its easier than it looks!! Especially if you have a STRIKE type weapon.  Bring your favourite summons. 

[robdood]

22 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

I kind of had the opposite response to this - I was trying to embrace the new ideas in the game whilst every From fan was screaming “it’s just Dark Souls 4!  “, even though that’s not the most ringing endorsement for a game trying to carve out its own identity under a new branding. I’ve been enjoying this the most when I find new zones in the open world, when I disappear underground and find a new catacomb, when I can zip around the map without doing tedious runs to grab my runes, when I can run into patrols and get a free heal if I eliminate them all. Who gives a shit about the things lifted from a 2011 game when the new systems are trying to establish a more interesting way of playing?

 

From is clearly capable of ditching the DS baggage to create something as different as Sekiro (or even Bloodborne) but I do feel like some of the ideas don’t fit well in this format. Why have a massive open world where you have more strategic freedom and then fall back on sealed boss rooms?* Why have a crafting system that only serves to make item acquisition more tedious when all of the tools you made got wasted on a failed boss attempt? Why am I going through a catacomb only to find treasure that’s for a different build? The easy mode discussion is one thing, but some gentle tuning for a player’s own needs/playstyle could make this more cohesive.

 

*the roaming bosses are fun though.

 

E: also, some of the fog door runs in the catacombs are shocking. What happened to the awesome shortcut design seen elsewhere? 

This is why I think they should ditch the stats and levelling bit!!! 

 

Let us just change up our style completely at any time just by swapping gear!

[HarryBizzle]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Shark said:

From make a From game, people are shocked it’s a From game. 

Sekiro is very different in terms of gameplay, aesthetic and lore. 
 

Bloodborne is very different in terms of the latter two. 
 

If you called this Dark Souls 4 and called the Shard Bearers “Lords of Cinder” instead, you wouldn’t think twice. 

[robdood]

6 minutes ago, Goemon said:

I always do this.

 

If I find a weapon I’m interested in I’m straight to ‘the lab’ (Church of Elleh) to try it out a the enemies around there. I also boost it with stones I can buy just to make sure.

 

I definitely feel in this game, above the others, that it’s plausible to have multiple weapons depending on what you’re tackling.

I've got 4 main weapons on the go, including my longbow.  5 if you count the shield upgrades.   It's how I always play these games to be fair, mind. 

[Curtis]

1 hour ago, scottcr said:

The rarity of smithing stones [1] is a bit daft imo. I’ve found a weapon I want to upgrade, I’ve got loads of everything other than [1]s.  Yeah, I know there’s a quest I can go on to make them available - but it’s obtuse AF

The vagabond vendors scattered about the open world sell them now. I saw one yesterday if you wanna know where:

Spoiler

the one sat on the approach to Morne Castle definitely has 1's & 2's in stock.

 

[Captain Kelsten]

9 minutes ago, HarryBizzle said:

Sekiro is very different in terms of gameplay, aesthetic and lore. 
 

Bloodborne is very different in terms of the latter two. 

[HarryBizzle]

I think there's a mine early on in Limgrave that's chock full of them.

 

But having them called Smithing Stone [1], [2], etc is stupid and confusing.

[Melon_Bread]

Nerfs are a little over exaggerated, stuck with my Sword of Night and flame mimic build and still managed to destroy most of the stuff in the capital. The quality never seems to dip in this game.

[Alask]

The bloody knights in the capital can do one. Especially the bow wielding fellows, god I hate them. I'd rather face a boss.

 

[Qazimod]

12 minutes ago, Doctor Shark said:

 

Admittedly it's harder to appreciate when you're already a fan of all of the games. I've had mixed success with SoulsBorneKiroRing, but BB is my only Platinum/1000G. (Not "my only one since Demon's was launched" - my only one since achievements and trophies were introduced...)

 

2018:

 

On 12/09/2018 at 14:47, Qazimod said:

Whilst BB shares elements of the Souls games' experience system, multiplayer features, wait-and-bait gameplay, control scheme and environment design, it also has significant changes that could mean the difference between someone bouncing off a FromSoft game (me and DS1) and sticking with it until the platinum (me and BB.) Cosmic horror is cooler than medieval fantasy tropes, you have more control over PvP encounters, the importance of equip load is massively reduced, your movement is fantastic from the outset, I prefer BB's counter animation because the DS parry felt too ambiguous, the streamlined stats result in easier decision making and we should be crediting a director for creating something new, instead of slapping the Souls label on everything he does.

[JPL]

23 minutes ago, robdood said:

I've got 4 main weapons on the go, including my longbow.  5 if you count the shield upgrades.   It's how I always play these games to be fair, mind. 

What’s a good spread of weapons to have then? I’m still using my longsword that I’ve had from the start, but I’m worried about putting smithing stones into anything else at the minute, as they’re so hard to come by. I really need to do that boss you mentioned to Scott. Don’t suppose you can remember the name of the catacombs?

[Melon_Bread]

8 minutes ago, Alask said:

The bloody knights in the capital can do one. Especially the bow wielding fellows, god I hate them. I'd rather face a boss.

 

 

The bow Knights and those guys with the flaming crossbows are the hardest enemies in the game so far.

[Davros sock drawer]

2 hours ago, scottcr said:

The rarity of smithing stones [1] is a bit daft imo. I’ve found a weapon I want to upgrade, I’ve got loads of everything other than [1]s.  Yeah, I know there’s a quest I can go on to make them available - but it’s obtuse AF

 

It was bugging me for a while, but in the end I just kept exploring and the ability to unlock them at a shop wasn't especially obscure or difficult. It's not a quest, you can go there on foot or horseback any time.

 

Spoiler

Defeat the boss of Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel

 

[Captain Kelsten]

I hadn’t appreciated this at the time, but this merchant isn’t just playing a melancholy tune…he’s playing Gehrman’s theme…

 

https://www.xbox.com/play/media/GWKMJN98

 

 

[Ste Pickford]

33 minutes ago, robdood said:

I've got 4 main weapons on the go, including my longbow.  5 if you count the shield upgrades.   It's how I always play these games to be fair, mind. 

 

On the subject of holding off upgrades because of stones rarity...  I use my longbow a hell of a lot, but I've held off upgrading it as I keep expecting to find a better 'special' bow at some point.  I'm mid-30s level, just entering the Academy.  Should I stick with the longbow and pump some upgrades into it?

[Davros sock drawer]

1 hour ago, HarryBizzle said:

it is definitely just DS4

 

"Just" DS4. Fucking hell!

 

Gamers are so entitled. But let's say you're right. If they had just released this as Dark Souls 4 IT WOULD STILL BE THE BEST GAME EVER!

 

#obnoxiousfromfan

[Davros sock drawer]

4 minutes ago, Ste Pickford said:

 

On the subject of holding off upgrades because of stones rarity...  I use my longbow a hell of a lot, but I've held off upgrading it as I keep expecting to find a better 'special' bow at some point.  I'm mid-30s level, just entering the Academy.  Should I stick with the longbow and pump some upgrades into it?

 

Mine is at +7 and it is a boss slayer (indeed it's how I killed the mid point Academy Boss). Bog standard Longbow. Add on the talisman and it's even more powerful.

 

I have just found what looks like a better bow though, so I'll see how much I can upgrade it tonight. But yeah, I don't regret upgrading the Longbow at all.

[jonamok]

Good run last night, dropped Golden Godders with the un-nerfed bloody slash, used it again to end Morgott, and switched to un-nerfed Hoarfrost Stomp to destroy the Fell twins. All felt great, and well earned, and rather saucily illicit. Screw you Michael Zaki.

 

Up in the Mountains now, what a stunning place this is, especially that epic stone causeway. Game of forever continues to blow my tiny mortal mind.

[Ste Pickford]

Longbow upgrades ahoy then!

I think I'm remembering DS where you find the much superior combine bow or composite bow (if I'm remembering correctly) quite early on, and that was a much better choice to upgrade.

 

Anyway, another couple of pages in my journal done.  Getting a bit spoilery now, although it's still early-game Limgrave stuff.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[kensei]

21 minutes ago, Ste Pickford said:

 

On the subject of holding off upgrades because of stones rarity...  I use my longbow a hell of a lot, but I've held off upgrading it as I keep expecting to find a better 'special' bow at some point.  I'm mid-30s level, just entering the Academy.  Should I stick with the longbow and pump some upgrades into it?

 

I have a special bow that adds poison. It upgrades via somber path, so you need different stones.

 

The only better regular bow I've seen so far is a composite bow, but it needed higher dex so stuck with the longbow.

 

Merchant somewhere in the lakes for composite bow.

[jonamok]

Loving the Aurelia tribute page.

[Girth Certificate]

haha, was able to go back to a few bosses I'd skipped, smash their heads in and delete the little skull icon from my map. Feelsgoodman.

 

I've got a present for those 3 crystelians. Starts with B and ends in ig fucking hammer.

[K]

I'm really enjoying the game, but I would probably have liked it to have been more of a departure from Dark Souls in terms of background and story. I mean, it's VERY similar to Dark Souls in that respect - a group of demigods with names like Izigoloth the Wretched, Norwyn Emperor of the Infinite, Ghastroskull Necrovore, and Purple Geoff have had some kind of falling out, leaving a surreal fantasy world all broken and knackered. You, the chosen undead / bearer of the curse / ashen one / tarnished, must kill all of them. It's all a little bit too familiar for me. It reminds me a bit of Dark Souls III, which felt like From were just repeating the same themes and ideas from their older games. I was kind of hoping for something like Bloodborne, which took the same mechanics and gameplay, and put it into a completely new aesthetic that made everything feel completely fresh.

 

There are significant differences as well, obviously. The fact that a lot of the game takes place in verdant pastures and sandy beaches makes it feel very different, as does the openness. The horse-riding, the enemies and some of the world terminology gives it the feel of the weirder bits of Arthurian legend, and that works really well - I love the idea that you're this itinerant undead knight, and that feels pretty different to the Souls games as well. But the backstory and setting are still a little bit too similar to Dark Souls for me - making a new IP that's this close to the original feels odd, as if Bungie's next game was Ring Planet, where you control the Master Sergeant in his fight against the forces of the Concordat.

 

I should say this is a pretty minor issue, but I do keep thinking the devs are repeating themselves a bit.

[SuperCapes]

15 minutes ago, Ste Pickford said:

Longbow upgrades ahoy then!

I think I'm remembering DS where you find the much superior combine bow or composite bow (if I'm remembering correctly) quite early on, and that was a much better choice to upgrade.

 

Anyway, another couple of pages in my journal done.  Getting a bit spoilery now, although it's still early-game Limgrave stuff.

 

  Hide contents

 

 

 

The composition, line work and shading techniques are brilliant on these my dude. Especially loving the half hatching, and what not on the text. 

 

Also, the details framing Aurelia are fantastic. 

 

Aces!!!

[moosegrinder]

Sorry if this has been answered but the thread is moving at a fair old clip: what's the new patch changed?

[Stoikovich]

50 hours in and 30 since defeated Godrick, I revisited the second castle and found a whole separate area, warp and a massive tower that gave me new powers??  Fantastic!

 

I’m just letting stuff happen organically as I stumble across it in game.  But I would prefer it to be slightly less obtuse sharing lore, signposting locations etc.  at the moment it’s pretty much either -

a) luck

b) everything documented in full via the wiki

[hmm]

Volcano manor tip (that you might want to read if you've entered it):

 

Spoiler

Fairly obvious in hindsight, but if you want to do the assassination quest line there then put off any independent exploration and killing of... other things until you've finished it! Bit annoyed that this didn't occur to me. I'm guessing that'll scupper some trophies for this run too!

 

[Alask]

47 minutes ago, JPL said:

What’s a good spread of weapons to have then? 

I like one ranged option (potentially with minimal upgrades depending what you use it for) and then one main melee weapon and a backup melee option to cover any weakness in my main one. My main at the moment is a fire/physical greatsword, so against anything fire resistant it's a bit weaker. My backup though is a morning star, which is strike and has bleed. So if my greatsword won't work well I can swap.

 

Ideally with those three not all using the same type of upgrade stone. I actually prefer my main to be somber stones as I think you can upgrade one of those quicker than you can a weapon with basic smithing stones. The second weapon using somber might take longer, but the first you can get up to +9 pretty fast as there's somber stones just lying around waiting to be picked up.

 

 

 

[hmm]

9 minutes ago, K said:

I'm really enjoying the game, but I would probably have liked it to have been more of a departure from Dark Souls in terms of background and story. I mean, it's VERY similar to Dark Souls in that respect - a group of demigods with names like Izigoloth the Wretched, Norwyn Emperor of the Infinite, Ghastroskull Necrovore, and Purple Geoff have had some kind of falling out, leaving a surreal fantasy world all broken and knackered. You, the chosen undead / bearer of the curse / ashen one / tarnished, must kill all of them. It's all a little bit too familiar for me. It reminds me a bit of Dark Souls III, which felt like From were just repeating the same themes and ideas from their older games. I was kind of hoping for something like Bloodborne, which took the same mechanics and gameplay, and put it into a completely new aesthetic that made everything feel completely fresh.

 

I still can't get over GRRM receiving a big bag of runes in exchange for copying his homework from a Dark Souls wiki and changing a few words the night before it was due.

 

(Yeah, I know they paid him pretty much solely for marketing purposes, but I find it funny anyway.)