The Shattered Elden Ring Thread: Tarnished Edition - (Shadow of the Erdtree p. 85)

[CriticalGaming]

*Really* Easy Mode -


Given Miyazaki’s fondness of Bloodborne I wonder if there’s a connection

Rivers of Blood is what I used tbh, and it was the only time the game was fun for me. It took me way too late into my playthrough to find it and I'd been used Moonveil at the beginning. Moonveil is too slow for some of the faster fuckers like Maleketh, but Rivers in combination with Mimic Tear also having Rivers....well that destroyed even Malenia without much effort.

IIRC everything has been nerfed into the ground and the game is back to being hell on earth. One of the many reasons why I'll never play ER ever again.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

It may or may not be coincidental that the two weapons with a reputation for being overpowered in Elden Ring, the Rivers of Blood and the Moonveil, are katanas with very high stat scaling and big range extending moves from their Ashes of War. Moonveil is arguably worse in some ways because it gives these things to high intelligence builds who should otherwise struggle in close combat.

I’ve never actually tried Moonveil but the Carian spellblade stuff would probably fall under this as well. I think there’s at least three variations that cover pretty much any type of encounter very effectively. Whether it’s as overpowered or not likely depends on level/scaling more though than anything.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Rivers of Blood is what I used tbh, and it was the only time the game was fun for me. It took me way too late into my playthrough to find it and I'd been used Moonveil at the beginning. Moonveil is too slow for some of the faster fuckers like Maleketh, but Rivers in combination with Mimic Tear also having Rivers....well that destroyed even Malenia without much effort.

IIRC everything has been nerfed into the ground and the game is back to being hell on earth. One of the many reasons why I'll never play ER ever again.

I beat Malenia with pure pyro tactics in NG+. Took a few attempts to get the timing down but there’s still plenty of ways to deal with her, or anyone else. I mean just taking all the ways around arguably the most bs attack in the game is half the battle itself.

 

[CriticalGaming]

I beat Malenia with pure pyro tactics in NG+. Took a few attempts to get the timing down but there’s still plenty of ways to deal with her, or anyone else. I mean just taking all the ways around arguably the most bs attack in the game is half the battle itself.

That video is lies, because in each example the person almost always does something else in addition to whatever they are trying to showcase, with the exception of rolling. And even in the ways they suggest to deal with it, it also doesn't factor in her healing from it nor does it really deal with possible situations of being caught with less stam, less hp, whatever it is.

The best way to deal with Malenia is to get gud, or get broken. I chose broken

 

[Xprimentyl]

Spoilers be damned, I've looked everywhere for tips on making this game easier, and it pisses me off that every OP weapon/ability is late game. Like every video starts off with "man, [insert weapon here] literally breaks the game!!! All you have to do is beat 3/4's of the game and it's dropped by the boss with 48 million HP and a half-dozen one-shot attacks, but once you beat him, you're basically invincible!!!" Spending a billion dollars to become a trillionaire is a bit superfluous.

Question: can summons drop items for you like in other Souls games? Because anyone with an extra Rivers of Blood can be my new best friend. I'll... "do things" for it.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Question: can summons drop items for you like in other Souls games? Because anyone with an extra Rivers of Blood can be my new best friend. I'll... "do things" for it.

I think so. But also I think you can hunt Rivers of Blood and Moonveil without doing a lot.

For Moonveil you only have to beat one boss which is a bit of a dickhead but if you grind a bit before going to do it, you should be fine once you learn the fight.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I think so. But also I think you can hunt Rivers of Blood and Moonveil without doing a lot.

For Moonveil you only have to beat one boss which is a bit of a dickhead but if you grind a bit before going to do it, you should be fine once you learn the fight.

Yeah, I know which boss is holding Moonveil, but along with STR and DEX, it scales with INT, a stat I've invested literally ZERO levels into, so I'm not sure how much good it'll do me over the Bloodhound Fang I've been using. Might try that boss again; wouldn't hurt to have it, and I beat his "great enemy" bigger brother recently, so maybe I've the chops to take him now...

 

[CriticalGaming]

Yeah, I know which boss is holding Moonveil, but along with STR and DEX, it scales with INT, a stat I've invested literally ZERO levels into, so I'm not sure how much good it'll do me over the Bloodhound Fang I've been using. Might try that boss again; wouldn't hurt to have it, and I beat his "great enemy" bigger brother recently, so maybe I've the chops to take him now...

These "OP" weapons are also playstyle dependant. Bloodhound's Fang is one of the strongest weapons in the game, but it requires a certain playstyle.

Also remember that you can respec your stats once you beat the lady in the school.

IIRC Rivers of Blood doesn't require you to beat any bosses, it just requires traversal shenanagans.

 

[Xprimentyl]

These "OP" weapons are also playstyle dependant. Bloodhound's Fang is one of the strongest weapons in the game, but it requires a certain playstyle.

Also remember that you can respec your stats once you beat the lady in the school.

IIRC Rivers of Blood doesn't require you to beat any bosses, it just requires traversal shenanagans.

You have to have progressed far enough to reach the Mountaintops of the Giants which, to me, is pretty far into the game and gated behind enough difficult bosses to be inconvenient, or at the very least, far enough in that you probably wouldn't need it.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

That video is lies, because in each example the person almost always does something else in addition to whatever they are trying to showcase, with the exception of rolling. And even in the ways they suggest to deal with it, it also doesn't factor in her healing from it nor does it really deal with possible situations of being caught with less stam, less hp, whatever it is.

The best way to deal with Malenia is to get gud, or get broken. I chose broken

Ehh, you kinda refuted your own point. That’s literally all he’s doing is what’s described, besides the rolling after her first pause, which is really the only tricky part. He even notes the health regain on that initial flurry is minimal when blocking. People expecting to not have to think of things like stamina or positioning when fighting her will always fall under the very last example lol.

Yeah, I know which boss is holding Moonveil, but along with STR and DEX, it scales with INT, a stat I've invested literally ZERO levels into, so I'm not sure how much good it'll do me over the Bloodhound Fang I've been using. Might try that boss again; wouldn't hurt to have it, and I beat his "great enemy" bigger brother recently, so maybe I've the chops to take him now...

Have you found Bloodflame yet? Look for a Scarab (the little sparkly rolly poly things) in Liurnia northwest of Rose Church. Should have no trouble bleeding anything not resistant with that buff, especially on something like the Fang or Uchi which also have innate bleed already. It’s only 12 Faith and 10 Arcane so minimal stat req’s too.

It’s really a myth that only late game holds good weapons. Game breaking ones maybe not, but for example if you ever got a second Uchi you could dual wield them with something like the Double Slash ashes on them (basically the same thing as the Rivers of Blood skill but less bleed buildup) and shred through most of the game without much issue. Even better put chilling mist on one of them to proc frost and then bleed simultaneously.

But basically yeah, the game can be a PITA without using ashes, talismans, buffs, affinities, etc. Either taking time to explore and find shit or wiki’ing where it is are the biggest caveats.

IIRC Rivers of Blood doesn't require you to beat any bosses, it just requires traversal shenanagans.

A red phantom holds it, invading at the Church of Repose in the Mountaintops.

 

[09philj]

Spoilers be damned, I've looked everywhere for tips on making this game easier

The answer is sorcery or incantations and using Spirit Ashes or summoning other players with the Furlcalling Finger Remedy. The game is much harder, arguably unfairly so in some instances, if you use a primarily melee build. Also, a lot of the bosses have cheese strategies which make them much easier. I was totally fine using a guide to find these out. If there's a particular boss you're having trouble with, I can tell you how I personally beat it. I'm not very good at this kind of game but I did manage to beat it.

These "OP" weapons are also playstyle dependant. Bloodhound's Fang is one of the strongest weapons in the game, but it requires a certain playstyle.

Also remember that you can respec your stats once you beat the lady in the school.

IIRC Rivers of Blood doesn't require you to beat any bosses, it just requires traversal shenanagans.

No, it's in the esatern part of the Mountaintops of the Giants, which can only be accessed via the Grand Lift of Rold once you've beaten Morgott, The Omen King in Leyndell.

 

[CriticalGaming]

No, it's in the esatern part of the Mountaintops of the Giants, which can only be accessed via the Grand Lift of Rold once you've beaten Morgott, The Omen King in Leyndell.

I didn't remember it was that late. Well then it shouldn't have been nerfed then! Gimme my OP back!

 

[Xprimentyl]

Have you found Bloodflame yet? Look for a Scarab (the little sparkly rolly poly things) in Liurnia northwest of Rose Church. Should have no trouble bleeding anything not resistant with that buff, especially on something like the Fang or Uchi which also have innate bleed already. It’s only 12 Faith and 10 Arcane so minimal stat req’s too.

It’s really a myth that only late game holds good weapons. Game breaking ones maybe not, but for example if you ever got a second Uchi you could dual wield them with something like the Double Slash ashes on them (basically the same thing as the Rivers of Blood skill but less bleed buildup) and shred through most of the game without much issue. Even better put chilling mist on one of them to proc frost and then bleed simultaneously.

But basically yeah, the game can be a PITA without using ashes, talismans, buffs, affinities, etc. Either taking time to explore and find shit or wiki’ing where it is are the biggest caveats.

No, I don't believe I found Bloodflame; I'll have to go look for it. Thanks!

The answer is sorcery or incantations and using Spirit Ashes or summoning other players with the Furlcalling Finger Remedy. The game is much harder, arguably unfairly so in some instances, if you use a primarily melee build. Also, a lot of the bosses have cheese strategies which make them much easier. I was totally fine using a guide to find these out. If there's a particular boss you're having trouble with, I can tell you how I personally beat it. I'm not very good at this kind of game but I did manage to beat it.

Yeah, I'm pure melee; I don't have the INT to flip a light switch let alone take advantage of the more powerful sorceries and incantations. But I'm a shameless summoner of Spirit Ashes, but even then, I've not the MIND stat to summon some of the more powerful ones. I've thought about respec-ing... but I don't have any larval tears to do so!

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

No, I don't believe I found Bloodflame; I'll have to go look for it. Thanks!



Yeah, I'm pure melee; I don't have the INT to flip a light switch let alone take advantage of the more powerful sorceries and incantations. But I'm a shameless summoner of Spirit Ashes, but even then, I've not the MIND stat to summon some of the more powerful ones. I've thought about respec-ing... but I don't have any larval tears to do so!

There’s a few quick and easy ones to get (I won’t even spoiler it because fuck that for essentials lol) -

- Look for a bunch of wandering dudes to the east of South Agheel Lake grace in Limgrave. One with a sword has it, but be prepared for a surprise.

- Liurnia, where there’s a gondola thing surrounded by giant crabs. The one patrolling will drop another, after another surprise!

- Easier would be in the southwest part, there’s a dark little village with torches scattered around. It’s just chilling out in the open by a well IIRC, no surprise.

Anyways, curious where you’re at now (map, levels)?

 

[Xprimentyl]

There’s a few quick and easy ones to get (I won’t even spoiler it because fuck that for essentials lol) -

- Look for a bunch of wandering dudes to the east of South Agheel Lake grace in Limgrave. One with a sword has it, but be prepared for a surprise.

- Liurnia, where there’s a gondola thing surrounded by giant crabs. The one patrolling will drop another, after another surprise!

- Easier would be in the southwest part, there’s a dark little village with torches scattered around. It’s just chilling out in the open by a well IIRC, no surprise.

Anyways, curious where you’re at now (map, levels)?

Thanks, again!

I just reached the Altus Plateau yesterday and met some very charming gentlemen with worms for faces who vomit death blight on me. Nice place; I wonder what the schools are like around here.

 

[09philj]

Yeah, I'm pure melee; I don't have the INT to flip a light switch let alone take advantage of the more powerful sorceries and incantations. But I'm a shameless summoner of Spirit Ashes, but even then, I've not the MIND stat to summon some of the more powerful ones. I've thought about respec-ing... but I don't have any larval tears to do so!

The best Spirit Ash in the game is Mimic Tear, which can be found behind a Stonesword Key door in Nokron, which you can access through the hole which opens up after beating Radahn. Mimic Tear, unlike most summons, is summoned with HP rather than FP, which leaves you vulnerable for a short time while summoning, but in exchange you get a copy of your character that can't switch weapons but can use copies of all the items in your pouches. Upgrading weapons with smithing stones and summons with glovewort makes them much more effective, and it's worth looking at the wiki to see how far down the upgrade path you can get.

 

[Xprimentyl]

The best Spirit Ash in the game is Mimic Tear, which can be found behind a Stonesword Key door in Nokron, which you can access through the hole which opens up after beating Radahn. Mimic Tear, unlike most summons, is summoned with HP rather than FP, which leaves you vulnerable for a short time while summoning, but in exchange you get a copy of your character that can't switch weapons but can use copies of all the items in your pouches. Upgrading weapons with smithing stones and summons with glovewort makes them much more effective, and it's worth looking at the wiki to see how far down the upgrade path you can get.

Yeah, I'm aware of the Mimic Tear; can't wait to get it, but like you said: there's a very large and angry man on a tiny horse standing in my way, and I don't think all the points I put into my diplomacy stat are going to get me by him.

 

[09philj]

Yeah, I'm aware of the Mimic Tear; can't wait to get it, but like you said: there's a very large and angry man on a tiny horse standing in my way, and I don't think all the points I put into my diplomacy stat are going to get me by him.

Radahn won't be an easy fight with a melee build, but it can be made much easier by summoning the friendly NPCs from their signs on the battlefield. Their signs respawn as they die, so you can keep bringing them back as they fall. While you don't have the stats for magic, you will be able to use a bow, so while your motley gang of summons maintain Radahn's aggro you can chip him down with arrows and use Torrent to quickly ride over to resummon your assistants where necessary.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Radahn won't be an easy fight with a melee build, but it can be made much easier by summoning the friendly NPCs from their signs on the battlefield. Their signs respawn as they die, so you can keep bringing them back as they fall. While you don't have the stats for magic, you will be able to use a bow, so while your motley gang of summons maintain Radahn's aggro you can chip him down with arrows and use Torrent to quickly ride over to resummon your assistants where necessary.

That's good to hear. Are the summons actualy worth a damn? I mean, other than pulling aggro, do they do decent damage? If I can trust them to do that, I've got enough DEX and a leveled-up bow to make shots from the cheap seats a viable strategy.

 

[09philj]

That's good to hear. Are the summons actualy worth a damn? I mean, other than pulling aggro, do they do decent damage? If I can trust them to do that, I've got enough DEX and a leveled-up bow to make shots from the cheap seats a viable strategy.

All together they'll deal reasonable damage. They're not going to beat the boss completely for you, but with some ranged hits from the tarnished it should go alright. Great Horned Tragoth, Okina, and Castellan Jerren (phase 2 only) dish out the most damage, while Blaidd the Half-Wolf, Alexander the Warrior Jar, and Lionel the Lionhearted are rather tanky. Finger Maiden Therolina can heal both you and your allies, but she's coded to follow you most of the time, so she works better if you stay near the fight. They can sometimes be a bit temperamental and you need to watch out for Radahn's ranged attacks, and each character can only be summoned a finite number of times, but the fight is a good deal more manageable with their help. Unlike most summons these NPCs have their signs inside the arena itself. The position of their summon signs change when they die, and are very spread out over the arena, so Torrent can help with travelling between them.