Topic: Elden Ring Hype Thread

@Thrillho Yeah the map makes more sense now I know that. It didn't when I was exploring Siofra (fun fact: that is actually pronounced She-fra) initially.

For RAS I found a spirit summon that damages either fire or magic damage from range really helpful. If you get caught when it rolls up into a ball, I found that tough to survive from.

@JohnnyShoulder I only had a couple of goes last night and did okay against it. I have some backup weapons with fire and holy so should be alright, especially now I know I need to save up my health for how long it goes on.

@Thrillho Don't forget to use your Flask of Wondrous Physic and Rune Arc. I've started to use these a bit more recently.

@JohnnyShoulder As is always the way, I just beat it first time after just loading the game up.

I still have never used a rune arc and should probably look at the new abilities I have for the Wondrous Physick.

@Thrillho Well done! As with most bosses in the game it only took a few goes to beat it. Will be interesting to see how you get on with the next boss fight, as it take take me a fair bit longer than normal.

@JohnnyShoulder I’m through Siofra Aqueduct and past the Gargoyles on my second attempt.

I had much more difficulty with the Crucible Knight at the beginning of the area but got rather lucky with him in the end…

Making steady progress through the Depths with the mausoleum downed and beat the special Crucible Knight there too.

I just lost a record 90k runes making my way up the tree to those fire breathing enemies though. Not sure quite which way to go to find Fia though.

@Thrillho @JohnnyShoulder

All this talk of the depths has convinced me to start exploring there! I only use rune arcs for really tough fights but my flask of wondrous physick is definitely a mainstay for me. There’s something funny to me about that crucible night popping those wings out and flying…off the edge.

@Thrillho @Jimmer-jammer Ha ha yeah seen a few vids of the Crucible Knights flying off to their doom lol.

Fia is up the massive roots, past the fire breathing enemies and the buildings. You should eventually spot a grace nearby, Fia is close the other side of a gap.

@Jimmer-jammer It did make me laugh; if I'd have known that was a viable tactic, I'd have done it much sooner!

@JohnnyShoulder And I found that spot now. I'd previously been up a different route and ended up falling down a hole into a cave with a Runebear. So I've re-met Fia now, gone back to Renni and been across to get her key item in the upside down tower. Now off to Ainsel River!

I found a pretty sweet weapon and decided to respec around it and now I’m questioning what the heck I’ve been doing this whole time 😂

@Jimmer-jammer I’ve finally moved on from the axe I’ve been using for ages. I picked up the Godskin Peeler from the boss in the Windmill Village and put blood effect on it.

I mostly went for that as I’ve been lacking the item to upgrade the axe for ages but upgraded that no problem. Damage is similar but blood effect is more damaging. Quite useful to swap between the two though.

I’ve pretty much gone all in on dex, then vigor and stamina.

@JohnnyShoulder I just found her yesterday and did that fight, was really fun. It would be good if they did some sort of variation of that fight but with multiplayer for as part of a dlc for a pvp arena.

Hi All, this is slightly OT... but keen for some perspective from people who have played (or are still playing) Elden Ring.

I've just made the decision to put down HZD, which I can appreciate is an 'objectively' good game... but it just feels so bland after ER!

Since ER, the only game that has scratched my itch is Returnal (going back for the DLC trophies).

I have played most/all of FromSoftware's back catalogue, and now looking for something with that same level of challenge and RPG/build mechanics... but also something relatively 'next-gen'(ish)

Google and Reddit seem to consistently propose Nioh 2, and this is the way I am leaning.... how similar is this in difficulty to ER? Would anyone recommend N2 or advise against? I see it has a PS5 upgrade which is nice, and it seems to feature quite high on numerous 'top PS4/5 games' lists.

Thoughts guys? Or failing that I could just hit up NG+ on ER... ha!

@Thrillho Nice! I found a weapon called Rivers of Blood, which you can imagine is also a blood weapon. I’m pretty much all in on Dex and Arcane and am doing massive damage now. Last night I made a ton of progress, cruising through the Deeproot Depths and finished up the the Mountain tops. Putting the brakes on now to go back and finish another area as the new area is (finally) looking very endgamey to me. It’s amazing what proper weapon scaling can do 😂

@CJD87 Absolutely yes to Nioh II!! One of my favourite games. It’s a different vibe from FS’s output. It’s mission-based, has a lot more humour in its story and is based around Japanese folklore and history, but it, my opinion of course, has the best combat system around. Also great music, visuals and a fantastic challenge. Can’t recommend it enough. If you’re looking for something more akin to Dark Souls, I’d recommend giving Ashen a try. It’s a smaller game but very similar, with enough of its own ideas going on to stand on its own.

@Jimmer-jammer Thanks man! The more research I do online, it seems a lot of people bounced off from beating Returnal and then moved to Nioh II... which is good news!

I actually have Ashen on my Switch, but I find it unplayable for one reason... the inability to invert the X-axis (!) Seems a great game, but literally everything else I play is inverted (both Y and X) - and my muscle-memory is too far gone ha.

Nioh 2 downloading now, thanks!

@CJD87 ahh, yes, that’s a sure deal breaker, and a big oversight on A44’s part! Hope you enjoy Nioh 2! I really can’t say enough good things about it. The combat system is incredibly deep and ripe for experimentation but I fell in love with the switchglaive. It reminds me of the trick weapons from Bloodborne. I put over 100 hours into my play through and plan on going back to complete all of the DLC sometime here. There’s a lot of content!

@CJD87 I've never really found a game that matches fromsoft combat system (though I've never tried nioh). Have you played hollow knight? It's got a great sense of exploration, the lore is pretty good too and while the combat is far more straightforward than fromsoft, it's still pretty satisfying.

I was fully exploring the Consecrated Snowfield as I just kinda b-lined through it on my first go. Found some cool stuff, particularly a gate to yet another new area! Unreal. With NHL playoffs and gardening season firing up here, I may just have to accept that I won’t see all this game has to offer and wrap it up or I may not get another game in this year! What a game though!

@R1spam I have HK on Switch, but am saving this for when I'm done with Dead Cells (currently my Switch 'side-game'). If you enjoyed Returnal and Hades, I'd definitely recommend Dead Cells for a great rogue fix... nice challenge, without being too punishing. Plus you do always attain a sense of 'progression' from each run, very similar to Hades I suppose! Thanks for the recommend though, and I hope to squeeze in HK on Switch before MHR Sunbreak drops

@Jimmer-jammer I think Rivers of Blood is accepted to be one of the best weapons in the game. But I haven’t got fair enough in the main story to get it yet.

I got through Ainsel River and Nokstella to further Ranni’s quest line and defeated the invader.

I finished off the Lake of Rot and both mini bosses last night, although I reckon I spent half my time there stood around waiting for my rot levels to return to normal as I only had a handful of boluses to cure it. And now there’s even more to explore down here!