An Over-Analysis of FROM Software Boss Design: Elden Ring Part 1

[@oldladyhater]

Interestingly, it seems like Rennala's summons in her second phase are actually reflections of Ranni's servants: the wolves represent Blaidd, the Bloodhound Knight represents the corrupted Darriwil, the troll is Iji, and the dragon is Glintstone Dragon Adula. An incredibly subtle detail to remind players that they aren't fighting Rennala, but rather Ranni's projection of her.

[@jamikojonen6436]

Wow that's a cool detail. I also didn't realise Darriwil used to serve Ranni haha. Must have not been paying attention to what Blaidd was saying, I was just happy to help him kill his opponent no questions asked :)

[@adventpsyop]

I think the wolf knight is Blaidd. The wolves just like Ranni's wolves (she has three chilling outside of her tower at all times).

[@Junotrigger]

Selivus isnt there because he sucks

[@flame_warp]

@@adventpsyop Plus, she gives you that same spirit ash when you first meet her.

[@XogoWasTaken]

Fun fact: There's a cut voiceline for Rennala summoning Blaidd, calling him her child in the process.

[@Makskori]

Rennala in S tier is insane but kinda based. imo the best part of the fight is how funny it is that you literally storm into an academy, beat up the students and then assault the headmaster for no good reason, and also you kill the family dog(miyazaki hates dogs).

[@enickma910]

don't forget to go back to the tutorial after elden beast to beat Rick, Soldier of God

[@deathpig.9847]

...........us this real?

[@MrShuggadaddy]

@@deathpig.9847 yes, but he is very overpowered and only a select few players can kill him

[@btarczy5067]

Don’t forget to do the following steps: [redacted] That will trigger his second phase early BUT if you beat him then it’s definitely worth it, trust me. edit: KZbin won‘t let me post the whole comment…

[@NottSaying]

I loved Rick's presentation, especially with him taking the same approach as Morgott, giving you a dumbed down fight early game to understand the combat. Unlike Morgott, however, Rick actually WANTS to see you succeed, and encourages you to get stronger and become Elden Lord. He also doesn't punish you for not being good enough, as while he is a representation of religion and ideology that we see with the multiple endings of Elden Ring, he doesn't have his own ending himself, telling you to go forge your own path rather than rely on his strength. His fight is indescribable, and is much harder than Malenia's while feeling much less bullshit. He doesn't spam you with 1000 hitboxes or summon other creatures to fight you or give unreadable attacks, he has a very simple (but extensive) moveset that demands perfection. Some people argue that dealing infinite damage to you is unfair, but I think that it is just a learning curve, and shows his power at a universal scale, fitting with his origin. The lack of a healthbar also makes it difficult to understand how much progress you make, but it makes sense when you realize you aren't HURTING him, you are proving your strength. And that final cutscene after you satisfy him, where he bows before returning across the fog, retreating from where you originally came from, is beautiful. Easy S+.

[@kingofthejungle5338]

​@@MrShuggadaddydo people really get stuck on that dude? He was a total jobber for me

[@viinaart]

I honestly love Margit's intro cutscene (might even be my favorite in elden ring, which feels like an insane thing to say),, his little monolog is just really cool to me, and his voice actor is doing a great job delivering it lol

[@joedatius]

i agree, i think him and Godfrey have the best cutscenes by far. you get alot of personality out of them

[@paid14]

Have it be writ on thy meager grave, felled by King Margot, last of all kings!

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

«Foul tarnished!» 🤝 «Mongrel intrudah»

[@hyperfreeze2714]

1:04:47 that’s because the Weeping Peninsula is a part of Limgrave. All of its Graces are listed underneath Limgrave, Godrick’s soldiers are present in Castle Morne, it looks visually very similar to Limgrave, it’s just Limgrave. It’s the same situation with these locations. Greyoll’s Dragonbarrow is definitely Caelid, Mount Gelmir is (arguably) part of Atlus Plateau, and the Consecrated Snowfield is still the Mountaintops of the Giants.

[@theboss112358]

Exactly, each zone has a health and damage multiplier for each enemy in case you encounter the same enemy in a different zone and the order the devs intended the player to go through based on the multipliers is Limgrave then Weeping Peninsula and lastly Stormveil Castle. Unfortunately if you go the intended route you are extremely overleveled for Godrick

[@nickoliekeyov746]

I totally agree on tree spirits - if you fight them enough times, it just becomes weirdly muscle memory to dodge most of their attacks, and I can go hitless on lots of them without being able to explain how I’m doing it. I think that’s partly due to their size and how they are animated vs where their hitbox is, you’d think that getting slapped around by its body would do damage but no most of the time it doesn't.

[@TheAkasharose]

I think that's a great summation. Large bosses can get frustrating when there are hitboxes you don't expect - the size and speed make it visually unpleasing, but there are hitboxes than you expect, meaning it's a lot less frustrating. Plus, the only long delayed attack is the bite/grab, and that one has it move away for a huge charge in - and I've never had too much of an issue with it.

[@flamingmanure]

@@TheAkasharose u can use delayed attacks to your advantage, fyi. many of them are long enough for u to strafe and charge a heavy attack, or throw in an R1 before dodging the attack when it actually comes. these are one of the many complexities that make ER combat far above ds3/bb but those crowds arent emotionally ready to critique their older games yet so they would rather criticize the new and better one for not being exactly like the boring older games.

[@senecauk8363]

Totally agree- I just found the first poison one in the DLC having not touched Elden Ring in over a year and I stomped the guy. Wasn't expecting that but there is a definite rhythm!

[@devindalton4688]

​@@TheAkasharoseI think you didn't give the tree spirit enough credit for exactly this reason. There's way too many of them for sure, and they're not the most interesting boss, but they clearly did something right if there's a genuine recognizable pattern in there.

[@r.w.9631]

​@@TheAkasharosethat's one of my favorite attacks to dodge.

[@rika8484]

"This is the Capra Demon, but... it... works?!?" One of the most memorable meta-realizations I experienced during my first playthrough. lol

[@chrislinks6867]

IIRC talking to Melina at Gatefront passes the time to night so as a new player if your first direction after getting torrent is east through the ruins & you follow the road you will see that night's cav on the bridge. Not guaranteed, (some players might meet her at a different grace) but likely enough to be your first night time boss.

[@GuilhermeSouza-ux4jq]

The easiest way to miss him is by dying to the godrick knight right after meeting melina

[@itsmeshady1770]

1:57:21 it’s so funny to hear you compliment the devs for not allowing other enemies to join the death bird fight, then in the DLC they casually throw one in a cramped area with a million other annoying bird enemies to gank you. Classic FromSoft.

[@Whyiseveryhandletaken6942]

Man, i love poisonous swamps, they’re great at making you seem so hopeless, surrounded by nothing but kryptonite, & it’s a great addition of difficulty, there should be more of them.

[@shrunkenderp]

@@Whyiseveryhandletaken6942bold take

[@dolphinpower1107]

Such a cool area and I was legitimately very hyped seeing a deathbird to fight before it was ruined by how aggressively the grave birds join in, even with Killing alot of them before hand and summoning the whole thing just screams unfun.

[@Chivaing]

A little trick with the crucible knight is that you can kick his shield to break it instantly, even during his shield bash. And the wings and tails attacks can be jumped. Also, the dragon fight is by far more enjoyable if you only use Torrent to close gaps and avoid his fire. Going for his head is by far the more efficient way to get posture breaks, and is also pretty fun!

[@jamesbell1186]

He also didn't mention that he only really does the tail combo finisher if you have rolled behind him. It's not random, you can position yourself to avoid or expect it

[@Leosennnn]

When you said Omenkiller was Capra Demon my whole world reoriented as I realized you're exactly right

[@shin9r]

Been fiending your other boss design videos over the last few weeks and could not wait for this! While there are plenty of fromsoft boss analysis videos on youtube, yours are the most indepth and the emphasis you put on the larger context and atmosphere of these fights is very much appreciated.

[@supernerb6938]

Something interesting that i feel wasnt mentioned about Soldier of Godrick (I know, I know, hear me out) is that he is sandwiched between two impossibly hard bosses for new/first time players. Both the Tree Sentinel and Grafted Scion (as well as Margit) are so strong at this early point in the game that they encourage players to go elsewhere, find new gear and level up. Soldier of Godrick works, in this incredibly specific regard, at showing players that not every boss is abrasively hard and puts a win under their built, all while rewarding and reinforcing what theyve just learned in the tutorial. This contrast between extremely difficult and laughably easy helps players naturally figure out the intended message, that they need to get stronger if they wish to survive. It's easy, as a veteran to both the series and Elden Ring, to discount Soldier of Godrick as nothing less than a random enemy given a boss arena. And while he IS a random enemy given a boss arena, his role in the larger invisible tutorial that is Limgrave has fascinated me since launch.

[@TheAkasharose]

To an extent I agree, but there's a different between a boss that's not a challenge and a boss that is easier to overcome. I still feel something like Beastman of Farram Azula, which was still a threat without being overwhelming, would have fit the tutorial better than Solider of Godrick. But I'm also a huge fan of Iudex Gundyr having that moment of 'I did it!' with new players, and Elden Ring waits until either the Tree Sentinel Rematch or Margit to really deliver that first moment.

[@jackofnotrades4350]

20:26 Keep in mind that the troll is also a tutorial for weapon damage types. If the player experiments with Strike type damage or pierce they will find damaging them (and crystalians) much much easier

[@vibevizier6512]

The Grave Warden Duelist was the first real boss I ever fought, and lemme tell ya, he ROCKED.

[@Nivek1993Nitram]

The guardian golem is an underwhelming boss fight but great environmental story telling since his location fits with the collapsed bridge we traverse later on and that has two golem on it

[@TheAkasharose]

I hadn't put that one together, that is a really neat map detail!

[@auellaitaela8035]

More evidence of weeping peninsula being a training area is the overwhelming amount of flask upgrades there compared to everywhere else. In my first playthrough I didn't go there until late, and I was frustrated the first half of the game that I was so underpowered with barely any flask drinks that barely healed me, then when I finally went there I got more upgrades there alone than I had gotten in the entirety of LImgrave and massive swathes of Liurnia and Caelid. Surprised you went into the peninsula bosses after Morgott and Godrick as it feels like the peninsula areas are "supposed" to be done first, even before northern Limgrave. There's also a ton of really basic equipment types there, like the claymore, for the player to decide what type of weapon they want to settle on early in the game. Not going there early made my first playthrough *really* interesting in both good and bad ways.

[@IfYouInsist]

Very impressive length on this timed with the DLC release. Bless up homie. We see you.

[@AC-hj9tv]

Blessing up the bless up 😎👍

[@btarczy5067]

To me the Grafted Scion serves a new purpose: It can only get better from here. Hate those dudes, and with hundreds of hours in the game that hasn’t changed one bit.

[@TheAkasharose]

Definitely didn't put the best foot forward, I can tell you that.

[@paid14]

​@@TheAkasharose Is that a pun? On the many feet the grafted possess? 🧙

[@sarbe6625]

Elden Ring has some enemies I just have 0 respect for as either a character or a game design element. So I feel 0 guilt cheesing the fuck out of them. Grafted Scion is near the top of that list.

[@kizofio]

I must say, your analysis is fucking excellent. I watched your sekiro video first without ever playing sekiro and it still hooked me in. Everything's well written and the points are insightful, which is very rare to see when it comes to analysis like this. Good work, mate

[@Kurai_69420]

I've always seen the weeping peninsula as a training zone, it even superficially looks like Runescape's tutorial island.

[@elias8931]

awesome video man, can't imagine how long this takes

[@333Abs]

I just wanted to say thank you for laying the video out in this way! As someone who hasn’t finished the game yet as I don’t often get time to play but is a super nerd about this kind of thing… I could easily tell where I could watch to without spoilers.

[@TheNickJames]

I just found your channel recently, and figured it’d only be a matter of time before the Elden Ring boss analyses came out. Great timing! 🙌 keep up the excellent work, man!

[@WeRtheHelp]

Thank god you put Rennala in S tier! I swear i feel like an insane person for thinking she is one of the biggest highlights in the game, and all the discourse seems to lean towards her being a letdown. Great video, and I can't wait for the rest. Take your time!

[@TheAkasharose]

The gameplay may not be as exciting as the other S Grades in the game, but that soundtrack and cutscene are peak From Software.

[@Spectrum0122]

Agree, imo renalla is like rom the spider but a good boss fight loll

[@diverselore]

Because it is a videogame. I also love the presentation and overall aesthetic. But the gameplay is super lackluster. Almost no mechanical engagement and her first phase becomes just a shore after your first try. You can only die on the second phase by getting stun-locked bu some of her attacks, receiving to much damage too fast. Besides that, no interesting attacks (only the one she's throws a fucking moon at you, this one's awesome) and the fights becomes trivial if you get into melee range of her. ON my first run, I didn't even see the summons because I did so much damage that she insta-summoned the dragon, but I finished her off just after that.

[@coobie3469]

Rennala has very little substance. A waste of a cool character. It's a tedious fight (magic spam) you just want to get over with. And if you die, you have to run for about 2min because FS didn't put a Marika in front of boss room for some reason.

[@diverselore]

@@coobie3469 They didn't put marika in front of the door because of lore reasons. But I think that's super dumb because it just creates a run back that's just a chore.

[@ShinxBOOM247]

26:20 one thing to bring up with all of the "normal" dragon encounters is that most of their melee oriented attacks leave them in large recovery periods with their heads low to the ground. From my personal experience, the best way to fight the dragons is to stay close to their heads so that they go for stomps more often, dodge the stomps, and then aim for the head with charged heavies or jump attacks, only summoning Torrent in situations where you need to reposition or close in whenever the dragons decide to fly away in some form. This loop personally makes the Dragon fights more enjoyable overall, though I definitely wouldn't argue that they are just ok fights for the most part

[@ShinxBOOM247]

Just gonna make this a thread of a bunch of corrections for things I noticed as I go though the video. 32:39 you... don't need to go through the Mistwood to reach the Mad Pumkin Head fight in Limgrave. The ruins he is located is literally right next to the main road running beside Agheel lake, just due east from the sites of grace where you get Torrent. It is placed as one of the early game encounters you'd more than likely find as you enter the eastern chunk of the map if you decided to go in that direction early on rather than head up to Stormhill

[@ShinxBOOM247]

39:40 one thing with the first Night's Cavalry that's worth mentioning that the first interaction with Melina where she gives you Torrent causes the time of day to immediately shift to night. Since this is a consistent place where the world shifts to night, a new player going towards the eastern part of the map right after getting Torrent has a very high likelihood of running into the first Night's Cavalry. From there, if they die to them, there's a convenient Stake of Merika right at the start of the bridge that, due to the game forcing it to daytime if you die at night, will show that the Night's Cavalry only appear at night. The way this and the one found in Weeping Peninsula are set up do a good job teaching you of the night time mechanics through their general placement imo

[@ShinxBOOM247]

2:08:45 so... funny thing about that... the Crystalian duo fights throughtout the game USED TO BE more agressive. They along with a couple other duo fights throughout the game were shadow nerfed in the 1.04 patch to work like they do now, which in the case of the Crystalians was significantly overboard. Illusory Wall did an excellent video covering a bunch of the hidden changes in Elden Ring's earlier patches which covered this specific issue, which I will link here kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zpyyeoydq69ljrs

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

excellent string of comments

[@TheAkasharose]

This comment string is great - really appreciate the input on all of it! 1) That seems to be the general consensus on the Dragons - they're by far the boss people disagreed with me the most on, to the point there's almost certainly something I wasn't seeing. I've been trying to force myself to unlearn that and stay in front, but it lands in the tough place where the ankles are the much boring but also much safer way to handle the fight. As I learn it, I imagine that'll fade, but I wish they had more threat at their ankles that didn't make my brain see them low and health and just run back to their ankle to get uncontested damage. 2) I don't know why, but my brain always puts the entrance to East Limgrave to the North by the Tibia Mariner despite the fact there's another bridge that leads right there. Solid correction. 3) I fully forgot that Melina dropped you to nighttime! Most people I know (fully availability bias) ended up following the Grace to where you get the Limgrave Map pickup, and then meeting Melina at that Grace by the Portcullis. Then, with the whole area just ahead, they usually either try to take the camp back on or head up towards the castle rather than heading back through the camp and to the East, but you're right that the Cavalry and Stake are right there. 4) Learning about the Group Enemy nerf makes me feel so much less insane. The Duo Erdtree Avatar version in particular was horrifying when I played on release - and it felt so much easier on the most recent run. Knowing that it was that they just slowed down makes me feel so much less crazy. I definitely made sure to mention the nerfs, and I do lean towards Illusory Wall's take - I prefer an easier to manage duo to a frustrating duo.

[@lordherpingsworth8575]

The royal revenant's weakness to healing is communicated through a note that can be purchased from a merchant...

[@epsilon1275]

For the Crucible Knight, if they do turtle behind their shield, just smack the sheild once, and he will go into a punishable shield bash. So you can still play aggressively even if he wants to turtle.

[@TheAkasharose]

I've also seen some comments recommending jumping the tail swings, which would be a gamechanger for getting in some jump attacks in that second phase.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

@@TheAkasharose You can also jump the erdree avatar butt slam instead of running away. It's the most easily punishable attack

[@BS-gk2cb]

You might be the literal only person I’ve heard ever give any praise to the erdtree watchdog (and it’s many, many, many variants). Genuinely. Everyone hates that thing for a variety of justified reasons.

[@nextgenwarrior]

I like the uncanny valley appearance and movements. Fighting them, eh...less so.

[@TheAkasharose]

I was actually really shocked when I heard people hated the Watchdogs. That first one was that snowball encounter that, once I reached it, I wanted to find the next boss. There's definitely some weird delays, but nothing past some other bosses with strange or unusual delays for me.

[@alastor8091]

The magic ones suck, but the Sword ones are cool. The flame spray is a little too good with the tracking though.

[@prismriot4910]

Parrying the watchdogs is actually super satisfying. I did a parry only run (still not done lol), and if you’re right in the watchdogs face, your only signifier for timing on their vertical attack is a slight twitch of their wrist. It makes nailing the timing feel super satisfying

[@ShinxBOOM247]

​@alastor8091 I've honesyly always found the magic ones easier to fight overall. They largely have the same moveset aside from their pretty easy to roll through projectile attack, and their repeated jumping stabs have a much more obvious sound que than the sword ones, which makes it easier to react to. I generally am much happier to see the magic one than the sword one, is all I'm saying

[@negative6442]

The crucible knight is actually a parry check, and when you realize that a lot of his moveset and design will make more sense. Almost every single one of his attacks can be parried, and the ones that can't can be jumped over or rolled through.

[@aquinno722]

Good luck bro if you do the dlc bosses too. The bosses are intense.

[@TheAkasharose]

I've been playing though, these new bosses hit like trucks. I definitely want two playthroughs before I make the video, but ideally that should time out with me finishing the main game's analysis series!

[@TheMagmaCubed]

Im going to spend the next couple of days listening to this in my free time. I love your analysis, it's great to listen too and think about things that I never have before with a lot of these bosses.

[@UomoPolpetta]

I think Mad Pumpkin Head being relatively weak for its placement kinda benefits repeated playthroughs. Since it guards the early game spells it'll probably be among the first bosses you'll beeline towards if you chose a magic class.

[@usermammal]

I’ve never heard such a careful and complimentary analysis of the Rennala fight and I really appreciate your thoughts. You’ve given me a fresh perspective on the encounter and I look forward to reassessing her in future playthroughs. Excellent video in nearly way with only the lack of clearly defined grading metric either at the top or in the dooblydoo making it sometimes difficult to follow along.

[@lucastomaselli8263]

i was eagerly awaiting this video 🙏

[@ppgod6989]

Best KZbinr just uploaded again

[@Kurai_69420]

Ok the topic of duo crystalians, the ai on various multi boss fights was specifically nerfed to be less aggressive. It's most noticeable on the putrid crystalian trio in Caelid, they were once one of the most infamous bosses in the game, almost on par with Foreskin Duo, now they're a joke.

[@TheAkasharose]

I suppose I got really lucky finding most of those after the nerfs then! The lack of precise patch notes always makes it tough - I know Radahn got nerfed, as I fought him before and after, but I had no idea the Crystalians had been.

[@paperboat7085]

KZbin algorithm finally showed me something good, and not just good, but god tier content! Amazing work, will be there for part 2 and eventual dlc breakdown

[@kacheek55843]

i do truly love to hate patches, i have 0 trust for the man but at this point in my souls game experience he does give me heartwarming feelings

[@TheAkasharose]

He may betray you and potentially lead to multiple deaths, but he's always got something good!

[@prismriot4910]

@@TheAkasharoseOne thing you can give patches. He may trap us, trick us, try to rob us. But he has been there for us through every game. As much as he likes to pretend, he literally never abandons you. If you play a soulsborne game, you can trust that patches will be there.

[@0hkie]

The entire idea of the Soldier of Godrick is done completely on purpose, its designed to make the player feel confident right before heading out into the main open world, especially after likley getting whooped by the Scion. Its there to make someone feel good and confident right at the start, so they go out into the main open world in more of a 'Ive got this' state of mind instead of a 'I'm already done with this' state of mind. Given the amount of playthroughs ive seen where people are hyped at steamrolling him and are excited to continue after it shows how much their plan worked. It doesnt deserve a D, its design was done on purpose and works masterfully well.

[@TheAkasharose]

To some extent I can agree, but I feel it misses the mark. Bosses like Asylum Demon are also designed to make you feel confident, especially with that plunging attack followed by a thinner health bar, while still presenting enough challenge that the player still has something to overcome. Though I feel an easier boss that Asylum or Iudex is welcome after the brutality of the Scion, I think Rick goes a little too far. I'd give him a lot more love if he served an equal role to Leader Shigenori Yamauchi in Sekiro - a complete joke to any level of returning player, but demanding a surface level understanding of the mechanics.

[@0hkie]

@@TheAkasharose I guess it depends how you look at it. I see Rick as more of a ‘deep breath’ to nee players to the series after getting slapped by Scion. Fromsoft know that this was going to be many many players first venture into their style of game, so it seems to show the varying scales of difficulty. Kind of like teaching the player ‘Hey, that scion you fought is what will happen if you’re under levelled, if you explore and level up this is how it can get easier’. So, guess it depends how you look at it. I feel like they could have definitely could have given him more health to make it feel more boss like. Which would help player confidence. Other than that I think it was perfect.

[@scissors0009]

New channel to devour! This is my kind of content; comprehensive, meticulous, and looooong. Looking forward to this series!

[@videojames290]

It's wild to me how much the ulcerated tree spirits strain the camera while still being decent and doable fights. It's a miracle the camera lock on functions as well as it does and that its attacks are so dodgable

[@TheSkapoos]

Really well done video, great script, came from the Dark Souls 3 video and I can already see the development in your content. Gained a new sub, thank you for giving me something to listen to while working

[@sleddeddson6643]

Something about the first Deathbird's design is that the trolls might be intentional. During one of my playthroughs I noticed that the trolls and Deathbird could damage each other so I tried kiting their attacks so that they'd kill each other so maybe it's somewhat intentional. If it I think it makes it pretty unique considering I can't really think of any other encounters that do something like that.

[@TheAkasharose]

Ooh, that might be worth trying my next loop around. Might help that Limgrave variant stand out a little better.

[@tTaseric]

2:08:35 Funnily enough the Crystalian duo and trio bosses were the entire reason Elden Ring blatantly nerfed the vast majority of gank fights in the game. It applies less so for the mage crystalian, but this was a thoroughly overwhelming boss before they specifically changed the AI to not gank you. They have 2 seperate AI quirks that makes them stand back now. Also, glad to see another Rennala appreciator. She's by far my favourite boss Fromsoft has ever done. My first playthrough was a mage who exclusively used the swift glintstone pebble spell all the way until Fire Giant, so Rennala was a reality check in a way. She's the entire reason I ever even bothered to use melee weapons at all. The spectacle and music is just beautiful. It makes me a bit disappointed we never got a proper Ranni fight designed to be a "phase 3" of this fight, like how the other demigods recieve upgraded versions later in the game too.

[@senecauk8363]

Crucible Duo also got an AI nerf to swap aggression. I did a solo run before all these nerfs and the Cleanrot Duo believe or not had me so tilted I almost went insane!

[@char....]

Thank you for this series. I love this game and its really interesting to hear someone who understands the mechanics dissect them in an articulate manor.

[@napstack9038]

This feels like a noah caldwell gervais video, and that's the highest compliment to your work here. Great job

[@limcw6092]

Noah Caldwell mentioned!!!!! Wtf is an enthusiastic KZbinr!!!!

[@beestings22]

I had a lot better experience with the weeping peninsula and I think part of the reason why is I experienced a lot of it before a lot of limgrave. Elden ring was my first souls, and while limgrave was somewhat intimidating from a difficulty standpoint, it was much more intimidating from an openness standpoint. I had so many places to go that I felt unsure of what I was even doing, or what I should be doing. I knew I wasn’t strong enough for the castle or anything around it and that all scared me too. The weeping peninsula served as a slightly more challenging but also much more focused version of limgrave. Yes it showed me that I could overcome enemies and that was huge, but the bigger part was that it gave me pretty much all of the major exploration and non combat mechanics distilled into a tighter more defined area. I had my first nights cavalry and really enjoyed it after the demon that was the tree sentinel, I fought a runebear and it only took me a few attempts, it brought me through the first of the quest mechanics which were very nonstandard to me, and then I overcame a castle dungeon which made stormveil seem much less intimidating. I think the fact that it’s immediately accessible from spawn is why the encounters aren’t beefed up though. A lot of the weeping peninsula encounters are closer to where the player spawns than their limgrave counterparts if memory serves correct. The other major reason I feel is that they wanted to enforce the stark contrast that is caelid. Limgrave and the weeping peninsula are both meant to seem as valid options for where to start, whereas caelid is meant to steamroll you. If players got immediately steamrolled because they decided to go south instead of north it would soften the impact of what caelid was supposed to be imo. This was an amazing deep dive though!! I’m deep in my first playthrough about to fight malenia and I enjoyed your thorough look at the game and I’m excited to watch part 2!!

[@chrismizell5005]

“…Punish me…” completely out of context lol

[@holdengoodall]

IT'S HERE! Yes, finally, perfect. I was needing something to draw to while all my favorite streams are DLC spoilers.

[@tbotalpha8133]

1:55:05 It's funny that you describe the earlier Death Birds as "training" for the Liurnia Death Rite Bird. Because I didn't even know this enemy-type existed until I ran into the one in Altus, in the outskirts of Leyndell. I was so surprised to encounter a "new" enemy-type so late into the game.

[@dolphinpower1107]

Great vid, I love seeing a lot of smaller bosses getting proper analysis. Also it's interesting how you speculate on the weeping peninsula's purpose as a training zone. As that is exactly my assumption and how my first playthrough went. I felt underpowered in Limgrave, but in the weeping peninsula it felt correct and I was learning and discovering slowly. Along with the fact that the area is the only thing south so it feels like you're suppose to go explore down there as a little startup. Also Smurag being avoidable is almost 100% intentional and so fucking welcome on repeats, because yeah dragons in Elden Ring get really fucking old before you hit Altus.

[@LarkyLuna]

Failing to kill the dragon and talking to Yura adds his summon sign to the fight I think both the roaming sentinel at the start and him were made to reward walking away and preparing But I have no clue how you'd directly teach that to a player without an intrusive pop-up Same with the jump. Jumping is such a good way to dodge attacks in this game but it hasn't been well taught at all

[@TheAkasharose]

I had no idea that Yura could be summoned for Agheel! The more you know. And the first time I jumped a ground attack and didn't take damage, I was so baffled. I do wish there were some more bosses or enemies that introduced it with animations as clear as Godrick's.

[@gabehere]

The problem with jumping, and the reason I took so long to even attempt it on some bosses, is that it has no i-frames and no poise, so if you miss the timing, not only do you take all the damage, you get knocked over and often killed bye the follow-up attack. It's more risky and more rewardy, but the risk puts people off.

[@rowanB6074]

​@gabehere that's true but jump attacks, especially while two handing a bigger weapon, have a ton of hyper armor and do nearly as much stance damage as charged heavies so if you just do an attack while trying it you dont get punished nearly as much if you screw up

[@gptguy3125]

The madman he did it (epic video)

[@senseweaver01]

I am so excited to see Part 2, you have no idea!

[@deminoy6215]

You deserve way more recognition for your work, amazing job and analyses !

[@Bondrewd_The_Based]

28:27 the answer you're looking for is parrying. Crucible Knights are Elden Ring's version of the Black Knights from DS. They hit hard, they're tanky, and they can put you on the defensive, but they are extremely easy to parry. I suck at parrying anything in these games (aside from Sekiro), but it's easy enough that its a reliable way to take them down without them hitting you even once.

[@Meta622662]

I love watching the grafted scions roar freeze your game 3 times in a row lol

[@TheDropshotPodcast]

keep grinding man - very solid analysis

[@btarczy5067]

The Crucible Knight‘s tail attack is not random. The punish window is after the tail as opposed to the sword swings. That being said, I‘m not a fan of less punish windows either and the Crucible Knight isn’t the only boss made worse than it needed to be by taking away interactivity. Still love fighting them enough that I don’t even mind all the reuses. Just a solid „Dude with a Sword“ and their armor is my favorite in the balance of looking amazing and having great stats.

[@battleprog8014]

I've waited so long for this video and enjoyed every second of it. Thank you!

[@Era2Sunrise]

Lovely ER video I can suck up. Part 2 soon, I hope. Will check out the rest too

[@MalachiteOW]

"the designers knew that the Death Rite Bird cannot be a foe that you multitask for." the Charo Hidden Grave Death Rite Bird is your fault.

[@soulkibble1466]

Ironically, I destroyed that bird with my Sacred Relic Sword

[@amcname8789]

I actually like the dragon fights a bit more than most seem to thanks to one specific aspect they sell better than any other enemy IMO. When I'm dodging their fire breath, pounding Torrent's reins for all they're worth, the flames so close I can almost feel them licking at my back, it sells this feeling of a thrilling, high fantasy adventure better than almost anything else. The fights do get repetitive, and I don't go out of ny way to fight them usually, but they still maintain that specific thrill even after hundreds of hours.

[@carythacker8049]

I'm so glad you put Godrick in S tier. I always feel so bland when I tell people he's my favorite remembrance boss

[@jamesg7508]

2:45 in and already subbed. Can’t wait to watch each of your vids!

[@EuriLochus]

THE LEGEND RETURNS

[@Xornicus]

WE HEREEE

[@JetRevue]

i never even knew there were so many deathbirds. my first was the mountaintops' death rite bird.

[@Medicalguy]

You’re a mad lad for doing this, but I’m eternally grateful for your work. Hope you cover the DLC bosses because ohhh boy they’re fucking hard.

[@TheAkasharose]

For some reason, I decided my first playthrough would try to minimize summons and these bosses are taking so many more attempts than anything in the main game ever did. I'm definitely planning on running through them once I finish the base game!

[@WorlBoss]

The sheer effort and time you put into this you deserve many more subs

[@Klinsk]

Man, this channel is so awesome

[@ShinxBOOM247]

Ended up binge watching through all of your videos before getting to this one. I've really enjoyed them so far and have agreed with a pretty large chunk of your takes so far, and am definitely interested to see a full and proper breakdown of Elden Ring's comically bloated boss roster. Thank you for the great videos, now I'll start watching this one

[@Harry_808]

Oooh I'm so looking forward to the next parts! I loved all your other videos. I hope you can go over the DLC bosses at some point in the future

[@whiteninji352]

Oh boy here we go.

[@shrek9025]

peak is back

[@marekkupiec9903]

I love your voice man, it's just so pleasant to listen.

[@androsh9039]

Great vid, can't wait for part 2!

[@Hyper_1989]

Stopped everything to come here

[@marekkupiec9903]

I'd also add that crucible knights become pushovers once you learn parrying. All their sword attacks are easily parriable.

[@darkmatter9643]

You deserve more subscribers, this is a really well put together video.

[@swordierre9341]

The crucible knights shield is accually one of my favorite things about the boss once I learned how to counter it. If you attack the shield you will reliably bait out the crucible knights shield charge, but instead of dodging away run around to his back, his shield will whiff you every time giving you a clean punish. Makes the fight a lot more offensive.

[@lynackhilou4865]

So about the royal revenant , i'm pretty sure there is a merchant that sells a note that tells you about using healing to damage it , although i don't remember where tou find him

[@thecountbassy_]

All the Crucible Knights become pushovers once you get used to parrying their normal attacks and jump attacking their stomps. You’re not trapped in the gaol with them, they’re trapped in there with you.

[@333Abs]

As someone who’s arch nemesis is crucible knight who literally summons in my friend to fight them. I needed this energy 😂 get me in the gaol lol.

[@sixft_under]

Fromsoft wants people to jump so bad and so many people just won't do it unless to attack. There's an interesting video going over just how many attacks in elden ring can be jumped and it's actually crazy. Some can even be crouched under and the enemy will react accordingly when you keep doing it lol

[@Stratashpere]

@@sixft_underdo you know the video off the top of your head?

[@sixft_under]

@@Stratashpere I wish I did, but I i wanna say it isn't too hard to find

[@jamikojonen6436]

​@@StratashpereI believe it could be Leviathan's latest video called: "Elden Rings most USED mechanics are a trap". I would personally very much recommend watching this one even if it wasn't the video they meant. IIRC he shows nearly all the main boss attacks you can jump dodge, and goes in-depth on why it works.

[@gabrielscoccola5960]

You can jump the crucible knight's tail and get a jumping heavy.

[@highlightermarca-texto3281]

I dont think he even knows jump dodges are a thing tbh. Didn't seem him jumping over any attacks

[@pedrorenault5335]

@@highlightermarca-texto3281he uses it with Godrick and talks about it in the audio

[@codymiller4119]

I also noticed that you're not incorporating how fun it is to find or accidentally walk in with a bosses weakness that immediately raises it up for me I just happened to be running holy early game and when I got to the cemetery shade two shot with the ash of war from a distance and he was dead and I had no idea why boss weaknesses definitely add to their cool Factor

[@Audio_noodle]

Now that i look at the watchdog with dlc hindsight, it was very clearly meant to be the babys first "use jump attacks" boss, most of the attacks are well coreographed low sweeps and swings or aoe explosions, which are all jumpable, just literally nobody took that lesson lol

[@highlightermarca-texto3281]

Yeah I was kinda hoping he'd talk about how jumping adds a whole new layer to the combat because jump dodges are awesome, but alas

[@TheAkasharose]

Even two playthroughs in, there are still attacks I'm learning can be jumped. Some are obvious (Godrick's axe slam, Hourah Loux's... everything), but I wish there was something that made it more clear what can and can't be.

[@Audio_noodle]

@@TheAkasharose usually the boss has the weapon at your chest level or below and the attack starts to the side of the boss, as you get better, it gets easier to read, but you need to pay a lot of attention

[@Wonkess_Chonkess]

​@@TheAkasharose half of Melania's moveset can be jumped too

[@Spectrum0122]

That's because jumping is wildly inconsistent and the buffer time between rolls is more precise

[@theblancmange1265]

You can roll into the tree avatar buttslam, getting enough time after to charge a heavy.

[@bugwrld8891]

leonine misbegotten was one of the earliest bosses i fought and he whooped me and everyone i know asses. Great fight if you go early enough

[@KahramanEafghanistan]

Great vid , part 2 gonna be crazy

[@TheAkasharose]

Midgame Elden Ring has a ton of standard boss fights, but there's a couple highlights in Part 2 I'm excited to hit when it drops this weekend!

[@Iowan3-0]

All of the bosses?! You mad lad. 👏

[@fischwurst6121]

Oh boy i was excited for this. Gonna be a blast

[@Shadow8P]

I have over 200 hours and this is the first time I've ever seen or heard of a death bird

[@heartnet40]

I'm looking forward to watching this video because I think thoroughly explaining Elden Ring's boss design requires a lot of in-depth analysis as well as doing a lot of thought processing on where Fromsoft was thinking for all of them from an internal development standpoint. I stand by my own personal bias against a majority of Elden Ring's bosses as being one of the lesser roster's in Fromsoft's lineup, but I haven't been a fan of the flat criticisms across the board that you see other people detail when it comes to speaking ill of the boss roster. One aspect to Elden Ring is that it isn't procedurally generated in any capacity; The developers hand selected where every boss was going to be. To me, that's just as important a consideration to their level design, if not moreso, compared to the difficulty or movesets. In general, I guess I'm just excited to see more analysis of Fromsoft's game design as the contentious quality of Elden Ring's bosses among the fanbase actually encourages the rest of us to really look at and understand to the best of our abilities the kinds of ideas that this game was trying to perform.

[@TheAkasharose]

There are a few bosses that feel a bit sporadic, but there's so much intention in the world's design! The Death Rite Bird in Liurnia was where it clicked for me; in a massive open space populated with tons of small enemies and lobsters, there was on void, exactly large enough that you can fight the Bird and never attract anything else. I've never been a huge Open World kind of guy - Dark Souls III and Sekiro are my favorite From Software games, and the linearity is more of a plus for me. But if all Open Worlds were made with the detail and care of the Lands Between, I'd play completely different games.

[@monkeydm2882]

Great video Hope it gains the Attention it really deserves

[@DennisEngelhard]

The part about Agheel irritates me - the best way to fight him is actually NOT on horse, but on foot, standing right before him, attacking his head. It's the most efficient AND the most fun - and these two should ideally be the same, so they did everything right there. Now, you CAN ruin your fun by slowly chipping away at his ankles from horseback - and I think the boss would be better if he just killed you if you try that, forcing you to do it the fun way. But to give him some credit, he is also not stopping you from fighting him the fun way.

[@blackeddeath]

Dragon fights are more fun as a spellcaster imo because you can actually see the monster

[@TheAkasharose]

I have to admit, the Dragon was not the boss I thought I'd see people disagree with the most - I definitely want to give them another go with either a Hybrid of Torrent/ On Foot or entirely on foot. And his lack of breath underneath him is the big issue if the game tries to push you towards fighting him face to face. Midir had a ton of really dangerous attacks if you were under, all that the Dragons in Elden Ring do is stomp and turn around - which doesn't discourage it, and made me think that the challenge was to get in and stay there.

[@sixft_under]

I feel like some of the dragons moves are easier to avoid on horseback so I switch back and forth by having torrent on my hotbar. It's too bad they don't just do it automatically to encourage you do so. Fight on foot when it's optimal, and being able to hop on and off your horse as needed, to catch up or quickly move away from fire. You can even hop off into a jumping attack to initiate

[@flamingmanure]

@@blackeddeath if u arent seeing him you are under him, which means you played against him badly to begin with. use torrent to dodge over and run away from his fire, close the gap and then jump from torrent with a heavy attack right on the dragons head and keep attacking, rinse and repeat. this is objectively the most fun and intended way to fight them.

[@WoodyRun]

I really wish they would have placed the Buckler shield as a lootable item near the first crucible knight evergaol. They are so trivialized by parrying AND it would have taught players about parrying and even incentivized them to use it and practice! Such a missed opportunity

[@liqqidsurgegaming2970]

Don’t forget the first Death Bird is more to teach players elemental weaknesses on bosses. Use holy on it and it’s a cake walk.

[@jsahang4019]

oh boy its time

[@amcname8789]

I don't know if it was mentioned elsewhere, but the Leonine Misbegotten shares similarities to Margit because they share a common heritage. The misbegotten are remnants of the Primordial Crucible, as is the Omen curse Margit has.

[@Leah-vr7di]

I know what I’m sleeping too tonight thank you!!!!!!