Elden Ring - From Software + George RR Martin

Grizzlebeard

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Just over 900 hours in this now and I discovered a new area today. Never took the Abductor Virgin route to Volcano Manor before so first time doing the double Virgin fight. This game continues to deliver.
 
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Rajaah

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Finished the Souls 2 replay, took as long as Demon and Dark combined (so like 18 hours). Really good game, think people underrate it. The Scholar of the First Sin version has really nice framerate and light effects and the DLCs are basically their own game. I did the Ivory King DLC to see what the 6th Archstone in Demon Souls would have been like. Ran around a bit in the other two and called it a day.

Now I just need to do a quick Bloodborne run and an ER replay before the DLC is out. Gotta say I was apprehensive about doing all of this, but it's worth it. None of these games are particularly time-intensive on a replay, and I don't think they're ever a waste of time.

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Anyone who hasn't played Dark Souls 2 in a while, or didn't play the Scholar version, I'd recommend checking it out again before the ER DLC. It's probably ER's closest cousin in the rest of the From catalog.
 
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Yaamean

Molten Core Raider
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Finished the Souls 2 replay, took as long as Demon and Dark combined (so like 18 hours). Really good game, think people underrate it. The Scholar of the First Sin version has really nice framerate and light effects and the DLCs are basically their own game. I did the Ivory King DLC to see what the 6th Archstone in Demon Souls would have been like. Ran around a bit in the other two and called it a day.

Now I just need to do a quick Bloodborne run and an ER replay before the DLC is out. Gotta say I was apprehensive about doing all of this, but it's worth it. None of these games are particularly time-intensive on a replay, and I don't think they're ever a waste of time.

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Anyone who hasn't played Dark Souls 2 in a while, or didn't play the Scholar version, I'd recommend checking it out again before the ER DLC. It's probably ER's closest cousin in the rest of the From catalog.
I always liked DS2, just such a huge sense of size compared to the first game, some of the bosses were a letdown but there were enough decent ones that I really enjoyed it.

Looking at your images I may have to replay it on PC at some point.
 
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Rajaah

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You can really see the Demon Souls level design style in the frozen castle DLC. Has long hallways/bridges and switches that change the entire level layout so you can go back and find new things. Definitely feels like a Demon Souls level.

I always liked DS2, just such a huge sense of size compared to the first game, some of the bosses were a letdown but there were enough decent ones that I really enjoyed it.

Looking at your images I may have to replay it on PC at some point.

Yeah, DS2 has a sense of being a huge world. You can see Drangleic Castle from the very beginning if you look off in the distance. DS2 has more "giant knight" bosses and enemies than any other From game, and kinda earned the Souls series' rep for giant knight bosses, but it also has some damn good fights like Sir Alonne.

I played it on PS4 and it punches above its weight on that system already, very good-looking game. Also liked the story the most out of the whole series, the giant war and the manipulative queen subverting everything (and the world of the game being the end result of that ruin) are pretty compelling tales.
 

Yaamean

Molten Core Raider
800
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You can really see the Demon Souls level design style in the frozen castle DLC. Has long hallways/bridges and switches that change the entire level layout so you can go back and find new things. Definitely feels like a Demon Souls level.



Yeah, DS2 has a sense of being a huge world. You can see Drangleic Castle from the very beginning if you look off in the distance. DS2 has more "giant knight" bosses and enemies than any other From game, and kinda earned the Souls series' rep for giant knight bosses, but it also has some damn good fights like Sir Alonne.

I played it on PS4 and it punches above its weight on that system already, very good-looking game. Also liked the story the most out of the whole series, the giant war and the manipulative queen subverting everything (and the world of the game being the end result of that ruin) are pretty compelling tales.
Actually gives me an old kinds field vibe more than even Demon Souls did, not too many ppl ever even played those I dont think.
 

Araxen

Golden Baronet of the Realm
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DS2 is the best souls game by far. There is so much build variety even for PVP.
 
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Pemulis

Not Woke
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I definitely put more hours into dark souls 2 than any of the others. The pvp actually had good rewards, and some of the best items required multiple playthroughs to get (dark moon greatsword was one if I recall correctly)
 
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Rajaah

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Rajaah Rajaah Get that shit game out of the Elden Ring thread

Game isn't shit, that's my whole point. People remember it as being a lot worse than it actually is. I know I did. Had it down as my least-favorite From game (really, the only one I didn't like) but going back to it now I was surprised at how good it actually is and how many things it has in common with Elden Ring.

The only real problem with it is the AGI stat, but this time around instead of that being a chore to deal with, I just maxed it (well, got it to where it's slightly better than normal Souls rolls) before I did anything else, with the early levels that fly by. 31 in the stat is all you need for the rolls to be at least as good as the rest of the series. Getting AGI to 31 before I did anything else (besides upping a couple stats a bit to wield certain items) made a huge difference in the gameplay and made it a much better game in general. If they'd left AGI out entirely and just started you with 31 level rolls people would remember the game a lot more fondly.

Also really dug the lore, some of the most interesting lore this side of ER and the game doesn't spoon-feed it to you.
 

Heian

Molten Core Raider
707
452
Finished the Souls 2 replay, took as long as Demon and Dark combined (so like 18 hours). Really good game, think people underrate it. The Scholar of the First Sin version has really nice framerate and light effects and the DLCs are basically their own game. I did the Ivory King DLC to see what the 6th Archstone in Demon Souls would have been like. Ran around a bit in the other two and called it a day.

Now I just need to do a quick Bloodborne run and an ER replay before the DLC is out. Gotta say I was apprehensive about doing all of this, but it's worth it. None of these games are particularly time-intensive on a replay, and I don't think they're ever a waste of time.

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Anyone who hasn't played Dark Souls 2 in a while, or didn't play the Scholar version, I'd recommend checking it out again before the ER DLC. It's probably ER's closest cousin in the rest of the From catalog.


I always thought that DS 2 had the best weapon variety and balance. It was the best IMO at PVP. Main game was meh but the DLC were amazing. I haven't tried the Scholar of the first Sin expansion since I played so much of the main game.
 
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Nirgon

YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE
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I always thought that DS 2 had the best weapon variety and balance. It was the best IMO at PVP. Main game was meh but the DLC were amazing. I haven't tried the Scholar of the first Sin expansion since I played so much of the main game.

Fire snake was way better in DS2

It was later turned into one of those gay little black snake 4th of July things in states that don't allow real fire works.
 

Bloodrocuted

Trakanon Raider
193
211
Finished the no summons run, Malenia is indeed a whore of the highest magnitude. Now I'm going to work on 100%ing the game achievements. I stumbled upon one of those dungeon pointers in Caelid near the church of the plague:
pointing into Radahn's arena...searched the edge and found a cave I'd never been in that was one of the wilder dungeons that doesn't even show up on most maps online...and back in the day I went up to NG +7 or so
Finishing that got me the all ashes achievement. This game is so fucking good.
 
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Nirgon

YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE
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More on point I loved these games but my toxic brain has told me they can be reduced to "learn the roll timings simulator", idk bout the DLC tbh didn't see anything that grabbed me.

The other thing was there are so many art of war changes. Like did some of you know storm assault is now a guaranteed 2 hit combo if you hit them with the first gust? Read that royal knight resolve got nerfed so I tried that and, lol wtf it's too good.
 
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Hatorade

A nice asshole.
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More on point I loved these games but my toxic brain has told me they can be reduced to "learn the roll timings simulator", idk bout the DLC tbh didn't see anything that grabbed me.

The other thing was there are so many art of war changes. Like did some of you know storm assault is now a guaranteed 2 hit combo if you hit them with the first gust? Read that royal knight resolve got nerfed so I tried that and, lol wtf it's too good.
Ram roll into greatsword poke is also a true combo.
 
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Rajaah

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Another one down in the Souls Speedrun, just have an ER replay left now which I'll prolly do in June. Thanks to the COVID I've had for 9 days I was able to plow Bloodborne already. Finished this one in 13 hours, similar number to the others. Str build for the first time ever. Only boss that really gave me grief was Shadows of Yharnam for some reason. I've got no trouble saying that Bloodborne is the best game in the Soulsborne series...besides ER and Sekiro, which are both potentially better in their own ways. I'd rather be stuck on a desert island with ER than BB. ER has way more to do. Sekiro has better combat. However from a pure "quality Soulsborne experience" perspective I'm not sure you can do better than Bloodborne.

Doing Str builds (in all of them except Souls 2) has been like playing a new series, since I never did that before. Feels more like I'm playing them "as intended" and it's pretty cool. Now all that's left is an ER replay (gonna do another Str build there) to prepare for the DLC, but I'm gonna hold off on that one until closer to the actual DLC's launch.

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For my money, Cainhurst is one of the best zones Fromsoft has ever devised.

I always thought that DS 2 had the best weapon variety and balance. It was the best IMO at PVP. Main game was meh but the DLC were amazing. I haven't tried the Scholar of the first Sin expansion since I played so much of the main game.

Scholar just ups the resolution to at least 60 FPS, improves the visuals a LOT, and adds a new final boss. It's easily the "definitive version" but nothing super groundbreaking if one already played all the DLCs.