• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

ELDEN RING |OT| One Ring To Rule Them All

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
It is done. I think i might 100% DS1 next. Debating on going for both PTDE and the Remaster.
1xSeqj8.png
 

Nankatsu

Member
Question: ancient dragon smithing stones - how do you use them?

I already have my Elenora poleblade at +10, can't I make it go +24?

I go to strength armament at the Smith but I can't even find Elenora anywhere. Is it not possible to upgrade it to +24? Is that it?
 
Last edited:

Soodanim

Gold Member
Question: ancient dragon smithing stones - how do you use them?

I already have my Elenora poleblade at +10, can't I make it go +24?

I go to strength armament at the Smith but I can't even find Elenora anywhere. Is it not possible to upgrade it to +24? Is that it?
Unique weapons tend to use Somber Smithing Stones, whereas normal weapons will use Smithing Stones. Ancient variants are just the final stone of each upgrade path.

The numbers are deceiving at first, but that +10 is equivalent to a +25. The implications of that for gameplay are clear: you don't need 12 of each Somber stone, which makes them a much easier upgrade path. You can also get 1-9 once you get to Leyndell, making it the preferred way of upgrading for many on repeat playthroughs.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Stick with it. You will be rewarded.
I've beaten it twice already. I'm just talking about 100% achievements.

I wound up giving DS3 a go, which I have not yet beaten. It's a much easier transition from Elden Ring so I think I'll just play through it instead for now.

Wow, nice. I have put in a ridiculous number of hours and am only at 28/42.
That took me ~140 hours according to the in game. I did nearly everything in my first playthrough. 2nd & 3rd playthorughs were just for ending achievements. I took just the critical paths for those.

I am really, really tempted to start another fresh character. I absolutely love Elden Ring.
 
Last edited:

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Ah right, in that case ignore me!

I love DS3 but it’s so much more oppressive than the others. I really have to be in the mood for it.
The level design on DS1 will never be beat unless From themselves decide to get that intricate again. It's crazy to me that the combat being slow is a challenge for me, because that's why I loved it in the first place. I only ever got part way through Lotric in 3 because I had difficulty adapting. This time, I beat that ice lizard thing, beat the first boss on the first attempt. I'm back at Lotric and will most likely give it a proper go.

I think I will eventually 100% both PTDE and the Remaster. I just want more of the fast combat action. It's so satisfying.

But, Elden Ring is still calling me. I am very tempted to start a brand new character again and just relive the whole experience. IDK if I can not play a Dex character though. I love the combat and the dodge rolling too much. Maybe I'll give strength a go?
 
Last edited:
Yeah I played through DS3 a couple times a few months ago but I keep going back to ER. It’s the zeitgeist right now. People are still doing new challenge runs, discovering new ways to break the game and coming up with new builds. There are so many quality YouTubers taking the game to its limit. It’s fresh. May as well follow your heart and enjoy it while it’s like this.

Multiplayer is dead on DS3. One day ER will be like that so I say just roll with it while it’s good.
 
Last edited:

Nankatsu

Member
Another question: how do you actually get to farum azula? I read somewhere it's connected to a quest, but also read that after you talk with Melina at Fire giant grace it's a point of no return basically, and it advices you to finish of all the side quests you currently have.
 
Last edited:

Soodanim

Gold Member
I've beaten it twice already. I'm just talking about 100% achievements.

I wound up giving DS3 a go, which I have not yet beaten. It's a much easier transition from Elden Ring so I think I'll just play through it instead for now.
I look forward to the list of "Why didn't they bring this weapon back for ER?!" DS3 has got some great stuff in there.
 
I've beaten it twice already. I'm just talking about 100% achievements.

I wound up giving DS3 a go, which I have not yet beaten. It's a much easier transition from Elden Ring so I think I'll just play through it instead for now.
Yay a fellow, Ashen One!
Ah right, in that case ignore me!

I love DS3 but it’s so much more oppressive than the others. I really have to be in the mood for it.
For real, the only time this game lightens up is when you talk to some NPCs like the crow at the shrine’s top. It’s all yellow skies and undeads moaning everywhere.
Yeah I played through DS3 a couple times a few months ago but I keep going back to ER. It’s the zeitgeist right now. People are still doing new challenge runs, discovering new ways to break the game and coming up with new builds. There are so many quality YouTubers taking the game to its limit. It’s fresh. May as well follow your heart and enjoy it while it’s like this.
I absolutely love watching YouTube videos about Elden Ring. I’m particularly fond of the Tarnished Archeologist:

Another question: how do you actually get to farum azula? I read somewhere it's connected to a quest, but also read that after you talk with Melina at Fire giant grace it's a point of no return basically, and it advices you to finish of all the side quests you currently have.
If I remember right you get teleported to it after talking to Melina. Once you unlock the first site of grace there you can fast travel there anytime.
 
Yay a fellow, Ashen One!

For real, the only time this game lightens up is when you talk to some NPCs like the crow at the shrine’s top. It’s all yellow skies and undeads moaning everywhere.

I absolutely love watching YouTube videos about Elden Ring. I’m particularly fond of the Tarnished Archeologist:


If I remember right you get teleported to it after talking to Melina. Once you unlock the first site of grace there you can fast travel there anytime.

Mad, no joke - I just stumbled on the Tarnished Archeologist for the first time 5 mins ago! That’s crazy.

For gameplay I watch skumnut, Bushy, distortion2, Baron’s Castle, GinoMachino, and Skaski. And ONGBAL of course.

Very very occasionally I’ll catch a live stream and it’s crazy how consistent the top guys are. Sometimes I’ll do a boss so clean but there are 15 dreadful attempts behind it. People like Bushy just go in and dominate first time with completely handicapped characters. All while arguing with the chat steam. It’s truly impressive to watch live.
 
Last edited:
So I just need to proceed main quest line, is that it?

Also, tips for Mohg 2nd stage? He completely destroys me.
Yes, there is a point of no return in the sense that one area cannot be revisited, but everywhere else in the game is accessible anytime, even when you reach the final boss. Not sure if it’s okay to tell you which area that is. But that point of no return is triggered after you defeat the boss of Farum Azula. So when you reach it, nothing changes really.

For Mohg, it depends on whether you use Spirit ashes. It you do, he’s a lot more manageable. I beat him with the mimic tear and the Rivers of blood. Yes I fought blood with blood. Mohg got defeated by a bleeding weapon, ironic. I don’t really have any particular tips except for try to finish the fight as quickly as possible.
 

Nankatsu

Member
Managed to beat Mohg. Key was spamming him with attacks when he gets ready for phase 2 and starts to regaining health and decreasing mine. That way his health didn't improved that much.

Somehow I managed to last long enough during his 2nd stage to beat him.

Tired Monte GIF by Big Brother
 
Last edited:

Rex_DX

Gold Member
I honestly enjoyed the little bit I played, but after struggling with the slower pace of DS3, I might skip it entirely. I own both versions of it. :messenger_grimmacing_
I'm biased because it's my favorite From game (I know a lot of people hate it, oh well).

Eventually you should give it a fair shake though. Maybe in some time when you're not super accustomed to the faster pace of newer entries.

It still has the most diverse build variety of any Souls game and some of the best PvP and best DLC as well.

It also has a NG+ system which adds in entire new encounters to keep you on your toes - a feature that I really wish they would revive. It was so good.

The game world is like a fever dream of Souls concepts and I kind of equate it to an Alice in Wonderland type of experience. Of course the real reason for the discontinuities is a troubled development cycle without Miyazaki's guidance because he was busy with Bloodborne. But I enjoy the insanity of it, personally.

Hope you give it a chance some day.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
I'm biased because it's my favorite From game (I know a lot of people hate it, oh well).

Eventually you should give it a fair shake though. Maybe in some time when you're not super accustomed to the faster pace of newer entries.

It still has the most diverse build variety of any Souls game and some of the best PvP and best DLC as well.

It also has a NG+ system which adds in entire new encounters to keep you on your toes - a feature that I really wish they would revive. It was so good.

The game world is like a fever dream of Souls concepts and I kind of equate it to an Alice in Wonderland type of experience. Of course the real reason for the discontinuities is a troubled development cycle without Miyazaki's guidance because he was busy with Bloodborne. But I enjoy the insanity of it, personally.

Hope you give it a chance some day.
I will for sure. I want to complete every Souls game some day. I'll wind up playing through both versions eventually.
 

Kindela

Banned
Continued playing after beating the main story. Explored haligtree, deeproot depths, still need to do the capital's underground properly, and I have been cooping.
The bosses are so much harder in coop, it's probably not worth trying your luck. I think I have helped kill bosses maybe 3 times, out of like 40 attempts. Godfrey, Malenia, Radhan, Astel, Malekith, all of them absolutely wreck people (myself included) in coop.
It's still insanely fun to try, but really doesn't seem productive for poor hosts.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
Continued playing after beating the main story. Explored haligtree, deeproot depths, still need to do the capital's underground properly, and I have been cooping.
The bosses are so much harder in coop, it's probably not worth trying your luck. I think I have helped kill bosses maybe 3 times, out of like 40 attempts. Godfrey, Malenia, Radhan, Astel, Malekith, all of them absolutely wreck people (myself included) in coop.
It's still insanely fun to try, but really doesn't seem productive for poor hosts.
They don't just increase health, but also things like stance/poise. Makes sense, but if people aren't pulling their weight it's a difficult increase for sure.

I've always thought that you're better off in the long run getting used to beating a boss the old fashioned way, but then again I don't even play online in ER.
 

Shtef

Member
I just lost 2 days worth of progress becuase save was damaged. God damn it. This is on xbox, i quit the game from the in game menu, started new game just to check something, quited again and when i tried to load my save i noticed i had 35 hours instead of 60 :(.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
I just lost 2 days worth of progress becuase save was damaged. God damn it. This is on xbox, i quit the game from the in game menu, started new game just to check something, quited again and when i tried to load my save i noticed i had 35 hours instead of 60 :(.
Damn. For what it's worth, it's always quicker second time round. You could probably recover that progress in closer to 5 hours. What progress was lost?
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Continued playing after beating the main story. Explored haligtree, deeproot depths, still need to do the capital's underground properly, and I have been cooping.
The bosses are so much harder in coop, it's probably not worth trying your luck. I think I have helped kill bosses maybe 3 times, out of like 40 attempts. Godfrey, Malenia, Radhan, Astel, Malekith, all of them absolutely wreck people (myself included) in coop.
It's still insanely fun to try, but really doesn't seem productive for poor hosts.
Yeah, it took me way too long to realize that summons in NG+ weren't others in NG+ but just normal players on their first playthrough. Boss health was so much harder to knock down. I genuinely thought the bosses would be faster to go through with summons. In my NG+2 playthrough I just took them on with my mimic summon and had a much, much easier time.

I think summons are the most viable when you are on your first playthrough. But as Sooda stated, it's best to just learn the patterns yourself. If you really struggle, level your weapons, summons, and stats before trying again. Most bosses can be trivialized by over leveling.
 
Last edited:

Soodanim

Gold Member
Mountain top of giants and farum azula, full exploration and all bosses killed.
Giant, Deathrite Bird, and Niall are a trio I don't often want to face, but just how annoying they are depends on the build.

Whether or not you want to power through, think of it as an opportunity to experiment. Try out some summons, use some Grease items to give yourself some Bleed/Rot/Freeze/Poison, etc. Also, use Rot/Frost Breath and make life a lot easier for yourself. Don't forget about Black Flame, and if you're Faith oriented then Black Flame Ritual is a really good damage dealer for big bosses. Melts through Giant because it's percentage based. If you're not Faith Based, there's always the Black Flame Tornado Ash of War, which comes on the Godskin Peeler Twinblade or can be equipped on other Twinblades/Spears.


Don't forget Bewitching Branches for Niall's summons (5 sold near the church at the north of Liurnia, south of the lift) to turn them onto your side and make the first phase a lot easier. I start with the dual sword one and get him as soon as he finishes spawning in, then get the other one if I can or just start destoying from afar.


And, of course, sleep pots for Godskins. Makes a world of difference, especially if you Rot first. You can just sit there and let Rot do its work. For bonus damage, craft some Poison Spraymist bottles and use them while they're asleep to inflict without waking them up. At the end of the minute of sleep, get the critical attack then repeat. Cheese complete. Try to throw the sleep pots while they're winding down from something so that they don't dodge out of the way. I don't even lock on when I throw them.


I don't know if you've been using it already, but Mimic Tear is an excellent pair for any of these strats. It has infinite FP and items, so whatever you have equipped (Warming Stones, area buff items, etc) can and will be used to your and its benefit.


With Farum Azula, run straight through to bosses (don't forget Alexander for that talisman). There isn't much incentive to stay and fight most of the enemies (who will barely be able to hit you), and you'll be surprised at just how quickly you can get through it if you stick to the essentials. Don't even do the dragon fights until you're more caught up and feel like going back to them.
 
Last edited:

Artoris

Gold Member
I just lost 2 days worth of progress becuase save was damaged. God damn it. This is on xbox, i quit the game from the in game menu, started new game just to check something, quited again and when i tried to load my save i noticed i had 35 hours instead of 60 :(.
I had to start from the beginning in ds1 because of this
 
DS3 update: Man, for a place called Cathedral of the Deep, it sure is hellish. I feel this is the level where game designers decided to tell the player “FUCK YOU!”. Every area up to this one has been manageable. This is on a whole other level, between the archers, the tiny dudes who drop from above, the guy with two knives that cause bleeding, the guys who can deactivate your flasks for a certain amount of time… and no bonfire to be found. It seems I need to find a shortcut to the second bonfire. I met the DLC dude who speaks about Ariandel, he absorbed me into the painting (or map?) of the snowy area, I went to the bonfire and noped the f out of there, I’m sure I’m not ready for that place. Whew.
 

Rex_DX

Gold Member
DS3 update: Man, for a place called Cathedral of the Deep, it sure is hellish. I feel this is the level where game designers decided to tell the player “FUCK YOU!”. Every area up to this one has been manageable. This is on a whole other level, between the archers, the tiny dudes who drop from above, the guy with two knives that cause bleeding, the guys who can deactivate your flasks for a certain amount of time… and no bonfire to be found. It seems I need to find a shortcut to the second bonfire. I met the DLC dude who speaks about Ariandel, he absorbed me into the painting (or map?) of the snowy area, I went to the bonfire and noped the f out of there, I’m sure I’m not ready for that place. Whew.
Ariandel is 100% a challenge for the end game so yes, definitely avoid that for now.

As for the Cathedral, there are very few bonfires but many hidden areas and looping paths. Stay extra alert and keep an eye on the ceiling.

Also, I still cheese the giants with ranged attacks to this day despite beating the game dozens of times. I suck at fighting them fairly.

Edit - also if you have any desire to respec that option is hidden in Cathedral of the Deep. Easily missed.
 
Last edited:

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
I got stuck in the chapel in DS3. I raised the two walkways but haven't found a way up. Haven't found any switches to raise additional platforms yet, but it does look like there's at least one more platform that will raise. I'm watching Lobos' first playthrough until he gets to that point.

I like to watch someone else go through where I've been to see how differently they approach things. Also cool to see if/what I might have missed. I'll watch Asmondgold after I beat the game. His playthroughs are more entertaining than informative. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

My wife and I are still humming through GabSmolders' playthrough of Elden Ring. She's playing as a sort of battle mage and has been entertaining for us. It's helpful now for the wife as she's still learning the ropes.
 

Nankatsu

Member
So I'm currently in Farum Azula. How much longer until the credits roll?

Need to finish this by February 9th, at the very least :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Also, do you actually fight Ranni? Because that's the only missing demigod on my end, from the ones that Gideon mentions.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
So I'm currently in Farum Azula. How much longer until the credits roll?

Need to finish this by February 9th, at the very least :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Also, do you actually fight Ranni? Because that's the only missing demigod on my end, from the ones that Gideon mentions.
Completing Farum Azula leads back to the Erd Tree seal being opened. Go through that, beat the final boss and credits.

You don't fight Ranni but she does unlock an ending if you completed her quest line. You'll know it's complete when you get the Moonlight Greatsword.
 
Last edited:
I got stuck in the chapel in DS3. I raised the two walkways but haven't found a way up. Haven't found any switches to raise additional platforms yet, but it does look like there's at least one more platform that will raise. I'm watching Lobos' first playthrough until he gets to that point.

I like to watch someone else go through where I've been to see how differently they approach things. Also cool to see if/what I might have missed. I'll watch Asmondgold after I beat the game. His playthroughs are more entertaining than informative. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

My wife and I are still humming through GabSmolders' playthrough of Elden Ring. She's playing as a sort of battle mage and has been entertaining for us. It's helpful now for the wife as she's still learning the ropes.
There is a ledge to drop down on from the ceiling rafters after following the path around the side of a tower accessible after using the elevator shortcut from the main bonfire (beyond the door to the left).

 
Last edited:
There is a ledge to drop down on from the ceiling rafters after following the path around the side of a tower accessible after using the elevator shortcut from the main bonfire (beyond the door to the left).


Saving this video to my Watch Later list cause I might need it.

Is that Artorias' armor? Where can you get it?
 
Inside Lothric above where Emma sits (she gave you a banner to enter the Undead Settlement) there is a stairway to the left that leads to an elevator down to the Consumed King's Garden. If you beat the boss, there is a small area behind him with a false wall at the end that leads to a dark mirrored version of the tutorial area. The merchant there sells it at a premium.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom