#FromSoftware boss guide

[haplogamingchef]

Mastering Ironeye: The Ultimate Elden Ring Nightreign Guide

Introduction

Welcome to your all-in-one guide for mastering Ironeye in Elden Ring: Nightreign. If you're looking for a powerful support class that also brings serious ranged damage to the table, Ironeye is the way to go. In this detailed breakdown, you'll learn exactly how to make the most of Ironeye’s abilities—from optimal weapon use to positioning, team synergy, and boss fight tactics. Whether you're brand new to the game or refining your build, this Nightreign Ironeye guide covers everything you need to start dominating as the best support class in Elden Ring.

We’ll go over ability mechanics, gear selection, upgrade routes, and real-time combat strategies to help you maximize your impact across PvE scenarios.

Understanding Ironeye’s Strengths and Role in Your Team

Ironeye in Elden Ring: Nightreign is best defined as a ranged support class. This character shines by combining damage output with team protection. The marked ability is at the heart of Ironeye's utility—it not only revives allies quickly but also increases the enemy's vulnerability, making them take 10% more damage and suffer heavier stagger buildup.

Key strengths include:

Excellent at interrupting boss mechanics (like sleep attacks).

Effective in kiting fast-moving enemies and flyers.

Allows your frontline to focus on aggro while you control spacing and crowd pressure.

Reliable at keeping stagger pressure on enemies, especially bosses.

The gameplay loop is simple but powerful: maintain your distance, mark enemies strategically, and punish mistakes with burst damage.

Core Combat Mechanics and Movement Mastery

Getting the basics right with Ironeye is critical. The key to staying alive and doing consistent damage lies in movement and attack precision. Here’s a breakdown of essential controls and techniques:

Two-Handing Your Bow: Use Y + RB or Triangle + R1 to enter two-hand mode. This boosts your damage and allows for quicker shot cycles.

Aiming and Shooting: LT to aim, RT to fire. You'll get more accuracy and flexibility, especially in mid- to long-range duels.

Jump-Back Shot: Dodge (B or Circle) + RT triggers a backstep attack. This move lets you maintain space while still dealing damage.

Triple Shot Sprint: Sprint forward and press RT to unleash three arrows. Use this to apply pressure or chase down weakened targets.

Skill Activation: With two-handing active, use RT again to activate your weapon skill or enchantment, if available.

Pro Tip: The charged ultimate (Y + RT) can pierce through multiple enemies. Holding the input lets you aim—ideal for lining up shots in boss fights or clustered mobs.

Weapon Selection and Upgrade Strategy for Ironeye

Success with Ironeye depends heavily on your weapon choices. While any bow works early on, certain options provide significant boosts depending on your target’s weaknesses.

Early Game Tips:

Find Element-Specific Bows – If you’re up against a lightning-weak boss, prioritize finding a lightning-infused bow.

Rare/Blue Weapons Are Worthwhile – Even if they don’t match your damage type perfectly, rare weapons can be upgraded further and faster.

Smithing Stones – Aim to collect Smithing Stone [2] by Day Two, especially from mines. These are key to boosting damage for mid-game fights.

Recommended Approach:

Search early areas for churches and bosses.

Loot based on enemy weaknesses (ping areas where a lightning, fire, or holy element can give you an edge).

Don’t forget to visit your Grace points frequently for upgrades.

Top Tip: Always have a secondary ranged option (like a wand or elemental bow) to exploit boss weaknesses.

Using Ironeye’s Marked Ability Effectively

The Marked Ability is what separates Ironeye from basic ranged characters. Not only is it a dash (comparable to Bloodhound Step), but it sets enemies up for team combos.

Benefits of Marking:

Targets take +10% damage from all sources.

Significantly increases stagger susceptibility.

Helps tanks and melee DPS secure staggers or criticals faster.

When to Use It:

Dash into an enemy and apply the mark before a team burst.

Use on fast or aerial targets to control the flow of the fight.

Apply during boss attack wind-ups—this allows your team to get a major damage spike while they’re exposed.

Stack Pressure: Keep hitting marked targets to prevent stagger bars from resetting. This is crucial in prolonged boss encounters.

Exploration and Day-One Priorities

Getting started right on Day One sets the tone for your entire run as Ironeye. Your goal early on should be to secure key upgrades and elemental gear to align with upcoming boss weaknesses.

What to Focus On:

Target Elemental Weaknesses – If you know a boss is weak to lightning, explore zones with lightning weapons.

Search for Greases – These consumables let you coat your bow with elemental effects for added power.

Secure Healing and Buff Items – These items become especially important since Ironeye has low health scaling.

Do Not Overcommit Early: Mines are great for Smithing Stones but avoid deep exploration until Day Two unless you're well-equipped. Save major grinding for later when your gear and stats catch up.

Key Locations to Prioritize:

Churches for buffs.

Mines (light exploration only).

Areas with rare item drops (blue-tier bows or greases).

Day Two Strategy: Upgrades and Evergaol Runs

Day Two is where your Ironeye build really starts to scale. With access to more materials and tougher challenges, you should focus on leveling up, finding Evergaols, and refining your playstyle.

Main Goals:

Level Up Regularly – Return to Grace points often and invest in Dexterity and Mind (for faster bow use and ability usage).

Find Evergaols – These reward around 10,000 runes and often contain useful loot like rare weapons or stat-boosting relics.

Gear Synergy – Start looking for weapons or artifacts that match Ironeye’s strengths (ranged damage, mobility, stagger support).

Survivability Tips:

Prioritize dodging upgrades like improved rolls or dash boosts.

Look for Wending Grace, which lets you revive once per life—game-changing for boss fights.

Adapt Based on Elemental Zones: If you enter a lightning-heavy area, pick gear that resists or enhances that damage type.

Boss Fight Strategy and Team Synergy

Ironeye isn’t just about dealing damage—it’s about positioning, timing, and setting your team up for success. Knowing how to handle boss fights is what elevates a good Ironeye into a game-changer.

General Boss Tactics:

Stay Behind the Boss: Most enemies have frontal AoEs. Stick to the rear or sides, allowing your tank to absorb aggro.

Use Ultimate Shot to Interrupt: Your Y + RT attack can disrupt abilities like the sleep move from the Augur fight.

Track Aggro Swaps: If the boss targets you (e.g., red chest mark), kite away from your team to reduce risk.

Supporting Your Team:

Constantly mark bosses to raise team damage.

Use ranged pressure to keep stagger bars active, aiding melee teammates in triggering criticals.

When a teammate is down, prioritize picking them up. Ironeye’s revive is one of the fastest in the game.

Avoid Overextending: Ironeye is not tanky. Don’t get greedy—stay mobile and use distance to your advantage.

Dealing with Groups and Fast Enemies

Crowd control is one of Ironeye’s hidden strengths. You’ll often find yourself facing waves of enemies or highly mobile units like flyers.

Tactics for Handling Multiple Targets:

Aim for the Weakest First: Focus down the lowest-health enemies to thin out the group.

Position High: Use terrain to get a better angle and avoid being surrounded.

Use Triple Shot Smartly: Sprint-shot (forward + RT) is ideal for groups when retreating isn't an option.

Special Cases:

Flyers and fast bosses (like Augur) are where Ironeye shines. Stay locked on, keep firing, and use dodge shots to maintain pressure.

When fighting multiple enemies, mark one to reduce group pressure and allow your team to collapse on that target faster.

Use Jump-Back Shots to escape quickly if surrounded. This move gives just enough spacing to reposition without taking a hit.

Late Game Tips and Advanced Tricks

By the late game, your Ironeye should feel like a fully realized support DPS class. At this point, maximizing your contribution depends on optimizing cooldowns, refining mark timing, and adjusting your loadout for each fight.

Late Game Focus Areas:

Elemental Swaps: Carry multiple bows or enchantments tailored to specific enemy weaknesses (e.g., Holy for Albanarox).

Critical Combos: Stack marked shots with teammate ultimates for massive burst.

Situational Magic Use: If you find yourself with underused FP, equip a wand or talisman for ranged elemental damage.

Important Reminder: Some bosses are resistant to piercing. Have a magic or elemental alternative ready to avoid being stuck in a damage drop-off.

Support Mentality Wins Games: Reviving allies, applying mark frequently, and controlling field presence is often more impactful than raw DPS.

Conclusion

Ironeye is one of the most versatile and rewarding classes in Elden Ring: Nightreign. With a mix of mobility, crowd control, and team support, this build offers a strong balance between survivability and pressure.

Whether you're pinning down flyers, keeping your team alive, or marking a boss to break its posture, playing Ironeye right means knowing when to stay back, when to mark, and when to unleash damage. Mastering these rhythms transforms you from a backline shooter to a frontline enabler.

Stick to ranged positioning, prioritize utility, and keep pressure on your enemies’ stagger bar. If you follow this guide, you’ll soon see why Ironeye is considered one of the best support roles in the game.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is Ironeye good for beginners? A: Yes. Ironeye has straightforward mechanics and is very forgiving thanks to its ranged style and revive ability.

Q: What stats should I focus on first? A: Dexterity, Mind, and Endurance. These boost bow efficiency, ability usage, and movement.

Q: What weapon should I use? A: Look for bows that match enemy weaknesses. Elemental bows (Lightning, Holy) are especially strong.

Q: Can Ironeye deal with bosses alone? A: Yes, but it’s more effective in a team. It excels in supportive roles, softening up targets and reviving teammates.

Q: What is the best time to use the marked ability? A: Before a damage burst from your team or to interrupt dangerous boss mechanics.

Q: Is Ironeye viable in all fights? A: Mostly, yes. However, against high-resistance piercing enemies, you may need a backup magic or elemental weapon.

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[smallerthan3]

ladies and gentlemen… HER

lady maria of the astral clocktower

“oh, I know very well how the secrets beckon so sweetly. only an honest death will cure you now.”

[deep-sea-scholar]

Armored Core 6 continues to be great.

I just got to the boss fight with the Ibis Series and to my amazement it seemed like I managed to take it down on my first try.

And then it stood back up at full health and started pulling moves on me perceptible only to certain species of shrimp.

Great stuff.

[thatothergamer]

LIES OF P(DEMO)| HOW TO EASILY DEFEAT THE MAD DONKEY.

[thewisecheerio]

Subversive Design in Soulsborne Games

There are a lot of mechanisms to induce fear in horror games. Lighting (or lack thereof), soundtrack, jump scares, and a myriad of other things all work well to make you feel unsettled.

But my favorite strategy is to establish a pattern for the player and then break it.

Soulsborne games are infamous for this subversive game design, which is part of why they have a reputation for being "unfair". But it's important to remember that the pattern was formed from your assumptions about what the rules of the world are; no accord was ever actually made nor broken. The devs are simply anticipating the pattern you are likely to pick up on, and then breaking it to induce fear. These are horror games, after all.

I tend to find this subversiveness hilarious, so here are some of my favorites:

Boss Phases

Soulsborne games use 2-phase bosses so often that you begin to expect that the most phases a boss will ever have is 2. Thus, the second that you vanquish a foe's second phase, you breathe a sigh of relief. However, there are at least two times that Soulsborne games have broken this promise: Sister Friede of DS3 and the Scadutree Avatar of Elden Ring.

Both came equipped with 3 phases, which catches people out the first time that they encounter it. You may have exhausted resources during Phase 2, not realizing you had miles more to go. As such, it's great at inducing an immediate sense of panic due to feeling underprepared.

Guiding with Diegetic Lighting

Soulsborne games love to use diegetic lighting to guide players where to go next or what to notice. This often takes the form of a carefully placed item that glows to draw your eyes, forcing you to notice something you might have otherwise overlooked. Below is Auriza Hero's Grave with an item-bearing body (already looted in this screenshot, but circled in red) hinting at a drop off point to a floor below:

However, sometimes the game abuses your trust in the diegetic lighting. As you walk toward it to investigate and see what it might be signaling (if anything), an enemy might pop out and attack, or throw a molotov cocktail at your head. It's a trap!

Possibly the funniest incarnation of this is Patches. Patches will leave glowing markers to draw you toward an edge. There might even be devnotes suggesting "Something amazing this way!" to tempt you even more. But the second you get close, off the cliff you go!

Pincer Attacks

Another way Fromsoftware abuses diegetic lighting and your own paranoia is pincer attacks. Because so many enemies like to hide behind corners and jump scare you, players get used to checking corners before entering a new room to grab a clearly visible item. However, sometimes you check those corners dutifully, think you're in the clear after having vanquished the corner foes, and still get attacked on your way to the item.

This is because the trap was never about the enemies hiding behind the corners. They are a distraction, there to make you feel that you have been sufficiently paranoid when you have not actually been paranoid enough.

Rather the problem was never the corner enemies, but the two new enemies that drop off walls in front of you (before you get to them) and behind you (only once you've passed them), forming a pincer that is much harder to escape. Elden Ring's Fanged Imps often do this in catacombs, and the Giant Ants sometimes pull this off in Ainsel and Siofra.

Boss Doors

Sometimes a "rule" Soulsborne games break actually has nothing to do with in-game rules, but rather expectations devs know you have from other games. For example, boss arenas are often very well-signaled so that you can prepare. Either there is Grand ArchitectureTM to tell you something big is about to happen, or you have to explicitly interact with an item to enter the boss arena.

And then there is Bloodborne, who will happily let you get frightfully lost in the Forbidden Woods only to stumble into the boss arena by accident:

(It's me, I stumbled in.)

Sure, there are some big stones there. But by nature of being a multi-tiered level, the Forbidden Woods is FULL of underpasses that go below broken logs or fallen graves. This one doesn't look much different at a glance. You have little reason to believe that this underpass is different from the one you saw earlier that goes underneath a gigantic fallen tree. Consequently, you might walk right in only to be surprised with a boss bar popping up on your screen.

Closing Comments

What every single one of these tactics has in common is that it's playing on your expectations of how the game universe should work, and then subverting it. And when you fall for their antics, it can be hilarious.

It's a very clever design strategy to keep players constantly on their toes. It can get you to learn a new skill or break out of a routine. Overall, it's there to maintain player interest in the game and keep things from feeling stale. And I'd say the Soulsborne games are exceptional at using it to keep you interested.

[mohgreal]

Morgott analysis/essay ?

x1702x:

Errrm Morgott thoughts ☝️🤓

sure

Morgott is the frist demigod you find in Limgrave, and if you choose to have some braincells and explore the rest of Limgrave; You'll have npcs talk about him and how you should fight him.

Now I did just that on my first playthrough and I got WRECKED. Despite having ten hours in and a bleed build, it was like a year since I last played a fromsoftware game (last time was dark souls 1 before that) and I played it like Dark souls 1 instead of playing it like Elden ring. Now because I enjoyed everything else so far I didn't want to give up yet so I was grinding my ass off in order to beat Margit.

When I tell you I finally did it was when we both died at the same time but the game registered him dying and I was so happy after banging my head against a wall for like six hours trying to beat him.

Anyway, fast forward in my first playthrough when I got to Lyndell and I saw his crusty toes again, I knew I was going to have to fight him again and I was ready to get my revenge (and get demolished again) Except, I beat Morgott in like less then ten tries. Then I thought about the rest of the game and I realised that because I was getting swept by Margit so hard I learned how to play the game. I learned how to dodge and have fast enough reflexes for every single other boss in the game that I never had to look up a guide again (thats a lie I looked up a guide for rennala, radahn and elden beast but shhhh)

Anyway after I read his remembrance of him protecting the erdtree but not being loved back I was really sad that my fluffy friend who hates me has a sad backstory so I looked into his lore.

I found how he was kept in a sewer and I was sad as hell but it also gave me more of a reason to beat up Marika(Radagon) up so....

Anyway lore wise, Morgott is the opposite of Mohg who everyone knows I ramble about; He wears Rags, has low self esteem, struggles with being the hornsent/omen king of Lyndell, and so on.

He learned to love what hated him, and because of that in death he is granted a death as a human by the greater will hence why he looks like a dried raisin when you kill him.

Morgott is my fren even if he literally bashed my head with a stick for six hours

gif for good measure ^_^

and yes this ignores sote lore because im not bothered to look into sote lore when it character assassinated my favs whoops

[antisocialxconstruct]

You already made me play shadowrun, convince me to play elden ring as well 👀

oh HMMMM an interesting challenge :o

In one sense it might be an easier sell to you personally, I know you're more into fantasy than scifi to begin with and Elden Ring is definitely a familiar "swords and dragons and magic" kind of setting, albeit with the gothic and eldritch sensibilities you'd expect from FromSoftware. In my opinion this is a major selling point, it feels distinctly high fantasy without just feeling like, y’know, Skyrim But Harder. (And considering I'M someone who's definitely way more into scifi than fantasy, I feel like it's noteworthy that I was still really compelled by the setting.)

The infamous Soulsborne Difficulty is obviously the big sticking point for most people. I can't confidently compare it to other Fromsoft games, but I can say that as someone who doesn't have a ton of experience with soulslikes and generally doesn't think of them as a genre I'd actively seek out, I DID eventually get extremely comfortable with Elden Ring. It can be challenging if it's not a gameplay style you're familiar with, but especially early on you have a lot of opportunities to experiment and mess up long before mistakes start feeling really costly, so it's a good time to try a lot of things. Look up guides, read the wiki, skim some recommended builds... that way if you realize you picked a starting class that doesn't have optimal stats for the skills and weapons you want to use, you can reroll early (unlike me, suffering with a steep faith handicap despite it being like the second or third most important stat for my build =_=) Also, just approach the game with the knowledge that you WILL die and you WILL have to try things more than once, especially if you're not well versed in the genre. I feel like it's much easier to have fun with this kind of game if you approach the challenging fights as earnest attempts and experiments to build a strategy on, rather than "failures" that just mean you have to Do Better. And of course, if something is just too hard to be fun... you can go somewhere else 🤷 hardcore fans might be horrified by my approach but often I would drop one thing that was too hard and wander off somewhere else, get caught up in some other quest line or dungeon or something, and come back to the first challenge so long later that I would be comically overleveled and just get the satisfaction of steamrolling it.

The equally infamous Oblique Soulsborne Storytelling is probably the OTHER major sticking point, and on that I have to say... it is extremely oblique lmao I think @axperjan got way more out of the lore than I did because they actually stopped to read item descriptions and such, so I guess my advice there would be take the time to read item descriptions if you want to know who the fuck everyone is and what they've been up to. But even with the minimal amount of lore I was actually absorbing, I still felt like I was absorbing the ~vibes~ and a lot of the time, that was enough for me to feel like I understood the kinds of struggles and conflicts I was dealing with and how I was meant to feel about them. I got very invested emotionally in several specific characters, and actively want to play the game again in order to absorb more about others and understand them better. Overall I really enjoy the tone of Elden Ring's narrative: there's an unavoidable sickness and despair to the world you're exploring, but an equally clear and distinct note of hope and optimism, a feeling that everything is on the brink of a dramatic change and an earnest desire for that change to be for the better, even if the cost is high.

The game's soundtrack and art direction are beautiful, and MOST of the combat encounters (especially boss fights) feel elegant and satisfyingly structured, so even if you never engaged with the story or lore even a little bit you would get the pleasure of playing through an expansive and competent work of art. There are definitely some recycled maps and enemies that can feel a bit tedious after the first couple times, and some sequences that feel just a little too mean-spirited to be fair, but maybe that's a bit inevitable and in my experience even the ones that made me rage-quit for a night were never enough to sour my opinion of the game as a whole.

I think Elden Ring is a great soulsborne game for people who WANT to like the soulsborne genre but are intimidated by its reputation. It's not so much "easier" that it feels like a disingenuous introduction, but it allows you to be a little more patient and go at your own pace long enough to understand what the genre is actually asking of you and start engaging with it on its own terms. I'm only two boss fights away from finishing the core game and I'm excited for the dlc, which is further than I've ever gotten and more time than I've ever invested in any other soulsborne/soulslike.

Also you get a cool goat-horse and you can feed him snacks while you're riding around 🐐

[88y53]

This is just something I noticed playing Elden Ring

So I finally got to Malenia (and yes, she is absolutely broken), and I quickly realized I didn't have the proper build or equipment to beat her.

I didn't want to look at guides... but I did. But they weren't very helpful, so I guess it balances out.

Anyway, I did eventually beat her, but I don't think I beat her the 'right' way:

See, I soon settled into what I call "Monkey Typewriter'ing"–this comes up a lot when I play FromSoftware games, where, essentially, I just fight the boss over and over again, hoping that through pure RNG, I'll eventually win.

No clever tricks. No strategic use of buffs. No real memorization of the moves. Because of one simple fact–since I have unlimited tries, I only have to beat the boss once. The boss has to beat me forever.

Eventually, something is going to give.

And that's exactly what happened–I got in several lucky shots and I finally won. Freeing me up to move on to the next boss.

Because I only had to beat Malenia once. She had to beat me forever.

[simon-newman]

Spirit Ashes

So. Getting into Elden Ring now I do look for content around the Internet.

What did get my attention is a lot of hatred for Spirit Ashes mechanic which is apparently new thing for Fromsoftware games.

To put is simply - Spirit Ashes are a summoning mechanic where you can call upon a specific AI controlled Spirit to be your ally in the fight.

Some Soulslike veterans insist that this is Fromsoft's method of giving casual players an "easy mode" in an otherwise difficult (or not*) game.

* - The other thing is that there isn't even a consensus if the game is easy or not - some claim it's unbalanced and Fromsoft jumped the shark/used cheap gimmicks to up the difficulty while others claim it's the easiest one and made for casuals even without Spirit Ashes.

Anyway.

Yeah - I have been using Spirit Ashes since I got a set of 3 puppies from Ranni. Then I switched to some stronger ones like Jellyfish and finally Banished Knight Oleg. Are they helpful? Well. Yes? They do provide another target for the boss to focus on. They also deal some damage on their own.

Are they an "easy mode"? Are they breaking the game? Do they win on their own?

Short answer. No - they are not.

First I need to make a disclaimer. The summons can't be used everywhere - only in specific locations. Additionally they can't be re-summoned. They can be upgraded up to +10 but nothing above that - meaning they'll continue to lose in value as the monsters get stronger. Especially when I tackle the NG+ which scales the enemies up 7 times up to NG7+.

Now as to how useful are they playing the game for the first time?

It depends on the boss really.

Beastman of Farum Azula in Limgrave? Yeah - the wolves helped me tear him apart.

I've tackled the Tree Sentinel at lvl 17 and they didn't survive long enough to get his hp down by 1/3.

Pictured above - both me and the wolves are dead already.

Margit? The wolves were lucky if 1 survived till phase 2 (50% hp). Calling them in phase 2 alone was useless as they'd get annihilated with about 2 hammer strikes.

I will say that I did feel kinda bad for some bosses once I switched to Oleg.

Admittedly - this guy is a lot tankier and deadlier than the pups and did save my skin several times.

But he's not an almighty "I win button".

Magma Wyrm just melted him in it's AoE. Same with double gargoyle fight. Even at +7 in a lot of fights he's only enough of a distraction to get in a few initial attacks.

In my ~10 attempts he has NEVER survived long enough to take down one of the gargoyles and I had to fight 2 vs 1 in every single iteration of that fight.

Even without AoE this is often the case against bosses that are an actual challenge.

This is way after Oleg got annihilated by the Crucible Knights. Mostly in 1v1 fight. He wouldn't last long enough for me to get one of them to 50%.

This means that I had to do 75% of the fight solo anyway.

And there are worse examples.

Astel the Naturalborn of the Void? Oleg was pretty much useless and would die almost instantly due to AoE gravity attacks that he also helped trigger more often.

Falligstar beast is outright easier to deal with if it focuses it's attacks on you because most of them is blockable and can be punished.

His contribution against Lansseax was next to none.

Malenia is known for healing from hitting enemies - meaning the summon whose AI is just going to tank blows might end up doing more harm than good.

And that's not mentioning bosses that you can't even use summons against.

In general if a summon is strong enough to make a major contribution to the fight the boss is usually weak enough to die in around 10 hits from me alone anyway.

Ultimately Spirit Ashes are just a mechanic to be used as you see fit. There are people who play without armor or even without leveling. It's their choice and a testament to their skills.

I am just wondering how many soulslike elitists who keep saying that "Spirit Ashes are for unskilled casuals" themselves followed precise meta build guides from the Internet to make sure their Tarnished is the most optimized boss killing machine possible so that they wouldn't struggle.

[lordfrezon]

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

9/10

Yeah that’s right, it’s a full ass review for a DLC, this game is making it onto my GOTY list, it’s popping off.

Short review: If you liked Elden Ring, here’s 40 more hours of it.  It’s dope AF, go play it.

Longer review: Shadow of the Erdtree (henceforth Shadow) is the expansion to 2022’s Elden Ring.  As has become expected of FromSoftware, their DLC is extremely well made and Shadow is effectively another game. Pretty good value for $40.

You continue your journey as the Tarnished into the Scadutree (scadu being pronounced shadow, the more you know) where a missing/dead demigod has taken up residence.  It’s your job now to find him and maybe help him but more likely kill him because you’re the goddamn best at murder.  You travel around this land, realizing that it’s real messed up, and decide to fight people about it.

Unfortunately for you, the people you’re fighting kick your ass.

If you’ve heard anyone talking about Shadow on ye olde social media, you’ll likely have heard how goddamn hard it is, and they are not wrong.  The bosses in Shadow are all on meth.  They move faster, hit harder, and are more unpredictable than nearly all those in the base game.  There’s only like 3 bosses in Elden Ring of comparable danger to those in Shadow.  This makes for some awesome-ass fights, as you get to learn how these losers act before demonstrating that you’re just better than they are in every way.  After they kill you a hundred times but you get them in the end.

As always, while the bosses are the main attraction, the game is mostly taken up by exploration, and exploration remains great, probably even better than in the base game.  There’s the traditional dungeons and random drops to find, new weapons and spells, the whole thing, but Shadow really shows off the art direction of Elden Ring with multiple “Breath of the Wild” moments, where you come over a hill to see a gorgeous vista that yes, you can go explore.  It’s a beautiful, if dark and foreboding, world.

There are a few flaws I want to discuss.  First, same thing goes here as for base Elden Ring, game is hard and punishing, not for everyone but definitely better than any Dark Souls.  Second, there’s some new design decision.  There’re two collectable items in Shadow that boost up your damage, resistance, and those of your summons.  These are near mandatory to collect all of if you want to engage with the later game content, and while many of them are pretty easy to find, this leads into my primary issue with Shadow, the level design.

Shadow is huge, there is so much to discover, so many cool things exist, it’s great.  But there’s an issue in that about half the map is effectively impossible to find without a guide.  Soulslikes have issues with needing a tab open to know what’s going on, either with lore or with gameplay, and Shadow increases that significantly.  Want to know how to find these cool bosses?  Well you might get lucky and find the single hole that leads to this area but probably not, so you go and open up a new tab to look up where things are, which spoils you for some other thing, and you’re still not sure what the area you’re looking for is even called so you waste time looking around and...

It's a real issue and one that was present to a lesser extent in the base game.  I am not someone who needs handholding, I will happily ram my head into some difficult challenge in a game until I win, but when experiencing those challenges requires me to spend minutes or hours wandering around hoping I find the singular small path, something is wrong.  There are NPCs that help a bit, but unlike the base game it’s not always apparent where they are, and the hub area doesn’t include any of the new NPCs (which makes sense but still makes it hard to find them).  When many of them have cool quests (that lead up to one of the best boss fights in the franchise), it’s frustrating that to have the full experience I have to de-immerse myself from the game.

But still, the gameplay is plenty fun, and I had a great time with all but one boss.  Elden Ring as a whole continues to demonstrate that FromSoft gets good worldbuilding and design principles.  Here’s to whatever they come up with next.

[mrslittletall]

Qwestion

How much is best to play the first dark souls compared to other experiences fromsoftware

I wanna try playing DS for the first time ever

I already saw different game plays and I think ds1 is the most manageable out of every other title

(yes this does mean I won't go in spoiler free)

But the gameplay looks like something that could be enjoyable

Tho again the only game I ever played similar is probably hollow knight but I know there are some differences

To be completely honest, I think the best game for Soulsborne first timers is currently Elden Ring because of how many options you get and how open the game is. However, the end game is pretty brutal in my book. I started with the original Dark Souls and it was my first game of this kind and it was HARSH. I spent days on bosses that are first tries for me now. Simply because I didn't get the game yet. In Dark Souls you probably have to forget everything that similar games taught you. You are just a tiny little nobody who is way over their head and the game wants you to know that. It is a very tactical game. If you just run in and try to bruteforce it you'll die. But if you go slowly, calculated and find a strategy you will succeed. I will give you some beginner's tips: Find a weapon with a moveset you like and stick to it. Look at the scaling (the higher the number the better the scaling) and then level up the corresponding stats. For the first time it is better to go pure strength or pure dex. You can also go for a mage build which can be considered easy mode (outside of one late game area) but casting time for spells can be tricky. Resistance is a worthless stat. Don't level it up EVER. You can unhollow by using a humanity at a bonfire. Then you can actually see summoning signs from both NPCs and other players. But careful, you can also get invaded. Oh wait, you have to use the humanity first and then do the unhollowing at the bonfire. Dark Souls has a ton of secrets. Some of them are a real guide dangit moment. But you can always come back. The point of no return is literally the final boss. Just follow the path the game guides you through at first and search for secrets later. Feel free to ask questions if you are stuck! The community loves to help! Upgrading your weapon is even more important than levelling up your characters. That was it. Have fun with the game! (P.S. Learn to parry. It is incredible easy to pull off in the first Dark Souls).

[tastytofusoup]

My playstyle ethos for Elden Ring is basically: avoid playing the way I played Dark Souls games, at every turn. Feeling like a true Mage as I look for the easy path for doing everything. Summoned an npc for a boss for the first time ever in a FromSoftware game. Summoning my ghost doggies where I can to tank, so I can avoid even dodging. Identify a cheesy way to kill something? Exploit it without remorse. Barely use my sword and dump into my spell dps so I can just burn everything down from range.

It's very refreshing.

I'm also 11 hours in and have yet to fight a major boss (granted...3 of those were in the character creator). And it'll still be a good while until I do, because I'm following an npc quest guide, and have various things to do first.

Did just kill a dragon though, that was good.

Already had multiple instances of the very satisfying "identify enemy too tough for me to beat right now - go back later and kick its ass". The dragon being one of them. Got a new spell and an S-scaling staff and killed it without taking damage. EZ game. Mage life.

And 'Enemy I can't beat right now' is often boiling down to "I won't have enough magic resources to kill it with spells alone and I refuse to run out and have to whack and dodge it with my sword".

I need better fashion though.

[smallerthan3]

more Lady Maria of the Astral clocktower <3

Lady Maria, please. take my hand. please.

[techpulsecanada]

Exciting news for Elden Ring fans — FromSoftware’s latest patch makes Madness weapons more common, making the challenging Libra boss a bit easier. The recent update, version 1.01.3, primarily focuses on bug fixes but also enhances weapon chances to inflict Madness, a status effect that few players utilize effectively against Nightlord bosses. This tweak could significantly improve your chances in tough fights, especially with the powerful Equilibrious Beast Libra. Additionally, the patch addresses some amusing bugs, such as damage inconsistencies from weak points and nullified Lightning damage from the Bolt of Gransax. These fixes maximize your chances of success in Elden Ring Nightreign’s brutal quests. Are you excited to try the new Madness weapon chances? Do you think this makes the Libra fight more manageable? Let us know your thoughts and strategies in the comments! Keywords: Elden Ring, Nightreign, Madness weapons, FromSoftware, game update, bug fixes, boss guide, patch notes, Dark Souls-inspired, RPG success. Stay tuned for more updates and tips to conquer Elden Ring's toughest challenges!

[groovy-computers]

Exciting news for Elden Ring fans — FromSoftware’s latest patch makes Madness weapons more common, making the challenging Libra boss a bit easier. The recent update, version 1.01.3, primarily focuses on bug fixes but also enhances weapon chances to inflict Madness, a status effect that few players utilize effectively against Nightlord bosses. This tweak could significantly improve your chances in tough fights, especially with the powerful Equilibrious Beast Libra. Additionally, the patch addresses some amusing bugs, such as damage inconsistencies from weak points and nullified Lightning damage from the Bolt of Gransax. These fixes maximize your chances of success in Elden Ring Nightreign’s brutal quests. Are you excited to try the new Madness weapon chances? Do you think this makes the Libra fight more manageable? Let us know your thoughts and strategies in the comments! Keywords: Elden Ring, Nightreign, Madness weapons, FromSoftware, game update, bug fixes, boss guide, patch notes, Dark Souls-inspired, RPG success. Stay tuned for more updates and tips to conquer Elden Ring's toughest challenges!

[luxcrato]

Elden Ring: Open World Game, Intriguing Story, and Epic Challenges

New Post has been published on https://www.luxcrato.com/movie-gaming/get-to-know-elden-ring/

Elden Ring: Open World Game, Intriguing Story, and Epic Challenges

Elden Ring is the latest masterpiece from FromSoftware, the studio renowned for its success with Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Released on February 25, 2022, Elden Ring takes the open-world action RPG genre to new heights, offering a vast, immersive world that retains the core elements of challenge, intricate lore, and atmospheric darkness that fans of FromSoftware games have come to love.

While Elden Ring borrows many elements from previous FromSoftware games, it also introduces new features and innovations that set it apart. One of the most significant changes is the expansive open world, a departure from the more linear worlds of its predecessors. The game was developed in collaboration with the famed author George R. R. Martin, best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, which provided the foundation for the world-building and lore of Elden Ring.

Table of Contents

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An Expansive Open World

The Influence of George R. R. Martin: Crafting a New Mythos

The Tarnished: The Player’s Role and Their Purpose

The Gameplay

1. Exploration of the Open World

2. Combat and Tactical Depth

3. Character Progression and Customization

4. Boss Fights and Challenges

5. Multiplayer: Co-op and PvP

6. Death and Resurrection

Available Platforms

An Expansive Open World

One of the most striking features of Elden Ring is its expansive open world, The Lands Between. This vast world is filled with diverse landscapes, from decaying castles to dark forests and towering mountains veiled in fog. Players are free to explore this world at their own pace, uncovering secrets, finding hidden dungeons, and engaging with the environment in a way that was never possible in FromSoftware’s previous games.

The open-world design offers a sense of organic discovery, with no clear path guiding players through the story. Exploration rewards players with hidden items, lore, and the chance to tackle some of the game’s most formidable challenges. The world feels alive, and every corner could hold something significant, whether it’s an NPC with a quest or a boss lurking in the shadows.

The Influence of George R. R. Martin: Crafting a New Mythos

What sets Elden Ring apart from FromSoftware’s previous games is the involvement of George R. R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire (the series that inspired Game of Thrones). Martin’s contributions were not in writing the direct narrative, but in shaping the world’s mythology, creating a rich and complex backstory that informs the player’s journey.

At the heart of Elden Ring is the shattered Elden Ring, a legendary object that once governed the power of the Lands Between. With the destruction of the Elden Ring, the world has fallen into chaos, and various factions fight to control what remains. This creates a world full of conflict, ambition, and intrigue, much like the one in Martin’s previous works, where characters often pursue their own self-serving goals at the expense of others.

The Tarnished: The Player’s Role and Their Purpose

Players take on the role of “The Tarnished,” individuals who have been exiled from the Lands Between and are now given a chance to return after the destruction of the Elden Ring. The Tarnished are linked to powerful forces but are considered outcasts, seeking to restore their place in the world by gathering the shattered pieces of the Elden Ring and ultimately becoming the Elden Lord.

However, the journey is fraught with peril. Elden Ring does not hold the player’s hand and offers no easy answers. Death is a frequent companion, but in the world of Elden Ring, death is simply a lesson to learn from, and the player will return to try again, stronger and more prepared for the challenges ahead.

The Gameplay

The gameplay of Elden Ring revolves around three core elements: exploration, combat, and character progression. Here is an overview of how these elements combine to create the game’s experience:

1. Exploration of the Open World

Elden Ring features The Lands Between, an open world full of diverse and dangerous locations. Players can explore the world freely, discovering hidden dungeons, secrets, and challenges. The game encourages organic exploration, with minimal hand-holding, allowing players to carve their own path through the vast landscape.

Exploration is not just about finding items; it is also about engaging with the world’s rich lore, uncovering hidden narratives, and encountering unpredictable events that shape the overall experience.

2. Combat and Tactical Depth

The combat in Elden Ring demands precision and strategy. Players can equip various weapons and spells, each with unique strengths and abilities. Timing, stamina management, and positioning are all critical factors in determining success during combat.

Players must master the balance between offense and defense, carefully managing resources like stamina and FP (Focus Points) to defeat enemies. The inclusion of Spirit Ashes introduces an additional layer of tactical depth, allowing players to summon assistance during difficult encounters.

3. Character Progression and Customization

As an RPG, Elden Ring offers extensive character customization. Players can choose from a variety of starting classes, each with different attributes, weapons, and abilities. Over time, players can level up their characters by collecting runes from defeated enemies and bosses, improving stats such as strength, endurance, intelligence, and more.

The ability to choose and equip different weapons, armor, and magical abilities allows players to tailor their playstyle to their preferences. This customization is essential for overcoming the game’s many challenges.

4. Boss Fights and Challenges

Boss fights are central to Elden Ring‘s design. These encounters, often with massive and formidable foes, require players to learn the patterns of their enemies, manage their resources, and develop effective strategies. Many of the bosses are tied to the game’s rich lore, providing both narrative depth and intense gameplay.

The sense of accomplishment from defeating a particularly challenging boss is one of the game’s most rewarding experiences.

5. Multiplayer: Co-op and PvP

The game offers both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. In co-op mode, players can summon others to assist in challenging areas or boss fights. In PvP mode, players can engage in duels or invade other players’ worlds, adding an extra layer of competition.

This multiplayer aspect enhances the overall experience, allowing for both cooperation and rivalry within the expansive world of Elden Ring.

6. Death and Resurrection

Death is an inevitable part of Elden Ring, but rather than being a punishment, it is an opportunity for players to learn and improve. Each death presents a chance to reassess one’s approach, refine strategies, and come back stronger.

The game’s death mechanic is not just about failure—it is a core aspect of the overall experience, encouraging resilience and perseverance.

Available Platforms

Elden Ring is available on a wide range of platforms, ensuring that players can enjoy the game regardless of their system of choice. The platforms on which Elden Ring is available include:

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 version provides a solid gaming experience with an expansive world to explore and challenging combat. While the graphical fidelity and performance may not match the next-generation consoles, it remains a highly playable and immersive experience for those with a PS4.

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 version offers significant improvements in terms of graphics, performance, and loading times. Players can experience Elden Ring in higher resolution with enhanced textures and smoother frame rates, making it the ideal choice for those who own a PS5. The game runs beautifully on this platform, providing a more immersive and seamless experience.

Xbox One For Xbox One players, Elden Ring is available and delivers a solid performance, though it doesn’t offer the same level of graphical detail or performance as its next-gen counterparts. However, it still offers a satisfying experience with the vast open world and engaging gameplay that fans of FromSoftware games expect.

Xbox Series X|S The Xbox Series X|S version of Elden Ring offers the best performance, with higher resolutions, faster load times, and smoother frame rates. On the Series X, the game runs at 4K resolution, providing an impressive visual experience. The Series S, while offering a lower resolution, still runs the game effectively with smooth performance, making it a great option for those with the new Xbox consoles.

PC (Microsoft Windows) For PC players, Elden Ring provides the most customizable experience in terms of graphics and performance. With support for ultra-wide monitors, high frame rates, and customizable graphical settings, the game offers players the ability to tweak their settings for the best possible performance on high-end systems. Players can experience Elden Ring at 4K resolution, with fast load times and stable performance, provided they have the necessary hardware.

Each platform ensures that Elden Ring is accessible to a broad audience while offering optimizations for next-generation consoles and PC. Whether you are playing on a PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, or PC, Elden Ring delivers an immersive and challenging experience for all players.