Elden Ring Isn't About Being a Combat God (But It Can Be)

[@buckyhurdle4776]

There are two halves to "getting good." There is finger skill, the way you actually hit the buttons, your timing, your ability to use distance, use the right attack at the right time, etc. And then there is strategic skill, your ability to set yourself up for success, hanging back from an encounter and pulling enemies one by one, using your buffs, using your spirit summons, budgeting your runes and leveling the right stats first. Both are just as important as one another if you want to stay alive for a long time in Elden Ring. If you use everything available to you and play with your thinking cap on, the game can actually be relatively easy

[@LeoKRogue]

This is it, exactly. So many people over-value the first while completely disregarding the second, or worse, actively invalidating it. There's no reason to do that. These games are so finely crafted from their world-design to their enemy placements that it seems almost a _shame_ to not engage with them so fully and utterly on both a hands and mind level.

[@sreeshnelp]

Been following ya since one of your AC Unity tutorials and I stumbled upon this video now. Your points are so excellently delivered! I'll share this video with anyone who's new to SoulsBorne and is hesitant to get into Elden Ring. Much love

[@LeoKRogue]

Hey, that makes me happy! :) This game really isn't as scary as some players might believe. Is it tough? Yeah, sure, it'll kill you for being imprudent or reckless, but that's part of the fun and the more you start to vibe with its unique world, the less you'll die. :D

[@jar444]

your videos have convinced me to get this game (will be my first soulsbourne game), i was curious from the hype and supposed previous entries being great but the obvious excitement and passion in your voice has sealed the deal for me 💕

[@LeoKRogue]

Awesome! I'm happy to bring the magic of these games, and Elden Ring in particular, to some new people. I think Elden Ring might be my favorite game FROMSOFTWARE have ever made so far. There's something so unique and intriguing about its world and atmosphere, even moreso than their other games which were already almost 10/10 on those fronts as well. Definitely be patient and take it slow, these games are very much about a learning process, but there's always a way to move forward, even if it's not always obvious or easy.

[@ABadassDragon]

My tip for Elden Ring, focus on the world itself more than on enemies and bosses. If you cant beat it now, just pick another direction and explore

[@277judge]

You've changed my entire perspective on this game. I've been power levelling and farming all weekend for the late game when I haven't even experienced and taken in the early game. Going to start taking things slow.

[@LeoKRogue]

At the very least, exploration will go a bit smoother for you now that you're more statted up. Go find some cool weapons or Ashes of War, some cool summons, some cool spells. This world really rewards curiosity so get curious as hell.

[@blackT1E]

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

[@LeoKRogue]

Thank you Sun Tzu.

[@blackT1E]

@@LeoKRogue No thank you Jeffery the Jellyfish.

[@zhade3967]

Deep

[@Alex-vv6nw]

I’ve been using a dex/int character which means I have sorcery, a sword, and a bow. The number of encounters that can be trivialized using a bow to pick off enemies, or sorcery to whittle them down is crazy. When you’re outnumbered 6 to 1, there’s no reason to fight fair.

[@LeoKRogue]

I feel like for such a vast world that can put the player against so many different scenarios, having those extra options just feels really good and can let you set up your enemies to take them down in a fun way without getting absolutely rolled due to the number difference. Can take out a few then run in with the blade, I do that with my daggers since if there's 2-3 enemies I can usually L1 Combo them to death, but if there are more I can't track them all.

[@choccomilkyboi283]

I very much enjoy just charging enemys with my giant greatsword but i agree with your points. Peeps needa abuse their options, it’d help them a lot

[@LeoKRogue]

Hell yeah man \m/ It's an amazing feeling to just poise / dodge through everything and fully decrypt the 'dance' of every fight. My goal is to get people into the game now so they might want to play melee in the future later. Plus, if people know how many tools these games give for overcoming difficult situations, they wouldn't misunderstand them so much.

[@callmebill4054]

Playing dark souls 3 until I can afford elden ring shit looks clean asf

[@LeoKRogue]

It is oftentimes, clean asf

[@rocklight1304]

Not much else to say Leo. Most players will vibe with this, Heck even "Combat Gods" will. I play this game mostly stealth, but when stealth fails. Oh boy that's where it gets real fun, because then I have to think on my feet. Use the world around me as a weapon. Keep spiting out the truth my friend!

[@LeoKRogue]

Thanks, rock light ^_^ It's so incredibly fun, that's basically how I play as well. It's really sick too, being a Bandit with a lot of arrows who also has the most basic Sorcery almost makes Positioning _more_ important, terrain becomes advantageous in different ways than it would for just a sword user, and I speak as someone who has many hours in Bloodborne, Sekiro and Dark Souls III. There's just something so _interesting_ about it.

[@ABadassDragon]

I dont even have the game and i already have a dozen diffrent builds in my head, becuase this game is unrivaled in diversity. Dark templar- dark flail from one of the night riders and black flame incantations. Spellsword- twinblade and magic. Knight- halberd, shield, sword, bows. Nagato build- gravitational magic and summons. Cesar Zeppeli build- bubble magic and lightning enchantment on fist type weapon. Crazier builds existed in older from games with far less options than in elden ring, so this is just the tip of the iceberg

[@LeoKRogue]

There's so much possible and one of my favorite things about Elden Ring is that it really lets you mechanically roleplay the kind of Tarnished you want to be, far and above what previous FROM games let you do. (I'm only counting Souls and to a small degree Bloodborne, since Bloodborne and Sekiro were more 'focused' experiences where everyone's "class" was Hunter/Shinobi.)

[@foolsgold5588]

I'm one of those people who loves to get up in a boss' face and get smacked around until I learn their tricks and animations, all in preparation for one last successful duel. I'm running a spellblade rapier-and-shield Prisoner, and I deliberately don't use Torrent for combat because I don't like the mechanics. However, as I get to higher level areas and starting to see more gank boss encounters (2v1 and even 3v1), I've relaxed my standards and started using summons. I haven't upgraded them so they don't do any meaningful damage, but that's fine because I want to be the one doing the damage. I just need to make some breathing room to focus mostly on one boss at a time to even the odds for myself. If the ash summons were a consumable or a spell with the express purpose of distracting enemies in a group fight scenario, I wonder if people would still consider them dishonorable or "easy mode". They have a cost, an entire upgrade tree and side quest associated with making them better, and they serve as one of the major rewards for clearing side dungeons. They're far more than an accessibility feature, they're probably the most defining new combat feature of this game compared to previous From Soulslikes.

[@LeoKRogue]

My thoughts exactly, yeah. There's a joy and pleasure to being able to take minimal hits in a fight when I'm the only thing the boss is trying to hit, that's why I loved Bloodhound Knight Darriwill so much, I think he's a great early fight to get a player into that groove -- but some of the group fights clearly intend for you to use Ash Summons, especially since there are _so many unique ones_ that you end up collecting over the course of a playthrough, and they clearly put in effort to make them and give them lore.

[@protectbabysif]

I beg to differ. Great video.

[@LeoKRogue]

Thanks buddy. :)

[@Toa_Axis]

Excellent vid. I always feel bad when people new to these games feel compelled to approach them in certain ways based on memes or bullet points of things people find appealing in them. (Although, to be fair, Bandai Namco has historically marketed the game in this vein; "Prepare to Die," etc.) The freedom these games offer the player has *always* been one of their strongest points, and it's never been more on display than in Elden Ring. There's no ranking system, no scores, no leaderboards. Just you and your arsenal and the bad guys and weird people that inhabit the world. Go nuts.

[@LeoKRogue]

Thank you. ^_^ And hell yeah, that's the spirit. It really bums me out when I think of how many players just don't use what the game offers and end up bouncing off, when they might've had so much fun if they just _allowed_ themselves to play the kind of character they found cool. It's not always just because it's easy, either, sometimes people just want to play as a particular archetype or fantasy, and if you find one that clicks with you, it's actually even easier to endure the tougher moments because at least you're playing something you find sick.

[@fortunatesoul12]

Haven't had the chance to play one of their games yet, but I appreciate the mentality of rejecting the git gud idea. Especially considering it serves an especific roleplaying mindset (that not everyone enjoys) and just mindlessly following that path disregards the other world design and gameplay mechanics (that the company validates by just making it part of their games)

[@LeoKRogue]

Thanks, that was the idea, yeah. I'm sure some people won't appreciate my argument here, but I would say those people are ones who are already well-served by the dominant ideas around how to play, and they can go on enjoying those ways to play without my help or intervention, they're fine already. This video is for people who are made to feel hesitant or like they're 'wrong' for wanting to have a specific roleplaying experience, or engage the game as an archetype they find interesting. I know a ton of people both online and in my personal life who think wizards are cool as hell. Why not play one, right? :P

[@ABadassDragon]

Finally, someone who understands. Im sick of gatekeepers who keep saying 'uh, you shouldnt summon, the game wasnt made with that in mind', or 'ugh, magic is easy mode' and im like 'bruh, what?!' And as you said, its not always easier this way. Summons increase the bosses health and, in elden rings case, stop you from summoning a mount. If the boss is already super tanky, you will fight that boss even longer with summons, increasing your chance of making a fatal mistake. Enemies can also be magic resistant. Imagine fighting Seath with sorcery or majority of dragons as a pyromancer. Yea, sometimes magic is op and deals stupid high damage even where it shouldnt, but is more of a balancing issue and the only time that magic was truly broken was in Demons Souls (to the point it kinda was easy mode) and Dark Souls 1. If its in the game, use it. The point of videogames is to have fun, right? I feel like many of us have forgotten that

[@LeoKRogue]

Magic dealing a lot of damage is also an element of immersion. The whole thing about FROMSOFTWARE games that even their fans sometimes forget is that many parts of them are present for a narrative purpose, sometimes even beyond their mechanical purpose. The strength of magic in these games is a storytelling element, just like the weakness of magic in Bloodborne/Sekiro is a storytelling element, and the existence of firearms in Bloodborne is a storytelling element. You would expect Mages to be intimidating and powerful, wouldn't you? The point of a war Mage in fiction is that they're terrifying forces of nature that melt your face off from a distance, but if you close the gap they're vulnerable. That's exactly how Mages feel in most of these games, and it's great design IMO.

[@ABadassDragon]

@@LeoKRogue agree with all of it and miracles being weak in ds3 is also storytelling. In ds3, the age of gods has long passed, the game takes place so many cycles after the first. With gods gone, the power of the miracles waned. Magic in bloodborne being weak? I personally dont think so. Arcane builds can be really powerful, but they do take time to set up. You get more powerful in arcane as the world around you becomes stranger and crazier. Micolash and Ebrietas one shot most players with the call to stars spell and it is one of the most powerfull spells in Bloodborne for the players as well

[@LeoKRogue]

@@ABadassDragon Great point! Yeah, it takes a LOT of Arcane to even make it viable, but if you do get it really high it can be amazing, you're right. The idea of it becoming stronger as the world becomes stranger and you begin to Understand more is so cool.

[@ashtoncurls2956]

i played a little dark souls three as my first, i absolutely suck at everything and was just confused by the items and leveling, i don’t know whether i should save up things or not, and i just suck at the combat but i’ll just have to practice, it’s a cool experience but i quit because it made me feel stupid😅

[@LeoKRogue]

Generally speaking, whenever you have enough Souls to level up, you should immediately do so because it's the simplest way to bank those resources into your character. Leveling your Health and Stamina are typically a good idea, as is whatever stat the weapons you want to use will Scale with, you can check that by putting a point into a stat in the Level Up menu and looking at the screen on the right, if a weapon is being made stronger by that, its numbers will change color. Saving items and using them are both just fine approaches, but it's usually good to at least try every item once or twice so you get some basic idea of how they all work. Finally, looking things up is very acceptable if you're on your first FROM game. These games were envisioned by FROM and Miyazaki to be a community experience where people pool knowledge and help each other out. Engaging in that aspect of them is part of the fun. :D

[@ashtoncurls2956]

@@LeoKRogue thank you so much, might have to install it again👍

[@trashee973]

I was thinking about this today. Elden Ring offers a huge variety of archetypes to explore. Even within a particular archetype, let's say warrior, there's a large magnitude of variation to be found within the different weapons and skills that allow you to fine tune your playstyle. The difference I'm finding between this game and other open world games is that those variations are substantial and drastically change the way that you play in ways that I think other rolepalying games lack. It all just feels more meaningful and valid here. For example, a "sword and board" style of character is going to feel very different depending on whether you're using a greatsword, a spear, a straight sword, a halberd, an axe, ect, and using those weapons is going to feel very different if you forgo the shield and two hand or duel wield them. Then when we add ashes of war into the mix and your playstyle changes even further. Do you want to go straight defense, wield a shield and spear, use Shield Barricade and poke at enemies from behind your impenetrable block or do you want to use shield and spear, play more up close and personal with a bash attack that lets you stagger enemies that get past your range advantage, only using your shield when you get overrun? Or do you want to use a sweep attack that lets you cover more of the battlefield, making it much harder for enemies to get within range? There's just a ton of variety, even within specific archetypes and because of how precise and difficult the combat is it all feels meaningful.

[@LeoKRogue]

It truly does, and it's something I appreciate more and more as I continue playing. Typically in roleplaying games you really can only play an archetype one or two ways, if that, but in Elden Ring not only can you be a Warrior/Rogue/Mage/Priest/whatever, you can be different _types_ of one, to evoke and express a different fantasy and vibe. There's so many interesting ways to use your tools, and like you said, growing in understanding and mastery of them no matter what archetype you choose to roleplay feels so satisfying.

[@trashee973]

​@@LeoKRogue I'm forty hours in now they just keep offering more and more new tools to try out. It's the first time in a long time that I want to replay a game just to try out different archetypes. For example I found your commentary on the bandit / rogue playstyle really interesting and looking at the gameplay it seems like a much different playstyle than the one I'm running. All the variety I've come across and I've only really tried out one archetype, I can't wait to see what the others offer / explore my own more thoroughly. I'm just in awe at the scope / execution of this game.

[@LeoKRogue]

I can already tell I'm going to be feeling the same. I've discovered some crazy tools in my playthrough that require way more Faith than I have, and I really want to try them on my next run.

[@Killicon93]

This reminds me of the time people had difficulty adapting to Sekiro's more sneaky playstyle, getting their asses handed to them because they were rushing head-on instead of sneaking around and thinning out the opposition from the shadows. Being a rogue archetype appreciator I had no trouble with that part of the game as I had already made a squishy stealthy bastard in DS3 using every possible trick to gain an upper hand. That said I never finished that run due to losing my saves. Could perhaps re-create that character in some form if I'll replay DS3 before hopping onto Elden Ring (which I haven't gotten yet due to the games performance being broken and my sorry ass being broke).

[@LeoKRogue]

I hope Elden Ring shakes people out of this idea, yeah. I already want to make a tanky knight, a Confessor and an Astrologer after my Bandit and try them all because I think they _all_ look fun to play. I genuinely feel sorry for people who get it in their head that you _have_ to play a game a certain way, and then when they hit a barrier, instead of switching tactics, they continue to force a playstyle that isn't enjoyable to them, even disconnected from any discussion of difficulty. I'd much rather someone embrace a different approach to the game than bounce off and never play it again. One of those is clearly better than the other. Granted, not everyone will drop a game because of this, but _more_ people do than don't, and some of that comes from being stubborn or too prideful to play in a way they can resonate with.

[@zhade3967]

My first soulsborn game, and I’m in love Also, Hi Leo 👋

[@LeoKRogue]

I'm glad to hear it. :D How are you liking the exploration aspect? A lot of people talk about combat, but oftentimes the discussions about fighting and difficulty can overshadow the exploration in these games, which I think is even more interesting in Elden Ring since it asks you to think on both big and small scales, overworld and dungeons.

[@zhade3967]

@@LeoKRogue I mean, I play a sorcerer, and they’re truly OP is 9/10 scenarios, so combat for me has just been a thing I do, the exploration and the story is what keeps me playing, while walking around in caelid I found amazing sight after amazing sight, the world is the largest I’ve seen but where ever you go you find something new and cool, it really fuels the feels of adventure and make it feel like the world is huge, and one thing I noticed is that the replay value might be huge, because you will 100% find something you missed in the first play through, actually there are some parts of the map that are harder to traverse than the hardest bosses, and surpassing those obsicles where you ONLY use your brain to figure out the path has been more fulfilling than most boss fights. Hmm, this got long, you streaming elden ring?

[@LeoKRogue]

@@zhade3967 That's awesome, I'm really happy you're having such a cool experience. And yeah, I've already discovered things I can't or won't use on this character because of my stats, but I definitely want to use them on a second playthrough with a Faith character for example. I'm actually glad you said the thing about how exploration takes thinking to do, and it can be tough to navigate the world/map at times, I LOVE figuring out how to get to places, and I love how this game gives us a Map Screen that's genuinely a beautiful drawing. As for streaming, I'm a bit hesitant to stream it right now because of the small performance issues that still remain, since streaming takes even more system resources from my computer and it might not look amazing that way. I'll probably stream a second playthrough because by that time things should hopefully be a bit smoother.

[@zhade3967]

@@LeoKRogue so we can expect some streamed speed runs lol?

[@LeoKRogue]

haha, we shall see ;]

[@jax6815]

I respectfully completely disagree with your take man. I understand what your saying and I don’t care if that’s really how you wanna play even if your good enough to not use those accessibility features but I feel that I rob myself of the boss experience fight if I use to much of fromsofts accessibility features and I wouldn’t want everyone to get that same feeling when playing through all of elden rings bosses for the first time. In my opinion summons and casting being buffed is Fromsofts way of addressing the no easy mode debate. Which is great way in my opinion but I do think they hurt the game for some player that could overcome the melee play style for example, but chooses the easier stuff out of fear. In my opinion this is why easy modes can really hurt some peoples experience. In my opinion if a game is built on learning from past mistakes and learning bosses then you should have to learn those things in order to progress. You should not be able to summon 3 teammates to help you skip a boss. Mainly because what that boss was supposed to teach you may not be learned. Which can then cause even more problems down the line. Or you can make the whole game easy enough that no learning is required like assassins creed does. Luckily fromsoftware are good devs. They put summons and buffed casting so they have different challenges and things people have to learn depending on their class and choices. In my opinion tho using summoning and casting is like baby mode because those new challenges and things you have to learn are vastly easier. I felt like the dark souls games offered 3 difficulty modes. we had normal where you did melee only with no summons besides the occasional story summon. We had easy mode which was a caster build. Then we had super baby easy mode which involved summoning your whole way through. For example if your a casting build a huge part of the challenge is spacing timing and dodging. When you have 3 summons in the game you no longer have to worry about spacing timing or dodging. Obviously you could mix difficulty’s up to where it’s in between normal and easy like a strength weapon and faith casting build but generally I felt those were the 3 main difficulty’s. I totally get why you might think I’m a jackass for saying your play style might be baby mode but it just is. Miazaki said it himself that these features are for accessibility. I genuinely believe you will have a better experience if your capable and play in a way that pushes you to your limit. This game is so good and I just don’t think anyone should be rushing through bosses attempting to make everything as easy as possible. I know it’s all self imposed difficulty but in my opinion you should be dying you should be having a tough time. Everyone’s skill level is different and that’s why they offer all these different play styles but I strongly encourage you to push yourself. Obviously if you just really wanna use lightning with your build then use lightning but don’t go and summon every player and try to abuse everything as much as possible. I don’t want to come off as that good dick head but I do think a good fair challenge is such an important part of any game. If this is your first fromsoftware game then you would probably need all these accessibility features for your first play through. Just do what your capable of and most importantly push yourself. You got infinite lives man.

[@LeoKRogue]

That's totally fine! Everyone can enjoy the game differently, and your opinion easily coexists with mine. If that's how you want to play, absolutely, go for it. The game permits you to do so. I beat Bloodhound Knight Darriwill with only a knife and no blocking, I truly and honestly do not give a damn how someone else beats him. I had a great experience and I'm going to keep playing the game, that's all I want for other players too. What about people who don't choose certain playstyles out of fear but because they think they're sick? Just like you think melee mode combat-god is a sick style, some people might think using poisons, bleeds, arrows, bombs or magic is sick. Miyazaki supports that kind of player, these features exist *FOR A REASON* and it's not JUST to be accessible, because let's be honest? The easiest way to play this game? Greatshield -> Guardcounter. That said, are you really going to argue with what the game director has said time and time again, LOL? Just don't look down on others who play differently than you, or who want to roleplay a specific kind of character and we're all good. I've been enjoying these games for a long time and all I want is for more people to get into them so they can see how special they are. Where they go from there, I can't predict, but many of those players will go on to seek greater and greater challenges. That's exactly what we want. A critical part of that is not making people feel like they have to play one way or another and push them away during their first experience. Remember; don't let someone else's ideal way to play, define yours. You've clearly taken this advice to heart, one way or another. Let others do the same. Also, please format your comment next time. 😅 Paragraphs are helpful.

[@oricnewhyourple862]

my comment will probably make you feel proud of yourself but you are the definition of the “git gud” type of dick who insults people for trying to enjoy things they spend money on. at the end of the day it’s their life and i can’t imagine most people want to mentally torment themselves over a beautiful video game just because some video game junkie tells them that not playing as a meathead brute is wrong. the depth and repetitiveness of your comment is obvious that this video has made you upset and i cant seem to understand why you’re annoyed and cranky because a youtuber told people to have fun on a game.

[@zhade3967]

I play a sorcerer build and while they’re truly OP in most scenarios, they’re incredibly weak to some, and those fights are many times harder then the average fighter boss fight, an example is that I defeated Godrick first try but the crucible Knight I couldn’t defeat even after 50+ tries, in short, all the builds give it’s advantages and disadvantages, saying one is easier feels a bit cheap

[@protectbabysif]

You sound a little insecure about people having an easier time with the game then you did and seem like you are projecting through calling it "baby mode". Fromsoft added options such as summons, magic and buffs because it increases your options and lets you experiment with all sorts of playstyles, it isn't for an easy way out. You seem to forget that certain bosses have specific resistances against types of builds and you can't just steamroll through everything with magic for example. Hell, the very first boss encounter in the game has a magic shield and defeating him pure mage is MUCH harder than your supposed "real" melee approach. Elden Ring is a big game with a shit ton of tools and features and if you aren't trying everything out and are sticking to meleeing your way through everything because you have a stubborn mindset about playing the "right" way, you are the one squandering the game's potential. Try to break out of your perspective and be more open minded, nobody gives a shit how you beat the game and never will so your strict limitations are a pointless source of pride.

[@jax6815]

@@protectbabysif I know sorcerers offer different challenges than melee. That’s my point though it’s a different set of challenges as a sorcerer that is a way easier to deal with than the melee builds set of challenges. The creator of the game said that the summon system is for accessibility which means it’s for people who can’t beat bosses without them. Sorcerer is not as easy as summoning 24/7 but it is another form of accessibility in that it’s a new playstyle that’s offers it’s own easier challenges without hurting the harder experience of melee builds. It really is genius. What I was saying is that if you think your capable of playing a harder class and want to but decide to take the easy way out and play sorcerer or summon than you would be robbing yourself of the better elden ring experience. I don’t know why that’s controversial. Obviously if your skill level is not good enough to beat it without sorcery or summons than use sorcery or summons.