Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion Announced

[Uncle Nasty]

My advice would be to follow Ranni's quest and don't feel any shame for looking up how to do it.

[Flanders]

Had a day off today. Planned to start a new shiny game, watch a great film.

 

Instead I scorched through Leyndell through to the Mountaintops of the Giants on my NG Plus run. There’s something utterly thrilling about speed running what took me months. Might go and kill the Fire Giant right now.

[Boothjan]

Bought it!

 

Cost - £0. Thank you very much, Microsoft points! I had no idea I'd accumulated so many. 

[Boothjan]

This game is fucking BRUTAL 

 

I really don't have a clue what I'm doing. Going for the 'take out as many weak enemies as I can and level up before going near any of the bigger dudes' tactic. 

[Popo]

Sounds to me like you know exactly what to do. 

[Boothjan]

I tried to be all cool when I first started - was showing the game off to my 13 year old son, telling him I'm used to open world RPGs, I knew what I had to do etc etc.  First area with that big knight on horseback - dead within 5 seconds. 

 

So I sent him to bed.

[robdood]

@Boothjan it's not like most games.  You're on holiday in a brutal world.  Go exploring and see the sights.  Take your time, try not to get frustrated, it's all doable and things that are confusing will make sense eventually! 

 

GOOD LUCK BEST GAME EVER ETC

[Exidor]

4 hours ago, robdood said:

@Boothjan it's not like most games.  You're on holiday in a brutal world.  Go exploring and see the sights.  Take your time, try not to get frustrated, it's all doable and things that are confusing will still be confusing but you'll learn to embrace the confusion. You'll come to crave the confusion. Soon you won't remember a life before the confusion. 

 

GOOD LUCK BEST GAME EVER ETC

 

FTFY.

 

I haven't played for a while but I was watching one of the Hobbit films last night where Gandalf goes to some old ruined jail for extremely bad bastards and comes to a "stairwell" that's just a massive drop with rough steps around the edge of the walls and it gave me such powerful flashbacks to this bloody game that I felt an incredibly strong urge to jump back in again. So that's me sorted for something to fill every spare moment over the next few months.

[Oz]

Is this cunt meant to be this difficult? I feel like I am playing it wrong. I first tried at level 13 which I promptly realised was too early. Came back at 25 and had this excruciating 7 minute battle of patience and attrition. I am finding this very hard. I thought they had said this one would be easier. This is crazy for a first boss. 
 

 

[Alan Stock]

Yes, he's a deliberate roadblock. However there are a few things you can do to make it easier. First of all you can get yourself a summon - either by using the summon ashes from dungeons with a bell you probably have by now (you can summon when you see the gravestone icon). Also there should be a golden summon sign next to the boss door you could have used to summon an NPC to help (don't worry, I missed it too!). You could have levelled up more though it seems you were at a decent level to do him. And finally there's an item which helps a little bit with this specific boss that you can find squirreled away. So well done for doing it without summons/NPCs, I certainly needed them when I beat him for the first time! Also, many people recommend that you do the Weeping Penisula (the south part of the map) before taking on Margit, which I assume you didn't do all of because otherwise he wouldn't be your first boss.

 

He's one of those bosses that is contentious but ultimately serves a similar role to the horseback knight at the start of the game "come back to me after you explore and level up!". 

[Alask]

Also looks like you're suffering a 5% health debuff at the moment, it's the red square with a downward arrow. We've all been there, it's as much of a right of passage as being repeatedly slammed by Margit. You can ditch the debuff, it's probably a consumable in your inventory. The usual culprit is:

 

Spoiler

Baldachin's Blessing

 

Your shield is also giving you the parry Ash of War. I never liked Parry, it's too hard to use and there are much better ones available. If you put a No Skill ash of war on your shield, you can have it out and then use the ash of war on your weapon. Which are typically much better than a parry you'll rarely use. 

 

[rgraves]

10 hours ago, Oz said:

Is this cunt meant to be this difficult? I feel like I am playing it wrong. I first tried at level 13 which I promptly realised was too early. Came back at 25 and had this excruciating 7 minute battle of patience and attrition. I am finding this very hard. I thought they had said this one would be easier. This is crazy for a first boss. 

 

Give it a few weeks and you'll be solo-ing this guy in a handful of hits - honestly, go somewhere else (south) and do some exploring. Get yourself a summon, the mixed flask etc.

 

I know that sounds a bit 'git gud' - but really it's, don't bash against him and get frustrated. Go elsewhere and come back to him later on when you are stronger if needed.

[Kevvy Metal]

10 hours ago, Oz said:

Is this cunt meant to be this difficult? I feel like I am playing it wrong. I first tried at level 13 which I promptly realised was too early. Came back at 25 and had this excruciating 7 minute battle of patience and attrition. I am finding this very hard. I thought they had said this one would be easier. This is crazy for a first boss. 
 

 

 

The real Elden Ring starts here!

[robdood]

@Oz some points:

 

1.  Use heavy attack, two handing, and jump attacks more.  R1 is PATHETIC in this game.  Using heavier attacks will put enemies into riposte / critical attack vulnerable more often. 

2.  Do you not have ability to summon ghosties yet? Try teleporting to the Church of Marika near the start of the game when it's night time.  

3. Explore a bit more, there's a cool special flask you can find that will allow you to mix up buffs and stuff. 

4.  Level vigor / HP above all else dude.  Health is VERY important for survivability in this game. 

5.  What level is your weapon?  You can find upgrade stones in Mines, which can be located on the map if you look for little cave symbols.  They look a bit like this:

 

 

You won't be upgrade much until you reach the roundtable hold (your 'base' location) - if you haven't found it already, keep exploring the overworld and rest at as many grace sites in new locations as you can. 

 

You still did it though!!   Fine work. 

[Qazimod]

11 hours ago, Oz said:

Is this cunt meant to be this difficult? I feel like I am playing it wrong. I first tried at level 13 which I promptly realised was too early. Came back at 25 and had this excruciating 7 minute battle of patience and attrition. I am finding this very hard. I thought they had said this one would be easier. This is crazy for a first boss. 

 

Yep, I found him very difficult, even when trying things on a new save and running into him again. One of the main things that caught me out was knowing whether or not he'd follow-up something with subsequent attacks, which is why I go on about recognising the things that he can't really follow-up from (like the jumping ground stab or whatever it is). Beyond that, it was a case of dealing with the projectiles and things that do chip damage, but after simply assuming that he'd follow up most things with projectiles and the like I learned to be more cautious.

 

I feel like several bosses you encounter after him aren't as demanding, although running into him as your first challenge when you can't earn many runes just yet may have something to do with it.

[Oz]

1 hour ago, robdood said:

@Oz some points:

 

1.  Use heavy attack, two handing, and jump attacks more.  R1 is PATHETIC in this game.  Using heavier attacks will put enemies into riposte / critical attack vulnerable more often. 

2.  Do you not have ability to summon ghosties yet? Try teleporting to the Church of Marika near the start of the game when it's night time.  

3. Explore a bit more, there's a cool special flask you can find that will allow you to mix up buffs and stuff. 

4.  Level vigor / HP above all else dude.  Health is VERY important for survivability in this game. 

5.  What level is your weapon?  You can find upgrade stones in Mines, which can be located on the map if you look for little cave symbols.  They look a bit like this:

 

 

You won't be upgrade much until you reach the roundtable hold (your 'base' location) - if you haven't found it already, keep exploring the overworld and rest at as many grace sites in new locations as you can. 

 

You still did it though!!   Fine work. 

 

Thanks all for the comments. This is extremely helpful. Particularly because it is non-spoilery (which is why I hate looking for advice online).

 

One clarification @Alan Stock is I had done other 'bosses' I am just not counting them unless they have a cutscene and give an achievement. Those were not hard. I have probably done something like 7 or 8. 

 

I got to this one really fast at the beginning and did realise I had to go explore more before coming back. This video is from when I felt the level was appropriate and it was just skill holding me back. So I tried about maybe ten times. 

 

Up to this point I had purposefully not looked at anything on the internet. Not even a single video or read this chat even. But in looking at videos of successful Margit runs now and reading @robdood I am thinking I am playing this too much like I did other soul games and need to appreciate a few differences.  

 

Going through your points @robdood:

 

1) I did not realise this. I think I have been playing too much like old dark souls and not enough Sekiro. I would not have thought to 'jump attack' during that boss battle. Seems a bit gay but I will give it a go  

 

2) I have been hoarding these ash summons thinking they are single use! I always finish games with half a million unused single use items. Can they be used multiple times? 

 

3) Got that one (I used it at the end there which really saved my butt)

 

4) What the fuck is this 'blessing' debuff? I have 5% less health! I do have that item they mentioned in my inventory. I am supposed to use it? How do I get rid of the debuff?

 

5) It is level 3 I think. I am not sure if this is appropriate. I am not sure how ashes of war work. If I use it on a weapon and then take it off, is it spent? I can’t work out if this is like a weapon specialisation in dark souls. From looking at those damage values I think my weapon was just not doing enough. I seem to be tickling the fucker!

[rgraves]

1 hour ago, robdood said:

R1 is PATHETIC in this game.

 

Can't say I agree 100% with this as a sweeping statement - I've rinsed the game now and used R1 for the vast majority of that time - it really does depend on your build/weapon/play style as to how effective it is.

[Boothjan]

I am finding this INCREDIBLY difficult - I imagine being a total novice to any Souls game isn't helping.  I'm still occasionally getting killed by fucking wolves, let alone big humongous beasties!  I did manage to beat one of the giant things where it's windy in the first area - by far the best thing I've done yet but I find myself running away and trying to find very small enemies that I can bully so I can earn enough to level up!  Watched @Oz video above and I'm not even close to being as good as that.

 

Only at level 15, and about 5 hours in but I'm persevering with it.  Even though I absolutely suck at it.

 

Is there a ranged weapon you can find early on?  I've just got my sword and shield and can't do any ranged attacks at all.  Have I just chosen the wrong class?

[Oz]

Just now, Boothjan said:

I am finding this INCREDIBLY difficult - I imagine being a total novice to any Souls game isn't helping.  I'm still occasionally getting killed by fucking wolves, let alone big humongous beasties!  I did manage to beat one of the giant things where it's windy in the first area - by far the best thing I've done yet but I find myself running away and trying to find very small enemies that I can bully so I can earn enough to level up!  Watched @Oz video above and I'm not even close to being as good as that.

 

Only at level 15, and about 5 hours in but I'm persevering with it.  Even though I absolutely suck at it.

 

Is there a ranged weapon you can find early on?  I've just got my sword and shield and can't do any ranged attacks at all.  Have I just chosen the wrong class?

some classes have a bow as a starting weapon! Look! I knew something!

[Oz]

2 minutes ago, rgraves said:

 

Can't say I agree 100% with this - I've rinsed the game now and used R1 for the vast majority of that time - it really does depend on your build/weapon/play style as to how effective it is.

 I just don't think I was doing enough damage. I will try what Rob is saying. I am used to seeing huge yellow chunks go at a time in dask souls. This clearly took too long. This cannot be intended to be a 7 minute battle. 

[Alan Stock]

Yes ashes are multiple use and using them is probably the single easiest thing you can do to make bosses easier. They ususally help to take aggro off you which gives you that precious window to heal, get a few free hits in, etc.

[rgraves]

13 minutes ago, Oz said:

2) I have been hoarding these ash summons thinking they are single use! I always finish games with half a million unused single use items. Can they be used multiple times? 

 

4) What the fuck is this 'blessing' debuff? I have 5% less health! I do have that item they mentioned in my inventory. I am supposed to use it? How do I get rid of the debuff?

 

5) It is level 3 I think. I am not sure if this is appropriate. I am not sure how ashes of war work. If I use it on a weapon and then take it off, is it spent? I can’t work out if this is like a weapon specialisation in dark souls. From looking at those damage values I think my weapon was just not doing enough. I seem to be tickling the fucker!

 

Ash summons are not single use - use away! There is a 'cool down' on them, and they can only be used in certain places (when the icon is up on the screen), but they are not consumed on use (although using them consumes either FP or HP depending on the specific summon). You can level them up so they get stronger as well.

 

To get rid of that debuff, just use the item you already correctly identified you got from the hugging. You can hug again if you want another one for any reason.

 

Ashes of war are also not 'spent' when applied - once in your inventory you have them (unless you sell or leave them). Experiment away with those until you find a setup you like. Note that some special weapons will come with a pre-installed ash of war that you can't swap out though.

[Oz]

1 minute ago, rgraves said:

 

Ash summons are not single use - use away! There is a 'cool down' on them, and they can only be used in certain places (when the icon is up on the screen), but they are not consumed on use (although using them consumes either FP or HP depending on the specific summon).

 

To get rid of that debuff, just use the item you already correctly identified you got from the hugging. You can hug again if you want another one.

 

Ashes of war are also not 'spent' when applied - once in your inventory you have them (unless you sell or leave them deliberatly). Experiment away with those until you find a setup you like. Note that some special weapons will come with a pre-installed ash of war that you can't swap out though.

🥳

[rgraves]

Also, in case you've not worked it out yet, the smithing stones you find are used to level up your weapons. So if you don't think you;re doing good damage take a trip to the blacksmith and upgrade your weapon (depending on the specific weapon it can go to either +25 (regular) +10 (special)).

[Boothjan]

17 minutes ago, rgraves said:

Also, in case you've not worked it out yet, the smithing stones you find are used to level up your weapons. So if you don't think you;re doing good damage take a trip to the blacksmith and upgrade your weapon (depending on the specific weapon it can go to either +25 (regular) +10 (special)).

 

Aha - where is the blacksmith?  I've definitely found some smithing stones.

[Oz]

3 minutes ago, Boothjan said:

 

Aha - where is the blacksmith?  I've definitely found some smithing stones.

It’s a spoiler that. Just keep going. I think it is hard to miss. 

[Oz]

3 minutes ago, Boothjan said:

 

Aha - where is the blacksmith?  I've definitely found some smithing stones.

Having said that the first church you see when you come to the main open world has a table for you to upgrade yourself. I think that’s less of a spoiler. 

[robdood]

5 minutes ago, Boothjan said:

 

Aha - where is the blacksmith?  I've definitely found some smithing stones.

You'll find one later.  But at the start there is an anvil you can use yourself near the shop guy in the ruined church near the start. 

[robdood]

Also @Boothjan I believe there is a merchant on the beach west of where you start who sells a bow. 

[Boothjan]

Awesome thank you - my next port of call is that beach.  And I've found the church thing so I'll try that.