Elden Ring (George RR Martin's game)

[MillerEP 30,870]

First trailer. Drops Jan 21, 2022. Unfortunately it looks too much like a Dark Souls game to me, which I don't like, so I probably won't play it. I was excited up until I saw this footage. Now I'll have to wait to see.

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by MillerEP

[Hawndoh 2,409]

The game designer is the Dark Souls guy. It was always going to be a dark souls game. All of his games work the same...

I don't care for them either. Unfortunately the streamers I like to watch love them so I'll have to find new guys to watch until they beat it.

[Juicy 729]

I hated dark souls for the first few hours I played. Once i realized it wasn't just a smash and grab they became some of my favorites. This will be awesome.

[Rivers 80]

 

21 Days!!! 

[Hozz 1,034]

So is this just the next Dark Souls game?  Because put me in the camp that hated it.  Puzzle game masquerading as an ARPG?  Pass.  Single player game with no pause?  Haha.  Fuck you.

[Hawndoh 2,409]

pretty much, yes. It's a souls game.

[Rivers 80]

Yes DS game but with an open world as well as all the dungeons. Co-op and “raids and wars” for pvp as well

[MillerEP 30,870]

On 2/4/2022 at 7:00 PM, Hozz said:

So is this just the next Dark Souls game?  Because put me in the camp that hated it.  Puzzle game masquerading as an ARPG?  Pass.  Single player game with no pause?  Haha.  Fuck you.

Pretty much. I hate the souls games too, as I stated in the OP. Games are supposed to be fun, I don't want to waste most of my time frustrated constantly. 

[CurlyDumps 4,625]

Anyone playing? If so, what platform? The PC issues are helping me decide my “Witch Queen or Elden Ring first” dilemma.

Edited February 27, 2022 by CurlyDumps

[Hozz 1,034]

I always find it fascinating when critics slobber on something and users shit on it.  This is currently one of the highest rated PC games of all time by critics, on metacritic, with a 95/100 rating.  Users, however, are giving it 5.3/10.  Lots of reasons this can happen but in this case it seems to be because of the optimization being shit.

[trza-hawk 269]

I watched some streams to see what the game is like.

[TXSG8R 3,362]

23 hours ago, Hozz said:

I always find it fascinating when critics slobber on something and users shit on it.  This is currently one of the highest rated PC games of all time by critics, on metacritic, with a 95/100 rating.  Users, however, are giving it 5.3/10.  Lots of reasons this can happen but in this case it seems to be because of the optimization being shit.

It’s not surprising, the game is hard as shit. I’m sure plenty of people thought they were getting another Skyrim and were incredulous that they were getting their ass handed to them by basic baddies right out of the gate. The game has a really steep learning curve, and one of the hardest lessons to learn is if something kicks your ass, go do something else and get some more levels and gear under your belt and try later. 

[Hozz 1,034]

2 minutes ago, TXSG8R said:

It’s not surprising, the game is hard as shit. I’m sure plenty of people thought they were getting another Skyrim and were incredulous that they were getting their ass handed to them by basic baddies right out of the gate. The game has a really steep learning curve, and one of the hardest lessons to learn is if something kicks your ass, go do something else and get some more levels and gear under your belt and try later. 

But I mean that's the franchise.  All the Demon's Souls games are extremely challenging and disrespectful of the player's time.  Who bought this game not knowing that?  Sure someone did but not most people.  The disparity in reviews for critics v consumers on the PC seems to be performance issues.  The next gen console versions have much closer critic v consumer reviews.

[TXSG8R 3,362]

12 minutes ago, Hozz said:

But I mean that's the franchise.  All the Demon's Souls games are extremely challenging and disrespectful of the player's time.  Who bought this game not knowing that?  Sure someone did but not most people.  The disparity in reviews for critics v consumers on the PC seems to be performance issues.  The next gen console versions have much closer critic v consumer reviews.

People will absolutely watch a game trailer, see the awards, and buy it without knowing jack about it. It doesn’t help that they tried to say that players had a better chance of sticking through this game versus previous souls games (paraphrasing, don’t remember the exact quote). I think it is more forgiving in some ways because of the open world aspect, but you have to be willing to say not yet and move on. Some people are just following the carrot and I can see how that would sour them. That first tarnished boss is a giant step up in difficulty. 

[trza-hawk 269]

The first wave of user reviews from games that take dozens of hours to playthrough  that come out just a couple days after a game drops? I thought those people don't have access to early playing like the reviewers do? Like superfans or super-haters of various franchises just spam the different user review sites with bad reviews when a game comes out.

[TXSG8R 3,362]

From reddit

Quote

The "making this more accessible to new players" seems to be "you can run away with your horse and get pretty much everywhere so you can look at stuff and have fun but you're fucked if you actually try to fight anything"

I’ve got an Xbox buddy that says he fell for the 10/10 reviews but can’t believe how hard the game is. I think a lot of people are trying to play way too linear and getting crushed by it. I started hunting for stuff I could kill and the game has been great since then. I finally beat margit after leveling my guy into the mid 20s. 

The bad part about exploring is I’ve run across a few bosses that I can’t imagine beating even with a lot more gear and power.  I also think right now that ranged classes are worthless when it comes to bosses, which sucks. I put quite a bit of time into an astrologer before finding out some bosses will dodge every single ranged attack you throw at them. I switched to a melee focused class and find it easier not worrying about juggling HP and FP. Max out HP flasks and just get in there and swing for the fences. 

[TXSG8R 3,362]

This game is good as hell, and it’s hard to explain the scale of it. An absolute unit of a game world. 

[campcrunk 2,551]

On 3/1/2022 at 6:24 PM, TXSG8R said:

This game is good as hell, and it’s hard to explain the scale of it. An absolute unit of a game world. 

It's absolutely fantastic. Maybe even better than Bloodborne - which is really, really saying something. 

[Hawndoh 2,409]

I mean, after three Dark Souls, Demon Souls, Sekiro, and Bloodborne if anyone is mad that this game is what it is that is on them. 

[Dr Fear 1,290]

Never played any of these souls games. I was so confused by the messages, thought they were part of the tutorial until I came across the first "but" "hole" one haha.

[ConferenceRoom 6,214]

Reading Souls threads on Shaggy/Surly is always good for a laugh. Try rolling, guys. 

Elden Ring really is a masterpiece. Sometimes I have to stop and just admire the scale they managed to pull off without a hint of interruption. I mean, FromSoft has always been good about that but this is something else entirely. Gorgeous, massive world. 

As ever, it has just the right amount of difficulty and frustration until something clicks and you make progress. If you approach it with the intention of accepting a challenge and seeking to improve, your experience will be much more fulfilling. 

Stuttering/frame drops on PC is annoying but was only game breaking with the Tree Sentinel. Thumbs down on Steam until they fully address that. 

[MoJames 8,258]

Never played the Dark Souls games, but knew their reputation.

After a bit of struggle and getting used to combat, etc I'm enjoying every second. I'm doing a confessor build and leveling/gearing up to face Margit.

[MoJames 8,258]

Got my Confessor to level 30 last night.

 

[victory88 5,755]

Just bought this game.  Never played any of the other titles.  Looking forward to eating an edible and binge playing.

[victory88 5,755]

Yup… I suck at this game after playing the training sacred dungeon while the game installs.  Ready to get my ass beat once I can get out of this damn dungeon.

[elguapo 4,620]

I've already put in close to 80 hours, have my build up to 88, and the game says I've only completed 33%. The scale of this game is ridiculously awesome.

[victory88 5,755]

On 3/15/2022 at 12:19 PM, elguapo said:

I've already put in close to 80 hours, have my build up to 88, and the game says I've only completed 33%. The scale of this game is ridiculously awesome.

Geez.... I'm barely at lvl 20 but i've played maybe 7-8 hours.  I just found a new sword but can't even use it.

[TXSG8R 3,362]

I keep bouncing between different characters.  My confessor is around 90 now.  I have a prisoner and hero in the 60s.  The only class I couldn’t keep playing was the astrologer. Pure casting class is just hella hard, especially early on. At some point I want to try a samurai.
 

It bears repeating, the scale of this game is just amazing. The underground area is almost as big as the main map, which I still haven’t opened completely. Just a bonkers amount of content and the variation on areas and monsters is awesome. I wish you could do more legit co-op instead of it being limited to instances, but that’s a minor complaint. This game is worth every penny at full price.

[victory88 5,755]

Man, how are you guys leveling up so fast.  I'm at lvl 21 and find myself in these surprise boss battles where I lose my runes.  I can't beat anyone except your common foot soldier/enemies.  I have no idea how to cast spells and do magic.  I've picked up a katana and long sword but can't even use it.  I want to play this game more but seems like I just ride around, will collect runes, and then lose them and won't be able to recover them.

[wildcat09 29,577]

21 hours ago, victory88 said:

Man, how are you guys leveling up so fast.  I'm at lvl 21 and find myself in these surprise boss battles where I lose my runes.  I can't beat anyone except your common foot soldier/enemies.  I have no idea how to cast spells and do magic.  I've picked up a katana and long sword but can't even use it.  I want to play this game more but seems like I just ride around, will collect runes, and then lose them and won't be able to recover them.

Decent guide to leveling up early without fighting anything:

This helps a lot.

 

[Juicy 729]

On 3/22/2022 at 10:47 AM, wildcat09 said:

Decent guide to leveling up early without fighting anything:

This helps a lot.

 

I did this and definitely regret it. It took me from having to slog through the catacombs and caves to being able to just hack and slash bosses with no real chance of dying. I'm sure it will catch back up but after the 3 limegrave maps I am still just crushing everything. 

[MoJames 8,258]

So I realized Saturday at level 48 and after passing both Magrit and Godrick that I was fat rolling. Was wondering why my buddy was rolling through the game a bit lower level than I.

Past 2 days have been glorius, clearing out several bosses I previously had not had much luck with.

Now at 51 with a new get-up.

[MoJames 8,258]

Level 70, enjoying every second.

[TXSG8R 3,362]

I beat the game on my confessor this morning. Couple of the last bosses really suck. I have a hero and sorcerer both in the high 80s, and a samurai at 19 that I’m really enjoying. Not looking forward to some of the end game content on pure melee characters. 

[Austinvines 318]

I love the game, have no idea what I am doing, and am totally shitty at it. Playing a Samurai and cannot beat the mounted guys in Limgrave without killing the horse with the bow and feathering the mob with as many arrows as possible before he closes to melee range.

[MoJames 8,258]

50 minutes ago, Austinvines said:

I love the game, have no idea what I am doing, and am totally shitty at it. Playing a Samurai and cannot beat the mounted guys in Limgrave without killing the horse with the bow and feathering the mob with as many arrows as possible before he closes to melee range.

In this game there is no wrong way to kill a mob.

[victory88 5,755]

Up to Level 70 now.  I really want to use some of these weapons but it’s hard to have balanced attributes.  I went back to some other parts of the map at the beginning of the game and was crushing bosses.  
 

Also, I finally figured out how to summon other players.  It’s nice having two other guys helping me and it’s helped me defeat a few bosses I had no business beating.  They basically did the bulk of the work 

[victory88 5,755]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:35 AM, Austinvines said:

I love the game, have no idea what I am doing, and am totally shitty at it. Playing a Samurai and cannot beat the mounted guys in Limgrave without killing the horse with the bow and feathering the mob with as many arrows as possible before he closes to melee range.

Yeah, I didn’t bother fighting him until I leveled up much higher.  It took me 2 weeks to just figure out how to play the basics aspects of this game.  I try not to use the guides bc it’s so much more fun when you get surprised with bosses, new parts of the map, and animations.  

[Juicy 729]

On 4/16/2022 at 1:32 PM, victory88 said:

Up to Level 70 now.  I really want to use some of these weapons but it’s hard to have balanced attributes.  I went back to some other parts of the map at the beginning of the game and was crushing bosses.  
 

Also, I finally figured out how to summon other players.  It’s nice having two other guys helping me and it’s helped me defeat a few bosses I had no business beating.  They basically did the bulk of the work 

I did a lot of rune grinding to try and use the sword of night and fire. I'm still 7 levels away from the faith level. Its really a task once it costs 30-40k per level. 

[Juicy 729]

On 4/16/2022 at 1:39 PM, victory88 said:

Yeah, I didn’t bother fighting him until I leveled up much higher.  It took me 2 weeks to just figure out how to play the basics aspects of this game.  I try not to use the guides bc it’s so much more fun when you get surprised with bosses, new parts of the map, and animations.  

I use the guides as just an overview to try and not miss anything important. But the past few sessions I have just been moving around opening the map and exploring ruins. 

[Dr Fear 1,290]

3 hours ago, Juicy said:

I use the guides as just an overview to try and not miss anything important. But the past few sessions I have just been moving around opening the map and exploring ruins. 

I ran though the first 4 four episodes of this and then went on my own, I would highly recommend it.  It goes and gets the best starting weapons for every build, upgrades/increases your flasks (big deal if you find it too hard) and goes through how everything works.

 

[Dr Fear 1,290]

4 hours ago, Juicy said:

I did a lot of rune grinding to try and use the sword of night and fire. I'm still 7 levels away from the faith level. Its really a task once it costs 30-40k per level. 

FYI to people thinking about a respec (I have not gotten nearly that far), it resets your levels to where you started, not or 0 or 1, so if you started Vagabond then that is where you will be back at those stats.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Dr Fear

[Juicy 729]

It really is incredible how amazing and different all the zones are. Its like as you progress it keeps getting darker and darker but also more vivid. I had to go back to limegrave last night for something and was like "damn, this is so peaceful and bright, it looks like the shire" Then back to deeproot depths where it was just dark and twisted. 

As much as I want to like it more than Witcher 3 which is my favorite of all time, I think the fact that the story is so cryptic in how it is told will make it tough to ever catch witcher. Everything else about the game though is going to be tough to beat in any other game. The gameplay is amazing, and adding the spirit ashes to give you a companion and help if you dont want to constantly play co-op makes it much more approachable than the souls games. 

Now if I could just get some damn lvl 7 somber smithing stones. 

[MoJames 8,258]

 

Around level 105, slowly exploring and still enjoying every bit.

[Dr Fear 1,290]

Finished up dinner last night, got up and declared to my wife "that Ogre that just killed me is about to be in the business end of a curved great sword" and walked out of the room.

[victory88 5,755]

My wife caught the boss scene where the Serpant boss in Volcano manor rips his sword out of the dragons mouth with all he moving worms or whatever the hell is on the sword.  She was utterly disgusted... I had a huge grin on my face haha. 

[wutang75 459]

Was thinking about buying this but was told the difficulty was off the charts and unless I was willing and able to invest a shitload of time to learn it I wouldn’t like it. I’m willing but possibly not able. Is it that hard? To the point its difficult to “get in to”?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[MoJames 8,258]

10 minutes ago, wutang75 said:

Was thinking about buying this but was told the difficulty was off the charts and unless I was willing and able to invest a shitload of time to learn it I wouldn’t like it. I’m willing but possibly not able. Is it that hard? To the point its difficult to “get in to”?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It's much easier than previous Dark Souls games secondary to the ability to summon a pet to help.

The most important thing to realize in these type of games is it is ok to run from a bad guy.

[Yuk 1,613]

On 5/12/2022 at 5:25 PM, wutang75 said:

Was thinking about buying this but was told the difficulty was off the charts and unless I was willing and able to invest a shitload of time to learn it I wouldn’t like it. I’m willing but possibly not able. Is it that hard? To the point its difficult to “get in to”?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It's game of the year (or probably last 5?). It's a worthy investment. Just remember, if you don't know what to do next you can always try fingers, but hole. Works all the time.

[MoJames 8,258]