Elden Ring - From Software + George RR Martin

Phazael

Phazael

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Rajaah said:
Tarnished Archaeologist is a freaking awesome youtube channel. Only watched like two of his videos because they're so good that they're actually sort of exhausting, and just make you want to start another playthrough of the game.

And yeah, the game does take an archaeology-like approach to its world building. They took the "music box kid who tells you about Gascoigne" storyline and made like 100 of that for ER, things that are easy to miss where the world tells a little storyline.

Cleared a bunch of side-dungeons, trying to find mines and catacombs so I can upgrade weapons and Mimic Tear (which is +5 and probably about the strength it should be at +10, good but not OP).

View attachment 582532
Pretty cool to finally be using buffs in this game. Next major fights I have are (still) Morgott and now Mohg 2.0 (beat the sewer one). Not sure if I want to go after Mountaintop/Farum/Haligtree or start doing stuff in the DLC (I'd probably get roflstomped at level 85). Pretty much at the mercy of upgrade materials. Maybe I should just do the rest of the underworld, remember that being full of mats.
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Levels are less impactful than Scadoosh shards in the DLC, but its doable at 80 to 100 with a build you play well. Morgott is clown shoes easy with the Gransax. Mohg is a bit more tricky even with mimic. Assuming you are not delaying it to get Poopman, Rannis questline is probably the best way to get all the glowwart needed to max out the mimic rapidly. If you have beaten Rykard and Radahn, you should have all the shards needed to max at least one weapon once you get close to Mogh 2.0's fog wall. Make sure to do the crab area near the crypt to get the Mogh Shackle and slot the flask for countering Mogh's phase two starter attack and he becomes a lot easier. Poop Man summon makes him barely a challenge, if you got that one. But if not, remember to put the poison flesh on your hotkey items so the Mimic will heal itself periodically. And you will want to put off DLC for last so that you have all the shard bells in the DLC for messing around with those weapons. Maybe knock it out before starting the Capital of Ash, though admitedly Houra Loux's earth shaker is a ton of fun in the DLC for some of the more bullshit hyper agro mobs.
 
Rajaah

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Phazael said:
Any sort of chargable weapon art is going to benefit tremendously from the talisman dropped by the Gaol version of Godfrey. Next to Alexandar's Jar Shard it is probably the most ubiquitous talisman in the entire game and obtainable fairly early. The other talismans are largely going to depend on your kit and playstyle. I am partial to the Turtle talisman and Pierce Counter talisman with that weapon, maybe putting the XP one in slot four once you get it. But I generally use those last two slots either for the various Erd Tree talismans or for elemental defense talismans for specific fights. And Talismans, there is a Dex scaling one mid game I believe, but the simplest option for buffing is probably the Arcane talisman found in the very first dungeon, if you have the stats, since it weights nothing. If all you intent to do is buff, just grab the lightest one you can slot. If you want to occasionally cast (and the late game AE lighting is pretty clutch for melting big dragons), get the lightning incant talisman for sure.

As far as the spear weapon art, don't overlook Dex as it really ramps up the lightning damage way more than faith. The range is pretty good and will tempt you to just faceroll the weapon art all game, but the weapon itself is actually pretty decent in melee as well. And while you are waiting to get it, the Tree Spears dropped by the poison dudes in Caelid or the big spear with built in Golden Vow are great early stand ins for it. A lot of armored hall trash goes down to the classic block and counter poke with this weapon. You can truck through an entire playthrough on this weapon, DLC included almost as easily as a DMGS build will.

But Blasphemous is still the king of easy runs, even after all the nerfs. Combine the MP on kill talisman with this thing and you literally need almost nothing else. Its solid for most bosses and amazing on trash with the drain on kill effects. Even if you are not swinging it, simply off handing it on your back while two handing your main weapon is pretty good for the passive effect. Beyond that there are a million guides on how to be Blasphemous Billie out there and defeating Rykard early is not tough if you are any good. Same deal with Great Stars, really. If you ever want to try the Unga Bunga plus Sorcery variation, the Ruins Greatsword is pretty amazing and similar in its weapon art mechanics.
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There's an "MP on kill" talisman? Goddamn!

I tried Gransax and Blasphemous out and both seem to have super-OP L2 moves, but I run out of MP very quickly. An MP on kill talisman would probably fix that (at least on regular foes), since both kill things fast. Looks to me like Gransax has a longer range and does more damage, while Blasphemous can do AOE damage and heal.

In other news, saw this:

1744803375424.png

And I think they're onto something. Was saying the other day how the game directs you towards Margit and you're more or less supposed to lose and then go south to get more powerful (something the Tree Sentinel was supposed to teach you already). However, seeing how many new players beat their heads on Margit (or even dumber, the Tree Sentinel) and then quit because it's "too hard", I'm starting to think a huge part of why people don't get very far with ER is simply because they go north instead of south.
 
Bald Brah

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Sword of Milos from poop-man is what you want to pair with the Blasphemous Blade. It gives MP on kills too, frees up the talisman slot and also does great dual wield jump dmg.
 
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Noodleface

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Rajaah said:
There's an "MP on kill" talisman? Goddamn!

I tried Gransax and Blasphemous out and both seem to have super-OP L2 moves, but I run out of MP very quickly. An MP on kill talisman would probably fix that (at least on regular foes), since both kill things fast. Looks to me like Gransax has a longer range and does more damage, while Blasphemous can do AOE damage and heal.

In other news, saw this:

View attachment 582537
And I think they're onto something. Was saying the other day how the game directs you towards Margit and you're more or less supposed to lose and then go south to get more powerful (something the Tree Sentinel was supposed to teach you already). However, seeing how many new players beat their heads on Margit (or even dumber, the Tree Sentinel) and then quit because it's "too hard", I'm starting to think a huge part of why people don't get very far with ER is simply because they go north instead of south.
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My wife did the entire peninsula and zone before finding Margit and she two shot him, so there's definitely a point to what's being said. She didn't even do it intentionally and I didn't spoiler anything for her.

She made me look like a bitch when she did it.
 
Kirun

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On my first playthrough I definitely beat my head against a fucking wall on Margit, until I finally killed him. I was about halfway through Stormveil, mostly getting my ass kicked, when I had the thought of, "Maybe I should go explore that other little spot off Limgrave...".
 
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Phazael

Phazael

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On any fresh playthrough, I nearly always clear out weeping for most of the stuff there. This is especially true for the frenzy and lightning items, plus there are two seeds there to boost Estus. And honestly if you have the stats, the castle boss weapon is pretty damn solid for a while. Of course I also tip toe to the sleepy dragon in Caelid with whatever bleed weapon I can slot and claim that big XP boost, but for new players simply brooming Weeping is enough to get them over the hump with Margit.
 
Bald Brah

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Phazael said:
Of course I also tip toe to the sleepy dragon in Caelid with whatever bleed weapon I can slot and claim that big XP boost, but for new players simply brooming Weeping is enough to get them over the hump with Margit.
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You can also YOLO radagons soreseal while you are there.
 
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Bald Brah said:
The omen king you actually fight three times. He appears outside the capitol causeway as well.

His appearances make sense because he is running that part of the world and trying to slow you down on your way to Leyendell where you finally defeat him. There is a lot of building up to his final fight and final form. But he is always a physical opponent and has a good reason to exist where he does in the game.

Godfrey the Golden is a strange fight. Why does he appear where he does. Why is he a ghost if he is still alive later. I was shocked you have to fight the real hero later on AFTER fighting his ghost.

Unless after burning the erdtree you aren't in the lands between any more and are in some sort of afterlife heaven area? That whole sequence is strange and doesn't really fit with how any of the other major bosses work.

Edit

After reading a bit more lore it seems it's not a ghost of horah loux at all. It's another of Morgott's projections to slow you down from getting to him. He conjures a projection of his father to keep you out of the throne room. The real horah loux hasn't actually returned yet. The reason he's a shade and not a more realistic projection is because he never knew his dad lol.

Someone even said if you skip the Margit and Causeway fights the Godfrey shade won't even aggro on you. FromSoft is fucking clever.
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It's crazy how interesting a lot of the lore/boss set ups are in FROM games and I genuinely never know wtf is going one, why I'm fighting etc. My only real criticism from an otherwise perfect game - Some people like the bread crumbs, and reading all the bullshit spread out over the world. I'd rather have it spelled out to me like a sperg. That Horah Loux lore is literally the first time I've even thought about the why, etc.
 
Rajaah

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Anyone know if the War-Dead Catacombs AFK EXP method still works? Supposedly you can stand there and just get AFK EXP from the enemies fighting each other, reviving, etc, for a couple hours and then have to reset it.

It doesn't seem to work for me (I run down and trigger the first room of mobs to fight each other, then run back up near the Grace and stand there, where I get around 6,000 EXP over 30 seconds or so and then nothing else).

I can't say if it was nerfed, because I never got it to work. Even on the very first playthrough of the game, I recognized right away that it might be a good EXP 'sploit and tried to set it up to farm, and couldn't get it to work. Same deal as now, I'd just get 6000 or so EXP and then it'd stop.

It's still pretty good and a little less tedious than Lenne's Rise boulder, but it would be cool if it were actually a temporary AFK farm. Could get some levels out of the way while I finish RL stuff the next couple days, before I head to Mountaintops and/or DLC.
 
Chanur

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Rajaah said:
There's an "MP on kill" talisman? Goddamn!

I tried Gransax and Blasphemous out and both seem to have super-OP L2 moves, but I run out of MP very quickly. An MP on kill talisman would probably fix that (at least on regular foes), since both kill things fast. Looks to me like Gransax has a longer range and does more damage, while Blasphemous can do AOE damage and heal.

In other news, saw this:

View attachment 582537
And I think they're onto something. Was saying the other day how the game directs you towards Margit and you're more or less supposed to lose and then go south to get more powerful (something the Tree Sentinel was supposed to teach you already). However, seeing how many new players beat their heads on Margit (or even dumber, the Tree Sentinel) and then quit because it's "too hard", I'm starting to think a huge part of why people don't get very far with ER is simply because they go north instead of south.
Click to expand...
There's an axe that gives mp back as well as long as you have it equipped.
 
Rajaah

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Bandit Curved Sword looks pretty solid for Blood weapons. I think I ran something similar to this in Dark Souls 3.

Getting a little tired of the big slow Heavy Great Stars and leaning more towards something like this now (too bad I burned most of my mats on the double GSes getting them to +21, lul)

Is bleed viable for the DLC, given the nerfs? Should I just stick with what I'm doing since it seems to be working? Everything I'm doing should be with the end goal of finally downing Bayle and Radahn (much like my next Souls 3 run is going to be purely geared towards beating Midir and Gael).

Still have Blasphemous in the "break glass in case of emergency" file since Taker's Flame is OP, though I'd rather use other weapons in the meantime.
 
Ambiturner

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Rajaah said:


Bandit Curved Sword looks pretty solid for Blood weapons. I think I ran something similar to this in Dark Souls 3.

Getting a little tired of the big slow Heavy Great Stars and leaning more towards something like this now (too bad I burned most of my mats on the double GSes getting them to +21, lul)

Is bleed viable for the DLC, given the nerfs? Should I just stick with what I'm doing since it seems to be working? Everything I'm doing should be with the end goal of finally downing Bayle and Radahn (much like my next Souls 3 run is going to be purely geared towards beating Midir and Gael).

Still have Blasphemous in the "break glass in case of emergency" file since Taker's Flame is OP, though I'd rather use other weapons in the meantime.
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Neither are great for Bayle or Radahn. For Bayle you get a dragon katana that's pretty much custom made for beating him. Bleeding does work better on Radahn, but greatshield+sword lance is easy mode
 
Rajaah

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Ambiturner said:
Neither are great for Bayle or Radahn. For Bayle you get a dragon katana that's pretty much custom made for beating him. Bleeding does work better on Radahn, but greatshield+sword lance is easy mode
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Oh, Bayle is one of those special weapon fights? No wonder I got crushed by him so badly. All I remember is doing chip damage, and getting murdered in the doorway if I tried to summon a mimic or anything.

19647bac4bf80-screenshotUrl.jpg

How important is Arcane to a bleed build? Switching over from Str GSes to Blood BCSes. Went from +21ish to +13 which is a bit of a hit, but I think I'm still a little ahead. Much quicker strikes with these which is nice and the blood buildup is FAST. Their scaling, at least at +13, is Str D, Arc D, Dex C, so I went heavy on Dex (doesn't that also make you drink Estus faster or somesuch?)

Not sure whether to prioritize Str or Arc next since Dex is at a bit of a softcap now. Probably Arc, I would think. Should get Vigor to 60 in the meantime so it hits the second softcap.
 
Ambiturner

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Rajaah said:
Oh, Bayle is one of those special weapon fights? No wonder I got crushed by him so badly. All I remember is doing chip damage, and getting murdered in the doorway if I tried to summon a mimic or anything.

View attachment 582813
How important is Arcane to a bleed build? Switching over from Str GSes to Blood BCSes. Went from +21ish to +13 which is a bit of a hit, but I think I'm still a little ahead. Much quicker strikes with these which is nice and the blood buildup is FAST. Their scaling, at least at +13, is Str D, Arc D, Dex C, so I went heavy on Dex (doesn't that also make you drink Estus faster or somesuch?)

Not sure whether to prioritize Str or Arc next since Dex is at a bit of a softcap now. Probably Arc, I would think. Should get Vigor to 60 in the meantime so it hits the second softcap.
Click to expand...

Not a gimmick boss, you just happen to get a katana on the way to him that does extra damage to dragons and has a ranged aow that's great for headshots.

The flask things was just in Dark Souls 2 and adaptability
 
Phazael

Phazael

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Rajaah said:
Anyone know if the War-Dead Catacombs AFK EXP method still works? Supposedly you can stand there and just get AFK EXP from the enemies fighting each other, reviving, etc, for a couple hours and then have to reset it.

It doesn't seem to work for me (I run down and trigger the first room of mobs to fight each other, then run back up near the Grace and stand there, where I get around 6,000 EXP over 30 seconds or so and then nothing else).

I can't say if it was nerfed, because I never got it to work. Even on the very first playthrough of the game, I recognized right away that it might be a good EXP 'sploit and tried to set it up to farm, and couldn't get it to work. Same deal as now, I'd just get 6000 or so EXP and then it'd stop.

It's still pretty good and a little less tedious than Lenne's Rise boulder, but it would be cool if it were actually a temporary AFK farm. Could get some levels out of the way while I finish RL stuff the next couple days, before I head to Mountaintops and/or DLC.
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It work, but the amount gained is so pathetic by that point you are better off just doing the Bird Farm for a half hour or farming the hill down from the Bird Camp (Blasphemous, Ruins Sword, and Heima Cannon all clear it stupidly fast and can all be nabbed somewhat early on). But to your point, I think they turned off the infinite respawn on those guys at some point, But even then it was pathetic XP gain. By the time you can beat Radahn to make it an option, you get faster XP just playing the damn game.
 
Phazael

Phazael

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Rajaah said:
Oh, Bayle is one of those special weapon fights? No wonder I got crushed by him so badly. All I remember is doing chip damage, and getting murdered in the doorway if I tried to summon a mimic or anything.


How important is Arcane to a bleed build? Switching over from Str GSes to Blood BCSes. Went from +21ish to +13 which is a bit of a hit, but I think I'm still a little ahead. Much quicker strikes with these which is nice and the blood buildup is FAST. Their scaling, at least at +13, is Str D, Arc D, Dex C, so I went heavy on Dex (doesn't that also make you drink Estus faster or somesuch?)

Not sure whether to prioritize Str or Arc next since Dex is at a bit of a softcap now. Probably Arc, I would think. Should get Vigor to 60 in the meantime so it hits the second softcap.
Click to expand...

Bayle is hard if you don't understand the fight and know how to read his AE attacks. You also want to have at least 12 (more like 16) Scadooshes in the fight. Unlike most bosses in this expansion, he is not a DPS fest and gives you major windows to recover if you get tagged. The spear you are rocking will fuck him up pretty good as will specific lightning spells and the aforementioned katana. If you use ashes of war, Poop Man, Nefirir Loux, the golem summon, or mimic all work well. And calling in the cripple will distract him periodically for you to get major openings. Only major trick to the fight is to not get caught by his grab and avoid his AE. He is one of those fights like Hora Luix or Godfrey where it seems ridiculously hard until it clicks in your head and you just start crushing him every time you fight him. The window to summon early is narrow because of how he rushes the door, but if you dodge his initial attack you usually get a pretty large window to summon a pal and then getting the geezer summoned is a piece of cake from there. And of course he bleeds, so Fingerprint plus Pig Rider spear with Blood Tax can really do a number on him.
 
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