Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion Announced

[Kevvy Metal]

14 minutes ago, scottcr said:

 

I've got my mimic up to +8 - it doesn't last very long though.

 

In comparison, I fought the two gargoyles - my mimic distracted them while my mace's ranged magic absolutely destroyed them.  Took the first one down before the second one appeared and that fight was a piece of piss.

 

Very unusual. On my NG run I also using Mimic at around +8 and made short work of them. Maybe not first attempt but certainly just a couple. The duo are of course met seperately elsewhere are aren't really any kind of problem. For me they wouldn't really enter the top 10 of hardest bosses in the game. 

....but then again, I found ROM in Bloodborne to be absolutely no problem whatsoever, and lots of poeple found him impossible.... and there's numerous bosses - like Guardian Ape - that I can barely get past in Sekiro. 

 

For me, Elden Ring is like an easy-mode holiday compared to the brutality of Sekiro. 

[Harrisown]

I just despise going round in circles. Is it this way? Oh no I’m back here. I’ll go this way, ah ha this is new…oh no the ladder just goes down here. Fantastic this is it, ooo item…oh just more runes, fuck off ants, cya, wtf I’m back here again…..

[scottcr]

1 hour ago, Harrisown said:

I just despise going round in circles. Is it this way? Oh no I’m back here. I’ll go this way, ah ha this is new…oh no the ladder just goes down here. Fantastic this is it, ooo item…oh just more runes, fuck off ants, cya, wtf I’m back here again…..

 

circular short cuts are par for the course - just like metroid games too... it means your runs get shorter.  It's what I loved most about Stormveil, still the best section in the game so far (I'm at CFA).  The sewers do it really well too.  When you open the last door that's been taunting you since you arrived, it's really rewarding.

[John0]

If you're not of the opinion that you're playing the greatest thing ever made, I can imagine that the later areas start to be a bit of a drain. I agree with scottcr that Stormveil was one of my favourite areas in the whole game (along with Haligtree and the Sewers) but I do think that might be affected by the fact that at the start of the game you're brimming with enthusiasm and awe and you have the patience to explore every nook and cranny even after the third or fourth time you thought you had discovered everything about the area. I think it's pretty normal to not still feel exactly like that after 150-200 very intense hours.

[Talvalin]

Much as I absolutely love the game and the endgame areas, I do kind of lean towards the thinking that Stormveil was probably the most intricate and properly designed legacy dungeon in the whole game, one with multiple secrets and paths and with a decidedly less linear feel to it.

[Ste Pickford]

Now I've got to the end of it*, I think maybe the Capital was slightly better than Stormveil, but both of them suffered a little bit from too many sites of grace.  I was certainly glad of them when I found them, but in both Stormveil and the Capital, what would otherwise have been really vital shortcuts were made kind of redundant because you'd already found a site of grace on the other side of the shortcut by the time you opened that locked door or got access to that lift.

 

* the end of the Capital, I mean. I'm not at the end of the game yet.

[scottcr]

The perfect game is out there - waiting to be made... something like Breath of the Elden Monster Hunter's Ring....

 

MATRON!

[Lovelyman]

I'm wondering if they found some scenarios in testing where it was possible to end up where you shouldn't be and got stuck. I think that maybe the easiest solution to that would be to put a site of grace there. Just a theory. 

[Cyhwuhx]

  

3 hours ago, The Fox said:

 

The one in the courtyard is a nightmare if you try and fight it alongside the two tough knights, but it can be kited alone back into the grace room which makes things easier.

 

A lot of people seem to fight the outdoor ones on Torrent so I can understand why they'd be tough if you suddenly can't do that anymore. I never got on with that strategy though and did every one on foot from Weeping Peninsula onwards. I would actually say it's best to stay really tight to them, as their downward swing if you're at midrange really, really hurts. It also means you can roll behind them easier which is essential for the putrid avatar variant.

 

Those Tree Avatars in Elphael go down rather quickly with some Black Flame fireballs, in my experience.

[Ste Pickford]

I also think that maybe, just maybe, adding more sites of grace and thus making it all a bit easier and less painful, in the end, was more valuable to the game - made it more accessible, more welcoming, helped it become more of a phenomenon - than having really clever shortcuts that you were glad of once you'd opened them but were punishingly difficult to reach.

 

It definitely feels like some of the shortcuts were originally designed with fewer sites of grace in mind, and they probably agonised over their placement during development, and they might have made the correct decisions in the end.  The shortcuts feel like the last vestiges of an abandoned design principle which they leaned on much more heavily in the earlier games.  

 

 

[scottcr]

6 minutes ago, Ste Pickford said:

I also think that maybe, just maybe, adding more sites of grace and thus making it all a bit easier and less painful, in the end, was more valuable to the game - made it more accessible, more welcoming, helped it become more of a phenomenon - than having really clever shortcuts that you were glad of once you'd opened them but were punishingly difficult to reach.

 

It definitely feels like some of the shortcuts were originally designed with fewer sites of grace in mind, and they probably agonised over their placement during development, and they might have made the correct decisions in the end.  The shortcuts feel like the last vestiges of an abandoned design principle which they leaned on much more heavily in the earlier games.  

 

 

 

I thought the sewers were very much like this... I enjoyed finding the shortcuts and opening the doors, but it wasn't *really* that necessary.

[scottcr]

2 hours ago, scottcr said:

 

circular short cuts are par for the course - just like metroid games too... it means your runs get shorter.  It's what I loved most about Stormveil, still the best section in the game so far (I'm at CFA).  The sewers do it really well too.  When you open the last door that's been taunting you since you arrived, it's really rewarding.

 

the BEST thing about Stormveil is going back when you are massively OP and tearing through the front gate like Lancelot from the Holy Grail.

 

Complete with the music as well....

 

 

[John0]

Also as much as I loved the Haligtree, I would say it plays host to the most sadistic combination of enemy and terrain/arena in the whole game;

 

Spoiler

The Ulcerated Tree Spirit in the mini rot swamp.

 

I mean I know you're trying to annoy the player but this was objectively going TOO FAR

[Minion]

8 hours ago, K said:

The layout of Elphael is really clever, and hugely satisfying to explore. There are loads of tempting ledges and walkways for you to figure out how to reach. The only negative I would say is that the Tree Avatars are ridiculously hard, and are a bit annoying in the way they spam those golden projectiles. The game seems to be incentivising you to grind them down with ranged weapons, rather than fight them in any particularly fun way.

 

Black flame absolutely ruins them. They really messed me up with my first dex melee build but in my second playthrough as str/fth they were a joke as I could just use any black flame incantation to ruin them super quick, even the rot versions. 

[Chadruharazzeb]

Am I imagining things out does Melania's armour look different in ng+? 

[Uncle Nasty]

5 hours ago, Ste Pickford said:

I also think that maybe, just maybe, adding more sites of grace and thus making it all a bit easier and less painful, in the end, was more valuable to the game - made it more accessible, more welcoming, helped it become more of a phenomenon - than having really clever shortcuts that you were glad of once you'd opened them but were punishingly difficult to reach.

 

It definitely feels like some of the shortcuts were originally designed with fewer sites of grace in mind, and they probably agonised over their placement during development, and they might have made the correct decisions in the end.  The shortcuts feel like the last vestiges of an abandoned design principle which they leaned on much more heavily in the earlier games.  

 

 

 

You gave me an idea for NG+ that would've made it more compelling and challenging - removing 50-75% of the graces. The game's structure could easily withstand it whilst making the game feel fresher and more challenging. NG+ is too easy right now and will hopefully be tweaked.

[Chadruharazzeb]

31 minutes ago, Uncle Nasty said:

NG+ is too easy right now and will hopefully be tweaked.

 

Yeah, I just started it and made straight for Margit to see how tough he was. Fucker lasted about 15 seconds. 

[Hawklord]

2 hours ago, Uncle Nasty said:

NG+ is too easy right now and will hopefully be tweaked.

 

2 hours ago, Chadruharazzeb said:

 

Yeah, I just started it and made straight for Margit to see how tough he was. Fucker lasted about 15 seconds. 

I'm 18 hours into NG+. 3 of those hours were against Malenia and I've spent the last 3 hours fighting (and getting hammered by) EB lol

[rgraves]

I've loved this game, stuck an ungodly number of hours into it - but, right at the end, they go and do the 'multiple bosses and if you lose you have to go back and do all of them again' thing. They can f**k right off with that. What a way to go sour it.

 

It's awesome, best I've played in ages, but OH MY GOD I HATE THAT AND IT NEEDS TO DIE IN AN ERDTREE FIRE.

[CheekyMonkey]

Stormveil was definitely a highlight, but I LOVED the lakes section too. Just exploring it, and seeing Raya Lucaria in the distance and thinking thats gonna be sooooo awesome when I get there. That's actually one of the things this game did amazingly well - its shows you these big, epic grand structures that at some point you're going to get to, and not only that but it then shows the journey you are going to have to undertake- which was just as epic. 

 

The capital was incredible, but if anything it's a bit TOO overwhelming and not as tightly designed as something like Stormveil. I'm sure there's a tonne of stuff I missed...

 

What makes this game stand head and shoulders above all the DS games though - there really were no disappointing bits. I mean in DS, the last third of the game was pretty uninspiring, with Ds2 a few of the levels were a bit ho-hum, and same with DS3... With this almost the whole game was gold - even the last sections were great, and just seem to dial up the epic-ness even further.

 

I know people have joked about it and alluded to it - but this game really has ruined a lot of other stuff for me. I was so totally immersed in it that anything else now just seems so unengaging and average. What an impact it's had - probably one of the first games in my video gaming life to do that. 

[Alan Stock]

One-shotting bosses without using that OP spell and instead bonking them with a giant hammer:

 

https://kotaku.com/elden-ring-bushygames-one-hit-kill-radahn-margit-speedr-1848977810

 

I watched most of the video but stopped once he reached where I'm up to. Some interesting problem solving in terms of squeezing out every bit of DPS using 10 thousand buffs.

 

As for the Erdtree Avatars I have got pretty good at fighting them now, and I always use a fire ashes weapon. Where there's lots of space I just run around on Torrent but in enclosed spaces like the Haligtree I do them on foot. Still, one mistake and its often back to the grace site! The only one I haven't managed to do yet is the one you folks mentioned in Haligtree where he's got two rock hard knights protecting him, even using summons its a shit-show. Might have to resort to sniping the knights or something first for that one, because each knight is a mini-boss in himself.

 

I personally loved the Haligtree brace and surrounds, it feels like a proper old-skool Souls level with each corridor and room feeling tailored with devious enemy placement and encounters, and lots of little side bits and loops to find. Its also well hard, reaching some of the side bits to get items is a proper battle, like the bottom level with the monstrosities and the graveyard with the Pests. As for best dungeon I think I'd go for Stormveil as well, mainly due to the ingenious level design where so many routes overlap and you use every bit of the environment to get around the place. Leyndell is probably second and Haligtree third. I do love the start of Volcano manor but would have loved a much bigger town to explore.

 

 

[The Fox]

49 minutes ago, Alan Stock said:

As for the Erdtree Avatars I have got pretty good at fighting them now, and I always use a fire ashes weapon. Where there's lots of space I just run around on Torrent but in enclosed spaces like the Haligtree I do them on foot. Still, one mistake and its often back to the grace site! The only one I haven't managed to do yet is the one you folks mentioned in Haligtree where he's got two rock hard knights protecting him, even using summons its a shit-show. Might have to resort to sniping the knights or something first for that one, because each knight is a mini-boss in himself.

 

 

 

From the corridor out of the grace room hit him with a projectile and kite him back into the grace room to fight, and the knights won't come with him. I don't think you can use summons in there though.

[Cyhwuhx]

 

Very happy that in the end my trusty Bloodhound Fang proved to be a superior weapon (compared to RoB) in the final stretch. Felt like less of a crutch and more like my "own" play style triumphing. Now to feel a bit empty and contemplate starting Journey 2 as I adjust my best games ever list accordingly.

 

Ah, Elden Ring...

[Harrisown]

Done.

All endings save scumming , so far 270 odd hours.

Missed the dragon trophy because I killed Fia FFS though at level 170 it won’t take me long to get there and sort that out.

 

Astonishing game that’s held my attention like no other game in history.

I nearly put my controller through the tv screen at the very late game stuff but in the end it didn’t turn out too bad.

Throwing knives were the answer to that final boss,finally my hundreds of throwing knives had a purpose.

 

Expert game design overall, just a refinement of what’s come before but all positive changes.

 

The open world can help and hinder the experience. It’s great to be able to go elsewhere when the going gets tough but it does end up fragmenting the experience and leaves you just aimlessly wondering around at points.

 

The combat is great but to be honest as a prisoner I never got quite as comfortable with my weapons attack as in other dark souls games. It always felt like I was using a weapon I only half enjoyed.

 

Yeah it’s amazing , what a ride but is it better than bloodborne? 
 

Nope.

[Popo]

After about a month off I’ve dived back in again and have reached the Altus Plateau… and got promptly murdered by a surprisingly nimble ogre-looking thing!

 

I found a cave with some skeletons inside, loads of fake walls and two different bosses. One was easy; the other was… invisible! 
 

Any tips on how to take this joker on?

[Talvalin]

There is a merchant on the Altus Plateau that sells you an item that helps reveal invisible enemies (the description will say something about revealing hidden enemies), so I would leave that boss well alone until you get that (and you should definitely get the item as those invisible bastards crop up elsewhere!).

[Talvalin]

Someone mentioned that last stretch of the Brace of the Haligtree to Malenia being shit. Yeah, I just found out what you meant. A multitude of prawn bastards and knights that do about three times the damage compared to earlier areas. Bah.

[Hawklord]

If you haven't already watched, Vaati's new vid is really interesting. 

 

Spoiler

 

 

[therearerules]

10 hours ago, Popo said:

After about a month off I’ve dived back in again and have reached the Altus Plateau… and got promptly murdered by a surprisingly nimble ogre-looking thing!

 

I found a cave with some skeletons inside, loads of fake walls and two different bosses. One was easy; the other was… invisible! 
 

Any tips on how to take this joker on?

One of the spirit summons, 3 soldiers, through a powder which makes her visible.

[Girth Certificate]

There's also a torch you can buy from one of the vendors that makes invisible enemies visible.

 

 

Still finding new ash summon abilities. The Skeleton Militia guys have the same ability to rise back from the dead as long as they don't take a hit while they are down as the enemy skeletons so they can last for ages. Pretty useful.