Elden Ring

[Coldgrip]

What's with all the animals down here?
View attachment 6318742

Easily farmable crafting materials.

 

[namelesstacotruck]

Sekiro is not a Soul's game and it is better treated as a different franchise like Armored Core

The issue is too many game play loops are similar with the whole find shrines/bonfires, you dying being gameplay mechanics, farming mats, et cetra.

I 100 agree with you but Sekiro shares some gameplay dna with the souls games in a way Armored Core just doesnt.

 

[D.A. d. nial]

Trying my damnest to avoid spoilers, but what is even going on in this game.

I'm baffled because

Spoiler: Blaiid & The Radahn Festival

I finally went to Redmane Castle (Formerly known as that weird corner of Caelid I figured was where Radahn was so I was putting it off), and I meet a giant pot guy, some lady who won't talk and Blaiid.

Last time I talked to Blaiid, he said to meet him at Siofra to fight Nokron. I went to Sofria, no npc marker. Scoure the map looking for him. Nothing. Went back to Ranni who still won't talk to me after I beat up her mother. Irij is unhelpful and then I'm dicking around getting summoned and I figure I'll do the zone up to the start of Redmane while I dick around overworld. I find the castle completely empty as if FromSoft forgot to put enemies there at all save for a few bats around the side. I took a warp portal inside, all empty and then I run into this Radahn Festival stuff which honestly feels like either something someone should have mentioned or did mention and I forgot about it around Caelid.

I don't know if it's me, but:

Spoiler: TLDR I think I fucked myself by overexploring while waiting for summons

What is going on in this game with people vanishing off the face of the earth. I liked that they appeared on the map but after I beat Renalla, there's been a mad cascade of events. Diallos vanishes. Cleric guy says he's gonna go find Goldmask and vanishes. Fia kills D. Gideon tells Nepheli she's adopted. There's basically nobody at the Retard Hold to even talk to anymore. I just so happened to bump into the blind girl again after killing Vyke and getting the eyeball that helps her complete her quest but I can't give it to her. And she wasn't on the map like I thought they were suppsed to be? No clue where Thops went after I gave him the second glintstone key. Malenia has been absent from 99% of the game, but then again I last saw her at the top of Atlus Plateau saying she wanted to go to the tree. I thought it was odd that I could go up to the "Main City" area after only beating 2 elden lords, so I went back to more thoroughly do Caelid which aside from overworld rambling I'd ignored to do after Layurnia, since the enemies were tougher and the only guide-related thing I looked up was co-op summon ranges and etc, and FEXTRAlife said it was basically the third area, what most do after Layurna, la-di-da. I go there and I'm not getting summoned or finding summons as much as I was when I had random summon pools activated between Godrick and Rennalla, with the exception of Commander O'Niel and to top it off. Even Gowry vanished after I helped Millicent cure her aids. Now, Blaiid is saying we have to do the Radahn Festival because Radahn is preventing Ranni from her destiny, somehow. I only even joined their gang because it was the next thing I bumped into after I got super suspect of 2 Fingers and The Retard Hold.
Oh, and I did a cave in Layurna to meet Latella, who I'm pretty sure was the boss of Carian Manor, but here her pupper was dead and she turned herself into a ghost so I could take her to Haligtree. Which by the way, fuck Gideon's sense of direction. That cave is not West of Layskar Ruins and what was Enia's problem. What was in the potion Silvanis wanted me to give to Nepheli, which I gave to Gideon since obviously Silvanus is up to save gay shit beneath Ranni's nose.

 

[Dean Pentel]

How does anyone do multiple playthroughs of this game? The first third of the game, even in the NG+ cycles, is so fucking boring. How do you all stand it?

 

[Nameless One]

How does anyone do multiple playthroughs of this game? The first third of the game, even in the NG+ cycles, is so fucking boring. How do you all stand it?

No one does. That's why we go back to DES BLOODBORNE DS1 and ds2, AC games, Sekiro, maybe eternal ring and kingsfield.

 

[Blue Miaplacidus]

How does anyone do multiple playthroughs of this game? The first third of the game, even in the NG+ cycles, is so fucking boring. How do you all stand it?

I did many playthroughs in the original. I'm in the DLC for the first time now, which I actually really enjoy. I don't mind the fragments, I haven't had much of a problem with any bosses once I've figured out their patterns. I'm playing blind, no walkthroughs, no videos, it's been enjoyable and it really feels good for doing more playthroughs as I've gotten many new weapons/items/spells, and the resources to level them, that I want to experiment with. That's been the key for multiple runs for me, trying new builds, completely different than my previous build. For example right now I'm using a bizarre dual twinblade faith build, and I swap for a dual greathammer build. I just got some sunflower colossal weapon and I'm interested in trying this out next. It looks like it scales well and I like it's ash of war special. I've also been eyeing up these light great sword twinblades from Rellana, I have a couple of ideas for a build for them. I just don't find it boring, I can rush through most of the early-mid game pretty quickly.

 

[Nameless One]

Thought I'd share a Jimmymcgee vid. here about ER's DLC. He makes some pretty high quality stuff and you liked Matthewmatosis, Jimmy's like his little brother inspired by him with the same love for vidya.

Very wishy washy and arrives to no conclusion or reasonable solutions at all compared to Matt. Fuck you for wasting my time with this contrived video essayist slop. Matt already deconstructed their boring game design in 2016.
Here is what he'd change about Bloodborne.

https://pastebin.com/uDBAynmd

 

[D.A. d. nial]

Vyke +4, Cipher +4, Finger Seal +2, No Skill on Shield and that's How of Shabiri, Crazy Lazer Eye, Boon & Flame Cleanse for incants

I tried Radahn a few times and got floored every single one. He 2 shots me with every attack. Between me, 2 summons and everyone I could find on the field barely got him to 50%. Am I under-leveled or he resistant to holy damage?

Side note, I think I cleared out everywhere I could for Sofia River and no sign of Nokron. The warps just take me back and forth across the zone and the deer led me to a boss fight where I got another ash summon I won't use. I found a waterfall and abandoned nomad merchant but no entry to Nokron. Which, I know has to be nearby because way back when I activated one of the belfries it took me there, said it was Nokron and it had the same starry cave ceiling environment + there's part of the map I just can't seem to access. Same deal with Ainsel River, I beat Dragonkin and got told no by several different waterfalls, but I can see even where there's a way down to the machine gun flower in the sky.
Bonus complaint: How can I get a one-armed waifu dying of fantasy leper-aids IRL?

 

[Secret Boots]

Bonus complaint: How can I get a one-armed waifu dying of fantasy leper-aids IRL?

Millicent Tulpa

 

[D.A. d. nial]

So how good are the gravity spells? One of my favorite takeaways from my first playthrough right now is how much weird cool shit there is that I can't use, which makes me want to make a second character just to go in a different build direction since Zalloyo is so FAI-centric. But I saw some guy shooting a massive death cannon of stars and Radahn's grav-attacks make me wonder if it's fun + all the ashes of war I'm not equipped to activate.

Also, what does Arcane actually govern? I see it's a req. for a few weapons and all the Dragon Communions. Which seem neat when phantoms and invaders use them. How is a caster in ER, actually. Because in all the past games it was extremely lame. Always running away and running out of mana. But then again, between Godrick and Radahn and a few other enemies basically being whirlwinds of pure sperg, I wonder if some enemies are basically there to give ranged players somewhere to be strong. I remember having lots of PvP fun with the shortbow in Dark Souls 2. Rolling around the Belltowers sniping people with a Lightning Short maxed out with 999 of the weakest arrows while everything else got in their face.

In fact, let me share some music vids I made way back in the day.
This is the aforementioned sniper build in action:

Another Dark Souls 2 one. If I remember right, on Day 1 on PS3/4 whatever it was there was something like a 5 minute wait to be summoned or summon others. Or something where it would consume a ton of time in loading back and forth. So that evening I spent a good hour summoning people and kicking them immediately over and over again in the first area you get the soapstone.

Edit: Does ER have any PvP Guardian Zones like in DS2/3? I really enjoyed those.

 

[YumeNoHero]

So how good are the gravity spells?

They're great for building up stagger on bosses faster, have great physical damage and scale really well with STR/INT build. In PvP though they're easy to dodge so it's not that great but if you're a competent mage player then it will still work well. Gravitational Missile is easily the best PvP spell right now.

Also, what does Arcane actually govern?

Arcane in this game governs item discovery boost (negligible), status buildup speed (provided said weapon has innate status), dragon cult incantations and Ashes of War that scales off Arcane like Blood Blade. FTH/ARC is unironically one of the best build you can get in this game as you have access to a wide variety of bleed weapons, ashes, ALL incantations if you go for 60/60 or 80/80 on both stats. The only downside is that you are really powerful in PvE but in PvP you're just a one trick pony if the invader is smart enough.

How is a caster in ER, actually.

They're fucking powerful if invested in correct stats. The only stat that affect spell casters (FTH/INT/ARC) universally is DEX and Mind, with the former affects casting speed (not much but it is noticeable) and the latter affect your total mana pool. The casting speed bonus is not much but in the heat of battle it becomes really noticeable. If you collect enough golden seeds and chalice to upgrade the flasks, you basically have enough mana to last through an entire dungeon.
Bow and crossbows are another story, but they are... fine. In PvP they are quite frustrating to play against if they're insanely good with it now that ER allows you to jump and shoot, retaining your movement while attacking, better chance at headshots and your lower body has iframe the entire jumping duration so horizontal sweeps or pokes aren't going to hit you unless it's a really big weapon.

Does ER have any PvP Guardian Zones like in DS2/3? I really enjoyed those.

The area around Main Acedemy Gate grace site in Raya Lucaria used to be the hot dueling spot where you can just put a sign down and wait to be summoned. There are still some activity in that place but most PvP players have moved to the Colosseums. Reason being that the weather is more neutral (no raining, so no reduced fire damage and increased lightning damage) and capped flasks (1 crimson and 1 cerulean for each player, defeating a player only refills the crimson flask).

 

[Rich Evans Ayypologist]

How do you all stand it?

The strategy is simple: start a new playthrough, burn out around Caelid or Altus. Leave it parked for about half a year, and when you come back, either choose to start fresh or start from the old playthrough you forgot you did.

Honestly, I don't see myself ever replaying it. There's nothing I really care to explore in the base game or the DLC that's worth the time investment.

 

[SpellforceFan]

Another fanfiction by Vaati, especially terrible after his last video where he got a writer to tell an in-game story almost 1:1, and an editor to present it as a samuai movie. Now it's back to 10% actual game lore, 90% of his usual "I think"/"It can be said"/"probably" and slowed down game footage.

 

[D.A. d. nial]

Another fanfiction by Vaati, especially terrible after his last video where he got a writer to tell an in-game story almost 1:1, and an editor to present it as a samuai movie. Now it's back to 10% actual game lore, 90% of his usual "I think"/"It can be said"/"probably" and slowed down game footage.

Dark Souls basically debunks any of the old "gaming increases your reflexes and makes you smarter" memes by outing 95% of players as being drooling retards who don't pay attention and can't read. I've only found certain swathes of the games to be hard, and none of the story to be particularly deep or complicated. Even Elden Ring's "Difficulty & Depth" is clearly a function of intermittent Stat Walls & "Industrial Standard High Fantasy Skitzobabble".

This is literally the lore of Elden Ring:

Great Lord Ziploc of the Slip-slop went to the archaeic eldritch ancient old interior of the Flip-Flop, birthing place of Tip-Top to Skip-Skop, where the Ooh Eee Ooh Ah Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang. Thus, thoust, thine great grand doctorate of witchenkindred doth statenheimer: "OOH EEE OOH AH AH TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG". And the Dragons were no more.

If this game wasn't so much fun to play, it'd have nauseated me to extincton.

 

[TJT]

I don't sperg out on it but the lore architecture is decent enough in all of the Souls games.

Dark Souls is (well I choose to believe this) the player being thrust into a world where death is not allowed for him. He must be the catalyst to move into the new Age or it will never happen.

Its a subversion of the monomyth. I like the fan theory that all of the zombies and shit you run into are other people thrust into it but they all went skitzo because they couldn't die and were forced to deal with horrors constantly as well as brutal death over and over just being reborn each time. Driving them insane.

Elden Ring is more background but you don't need to get too far into it. The Lands Between has been around a long time. Or some shit. In the ancient past the dragons rule the place but an Eldritch Abomination descended upon the world in the form of the Greater Will. It wants to do who knows what but this manifested with the planting of the Erd Tree to establish its Order upon the world. Killing off and warping all the things that already lived there.

This leads to the founding of the pantheon of Marika and friends as the Greater Will makes the Empyrean race into the leaders of its order. The betrayal happens and fucks up the Greater Will's order a lot and shatters the Elden Ring.

Many centuries or millennia later the Greater Will seeks to mend the Elden Ring so it summons the Tarnished from across the Cosmos to be it's champion. Tasked with restoring the Elden Ring and taking the place of Marika so it can continue doing whatever it was doing.

However, there are other Eldritch Abominations and mischief makers who also want to make use of this situation and the Greater Will didn't take that into account or didn't care... or something.

That's really all you need to know about it.

 

[D.A. d. nial]

the fan theory that all of the zombies and shit you run into are other people thrust into it but they all went skitzo

It's less of a fan theory and more ludonarrative in DS1. All the Hollows are Undead who have given up, and going "Hollow" is a real threat and happens or can happen to several NPCs whenever they get stuck trying to achieve their goal, or complete it and are left with no further reason to exist. Basically, all the Hollows Undead you encounter are, in fact, formerly Chosen Undead like the player and representitive of what happens when you get stuck or give up, since not being able to die in-setting means in-game you can't actually lose. None of these games have Game Overs. You can argue about some endings being bad endings, but there are no actual Fail States. I'm pretty sure this was intentional by Miyazaki/From.

The larger implications is that post-endings where your character isn't sacrificed or otherwise used, you're still either doomed to hollow out or your character is truly "chosen" not because of divine say-so but because you're so self-motivated or were already crazy enough to persist without purpose. The true meta-narrative of the souls series is that a real hero is always a violent psychopath who loves playing dress-up. Everything else is, as Aldia says: "A lie. No matter how tender or exquisite - A lie remains a lie. Knowing this, do you still desire peace?" That every facet of existence, every notion of purpose or meaning, is ultimately pure fiction - nothing but a coping mechanism.

The only thing that's really real is murder and cute outfits.

 

[Tepes Thot]

I like the fan theory that all of the zombies and shit you run into are other people thrust into it but they all went skitzo because they couldn't die and were forced to deal with horrors constantly as well as brutal death over and over just being reborn each time. Driving them insane.

Wait, how is this a fan theory? It’s canon that you go hollow (zombie) when you lose your purpose or will. We see it with several NPCs across the series, most famously Lucatiel who openly feared it.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Another fanfiction by Vaati, especially terrible after his last video where he got a writer to tell an in-game story almost 1:1, and an editor to present it as a samuai movie. Now it's back to 10% actual game lore, 90% of his usual "I think"/"It can be said"/"probably" and slowed down game footage.

It's pretty fucking awful. I liked where he goes "what made the manor into Frenzy town?" as if it's not blindingly obvious it was the woman. Because DS2 was built entirely on that trope. It's 50 minutes about how the entire area is containment zone for Frenzy, which is fucking obvious when you reach it and even your horse dumps you

Dark Souls basically debunks any of the old "gaming increases your reflexes and makes you smarter" memes by outing 95% of players as being drooling retards who don't pay attention and can't read. I've only found certain swathes of the games to be hard, and none of the story to be particularly deep or complicated. Even Elden Ring's "Difficulty & Depth" is clearly a function of intermittent Stat Walls & "Industrial Standard High Fantasy Skitzobabble".

This is literally the lore of Elden Ring:

Great Lord Ziploc of the Slip-slop went to the archaeic eldritch ancient old interior of the Flip-Flop, birthing place of Tip-Top to Skip-Skop, where the Ooh Eee Ooh Ah Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang. Thus, thoust, thine great grand doctorate of witchenkindred doth statenheimer: "OOH EEE OOH AH AH TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG". And the Dragons were no more.

If this game wasn't so much fun to play, it'd have nauseated me to extincton.

Tbf, that's more millennials ans zoomers having a weird complexity fetish. Everything needs its DEEP LORE because how else would you know that a media is deep?

 

[D.A. d. nial]

Tbf, that's more millennials ans zoomers having a weird complexity fetish. Everything needs its DEEP LORE because how else would you know that a media is deep?

Hey, it's not as bad as dealing with Boomer Historians and the Civil War/WW2 Nerds. The Mil/Zoomers at least know their fixation is fiction.

 

[Edgy But Dull]

Dark Souls basically debunks any of the old "gaming increases your reflexes and makes you smarter" memes by outing 95% of players as being drooling retards who don't pay attention and can't read. I've only found certain swathes of the games to be hard, and none of the story to be particularly deep or complicated. Even Elden Ring's "Difficulty & Depth" is clearly a function of intermittent Stat Walls & "Industrial Standard High Fantasy Skitzobabble".

I hardly played any of the older Fromsoft games but Elden Ring genuinely impressed me by how retarded a lot of gamers are at problem solving and metagaming. It feels like the franchise has attracted too many "action game" players instead of "strategy/rpg game" players while much of the difficulty comes from not engaging with the RPG side of the game. Too much of the community has focused on the "bash your head against a wall for a dozen hours to eventually beat the boss" instead of adapting gear and tactics for a specific boss. I'm not even advocating for using spirit summons, I'm just saying that retards haven't figured out if a boss has -20 holy negation but +20 negation to your weapon's damage, then holy damage will do 50% more damage to the boss and they should consider swapping to a weapon with holy damage or changing the affinity of the weapon.