Narrated Thought Invasions - Liurnia of the Ganks

[@InTheMistByTheHills]

My friend insists on playing a glass cannon. He's like LVL 80ish with 20 vigor. Any time we co-op and get invaded, he gets one shot. It's both fascinating and infuriating to witness

[@ElsaChan597]

Facts. I'm spamming co-op summon for Malenia, and hosts ALWAYS have 950-1400 Vigor. It never fails to get me all giddy when they die to a single hit after 4 seconds of boss aggro

[@shane9879]

@@ElsaChan597 Foreal haha, especially when i tell them to stay back for that exact reason and while im taking aggro for second i just see them run up to do a attack and after aggro switches they just immediately get demolished

[@LastSliceOfPie77]

Glass cannon is a bit more viable if you use the one talisman that reduces damage when full health. Great protection from being 1shot, and every time you heal you'll be back at full health

[@shane9879]

@@LastSliceOfPie77 most bosses don’t decide to hit you once and go “okay he’s had enough” lol

[@baglespelledwrong8159]

its crazy to me how people can actively see their damage going up by hardly anything again and again while genuinely thinking it will make them a glass cannon that can one shot anything

[@cokeMONSTERps3]

I feel like Elden Ring's magic is proof of concept of what that one isekai mage game is trying to go for: pure mage combat. I feel like there's a lot of creative stuff you can do with timing, effects, mind games that grounded melee combat is restricted by.

[@Amrylin1337]

I mean it's a very small iterative change from DS3. Forspoken looks a lot more like capital 'M' genre sorcery. Also it's not Japanese.

[@schnoz2372]

It’s actually the first time I ever used magic in a souls game ngl

[@stupidanon5941]

@@Amrylin1337 I don't play games made by communists.

[@danlorett2184]

@@Amrylin1337 I'd argue that other than how mind/attunement and FP works, it's more of an iteration on DS2's magic. DS3 was very limited on the number and variety of spells and while we retain the FP system from DS3, uncoupling attunement/mind from spell slots is pretty much the only real change I would have made to DS2's magic system. DS3's magic was practically a shallow puddle compared to DS2 magic. They have similar number of spells, but DS2's spells are WAY more varied and a lot more of them are actually usable in PVP. On top of that, DS2 had an entire school of magic that DS3 didn't - hexes.

[@fintan9218]

@@Amrylin1337 not japanese?

[@stupidanon5941]

19:32 Please, by all means, keep putting out mage content. You're literally like the only pvper that I've ever seen who plays like this. The only other time I've ever seen anyone do anything like this, was again, you, when you made a meta dueling pyromancer build in Dark Souls 3.

[@Laifulessone]

I second this

[@cheesefanman2391]

Must not be looking hard enough

[@CAiNiAC]

@@cheesefanman2391 I second this. There spellcaster pvp everywhere

[@Sthaetic-d2v]

seems like every1 doing some kinda caster honestly i'd more interested in a pure strength build or something

[@curious9904]

@@Sthaetic-d2v pure str is probably the most boring type of build objectively, royal knights resolve big hammer go brr

[@_-Achilles-_]

I think the reason Liurnia is so active for ganks is that Varre’s quest telling to to invade takes place there.

[@PanmasterAtArms]

Erdtree Greatshield only fires a shot if you hit it with a magic projectile during the skill where they hold it in a different pose instead of normal blocking, it flashes gold when they use the skill

[@Mo_sty]

Everytime i watch narrated thought videos I think its 2016 again, no corona, no work, no stress, no depression, just gaming . Love your vids Scott

[@Sangheilitat117]

A very sizable chunk of the PvP playerbase is going to land flat on their asses when Bloodhound Step is inevitably nerfed. They’re suddenly going to have to learn fundamentals like spacing, not overextending, timing rolls properly. No more “wrap myself in my get-out-of-jail-free 44 i-frames that start up earlier than a normal roll’s i-frames and take me out of punish range to make up for my bad habits and cover for any of my spacing or timing mistakes.” I can’t wait for that day. I can’t wait.

[@ExeErdna]

I agree and it sucks because it is a dream in PVE for sure yet also a crutch. That's the measure of somebody whom "got gud" and somebody just *sliding by"

[@LastSliceOfPie77]

Easiest way to nerf blood hound step is to have it cost hp. Make it do chip damage like bloody slash so you are punished for spamming.

[@Sangheilitat117]

@@LastSliceOfPie77 I personally prefer a nerf to it being: having the same start-up i-frames as a regular roll so it can’t be used to cover for bad spacing, whiffs, and being rollcaught, and an increasing FP cost every time you use it within a certain timeframe so if you spam it to create distance you’ll burn through your FP. Making it cost health does nothing to address the problem that it covers for mistakes and bad fundamentals because it can be used to escape a punish you normally would not be able to roll out of.

[@notagen_exe4519]

I know the idea of nerfing things in pve can be annoying but...come on what kind of player. Needs blood hound step when you get lots of things to kill bosses fast, over level, use fingerprint, or get good at dodging...

[@skullcat1378]

@@Sangheilitat117 I have another idea, make it so it doesn't work with I-frames but with hyperarmor/poise. You cover a great distance but you get staggered if you don't have enough poise. Also if you have enough poise but something manages to hit you while doing BHS, you still get damaged.

[@sircuddlesGHII]

It's so cute when he says I don't want to swap gear because people will know what I'm doing. Really Scott, these people you're invading will know what you're doing? Slightly debatable.

[@alexl3438]

Bonfire duelists was more derogatory in ds3 since not only does the host get a health increase from being embered, they also tended to heal in duels while having 15 estus.

[@vavakxnonexus]

Using Shard Spiral as a tool to apply pressure and let you come in close enough for Carian Slicer in 16:05 was incredibly clever - it makes me so happy that that seemingly-useless spell has found such an interesting use. Really love all the mage build videos - spells are my favourite part of this games, and it's delightful seeing somebody play around with them in PvP. (Only thing that'd bring me more joy is more idiosyncratic Int/Fai mixes.)

[@BackwardsPancake]

The one thing I hate about playing mage in Fromsoft games is how the spell selection controls work. I wish these cool followups/mixups where you use several spells in sequence were easier and more consistent to perform.

[@nebei3740]

Remapping to a diffrent button works wonders because you dont have to stand still the rest comes with experience its not that bad tbh

[@DarkspaceII]

SO you basically want to make the most op build atm even more OP o;0 There is a reason why its a bit harder.

[@nebei3740]

@@DarkspaceII sorcery is really strong but far from the most op build halberds counter, bleed counters, bloodhound/quickstep counter faith counters and there are 2 shields that counter hard + there is carian retaliation which is glitched right now but even after fix it will be really strong sorcery will probably stay meta relevant but people will get something to counter it on every build so dont say its op if everyone with a brain can pretty much shut it down completely

[@Kobdzio]

Aaand after 3 weeks of pvp and a patch this mage build is still one of the strongest in duels. The worst part for me is that you can't Trade with Carian Slicer. It's too fast and you will always lose the trade.

[@D00M3R-SK8]

I've been rocking that hat recently on my character as well. I love that they incorporated the big hat logan - hat and a mask. It's a nice combo.

[@xan.xet.]

I've fought a guy named Big hat Logan haha and it was great

[@D00M3R-SK8]

@@xan.xet. he was a character in the first dks as well. I think he might have been first to have the "big hat" I've not finished demon souls though, so someone could be wearing the big hat in that game before dks. I always liked the masks in these games more than open faced head items, so getting a big hat with a mask is huge. also it has a great benefit in giving you extra FP.

[@xan.xet.]

@@D00M3R-SK8 yoo I didn't know that, man that's rad

[@ShahriyarAlam1]

@@D00M3R-SK8 you don't actually need more fp though. 30 mind gives you plenty. even 31 isn't necessary like what scott did. pretty sure he wears it for fashion, otherwise he'd stick to higher poise like he did on his first sorcery vid

[@2e826]

@@ShahriyarAlam1 lol

[@TrueLimeyhoney]

“No Stream tap to retry” :(

[@ScottJund]

eh? seems fine to me

[@felix-lt4ti]

@@ScottJund having same issue

[@kaimurphy4409]

Me too

[@kaimurphy4409]

I’m on mobile idk if that matters

[@danielprice4163]

Same problem but maybe that’s cause I’m using my phone for YT. Eh I’ll try again soon

[@dantescanline]

yesssss, more than anything i'm stoked for narrated invasions from you. pvp is very cool but the on-the-fly wildness of invasions combined with your knowledge and approach is just fantastic.

[@Arunnn241]

TWO videos in a single day? You're spoiling us. Take my sub.

[@XZero151]

Now this is thrilling wizarding pvp content. Legit magic set up combos. I find it hilarious how sometimes you're more melee than opponents with melee builds.

[@RedPhisher175]

I kinda like bonfire Duelists honestly, its a nice change of pace from the constant Ganks

[@Gankstomper]

In a way they're even more pathetic than the gankers.

[@lastsoldierbr]

I’ve been learn so much lately with Scott videos! Thanks man!!

[@shyurthiritia5748]

Erdtree greatshield only works against magic projectiles, it "parries" them and shoots them back - Doesn't work at all against melee spells, no charging or any of that

[@dubiousdevil9572]

I've been enjoying your mage too. I used to hate magic in DS3 but now spellsword INT/DEX build is my favorite build in ER Should try to incorporate Lorretas Mastery into your invasion build. Has great tracking and does great damage. Usually people roll too early.

[@ScottJund]

shit costs SO much FP, not a fan

[@lastraven7205]

@@ScottJund Maybe you could raise your mind stat

[@CAiNiAC]

If you didn't restrict yourself to a outdated meta you wouldn't have that issue lol

[@icarusreaver3184]

@@CAiNiAC nah I already one shot people at 148 and my 150 char is definitely busted, but could be better since I built for more pve comfort. If From reduced pvp damage by around 25 to 30% 150 would be fine

[@dubiousdevil9572]

@@ScottJund it's soooooo good though. Most of my invasions kills have been from that.

[@MeMelster]

20:26 the main reason people duel with invaders is because you get the Furlcalling Finger Remedy back if you lose without ever summoning someone to help you. It’s the lazy way of 1v1 pvp. A benefit is that you never you never know what the next enemy is going to be and you can’t sort out all the builds you don’t like.

[@johncrow5072]

Yeah, ive seen many of people dodge duels whrn the summon sign has the white mask or anything that looks katana shaped.

[@RotA-Kaleido]

idk, I like hosting because I like fighting in different areas and no one puts signs down outside of Main Gate and First Step. It's also a lot more interesting fighting builds people are bringing to invasions than the ultra-meta duel builds. I don't use rune arcs or anything, and if they want to run off and heal and try to wear me down like a normal invasion, they're welcome to. Sometimes I'll even activate the blue sign because 90% of the time the hunter spawns in narnia and gets killed by the PvE, so it's a 1v2 for me. It's a lot more fun and dynamic than just sitting at the main gate all day and summoning people one at a time...

[@MeMelster]

@@RotA-Kaleido i agree with that. i like being solo host because of that. i just wich there was a way to have solo invaders but not as frequent as it is with the tongue. i miss the pressure to always be rdy for pvp in the pve playtrough a little.

[@RotA-Kaleido]

@@MeMelster yea i really miss the old implementation for invasions, I understand why they changed it but a lot of the emergent gameplay that comes out of that is gone now...

[@tsiwt2655]

I've found that swapping between the bloody and festering finger for finding an invasion you don't need to cancel the search and I find invasions extremely fast

[@goldencinder7650]

I SWEAR when I clicked this video I was preparing for "bloodhound step is broken and I hate it "

[@DarkspaceII]

Me too o;0

[@frostyflakes078]

Using a Spellblade at the moment, thank you Scott for showing me that you can out space Rivers of Blood with Piercer because 6/10 of my Invasions are Rivers of Blood

[@-Cheif]

I invaded a dex character with 530 hit points….. I asked him why he didn’t level vigor and he said I quote “Nope dont need if i idk....DODGE?”

[@stupidanon5941]

This is why we shouldn't nerf bloodhound step kappa.

[@djsvrlaivwfofj]

How did you message the host? Console?

[@-Cheif]

@@djsvrlaivwfofj xbox

[@KyokujiFGC]

Following a shard spiral is very similar to following a slow moving projectile in in a fighting game. Works well for exactly the same reason, since it severely limits their options and allows you a lot of freedom to advance.

[@DarkspaceII]

Also, Just a side note about Stars of Ruins. If you spam 3x forward dodge when its about to hit you, you will dodge it 95% of the time. I will take the 3x forward rolls and a slight chunk of hp vs almost 40FP cost(excluding staff penalties).

[@PilotGuava]

Golden retaliation on the tree sentinel shield is like the other spell parries but instead of giving you glint blades it absorbs the spell (specifically the projectile spells I believe) and sends a powerful missile back. No charging it or anything

[@rstrife7x]

The best nerf to bloodhound step would be to make it so that you have to wait a certain amount of frames before another one comes out. That way you avoid the spam and leave it still really good

[@NinurtahRS]

It needs like a full second of recovery and its distance taking down by maybe 25%. A panic button to get out of a tough corner is fine, something you can spam is absolutely not.

[@jrbristain7926]

~ or increase cost, so you're forced to drink flask sooner, or invest stats on mind more, lowering your other stats.

[@NinurtahRS]

@@jrbristain7926 Even if you triple the cost you still get 4 uses of it at base mind stats, all you're doing here is buffing casters.

[@cheesefanman2391]

@@jrbristain7926 not enough

[@Juggs009]

You're talking about increased end lag, which would help with punishing and closing the gap on them escaping. Probably the best thing to do as well as maybe a little bit of i-frames decrease.

[@AmissFortune]

Feels like they should just go full Bloodborne for bloodhound step, shorter range and you take around 50% more damage if hit going into or out of the dodge. Would keep it as a nice dodge for PvE but add some give and take if you're caught.

[@danlorett2184]

Up the FP cost and remove some of the s. It's ridiculous that you're only vulnerable for literally 3 frames if you're spamming it.

[@fudgetable1]

@@danlorett2184 Or just nuke its range, means its way easier to punish the scumbags getting off pots with it.

[@uros3250]

@@danlorett2184 replacing with short hyperarmor frames sounds better

[@RordamJ]

@@uros3250 replacing all of the s with hyper armor would still give it utility because of the sheer distance you travel, give quickstep it's niche back, and also be a meaningful nerf.

[@emoment1088]

My counter to bloodhound is just trying to time a Lightning Strike ash or incantation to land when they exit it. Doesn't always work but, catches them sometimes. I have no idea what sorcery has in that regard

[@tomandgarfilm417]

Stop making such fun videos everytime I see a new video I have to watch

[@Mirukusacc]

I love Bloodhound step in pve but I always feel bad when I get invaded and have to use it. Never have used it to run and heal in pvp but even with that it's pretty strong

[@-MisterWhite...]

I think Bloodhound step needs to have like twice the FP cost and then it will be fine.

[@parkeryoung8259]

Double FP cost, maybe reduce the invulnerability window from 95% of the duration to maybe 70%

[@thedoomslayer5863]

I want it nerfed but for PVP. I don't want it touched for pve

[@-MisterWhite...]

@@thedoomslayer5863 remember Quickstep exists. I think giving bloodhound step a FP increase make these to options a actual choice rather than bloodhound being a obvious straight upgrade

[@CosmicAeon]

yeah if it gets nerfed for pve i'll never be able to dodge malenia's whirling blades of bullshit again lol. But it's a price worth paying to see it gone from pvp.

[@esooM74]

Does this build require Astrolger class? Or can I just respec my bandit pvp toon

[@rosure7]

Bloodhound step should just work the old hunter bone from bloodborne being a temporary buff you have to activate with a cast. I find it honestly hilarious that in bloodborne you have more mobility options to follow up and their version of bloodhound step was designed to be weaker for balance purposes

[@roseval6221]

Wait can u please talk about hosts hiding In Lennes rise for “rune farming”??!

[@jarrarwinks8470]

If you are talking about what I think, here are places all over the map for the hunter killing invader farm, personally I just kill all the blues I can, hoping to draw the host out, who usually is there and just doing something on the side, which lets me either kill, or be killed for them, but I have seen way too many people use Carian retaliation glitch after I lure them out if they are in a spot they can leave.

[@PanmasterAtArms]

@@jarrarwinks8470 Lennes rise is the tower in caelid you can only enter using a spiritspring, hosts will hide in there and then taunters tongue

[@stupidanon5941]

@@PanmasterAtArms Hm. . . I've seen this before. I didn't really grasp what I was dealing with at the time, but no hunters came, so I hung around in the world for about 10 minutes, looking for a way in, then I eventually severed out.

[@DeathhAngel1]

@@stupidanon5941 first time experienced it i just waited with mimic veil for half an hour till he came out. was my day off so i had all day ;) very rewarding though

[@jarrarwinks8470]

@@PanmasterAtArms Yeah, I mean that tactic. I have seen it in many stupid ways, luckily I don't go near caelid for invasions since it's kind of a shit show there.

[@Eluenen]

No invasions or thoughts , video is prestigious content

[@vladspellbinder]

Thanks for the video Scott. Keep the Mage content coming if that's what you want to do, I love watching the videos you have fun making.

[@Knufffii]

hi scott, since you stack cast speed can you try out Shattering Crystal again? maby carian slicer into crystal shotgun

[@ScottJund]

noted

[@tako5018]

still think making BHS step and some other skills(*cough* RoB *cough*) cost hp would be a good way to keep them in check if the values were good i kinda really doubt they'll ever give it an equip load requirement or limit it to specific weapons tho

[@junoglrr9119]

i was thinking, what if bhs would require you to have fast roll equip load to make full use of it.

[@-Lucifer__]

I would love to see a pure archer play style, it’s without a doubt the hardest playstyle in the game imo, getting your view point would definitely be helpful and entertaining.

[@Wisewolf_of_Avalon]

"If you want to duels, at least have a fair fight." I have such a weird relation with this statement. I have a buddy that I'm running the campaign with. But we can't do that without invasions. He's a more veteran soulsbourne player so we try to give a good fight to invaders. Like 1v1 stuff. But I'd say only 2-3 of every ten invasions is interested in that. And the remaining are weird one shot builds or running the meta weapons. I had fun at first but it just became a chore. "Oh here's the 15 minute invasion timer."

[@branthall1787]

It's not *that* hard to beat meta slaves if you don't walk right into their obvious traps. The only one that's basically unavoidable at times is carrian retaliation.

[@MZGriffith99]

I think the keyword here is "duel". That host Scott was talking about isn't pveing with a bud, he's popping tongue solo because he wants to 1v1 someone, but wants to edge of using his great rune. The guy is "kind" of dueling but he wants weighted dice. It was my interpretation that Scott was intentionality looking for 2v1 or 3v1 invasions here. Invasion and duels are different, even though they are both PvP. Giving your invaders a fair fight when cooping with your buddy is nice of you, but tbh when I invade, I expect the host and his phantoms to attack me at once, and I think it's fun trying to win against those odds. Anyone who does invasions and QQs that the host didn't want to 1v1 them has a bad mindset in my opinion. As an invader, I'm forcing myself into your world to mess with you, I expect that you want to live, so why wouldn't you use the tools you have a available? No rules in invasions lol. Whereas duels have an expected ruleset to follow. Sorry for wall of text, but with so many new people (I love it! Welcome new people if you read this!) The distinction between dueling and invading is important imo.

[@reynauldwhistles2338]

@@MZGriffith99 and? Most if not all hosts that summon me to duel in raya lucaria entrance have their arc rune active idk whats the diference between those guys and the bonfire dude.

[@junoglrr9119]

@@reynauldwhistles2338 there is no real difference.. their ego prevents them to have fun and therefore have to get any advantage they can to beat your ass. pathetic i know

[@Jay-qh6uv]

Duels are not invasions. If you’re *invading* or *being invaded,* there are 0 rules and you do whatever you can, no matter how dirty, to win. If you’re DUELING, which is an entirely different game mechanic, there is etiquette and unspoken rules. Invasions are inherently malicious and it’s always no holds barred. With duels, you’re being purposefully invited in (or you’re doing the inviting) by an individual who wants a 1v1 respectful test of skill.

[@GriFFonRec4]

5:05 They probably also have melee stats to wield stuff normally. Like 20 str and dex or something. They aren't all in, with the pure caster.

[@TheTrollzor74]

Bloodhound step should remove the s and give it hyperarmor instead, for a more aggressive play style and can still be used to run away

[@danlorett2184]

That would literally just make it 95% useless, though. What exactly is "aggressive" about just taking a shitload of damage when you try to dodge? Literally think about your suggestion when applied to something else, like rolls. No s, just hyperarmor. Wow, now rolls are useless 95% of the time, especially in a game where there aren't a lot of true combos in PVP.

[@user-bs6ln3ns4u]

@@danlorett2184 it would deffo not be useless though, it turns into a tool you use for movement more than an alternative for a roll

[@chipslight738]

@@user-bs6ln3ns4u But then it would still make it useless if it lost its i-frames. Roll is as much of a movement tool, it's your go to option for invicibility. Removing step's i-frames would render it useless in both PvE and PvP. Why would I waste FP and stamina for 0 invicibility and just hyper armor (doesn't matter against some bosses and enemies) when I could just spam roll and get better result ? Bloodhound's step i-frames are absurd, I get it, but I don't think completely neutering its one use case is the solution to the problem.

[@Gankstomper]

@@danlorett2184 Do yourself a favor and stop saying "literally" you said it twice in your fairly short comment, and you didn't use it properly either time. It makes you look stupid.

[@Philrgoo]

The difference in cast speed on Carian Piercer is pretty crazy! Great video.

[@nTkTweeks]

So I have to wonder how you have as much damage negation as you do when a 60 vigor, full tank talisman setup can still take more damage than you do in a single hit.

[@K8theKind]

I found you!

[@yungmalaria]

Whats your go-to method when you think a guy has carian retaliation on a shield while using your full sorcery build?

[@D00M3R-SK8]

Using the spiral to force rolling is such a nice find. I never thought of using the AoE glintstone spell to catch strafers also. that's a great idea, shame we never got to see it. I used that spell a lot at the start to help clear out areas. You could hit multiple targets and save on FP. It's a decent spell, one of the best options for a quick AoE I think there is for sorceries (if not the best)

[@joshmay2944]

What AoE glint stone spell do you mean? Glintstone arc? Shard spirals?

[@xRhychux]

@@joshmay2944 arc

[@D00M3R-SK8]

@@joshmay2944 yeah, arc. it's not spiral as I mentioned spiral by name.

[@DarkspaceII]

Yeah cause all those strafers will just continue to strafe after seeing a big blue arc for like 5 seconds... Spiral is ok though i like it.

[@D00M3R-SK8]

@@DarkspaceII the way the spell comes out catches anything moving sideways though. spiral is tool to force rolling. They're both really useful for different things. I think arc will work on catching side steppers if you use it right. I mean ofc if you're spamming it they're going to wise-up, but if you use it right you'll catch them. Spiral is my favourite though, it's amazing against a human opponent.

[@tpeack]

adula's is so good, sucked fighting that dragon as a mage but man that spell puts the work in. my main gripe when running through as a sorcerer is that there are so many crap midgame spells that eat so much fp, the starter/early carian spells are super efficient and combo well, and the late game spells hit like trucks. but evrything else in limgrave, all the loretta and haima stuff just isn't worth it outside of some niche utility moments, cannon of haima is pretty good on rafters or branches. bloodhound should probably cost more with consecutive uses, or have a use cooldown so it can't be spammed for a second or two after you emerge.

[@mawofcharybdis4871]

I used lorettas lot with my mage. I thought the damage was super worth it so long as you charge it. Not good in pvp thl

[@exoplaneeet9499]

loretta imo shines far more in pve-- the range is excellent for sniping particularly annoying enemies from a vantage point, though its cast time seems to make it useless for pvp (i dont do pvp so i cant speak from experience)

[@odzakkk692]

Another fun combo is using collapsing stars to suck a enemy into carian phalanx or into a swift glintstone.

[@forgiveness7959]

This ingenuity and play style is one of the reasons why DS2 was the most fun for me pvp wise.

[@ZreaperOfficial]

Even at RL30-50 this place is packed full of gank squads. However majority of them that I ran into are all exploiting and the few times that I have managed to kill the host they just ALT+F4, so there's just no point ever invading there IMO

[@Glatix]

Hi there Scott, Banzai here! I noticed that you were a bit confused regarding why I wasn’t running with bloodhound step, so I’ll provide a bit of an explanation: They’re 100% going to nerf bloodhound step, and the nerf is probably going to involve increased FP cost. As a result, leaning into it to evade instead of dodging via rolls really isn’t going to be viable for long, so I don’t. Instead, I use it as a maneuvering device to get around spell spamming and close distance on runners. Magic presently does a TON of damage (lots of easy one-shots), and combined with cast speed and cast damage talismans it’s easy for mages to crutch on buffs. All that being said, I actually agree that bloodhound step needs to be nerfed, but the nerf needs to be applied alongside soft caps for a lot of cheesy damage types. Good fights by the way! You were the first mage build that gave me trouble last night and your feedback was fairly insightful.

[@icarusreaver3184]

I don’t think bloodhoundS doesn’t need that many I-frames. I use it in pve because it feels cool with duel whips and if I didn’t have Bhound Step I’d use quickstep for the same reason: it gives I-frames to back steps and all the back step attacks look cool. The utility of it is phenomenal and the I-frames are a bonus, but the movement of Bhound Step lets you go outside of a hit box so quickly that high I-frames are unnecessary

[@NO122221]

if, ONLY IF, it actually was giving s only for moment where you're actually invisible it'll be so much easier to punish. the thing is, it extends s even after you've appeared again. it actually has a lot of frames after appearing again, but it's still fucking s, like what the fuck. when i first seen this shit used by volcano's quest 3rd red i thought i can hit him when he appears again, but nope, fuck me. And everyone else

[@Phhase]

The Jundus Humongus done it again. Another funny trick I've been LOVING is Flame of Frenzy + Endure weapon art to bait enemies into melee range, then using Endure + Inescapable Frenzy to grab. Hilarious when it works.

[@ciphernovas]

im just jealous of the invasion time, literally as soon as you place it down you are transported. I wait around for half an hour with noone at SL 115

[@Rhystiik]

Has anyone else been running into a lot of people using the Carian Retaliation and Glintstone Crown exploits? I had to stop invading because I just can't play the game normally anymore. Unfortunately, it is more than likely because I'm invading at RL 200 right now. I just don't wanna make a new character yet :(

[@DirtbagNicholas]

Dude rl 200 is cancer. If you want to invade reroll a lvl 50 or 70 or even 120. Nothing more than 120

[@Rhystiik]

@@DirtbagNicholas I have come to terms with this much, yes. I play the game casually and thought it'd be a little better than what it is. Thank you for the help, regardless.

[@acalo5703]

I spy a Jeenine fan @ 6:06! Very recognizable outfit and weapon choices

[@fpsNchill]

My favorite place to pvp at level 70, 80, and 90. Lighting is AMAZING in this place and so much fun

[@Deathshadegr]

Can you have azures on left hand and the dmg one staff on the right so you can cast with R1 and have the same cast speed ?

[@skier340]

Regarding the balance of bloodhound step, I think the skill itself is actually pretty fun and interesting as is. I see it as a form of superior roll. However, it is obviously op when spammed and can be spammed nearly infinitely currently. I'd love to see them drastically raise the amount of stamina drained when using the spell so you can only use it once or twice consecutively before having to regain stamina. Bumping up the FP cost a bit as well could help too but I think raising the stamina cost would do the most toward preventing the annoying spamming we're seeing.

[@chazfernandes9840]

The shield spell parry just launches a bolt right back at you when they parry a spell.

[@Exeeter1234]

if only the same level of practical application was given for incantations in this game.

[@Archigosai]

I mean, there is, Catch Flame and Beastial Sling is your Slicer, Honed Bolt is legit the most annoying spell in the game, Beast Claw is a roll catch, and in some situations the Dragon spells are legit insane

[@Exeeter1234]

@@Archigosai im not talking about which of the incantations are usefull. Im fully aware of them. Im talking about the remaining bulk of them being shit in pvp. Sorceries have it better, both in veriety of application, speed, and combo-ability. Unless you are doing some cheeky meme incantation caster build for invasions with distractions, your actual toolset as a pure caster is extremely limited.

[@skier340]

I'm using a build similar to this but instead of pure mage, I have enough stats for the Clayman's Harpoon. I use one in the primary hand and then swap the off hand between a second claymans harpoon and a staff. You can put bloodhounds step on the harpoon and put cold on both of them. It gives you a ton of range to roll catch. If you get the cold proc, it just buffs your spells even more. And, if they try to flee with bloodhound step to heal, you can just match them with bloodhound step and do a dual wield L1 spear hit as they try to heal. The best part is you can trick a lot of people into thinking you're pure mage and they try to go super aggresive on you and you can easily punish with the spears.

[@lennysummers]

I think people gank here mainly because of the quest to use the invader fingers

[@coeusmaze9413]

That makes them even more pathetic cuz they are expecting invasion noobs lul

[@sammartin4639]

When the world needed him Scott provided.

[@Megugugu]

I hope mages just keep rocking the no vigor squad cause it is just absolutely hilarious to see them get one-shot by a weapon art or one good hit of a colossal weapon

[@terps710]

Flame of redmane, sword dance , flame strike, giant hunt all so satisfying when you kill a squishy mage

[@Culturedtuna1]

if you go to the duel arena and summon someone in for a fight, is there any way to show them you don't have a great rune active? Would be nice to be able to telegraph to people I'm not trying to cheat them out of a few extra health points or some stats.

[@Paydirt90847]

Question Scott.. what do you think of the night versions of the glintstone spells? They seem to be more consistent for me, but thats not saying a whole lot, im still a nublet

[@ShahriyarAlam1]

damage to fp ratio is actually worse. Actually glinstone pebble has better damage to fp ratio than swift glintstone, although not by a lot. However, I would personally use swift with lusat's staff since you use up more fp for spells. Because it uses the least amount of fp, it's also the best option for popping bubbles.

[@Paydirt90847]

@@ShahriyarAlam1 Yea i know the damage is worse, but in places like this, its easier to get shots in without people rolling them is more what i meant. Also Lusat's is only 10% more damage for 50% more cost, use Azurs

[@ShahriyarAlam1]

@@Paydirt90847 I meant the fp cost is more with lusat's, same with azures. Also you still get the cast speed benefit of azure if you have it on your offhand but use lusat instead, like what Scott did in this vid. He's casting with his left hand btw

[@stupidanon5941]

@@ShahriyarAlam1 "damage to fp ratio is actually worse." Unless of course you run the staff of loss in your off-hand for the increased damage. In any case, the most efficient damage-FP ratio isn't necessarily what you should be looking for in a spell in all situations. Over certain damage thresholds, or if they bring extra functionality, sometimes a worse damage-cost ratio is worth it. If I have 150+ FP, and I have a spell that costs 11 FP, hits for 400 damage, and hits _reliably_ , that FP cost is more than worth it. Like Scott, most of the time I kill people before I have to drink. I tend to hit people for about 400 damage per night shard at 125. I've hit harder than that, but I suspect that was due to soreseals.

[@ShahriyarAlam1]

@@stupidanon5941 I kill people most of the time before I have to drink too. I'm in the pvp ladder discord, and I'm sure some of those people are better than Scott. I completely forgot staff of loss exists.

[@D00M3R-SK8]

what is the faith spell he has, and does that catalyst (don't know the name of the faith thing) actually use my Int to scale faith spells? I picked that up the other day, but I don't have the 17 faith to use it. Would it be worth dropping some levels into faith so I can use that, as it seems having more options can only ever be a good thing. If I can scale them with my int it seems quite good to me.

[@marcotha1st866]

The perfect nerf for bloodhound step is only allowing people to use it if they are only using from 25%-50% equipment load like how they nerfed the dark wood grain ring in Dark Souls 1 once the first dlc was released

[@Abyzz_Knight]

I now use the Carian Regal Scepter over Lusat's Glintstone staff because Lusat's only does about 10% more damage at 80 int and the extra fp cost was really hurting me when doing co-op and I'm still able to kill people when invading just fine with Regal. However I'm not a pure sorcerer so that's why I don't just run both and switch according to the situation. Edit: for anyone that isn't sure weather to maximize damage or go with the safe option because like me you're not a pure sorcerer I'd say the biggest reason to not use Lusat's is that you'll have to drink your Cerulean flask more which creates more opportunities for opponents. If you can mitigate that risk I'd say use the staff.

[@Abyzz_Knight]

Also my mage from ds3 is likely what instilled my preference for fp efficiency 50 Int Murky Longstaff Great Deep Soul Great heavy Soul Arrow Crystal Soul Spear Great Soul Dregs

[@Jessterr2]

I play a mage.. I have not yet tried much pvp. I appreciate more mage videos. You're the pvp mage guy now

[@AndruSouls]

So refreshing to see a caster that doesn't just spam Stars of Ruin and Moonveil WAs until they win somehow

[@WraithUK4]

They're there to gank all the new players who are doing the Varré quest. The place is riddled with baby gankers.

[@icancounto9994]

Interesting. So this would be a good place to practice to at?

[@mrlolster2144]

..but it's RL 125....

[@lovewilcox6874]

Why exactly is Boilprawn Shack a hotspot?

[@nu1x]

Dunno, comfy food place ?

[@nicklewry3854]

It’s where most players get the bloody fingers for invasions for the first time from Varre’s quest

[@highestqualitypigiron]

Hi scott, I did some testing with the banished knight great sword, like I asked about in the chat. Here are my findings The good: -very early hyper armour start up, pretty good for trading with light weapons -only 9 dex requirement -running r1 is surprisngly good -it has a scabbard so cool fashion The bad: -animations have been SLOWED DOWN since ds3 and ds2 (zero clue why they would do this it wasnt like it was OP or anything) -worse recoveries than 1 handed or regular gs r1s -little forward movement meaning despite the sword being long it has mediocre range -doesn't do that much poise damage so you will lose trades against bigger weapons -r2s suck Honestly, as much as I really wanted to like this weapon as it has the flashy r1s and looks great its just worse than the claymore or even iron greatsword unless you just cannot get your dex from 9 to 13 for whatever reason.

[@danlorett2184]

Greatswords are so fucking slow in this game and I don't understand why. They weren't overpowered in DS3 (literally only one GS was even considered top tier) and they nerfed them while buffing everything else. I used a Claymore for a couple hours at the start of the game and ended up trashing it for a Halberd instead. Just sad they invalidated one of the most popular weapon types.

[@joppiseni3710]

Im going to make a mage invader rn that uses urumi on the side, though i wish there was an ash of war that had a magic buff for whips. I just want one for the looks, a buffed whip looks so nice

[@donjohnson4906]

I don't think I've ever actually seen someone use anything besides the L2/LT attack on RoB. Like not even once.

[@Shukentenable]

Tiny correction: Carian Glintstone Staff is a 15% damage buff for Adulas Blade etc, not a 25% buff

[@jakeryan2805]

So to clarify it does not mater what hand you carry a staff in you get the benefit of both passive effects regardless? For all spells cast with either staff? Or do you have to use luset staff each time for damage boost? but still get speed boost?

[@sirrealism7300]

Use the thunderbolt ash of war, this is the best place for it. If you put it on a dagger, it will deal the same amount of damage as a greatsword since it scales with weapon upgrade level. Meaning you can quickswap it.

[@2fortranger636]

I love these invasion videos, they are super fun!

[@Phystle]

Anyone know what those talismans are?

[@drachenklnd]

How can you even roll after getting hit by a part of rivers of blood? I have 60 poise and its literally impossible to move when getting hit by the first hit, so i eat all 5 hits and the bloodloss. Do you actually have to time the roll when this game saves inputs made before even getting hit?

[@joshmay2944]

Sure cannon of haima’s damage isn’t the most efficient use of FP possible, but I didn’t hear you mention the knock back potential it has to put any human enemies on the ground, which allows you to then follow up for more damage as soon as they get up or to time a roll catch if they roll out of the knockdown.

[@NinurtahRS]

It feels like a few things were deliberately included in the game to allow players to use literally any build archetype but still have something to crutch if they need. I get it for pve, but I'm so horribly bored of only going against BH step or ROB or whatever else. The worst part is, I know for a fact the players using these items are generally bad at the game, and 9 times out of 10 I'll destroy them as soon as they run out of blue juice. Bored of having every fight turn into a battle of attrition while someone basically cutscenes their way through pvp.

[@Exeeter1234]

Its a very bad habit to convince yourself that this is true. Yes BH step is trash and it can carry less skilled players, without question. But there are just as many experienced players that know full well its power and are not interested in any kind of video game "honor" and are simply opting to use the best tools available to them in game and the consideration ends there. Its the developers responsibility to balance the game and address broken shit, and these players dont have any vested interest in gimping themselves because of developer oversight.

[@NinurtahRS]

​@@Exeeter1234 Yeah, honestly. This is the main issue I have with it. It's like the drake sword from dark souls 1.

[@KatyaAbc575]

As a light rolling melee character, I honestly dont see the issue with the Bloodhound step. If they use it offensively, fine I will just roll away, or use a weapon art with lingering hitboxes (to garuntee a hit, once they come out of it). If they use it defensively, its nothing more than a stalling-tool. Is Bloodhound Step annoying in PvP? Possibly. Is it OP? Not even remotely, compared to all the oneshot builds that exist in this game.

[@skunkapeGG]

Toxicity and skill level aren’t mutually exclusive

[@incius8341]

@Steven Luoma kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6HHiGWFr8iEoNU

[@Aranexorsist]

Can you explain to me why you go for lusat’s staff? Because I did some testing and it only seems to get you 11% more damage for like double the fp cost. On average 11% won’t be the difference between 3 shoting to 2 shoting someone, you just end up killing people in the same amount of casts but having to drink more, god forbid you use the azure staff too for cast speed. Am I missing something? Like does it stack with something to make it worth the cost?

[@Mythicalslayer0]

I love the sorcerer videos as much as you love the build, keep it up scott

[@normalguycap]

How do you see the value of your cast speed? There is no number for that like in other games.

[@xReifox]

You're the only skilled mage I see in Elden Ring so far (Every mage I invade just spam their range spells 50 times in a row with their ganks protecting them and keep going even if I dodged the last 49 spells), so please, keep uploading these mage videos, it's pretty fun!

[@r.schmidt5100]

Id really like to see more Mage videos, ESPECIALLY those with Bloodhound step cheesers.

[@-lilreel3592]

You could try the gravity spell that you get in the dungeon in the back of radaans boss fight. It's interesting to incorporate in a mage build for pvp sense it pulls them a decent ways towards you, allowing for mixup roll catch potential.

[@-lilreel3592]

I used it with the Darkmoon greatsword. For r2 projectiles, but also used carian piercer, moonblade maybe a few others to mixup the roll catches. Isn't a bad idea to cast something along with the gravity spell (I forget the name smh) to make it not as easily rolled. Some things also do combo if the gravity spell hits, just needs to be timed right and know that you're going to hit.

[@scottmilano2940]

If you want to farm points, you come to the rose church, invade. 3 times for Varre, then go make a giant chicken jump off a cliff for 11k points. That’s why this area is busy.

[@nlm7033]

I thought the catalyst needed to be in the left hand for adulas to double hit?

[@lazypayday4476]

Can someone explain why not just have it in your second hand slot?

[@DawnSentinel]

At 5:38 you were talking about people having high mind and not needing it. Remember that you're invading pve players. They aren't specced to fight you. In pve high mind is extremely useful. You don't know how far the next bonfire is, they need both blue and red estus to get there. Spell efficiency is fine for killing other players, it's actually kind of shit for killing pve enemies since they have so much more health. My playthrough was spellsword, so I did level my vigor and stuff. I only felt like magic came online damage wise when I hit 60-70 int, and I could only really use pure magic to play if I had minimum 5 blue estus and about 40 mind. There's also the concept that if you fill your entire health or fp bar with one flask you're wasting potential.

[@ScottJund]

literally not a single person here was doing PVE content. they are all here for PVP

[@DawnSentinel]

@@ScottJund Granted there were some like the bonfire duellist, but were others not just in the process of summoning coop people when you invaded, so they just fought you? Are you sure they were all just taunter's tongued and looking for 1v1s? Either way, love the content, I'm glad you're back in and enjoying it with ER. I loved the narrated thought duels back in DS3.

[@stupidanon5941]

Hell yeah! Scott, I know sometimes people like me can be difficult (you're still wrong about the 150 meta :) ) but I want you to know I seriously appreciate all of the content you've put out for pvp in general, but especially the caster dueling, and that goes double for the caster invasions. Thanks.

[@nicklewry3854]

Just out of curiosity, what would you use to justify the 150 meta? I’m not set in stone on 125, but I haven’t seen many good arguments in favor of 150 yet

[@stupidanon5941]

@@nicklewry3854 That was more tongue-in-cheek than anything else. I don't really have a dog in the 'meta' fight, I just think the specious arguments for the 125 meta get a pass, whereas the specious arguments for the 150 meta don't. People caught on pretty quick that you _don't need_ to be 150 to finish a build. People caught the lie right away there, as they should have, but nobody seemed to catch the lie that going up to 150 is going to make one-shot-damage worse. Being 150 will in fact make you less likely to be one-shot due to an extra 25 levels of passive defense gains. People are already soft-capping vigor and damage at 125, so you're not going to get any more damage, at least not enough to stop the AR depreciation that happens from leveling past the point you need to get that AR. As for where those extra points would go, casters could get more mind and endurance, hell, _everyone_ could get more mind and endurance which would cut down on problems with madness. Or weapon builds could get a little more in their secondary stat to qualify for weapons that they otherwise wouldn't be able to wield. The other big lie I see is 'but havelmages.' Right now, on my level 125 mage, I have 59 vigor, 29 mind, 14 endurance, and 67 intelligence (with the crescent crown and the +10 int flask, it goes up to 80), which combined with erdtree +2 and great jar's, I can get 56 poise. If I dropped one more from vigor, mind, and two from intelligence, and put them into endurance, and then dropped my 4% damage talisman (it's really weak anyway and barely a loss at all) for the bull-goat talisman, I could get up over 90 poise. A 90 poise mage with nearly full damage, health, and FP. I'd still have over 1900 HP, over 140 FP, and I'd still be hitting for over 400 damage per night shard. Havelmages already exist at 125. If we want to prevent havelmages, we need to have like, a level 100 meta, which will make the one-shot problem that much worse. 150 won't really make the problem any worse because no matter what level you go to, you can't really get more than like, 120 poise.

[@PoorEdward]

to balance invasions so we can 1v1, maybe add the possibility for 2 hunters if no fingers summon?? idfk man, I always thought if you use a great rune you should be able to get invaded, was there any reason why this isn’t the case?

[@1.0xY.m0r0n]

Lake Gank, frozen Lake Gank, and don't forget ROTTEN Lake Gank