Elden ring!

[wankerness]

Weirdly I had gotten to this guy about my first post in this thread about a week ago. I must have done some very weird route through things as I couldn't make a dent in him, probably got to him with like 3 scadutree score, and I've just been doing random things ever since. Even worse that he's universally hated because I was hoping I had just reached him way under-"leveled". Now I'm nearly out of other thinsg to do and it's probably time to go back to him.

From what I see people mainly recommend doing him with +15 or so blessing minimum. He really sucks even with that. I think I had 14 at the time?

I had to look up how to get to a couple more areas to get the last map fragments. I also finished most of the NPC questlines and most of the story bosses, as well as some more optional ones. There's a bunch of optional content left as well as the infamous final boss that I don't even want to try based on what I've heard.

Nothing has had a stupid 1-shot attack that I've experienced since Messmer, except for Gaius's charge's hitbox bugging out and double-hitting me occasionally for instant death. So, that's nice. I guess maybe it's just those middle bosses that had ludicrous instant kills. Well, and the final boss that everyone hates that I haven't tried yet.

I finally killed that ass ghostflame dragon with all the knights you have to kill at the same time, it was easier when I just rushed him so he'd juggle aggro with me and all the random NPCs. I just had to ride around in circles constantly to avoid getting shot with arrows.

I got to a major optional dragon boss, Bayle, connected to Igon's quest. I was down to 4 flasks before I even had a chance to hit him ONCE. Then I quickly got him to second phase, at which point he started flying around spamming giant aoes and killed me before I got a chance to hit him a single time in P2. Absolutely zero chill. I do not want to fight him, but he's not nearly as hated as the final boss so I'll figure it out later.

The St. Trina quest has a very stupid opening - you get killed every time you talk to her, so of course I talked to her once and figured I was missing something and left. Read later that no, you have to get killed by her FOUR TIMES and then she'll talk to you. That one's stupid and could not be conveyed via the in-game messages.

 

[narad]

Well I beat Bayle. That was a very cool and cinematic fight. Pissed me off though as two times I had him down to one swing away while I'm standing somewhere in the middle of his body as the camera is going bonkers and flame is rising everywhere baking me. But ultimately a reasonable mix of strategy and fairly rare bullshit.

Now I've gone way down to the south of the map, after wondering why I didn't have any graces down there. Stuck on some pestulence knight or something that's a super annoying fight with the backhand blades. The guy is mounted so he moves away really fast after attacking and I'm left whiffing air. I guess I need to find a dex weapon that has a lot of range and is still fast enough to get the hit in before he runs away.

Not sure what's up with how I'm playing the game though -- I have 8 scad blessings now, and that's after finding one tonight after 2-3 days of nothing. I feel like I must be overlooking some really obvious dungeons.

 

[wankerness]

Well I beat Bayle. That was a very cool and cinematic fight. Pissed me off though as two times I had him down to one swing away while I'm standing somewhere in the middle of his body as the camera is going bonkers and flame is rising everywhere baking me. But ultimately a reasonable mix of strategy and fairly rare bullshit.

Now I've gone way down to the south of the map, after wondering why I didn't have any graces down there. Stuck on some pestulence knight or something that's a super annoying fight with the backhand blades. The guy is mounted so he moves away really fast after attacking and I'm left whiffing air. I guess I need to find a dex weapon that has a lot of range and is still fast enough to get the hit in before he runs away.

Not sure what's up with how I'm playing the game though -- I have 8 scad blessings now, and that's after finding one tonight after 2-3 days of nothing. I feel like I must be overlooking some really obvious dungeons.

Yeah, that's crazy. I have +16 now and Bayle owned me (though he was only hitting me for like 40% of my health, so if I had +8 maybe it would have been even worse).

Apparently the last boss is tuned for +18 minimum. I fought him for ~4 minutes before dying and was pretty consistently attacking him with my mimic out and he was still at 75% when I died - and that's phase 1!!! SUPER tanky. Apparently most recommended strats for it are to get out a greatshield and a pokey bleed or rot weapon, and all other strats are going to be insanely difficulty especially in phase 2. I'll probably end up respeccing - I am a very high level but my strength is only like 27 or something which is not enough to hold a greatshield.

You might have to look up a guide on those blessings! I haven't yet, but might have to considering how important those things are and how many are in weird places (ex I got FIVE from the area after Gaius, I got some from some Hippos that were hanging out in a swamp, I got some from those phantoms that hold pots over their head and disappear like crystal lizards that are in random places, but I'm sure I missed some and the game has absolutely no tracking which you've gotten). The only ones you can even really see on your map that you probably got them are the ones that are on those miquella signs that usually have an accompanying grace marker, but that's been like 1/3 of the ones I've gotten, the others are dropped by enemies or in rooms in dungeons/caves and often in obscure locations.

The last few remembrance bosses I didn't have any issue with mimic and my usual casting spam, besides Bayle who I only tried once. Pestilent Knight, Mother of Fingers, Centipede lady, the gank fight (which is much easier if you did questlines so two NPCs join you), etc were all down in a couple attempts with rock sling and a mimic.

I've switched weapons to "Milady" with a cold infusion and lion's claw. It's a fun weapon that I got in the DLC. It is a "small greatsword" I think? New weapon class. Basically the moveset is like you're fencing with it, and it's very fast and barely uses any stamina and does much more stagger than Moonveil on its R1s. Plus, it's just a lot more fun to use than R1s on Moonveil. And Lion's Claw is OP. I still haven't found "Savage Lion's Claw" or whatever the new version is added in the DLC, I'll probably have to look that up too.

 

[MFB]

Not sure what's up with how I'm playing the game though -- I have 8 scad blessings now, and that's after finding one tonight after 2-3 days of nothing. I feel like I must be overlooking some really obvious dungeons.

Huh, that puts you at what, ...level 4 total then right? I think it goes, (1) + (1) then after you need (2) per upgrade, feels weird that I've found that many then and I'm behind you in exploration/bosses. I just got the Altus Scadu or whatever it is last night, but there's definitely a couple hidden dungeons around, like the one of living jars, and another by where the map it's expected on the north-ish side.

Also, if you aren't finding the Miquellan Crosses, each one of those have one, the maps kind of suck but you can get a general idea of the vicinity, there's 7 fragments alone between those

 

[Moongrum]

Well I beat Bayle.

What weapon did you use? I'm dreading that fight because dragons are always hard for me. I was thinking of using the Dragon Hunter's Great Katana, since it's meant for dragons....

Stuck on some pestulence knight or something that's a super annoying fight with the backhand blades.

This is the only remembrance boss I've beaten so far.
My strategy (strength build) was Giant's Crusher with Holy infusion, then I spammed Lion's Claw to get stagger/riposte. I was using the magick physick with the tear that makes staggers easier, and Golden Vow. This is the kind of bullshit I usually do so I don't have to learn a boss' moveset haha.

 

[wankerness]

Huh, that puts you at what, ...level 4 total then right? I think it goes, (1) + (1) then after you need (2) per upgrade, feels weird that I've found that many then and I'm behind you in exploration/bosses. I just got the Altus Scadu or whatever it is last night, but there's definitely a couple hidden dungeons around, like the one of living jars, and another by where the map it's expected on the north-ish side.

Also, if you aren't finding the Miquellan Crosses, each one of those have one, the maps kind of suck but you can get a general idea of the vicinity, there's 7 fragments alone between those

After a while it scales up to 3, I think the last level is 5. I assume he meant he was at level 8, I can't imagine he'd have progressed past some of those bosses if he was only at 4!

I'm at 16 blessing and level 8 of the revered spirit ash. I'm assuming that one has a cap of 10 instead of 20, otherwise it's weird that it's so much lower.

 

[TedEH]

Whoever comments a while back that the backhand blade is fun - yeh, it's fun. The find the ash on that thing pretty handy in some situations. 2 handed + the ash is a great way to take down something really quickly.

 

[MFB]

After a while it scales up to 3, I think the last level is 5. I assume he meant he was at level 8, I can't imagine he'd have progressed past some of those bosses if he was only at 4!

I'm at 16 blessing and level 8 of the revered spirit ash. I'm assuming that one has a cap of 10 instead of 20, otherwise it's weird that it's so much lower.

That was my initial thought, and probably right actually since he said blessings and not fragments, which is what my brain replaced it with before I went into math mode; I assume it bumps to 3 per when you hit +10?

 

[pahulkster]

What weapon did you use? I'm dreading that fight because dragons are always hard for me. I was thinking of using the Dragon Hunter's Great Katana, since it's meant for dragons....

I used that for Bayle and the run up the mountain. The game basically hands you the weapon for the fight/area so it seemed like the best choice. Not exactly the same as the Serpent Hunter and Rykard but the weapon art is made to hit dragons in the head. I was trying to power stance two great katanas for a while but it was just too slow for me.

 

[brector]

Anyone know what's up with the jump scare screams? Like I'll just be riding through a field and hear a random scream, and there isn't anything around that would make a sound like that. Is it a bug?

Elden Ring DLC’s screechy birds are scaring the crap out of players

Volume warning

www.polygon.com

 

[Moongrum]

Elden Ring DLC’s screechy birds are scaring the crap out of players

Volume warning

www.polygon.com

Thank you, I didn't realize it was an actual bird. Sometimes I'd like hear it 3 times in a row, and I kept thinking, jesus they need to patch this

 

[wankerness]

That was my initial thought, and probably right actually since he said blessings and not fragments, which is what my brain replaced it with before I went into math mode; I assume it bumps to 3 per when you hit +10?

Scadutree Fragment | Elden Ring Wiki

Elden Ring Wiki Guide: Weapons, Walkthrough, armor, strategies, maps, items and more.

eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com

Looks like yeah, it increases to 3 per level starting with level 11. And it does not increase after that, either.

I must have glanced at this table and conflated the two:

Revered Spirit Ash | Elden Ring Wiki

Elden Ring Wiki Guide: Weapons, Walkthrough, armor, strategies, maps, items and more.

eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com

Those require 4 for level 9 and 5 for level 10 (max)!

 

[wankerness]

Elden Ring DLC’s screechy birds are scaring the crap out of players

Volume warning

www.polygon.com

Weird. I'd definitely noticed that a few times. I first thought it was like those parts in the base game where all of a sudden you'd hear a wolf howl and a bunch would drop out of the sky on your head, but I never saw any enemies appear so I stopped really paying attention. I used to spin the camera around like crazy trying to identify what was coming after me.

 

[wankerness]

I used that for Bayle and the run up the mountain. The game basically hands you the weapon for the fight/area so it seemed like the best choice. Not exactly the same as the Serpent Hunter and Rykard but the weapon art is made to hit dragons in the head. I was trying to power stance two great katanas for a while but it was just too slow for me.

Did you use the item that buffs your defense that you get from the dragon cathedral lady? I read it is supposed to be used on phase 2 and makes it considerably easier, but I hate those kinds of 1 use consumable where you have to return to the NPC every single time you attempt the boss.

 

[pahulkster]

Did you use the item that buffs your defense that you get from the dragon cathedral lady? I read it is supposed to be used on phase 2 and makes it considerably easier, but I hate those kinds of 1 use consumable where you have to return to the NPC every single time you attempt the boss.

No. I kind of forgot about that after which is usually the case with anything like that I get. The only consumable buff I ever use is grease and that is very rare.

 

[pahulkster]

Beat it. Heard some things about the final boss being brutal but honestly it wasn't bad. One of those things where I just couldn't even do anything at all or I'd get it to 1/4 health. 10/1 the dead way though because I only got to the second stage twice. Also a boss I'd never beat without the mimic. Again to me the strategy for damage was pretty obvious so I went with that and it worked out. Definitely not the most frustrating or hardest fight in the DLC or base game imo.

 

[narad]

Huh, that puts you at what, ...level 4 total then right? I think it goes, (1) + (1) then after you need (2) per upgrade, feels weird that I've found that many then and I'm behind you in exploration/bosses. I just got the Altus Scadu or whatever it is last night, but there's definitely a couple hidden dungeons around, like the one of living jars, and another by where the map it's expected on the north-ish side.

Also, if you aren't finding the Miquellan Crosses, each one of those have one, the maps kind of suck but you can get a general idea of the vicinity, there's 7 fragments alone between those

Yea, sorry, I mean like when I view it at a grace, it say (8). Like I've upgraded it 8 times. It still just seems like from what I'm hearing I'm really bad at finding these things.

What weapon did you use? I'm dreading that fight because dragons are always hard for me. I was thinking of using the Dragon Hunter's Great Katana, since it's meant for dragons....

Yea, I used that and went around and killed all the dragons I could remember, including that annoying ghostflame one where you have to wait 10 minutes for all the soldiers to die, then get one shotted It definitely helps but it wasn't a huge advantage. For instance, I did one time get him down just about one hit from death when I was using mimic tear, and Bayle was just having a bad day. That was maybe one out of twenty attempts. But then I accidentally wound up summoning blackknife tiche and that was consistently getting me deep into phase two. Basically a question of whether he hits me with both breath weapons when he does the fly by, which does about 150% of my healthbar in damage. The blackflame stuff from blacknkife really helps since his hp is so high, so even though the katana is great for dragons, the math just seems way better for % damage attacks.

The biggest trick in that fight was how to consistently summon both guys and avoid all his opening attacks consistently.

 

[narad]

Actually funny thing happened in that Bayle fight. In one of my attempts I was just starting the 2nd phase and I was in super good shape. I'd been at this maybe an hour the night before and more than an hour already earlier in the day, and had some super close calls, so I thought this was it. So my heart's racing, getting pretty excited...

...doorbell rings. I'm home alone. I'm expecting a package (TC integrated preamp, yay). I can't remember if any button actually pauses the game for good, but can't risk it...

Except that in my new place I'm sitting on the floor in the living room and the whole left of me is a wall of windows with slats over them. So I look over, and I can see the guy. And the guy can see me. And the doorbell rings again, and I'm just sitting there lol

I hope he understood. It's elden ring, man. You can't interrupt what could possibly be -the- run. And like probably 20 seconds after he left I was dead for whatever reason I can't remember

 

[p0ke]

I can't remember if any button actually pauses the game for good, but can't risk it...

Apparently going into a certain settings menu pauses the game, but I haven't tried myself. I kinda get why they've chosen not to allow pausing the game, it brings a sense of urgency to the whole thing when you can't take a break whenever you want, but sometimes I really wish the menu would pause the game... I can't even count how many times I died in DS2 when I ran out of estus and was browsing the menu for something to heal with or when my weapon durability ran out and I was browsing for the next best thing or some repair powder

I guess they could at least make a compromise and have the game go into slow motion when the menu is open (or have a setting that's disabled by default to do that). Not that it would've helped you that time though.

 

[narad]

Finally beat the putrescent knight. Did it with dry leaf arts actually. As a dex build I was having trouble finding a weapon that could properly punish him during the few openings and him moving in and out of range. Online it seemed like the gransax spear was the best option and I saw that art of war do a huge amount of damage to him, but sadly... I did not get it in either of my playthroughs at NG+, and I'm obviously past the point it became ashen capital, so I can't get it now either.

The dragon slayer great katana art of war was working pretty well, but I spent like 2 hours and probably never had him below 30%. With the dry leaf arts and the whirlwind weapon art, it was crazy. When things went perfect, I'd land a full one and the mimic would land a full one, and in seriously 10-15 seconds he'd be at half health. Sadly that basically never happened, but when the circumstances were right, that can be super punishing to a mounted foe. But ya, hardest fight in the game so far for me. Now I gotta do Gaius I guess...grrr....