- Joined
- May 1, 2015
I recently finished my first level 1 playthrough. My main weapon was the meteoric ore blade (you have just enough stats to use it at level 1 with the +5 int talisman, Rennala's crown, and Radagon's Soreseal). Other elements of the build are the ritual shield talisman and dragon greatshield talisman (mandatory for not getting 1-shot by late game foes at level 1) and a buckler with golden parry. Here were the 5 hardest bosses for me, ranked:
5) Radagon / Elden Beast: He probably deserves to be higher on this list but after everything before him, there was nothing in his moveset I couldn't handle. Despite needing 3 parries for a crit, golden parry was still the way to go just because it invalidates so much of his moveset. It helps that I got extremely lucky by beating the Elden Beast on my second try.
4) Godfrey / Hoarah Loux: The first phase wasn't too difficult; very telegraphed moves that aren't lethal even at level 1. The real issue is phase 2, where his grabs are guaranteed instakills, and if anything else hits you then healing back is a bitch as his aggression is nonstop. Having to get through the first phase to fight the second again is also a chore.
3) Gurranq / Maliketh: A fight where both phases are nightmares. The first phase is tough and aggressive, with his double-slash attacks being ultra lethal at level 1. The first phase is all about positioning, baiting, and timing your jump attacks just right. But the real nightmare is phase 2. A huge portion of his moves are instakills at level 1, and if he doesn't kill you, the DoT effect will force 2 flask uses (you have to drink immediately so the DoT doesn't kill you, then drink again when it's over because you rely on being at full health to not get one-shot). If your positioning is even slightly off, he'll wreck you with an instakill AoE flurry. Did I mention the 30 seconds of running up stairs every time you die?
2) Mohg: This is the fight where being at level 1 matters the most, being probably the biggest gap in difficulty between my previous playthroughs and this one. The reason: once phase 2 starts, you're simply not allowed to get hit. Layering the crab buff and defensive talismans was no use, every single one of his attacks one-shot me, even the unassuming blood-throw attack. I've heard that blood loss makes him stronger, but even switching to a non-bleed weapon didn't save me, and I soon went back to the katana.
This fight came down to optimizing the first phase, attacking him as much as possible during the guaranteed countdown moves and nihil attack, to minimize his health during phase 2. The one saving grace is that his moveset doesn't change much (and the new moves are pretty easy) so replaying the first phase over and over at least provided transferable skills for the second.
1) Malenia: Did you expect anyone else? What a massive bitch, having one move that makes the fight 10 times harder than if she didn't have it. Every one of her other attacks is fine: either a slow attack that gives easy punish (and stance break) opportunities, or a fast attack that's still easily parried on reaction. She heals on each hit against you, but that's not an issue when you're most likely dead afterward. It's actually a fun fight when you get into the rhythm.
At least, until the waterfowl dance comes out. One bitch of an attack that is a death sentence if you don't dodge it perfectly. You could be doing great, then she leaps into the air and you're screwed. If you aren't already at a distance from her, you won't have enough time to run away, and dodging it up close requires such precise movement (quickly circling around her to juke her into moving away from you at first, giving you just enough time to iframe the rest of the flurry) that it feels like the devs actually wanted it to be unavoidable. And yes I know you can cancel the attack with a freeze pot but autists like me hate the smell of cheese.
Phase 2 is actually the easier of the two, but you need to get through the first phase to practice it. She gets a lot more punishable attacks, where she slowly rises and comes back down, though she maintains the ability to pull the waterfowl dance out of nowhere and ruin your day. She gets one really nasty new move in this phase (the illusion attack), and yes, it's an instakill at level 1. After dying to it just once I looked up how you're supposed to dodge it (2 back rolls, 2 front rolls, 2 left rolls) and felt zero guilt for doing so.
4) Godfrey / Hoarah Loux: The first phase wasn't too difficult; very telegraphed moves that aren't lethal even at level 1. The real issue is phase 2, where his grabs are guaranteed instakills, and if anything else hits you then healing back is a bitch as his aggression is nonstop. Having to get through the first phase to fight the second again is also a chore.
3) Gurranq / Maliketh: A fight where both phases are nightmares. The first phase is tough and aggressive, with his double-slash attacks being ultra lethal at level 1. The first phase is all about positioning, baiting, and timing your jump attacks just right. But the real nightmare is phase 2. A huge portion of his moves are instakills at level 1, and if he doesn't kill you, the DoT effect will force 2 flask uses (you have to drink immediately so the DoT doesn't kill you, then drink again when it's over because you rely on being at full health to not get one-shot). If your positioning is even slightly off, he'll wreck you with an instakill AoE flurry. Did I mention the 30 seconds of running up stairs every time you die?
2) Mohg: This is the fight where being at level 1 matters the most, being probably the biggest gap in difficulty between my previous playthroughs and this one. The reason: once phase 2 starts, you're simply not allowed to get hit. Layering the crab buff and defensive talismans was no use, every single one of his attacks one-shot me, even the unassuming blood-throw attack. I've heard that blood loss makes him stronger, but even switching to a non-bleed weapon didn't save me, and I soon went back to the katana.
This fight came down to optimizing the first phase, attacking him as much as possible during the guaranteed countdown moves and nihil attack, to minimize his health during phase 2. The one saving grace is that his moveset doesn't change much (and the new moves are pretty easy) so replaying the first phase over and over at least provided transferable skills for the second.
1) Malenia: Did you expect anyone else? What a massive bitch, having one move that makes the fight 10 times harder than if she didn't have it. Every one of her other attacks is fine: either a slow attack that gives easy punish (and stance break) opportunities, or a fast attack that's still easily parried on reaction. She heals on each hit against you, but that's not an issue when you're most likely dead afterward. It's actually a fun fight when you get into the rhythm.
At least, until the waterfowl dance comes out. One bitch of an attack that is a death sentence if you don't dodge it perfectly. You could be doing great, then she leaps into the air and you're screwed. If you aren't already at a distance from her, you won't have enough time to run away, and dodging it up close requires such precise movement (quickly circling around her to juke her into moving away from you at first, giving you just enough time to iframe the rest of the flurry) that it feels like the devs actually wanted it to be unavoidable. And yes I know you can cancel the attack with a freeze pot but autists like me hate the smell of cheese.
Phase 2 is actually the easier of the two, but you need to get through the first phase to practice it. She gets a lot more punishable attacks, where she slowly rises and comes back down, though she maintains the ability to pull the waterfowl dance out of nowhere and ruin your day. She gets one really nasty new move in this phase (the illusion attack), and yes, it's an instakill at level 1. After dying to it just once I looked up how you're supposed to dodge it (2 back rolls, 2 front rolls, 2 left rolls) and felt zero guilt for doing so.
