Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion Announced

[Oz]

I looked up mimic and does not even have the first clue where that is. I am sure I will find it eventually. 

[rgraves]

Tiche is a bit convoluted to get to - if you want to know:

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

And mimic:

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Oz]

I will do this run blind and then look it up for the next one. Thanks for the tip though. I find it funny to think that they had some many bosses at some point someone was crunching before launch in just naming them all! "what do we call this one?" "wormface! go go!"

[Qazimod]

Early discourse with @Jolly about the deeper lore implications:

 

 

[Oz]

they are doing castlevania better than castlevania. I have just lost the plot with this game. I have sleep about 4-5 hours a day this week. 

 

Spoiler

 

[rgraves]

Oh man, you're close(ish) to an AWESOME boss. Enjoy!

 

And hit me up if you wanna do any jolly co-op (I'm done now, but just find myself booting it up to join the pool and help peeps).

[Oz]

Quick question I now find myself in a triple pickle. 
 

Spoiler

I have started a quest where the volcano manor people ask me to kill some tarnish. I am also at the gate in caleid I think I can walk through to start a tournament. Am I fine to start either of those and it will not affect the other? I was told before to start caleid before visiting the tree but I now gave myself a third option I would rather to the volcano thing if it’s just one or the other. Please help. 

 

[JPL]

Do Caelid first. It won’t affect anything at volcano manor. Just make sure to meet as many NPCs as you can on your travels before going in.

 

It a brilliant spectacle of a battle, so enjoy it!

[Oz]

9 minutes ago, JPL said:

Do Caelid first. It won’t affect anything at volcano manor. Just make sure to meet as many NPCs as you can on your travels before going in.

 

It a brilliant spectacle of a battle, so enjoy it!

I got the following notable people there. I am happy with this crew but I think I am missing two others. 
 

Spoiler

Jar guy, wolf guy and a silent lady. 

 

[JPL]

No, that’s a solid crew, go and get stuck in!

[Oz]

3 minutes ago, JPL said:

No, that’s a solid crew, go and get stuck in!

Leeeeeeroy!

[Oz]

18 hours ago, JPL said:

No, that’s a solid crew, go and get stuck in!

I did that boss. There were half a million people there and summons signs at the actual fight. Wolf face was particularly brave. Jar guy had good goes and bad goes. Everyone else lasted two seconds. It was on the easy side but incredibly messy. half the time I could not even see what was going on. It is not my favourite gameplay wise but defo a spectacular and very different. Points for effort and creativity again. 

[Oz]

Just now, Oz said:

I did that boss. There were half a million people there and summons signs at the actual fight. Wolf face was particularly brave. Jar guy had good goes and bad goes. Everyone else lasted two seconds. It was in the east side but incredibly messy. half the time I could not even see what was going on. It is not my favourite gameplay wise but defo a spectacular and very different. Points for effort and creativity again. 

That’s what she said

[Oz]

Spoiler

A meteor landed because why not. 

 

[MardiganX]

I think I’ve figured out one of the main reasons Sekiro is one of the greatest games ever made and every other From game eventually bored me to tears. I have no fucking idea what I am doing or should be doing with the levelling up so end up building a character that is always going to be boring no matter who I fight. Sekiro takes away that side of things and just focuses on creating a truly inspiring and technical combat system.

 

So, I need help. I favour melee combat. Sword and shield type and happy to spend a lot of time learning how to be very good with both blocking and parrying. But I have no idea what I should be doing to make my character proficient in that style. I also want a lot of endurance and happy to forsake almost every spell known to man to support that.

 

As far as the game itself goes it’s absolutely stunning and has started very promising with the additional counter and special moves available. I think they are called ashes of something but they are Combat Arts to me  plus Torrent is an almighty game changer for so many reasons. At the moment I’m in and I really want it to stay that way!

[Curtis]

I'm gonna be on PSN doing random near & far summons, then later I'll be on the Discord trying to sort the wheat from the toxic chaff in the coop sub-folder. 

 

If anyone on here wants to meet up for shits & giggles, please, by all means message me. 🤗

 

I roll back my save after every weekend drunked session. That way i can drop gear/materials for those who really need (and deserve) it, and never to those who join and immediately start begging for Rune dupes. 

[Oz]

Here’s what happened at the tournament with some narrative stuff at the end in a heart warming wolf to wolf conversation.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Oz]

10 minutes ago, MardiganX said:

I think I’ve figured out one of the main reasons Sekiro is one of the greatest games ever made and every other From game eventually bored me to tears. I have no fucking idea what I am doing or should be doing with the levelling up so end up building a character that is always going to be boring no matter who I fight. Sekiro takes away that side of things and just focuses on creating a truly inspiring and technical combat system.

 

So, I need help. I favour melee combat. Sword and shield type and happy to spend a lot of time learning how to be very good with both blocking and parrying. But I have no idea what I should be doing to make my character proficient in that style. I also want a lot of endurance and happy to forsake almost every spell known to man to support that.

 

As far as the game itself goes it’s absolutely stunning and has started very promising with the additional counter and special moves available. I think they are called ashes of something but they are Combat Arts to me  plus Torrent is an almighty game changer for so many reasons. At the moment I’m in and I really want it to stay that way!

I would say put points in vitality, stamina and strength/dexterity. Pick dexterity if you like to hit faster and strength if you like to hit harder and slower. You will eventually find weapons you want to lean into and upgrade. When you have those check how they scale. You need points on the thing that makes the weapon damage scale while occasionally continuing to increase health and stamina so they are not left behind. This game is significantly more forgiving than any other souls game in that you will be able to change your specs multiple times after you decide what you like using through hours of experience and experimenting. You will need a bit of mind if you want to summon or use more special attacks.

[Curtis]

24 minutes ago, MardiganX said:

 I also want a lot of endurance and happy to forsake almost every spell known to man to support that.

 

Endurance so you have more Stamina is not as important in this game, compared to other Souls. You only need it if you’re into really heavy weapons or gear.

 

With regards to finding and forming a build; let the weapon dictate that. Keep playing until you find a weapon you truly love that suits your style of play then fashion your stats around it. The upgrade system in this game is great because you can even change the parameters so they match your set up (i.e. you can make a STR weapon Keen which has better DEX parameters etc). 
 

Keep playing, keep exploring more than following the story. You’ll find so many wondrous things out there….

[MardiganX]

Thanks for the advice guys. Focus on Vigour, Strength and Dexterity then when I have a weapon that I fall in love with specialise in Strength or Dexterity. Got it. Will keep endurance topped up when I can as I always find myself having zero stamina at times I really need it so a combination of managing it better and having more will surely help.

 

Is there a minimum level I should get the magic / loot based stats too so I can do some basic but essential stuff?

 

I played for a good few hours last night and I was actually blown away by what I ended up seeing and doing. Forgot about the story stuff (partly because the Fell Omen boy seems well beyond my pay grade at the moment), explored the world and the only way to describe it is that it’s giving me the same feelings I had when I started Death Stranding. A world so wonderfully realised and perfectly crafted that every moment and venture over a hill or piece of scenery reveals something spectacular. I ended up in Sofia Rivers I think it is and fuck me that place is incredible. Deadly, but incredible. Like a beautiful nightmare. Is this a dungeon or a full underground part of the world?

 

Im not sure if it’s common but when I am in Limgrave there is quite a bit of scenery pop in at times, which is quite jarring. I thought that was the kind of shit we had left in the past with the next gen consoles (I’m on PS5). I have things set to prioritise frame rate so it’s not like the resolution or anything is being stretched. Is this just something that happens?

 

Anyway, Im completely in love with the experience so far and there are a lot of things suggesting this isn’t going to end the same way Dark / Demon Souls and Bloodborne did, but I’ve been here before so really hope this continues being quite special.

 

 

[Oz]

53 minutes ago, MardiganX said:

Thanks for the advice guys. Focus on Vigour, Strength and Dexterity then when I have a weapon that I fall in love with specialise in Strength or Dexterity. Got it. Will keep endurance topped up when I can as I always find myself having zero stamina at times I really need it so a combination of managing it better and having more will surely help.

 

Is there a minimum level I should get the magic / loot based stats too so I can do some basic but essential stuff?

 

I played for a good few hours last night and I was actually blown away by what I ended up seeing and doing. Forgot about the story stuff (partly because the Fell Omen boy seems well beyond my pay grade at the moment), explored the world and the only way to describe it is that it’s giving me the same feelings I had when I started Death Stranding. A world so wonderfully realised and perfectly crafted that every moment and venture over a hill or piece of scenery reveals something spectacular. I ended up in Sofia Rivers I think it is and fuck me that place is incredible. Deadly, but incredible. Like a beautiful nightmare. Is this a dungeon or a full underground part of the world?

 

Im not sure if it’s common but when I am in Limgrave there is quite a bit of scenery pop in at times, which is quite jarring. I thought that was the kind of shit we had left in the past with the next gen consoles (I’m on PS5). I have things set to prioritise frame rate so it’s not like the resolution or anything is being stretched. Is this just something that happens?

 

Anyway, Im completely in love with the experience so far and there are a lot of things suggesting this isn’t going to end the same way Dark / Demon Souls and Bloodborne did, but I’ve been here before so really hope this continues being quite special.

 

 

Because you mentioned shields I would give more importance to endurance than @Curtis suggested. Rolling takes only a little bit but if you are wanting to tank the hits with the shield you do want to put a bit on that.
 

My endurance is higher than my vigor at the moment and I am loving how much my shield can absorb.

 

With magic I would look at the requirements  of what you think you want to use and pick a couple of low level spells to put enough point to be able to use them. One important fact is that if it is an attack spell or incantation and you only have the minimum requirement they will actually do very little damage and be useless anyway. The game really wants you to pick a specialty. I have put a few points on faith and have focussed on having spells that boost me instead such as increasing magic protection or curing poison, or maybe spells that enchant your weapon. 

[Oz]

@MardiganX there is pop in even on a monster pc at max settings. The game has some technical issues. The frame rate stability is bad even on performance mode on PS5. On pc it slows downs and speeds up randomly. But it is equally a technical marvel when you consider how much landscape and how many enemies are visible from a million miles away. 

[Oz]

I had a long shitty session yesterday. I should have probably stopped a couple of hours before I did. Having done caleid and charged the rune in the tower I thought I’d just turn in a quest at volcano manor. But then I discovered an illusory wall and my night took a turn for the worse. Got very tilted with this body positive chap who made me wish I had not started this. I should have tried today with a fresh head. Instead I had progressively worse attempts until I eventually got lucky. I wish I was a few levels higher for this. I need to go do something else. I am not going to finish this castle at this level. Can I come back and do this later or will I get locked out if I visit the tree? Here’s a vid of what happened.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Jamie John]

The first volume of the Future Press guide is apparently due to arrive on the 30th, so Friday. Has anyone had any money taken yet or heard anything about it? I've had nothing so far from Amazon. 

 

I'm not sure why I'm buying it, really, as I don't like to use guides and I've rinsed the game already. It's a nice thing to have, I suppose.

[MardiganX]

I'm entirely lost but I think its a good thing. I've made my way to several areas that I have absolutely no right to be in. Like Frodo if he wandered out of the Shire in the morning and found himself at the foot of Mount Doom by tea time. Totally ill equipped and beyond fucked in a fight. Not that Frodo could really handle himself at any point. My plan was to get myself levelled up a bit before going back to the Fell Omen boss but I just kept going and going and ended at the top of The Divine Tower of Caelid where I should not have been allowed to go. I mean it was an amazing journey seeing the landscape change and meet all these wonderfully realised creatures that I was going to run away from, but I need to make some real progress and come back to these places when I have even hint of capability about me.

 

Where are the best early dungeons? I've done Groveside Cave. That was fun, but clearly built for the early wanderer to feel good about themselves  Are there other lower level ones that I should be hitting to get a bit of experience in? Oh and smithing stones, I need lots more smithing stones so was hoping there is maybe a Smithing Stone mine or farm I could raid? Yes, I know there is no such thing but I really want lots of them.

 

Its no doubt all been said before, but I could play this game for hour after hour, fight nobody and still have a great time. Its struck some weird chemistry where all the core parts of Souls games exist but in way that removes the tedium and boredom that set in for me. Sekiro did that by focusing entirely on the combat system and asking you to practice LOTS, whereas Elden Ring rips the barriers down and leaves you with more options and places to go than you could ever need. Both approaches seem to have removed the issues I've had with From games and I just hope Elden Ring continues to build on its openness the way Sekiro consistently built on the technicality of its combat.

[Alask]

1 minute ago, MardiganX said:

Oh and smithing stones, I need lots more smithing stones so was hoping there is maybe a Smithing Stone mine or farm I could raid? Yes, I know there is no such thing but I really want lots of them.

There’s no farm, they don’t grow on trees. There are mines though and miners, with pockets overflowing with them. Well, maybe not overflowing but the occasional miner will drop one. Look for the dark holes on the maps.

 

Otherwise, if you just want to explore at the start heading south works. South is easier. Lots of good stuff south. Nothing too scary, plenty of places to see.

[cowfields]

I’m at the point where I think I have uncovered most of the map, and there’s not much more exploration to do.  Probably lots of things I missed in areas I’ve done. Which is fine but I'm feeling a bit sad that the raw exploration is all but over. Because it‘s so good but also gives you a break from the gruelling dungeons and you can balance your own sense of pressure. I’ll probably want to try NG+ soon though because I’ve been a sword and board person. Next time I think I want to be a magic person burning everything to the ground.

[Popo]

I’ve gotten really bogged down and discouraged in Caelid. Finding it hard to go back.
 

Spoiler

I think I ended up there because I was following a quest line set by a very rude guy, who was a follower of the little witch woman, who is located just to the west of Caria Manor. 

 

Can someone give me a pointer on where to go there, or can I just sack that whole place off and go elsewhere?

 

I’ve kinda forgotten where I was on the critical path, but:

 

Spoiler

I’d found a lift that needed keys of some description, which I didn’t have. I think there was a warp point on the north-facing bridge at the foot of Raya Lucaria, which got me over the big fuck-off hole in the middle of it. That way?

 

[Sane]

I restarted this today after putting it away for a while after getting stuck on the fire giant. 

 

I decided the worst thing to do was to get right back into that fight so I'm going around the world doing other stuff and it's great fun. I killed the 

Spoiler

Giant Snake God thing in the manor

and am now using the weapon you get from him. It's great, very powerful and has builtin free healing! I'll have to check out the rest of the manor because I did the quests and got access to the boss that way, but I think there's a whole dungeon there too. 

 

After that I spent all night in the sewers underneath the capital. Not a very pleasant place but I think I cleared it all out. 

 

I think tomorrow I will go back and try the fire giant again... 

[Sane]

On 29/09/2022 at 18:21, Popo said:

I’ve gotten really bogged down and discouraged in Caelid. Finding it hard to go back.
 

  Hide contents

I think I ended up there because I was following a quest line set by a very rude guy, who was a follower of the little witch woman, who is located just to the west of Caria Manor. 

 

Can someone give me a pointer on where to go there, or can I just sack that whole place off and go elsewhere?

 

I’ve kinda forgotten where I was on the critical path, but:

 

  Hide contents

I’d found a lift that needed keys of some description, which I didn’t have. I think there was a warp point on the north-facing bridge at the foot of Raya Lucaria, which got me over the big fuck-off hole in the middle of it. That way?

 

Have you been to the bottom right of the map in Caelid?