I don’t hate the mountaintops of the giants as much as others. It is a little weaker from a gameplay perspective, with the area feeling dead to many players. However, I found the deadness to be a strong artistic choice. The world leading up to the mountaintops is super alive, with lots of little creatures and NPC’s everywhere, but the mountaintops is literally covered in corpses. It made the endgame feel more dire and tense when going through a forbidden land in which everything is already dead.
I also see it as a pacing thing, or i compare the game to a classical music piece. it reaches a high point at Leyndell, or its a mid high point of the classical music piece, then with Morgott being the explosion of musical notes. then the orchestra settles to a quiet somber part of the piece before gradually building itself up again for the climax, and that's basically the boss rush at the end.
Elden Ring is the best game I have ever played without a doubt and without hyperbole I might add. But, the Mountaintop is easily the most text book example of a brilliant game showchasing it's sense of "we ran out of time developing this" that I have ever encountered. It is objectively terrible by any comparison we can think of. The parts after this felt better paced, so I honestly believe this was the part they developed last.
the hidden story is amazing. All design of places, names, weapons, creatures, etc are very detailed to support the hidden story behind it. It just a true masterpiece. Not like other boring open world game, that only good as eyecandies, with boring story and makes me boring after 10 hours playtrough.... I love Eden Ring. 200+ hours and still playing ❤
Yea I don’t know how u could go through this game with ur left hand doing nothing. Maybe his is gimped out and he expects his characters to be gimped too
@@j0nnyism Especially using a weapon that’s as big as the one he uses lmao. He would be doing more damage a lot faster with less stamina by 2 handing lol
I’ll be honest, I have never heard a complaint about Godfrey the way you described until this video. His first phase is buttery smooth and satisfying, while his second phase is hectic and bombastic. I consistently see it in the top 5 elden ring bosses in every ranking I have ever seen
I mean I'd say the worst thing about Godfrey is that fighting him can be extremely unintuitive, although that can be extended to most bosses in this game. The tracking on his attacks is unnatural and weird, and if you try to break it, you can make some of his attacks look extremely janky. There's also the downright silly hitbox on the hilt of his hammer. Why the fuck would I be taking full damage on a hammer swing because I made contact with the hilt? This will result in you literally taking damage behind him sometimes and it's just ridiculous. It's a fair fight in that it's consistent, but it sucks to take damage in a way that visibly doesn't make sense.
Yeah this game made me play every fromsoft game, beat every dark souls now, and am on bloodborne now. Thanks elden ring for introducing me to my new favorite genre
@@viniciuspiroli3381 Ive played all except demons souls but I'd put ER in S, Ds3 and Sekiro in A, and BB, ds1, and ds2 are all in B in that order. None of them are lower than a B they are all fun games
I appreciate this take. I feel like too many video essays on Elden Ring come off as the negative Steam reviews with 2000 hours payed. Sure it’s flawed and imperfect, but what it brings to the table in terms of game design transcends the flaws with this individual game.
@@picklechris23 i played cod too, but i assumed cod content creators like him would stick too his strength due to his main viewers most of people sub for his cod videos
During my very first playthrough (fully blind), I beat the game without having any idea there was an entire dungeon hidden behind a wall in the Volcano Manor, with a massive, very important boss at the end of it, among MANY other things I missed and had no idea about. It's just amazing that FromSoftware were so confident about their product that they felt fine about leaving entire swathes of the game away from the regular players' sight unless they are willing to spend time exploring the world in depth and get immersed into it. Elden Ring is truly a unique experience, easily one of my all time favourite game - and I literally cannot wait for the expansion.
Any tips on how to experience this game without the need to follow an guide ,which killed my immersion my 1st run. 2 bosses in on NG+ and starting to feel the need to youtube stuff . Also I am around lvl 200 and finding things a bit too easy with my lightning build, should I stop using my mimic/try other summons. Just want to be able to follow and understand the story and lore more.
@@unitynow6043I needed a guide for my first run and still enjoyed every moment. Just play it blind until you get stuck and only look up that particular part
The best thing I can say about Elden Ring is that the world has so. Much. DETAIL. There’s batches of land that are structured in a way that feel the attention to detail applied by FromSoftware. Like a crap hidden in a lot of shadows thanks to a bunch of trees and bushes while a pond of water reflects the surroundings. It was oddly a unique sight for being so small in comparison. It’s designed in a way like real life: there’s no patch of line EXACTLY like it. While it doesn’t keep this attention to detail all the way through the game, it’s still so refreshing that an open world focused on, well, THE WORLD ITSELF.
I agree with most of your points and overall thesis, and Margit is fun and fair. But I would disagree when you say his moves are random. Margot’s delayed attacks add to the drama of the battle and give you plenty of time to dodge, and teach you well.
In my 20 years of gaming experience this is the best RPG I've ever played. I was glued to my PC for an entire week and no other game has had that effect.
Personally, I absolutely hate being told a story directly in a video game. Like, I hate it so much. What drew me to the Souls games is the fact that they're essentially choose-your-own-adventure games. I love that they give you freedom to let your imagination wander. But that's just me. I really like to roleplay in these games.
The one sort of "defense" I always say of the repeated content in Elden Ring is that unlike alot of other games FromSoft goes the extra mile by atleast giving a lore relevant reason as to why there's so many of a thing. For example, in the lore Godfrey had 16 Crucible Knights as his personal guard and so you fight (or just encounter) all 16 of them over the course of the game.
Agreed. There are just different factions and cultures sprinkled throughout the Lands Between and you run into them along the way. After a giant war like the Shattering, they have probably been relocated or migrated to safer lands. At least that's how I view it. Not a perfect explanation, but it's acceptable for me. People complain about it when it comes to later areas like the mountain tops of the giants with the finger creepers and dogs/birds. And I get that. But there's at least enough variety throughout the world that it's not the worst thing like people make it out to be.
Definitely, understanding the lore of the game I think changes your experience and perspective of your gameplay. Only thing I wish is more Miquella content in the DLC hopefully, Im intrigued with the story of Malenia and Miquella tbh.
Even ignoring lore the enemy variety is amazing, most open world games have a fraction of ER's roaster. BOTW has like 22 unique enemies compared to ER's 140.
Elden Beast is not supposed to be the amalgamation of chaos. It’s literally called the “living incarnation of the concept of order”. Other than that, Elden Beast is the worst final boss in any Soulsborne game. The fight itself is just annoying, but the main problem is the design. It’s just disappointing IMO. As a cosmic outer god like being, I expected something closer to Moon Presence.
Great video! Really like your retrospective! The Wyrm is one of the best explained reused boss, because you can yourself do the dragon ritual, where you eat the heart of a dragon! And the Ronin explains that you will turn into a dragon and lose your humanity! So the different boss-wyrms were all once a hunter like you!
it’s a pretty good perspective on the game. I played a lot souls games and for some reason every game gives me distinct feelings and memories, Fromsoft magic
@@warheadjcj7331 i think it is the theme and setting. I think that the people who adore elden ring really love fantasy settings. For me it is too light. I like the darker settings from the ds series and bloodborne.
@@Remember_Eden no dude, I’m not disagreeing with you it’s just not the memories I take away when I’m done. for me it’s the fractured npc story in the overarching narrative that always declining, lingering, you can’t win no matter how important you are or how hard you try
Nicely put video, its crazy to also think everyone had different experiences playing this game, i was dual katanas for all three of my playthroughts, decide to watch a magic user against maliena and couldnt believe how easy it was. It was my 1st from-software game and i truly fell in love can see why it was game of the year.
WOAAHHH ch0pper is doing elden ring content now That's so nice to see. I remember when you were a small channel who played pung... It's great to see you doing new stuff and making a foret into this sort of thing, and I'm glad I rediscovered this channel!
Just watched the entire thing. Great video! Love how you went into detail with the bosses and how you broke them down. A couple things though: First off, the attacks for Margit and Morgott are delayed for a hidden reason - it's an opening long enough to sneak in a small hit before dodging out the way. I think that's why they made the stamina recovery so fast compared to DS3. (that's all the criticism I have for your video lol) Second, I noticed that there was a certain LEGEND-class boss you did not showcase... There is another secret boss in Farum Azula at the lowest part of the dungeon. It's quite a difficult path to spot since it's so hidden, but the secret boss is so worth it. Thirdly, you have been handicapping yourself this entire time by one-handing your sword. You can actually two-hand your weapon, and if its strength scaling is good (and your colossal weapon does have good strength scaling), you can increase the damage up by a LOT.
I think he purposely one-handed the sword the entire time for cosplay reasons as a true gigachad can handle massive swords with one hand or something like that idk it felt intentional
the stam recovery is actually the fastest in the series, its even faster than bb, alot of ppl that complain about the delayed and varied combos of ER never figured out that good dodge positioning/direction is a must in elden ring, and ironically its mostly a handful of souls vet youtubers and their fanbases that complain about that.
Yeah I noticed the handicap too. With either the Grafted Blade Greatsword or the Golden Halberd he one-hands it without having enough strength, which essentially destroys his damage output. If you 2-hand or just get enough strength then you'd do a lot more damage
even when the unnatural windups allow sneaking in a hit between boss attacks, it only works depending on weapon type and varies from boss to boss, and with how large the bosses are and unwieldy the camera is, i found myself taking a quick stab at bosses during their windups and then having to sprint away to even see them attacking properly.
Speaking of handicap, Rykard has one of the biggest arenas in the game and the fact he kept running straight back into the wall was hurting my heart 😂 you can literally run so far away from him, he stops attacking (besides the skull spell)
That clip at 29:40 really helps me appreciate how thoughtful From was to make Margit the first boss fight. Whoever’s clip this belongs too is obviously new to souls games and Margit strains out those sensibilities that are learned in most games. He even strains out habits that are learned in past souls games. He really gives you a small taste of the aggression that the bosses are going to bring. And how the player has to carefully respond with their own aggression.
I like how you mention brain meds during the Godskin battle and then immediate mix up Christian Bale and Ben Affleck and say that Orstein & Smough were in DS3. lol
My brother in Christ, I've never heard that comment for Godfrey. He is the most fair and least boring boss in the entire game. Both phases. Although first phase is more fun.
I had only played the beginning of one FromSoft game before Elden Ring. I did not expect to love it at all. I bought it because of the hype. Now I've unlocked all 6 endings and I'm level 406. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen when I came to the Lands Between lol.
How did he miss rennala im so confused the graces litherally point you towards her when u first enter the swamp you see the big ass building in the middle of the swamp infront of you and there is that npc in the church after you beat godrick that tells you about the academy
Dude, Godskin duo is designed to use summons and NPC as Tree Sentinels are designed to fight them with Torrent. If you choose to not engage with some mechanics in the game is obvious they will be harder. You can tweak the difficulty your self if you find it to easy with summons by using less useful summons, or not summon Bernahl. But hte reality is that you are making it more difficult and unfair yourself, so you shouldn't complain.
Some quick comments on your final battle analysis 1. Radagon I think that him draining your resources is ultimately to the fight’s benefit. 10-15 heals is enough to fumble your way through the fight and win, which I think is inappropriate for the final battle. I think my only real problem with him is actually how when he can start winding up attacks while he’s teleporting, leading to situations where the telegraph happens offscreen 2. Your thematic analysis of Elden Beast was wrong in every way it could’ve been. The boss (according to item descriptions) is the elden ring, the embodiment of order, and vassal to Elden Ring’s god. Listen to the music, this music is peaceful and serene, not intense or scary. Instead you described the boss as “the amalgamation of chaos” even though it is the embodiment of ORDER THE OPPOSITE OF CHAOS, and “fear of the unknown in monster form” and then complained it wasn’t scary even though every part of the boss was meant to be peaceful and not scary. Imagine if I critiqued Elden Ring saying “It was clearly From Software’s intention to make a linear action game focused on pushing forward, but the game’s execution doesn’t work because it constantly asks the player to explore, and most of the content is optional, so they failed when structuring the game” The video was great, but saying a boss should be scary and chaotic when it is meant (in writing too!) to be orderly and peaceful is a stupid point.
I really want them to make a couple optional boss fights (at least 1) that is really hard like malenia. As long as it is realistically possible to defeat it, im all for it. Fighting malenia for hours to learn how moves and beat her solo was so gratifying after doing it.
Great video! I loved this game. Easily the best game in awhile in an era where games have microtransactions, incomplete, bugs and glitches etc, this was such a breath of fresh air.
As a videogame essay enjoyer myself, I must say there are quite a bit of inconsistencies in this video. For one, you praise the "downsides" of the open world experience as acting as an invisible difficulty slider that allows the player the ability to choose how difficult every encounter is, then 5 minutes later critique it for the fact that that very thing means players might get a different experience. Well that's the whole point. Also, the world building and narrative telling through the world we play in. You mention this then critique the mountaintop of the giants for being "empty and lifeless." This is literally the point. They were wiped out in one of the great wars (I think it was the war with Caria but maybe the Golden Order's war). In fact, you can see hundreds of giant's corpses infected with deathblight littering the area. The main mob type there are wildlife, which makes sense, and the fire monk squads. This makes sense because after Vyke stole the giant's flame, the fire monks were tasked with hunting him down and thus remain as a last guard over the small kindling that remains atop the mountain. Sure, if you are a casual player that refuses to listen to/read dialogue, doesn't like exploring, doesn't like reading item descriptions, and has low spatial awareness then then all these things are negatives. However, the game isn't designed for those kind of players so judging aspects of the game through this lens is a bit disingenuous. Still a great video and a sub!
I played elden ring for 400+hours . 2 platinum trophies and i still found an incantarion the other day . Im still playing elden ring and not tired of it . Even ufc4 and 5 i cannot play for 400 hours without getting tired . After elden ring (actually i started 2 months ago) i played and finished ds3 once and am now trying to get that platinum trophy . I think i could also endlessly play ds3 i like it just as much as elden ring . To me elden ring was such a fantastic game . And i didnt buy it directly at launch because i thought it was a lord of the rings game until i saw a before you buy😅
This game make me wish to get amnesia just so I can experience playing it again first time No games in recent years has the same impact as this game ever That's how good it is
A lot of people seem to miss that this was a mechanic during fights, and I am pretty sure there are at least a dozen bosses that have attacks that can be jumped over
You missed Rennala? I'm sorry but you missed the giant castle in the middle of the area that you go to after Stormveil? I'm scared of the rest of the video.
maleketh is perfectly fine for melee builds, just be as aggressive as he is and get under or behind him he leaves him self open during/after a lot of his attacks, also his aoe can't hit you if you're next to his hip or behind him. He has a lot more openings than you think he does.
Elden Ring is FromSoft's masterpiece; all of their other Souls games are fantastic but ER is just next-level. the jealousy and envy of other developers is hilarious but hopefully they'll take some notes and we can get some innovation in other genres and games.
I can’t wait for Shadow of the Erd Tree. I’ve fully completed ER and did 9 playthroughs before finally putting it down. I want to do another but I’m going to try and wait for DLC and start a fresh playthrough from scratch.
Even though I've never played a Souls game I had to get Elden Ring because of all the high praise it received. Sadly I couldn't even beat the first boss. Hell, it was a struggle fighting regular enemies spread across the map. I've been playing rpgs all my life but I just could never rap my head around how to play this one. Maybe I should reinstall it and give it another try. I just want to have the great experience everyone else had playing this game
Was your first boss the tree sentinel or Margit? The tree sentinel is there at the beginning to teach new players that you don’t HAVE to beat every enemy right away. The beautiful thing about elden ring is that it can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. You have the option of visiting side areas and leveling up your stats to make fights easier. I’d say give it another try and take your time with boss fights; really learn their move sets and time your hits. It’s rewarding beating a boss after choreographing your battle with them.
@@PokeWhitz I figured out that I wasn't ready for Margit so I went trying to level up. It seemed like the majority of the map was empty and the enemies I did find would always be in groups that destroyed me. I just got tired of riding around looking for things that I could possibly kill. Too many empty areas.
@@the4thhorseman840 fair enough. I’ll agree, there’s numerous areas in Limgrave that seem barren. I just get captivated by the beauty of the landscape so it never really bothered me. The area after Margit is much MUCH more confined and dense with enemies than Limgrave. If you’re ever bored, I’d say power through Margit and see if you enjoy the Castle.
Like the previous comment said, skip the Tree Sentinel. From the Church of Elleh, where the first merchant is located, to Gatefront Ruins, you can backstab every soldier. Level up at that next site of grace, get the Lordsworn sword (carriage) and the whetblade (underground) there, then upgrade the sword at Church Elleh. For upgrade materials find Limgrave Tunnels and Third Church of Marika. Just keep leveling up health and stamina. You can beat Margit easily at level 25, npc summon Rogier, and Godrick soldiers summons found at a graveyard in Stormhill. Sorry for the spoilers but you can take it from here. If you like action rpgs, this one can be very enjoyable. Loads of weapons, weapons skills, sorceries, incantations, and items, to overcome every obstacle thrown at you.
I don't agree with this attitude of "the game stops being an open world at the end," like you're treating its final legacy dungeon in Faruum Azula as a whole new area a la Limgrave or Caelid, when really it's just another story dungeon. I find this disingenuous
don't fight fire giant on torrent unless his far away, also second phase you're supposed to hit his hands that he leaves open every time he attacks and takes extra damage.
Godfrey (first part) is in my opinion the best boss in the game. Mastering his move sets, jumping over his powerful stomps is so satisfying. 😊 Radagon is also equally rewarding.
I loved the godskin duo. Learning how to fight two enemies is fromsoft 102. It’s something every player should learn how to do; use the environment keep them both in front of you learn to switch between them and keep moving so u don’t get ganked simples. It’s deffo a skill issue
Elden Ring’s my third favorite open world ever behind Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Which makes sense given the inspiration Zelda had on ER, both are in a league of their own, flaws and all.
Went from hating fromsoft games to platinuming elden ring completing it 8 times and finishing every other souls game bar ds2. Elden ring is my favourite game ever by far.
This was completely different than most fromsoft games. I spent so much time trying to get every single thing on the first playthrough which made successive playthroughs not as enjoyable but that first playthrough was so good it made up for it. After a while I’ll go back through and it’ll be amazing
I'm almost done with my 2nd playthrough to get ready for the dlc. I left it a year or so between playthroughs and the gap helped alot, iended up doing everything in the game again and I'm loving it.
My first time against Renalla, she summoned a bloodhound knight and then a spirit dragon. That was definitely something to write home about. Oh, and Godskin Combo, use sleep. Honestly, using consumables is often overlooked in this game. I've always taken the position that in a souls game, the player is supposed to be disadvantaged, so use whatever you got. Sleep pots make this fight easier.
Rykard was a visual treat, including his voice Uhhmwee shallh devhour gohds TOGETHA!" But a few notes - the wave attack, yeah, I don't know how to avoid that one either, never figured it out, just had to get lucky and not die. When he gets his sword, when he swings it particularly from the RIGHT, he first smacks it down on the ground NEXT to you, which is when players intuitively want to roll/evade, but that makes you fall into the trap of this move, because the smack is NEXT to you, not on top of you - i.e. it does not damage you (unless you actively run into it or something), you instead have to dodge his follow up sweep that comes IMMEDIATELY after the smack. So, don't dodge the sword smack to your right, but do dodge the follow up sweep. When it comes to the red skull phase - run. Just run in BIG circles around the boss, far enough where he won't melee you. If you keep running, even when your stamina runs out, the skulls tend to land and explode behind you and not damage you, just make sure you don't stop until the sky clears up (isn't as red anymore) indicating the skulls stopped spawning. Overall I REALLY enjoyed Rykard fight - it was probably my MOST satisfying fight. It's the one I felt the most pride in once I killed him. Even Malenia didn't feel as good because I feel like after 150+ deaths, I simply got lucky with her second phase moves and beat her, not because I actually learned how to beat her.
My one complaint about this video is when you call Farum Azula an "open world area". Every open-world area has its Legacy Dungeon. Limgrave has Stormveil, Weeping has Castle Morne, Liurna Raya Lucaria, Caelid Redmane Castle, etc., etc. Crumbling Farum Azula is the Mountaintop's Legacy Dungeon. So I feel this makes some of your criticisms about it invalid, saying it's smaller and not as filled as the rest of the game, it isn't supposed to be as big, it's comparable to Stormveil or Raya Lucaria and I feel it is comparable to the other Legacy Dungeons. Anyways, sorry about the rant, just a criticism I had!
Subjective opinion based on my own experiences: On your point about the end game being a lot more linear and all the bosses being kind of back to back - this was not my experience. I ended up leaving a lot of the optional smaller stuff from the rest of the world until late in the game. I'm still not done with the game (need to go back and kill Radogan and Elden Beast eventually) but I took a detour from Farum Azula immediately back to Liurnia and Altus Plateau to continue stuff I didn't do, and start filling out the map more. I think this is largely because I rushed through some earlier parts of the game, despite traveling an unorthodox path. For example, I accidentally discovered Liurnia before I even attempted Stormveil, and I accidentally discovered Altus Plateau through the side path that leads up these cliffs - because I was just picking a direction and moving in it. As a result, I ended up having opportunities to come back later and rediscover stuff that it seems like most people experienced as their linear progression. I will say, though, since I'm over Level 150 now, much of the super early bosses that I had left (some of the Evergaols for instance) are excruciatingly weak, and I can take them out with three or four blasts. Throughout most of my playthrough, I've taken a very "explore a route until I get bored and then go explore a different route, then come back later" approach. It's kept the game feeling very fresh. I ended up going to Raya Lucaria super late in the game (because I just never found the key, didn't realize until I noticed the treasure map I'd picked up and sought it out). Today I flipped back and forth between Limgrave, Liurnia, Altus Plateau, Farum Azula (to revisit and find Alexander), Consecrated Snowfield (for Ordina), and the Haligtree. In all cases, I've found things that I didn't even realize existed before. For instance, this afternoon I went back to the very first starting area (the Stranded Graveyard), originally intending to finally complete the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, but realized after I got there that I had too many runes to feel comfortable going down there, and decided to head further back into that starting room with the cave of knowledge. I discovered that there's an item up on a cliff! Couldn't get to it though... So I started trying to work out how to get there, and thinking about how low that area is relative to the surface of Limgrave, went to the south of the chapel and discovered an entire beach I'd never realized I could get to. In fact, I only realized I could get there because I saw an enemy walking around. Went on a little jaunt through that part of Limgrave, found items I'd never found before, and made my way down into this beach which felt really fresh, and got myself that Haligdrake Talisman (or whatever it's called). My point is, I think the game definitely has capacity for the kinds of open-worlding that you describe being missing from the end of the game, and I think it entirely depends on how the player chooses to approach the game. I'm 200 hours in and still haven't finished the game, despite essentially only having "one boss fight left" (or two if you count them as separate). But I still haven't killed Rykard, or Melania, or even Loretta. There's still a number of caves I'd never seen, including tunnels and catacombs I found today which I didn't even know existed. Turned out I'd never even been to the center of Altus Plateau with the minor Erdtree.
Wouldn't paying attention to what NPCs say, geographical markers help lead to things one may miss? Raya Lucaria could poooosibly be missed, but I'm not sure how.
Personally I visited and beat every dungeon and boss, collected just about every weapon/spell, armor I just wanted to do and collect about everything that I could in my very first play through. I didn’t summon help for any bosses on my first play through because I wanted the self satisfaction of beating everything on my own on the first go around. But now my character is on NG+ 3 and I’m just doing things to get the last of the trophies
Good take on casual and hardcore gamers and how these two groups approach the game's content. Edit: I do agree that some dungeon's loot, to me lots of ashes for example, is disappointing, but i never had the feeling that the dungeons were the same. The layouts were never copypasted, only rooms. What i don't like is that one can see where they cut of tunnels in caves.
This a very well balanced review. I also missed many things in my blind playthrough, but it was more fun. Now I know the power of mimic tear, and it’s really hard not to utilize it in new game plus. Balance issue is definitely there. Elden Ring is a masterpiece, but I think it’s more quantity over quality game. I wish it had only legacy dungeons interconnected to each other, with less repetitive boss encounters. For this reason, I’m planning to replay Dark Souls 3 after Elden Ring.
most of the repeated bosses are optional, elden ring is definitely replayable if you just focus on all the remembrance bosses and what ever you need for your build.
@@Ghorda9 Yes it’s replayable. I just finished new game plus with a different build and it was fun! As many other From Software fans, I have a high standard for their game and that would be the main reason for some disappointment. I’ll now leave Elden Ring until dlc arrives :)
@@Ghorda9 while that’s true, I dread collecting so many things scattered in an open world (such as golden seeds, sacred tears and talismans). I don’t think I’ll ever start a new file in Elden Ring.
@@권용대-b5v you don't need to get everything all at once and you only need to focus on your build and don't force yourself to become over powered as soon as possible.
The Godrick fight feeling easier than the Margit one makes sense lorewise. Godrick is the weakest member of the family. Thats why Morgott looks out for him, and defends the entrance from anyone who seeks the great rune.
Elden ring was my first ever souls game. And i love it im already on NG+4 after doing a full deep dive on NG+2. That being said my very first playthrough was an absolute miserable slog and i quit for a few months because of that, after coming back beating the game and starting NG+1 ive since enjoyed the game alot more and have done deep dives into lore videos to learn about it. The bosses all seem alot easier than the first time as well knowing their movesets and such. Easily best game ive ever bought and my current playthrough im doing a melenia style run with just her gear, wepon, and scarlet aonia(with my own mix of talismans of course) but nothing else past that and im having a blast so far
best way to play every game is to not know a thing about it and never google anything to help you. Except for some form of instructions if needed. You will always get the full experience a game offers this way and everything you discover or difficult part you overcome will feel alot more rewarding.
I'm a guy 4 months from 40 whos just beggining to get his life staight. Wish I hade your drive when I was your age! Love the review, it really inspired me to give myself a break and invest in myself for a change... A PS5 including a game is like 725 dollars here in Sweden. Have been strugling with addiction and homelessnes for to many years now! Been sober for a year and will soon move in to live with a familyhome who's willing to take me in 🥰 If I save up fore a month or two I could make my dream come true and experience Elden ring on my own PS 5...! 🤘
I don’t hate the mountaintops of the giants as much as others. It is a little weaker from a gameplay perspective, with the area feeling dead to many players. However, I found the deadness to be a strong artistic choice. The world leading up to the mountaintops is super alive, with lots of little creatures and NPC’s everywhere, but the mountaintops is literally covered in corpses. It made the endgame feel more dire and tense when going through a forbidden land in which everything is already dead.
Exactly.
I also see it as a pacing thing, or i compare the game to a classical music piece. it reaches a high point at Leyndell, or its a mid high point of the classical music piece, then with Morgott being the explosion of musical notes. then the orchestra settles to a quiet somber part of the piece before gradually building itself up again for the climax, and that's basically the boss rush at the end.
Elden Ring is the best game I have ever played without a doubt and without hyperbole I might add. But, the Mountaintop is easily the most text book example of a brilliant game showchasing it's sense of "we ran out of time developing this" that I have ever encountered. It is objectively terrible by any comparison we can think of. The parts after this felt better paced, so I honestly believe this was the part they developed last.
That's a fine choice artistically, but if that's the angle you're going for, make the area smaller. A huge chunk of the map is empty
The area isn’t that bad but by that point you’ve seen every enemy several times in other areas already and it doesn’t feel as special.
This is probably the best game that has come out in a decade
Bloodborne tho
@@ghostwhencodghosts9114 if only Bloodborne had a better port
the hidden story is amazing. All design of places, names, weapons, creatures, etc are very detailed to support the hidden story behind it. It just a true masterpiece. Not like other boring open world game, that only good as eyecandies, with boring story and makes me boring after 10 hours playtrough.... I love Eden Ring. 200+ hours and still playing ❤
@@masturas621 wdym better port... there is no port
Easily its not even close
Shocked how 2 handing was never an option for this guy
It’s driving me nuts lmao
He never figured out how
Seriously though lmao
Yea I don’t know how u could go through this game with ur left hand doing nothing. Maybe his is gimped out and he expects his characters to be gimped too
@@j0nnyism Especially using a weapon that’s as big as the one he uses lmao. He would be doing more damage a lot faster with less stamina by 2 handing lol
I’ll be honest, I have never heard a complaint about Godfrey the way you described until this video. His first phase is buttery smooth and satisfying, while his second phase is hectic and bombastic. I consistently see it in the top 5 elden ring bosses in every ranking I have ever seen
Agreed
I find Godfrey to be one of the worst bosses in the game. The way his attacks ate designed is just pure BS
@@jfknvd726 what, pure BS?? Nah this is a skill issue my friend
@@knutliheim1528 nope those animation delays are just pure BS their extremely unnatural.
I mean I'd say the worst thing about Godfrey is that fighting him can be extremely unintuitive, although that can be extended to most bosses in this game.
The tracking on his attacks is unnatural and weird, and if you try to break it, you can make some of his attacks look extremely janky.
There's also the downright silly hitbox on the hilt of his hammer. Why the fuck would I be taking full damage on a hammer swing because I made contact with the hilt? This will result in you literally taking damage behind him sometimes and it's just ridiculous.
It's a fair fight in that it's consistent, but it sucks to take damage in a way that visibly doesn't make sense.
Yeah this game made me play every fromsoft game, beat every dark souls now, and am on bloodborne now. Thanks elden ring for introducing me to my new favorite genre
What is your tierlist so far
@@viniciuspiroli3381 Ive played all except demons souls but I'd put ER in S, Ds3 and Sekiro in A, and BB, ds1, and ds2 are all in B in that order. None of them are lower than a B they are all fun games
@@bombthing pretty cool!
Fear the old blood
Sekiro. That’s the best one. It’s a great challenge too. U can’t cheese the fights as much
I appreciate this take. I feel like too many video essays on Elden Ring come off as the negative Steam reviews with 2000 hours payed. Sure it’s flawed and imperfect, but what it brings to the table in terms of game design transcends the flaws with this individual game.
No
People loves to hate on it because its extremely popular, happens to any games
Gotta say tho... Some of the fans don't seem to take constructive criticism well either. It's a two way street here.
Good point. Here's to hoping for constructive and polite internet discourse ;)@@doratheshade
You still can't talk about the some problem areas in this game without fans defending it every step of the way or ad hominem you
its quite a pleasant surprise to see a COD guy reviewing Elden Ring
Actually? or a joke😂
@@moonrabbit2334 wdym?
@@struggler7164 Idk man what I was thinking can't remember the context ignore it 😂
On my Ps5 500 hours of COD 500 hours of Elden Ring and beaten all souls games including DS2 , platinumed sekiro
We exist.
@@picklechris23 i played cod too,
but i assumed cod content creators like him would stick too his strength due to his main viewers
most of people sub for his cod videos
During my very first playthrough (fully blind), I beat the game without having any idea there was an entire dungeon hidden behind a wall in the Volcano Manor, with a massive, very important boss at the end of it, among MANY other things I missed and had no idea about.
It's just amazing that FromSoftware were so confident about their product that they felt fine about leaving entire swathes of the game away from the regular players' sight unless they are willing to spend time exploring the world in depth and get immersed into it. Elden Ring is truly a unique experience, easily one of my all time favourite game - and I literally cannot wait for the expansion.
Any tips on how to experience this game without the need to follow an guide ,which killed my immersion my 1st run. 2 bosses in on NG+ and starting to feel the need to youtube stuff . Also I am around lvl 200 and finding things a bit too easy with my lightning build, should I stop using my mimic/try other summons. Just want to be able to follow and understand the story and lore more.
@@unitynow6043I needed a guide for my first run and still enjoyed every moment. Just play it blind until you get stuck and only look up that particular part
The best thing I can say about Elden Ring is that the world has so. Much. DETAIL. There’s batches of land that are structured in a way that feel the attention to detail applied by FromSoftware.
Like a crap hidden in a lot of shadows thanks to a bunch of trees and bushes while a pond of water reflects the surroundings.
It was oddly a unique sight for being so small in comparison.
It’s designed in a way like real life: there’s no patch of line EXACTLY like it.
While it doesn’t keep this attention to detail all the way through the game, it’s still so refreshing that an open world focused on, well, THE WORLD ITSELF.
Àa4
Only bad thing was reskinned dungens. In opennworld erd tree reskin bisses were lot less tho
I agree with most of your points and overall thesis, and Margit is fun and fair. But I would disagree when you say his moves are random. Margot’s delayed attacks add to the drama of the battle and give you plenty of time to dodge, and teach you well.
not a single game keeps the details all the way through, ER does for 99% though.
Thank you Elden Ring, for giving me trauma each time I hear boss music.
That’s crazy 😂
In my 20 years of gaming experience this is the best RPG I've ever played. I was glued to my PC for an entire week and no other game has had that effect.
Personally, I absolutely hate being told a story directly in a video game. Like, I hate it so much. What drew me to the Souls games is the fact that they're essentially choose-your-own-adventure games. I love that they give you freedom to let your imagination wander.
But that's just me. I really like to roleplay in these games.
Well said
Was not expecting you to make a video about this. Glad you did though!
just got the game last week and it’s so beautiful it feels like it never ends
Best advice I can give is don’t listen to any criticism this video has given. Just love it for what it is!
The one sort of "defense" I always say of the repeated content in Elden Ring is that unlike alot of other games FromSoft goes the extra mile by atleast giving a lore relevant reason as to why there's so many of a thing. For example, in the lore Godfrey had 16 Crucible Knights as his personal guard and so you fight (or just encounter) all 16 of them over the course of the game.
also it has a lot more unique content over other open world games.
Agreed. There are just different factions and cultures sprinkled throughout the Lands Between and you run into them along the way. After a giant war like the Shattering, they have probably been relocated or migrated to safer lands. At least that's how I view it. Not a perfect explanation, but it's acceptable for me.
People complain about it when it comes to later areas like the mountain tops of the giants with the finger creepers and dogs/birds. And I get that. But there's at least enough variety throughout the world that it's not the worst thing like people make it out to be.
Definitely, understanding the lore of the game I think changes your experience and perspective of your gameplay. Only thing I wish is more Miquella content in the DLC hopefully, Im intrigued with the story of Malenia and Miquella tbh.
Even ignoring lore the enemy variety is amazing, most open world games have a fraction of ER's roaster. BOTW has like 22 unique enemies compared to ER's 140.
Elden Beast is not supposed to be the amalgamation of chaos. It’s literally called the “living incarnation of the concept of order”.
Other than that, Elden Beast is the worst final boss in any Soulsborne game. The fight itself is just annoying, but the main problem is the design. It’s just disappointing IMO. As a cosmic outer god like being, I expected something closer to Moon Presence.
Great video! Really like your retrospective! The Wyrm is one of the best explained reused boss, because you can yourself do the dragon ritual, where you eat the heart of a dragon! And the Ronin explains that you will turn into a dragon and lose your humanity! So the different boss-wyrms were all once a hunter like you!
I agree
it’s a pretty good perspective on the game. I played a lot souls games and for some reason every game gives me distinct feelings and memories, Fromsoft magic
It’s that *special sauce* they put in their games
@@user-ns4zm8qe9p What do you think that is man?
@@warheadjcj7331 i think it is the theme and setting. I think that the people who adore elden ring really love fantasy settings.
For me it is too light.
I like the darker settings from the ds series and bloodborne.
@@Remember_Eden no dude, I’m not disagreeing with you it’s just not the memories I take away when I’m done. for me it’s the fractured npc story in the overarching narrative that always declining, lingering, you can’t win no matter how important you are or how hard you try
@@warheadjcj7331 i get what your saying. Discovering and folowing those stories along is rewarding in itself.
Elden ring is so good everytime i get a cutscene in the game i get goosebumps
Nicely put video, its crazy to also think everyone had different experiences playing this game, i was dual katanas for all three of my playthroughts, decide to watch a magic user against maliena and couldnt believe how easy it was. It was my 1st from-software game and i truly fell in love can see why it was game of the year.
Beat the game 56 times... never replayed a game so much in my life. A year later, I came back and it feels just as fun as when I started.
56?! 😂 bro… get help
@@FollowerOfChrist144 DLC is coming, he will relapse
So u have spent at least 3080 hours playing a video game in one year 💀get help bro
What?!
@@dmacg5520 I had 2056 at the year mark currently searching for aid
So many people make the same “flawed masterpiece” videos about every good game that it’s just become cliche at this point.
WOAAHHH ch0pper is doing elden ring content now
That's so nice to see. I remember when you were a small channel who played pung... It's great to see you doing new stuff and making a foret into this sort of thing, and I'm glad I rediscovered this channel!
Just watched the entire thing. Great video! Love how you went into detail with the bosses and how you broke them down.
A couple things though: First off, the attacks for Margit and Morgott are delayed for a hidden reason - it's an opening long enough to sneak in a small hit before dodging out the way. I think that's why they made the stamina recovery so fast compared to DS3. (that's all the criticism I have for your video lol)
Second, I noticed that there was a certain LEGEND-class boss you did not showcase... There is another secret boss in Farum Azula at the lowest part of the dungeon. It's quite a difficult path to spot since it's so hidden, but the secret boss is so worth it.
Thirdly, you have been handicapping yourself this entire time by one-handing your sword. You can actually two-hand your weapon, and if its strength scaling is good (and your colossal weapon does have good strength scaling), you can increase the damage up by a LOT.
I think he purposely one-handed the sword the entire time for cosplay reasons as a true gigachad can handle massive swords with one hand or something like that idk it felt intentional
the stam recovery is actually the fastest in the series, its even faster than bb, alot of ppl that complain about the delayed and varied combos of ER never figured out that good dodge positioning/direction is a must in elden ring, and ironically its mostly a handful of souls vet youtubers and their fanbases that complain about that.
Yeah I noticed the handicap too. With either the Grafted Blade Greatsword or the Golden Halberd he one-hands it without having enough strength, which essentially destroys his damage output. If you 2-hand or just get enough strength then you'd do a lot more damage
even when the unnatural windups allow sneaking in a hit between boss attacks, it only works depending on weapon type and varies from boss to boss, and with how large the bosses are and unwieldy the camera is, i found myself taking a quick stab at bosses during their windups and then having to sprint away to even see them attacking properly.
Speaking of handicap, Rykard has one of the biggest arenas in the game and the fact he kept running straight back into the wall was hurting my heart 😂 you can literally run so far away from him, he stops attacking (besides the skull spell)
That clip at 29:40 really helps me appreciate how thoughtful From was to make Margit the first boss fight. Whoever’s clip this belongs too is obviously new to souls games and Margit strains out those sensibilities that are learned in most games. He even strains out habits that are learned in past souls games. He really gives you a small taste of the aggression that the bosses are going to bring. And how the player has to carefully respond with their own aggression.
I like how you mention brain meds during the Godskin battle and then immediate mix up Christian Bale and Ben Affleck and say that Orstein & Smough were in DS3. lol
My brother in Christ, I've never heard that comment for Godfrey. He is the most fair and least boring boss in the entire game. Both phases. Although first phase is more fun.
Just watched this full series while at work (DS, BB, Sekiro and Elden Ring). Definitely helped me get through the night lol. Nice content.
I’ve played elden ring fully completion about 6 times, over 250 hours played. I love this game so much and never got bored of it.
don't wanna be that guy but like why are you one handing weapons if ur not using anything in ur offhand? you deal more dmg if you two hand any weapon.
I had only played the beginning of one FromSoft game before Elden Ring. I did not expect to love it at all. I bought it because of the hype. Now I've unlocked all 6 endings and I'm level 406. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen when I came to the Lands Between lol.
At least this video won't get memed on, start a UA-cam drama war, and deleted after 2 days. Quality content 👌
How did he miss rennala im so confused the graces litherally point you towards her when u first enter the swamp you see the big ass building in the middle of the swamp infront of you and there is that npc in the church after you beat godrick that tells you about the academy
Was not expecting this, count me in I've just recently got into this game
Dude, Godskin duo is designed to use summons and NPC as Tree Sentinels are designed to fight them with Torrent. If you choose to not engage with some mechanics in the game is obvious they will be harder. You can tweak the difficulty your self if you find it to easy with summons by using less useful summons, or not summon Bernahl. But hte reality is that you are making it more difficult and unfair yourself, so you shouldn't complain.
Some quick comments on your final battle analysis
1. Radagon
I think that him draining your resources is ultimately to the fight’s benefit. 10-15 heals is enough to fumble your way through the fight and win, which I think is inappropriate for the final battle. I think my only real problem with him is actually how when he can start winding up attacks while he’s teleporting, leading to situations where the telegraph happens offscreen
2. Your thematic analysis of Elden Beast was wrong in every way it could’ve been. The boss (according to item descriptions) is the elden ring, the embodiment of order, and vassal to Elden Ring’s god. Listen to the music, this music is peaceful and serene, not intense or scary. Instead you described the boss as “the amalgamation of chaos” even though it is the embodiment of ORDER THE OPPOSITE OF CHAOS, and “fear of the unknown in monster form” and then complained it wasn’t scary even though every part of the boss was meant to be peaceful and not scary.
Imagine if I critiqued Elden Ring saying “It was clearly From Software’s intention to make a linear action game focused on pushing forward, but the game’s execution doesn’t work because it constantly asks the player to explore, and most of the content is optional, so they failed when structuring the game”
The video was great, but saying a boss should be scary and chaotic when it is meant (in writing too!) to be orderly and peaceful is a stupid point.
I really want them to make a couple optional boss fights (at least 1) that is really hard like malenia. As long as it is realistically possible to defeat it, im all for it. Fighting malenia for hours to learn how moves and beat her solo was so gratifying after doing it.
dlc's are generally optional.
Am I the only one who finds open world bosses, including Radahn, way easier to fight on foot?
I'm still kind of shocked. You never noticed renalla until you beat the game.
Great video! I loved this game. Easily the best game in awhile in an era where games have microtransactions, incomplete, bugs and glitches etc, this was such a breath of fresh air.
I never actually played this game but chop is the goat 🐐
As a videogame essay enjoyer myself, I must say there are quite a bit of inconsistencies in this video. For one, you praise the "downsides" of the open world experience as acting as an invisible difficulty slider that allows the player the ability to choose how difficult every encounter is, then 5 minutes later critique it for the fact that that very thing means players might get a different experience. Well that's the whole point. Also, the world building and narrative telling through the world we play in. You mention this then critique the mountaintop of the giants for being "empty and lifeless." This is literally the point. They were wiped out in one of the great wars (I think it was the war with Caria but maybe the Golden Order's war). In fact, you can see hundreds of giant's corpses infected with deathblight littering the area. The main mob type there are wildlife, which makes sense, and the fire monk squads. This makes sense because after Vyke stole the giant's flame, the fire monks were tasked with hunting him down and thus remain as a last guard over the small kindling that remains atop the mountain. Sure, if you are a casual player that refuses to listen to/read dialogue, doesn't like exploring, doesn't like reading item descriptions, and has low spatial awareness then then all these things are negatives. However, the game isn't designed for those kind of players so judging aspects of the game through this lens is a bit disingenuous. Still a great video and a sub!
Video of the year.
Whatcha wanna do is guard counter the heck out of leonine misbegotten. Since he’s so aggressive, that move absolutely punishes him
I played elden ring for 400+hours . 2 platinum trophies and i still found an incantarion the other day . Im still playing elden ring and not tired of it . Even ufc4 and 5 i cannot play for 400 hours without getting tired . After elden ring (actually i started 2 months ago) i played and finished ds3 once and am now trying to get that platinum trophy . I think i could also endlessly play ds3 i like it just as much as elden ring . To me elden ring was such a fantastic game . And i didnt buy it directly at launch because i thought it was a lord of the rings game until i saw a before you buy😅
Level 329
This game make me wish to get amnesia just so I can experience playing it again first time
No games in recent years has the same impact as this game ever
That's how good it is
As far as Rykard is concerned, just jump. Players often forget that jumping give I frames and counts as a dodge
A lot of people seem to miss that this was a mechanic during fights, and I am pretty sure there are at least a dozen bosses that have attacks that can be jumped over
it doesn't, it just disables the hitbox for character's lower body
I just checked your channel yesterday for a new analysis video
It hurts to see you one-hand all those strenght weapons especially when you don't have anything on your left hand.
I watched entire hour and no mention of THE best boss, Dragonlord Placidusax :(
horah loux has a ton of openings, almost all his grabs leaves him open and so does his melee combo and small stomps.
You missed Rennala? I'm sorry but you missed the giant castle in the middle of the area that you go to after Stormveil? I'm scared of the rest of the video.
Explored the whole castle, left literally just before her room
@@Ch0pper Oh, oki I thought you missed the entire academy.
Can I ask you why you use colossal weapons without double handle them?
I have to tell you, this is the first time i heard about Hoarah Loux (Warrrior) being underwhelming
maleketh is perfectly fine for melee builds, just be as aggressive as he is and get under or behind him he leaves him self open during/after a lot of his attacks, also his aoe can't hit you if you're next to his hip or behind him. He has a lot more openings than you think he does.
I'm really struglling with him. My first playthrough.
@@Hero_Of_Old you can also jump attack over his sweeps.
Really true. I used square off in one of my playthrough and since square off heavy rushes you into him, most aoe goes behind me it's really satisfying
this applies to most bosses souls veterans have been bitching about.
Elden Ring is FromSoft's masterpiece; all of their other Souls games are fantastic but ER is just next-level. the jealousy and envy of other developers is hilarious but hopefully they'll take some notes and we can get some innovation in other genres and games.
I really think it will be looked back upon in a similar fashion Dark Souls 1 is now remembered
I can’t wait for Shadow of the Erd Tree. I’ve fully completed ER and did 9 playthroughs before finally putting it down. I want to do another but I’m going to try and wait for DLC and start a fresh playthrough from scratch.
Even though I've never played a Souls game I had to get Elden Ring because of all the high praise it received. Sadly I couldn't even beat the first boss. Hell, it was a struggle fighting regular enemies spread across the map. I've been playing rpgs all my life but I just could never rap my head around how to play this one. Maybe I should reinstall it and give it another try. I just want to have the great experience everyone else had playing this game
Was your first boss the tree sentinel or Margit? The tree sentinel is there at the beginning to teach new players that you don’t HAVE to beat every enemy right away. The beautiful thing about elden ring is that it can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. You have the option of visiting side areas and leveling up your stats to make fights easier. I’d say give it another try and take your time with boss fights; really learn their move sets and time your hits. It’s rewarding beating a boss after choreographing your battle with them.
@@PokeWhitz I figured out that I wasn't ready for Margit so I went trying to level up. It seemed like the majority of the map was empty and the enemies I did find would always be in groups that destroyed me. I just got tired of riding around looking for things that I could possibly kill. Too many empty areas.
@@the4thhorseman840 fair enough. I’ll agree, there’s numerous areas in Limgrave that seem barren. I just get captivated by the beauty of the landscape so it never really bothered me. The area after Margit is much MUCH more confined and dense with enemies than Limgrave. If you’re ever bored, I’d say power through Margit and see if you enjoy the Castle.
@@PokeWhitz 👍
Like the previous comment said, skip the Tree Sentinel. From the Church of Elleh, where the first merchant is located, to Gatefront Ruins, you can backstab every soldier. Level up at that next site of grace, get the Lordsworn sword (carriage) and the whetblade (underground) there, then upgrade the sword at Church Elleh. For upgrade materials find Limgrave Tunnels and Third Church of Marika.
Just keep leveling up health and stamina. You can beat Margit easily at level 25, npc summon Rogier, and Godrick soldiers summons found at a graveyard in Stormhill.
Sorry for the spoilers but you can take it from here. If you like action rpgs, this one can be very enjoyable. Loads of weapons, weapons skills, sorceries, incantations, and items, to overcome every obstacle thrown at you.
I don't agree with this attitude of "the game stops being an open world at the end," like you're treating its final legacy dungeon in Faruum Azula as a whole new area a la Limgrave or Caelid, when really it's just another story dungeon. I find this disingenuous
your complaint about combo's is really just you not being aggressive enough, a lot of them you can punish mid combo if you position correctly.
don't fight fire giant on torrent unless his far away, also second phase you're supposed to hit his hands that he leaves open every time he attacks and takes extra damage.
Homie clearly didnt know you can two hand your great sword/halberd
Godfrey (first part) is in my opinion the best boss in the game. Mastering his move sets, jumping over his powerful stomps is so satisfying. 😊 Radagon is also equally rewarding.
Chopper pulling through and making LEGENDARY soulsbornekiroring content lol
I loved the godskin duo. Learning how to fight two enemies is fromsoft 102. It’s something every player should learn how to do; use the environment keep them both in front of you learn to switch between them and keep moving so u don’t get ganked simples. It’s deffo a skill issue
Elden Ring’s my third favorite open world ever behind Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Which makes sense given the inspiration Zelda had on ER, both are in a league of their own, flaws and all.
YOOOOOOooooooooooooo!
I heard "rain" from Halo ODST ost at around 5:30
that song is goated.
Went from hating fromsoft games to platinuming elden ring completing it 8 times and finishing every other souls game bar ds2. Elden ring is my favourite game ever by far.
since tears of the kingdom came out, I have come to appreciate elden ring even more than I already did.
My man commits crime playing ultra greatsword one handed😢
Really great analysis, man. I appreciate your honesty and for taking your time, as this game definitely deserves it.
I agree
This was completely different than most fromsoft games. I spent so much time trying to get every single thing on the first playthrough which made successive playthroughs not as enjoyable but that first playthrough was so good it made up for it. After a while I’ll go back through and it’ll be amazing
I'm almost done with my 2nd playthrough to get ready for the dlc. I left it a year or so between playthroughs and the gap helped alot, iended up doing everything in the game again and I'm loving it.
@@simonorourke4465I did another playthrough like a year ago n now I’ll wait til just before dlc comes out but I’ve been playing sekiro mods recently
If the summons did not ruin the bosses this game would be perfect.
Why isnt he using two handed in the gameplays bro 😭😭😭
Elden Ring has set a standard
Ur complaint ab the bosses is literally a complaint to every other open world game
My first time against Renalla, she summoned a bloodhound knight and then a spirit dragon. That was definitely something to write home about.
Oh, and Godskin Combo, use sleep. Honestly, using consumables is often overlooked in this game. I've always taken the position that in a souls game, the player is supposed to be disadvantaged, so use whatever you got. Sleep pots make this fight easier.
Rykard was a visual treat, including his voice
Uhhmwee shallh devhour gohds TOGETHA!"
But a few notes - the wave attack, yeah, I don't know how to avoid that one either, never figured it out, just had to get lucky and not die.
When he gets his sword, when he swings it particularly from the RIGHT, he first smacks it down on the ground NEXT to you, which is when players intuitively want to roll/evade, but that makes you fall into the trap of this move, because the smack is NEXT to you, not on top of you - i.e. it does not damage you (unless you actively run into it or something), you instead have to dodge his follow up sweep that comes IMMEDIATELY after the smack. So, don't dodge the sword smack to your right, but do dodge the follow up sweep.
When it comes to the red skull phase - run. Just run in BIG circles around the boss, far enough where he won't melee you. If you keep running, even when your stamina runs out, the skulls tend to land and explode behind you and not damage you, just make sure you don't stop until the sky clears up (isn't as red anymore) indicating the skulls stopped spawning.
Overall I REALLY enjoyed Rykard fight - it was probably my MOST satisfying fight. It's the one I felt the most pride in once I killed him. Even Malenia didn't feel as good because I feel like after 150+ deaths, I simply got lucky with her second phase moves and beat her, not because I actually learned how to beat her.
My one complaint about this video is when you call Farum Azula an "open world area". Every open-world area has its Legacy Dungeon. Limgrave has Stormveil, Weeping has Castle Morne, Liurna Raya Lucaria, Caelid Redmane Castle, etc., etc. Crumbling Farum Azula is the Mountaintop's Legacy Dungeon. So I feel this makes some of your criticisms about it invalid, saying it's smaller and not as filled as the rest of the game, it isn't supposed to be as big, it's comparable to Stormveil or Raya Lucaria and I feel it is comparable to the other Legacy Dungeons.
Anyways, sorry about the rant, just a criticism I had!
Subjective opinion based on my own experiences:
On your point about the end game being a lot more linear and all the bosses being kind of back to back - this was not my experience. I ended up leaving a lot of the optional smaller stuff from the rest of the world until late in the game. I'm still not done with the game (need to go back and kill Radogan and Elden Beast eventually) but I took a detour from Farum Azula immediately back to Liurnia and Altus Plateau to continue stuff I didn't do, and start filling out the map more. I think this is largely because I rushed through some earlier parts of the game, despite traveling an unorthodox path.
For example, I accidentally discovered Liurnia before I even attempted Stormveil, and I accidentally discovered Altus Plateau through the side path that leads up these cliffs - because I was just picking a direction and moving in it. As a result, I ended up having opportunities to come back later and rediscover stuff that it seems like most people experienced as their linear progression.
I will say, though, since I'm over Level 150 now, much of the super early bosses that I had left (some of the Evergaols for instance) are excruciatingly weak, and I can take them out with three or four blasts. Throughout most of my playthrough, I've taken a very "explore a route until I get bored and then go explore a different route, then come back later" approach. It's kept the game feeling very fresh. I ended up going to Raya Lucaria super late in the game (because I just never found the key, didn't realize until I noticed the treasure map I'd picked up and sought it out).
Today I flipped back and forth between Limgrave, Liurnia, Altus Plateau, Farum Azula (to revisit and find Alexander), Consecrated Snowfield (for Ordina), and the Haligtree. In all cases, I've found things that I didn't even realize existed before. For instance, this afternoon I went back to the very first starting area (the Stranded Graveyard), originally intending to finally complete the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, but realized after I got there that I had too many runes to feel comfortable going down there, and decided to head further back into that starting room with the cave of knowledge. I discovered that there's an item up on a cliff! Couldn't get to it though... So I started trying to work out how to get there, and thinking about how low that area is relative to the surface of Limgrave, went to the south of the chapel and discovered an entire beach I'd never realized I could get to. In fact, I only realized I could get there because I saw an enemy walking around. Went on a little jaunt through that part of Limgrave, found items I'd never found before, and made my way down into this beach which felt really fresh, and got myself that Haligdrake Talisman (or whatever it's called).
My point is, I think the game definitely has capacity for the kinds of open-worlding that you describe being missing from the end of the game, and I think it entirely depends on how the player chooses to approach the game. I'm 200 hours in and still haven't finished the game, despite essentially only having "one boss fight left" (or two if you count them as separate). But I still haven't killed Rykard, or Melania, or even Loretta. There's still a number of caves I'd never seen, including tunnels and catacombs I found today which I didn't even know existed. Turned out I'd never even been to the center of Altus Plateau with the minor Erdtree.
Wouldn't paying attention to what NPCs say, geographical markers help lead to things one may miss? Raya Lucaria could poooosibly be missed, but I'm not sure how.
hour long vid 🙏
The Rykard fight reminded me of the Yhorm fight with the gimmick weapon & Long wind up
godricks whirlwind is perfectly fine, just don't hug him and only get close for attacks.
Personally I visited and beat every dungeon and boss, collected just about every weapon/spell, armor I just wanted to do and collect about everything that I could in my very first play through. I didn’t summon help for any bosses on my first play through because I wanted the self satisfaction of beating everything on my own on the first go around. But now my character is on NG+ 3 and I’m just doing things to get the last of the trophies
Im friends with my mom
31:58 Does Margitt not have a 1st phase and 2nd phase? Godrick is probably the 2nd fight with a 1dt and 2nd phase that you fight.
im 470 hours in . Totally enthralled by the world and lore .
Good take on casual and hardcore gamers and how these two groups approach the game's content.
Edit: I do agree that some dungeon's loot, to me lots of ashes for example, is disappointing, but i never had the feeling that the dungeons were the same. The layouts were never copypasted, only rooms. What i don't like is that one can see where they cut of tunnels in caves.
This a very well balanced review. I also missed many things in my blind playthrough, but it was more fun. Now I know the power of mimic tear, and it’s really hard not to utilize it in new game plus. Balance issue is definitely there.
Elden Ring is a masterpiece, but I think it’s more quantity over quality game. I wish it had only legacy dungeons interconnected to each other, with less repetitive boss encounters. For this reason, I’m planning to replay Dark Souls 3 after Elden Ring.
most of the repeated bosses are optional, elden ring is definitely replayable if you just focus on all the remembrance bosses and what ever you need for your build.
@@Ghorda9 Yes it’s replayable. I just finished new game plus with a different build and it was fun! As many other From Software fans, I have a high standard for their game and that would be the main reason for some disappointment. I’ll now leave Elden Ring until dlc arrives :)
@@권용대-b5v also replays should be on ng instead of ng+ because the early game isn't trivialised.
@@Ghorda9 while that’s true, I dread collecting so many things scattered in an open world (such as golden seeds, sacred tears and talismans). I don’t think I’ll ever start a new file in Elden Ring.
@@권용대-b5v you don't need to get everything all at once and you only need to focus on your build and don't force yourself to become over powered as soon as possible.
At 45:13 I just immedietely started compulsively dancing 😂 wasnt expecting the Persona 3 music hahaha
wait until this guy finds out about being able to hold a weapon with two hands
The Godrick fight feeling easier than the Margit one makes sense lorewise. Godrick is the weakest member of the family. Thats why Morgott looks out for him, and defends the entrance from anyone who seeks the great rune.
i always knew that godrick was a little btch
The godrcvik fight makes me hate you. Ben edek nagy 8498 is better any awy. ITS GONE AWRY!! MY PLAN!!!
I just came back for my 3rd play through. Fucking masterpiece!
I managed to beat Malenia on my 3rd Try and counted myself lucky and never tried the boss fight again after that on my NG+ playthroughs lol
I could absolutely see my kid having an Elden Beast plushie. He is not scary at all lol
One of the greatest openings I’ve ever seen!!
Elden ring was my first ever souls game. And i love it im already on NG+4 after doing a full deep dive on NG+2. That being said my very first playthrough was an absolute miserable slog and i quit for a few months because of that, after coming back beating the game and starting NG+1 ive since enjoyed the game alot more and have done deep dives into lore videos to learn about it. The bosses all seem alot easier than the first time as well knowing their movesets and such. Easily best game ive ever bought and my current playthrough im doing a melenia style run with just her gear, wepon, and scarlet aonia(with my own mix of talismans of course) but nothing else past that and im having a blast so far
best way to play every game is to not know a thing about it and never google anything to help you. Except for some form of instructions if needed. You will always get the full experience a game offers this way and everything you discover or difficult part you overcome will feel alot more rewarding.
Godfrey first phase is easily the smoothest of all the bosses
I'm a guy 4 months from 40 whos just beggining to get his life staight.
Wish I hade your drive when I was your age!
Love the review, it really inspired me to give myself a break and invest in myself for a change...
A PS5 including a game is like 725 dollars here in Sweden.
Have been strugling with addiction and homelessnes for to many years now!
Been sober for a year and will soon move in to live with a familyhome who's willing to take me in 🥰
If I save up fore a month or two I could make my dream come true and experience Elden ring on my own PS 5...! 🤘