My Final Thoughts on Elden Ring Pre-DLC

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  • čas přidán 17. 05. 2024
  • It's been a while since I've talked about Elden Ring. And it feels like a good idea to have one last big video revisiting it before seeing what Shadow of the Erdtree has to offer.
    Timestamps:
    00:00 Intro
    01:22 The World
    16:09 Build Variety
    25:25 Enemies and Bosses
    31:38 Story/Lore
    35:49 DLC wish list
    39:47 Final thoughts

Komentáře • 729

  • @chadofastora
    @chadofastora  Před měsícem +80

    Yo, I just wanted to mention that discussions around this game can get extremely heated extremely fast. While it’s obviously totally cool to disagree with me or other commenters, let’s just to try to keep things somewhat civil.

    • @user-pm7qc5qy9c
      @user-pm7qc5qy9c Před měsícem +7

      Elden wrong

    • @hhowdy
      @hhowdy Před měsícem +3

      @@user-pm7qc5qy9c Unfunny joke that doesn’t even make any sense

    • @bartoffer
      @bartoffer Před měsícem

      @@hhowdy consonance

    • @hhowdy
      @hhowdy Před měsícem

      @@epsilon1372 Who the fuck is this guy?

    • @JJEERRPP
      @JJEERRPP Před 29 dny +1

      @@hhowdy ur such a silly goose!

  • @nunchuksteev9811
    @nunchuksteev9811 Před měsícem +162

    Your first playthrough of Elden Ring is so magical. The exploration, the fights, the reveal of the underworld. So many moments.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +5

      Indeed

    • @questionablezoomer764
      @questionablezoomer764 Před měsícem +1

      Except the fact we already knew there would be an underworld pre-launch. The exploration and boss fights are polarizing

    • @nunchuksteev9811
      @nunchuksteev9811 Před měsícem +28

      @@questionablezoomer764 "weLl ActUAlly". I already know you look like you collect katanas from the mall. Coming down the Siofra elevator was a beautiful reveal.

    • @iHaveTheDocuments
      @iHaveTheDocuments Před 29 dny +8

      ​@@questionablezoomer764 What subreddit do you moderate? R\galleria mall katana?

    • @questionablezoomer764
      @questionablezoomer764 Před 29 dny

      @@nunchuksteev9811 promotional image of nokstella and the one with the ants tells you otherwise. If you were nearly as hyped as I was, did you not watch the trailers?

  • @CaptainKoosh
    @CaptainKoosh Před měsícem +135

    I think Elden Ring revived that sense of wonder that videogames used to give a lot of people before. When I started my second playthrough I started noticing the parts of the game that weren’t as good. Still an incredible game. I’ll remember my first playthrough very fondly. This is why I’m so hyped for the DLC. Discovering everything for the first time will be lots of fun. Great video!

    • @Hyde_Lawrence
      @Hyde_Lawrence Před měsícem +2

      Dark Souls did that 11 years prior.

    • @GD-nu4iz
      @GD-nu4iz Před 29 dny +1

      Same, but, on subsequent playthroughs I realized how great the bosses were and I just skip the parts I don't need which are floaty. I currently do challenge runs which are a ton of fun, beat it as rl1, can do a non cheese speed run of about 2 hrs and have almost beat it without dying

    • @uryenatienza4093
      @uryenatienza4093 Před 27 dny

      ​@@Hyde_Lawrence I wouldn't say wonder though. DS1 has wonder-like moments, but I wouldn't consider it a game about "wonder" if we're using the same definition. I'd say DS1 revived the feeling of accomplishment and positive struggle in people.
      Elden Ring has given people that sense of enjoying the sights of the mountain again.
      While DS1 brought back the enjoyment in the hike and reaching the peak.

    • @Hyde_Lawrence
      @Hyde_Lawrence Před 27 dny

      ​@@uryenatienza4093 Do you realize that elden ring is just BIG dark souls? Everything elden ring does (besides open world) you got it before in the series in a smaller scale. And i have no intention to undervalue ER, but literally dark souls changed the gaming landscape, you got 1000s of souls-like even before ER was a thing.

    • @uryenatienza4093
      @uryenatienza4093 Před 27 dny +1

      @@Hyde_Lawrence yeah ofc, what I'm saying is that what Dark Souls gave is conceptually different to what Elden Ring has given.
      Though both games are undeniably similar, they still give relatively different experiences, therefore the "wonder" you get from both is different.
      Maybe I phrased my point poorly.
      What I'm saying is that the "wonder" Elden Ring gives is fundamentally different from what Dark Souls gives.
      For example, the "wonder" you get from fighting Gwyn vs fighting Radagon are completely different.
      There are no areas in DS1 that give off the same vibe as Siofra River.
      There are no areas in ER that give off the same energy as the Blight Town.
      At bare minimum, neither game can fully give of the same vibe as one another.
      Overall my point is, calling Elden Ring "big Dark Souls" / saying "Dark Souls did it first" is reductive to both games because both games, for having the same core, are completely different beasts.
      It's like saying Bloodborne gave the Sekiro experience first. When it's clear both games are worlds apart, bare minimum islands apart. Obviously this is far more ridiculous compared to what you said, but I think it's conceptually the same thing.
      I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong, but maybe that first statement was undercooked. I'll admit, mine was undercooked too.

  • @poutineausyropderable7108
    @poutineausyropderable7108 Před 29 dny +31

    There's a shit ton of openings. It's just there's 5 types of openings and only one of which is turn by turns openings/obvious openings/dark souls openings.
    Jump heavy openings. Jump over the attack and do a jump hravy
    Delayed openings: Attack during windup and dodge.
    Superdelayed/position based: Walk/Run into the attack safe zone during windup, you can use windup time + recovery time as openings duration. They are the longest openings by far.
    Obvious openings/Turned based.
    Created openings: Using the enemies stagger and attacking faster then them from specific positioning at a very specific time of their animation where they don't have hyper armor. or animation whiffing, where you attack at a specific moment from a specific place so that the enemies attack whiff you by a few mm due to the exact animation.
    The 5th one is the hardest type, only seen consistently in the most insane types of challenge run, like malenia no hit fist only. It's usually a mix of all the other 4 openings + some special sauce.
    It's not really a distinct category.
    So 4.5 types of openings.
    And yes, recognising attacks super early so you can do the setup takes good reaction time but mostly you need to know the animation increadibly well. Some Ultra instinct martial artist future sight type shit. You need to be able to see the whole animation setup in your head clearly and have really good muscle memory.
    And other souls games don't have it as much. Their delayed attacks aren't slow enough to let you attack during windup (or at least its much rarer), and their super delayed attacks tracks more so there's less consistent safe spot.
    Also, other souls games have obvious openings be frequent enough that you don't need the other unless you are doing a super challenge run. You can bsat the game with a shit weapon and minimal healing and play aggressively and gets hit in very often and relies on obvious opening 80% of the times. Also, r1 spam is just the brdt thing due to a lack of formal posture system.
    So yeah, elden ring is really fucking hard to learn to get good at.
    (If you haven't beaten the game underleveled with lighload, and a no bleed/cold longsworrd, with minimal healing, you haven't leanred the games mechanic).
    And it's not a from soft elitist message. The boss are just really fucking hard and their ai is a massive puzzle. Without doing the challenge I named above, you can beat a boss with only understanding a very small part of their AI. Most people beat boss by doing a mix of using obvious openings and damage trading. And you won't know hoe much you tely on damage trading until you've done such a challenge. Sometimes, attacking right now can force you to take damage 3 move down the line.
    The Boss moveset has so much depth and optimal plays require you to recognise much faster then before, as you need to do something different then reacting and pressing circle.
    Waterfowl is the ultimate "you need to react quickly and do a complex setup to activate it." On a hardcore/reset run, it would be bullshit, but sometimes you'll just have to die to it and accept the bad rng.
    Because dodging it needs setup. There's a death range where you can't do the point blank dodge, and can't run away either. If there's walls, you might not be able to move to the correct space, or she might not whiff far enough and she'l kill you.
    I always play souls game light load longsword. And I try to beat the second run underleveled and using less healings.
    But on ER, you can't do that on a first run even with tips unless you are willing to die 500+ times to every boss.
    It's a challenge runs that makes you actually learn how to play the game well. It's something I recommend on a 3rd/4th playthrough.
    And it's not even that challenging a run.
    No heals is harder. No vigor is much harder. And lvl 1 is twice as hard as no heals.
    No heals had me dedicate 12-20 hours per boss. (Not godrick lol)
    And rl1 club made me need to do the same again.
    Draconic Tree sentinel, Radahn, Radagon...
    BTW, I recommend doing radagon with a single weak daggers on a squishy character (4 vig no damage resist). Learn to min max the damage you can do on each of his glowing yellow attacks before doddging. It's so much harder then you think, but god does it make you good at delayed openings.
    There's like 4 attacks, 2 of which are 2 parters. And So that's 6 attack, with each a different number of attack you can get in before you need to roll.
    And then there's also his recovery from these attacks.
    So that's 10 windows you need to learn and experiment to find the optimal numbers of hits you can get in.
    It also melts him. He's so fucking great.

    • @poutineausyropderable7108
      @poutineausyropderable7108 Před 29 dny +4

      In ER super delayed attacks have safe spot. Example, margit SD attack, if you are in front of him, do 2 step to the right and he will miss you consistently.
      So, you only need to travel as much distance to get to the safe spot.
      Whereas in other souls game, you need to travel a munimum "distance" for the attack to miss.
      Ik they had no dodge or no dodge/run community in other souls games, but ER is based arround it.
      ER also has combo extenders, which you need to learn to bait.
      Lots more advanced AI control.
      Malekith has stab: LRL and then he'll do a slam with his dagger. If some other player or summons changes the aggro it will fail, but solo, its very consistent. It's his longest and most consistent openings, and is mandatory to get charged heavy in so you can posture break.

    • @Danthelegionmaster
      @Danthelegionmaster Před 28 dny +17

      It’s insane how much better the combat and mechanics are compared to any other souls title (not including Sekiro obviously). It’s funny how so many ‘veteran’ players chose to shit on the bosses as they are apparently “bad game design” because they can’t recognise the differences in gameplay, and chose to play the bosses like BB or DS3, then try and write them off as poor game design.

    • @anonymous01201
      @anonymous01201 Před 26 dny

      @@DanthelegionmasterJoseph Anderson urks me the most because he has a huge fan base of d*ckriders and has gone back on absolutely NOTHING since the release of probably one of the worst souls-related video essays on CZcams.

    • @victorprati7908
      @victorprati7908 Před 25 dny +2

      Holy shi- that's a massive one 😅

    • @leadfaun
      @leadfaun Před 12 dny

      ⁠​⁠@@Danthelegionmaster 100%.

  • @abilityjeqh
    @abilityjeqh Před 8 dny +3

    I loved the first playthrough. Now i completed and finished ER 6 times and getting better at bosses and trying new weapons is still fun. Great game. 😁

  • @jessetroy7761
    @jessetroy7761 Před měsícem +23

    Hell yeah man. Love this long form stuff keep going, your thoughts are really interesting and engaging

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +1

      Thanks for the feedback

    • @nayyarrashid4661
      @nayyarrashid4661 Před měsícem

      ​@@chadofastoraI think it would be interesting to do a speculation video about what From Soft might do next. Include a history of From Soft games before they started the souls genre.

  • @BBQcheese
    @BBQcheese Před měsícem +37

    Maliketh is my favorite boss, not just in souls games but of all time. Morgott is a top 5 also. ER absolutely dropped the ball on gank fights. However, for me personally, as someone who's never really been a fan of these types of fights, it doesn't really bother me. Even the really good ones like Demon Princes are much lower for me than others. I've always said that with bosses like Pontiff I would have preferred a P2 1v1 with an expanded moveset rather than a simplified 2v1. All that to say that I agree with your take that ER excels at 1v1 encounters. Honestly, with the way the combat system works with weaving in attacks during boss combos to keep pressure on and maintain posture I'm not sure how well you can even make a duo fight. Fromsoft always finds a way to surprise us though so maybe in the DLC...🤷‍♂️

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +7

      I mean it’s possible they could make a good one, but I think we agree that a focus on 1v1s would prob be best

    • @devinnix9071
      @devinnix9071 Před měsícem

      Personally I feel maliketh could be a bit tankier with less damage

    • @BBQcheese
      @BBQcheese Před měsícem +15

      ​@@devinnix9071
      Maybe, but I feel his identity is a glass cannon. I love how he felt incredibly overwhelming initially but when you learn to turn his aggression against him the fight feels incredible and even when you're good at it the fight remains tense as a single slip up can end you. Just my opinion though.

    • @HeyTarnished
      @HeyTarnished Před měsícem +4

      Couldn’t have said it better myself & honestly, From software’s gank bosses have more than often been meh, there are a couple of memorable ones for me like Ornstein/Smough (but they’re aging badly) & Twin Demons in Ringed City DLC.
      I like the 1v1 fights a million times more, I prefer them over ganks any day of the week.

    • @BBQcheese
      @BBQcheese Před měsícem +9

      ​@@HeyTarnished
      O & S are inexcusably terribly imo. They get WAY too much praise from the community. That fight is a janky mess. Demon Princes and Sister Friede P2 are much better examples of good multi fights. Actually, I think DS3 bosses have been surpassed by Sekiro and ER but DS3 is still the best in this regard. It has several multi fights and all of them are pretty good.
      That being said, 1v1 battles are just more engaging to me and ER excels at that. Bosses like Maliketh and Morgott are simply unmatched in their quality and relatability imo.

  • @DrnMontemayor
    @DrnMontemayor Před měsícem +23

    Most of the things you want from the DLC are things Miyasaki said will be there.
    The Shadow Lands will be more dense, Legacy Dungeons better interwoven with the overworld; we will learn of Marika's history, too.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +5

      Ok, the Marika thing I actually didn’t know about, thanks for letting me know

    • @orlando5789
      @orlando5789 Před 20 dny

      The same thing was said about the main game as well. There’ll be more story, more covenants, more quests … none of which was true. Let’s wait for the thing to be released and then say stuff like this

    • @brandonman1315
      @brandonman1315 Před 11 dny

      @@orlando5789No it wasn’t. What Miyazaki said would be in the main game was.

    • @brandonman1315
      @brandonman1315 Před 11 dny

      @@orlando5789Covenants were never mentioned, and the story is incredibly intricate and well developed.

    • @brandonman1315
      @brandonman1315 Před 11 dny

      @@orlando5789There were literally dozens of side quests. More than any FromSoft game to this date.

  • @CrzYbaDmF2245
    @CrzYbaDmF2245 Před 15 dny +4

    7 weeks now. Can't wait.

  • @Bob-jh6xt
    @Bob-jh6xt Před měsícem +109

    I think it's cool Elden Ring tried out the open world format, and I wouldn't mind seeing it in another one of the souls games, but I don't want it to become a regular feature of the games.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +37

      I personally think it would be fine to continue as long as they learn from their mistakes and don’t do it every time

    • @dragonlord790
      @dragonlord790 Před měsícem +9

      imo i think the old formulae is better the open world gets boring after a while

    • @_BlackenedSun
      @_BlackenedSun Před měsícem +5

      Cant wait to hop into the dlc and fight 100 repeat bosses,cant wait to have 50 tabs open just so i can figure out how to do ome garbage side quest,cant wait explore all the dungeons just to get a bunch of useless crap i womt need😂😂10/10 massa piece greatest dlc in universe

    • @magnificentdumbass7700
      @magnificentdumbass7700 Před měsícem +22

      @@_BlackenedSun Needing so many guides is a skill issue ngl

    • @ETERNALXGAMEPLAY
      @ETERNALXGAMEPLAY Před měsícem +13

      Greatest game of all time and you OG souls players do strength builds only and don’t want it to be open world
      Seems weird to me that literary limits the games potential and fromsoft made its Goat game when they made Elden Ring not those other games

  • @littleredfox6849
    @littleredfox6849 Před dnem +1

    you just summarized all of my thoughts i had in the last two years regarding elden ring lol. great job man! really looking forward to the DLC!

  • @epsilon1372
    @epsilon1372 Před měsícem +16

    I’m glad to see how your thoughts on the bosses have changed as the community has gotten more and more used to the bosses. They are hard to learn at first but I love fighting them in repeated pkaythroughs and is the main reason I replay the game

    • @questionablezoomer764
      @questionablezoomer764 Před měsícem +5

      I just replayed the game to see if I agree with myself from 2 years ago and I still think even the main bosses are poorly designed by FromSoftware standards, the Dark Souls gameplay it reuses is holding it back

    • @Mojj2099
      @Mojj2099 Před měsícem

      ⁠@@questionablezoomer764I’m playing for the first time after beating bloodborne as my first souls game and man, I know bloodborne base game bosses aren’t the greatest but I am just not a fan of all these reused bosses in the game, I swear I’ve fought like 15 tree spirits and death birds for what ? All the story bosses so far pretty good, just beat Morgott and he was lots of fun.. but again that was basically my 3rd time fighting him cause he has 2 holograms 😂even Mohg being the boss I’m most hyped to fight.. I find out he has another random fight somewhere else Wtf

    • @questionablezoomer764
      @questionablezoomer764 Před měsícem

      @@Mojj2099 Oh I'm not defending Elden Ring here haha, and I agree with everything you said. It's absurd how overrated Elden Ring is, especially by the veterans which really throws me off. 15 tree spirits, erdtree avatars, deathbirds, watchdogs, etc. is not up to FromSoft standards as I know them from previous games. People defend Elden Ring and is crying about the other games also having reused content, but they missed the part where Elden Ring reuses alot more than those ever did. Mohg is the only S-tier boss in Elden Ring imo. He is amazing in every aspect, whereas the other ones fall short in one or several aspects. Good luck my guy! :D

    • @rodrigonogueira9375
      @rodrigonogueira9375 Před 23 dny +4

      ​@@questionablezoomer764 Theres your main issue, you cannot play it like dark souls, you have to engage with the boss in a way the previous games didnt allow you too. The best tip i can give you is stop waiting for openings from the bosses and try to find your own, if you dont do that youre not gonna enjoy them.

  • @salmannader1762
    @salmannader1762 Před měsícem +7

    Dude your videos are damn great and I was waiting for a critique type video from you,
    Really well done.

  • @darkodev6961
    @darkodev6961 Před měsícem +23

    My first playthrough of ER was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had with any form of media. I dreamed about it every waking and sleeping moment for 2 weeks straight.

    • @creativeyoutubeaccountname1813
      @creativeyoutubeaccountname1813 Před 11 dny

      Any form of media? You must have have not seen much media then, or you have very odd tastes

    • @flurb3285
      @flurb3285 Před 11 dny

      ​@@creativeyoutubeaccountname1813"this person has different taste than mines 🤔 but i m the World taste reference 🤔 he must be stupid or ignorant !"

    • @Stuphy1147
      @Stuphy1147 Před 9 dny

      Or they just really loved the game, Elden ring is my favorite art peice of all time so I completely agree with the comment

  • @eanderson9599
    @eanderson9599 Před 16 dny +3

    I beat this game 3 times and it was a magical experience every time, 200+ hours and my favorite game ever. Really hope the DLC has the same level of quality

  • @Marco1995Mega
    @Marco1995Mega Před měsícem +38

    Personally, I think the main bosses are all the trophy/achievement ones, so Commander Niall and Elemer of the Briar are 'true' bosses as well. Also, in an interview, he did refer to areas like Shaded Castle and Caria Manor as "minor and medium" legacy dungeons, so they are legacies too; I imagine that the 6 big ones are then the 'major' legacy dungeons.
    Also, I think the word 'bullshit' has lately become so convenient and narrow in the community, it's pretty much lost all meaning to me. I pretty much find all of the boss 'gimmicks' fun, great storytelling, and an additional unique element that further distinguishes them, with the occasional exception. Also, if you find they're "rough around the edges", I dare you to go back and fight Bloodborne's boss roster, or even DS3's in a good amount of cases. You'll find inconsistencies and jank out the damn wazoo.

    • @JoseViktor4099
      @JoseViktor4099 Před měsícem +18

      Facts, I also found the word bullshit to loose all meaning.
      I have my collection of use of words as well that I dont like .
      Take a look.
      [Insert any piece of media] is overrated (I dont like It)
      "This is vast as an ocean, Deep as a puddle"-Jhon Dark Ring
      Bigger/Cooler/Fancier/More complex/Varied doesnt make It better.
      Acktually , this was designed for another game and thats why is bad 🤓 -No proof on what he is talking about-
      They dropped the ball, Fromsoft got lazy 😓
      Veteran here, I was since Kings Field 0 👴
      "This is objetively bad Game design"
      -Hideo Miyazaki Shigeru Kojima
      (doesnt know about Game design)

    • @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley
      @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley Před měsícem +1

      ​@@JoseViktor4099hahaha nailed it

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +9

      I agree that many bosses in previous games weren’t perfectly fair either, I generally just think because Elden Ring’s bosses are so awesome and complex, it’s a little much for new players, even if most people agree nowadays that the hate for them was way overblown. But I still think some things could’ve been done a little better, like giving Malenia a longer windup for waterfowl and stuff

    • @crummyclub9344
      @crummyclub9344 Před měsícem +8

      Bloodborne and DS3s boss roster are much more consistent than Elden Rings. I love Elden Ring, but bullshit is exactly the word I would use to describe like half the bosses in this game.

    • @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley
      @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley Před měsícem +8

      @@crummyclub9344 if we take in account the repeat/reskins/duos fight you find in caves yes, but otherwise i disagree, especially since those are completely optionnal
      In bloodborne, bosses like the witches of hemwick, shadows of yarnahm, rom, one reborn, micolash are mandatory and are very weak compared to the roster of mandatory bosses in ER.
      Same goes for ds3 with sage, deacons, wolnir, yhorm etc..

  • @thedankswordsmantm
    @thedankswordsmantm Před měsícem +8

    For me, the replayability issue is not that the game is meaningless or redundant due to its size. It's just so big that restarting new character after new character is daunting. I love making cosplay builds, but the effort it takes to get one completed is enormous in this game. Especially if you need late game or end of quest items.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem

      Fair point

    • @smmk88
      @smmk88 Před 29 dny +4

      80% of my characters are unfinished cosplay characters for this reason xD though to be fair, I'm fixing the "unfinished" part thanks to motivation from dlc. Different playstyles are fun.

    • @AlexiRoussos
      @AlexiRoussos Před 13 dny +1

      Tbf that’s a damn good problem for a game to have 😂 I completely understand where you’re coming from but I’d say that’s a half compliment to the world and how in depth it is.

  • @failmuch
    @failmuch Před 29 dny +2

    good video, voice and input on things, couldnt agree more! subbed

  • @neighbourhoodmusician
    @neighbourhoodmusician Před 29 dny +6

    I must be in a minority with you in actually enjoying the repeat mini-boss fights. I like fighting these tough enemies, so it's nice to get to do it multiple times with a few different spins on the experience.

    • @YEY0806
      @YEY0806 Před 25 dny

      Yeah, for me, if a fight is really good and later on, I get a more complete build with more options to play with, then face that boss again. I'm excited because I get to use my awesome abilities with that same boss I couldn't use before without having to do a ng+

    • @andreamassari7954
      @andreamassari7954 Před 19 dny +2

      I don't mind when they reuse creatures that aren't supposed to be unique, like Deathbirds, Avatars or Sentinels.
      But I don't like reusing main bosses like snow Astel, Goldfrey or Godfroy (Mohg and Margitt are cool tho).
      And trashmobs as bosses like the Mumpkinheads, the Nox duo or Sanguine nobles ain't my thing

  • @uhBloor
    @uhBloor Před měsícem +3

    Another banger video man

  • @MaxJoplin
    @MaxJoplin Před dnem +1

    I'm so grateful Elden Ring was my first FS game.
    I've been able to fall into it and absolutely fall in love, with nothing but thoughts about how cool this game is.
    It doesn't matter if anything said about the others is true. What matters is if it ruins your ability to enjoy an amazing game because you're stuck in making comparisons.
    You could argue that ignorance is bliss, but, I'd immediately pose the question, what was that last word? Bliss? Right, yeah, I'll take that one.

  • @keyquixote
    @keyquixote Před měsícem +3

    you're my favorite fromsoftware reviewer. please keep making content. i got your notif bell turned on

  • @raydark100
    @raydark100 Před měsícem +220

    The problem with ER is really a small part of the community that calls themselves "veterans" who coincidentally whenever a new FromS game comes out, for them the previous ones are better and even more so if we talk about ds1 and bb, it has fans more cringe and annoying from the entire community. The funny thing is that really all souls have almost the same ER problems, such as repeated content or bad bosses, but each one stands out in other aspects and they are all incredible games, that's why any souls game can be your favorite.

    • @a_fuckin_spacemarine7514
      @a_fuckin_spacemarine7514 Před měsícem +8

      I maintain that Demons Souls, and Dark Souls, are the most unique and overall best games in the series (demons souls for starting the genre, and Dark Souls for putting it on the fuckin map) Elden Ring is better than DS3 though, imo, but I do love BloodBorne for being totally unique.

    • @potatopatch5202
      @potatopatch5202 Před měsícem +13

      Its true that every game has similar problems. Recycled content n stuff. But elden ring is the most hyped up and the grandest game from software have ever made. Its their flagship game. Its gonna be talked about as a monumental achievement in gaming in a decade. (I think thats from softs aspiration anyway. I hope it does too but who knows) so its weird that problems that have existed since the start still exist. (Btw i actually think recycled content can be really good, but some of it in ER is really bad.)

    • @raydark100
      @raydark100 Před měsícem +12

      @@a_fuckin_spacemarine7514 And your opinion is respectable, the problem is the toxic veterans who believe they are always right, but generally do not even have knowledge of their "favorite" souls games. The first souls I played was DeS because I wanted to start the souls saga from the first game. I love DeS and it's still special for being the first, but it's been surpassed by every soul game From has released so far.

    • @pantarei3446
      @pantarei3446 Před měsícem +18

      ​@@potatopatch5202 I see where you are coming from, but I think most of the common complains do not stem from this perspective. People seem to hate that ER is just more popular and, because of this, it's actually trash. It's born out of an unreasonable fear that their favourite souls game is not the most beloved by everyone anymore because ER exists, which is so dumb

    • @potatopatch5202
      @potatopatch5202 Před měsícem +4

      @@pantarei3446 ya totally agree. I personally love discussing games and im pretty critical of elden ring. But id like to think most of my complaints are constructive and not just cringe asf 'this game is trash, play ds1 instead'
      I was pretty removed from the souls series during release of elden ring bc i couldnt play it on launch and was tryna avoid spoilers. Aparently the community was pretty rotten so i never engaged that much in it. Ideally id like to still be able to discuss the game (especially since dlc soon) but also engage in a community that isnt infuriating.
      Tldr: idk what my point is anymore. Im procrastinating work lmao

  • @carlschrappen9712
    @carlschrappen9712 Před měsícem +5

    Great video, I think you made a very even-handed evaluation of the games strengths and weaknesses. In particular, I think you made the best review of the open world I've seen.
    My only real criticism is that I wished you talked about the stance break system. It's a big deal because it makes going for your most committal and stamina-consumimg attacks give the highest DPS possible without using spells or skills. But it also enables stunlocking certain boss with high stance-damage setups, so it's not a completely positive addition.
    In any case, great video, and I hope to see your videos on Shadow of the Erdtree when it comes out, as well as any other future videos you have planned.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +2

      Yeah, that’s definitely one of the biggest aspects I missed in retrospect. It’s funny how many things I’ve already realized I should’ve touched upon. Thanks for the feedback

    • @aayushdasgupta9754
      @aayushdasgupta9754 Před 29 dny +1

      Honestly, I find the Stance break system pretty much the best way to promote aggression in any Souls Game. It promotes taking risks. Ofc the problem of bosses being trivialised by a particular set-up will always exist, but honestly that has been a problem in almost every game. It will remain a problem in any game with good build variety.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 29 dny

      @@aayushdasgupta9754 FR, it gives heavy weapons a utility in a game where they’d otherwise possibly be overshadowed by quick weapons, though it definitely could’ve been tuned back a little

    • @aayushdasgupta9754
      @aayushdasgupta9754 Před 29 dny +1

      @@chadofastora Honestly, only some weapons need tuning. Specifically Star Fists , Iron Balls, Grafted Dragon, just Fists in general. Colossal R2s are slow enough that you can't just spam them. Some AoWs also need some tuning, like Lions Claw, Giant Hunt etc.

    • @carlschrappen9712
      @carlschrappen9712 Před 29 dny +1

      ​@@aayushdasgupta9754I agree with everything you said. On top of the changes you mentioned, an adjustment I think would eliminate a lot of the abuse is increasing the stance of certain bosses like Elmer and Morgott from 80 to 100, and reducing the stance damage an enemy takes while they are recovering from a critical hit or being knocked down/launched/flattened by half.

  • @Camohflage
    @Camohflage Před 21 dnem +2

    as you already pointed out the ash of war system is also my favorite part of the game. the fact that i can just change a skill on so many weapons including its scaling is so crazy. its so good in fact that i get bored in other games that dont allow me the same freedom.

  • @char....
    @char.... Před měsícem +14

    I really like your voice and the way you speak

  • @dyroth
    @dyroth Před měsícem +4

    I’ve become such a pro at fighting the mini bosses because they repeat so often, yet have only fought some mainline ones a couple of times…

  • @ernestdrake1433
    @ernestdrake1433 Před měsícem +6

    I agree with what everyone says about the game. It's amazing blah blah... But I think Soulsborne should be a little more linear: eg. like Bloodborne or Hollow Knight, where you're fairly free, but not so much that it feels directionless. Amazing video Chad!

  • @ViKODiN_
    @ViKODiN_ Před 11 dny +4

    DS Fans “I hate Elden rings repeat bosses “
    Also DS Fans *farms the rotten 10 times with bonfire ascetics, doesn’t complain about doing the literal same boss over and over, claims it to be a top tier experience”.
    Fr tho you never fight the same mini or field boss more then 1 once in each region and the only ones that teeter on repetitive are dragons (whose only varieties are the kind of breath/fire they have), nights cavs and death birds, and maybe tree sentinels, and even then there’s only 3-4 times a boss is repeated across the entire game. There’s always something different about each of those repeat fights even if it is just that it’s a duo fight or a different weapon or move set. If you don’t like it just skip it. There’s plenty of other bosses and minus fighting tree avatars for physiks, you don’t really have to bother if you don’t want to. Only other boss you might care about at least on first NG for a character is the Lionel misbegotten simply because they have legendary weapon drops. And each time you re fight a boss you’ve almost certainly learned something about how to fight that boss and are better prepared while still having a bit of a challenge due to the minor changes in environment, weapon the boss uses or the change in form (like the tree spirits being ulcerated or putrid and decaying). It’s not as stale and repetitive as people say it is, and if they really think it is they can literally just go on to the next thing and forgo the loot from that boss if they want to.

    • @clemenscohn7371
      @clemenscohn7371 Před 8 dny

      >Souls fan
      >Souls2
      How to invalidate your own argument 101.

  • @userxyz783
    @userxyz783 Před 3 dny +1

    what liurnia is to int builds caelid is to str builds ... volcano manor makes you a gigachad tho(godskin stitcher) and leyndell just makes you feel invincible if you find the right stuff aka fingerprint shield (and maybe lightning stuff)(blood heavy godskin,blood tax, fingerprint shield , +10 mimic .... makes me want to hire someone to keep whispering memento mori in my ear))

  • @AplicFlare
    @AplicFlare Před měsícem +4

    lots of really good takes here

  • @gameofjones4131
    @gameofjones4131 Před měsícem +2

    On the topic of dual weapon skills, you can’t forget about the sword of night and flame that uses faith and intelligence. I suppose the “balance” they struck with that sword is the stat requirements. I think if you have to split stats like that, it’s only fair that you have an extra ash of war; one for 1-handing and one for 2. If anything like that is in the DLC, it’ll probably be similar to that.

  • @jamesshaver2376
    @jamesshaver2376 Před 24 dny +3

    Even now I still think it’s the best souls game. A replay may take longer but the build variety is insanely larger than any of the rest.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 24 dny +2

      FR, totally worth the time of replaying

  • @HeyTarnished
    @HeyTarnished Před měsícem +35

    Elden Ring has the best boss roster for me, I feel like more & more people started to recognize how good they actually are. I hope we get more relentless bosses, more complex combo branchings, and just faster more aggressive action that require more positioning & jumpable AOEs, Messmer is looking to be a great boss that will achieve it all. Great video Chad!

    • @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley
      @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley Před měsícem +18

      I love the complexity of elden ring bosses, this in itself gives so much replay value to the game. No hitting bosses in this game while remaining as agressive as possible requires a degree of mastery that is exhilarating. I think a lot of people are sleeping on ER' bosses because their punish windows are not as obvious as in other games, but they are definitely here once you take the time to learn. And the process is super fun imo

    • @HeyTarnished
      @HeyTarnished Před měsícem +15

      @@cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley So true, they think bosses having an abundant amount of safe punish windows so they can be exploited is a good boss design lol, I'm so glad From Software keeps evolving bosses with each iteration on their games.

    • @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley
      @cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley Před měsícem +2

      @@HeyTarnished to be fair, i don't think it's either good or bad design, i just think it targets different audiences. I can understand someone being frustrated with a difficult boss, but to me that is a good part of the appeal of fromsoft games. And when you've played and mastered all their previous titles, it just makes sense to amp up the difficulty so the veterans can still experience that rush of defeating a seemingly impossible challenge

    • @HeyTarnished
      @HeyTarnished Před měsícem +15

      @@cheeks_of_the_boreal_valley True I agree, my problem is with that certain loud subset of the Souls community that is so hellbent on trying to blame the game & make it seem like bosses are unfair or unintuitive because they didn’t understand the bosses like Joseph Anderson & some others that made critique pieces about them, they’re so erroneous & factually incorrect that makes you wonder if they understand Souls combat in the 1st place or not, or that they’re just held back by their preconceived notions of Souls combat. But that’s all.

    • @_BlackenedSun
      @_BlackenedSun Před měsícem

      @@HeyTarnishedclown we know hwy you love elden turd because it easy to one shot bosses

  • @hhowdy
    @hhowdy Před měsícem +6

    Elden Ring is my favorite game of all time the fact that it came out two years ago is wild SOTE is going to be huge man I’m so hyped

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +3

      I’ve never felt so much confidence behind my hype for something

  • @FencingViolinNerd
    @FencingViolinNerd Před měsícem +3

    Omg this video is so underrated

  • @roup123
    @roup123 Před 17 dny +3

    Elden ring is 10 out of 10 period. Been a gamer since megaman 3 so.....

  • @felipefreitas8711
    @felipefreitas8711 Před 12 dny +1

    My problem with ER is that most of mini dungeons are pointless, with that standard walk forward and fight a "boss" in the end.
    The "boss" repetition could've been easly resolved if the dungeons didn't had fogwall and a lifebar in the end, you reach the end, kill a stronger regular enemy, get your reward and leave. No build up to something big that disappoints you imediately.
    Another issue is that many of these dungeons missed the opportunity to have a exit elsewhere, there are a few that does that and this is great, connecting areas in, its sad that most of them just have a teleporter in the end.
    For me the heroes graves fits very well the formula of reach the end and fight a boss, but the other ones just doesn't
    I still love the game and played it multiple times

  • @kingdomarts2019
    @kingdomarts2019 Před 11 dny +2

    I don’t understand about some people thinking “Repeat bosses = bad”. Like having more unique bosses in base game would be amazing but it would take probably have taken up many assets.

  • @Dioptase26
    @Dioptase26 Před měsícem +3

    I liked this take, I love Elden ring for the builds and the lore the bosses were fun but yes how many red wolves do we need to fight, the assassins made sense from a lore perspective but some of them were just like this guy again?

  • @user-el3gi4mw8t
    @user-el3gi4mw8t Před 24 dny +1

    Dam I forgot all about this DLC lol thanks for the reminder 😊

  • @beagle626
    @beagle626 Před měsícem +3

    the gank fights were all pretty enjoyable to me because it just seemed they were designed to be used with spirit summons. no real reason in my mind to fight 1v2 if it’s just gonna be annoying. and 2v2 battles are pretty engaging. spirit summons aren’t really cheesing either considering how developed and integrated that component is into the game. they are about as deep as spells.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +2

      That’s a totally fair take. The game gives them to you, so it makes sense. I’ve just personally never found using them to be satisfying

    • @beagle626
      @beagle626 Před měsícem +3

      @@chadofastora some of the less powerful ones like latenna can be fun. i think they are fun to experiment with. mimic tear is also a good, i dont feel like getting ganked button lol.

  • @mastername5373
    @mastername5373 Před 13 dny +1

    Elden Ring is my favorite but one of the things I hope they improve a lot is the random loots, so many times when an enemy will be protecting something only for it to be a Mushroom or something.

  • @iforgotmyname1669
    @iforgotmyname1669 Před 13 dny +2

    Apart from adjusting to Elden rings punishing balance in the late game, the only thing I was let down by was the music. Coming off of dark souls 3 and bloodborne, Elden ring music is so in the background I can't really remember any bosses themes apart from the Elden beast because it's also the main menu music. But if you ask me to recognize any boss from dark souls 3 or bloodborne I can do with within the first 5 seconds.
    Darkeater Midir theme is the most raw theme ever by the way.

  • @ssaunders1122
    @ssaunders1122 Před 21 dnem +1

    The community rocks for elden ring. Some of the fun is following a youtube guide video and then bam no warning a godskin is in your path lol I'll never forget the rage but I look back on that stuff fondly. Waiting for the dlc on Journey 3 at all stats 80 and Journey 1 level 194. Elden Ring will stand as a top 5 for me.

  • @BossHoggOnKandy
    @BossHoggOnKandy Před 27 dny +1

    My first play through of Elden Ring was almost magical. After having been out of video games for over a decade, my first play through was so immersive and enthralling. I’m jealous of those that will first play it after the release of the DLC. Best Fromsoft game IMO although they are all great.

  • @HiroThatDude
    @HiroThatDude Před 29 dny +3

    Can y'all believe that this game was released on not just PS five but PS4 technically meaning this was a PS4 game. You imagine if they made this for next GEN consoles only.

    • @victorprati7908
      @victorprati7908 Před 25 dny

      Development started before the PS5 release

    • @omensoffate
      @omensoffate Před 20 dny +2

      You say this but people need to stop caring about graphics and instead at art design which this game has

    • @HiroThatDude
      @HiroThatDude Před 20 dny

      @@omensoffate that is all I do care about. Dark souls games is all about the art design. But it was just an observation.

  • @imhere5114
    @imhere5114 Před 27 dny +2

    The way I see it for enemies in this game is simple, bosses are great and you dislike or like them as much as you want but the moment I hear “ds2 is better” you’ve lost me

    • @victorprati7908
      @victorprati7908 Před 25 dny +1

      DS2 is my favorite in the series but Elden Ring blows it out of the water I do admit 😂

    • @imhere5114
      @imhere5114 Před 25 dny

      @@victorprati7908 I respect this opinion

  • @kalebscarminach8807
    @kalebscarminach8807 Před měsícem +3

    I've said this on other videos, but the glass Canon bosses really kill the game for me. Morgott is literally the midpoint of the game, but I literally kill him in less than two minutes. Same with malekith. The first time I fought him, he was good, but in the later encounters, I killed him really quickly. If you doubled the health of those two main bosses, the game would be much better. Same thing with radagons' wolf. Renalla is a puzzle fight, so that dungeon would have been better if that fight was better.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +1

      Yeah, if you took away Maliketh’s health drain and replaced it with double health in the 2nd phase he’d be perfect imo

    • @anonymousperson8903
      @anonymousperson8903 Před 20 dny

      For me as long as the mechanics are good, that is what matters. While it's annoying that these bosses are under-tuned, you are perfectly capable of gimping your character or challenge running them. But yes, I feel From tried too hard to make these main story encounters 'accessible.'

  • @stevemichael652
    @stevemichael652 Před 25 dny +3

    If you replay ER on the same NG cycle , yes the replay value is bad. I’d say it’s worse than Sekiro.
    But if you make new builds and go thru ER on new characters, it by far has the best replay value out of any modern video game period. To be able to re experience ER with a new build, new weapons, new paths taken, new strategies, it’s as close to a perfect first experience you can possibly get. You can do so many different builds and use so many different weapons, each time changing your entire approach. I laugh when I see people showboating their level 300 plus characters on ng5. The joke is on them, burning out and exhausting the best game ever made by stretching the same experience as thin as pulled gum.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 25 dny

      I personally don’t think it’s that bad on NG+, but I agree that starting a new save is significantly better for replaying, makes it feel like there’s more of a purpose to what you’re doing

    • @stevemichael652
      @stevemichael652 Před 24 dny +1

      @@chadofastora really? Ng+ in ER offers nothing. At least the souls games had spells and rings blocked by ng+ and ng++ and by not being able to dupe boss souls encouraging you to go to ng+ and get the other boss items from their souls
      Er out of the gate kills incentive by letting u dupe boss souls and by not putting a single item in ng+. It’s like they’re telling you NOT to do it. And couldn’t be more clear. Ng+ in ER is for scrubs

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 24 dny

      @@stevemichael652 Fair, but the one thing it has going for it is being able to regularly use late game weapons. Like I said, build variety is my favorite part of the game, and some of my favorite weapons aren’t acquired until near the end

  • @oscaroska7613
    @oscaroska7613 Před 22 dny

    Black flames with the balde who draw HP are so op even against late game bosses who have resistance

  • @jordanbrown3816
    @jordanbrown3816 Před měsícem +1

    All I gotta say is that there are very high expectations for the DLC to finish the story and fill the gaps in the lore. Bc Elden Ring lore is so damn complicated and convoluted. 2 years later and we still can’t agree on some bigger lore beats like Marika’s motivations. Don’t get me wrong I love the story and world of this game but there’s a fine line between “the story is what you make of it” and “these are the facts of the world” and Elden Ring has blurred that line a lot

  • @gustavoayala3521
    @gustavoayala3521 Před měsícem +3

    Great video. I think that the problem with bosses in ER is that the developers didn’t know how strong the player would be went fighting them. Since you can go to midgame zones from the beginning and have a good build in 30 minutes. Plus, the mechanics at your disposal: summoning, pods, crafting, etc. So, I think that the bosses are over level to compensate these aspects. But it results in bosses doing stupid amount of damage and having infinite stamina in their move sets; this aspect is more evident in late game. That’s why ER bosses feel unfair, unless you have a strong build, or you have five them several times. I agree with you that the game is too big for its own good.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +2

      Hopefully the DLC will be more balanced if the attack power mechanic they mentioned is true

    • @gustavoayala3521
      @gustavoayala3521 Před měsícem +2

      @@chadofastora That’s why I’m excited for the dlc, because I think is going to be more balance with the bosses.

    • @Java_94
      @Java_94 Před 26 dny

      Maybe get good at the game

    • @gustavoayala3521
      @gustavoayala3521 Před 26 dny

      @@Java_94 Honestly, I was expecting the close minded comment of “get good”. Look, if you search in CZcams “Eldeng ring bosses” many people share my opinion of bosses not being balanced. People that have made challenges and completed the game several times. In my experience I have platined the game and tried different builds. It's just I don't find the bosses to be fun. If you disagree is fine, is your opinion. But at least do the mental exercise of figuring out why or make an argument, instead of making a comment like IGN of why a game is a 7. “Get good” because I don't know what else to say and I don't have an opinion of my own: @Java_94.

    • @Java_94
      @Java_94 Před 26 dny

      @@gustavoayala3521 I platinumed the game and explored everything in 1st playthrough and except malenia no boss is actually hard ur just bad

  • @jake212
    @jake212 Před 16 dny +1

    They are experimenting with shifted button layouts with the d-pad. If they shifted some keybinds around you could have the d-pad and most of the face buttons for spells/ashes of war. Probably would need some "expertise" system with an ash of war or spell; Using it enough so that you've memorized it so to speak. This is the biggest sign to me to the rumor of their next game being spell casting and magic focused so they can nail down that mechanic

    • @jake212
      @jake212 Před 15 dny

      L2, the only face button that shouldn't change is B

  • @TheMineA7
    @TheMineA7 Před dnem +1

    Reusing of bosses imo was the worst part, like we see margit, 2-3 times (with the evergaol), we see Mogh twice, once in Lyndell sewers & then his Palace. Since he was so tough the first time after I got used to his moveset the second fight was literally super easy, 1 attempt cause I could dodge everything except for Nihil. DS1 had good open world. ER perfected that. DS3 has good boss fights, ER took that to the extreme with Malenia & Maliketh. Good game just reusing was a bit annoying

  • @zoddsonofthor5576
    @zoddsonofthor5576 Před měsícem +1

    I think the map doesn't need reduction it needs more roaming bosses and mobs to fill out the dead zones

  • @sbboh-kcin
    @sbboh-kcin Před 22 dny +1

    im looking forward to the dlc primarily because its my first opportunity as a souls fan to play a game unspoiled. I wouldve loved to learn about Siofra Well naturally, but I wasn't into souls games at the launch day.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 22 dny

      Glad you’ll get your first fresh experience 👍

  • @BlackAdam2784
    @BlackAdam2784 Před 18 dny

    Minus fighting Maliketh's second phase, every single aspect of the game was phenomenal lol.

  • @123afish
    @123afish Před měsícem +1

    Good video, but at 36:30 you should have cut to the Goddrick cutscene

  • @himate1666
    @himate1666 Před měsícem +3

    What i wish for the dlc is just new riposte animations like in demon souls remake and use martial arts like bone fists

    • @epsilon1372
      @epsilon1372 Před 28 dny

      Would be cool if the martial arts weapons they are adding had a riposte animation that’s a kick or something

    • @YEY0806
      @YEY0806 Před 10 dny

      The bone fists NEED to return in the DLC, one of the best weapons in DS2

  • @davidm2419
    @davidm2419 Před měsícem +2

    I'd love to try a magic build, but I can't forgive Fromsoftware for still insisting in spell swapping for every spell... Why the hell should I have 2 dead buttons when using a staff/talisman in the main hand? We should be able to swap between spell layouts and be able to asign spells to R1, R2 and L1...

  • @bootsthegod9084
    @bootsthegod9084 Před 29 dny +2

    Don't they show Sellen's face in a painting in the lucaria school?

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 29 dny +1

      Oh damn, you’re right. I didn’t know about that

  • @ViKODiN_
    @ViKODiN_ Před 11 dny +2

    I don’t think the repeat bosses are really that big a deal. There’s a handful of times (minus nights cav and the death birds) where you fight the same boss with either a different weapon, environment, version of the boss or in a duo. That counts out maybe 3-4 times for each (watchdogs, god skins, magma worms, the kindred and gargoyles.) and they always have enough of a change to them that I don’t feel like I’m being fed the same fight. It feels like an opportunity to use what I learned before in a previous fight and challenges me to grow and use that bank of knowledge as well as the “cheeses or gimmicks” of the boss. Tree spirits are weak to fire, birds are weak to holy, the sentinels and nights cavs are (surprisingly) much easy to fight from horse back since you can keep up with their movement and quickly dodge or evade their attacks. The watch dogs, imps, and colossal golems are all able to be turned against their allies with crystal darts. The god skins are weak to sleep. Dragons are my only gripe not in that I think there are too many (tho they are about as repetitive and uninspiring as the games gets) but just because their difficulty and the amount of time you spend chasing them can be a chore at times. Ekzykes was so fuxking hard but so was all of caelid, in fact I found reaching the capital and the morgot fight to be best before going to caelid so I don’t constantly spend time picking up lost souls (which cost you losing out on the fun of Radhan but it’s not the worst, his great rune is decent but morgotts is better for lvl 90-120+.) the only really annoying boss that I “dislike” the design of is Rykard and it’s only for the reason that it requires you to use the serpent hunt blade and it’s gimmick ash of war, which is fine in isolation, but the lava and annoying rancor means basically nerfing yourself or outright impossible to kill him if you don’t use the serpent hunt and try using your own spells and weapon. Overall I never understood the gripe about any repeat fights. I’ve seen players rave and praise the addition of bonfire aesetics just to farm The Rotten like 10 times, and yet they never claimed that that was boring or anything. I found the variety of boss fights and the overwhelming size of the world and map to be awe inspiring. So many times I reached a whole new area or sub area and thought, Jesus I am not even close to finished w this game or area as I thought. It encourages you to come back to some areas even more than once or twice like with siofra opening up nokron and then discovering it has an aqueduct tucked away behind a cliff face that I missed for dozens of hours after being the ancestral spirit. The game really favors you changing build and trying new things w all the larval tears at your disposal and the option to buy smithing stones with bell bearings. While you’re limited in ancient dragon stones, you’re otherwise allowed to get every weapon just right up to max upgrade. Even the catacombs and tunnels had a good variety that challenged your ability to navigate and played with your expectations. War dead catacombs was awesome to see and was hard even at lvl 135. The one where you open chests and teleport to an almost exact replica kinda melted my mind for a minute in a good way. I was thinking it was sending me back to areas I had already explored but then I started dropping rainbow stones to make sure and found out that each area just “looks” like the area before and gave me a good challenge and puzzle as well as incentives to look around fully. I don’t think the dungeons are as repetitive as people say. They seem that way maybe through liurnia and a few in Altus but I feel they only continue to add more detail and challenge while still playing on architecture and patterns you’ve gotten a little used to. I think the balance is perfect as it doesn’t totally just throw everything you’ve seen before out the window but it doesn’t also drop you in completely unfamiliar territory. Overall I’ve found the game really rich in story, exploration and freedom of choice and builds. The number of underground sections that subvert your expectations of space and pacing is great too. You’ll look at the map and think man im almost done with this region just to find a cave you missed or a while underground city with several more bosses , basic enemies, and items/spells to find. And if none of that shxt suits you, it’s totally possible to skip it all and rush straight for the remembrance fights. The variety of environments never evoked Boredom for me. By the third time playing through a region, you’ve got a fairly good grasp of where you can go and have options and freedom in how you want to pace yourself. You can go straight for the big boss or do half the caves in each area. I find myself just naturally doing whatever I happen to run into and only marking it down w a skull mark to remind me a boss is still left there if it’s too difficult for the current build so I can always come back later. The game gives you incredible freedom to tackle the game in just about any order with many alternate routes to different regions and the only exception is the two great rune requirement for Lyendell (and your options sum up to Godrick, rennala, rykard or Radhan, of which you only need two of the four before you reach lyendell in order to enter). I could keep going but I’ll leave it there.
    The sheer volume of options, space, mobs and fighting techniques including buffs and consumables leaves me constantly itching for more. If one strat I feel is suboptimal, I always have at least one more chance with many of the bosses to try something new the next time i encounter them and to adjust my plan accordingly. I truly don’t feel it’s meant to be filler, but to be there to allow you to experiment and learn what does and doesn’t work and give you a fresh chance to start again and reach at satisfying kill the next time you see a boss again. Elden Ring is a breath of fresh air in a world where gaming has become so stale and thoughtless. Even the boss placements and the weapons each boss holds can yield massive lore implications (like why Lionel misbegotten have so many legendary weapons, or who is in which evergoal, etc). The details are quite thoughtful and intentional when you learn and consider the lore implications.
    Edit: I did want to add I was a little bummed about parrying and how it seemed kinda inconsistent, I have no issue learning timing or inputting quickly (I play falco in melee/PM and can reach well into 500+ inputs a minute with great accuracy and frame perfect timing) so it was kinda annoying that I felt parrying was just out right not that viable for many of the later bosses especially considering their heavy aoe or magic based attacks but all and all it just takes a lot of practice and knowledge of which moves can be parried. It’s a lot to learn but I also felt the pay off wasn’t too incredibly great which did def discourage me from using it past liurnia but really it’s not that big of a deal. I am having a lot of fun with the massive depth and breadth to the weapon play and spells/ashes. Truly a great game with over 100 hours to 200 hours of content just in the first play through depending on how fast you like to play and how much you want to explore. I enjoying beating every possible boss fight and obtaining every item. I got into the game super late and I have a main run in coop where I’m just now reach mountaintops of giants at about 100 hours in and I still have to finish the aqueducts, nokron, moon alter from rannis quest, deep root depths, the shunning grounds, and a few random caves I missed across Liurnia and Altus. Just the other day I found there was a falling star beast in mt gelmir after just beating morgot, astel natural born, adula, shaded castle, sages cave and perfumers grotto in Altus and a hero’s grave or two. It’s been several times I watched a steamer or read a wiki entry and realized I missed an entire dungeon or sub area in a place I’d already been and went “damn this game really is impressively massive”

    • @jessegauthier6985
      @jessegauthier6985 Před 9 dny

      No offense but you need to add some paragraph breaks to your writing. I'm sure you have some great ideas, but it's going to be pretty difficult for most people to read that.

    • @ViKODiN_
      @ViKODiN_ Před 8 dny

      @@jessegauthier6985 ok

  • @matthewduncan5037
    @matthewduncan5037 Před 25 dny +2

    All I can say I really want from the DLC is a Sekiro like gauntlet for the bosses in the game (or at least a memories / replay mechanic like it does) otherwise I’m more than happy to say I just want to see what they’re cooking at this point & don’t really have any wants

    • @YEY0806
      @YEY0806 Před 10 dny

      With inner bosses as well. Could you imagine "Inner Malenia" 😂

  • @Arctus69420
    @Arctus69420 Před 29 dny +1

    Now it’s time for elden ring enemy ranking

  • @Tokiomy
    @Tokiomy Před 28 dny +1

    Liurnia of the Lakes its my favorite zone.
    Limgrave its my second favorite.
    Altus Plateau,its also amazing.
    Caelid its ok,but I dont realy like spending time in it.
    Mountain top of the Giants and the underground are meh,not bad but I dont realy like them.
    A desset area would have been nice.

  • @firestoneandcollusionthely2648

    I love Elden Ring; the atmosphere, the weapons, magic, etc
    I really can't for the DLC, and hopefully even by a small bit, fix the community/pvp/invasion problem

  • @PuddleWaterBH
    @PuddleWaterBH Před 28 dny

    2:41 No one talking about the fact that his healthbar fits perfectly with the transition?

  • @mikaelqm
    @mikaelqm Před měsícem +3

    WE

  • @Kaleb._
    @Kaleb._ Před 18 dny +1

    I think elden ring could benefit a lot from a boss memory system like sekiro. And maybe even a boss rush mode for new weapons, sorceries, incantations and or some new armour sets. That would allow everyone to play the "big bad" bosses right away. Please fromsoft 🙏

  • @BoRice82
    @BoRice82 Před 22 dny +1

    Im taking a couple of days off work whe the dlc downloads

  • @tonii-chan
    @tonii-chan Před měsícem +2

    I think a potential solution to the multiple AoW thing you mentioned is making them kinda like trick weapons but you can switch between 2 AoW on the fly. To balance this maybe the weapon would have worse scaling

  • @zachtaylor5312
    @zachtaylor5312 Před měsícem

    I just hope the combat in the DLC has more depth to it than dodge-roll spam, attack, repeat. I wanna see some new offensive and defensive mechanics.

  • @yo_yo477
    @yo_yo477 Před měsícem +6

    elden rings upgrading system better get an improvement cause it is actually horrendous for non somber weapons.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem

      Ok that’s fair 😅

    • @g2monkig718
      @g2monkig718 Před měsícem +1

      Just get the bells so you can get infinite of each smithing stone

    • @yo_yo477
      @yo_yo477 Před měsícem

      @@g2monkig718 still expensive asf and a couple r pretty outta the way

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +3

      @@g2monkig718 Those help, and I think smithing stones are easier to deal with the more you play, but I also think it’s arguable that some of the bell bearings should’ve been placed a little earlier

    • @buckyhurdle4776
      @buckyhurdle4776 Před měsícem +2

      ⁠@@chadofastora I think they should just be placed in the main legacy dungeons of the same area. Like put the first one in the Academy instead of the crystal mine. Put the second one in Leyndell. Just to trim down the to-do list on new characters

  • @Ytinasniiable
    @Ytinasniiable Před 29 dny +1

    The lake of rot is imo the best "poison swamp" in any from software game because it really translates to the player how shitty life with scarlet rot is😅
    Also the game is big enough that i still havent bothered with the subterranean shunning grounds or gotten the two meanest endings (frenzy and dung) and still find areas i havent seen in 10+ plays

  • @omarmayorga6945
    @omarmayorga6945 Před měsícem +13

    I think elden ring was already special enough without the DLC. With some of the other fromsoft games, I can’t imagine them without the DLC, like Dark souls 1 or Bloodborne. Well I do love all the games, Elden Ring really did something special by itself.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +3

      I agree that it’s already one of their best without it, but that’s part of what makes me so excited for it

  • @jvin248
    @jvin248 Před 18 dny +1

    I liked the exploration portion of ER and kind of despise boss fights, just tedious mayhem gatekeepers. So instead of NG+ to fight damage sponges I restart with a new different character. Based on this video there seems no need to play any prior Fromsoft titles. Hopefully the ER DLC opens up for more exploration and adventure.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 18 dny

      I think there are many reasons to play the previous games, in fact I think 2 of them are better, but ig if you don’t enjoy the boss fights then it’s probably not the best time investment

  • @johnnelson9087
    @johnnelson9087 Před měsícem +3

    I think this is a great video, but I find that I disagree with almost all of your points. Despite this, I really like your stuff and I think you're pretty even-handed!

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 29 dny +1

      Thanks. It always feels good when people can casually disagree, gives me hope for this community

    • @epsilon1372
      @epsilon1372 Před 28 dny +2

      Wow the first person on the Internet to respectfully disagree lmao

    • @omensoffate
      @omensoffate Před 20 dny

      @@epsilon1372didn’t even give any reasons why so it’s ultimately pointless

    • @epsilon1372
      @epsilon1372 Před 20 dny

      @@omensoffate he doesnt need to?

  • @ssaunders1122
    @ssaunders1122 Před 29 dny

    Caelid isn't exactly optional lol Starscourge is there along with one half of the Dectus medallion.

    • @Mental244
      @Mental244 Před 29 dny +2

      You don’t have to kill Radahn and there is another way to get into altus

    • @ssaunders1122
      @ssaunders1122 Před 29 dny

      @Mental244 yeah but that's not the intention of the game. It's only optional if you happen to find them out of the way areas.

    • @epsilon1372
      @epsilon1372 Před 29 dny

      I got to Altus before exploring caelid much on my first play through. Didn’t even need the depths medallion

  • @TheLeftistOwl
    @TheLeftistOwl Před 10 dny +1

    I disagree with your take on Malenia. The only parts
    of her design that's bullshit is waterfowl dance. Her healing ability is part of what makes the fight interesting because it forces you to find ways to damage her out if you can't no-hit her.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 10 dny +2

      If I could change one thing about this video it would be how I worded that part. Her healing ability obviously wouldn’t count as bullshit, since it isn’t an unfair mechanic. However, if I’m being honest, I’m still not a fan of it mostly since it makes thing harder on newcomers

  • @apolloisnotashirt
    @apolloisnotashirt Před 29 dny +1

    Hi there I'm too lazy to make a reddit account so I'll put my own thoughts from my Soulsborne journey here. As of yet, I have played Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and DS1 respectively in that order. Elden Ring is such a beautiful open world game, there's so much in it that I usually always forget where anything is, I also have this weird OCD thing where if I make a new character I HAVE to get everything before NG+. Which made me realize this game, for me, is WAY TOO BIG. Compared to the other two I've played, if you try to get everything meaning all ashes of wars, weapons and armors and spells, its going to get tedious very quickly. Most side bosses are very boring, and if its not slightly associated with the storytelling aspect of the map, the dungeon or boss is just going to feel like it was just randomly placed there to fill space. The only enemy camp that felt good to fight in was the one near Leyndell, there's probably more but this one is the only one I can remember. All in all, Elden Ring is a massive game, filled with beautiful visuals and mostly great level designs, I've already learned not to try to get everything and just take my time building my build, and it actually was very fun. Just play the game casually and not trying to breeze through it.
    Next is Bloodborne... its... perfect. Other than the outdated visuals and graphics, I hardly have any complaints about Bloodborne. The level designs in every part of the map is well done, and always fun to traverse, no matter how many times I play this game it never felt tedious or tiring, I've memorized Central Yharnam at this point. The bosses are all unique and different. The healing system in this game isn't really too bad once you know what you're doing. Just get a lot of money, level up, use the remaining money to buy vials, rinse and repeat. Watch out for Blood Starved Beast, she's usually what makes me go broke.
    And finally... Dark Souls 1. Its everything as you've heard it is, its very difficult, and as it is an old game the mechanics are very clunky. The visuals of the remake compared to the og is... I personally like the og better. The map... good god. Okay, its very weird, because I absolutely love the beginning... until after beating Quelaag. For some reason the first half of Dark Souls is super fun but when you beat Quelaag and ring the second bell my thoughts are just "*sigh... I have to go through that dumb waterwheel runback, through Sen's Fortress, then through Anor Londo." Its... I dont like these areas very much. Then once you get the Lord Vessel you have to go through the Catacombs and Tomb of the Giants which tbh isnt actually too bad. You can just pray to the gods that a necromancer drops you a skull lantern, which I gotta boast that in my first playthrough they did, or use a light spell. There's also Darkroot Basin, Crystal Cave, and other areas, but I just really don't like going through Blighttown, Sen's Fortress, and Anor Londo. I think its mostly because of how frustratingly restrictive it is that they seal out all other areas before you get the Lordvessel.
    edit: I just realized something, the reason why I dislike the later half of the DS1 is because how unopenworldy it feels. I feel like I wouldve enjoyed it more had they added extra areas that connects all Lord Soul Boss areas the the rest of the world. Seethe, Nito, Bed of Chaos all just abruptly end at their boss rooms which is boring af. Anor Londo as well, like wouldn't it be better to have an area that connects it to Firelink instead of just warping out of there? Blighttown's circle back to Firelink is just way too tedious for me. Bloodborne does their map design well and I now remember what area I disliked the most in that game which was Nightmare Frontier, its a clumpy mass of disheveled lands and corpses and ultimately leads to nowhere but the Amygdala bossfight. Whereas all other areas, they connect really well. Central Yharnam to Cathedral Ward, to Old Yharnam after you circle back and branch out to Grand Cathedral and then either Hemwick Charnel Lane which leads to Caingurst or Church of Amygdala which leads to Yahargul or Nightmare Frontier, once defeated Amelia you go to Forbidden woods, then Byrgenwurth, and then to back to Yahar'Gul, where you get to the endgame area The Nightmare of Mensis, and finally finish it off at Mergo's. Yes some parts of the map end abruptly or warp you somewhere else but it never really felt restricting or bs. It felt really well connected.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 29 dny +1

      Solid takes, only part I really disagree with is the hate for Sen’s Fortress and Anor Londo, I think those 2 areas are the best part of Dark Souls 1 aside from the DLC

    • @apolloisnotashirt
      @apolloisnotashirt Před 28 dny +1

      @@chadofastora thas completely fine! I just have this innate hate for it for some reason, like it really feels like a chore going through all of it.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 28 dny +1

      @@apolloisnotashirt Understandable, it’s definitely one of the most difficult stretches of the game

  • @sueflewelling3657
    @sueflewelling3657 Před měsícem +2

    Chad have you heard of the last faith

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem

      I have not heard of it before, but it looks pretty cool

    • @sueflewelling3657
      @sueflewelling3657 Před měsícem

      ​@@chadofastoraits a metroid game that is inspired by bloodborne blasphemous and to extant castlevania i have played and beat it and its pretty good i i recommend it ps my pitcher on my channel is from that game.

    • @sueflewelling3657
      @sueflewelling3657 Před měsícem +2

      ​@@chadofastorai highly recommended it think bloodborne blasphemous and castlevania in a Matroid style game

  • @ianwilliams2632
    @ianwilliams2632 Před 29 dny +1

    I was personally disappointed by ER after the writing, voice acting, lore, ambience, atmosphere, and overall message in the Souls trilogy. I was hoping for something just as emotionally impactful, but instead got a sort of archaeology dig for a nonsensical timeline of family politics. I like archaeology and all but the game feels like it's trying to hide secrets that aren't really there. Maybe Souls just spoke to me more, I don't know. I'm hoping the more concentrated design and 'darker' atmosphere of the DLC will bring me back to that classic melancholic beauty that so touched my heart with Souls.

    • @Danthelegionmaster
      @Danthelegionmaster Před 28 dny +3

      Are you really comparing the emotional impact of a trilogy of games with multiple DLCs, to a singular entry that is yet to have its DLC drop? If you took any of the souls games individually in vacuum, they have no where near the same emotional impact as they do as a whole. I’m so glad Fromsoftware is stepping away from the archetype presented multiple times in souls and is doing actually new things in Sekiro and Elden Ring at the same quality.

  • @Constellasian
    @Constellasian Před měsícem +4

    I'm excited for Elden Ring DLC. It looks like FromSoft is continuing their trend of giving large DLC, but taking their time to make it. Ringed City and even Ashes of Ariandel were superb. I loved how Ashes tied into Ringed City. Though, the devs did let you play either DLC without restrictions, so I was a bit confused the first time because I went to the Ringed City before Ashes.
    As for the Demon's Souls remake, I thought it was underwhelming and a waste. Sure, they gave it pretty graphics with redone sounds and soundtrack, but they also didn't fix the problems from the original. This made pvp a nightmare. I avoided it because nearly every invader went for the backstab exploit. They didn't fix the exploit for the pvp boss either. Tons of jerks were exploiting this as the invader to where it wasn't worth doing online. They'd kill me before the fight properly start.

  • @blegoin2662
    @blegoin2662 Před měsícem +2

    Maliketh take is based

  • @oscaroska7613
    @oscaroska7613 Před 22 dny +2

    After playing dragon dogma 2 literally i apologise to Er on enemies varities and their dungeon dd2 have like 10 enemeis you see them in first hours except 2 you can 100% miss and all caves same shit in all game

  • @ppsamb9442
    @ppsamb9442 Před 21 dnem +2

    First time in caelid 🤣🤣🤣I remember the feeling

  • @sanskarmishra5309
    @sanskarmishra5309 Před měsícem +1

    You're good

  • @jameslough6329
    @jameslough6329 Před měsícem +4

    Elden Ring was my first FromSoft game and, as a massive fan of the game, I can say that your analysis of it was very well put together. You did a good job acknowledging both the game’s strengths and its weaknesses in equal measure.
    Personally I think the things that the game gets wrong are far, FAR outweighed by the things it gets right. My only two major criticisms of the game are how poorly the Spirit Summons were implemented and the awful gank bosses. A lot of the common criticisms people seem to have with the game, such as the reused bosses and lack of replay value, didn’t really bother me that much.

  • @rigorm136
    @rigorm136 Před měsícem +3

    They need to fix invasions. Six player limit and covenants NOW
    Edit: also I can tell from this video that you enjoy pressing L2

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +1

      I do, it’s fun and I’m a sucker for eye candy

    • @rigorm136
      @rigorm136 Před měsícem +1

      @@chadofastora 👍

    • @DreyfusLagoon
      @DreyfusLagoon Před měsícem

      Yes! Elden ring is my favorite single player souls game, but my least favorite when it comes to multiplayer and specifically invasions. I would like to get invaded as a solo host without the taunters tongue. And as an invader it is such a rare occurrence to actually invade someone who is trying to progress through a level and not just simply ganking or rune arc dueling.

  • @Xanderrss0
    @Xanderrss0 Před 8 dny

    I was stuck on elden beast for the longest time, I tried multiplayer summom for the first time and random bro destroyed him in like 5 hits with duel wielded hammers, all i had to do was stay alive Lol.

  • @pabloqp7929
    @pabloqp7929 Před měsícem +1

    Fantastic breakdown

  • @OnePolishMoFo
    @OnePolishMoFo Před 23 dny +1

    I wasn't fond of the game at first. Now I think it's better than Dark Souls 3. Don't think It'd make my top ten games ever though. My biggest gripe with the game is how dead the Lands Between is. It's a world where all the interesting shit already happened and we're just pilfering the remains. You're not fighting for anything. Anything worth fighting for is long dead or an insane husk. I struggle to roleplay a character that wants anything to do with this place other than put it out of it's misery.

  • @user-mf1lo5fj6s
    @user-mf1lo5fj6s Před měsícem +4

    Hot take. Elden beast isn’t that bad and is pretty easy if you have enough vigorous to tank elden stars. The spectacle is also really good as well. Elden beast doesn’t run away as much as bosses like plasidusax in my experience.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před měsícem +6

      I think visually and musically Elden beast is one of the best bosses ever. Sometimes I think the fight isn’t that bad, but I really wish I could enjoy it more than I do which is why I’m so annoyed by how much it runs away personally

    • @ryangonzales7471
      @ryangonzales7471 Před 29 dny

      I get stuck on elden beast every time he’s one of my least favorite, right next to Godfrey (fuck that stomp)

  • @hylianglitchmobber7570
    @hylianglitchmobber7570 Před 23 dny +1

    9:14 had me laughing my ass off

  • @Wibbs2094
    @Wibbs2094 Před měsícem +1

    Played bloodborne sekiro and this and I beat sekiro in 80 hr elden in 60 and I sadly didn't beat bloodborne due to PS4 being a fighter jet but I think from playing the prior two then elden ring really was fresh once you get past the go explore literally just tell yourself to go in a random direction instead of following graces and you can have a grand time especially if you understand you can and WILL die in funny ways im on my second play through in ng+ and yes its very open and bland but if you do use the past time cycle there's alot of mini bosses and vast different enemy types and agreed tree spirits can die they just are long rot worms of bullshitery

  • @davidnewhart2533
    @davidnewhart2533 Před 20 dny

    To this day, I think the Hero's Graves are the best levels in Elden Ring.

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 20 dny

      I definitely think they stand above most other caves

  • @draelos8570
    @draelos8570 Před měsícem +1

    From a purely rpg/aesthetic standpoint I hate the ashes of war tbh, why is a strength warrior able to summon fire, lighting, wind etcetera, it ruins immersion and looks dumb to me. Before when the special attacks were tied to specific weapons it felt lore appropriate, now you can shoot wind blasts and summmon lighting using a foot soldiers dagger.

  • @bagofrandom
    @bagofrandom Před 22 dny +1

    Elden ring is the greatest game of all time PRE DLC!!!!! Don’t at me

    • @chadofastora
      @chadofastora  Před 22 dny

      Not my #1 but pretty damn close

    • @bagofrandom
      @bagofrandom Před 20 dny +1

      @@chadofastora of course !, first time watcher, subbed

  • @EthansEmporium
    @EthansEmporium Před měsícem +1

    I love this game, and the open world is fairly enjoyable since I prefer non linear games. The bosses are okay at best tho, most having mid music and strange attack design. As a slow, more casual game its pretty good just to chill on.
    This game is somehow overrated and overhated. It's just a simple game, nothing great, nothing bad. Just the way i like it

    • @nono-lz9qr
      @nono-lz9qr Před měsícem

      Honest to god, almost the entirety of ER’s OST felt like a worse, same-y, version of DS3’s OST. Just all this bombast and loud orchestra. It was already getting a bit old in DS3, but in ER I really couldn’t tell most of the OST apart. A return to some more varied boss themes would be nice, like Sekiro, BB, and OG DeS had.