Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion Announced

[Steven]

Had a couple of nights off and have just entered the Weeping Peninsula and had my first slight tinge of disappointment when something was a duplicate of something I've done before, just slightly changed. The game is ridiculously packed with varied content but I couldn't help think, Oh - really?

[ChewMagma]

I took the advice and stopped banging my head against Radahn (I'd somehow convinced myself, if I didn't do him, I was stuck, which was obvious nonsense, just me being too stubborn) and went to do some more exploring and opened up a bunch of massive areas. I think I'd tied opening a particular one in my head with beating Radahn, but it wasn't the case at all.

 

I'm very cozy using my uchigatana still - bleed seems very good in this one - and I am just doing the usual dodge, block, R1 spam, which I tend to do in these games for a first playthrough, but I slightly feel that the sheer size of this one might not encourage different playthroughs so maybe I should be jazzing things up a bit. How would you jazz up a meat and potatoes DEX melee build in this one?

 

Has anyone started thinking about the platinum yet? That is normally a good motive in these games to really try out everything the game has to offer. I assume it is going to require at least a couple of playthroughs?

[Steven]

4 minutes ago, ChewMagma said:

How would you jazz up a meat and potatoes DEX melee build in this one?

 

I've started adding INT to mine as it seems to feed into some decent abilities and lets you get some pretty handy weapons, including katanas.

[Anne Summers]

What is the magic like in this? Is it effective? I've found in Souls games in the past (except 3 for some reason) that although it's great fun, at the end of the day it just isn't as effective as twatting things over the head with a big sword or hammer. Although 3, in my experience, was very much easy mode you went sorcerer build. 

 

I've been sword and shield all the way in this so far, as is traditional for me with all RPGs on my first play through. Just wondered what the general consensus is regarding magic and is it worth re-speccing now I have the option? Or even not respeccing but just throwing a few points into mind/int, to give me some variety of gameplay?

[Davros sock drawer]

7 minutes ago, Steven said:

Had a couple of nights off and have just entered the Weeping Peninsula and had my first slight tinge of disappointment when something was a duplicate of something I've done before, just slightly changed. The game is ridiculously packed with varied content but I couldn't help think, Oh - really?

 

I kinda think it deserves a pass really. When the meal is as big as this it's a bit like saying "Another delicious chip? But I just ate one of those!"

 

[Steven]

Just now, Davros sock drawer said:

 

I kinda think it deserves a pass really. When the meal is as big as this it's a bit like saying "Another delicious chip? But I just ate one of those!"

 

 

Oh, absolutely - seems churlish to moan about something so brilliantly put together - moon on a stick stuff.

[kensei]

Mario games will happily repeat bosses with new obstacles to create challenges and they tend to be the best games ever so I am giving this a pass.

 

Also I think of some of the smaller dungeons a bit like Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne integrated into the world. You'll find unique things but they are built from the same material. I found those skippable in Bloodborne but they feel essential here.

[Captain Kelsten]

16 minutes ago, Steven said:

Had a couple of nights off and have just entered the Weeping Peninsula and had my first slight tinge of disappointment when something was a duplicate of something I've done before, just slightly changed. The game is ridiculously packed with varied content but I couldn't help think, Oh - really?

Get used to that feeling, then, because if it bothers you now, it’ll be far worse later. Personally it doesn’t bother me, but if it does you, then consider yourself forewarned. 

[Rayn]

27 minutes ago, PeteJ said:

I'm so far behind you all it's unreal, I've played every day and put more time into this already than any other game in the past five years but there's no hope of keeping up.

 

It's not a race! I understand that you love the forum aspect as it adds to the overall experience but trying to keep up with some of the guys on here is impossible for most of us. 

I started playing on the day after release and already then there were people who'd hit lvl 50. I'm still trying to play the game as oblivious as possible but I've actually googled a couple of bosses in sheer frustration as I couldn't even start to figure out how to make a dent it their respective health bars. Turned out that for one of those I instantly regretted it as I had something completely different spoiled for me so now I've learned my lesson about googling for help. 

[Hexx]

10 minutes ago, Anne Summers said:

What is the magic like in this? Is it effective? I've found in Souls games in the past (except 3 for some reason) that although it's great fun, at the end of the day it just isn't as effective as twatting things over the head with a big sword or hammer. Although 3, in my experience, was very much easy mode you went sorcerer build. 

 

I've been sword and shield all the way in this so far, as is traditional for me with all RPGs on my first play through. Just wondered what the general consensus is regarding magic and is it worth re-speccing now I have the option? Or even not respeccing but just throwing a few points into mind/int, to give me some variety of gameplay?

 

Oh Yes.

You are still a bit of a glass canon.

You might be disappointed as some of your earliest spells (Pebble, Swift Shard) are you most dependable and will likely be used to the till. You also rarely get the big knockdowns/counters/criticals of melee, but chip aware (there are some later spells that hit like fucking tanks though)

They've also made some changes that make it easier and shore up it's weaknesses from previous games - e.g. you can an easy AoE in Arc. 

Summon Ashes also give you a distract to on bosses while you line up your big shots.

[hmm]

Those Ubisoft-style mock-ups are funny but a few more explanatory messages here and there really wouldn't hurt, even as a veteran. I don't want any hand-holding, obviously, and things like quest logs and markers would genuinely ruin the experience, but a few more tutorial messages and generally things telling you what just happened would definitely smooth over some of the initial bewilderment that any newcomers must feel. A lot of the info is in the game but completely down to the player to discover - e.g. the tutorial cave or that you can return to the woman where you first enter the open world for further, relatively overt hints on what to do next.

 

I think that the minimal UI is only one part of why it feels so immersive and pure though. A bigger aspect for me is that I haven't felt so far that there's any chores or busy-work at all. Literally none. There are a few relatively standard tropes in there - the monument things where you find map pieces are, I guess, functionally the same as climbing towers in Far Cry - but they're just so integral into the world and never impose themselves upon you. I'm exploring the world at my whim and it just completely lacks the sense that you're ticking anything off. I suppose there's an argument about the crafting system but I haven't meaningfully engaged with that at all and what I have done - mostly plucking the occasional flower as I gallop past on my horse - again just doesn't impose itself on my time or experience at all; there's not even a button hold involved.

 

Someone linked a Penny Arcade blog a while ago where they talked about this being hard to objectively evaluate because it's like you discovered the portal into Narnia and that's exactly it: there's barely a videogame here; I'm just having an adventure of my choosing in an alternate world.

[Mawdlin]

I've really enjoyed reading the posts here. Bought this on launch day and I've only just taken down Margit. What a fight!

 

I've been skipping the odd post so as not to spoiler coming areas and bosses but the exploration in this is epic.

 

Can't wait to see what's around the next corner.

 

My old man skills are quite bad so the trick is to go at your own pace and level up if it's all getting a bit too much.

 

Basic starting tip for anyone struggling early game for farming runes.

 

Spoiler

Get to the grace site at the Third Church of Marika and farm the giant there for all he's worth. An easy 1000 runes and a quick reset. Very little danger of losing your accumulated stash.

 

[Cyhwuhx]

I have two gripes with the UI:

• Map button doesn't CLOSE THE MAP.
• Finding out which row/column in the equipment screen is supposed to be your left/right hand is just annoying.

The rest is... fine? It's certainly not as bad as Horizon's multilayered-menus with differing functionality per layer.

 

In terms of UX: well, discovery/obtuseness is the series core, so to me having minimal hand-holding is utterly delightful and 'classic'. But If you've grown up on 20 odd years of tutorializing/hand-holding in videogames this is a rude awakening. (Still! DeS already had the same 'issues' 10 years ago!) Learning by doing and/or needing multiple attempts to get something done is seen as a problem rather than a challenge and that's the thing that bothers me in these discussions, because it has little to do with faulty UI/UX.

[Ste Pickford]

I think not being able to compare stats of equipped gear with stuff you browse on vendors is a totally legitimate complaint.

[Vulgar Monkey]

I'll admit that after some initial annoyance, the only status ui symbol to confuse me so far has been the first one I saw, which it turns out is probably just 'you cant fast travel here'. No wonder I didnt recognise it from previous souls games.

[Vemsie]

Man, I hate life is getting in the way of playing this so much. I'm 'only' at the Raya Lucaria boss but it's been brilliant so far.

[Uzi]

All the user unfriendliness stuff doesn't seem like negligence or bad design to be it seems like deliberate choice. Miyazaki said in another interview recently (from memory so might be wrong) that he apologises to people who find the game inaccessible but the game design and barriers in it are intentional and they've had six-ish games now where they have had the user feedback and still decided to do things a certain way. I think they will always feel unique to everything else on the market because they are so dedicated to their vision and not giving a fuck what some other devs or players think. 

 

3 minutes ago, Ste Pickford said:

I think not being able to compare stats of equipped gear with stuff you browse on vendors is a totally legitimate complaint.

 

This 100 percent. Leaving stuff vague so players feel confused and helpless in a hostile world for them to figure out themselves is one thing, not presenting known information for comparison purposes is just stupid.

[Sun Tze]

49 minutes ago, PeteJ said:

Nearly 16 hours in already though! Level 32 Prisoner. I admit I spent some time just bombing around with horsey grabbing items from under the noses of very big monsters. 

You're doing fine! My lvl 30prisoner has 28hrs on the clock and not beaten M yet. The horse riding is brilliant but for me, walking this land on my lonesome just adds to the tension/immersion a bit. 

 

Finding so many weird places, often forgetting it's a huge open world game and exploring stealthily, only to find items and equipment i don't know what to do with/ can't use yet. The more lost i get, the more fun i'm having though.

[HarryBizzle]

I thought I’d give the PS5 version a go and now I can’t be bothered to go back to the PS4 version. Got my little pony, just got a bell and bought a crafting kit. Snuck around the little camp where you get horsey and I’m really enjoying it. 
 

 

Is it just me or is it all a bit soft looking? I don’t know what resolution it is but I’m struggle to make out things in the distance (yes, I’ve bought the telescope). 

[Davros sock drawer]

I'm using the Ashes of War moves in this game far more than the Weapon Arts in Dark Souls 3 (which I don't think I used at all actually, now I think of it). The one that comes with the Zweihander is awesome, as the L2 pre-strike gives you an i-frame it seems, so it feels like you duck under an attack and then you hit R2 and WHOMP! up in the air they go.

 

It's delightful.

[ChewMagma]

7 minutes ago, Uzi said:

All the user unfriendliness stuff doesn't seem like negligence or bad design to be it seems like deliberate choice. Miyazaki said in another interview recently (from memory so might be wrong) that he apologises to people who find the game inaccessible but the game design and barriers in it are intentional and they've had six-ish games now where they have had the user feedback and still decided to do things a certain way. I think they will always feel unique to everything else on the market because they are so dedicated to their vision and not giving a fuck what some other devs or players think. 

 

 

This 100 percent. Leaving stuff vague so players feel confused and helpless in a hostile world for them to figure out themselves is one thing, not presenting known information for comparison purposes is just stupid.

 

This is the crux for me, people acting as if From and Miyazaki have made a "mistake" and need to be "corrected" somehow. No,no, no they chose to make the UI or whatever like that, they have been doing this for years and years. You might not like the choices and that is fine, but they are definitely choices and not mistakes. They know there are other ways to do things but they choose not to, it is not because they are stupid.

[Exidor]

You can talk about UX grievances all you like but every other game I've played with a horse/mount, you whistle for it, it wanders over from who knows where, and then you have to press another button and watch an animation while you climb on it. With this, you can be in the middle of a boss fight, realise you've made a huge mistake, press a button and he appears under you and carries you out of harm's way. I'll take a bit of fannying about with the merchants if that's the price.

[Girth Certificate]

Quote

BEAR WITNESS!

 

CHOIR, HIT MY FUCKING MUSIC!

 

Epic AF

 

 

 

I wonder if all the finger stuff comes from GRRM. Maybe an intense period of shame and reflection as he sat looking at his cheato stained hands after another day of not writing books. Although I think there was a PVP finger item in dark souls so maybe not.

[Steven]

53 minutes ago, Doctor Shark said:

Get used to that feeling, then, because if it bothers you now, it’ll be far worse later. Personally it doesn’t bother me, but if it does you, then consider yourself forewarned. 

 

I'd figured that would be the case, given the sheer size of it. 

[Davros sock drawer]

23 minutes ago, Uzi said:

 

This 100 percent. Leaving stuff vague so players feel confused and helpless in a hostile world for them to figure out themselves is one thing, not presenting known information for comparison purposes is just stupid.

 

Playing Devil's Advocate here (because like many I was all "How the fuck do I compare stats?" when I got to my first merchant), but once you've upgraded your weapon then any stat comparisons to a base level weapon are moot, and armour isn't upgradeable, so it's really just a case of whether you like the look of something or not.

 

It might also be a deliberate choice in so far as they don't actually want you to know if the armour set on sale is better or not. They may simply want you to waste your runes because they're trolling us!

[Vulgar Monkey]

20 minutes ago, HarryBizzle said:

 

Is it just me or is it all a bit soft looking? I don’t know what resolution it is but I’m struggle to make out things in the distance (yes, I’ve bought the telescope). 

 

I'm on pc so cant compare directly, but yeah maybe. I'd bet it is the lighting - everything has a bit of a glow to it, seems very much deliberate. With that plus all the volumetric stuff I suppose at distance it might make it a bit harder for the antialiasing to work with, or it might just be the atmospherics themselves having that effect.

 

Also, agreed on the instant-access horse. I do feel like a bit of a fraud sometimes when cheesing it against an otherwise hard encounter, but feel like a badass when taking out one of those road caravans by just charging up and down the line a few times and mowing down the mobs. As with a lot of souls stuff, I guess it is on the player to self-moderate as they see fit.

[Hexx]

Volcano Manor

 

Spoiler

Always check the basement before joining a new club 

 

[Alan Stock]

The most egregious thing in the inventory is the arrow/bolts slots. There's no indication of which slot is for which trigger button on the controller, and the arrow/bolt icons all look pretty much the same. So then when you are actually using the bows you have no idea what arrows you're going to be using until you press the buttons. There are icons in the corner when you are using the bow but its the same issue, no button prompts or anything. I've wasted special arrows a bunch because of this.

 

So my adventures last night were pretty limited. I spent most of the evening on the two Evergaols in Limgrave, I've linked videos for them below as well. I also made a bit of story progress. 

 

Spoilers for the Limgrave Evergaol bosses:

Spoiler

Started off with the Hound Evergaol boss. I was doing way too much damage to him with my beefed up +7/+8 weapons so I switched to a basic scimitar with no upgrades for the challenge. It was tough but fun, I'll relink the video here in the spoiler. It was extremely squeaky bum time at the end when I ran out of heals! You might be wondering why I topped up my health when it wasn't that low - its because some of his moves and combos could kill me outright unless I had a full health bar.

 

Video:

Spoiler

 

 

Next I did the other Limgrave Evergaol, which I'd tried once and insta-died on. Turned out to be the Crucible Knight folk on here have been going on about, so I knew it was going to be rough. This time I stuck with my +7 longsword and got stuck in. Man, this was a tough one. Although you won't see it in the video below, there's a ton of moves that would one-shot me, like if I got hit by the ground stomp I'd get stunned and killed with the next swing. The big tail swipe would kill me, any more than one sword swipe would usually kill me. In the end it took me about 3 hours to learn and beat him, a lot of that was learning the first phase. Just getting to the second phase was a struggle and the added tail swipes really messed me up until I got good enough to reach phase 2 fairly reliably. It's also really hard to heal in this fight because he'll relentlessly hunt you down and impale you. The winning run was definitely the best I ever did in phase 1, and once again it was squeaky bum time in phase 2! Great boss though, no bullshit moves and really satisfying to execute, even if it's rock hard!

 

Video (my stats/equipment are shown at the end - I was using the second sword in the equipment bar)

Spoiler

 

 

 

Spoilers for progression in the lakes:

Spoiler

With my victory over the Evergaol giving me renewed confidence, I headed back to take on the blue dragon (let's call him Smaug, best dragon name). With my upgraded weapons I was doing a bit more damage, still not a lot but I pressed on. Any of his attacks except the stomps were still one-shotting me, so it became a long battle of attrition riding around. I did die a number of times but eventually, by playing it safe, I got him. I've included the video but be warned its a long one! The scariest move he has which kept killing me was where he's on the ground and suddenly flies up backwards and flames in front of him, you have to get away early or get fried. In the end I found the Uchigitana (+6 I believe) was the most reliable for hitting him, and i started off the fight with it poisoned for a wee bit extra damage.

 

Video:

Spoiler

 

 

Now I could progress the story, and took my Glintstone key to the Academy gate. It did say in the item description that it can only be used once, so I feel a bit bad for the sorcerer guy in the church outside of Stormveil, but maybe I'll find another for him. I was transported up onto the Academy's cliffs, with awesome views! Over the broken bridge I found a Golden Seed and then went up the big lift to find a cool atmospheric magical castle, with stars filling the sky. After exploring a courtyard up some steps were some nasty sorcerers who had the stone masks like the body I got the key off. Through some mad rolling and the reach of the Uchigitana's weapon art I took them out, and then in the chamber beyond fought off a bunch of the blade-armed puppets like I'd seen in the ruins at the Weeping Peninusla. Unfortunately, even though I killed the mage there, the last puppet went full-on lawnmower on me and I got stunlocked. I died again in this room just as I collected my runes. On the third attempt, I played it safe with the stair mages, sniping them with my crossbow, but didn't realise there were gaps in the fence and got sniped by them - losing 14k runes from the last 2 bosses in the process. Argh!

 

Finally getting my revenge, I found the next grace site and pushed into a graveyard of blue-eyed zombies. These guys are a pain but playing it safe and lunging in with the Uchigitana was the best method. I found a secret walkway under the rope bridge leading to a cave with 2 crossbow-wielding puppets, who go absolutely ballistic with arrows, I had to play it very safe but got puppet spirit ashes as a reward. Looking forward to trying them later. In the graveyard beyond, I got a little overenthusiastic chasing down a dung beetle, and as I killed it got mobbed by a bunch of dogs I'd valiantly ignored for the sake of shinies. I did get a war ash as a reward though. 

 

And that was it for the night. Cool atmospheric area, love all the details. Will be venturing back there tonight!

 

[Kryptonian]

36 minutes ago, Exidor said:

You can talk about UX grievances all you like but every other game I've played with a horse/mount, you whistle for it, it wanders over from who knows where, and then you have to press another button and watch an animation while you climb on it. With this, you can be in the middle of a boss fight, realise you've made a huge mistake, press a button and he appears under you and carries you out of harm's way. I'll take a bit of fannying about with the merchants if that's the price.

Totally agree.

 

However, I was on a cliff edge using my telescope (set to Y & down on d-pad) whilst on my horse and mistakenly pressed B to put it away which caused my horse to charge off to our deaths  

[Kryptonian]

8 minutes ago, Alan Stock said:

The most egregious thing in the inventory is the arrow/bolts slots. There's no indication of which slot is for which trigger button on the controller, and the arrow/bolt icons all look pretty much the same. So then when you are actually using the bows you have no idea what arrows you're going to be using until you press the buttons. There are icons in the corner when you are using the bow but its the same issue, no button prompts or anything. I've wasted special arrows a bunch because of this.

Oh yeah! And it doesn’t just use the other arrows when one set runs out - it looks like you can equip 2 but only use 1? I don’t use the bow much (only for a couple of ranged encounters when I haven’t wanted to jump in incase I got overwhelmed) so I might be missing something obvious.