Why Blue Hunters LOST Their PURPOSE - Elden Ring

Elden Ring has many ways to play PvP: one of them being getting summoned as a BLUE HUNTER. Your role is to help the poor host that didn't want to PvP against the invader... or did he? Today Ranni the witch tells you all about it!
If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a like and comment! Subscribe and hit that bell if you want more content 🔔
Become a member 🤓
/ @onlywaifuyt
Consider supporting me on PATREON! 💕
/ onlywaifu
Merch store ☕:
streamlabs.com/onlywaifu1/merch
Discord server 🎩:
/ discord
#eldenring #ai #eldenringpvp

[@OnlyWaifuYT]

Covenants in DLC? Yes or no? P.S: Blues' actual purpose is Estus Refill.

[@indrast5203]

Would really love it

[@KajitYT]

Covenants would be awsome

[@darkomatto4163]

Would be funny to have an elden ring equivalent of spear of the church. But they should scale the defensive stats the more players the host has.

[@TheMaxxter]

YES please mommy that would be great

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

Yes? How is that even a topic under discussion? Only people who say "NO" to Covenants are those who claim it was a chore to get for the Platinum Trophy. While I agree that perhaps Trophies should not be tied to Covenant Rewards, those people can simply f^ck off or tell Fromsoftware to do it 😂😂 I don't care for your trophies - sort it out with the devs, mate

[@robiocraft2383]

The main problem I face, as a blue summon, is that almost always when transported to aid in a fight I get spawned far away from the invader and in a weird spot that is oftentimes in a valley or steep hill, so by the time I run to the main fighting spot the host or the invader is already dead xD

[@ZaddyGohan]

That’s another reason why invasions are trash in this game. The vast open world, can make it sometimes impossible to even find the bloody host

[@robiocraft2383]

@@ZaddyGohan Maybe, but I think it could be easily fixed with changing the digit of how far you spawn from the host

[@themaskedhobo]

The other day I had on two separate occasions the host way up on a cliff with me on the bottom... both hosts jumped to their deaths to get to me.🥲

[@gerharddamm5933]

This is so true. Majority of the time I’m way too far to help so I just leave lol

[@saintlucus2359]

Had a spawn yesterday where i spawned in by the Giant Jar, while the host was up near the Dragons

[@Rottenwaifu]

Sadly we didnt get covenants to justify them invasions or blues.

[@zachthecool4321]

This is actually the #1 thing the DLC needs to unlock in the vanilla game and new DLC

[@weatherman1504]

Honestly, there are so many factions in Elden Ring which would make for very cool covenants. I could easily imagine the Recusants would be the classic red invaders (i.e. darkwraiths) and I can definitely see a Haligtree based covenant kinda like the Blades of the Darkmoon.

[@SuperDragonBlader]

What about Bloody Fingers or Recusants?

[@Rottenwaifu]

@@SuperDragonBlader they act more of a game play mechanic to attract souls veterans

[@Rottenwaifu]

@weatherman1504 In cut content, we had an excuse for blues, they served the God of Revenge, like you hunted sinners and whatnot

[@Artrysa]

In DS2 you could actually burn a Human Effigy to block invasions for a certain amount of time. As well as the standard timer that blocks invasions if you've recently been invaded. If I remember correctly killing a boss also gives you the effect a burnt Human Effigy does.

[@UtubeH8tr]

Yes, I still play ds2 and it's 30 minutes safe zone.

[@LightWavess]

​@@UtubeH8trpeople still invade in DS2? I've played it in 2020 and seldom got actually invaded

[@sasaki999pro]

Yeah and Elden Ring is like the first game that really borked the invasion timer system. Instead of starting the time AFTER the invader has left (either by victory or defeat) it starts the literal second they spawn into your world. And because levels are SO massive in Elden Ring, its not uncommon for invasions to take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to resolve, which is like 30%-60% of your cooldown WHICH ISNT DOING ITS JOB and thats to PACE the invasions so that you can actually make progress. Between the lack of solo host invasions, wex dust and spirit ashes, AND the increased boss HP by 60% (It WAS 30% in prior games) this effectively makes co-op obsolete WHICH ALSO HURTS INVADERS. Theres no reason to co-op which means Invaders have LESS potential hosts to invade. Its like they literally broke the system in the most deliberately aggressive way possible to KILL online activity in its entirety.

[@historicflame972]

@@LightWavess I am in the invader And when I stop invading, I become a rat and make you invade ME

[@Helleuphoria]

​@@sasaki999proi don't think that's actually true, the cooldown timer of about 8m starts after your invader is defeated, otherwise I could reinvade and get the same host again, but that's not the case

[@weatherman1504]

Honestly, Elden Ring has so many different factions that would make for cool covenants. I can easily see the Recusants being kinda like the Darkwraiths and definitely can see a Blades of the Darkmoon-like covenant for a place like Elphael. Maybe a Spears of the Church-like covenant for Fia's summons would be lols. It would be cool to see stuff like that in the game.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

I could see a faction centered around dragons. Your job is dependent on the zone. If you're in a dragon zone, you need to get everyone to leave, if you're in an area with things dragons don't like, your job is to get those things dead. Factions with agendas are interesting in this context, because your relationship with them is going to change over a playthrough, and there may be occasions where they're wildcards.

[@DaPerfecto57]

Imo that should be the default ‘blue’ mechanic. Gold phantoms are already enough to help babysit hosts. Blues right now are just gankers without friends.

[@weatherman1504]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 A coventant relating to the really big dragon in Caelid would be neat like that.

[@weatherman1504]

@@DaPerfecto57 What are you saying should be the default mechanic for blues?

[@DaPerfecto57]

Darkmoon covenant should be the default mechanic for blues.

[@LawfulBased]

My first _"Souls"_ was Darksouls2 in which the *'Blue Sentinels'* had massive purpose. I earned myself the fancy neon-glow in my blue phantom and it was a blast the entire journey. Good times. Good times. So missed. 😌👌

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

I know, best souls 2 was such a good experience. It was such a massive shock going into DS3 and seeing the wonderful community rot like year-old milk.

[@rokva5771]

I had the best PVP experience bar none in DS2. Was it perfect? hell no, it was jank as fuck, but it was pretty diverse. You had regular invasions and duels, blue sentinel invasions, the arenas, Rat and Bellkeepers invasions (the best imo) and the Looking Glass Knight invasions.

[@Scriffer]

You mean you actually found blue combatants in the arena? XD it was almost always dead when I played.

[@LawfulBased]

@@Scriffer You clearly came too late to the party and for that my condolences. I remember fighting in the arena and protecting as a Blue *AND* invading as a Blue to rise my rank in the covenant. The last match in which I noticed I now have the neon-blue glow, I gave away my last +50 cracked blue eye orbs to my opponent for free. *AND* I jumped to my death so that he wins the match even, so that means +1 more orb. Which could all used to invade and possibly rise one's rank even more. That guy was superhappy I did it. He did the cheering jump emote even. Wierd isn't it? How those moment just stick with you. Doing something good. Something almost _"selfless"._ Nothing is truly selfless in my opinion but it felt so damn good to do it. Hence why I did it. The game was pure love. Until players started having enough of it sadly and I cannot fault them for it. Even the best movie, liqour & game cannot keep one hyped forever.

[@Scriffer]

@LawfulBased yeah I was busy getting the red glow doing the blood arena. By the time I went over to blue, nobody was at that arena any more. And I don't like being a blue sentinel. So i never got it.

[@diezelfunk]

Now that you mentioned covenants. As weird as it is, I miss invading/co-oping as a purple phantom. I even remember switching sides the moment a lone host gave me a siegbrau.

[@Warcrafter4]

I feel like purple invaders were a good idea executed horribly. As you have to get the last hit for their alternate win condition which means most of the time the alternate win condition is impossible and you have to attack the host anyways. I also wish they'd redo pinks entirely to make them work as a host never has a reason to summon a pink phantoms. I think if/when we see covenants again that they'd be completely reworked as a lot didn't really work in every game or had major issues that hurt their gimmick like Mound Makers did.

[@diezelfunk]

​@@Warcrafter4 Absolutely agree with that. I really love the idea behind it, you being a wildcard in a multiplayer session but yeah, that alternate win condition is why most purples I've seen act like regular invaders, or when summoned as a phantom simply look for duels. Which is fine, I guess. But that kind of defeats the whole purpose of the covenant.

[@gentlemandog4985]

I always wished you could use the White Soap Stone to help your host fight the boss, and if you won you got more shin bone, but if the host died you got less shin bones. Ya someone would probably "Optimize it", but still would be cool

[@brickch.6502]

As a honourable Blue, it saddens me how disregarded that side of multiplayer is. Not only it's completely useless, it also lacks balancing compared to invaders. There's no phantom blue finger to get closer to action, you're just another summon that has to run a marathon to get to the fight (admitting he's not already dead or just camping out of reach), nor initial I-frames on spawn (from what I remember, I may be wrong). And the purpose is, again, quite confusing, as Ranni said in the video. Multiplayer as a whole doesn't offer any reward, so the only thing that'd bring me to be a blue is my love for co-op and helping others. But I sincerely sympathise with invaders way more often than not. I may be the only blue to hate gankers tbh. I may not be good at PvP (I admittedly enjoy PvE more), but I do respect players and their attempt at having a fun time. Love y'all~ 🗿✨

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

👍

[@Aro748]

It feels like covenants were originally meant to be implemented in the game as a lot of the npcs had roles; Varre>Servant of Mohg, Yuria>Hunter, Vyke> Dragon Cultist, Corhyn> Golden Order, etc. That little feature would make the lore and gameplay much more profound, it’s a shame it’s missing when the foundation is there.

[@RaidenKaiser]

I stopped being blue because I got tired of spawning on the other side of the continent. Like I'd rather them just half my health instead if it means I can actually be in a reasonable distance to the host or invader.

[@ryproar11]

As a blue guy I'd like to say thanks to gank squads and AFK farmers I gave up trying. Many of us did. Several times I was summoned to be a sacrifice to a red who's buddy was the host. I can take out reds pretty easy with my Solaire build but sadly the previous reasons are why it is pointless. We need a forset defenders covenant in the DLC. That would make being blue cool again. Oh and praise the sun and such... 🙏 ☀ 🙏

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

Agreed, but as an og blue under Gwyndolyn i'd say "Praise The Moon" 😏🤣😉

[@TarzanSuplex]

This must be what has happened to me way too much.

[@McDerpMiniaturesStudio]

In my experience, whenever I was summoned as a blue summon... 9 times out of 10 times, it was a fucking fight club, with the host standing by.

[@Clockdrive]

Co-op and invasions have become a lot less jolly. The guys who still bother invading have had the joy beaten out of them and are cutthroat, the gankers they are invading have probably been killed by invaders and come to really hate them to the point of spite. Ironically people seem to hate invading taunters tongue worlds at all, a lot of times when I get a taunters tongue invader they finger out after the second or third invasion because they are (presumably) sick of invading the same guy. It doesn't seem to have a cooldown for individual people at all.

[@Alloveck]

Really, REALLY hating invaders covers my stance on them pretty well. I have no interest in doing the invading, I don't want to be invaded, I hate the mechanic and play the Elden Souls games in spite of it. I never play particularly focused or planned builds in favor of a stat spread that lets me try most every piece of equipment as I get it because, call me crazy, I actually want to engage with all the game's content BEFORE deciding what to actually use. On top of that, I just plain have a steep personal learning curve in most all games. This means I spend at least the first 2/3rd of every Souls game getting flattened every single time I'm invaded. Just absolutely destroyed. So yeah, by the time I hit Elden Ring, I already had a deeply engrained loathing of all Invasions period. Even if I've had my late game victories eventually, when I've finally gotten good and levels are high enough that build focus doesn't matter as much anymore, those victories are always too late and too few, historically the bad has overall far, far outweighed the good. The accumulated bitterness of countless deaths at their collective hands means invaders cannot suffer enough, and my usual preference for fair play and sportsmanship is completely drowned out by SHEER VENEMOUS HATRED. Gank squads are the least they deserve. And I doubt that will ever change unless the in-game matchmaking ever finds a way to guarantee that players like me get matched with invaders with equally trash builds and/or poor PvP skills. Not that I think I'd love invasions even then, but I probably wouldn't hate them nearly as much if they were a consistently evenly matched 50/50 shot against invaders with similarly unfocused, unoptimized builds and underwhelming PvP skills rather than a 99% likely execution from someone who's laser optimized build and outsized PvP focus means they're kind of playing a different game entirely. The series is gradually getting closer to the ideal of matching players equally with each entry, but it's still got a long way to go.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

​@@Alloveck I also lost like 100 times in a row before I started winning in PvP. Why would you get yourself invaded so many times if you don't like it, dude? All you have to do in DS3 to NOT get invaded ever is to use ember just before the boss fight. That's ALL. Same with Elden Ring - summon before the boss fight. Seems like you're having troubles understanding the rules more than a skill issue.

[@TheDoc_K]

@@justaquietpeacefuldance because they want to have a companion for the rest of the level up-to the boss room. this isn't a hard thing to get.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

​@@TheDoc_K oh, I get it. I also get why you would want to walk around with a buddy in Elden Ring, it's a beautiful first time exploration - blasting through PvE with a buddy in DS3 isn't the same thing really, as far as I remember invasions. I'm just saying it's possible to avoid in all Souls games. Once Miyazaki attached old mechanics on a new Map on which they throw in an old bonfire system in their departure from Souls that sells 20mln, is when I started scratching my head, bud. 😅

[@TheDoc_K]

@@justaquietpeacefuldance fair.

[@jonathonmiller2662]

Whenever I feel burned out on dealing with gank invasions I’ll occasionally toggle on my blue ring. Not because I want to help gankers mind you, no no. I do it with the express purpose of either helping genuine pve players trying to progress or being a professional saboteur for gankers. If I spawn in and it’s a first step or haligtree church gank squad I just start dropping warming and frenzy stones for the invader where possible, maybe some greatbolts and crab if I can find the red alone and they aren’t using a cheese setup and don’t immediately try to take my head off. In the case of the haligtree since most gankers are too chickenshit to try and kill the clean rot knights while purging the NPC mobs I slap on shabriri’s woe and get them to follow me up to the host and his pal,I try to body block in narrow hallways to keep the host and phantom in place. I just generally make myself a nuisance. If the invader looks like they desperately need a top off on flasks then out comes the seppuku and I disembowel myself or simply hop off a high ledge and hope they can finish the job with the juice they get. Since ER denied me my right to play as a purple phantom I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands until from brings back covenants. Unfortunately not every red gets my intent and tries to kill me, and as of late gank hosts seem to be catching on that some blues want to ruin their fun and try to sever us once it’s obvious we aren’t there to help them crush reds for their amusement. But every now again the stars align and I get that one red that gets what I’m trying to do and ramps up their aggression just enough that the host can’t find the time to boot me out to get a proper blue patsy for their crusade.

[@prins-henrik1530]

Blue invaders for life!

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

as we can see Blues are such a shitty covenant that player needs to find his own purpose while participating... I learned to kite mobs on DS3's Black Knights, never thought it will get useful as a Blue.

[@attackmanatee02]

I've considered making a character that acts as a blue named "Not overly bright" and just be literally useless when summoned, and act like an absolute idiot. Just to take up a blue slot for gankers. Wear the albanauric head and just do stuff like blow the envoy horn with no fp and such

[@afro.sensei]

I really liked the "hunter of hunters" rune in bloodborne and how they handled it. In lore those people would hunt hunters who had gone mad so it makes sense that when you get invaded anyone with that rune would be the enemy of that person. Really like it when the pve makes sense is accurate to the lore.

[@jakinbandw]

I mean, sure, my co-op partner could be some high, overleveled character... But honestly my wife and I used summoning to play together, and we have no idea how to PvP, so any time we are invaded, we just die. In DS3, it got so bad in the swamp we quit playing the game together entirely. Thankfully invasions seemed more rare in Elden Ring. Though there, due to the open world restrictions, we ended up downloading a mod just so we could play together without all the strange limitations on what we could do together.

[@AcidJazzCigarillo]

I miss invading the guilty.

[@tylerpatrick3511]

Personally i think coop and invasions should have been tied to using rune arcs instead. Sort of allowing a differently flavored ember. It even makes sense since thats the main reward from invading.

[@DarkHypernova]

I'm not positive on this, I might be completely wrong. But I wonder if having a rune arc activated prioritises you to be invaded when summoning a phantom. I swear when I'm summoned by rune active host we're almost always emmediatly invaded. But after being summoned by a now rune active host, it seem to take a while

[@ainulvr9808]

I was so confused as to why they didn´t tie invasions to rune arcs, as you also get it when defeating a boss IIRC. It was RIGHT THERE, they could´ve just made it the Ember of Elden Ring, it has the exact same effects only different in the exchangeable effects of your Great Rune of choice instead of purely more HP.

[@gerharddamm5933]

A lot of people forget they have the rune arcs and just don’t use them though. I have to remind myself to use of the 200+ arcs I have.

[@prins-henrik1530]

I heard a rumor that the rune arcs were originally going to do that but got changed by Bandai. I really hope that rumor isn't true

[@HunterBloodHunterBlood]

I mean these are the same people who thought max 4 players was a good idea so wouldn’t doubt Bandai Scamco were the ones to f up the system

[@unprofessionalidiot8508]

I think the only time when a blue spirit was helpful to me was in the sewer pipe maze where the person I summoned to help me navigate died. The blue spirit came in and helped me the rest of the way.

[@brickch.6502]

That's probably one of my favourite areas to help hosts get through, both as a furled finger and blue. It's pretty easy once you spend hours studying the map while helping others get through multiple runs, so unless the Ng scaling makes enemies too tanky due to the high level, it's pretty easy to get them through nowadays... ✨

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

@@brickch.6502 A demanding Area that incentives organic Co-op (and enables invasions, ffs!). Sounds like u r having a cool time, gg Fricking imagine, Miyazaki... They're not taking the advantage of having online in ANY way. Instead of making it interesting, they've made an easy open world and hard bosses to appease to Sunday players and those who "wAnT mOar" difficulty 'cause they're autistic an can "no-hit" the game. In result game "for everyone" is pretty much for no one, except for peeps that noticed there is "no markers on a map?! Shocking, 10/10"

[@alvin101978]

​@@justaquietpeacefuldancewhat

[@thegamingbean953]

That guy is based

[@sebastianmaldonado6076]

Played on all sides of the issue, and all I have to say is: Invasions are not supossed to be fair, you know you can get ganked and you still went in for the lols of killing someone. Want a fair match? duel or Arena

[@VultureXV]

The only time Blues made sense was in OG Dark Souls, where people who got invaded indicted people who succeeded in invading them. It was a HUGE dopamine hit to the invaders to see "YOU WERE INDICTED." The Blues had a place in the lore, as Blades of the Darkmoon; servants of Gwyndolin. Gwyndolin, being the last remaining living god in the area and doing his best to make sure the Chosen Undead links the flame, has AMPLE motive behind the creation of the Blues. Dark Souls II actually took this one step further and allowed you to use the Blue Sentinels covenant to INVADE the invaders which was a good step in the right direction. However, everything else just felt like a form of 'excuse' to add it. Every other Souls game has lost it's 'feel' with the Blue Covenant, shifting it from a "Spirit of Justice" into a "Police Summon." Instead of getting retribution and following a pursuit of vengeance, Blues are now forced to be the game's Nannies and dollars to donuts you don't even get to HELP the people who need it (newbies or bad players) because chances are THEY'RE ALREADY DEAD BEFORE YOU GET TO THEM. This means that Blue summons are notorious for being tagalongs in gank squads now. This is why people honestly see blues as only Estus Refill. Bring back Mad covenant (seriously we have Flame of @#$%ing Frenzy and now Purple summons? BS BS BS BS BS *BS* ) Make Blues justiciars again (seriously we have the old lore of Volcano Manor and no spirits of justice/vengeance? FLAVOR FAIL)

[@Warcrafter4]

For Blue Sentinals being in DS2:Judging from the DS2 lore on Blue Sentinels they seem to be the direct descendants of the Blades of the DarkMoon. This is backed up by DS3 treating them as the same covenant. So story wise DS2 Blues are what Blade of the Darkmoon became without Gwyndolin to lead them as they are considered an "undeveloped" faction. Which make sense as they are split between Way of Blue and Blue Sentinels meaning they are a fractured faction without a clear leader. That being said I completely agree with what you said that they were and what they have become. Also you missed that in ER there is no real reward for defeating blues as unlike in the DS games. So they aren't even worth fighting anymore as an invader unless they are being annoying or you need an Estus Refill.

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

👍👍👍 to both you and op

[@bjornraberg5475]

Yeah I really miss the blue eyed orb, never really played as blue, but it did improve pvp in general... maybe during the DLC? xx

[@helnerim9987]

Agree on the "by the time you get summoned to help, the fight has already ended" every time I was summoned as a blue hunter, I was always so far away from the host / fight, by the time I arrive either someone is dead, or they are already ganking red so I have no purpose lmao

[@_ariosto1519]

Blue hunters are currently used for: a) AFK rune farmers; b) when host and invader partner so that blues are lured into a trap, so the invader gains runes. 😢

[@Chicanery_Artifice]

Invaders don't kill blues for runes. They kill them because they are blues >:)

[@uneterostardust8233]

​@@Chicanery_ArtificeRAciSm

[@genghiskhan6809]

Invaders kills blues for estus to survive longer and kill the host.

[@gametheus1306]

I just use blues to try and get a second invader in. It doesn’t work too often but when it does the chaos is magical

[@spacedoohicky]

I think there is one case where a hunter serves a great purpose. When the host doesn't know what they are doing, and they summon a random phantom who doesn't know what he is doing. That is not such a rare occurrence. There are more people summoning randoms than using password. But from the invader's point of view he doesn't see this because it's the ones using passwords that suck in invaders with taunter's tongue. I do a lot of random coop. The amount of people summoning like this is quite large. And it's not easy since these are true pve folks, and the mobs assist invaders. I think I'll have to respectfully disagree with you considering that your pov is based on someone who is a victim of gankers which pull in the bad red man by forcing invasions with the tongue. Blues can serve a purpose. It's just that the tongue has so much priority over not using tongue, an invader has to experience ganks more than genuine pve players. And genuine pve players are typically not very good at pvp which makes them easy targets in a 2v1 scenario, and even in a 3v1 scenario. I know because I invade too, and 3 genuine pve players are pretty easy to take down unless they get lucky. The true problem is that password summons nerfing is a diaper full of turds in effectiveness.

[@StoicScape219]

If you choose to summon, you choose to be invaded. It’s that simple. You don’t need the help from a blue when you already have your friends you coop with, esp as passwords. If you’re pulling extra numbers to help you when you already have that then it’s gone from coop to ganking. Sorry but there is no pass for that. You don’t get your cake and eat it too.

[@gerharddamm5933]

I think waifu is definitely biased toward the PvP viewpoint. It’s so true that the vast majority of people playing are PvE Andy’s that are just not equipped to handle PvP strats (often literally). The invader only has to kill the host, is usually decked out for that exclusive purpose, and can simply wait out the host until they are in a compromising position to sabotage them and get the kill even if they die right after. INVADERS ARENT SUPPOSED TO WIN MOST FIGHTS

[@spacedoohicky]

@@StoicScape219 I was exclusively talking about random summons, and not password summons. I was exclusively talking about people who are bad at the game, but still want to enjoy it. That being said, I have no problem taking out a team of 3 if the 2 summons are randoms. It's like taking candy from a group of babies. I'm sorry, but I'm not really invested in your discontent in that regard. As for overleveled phantoms I agree that is a problem, but the problem isn't that people use it. A player who invades uses the argument that it's a part of the game therefore it is okay to be an invader. Same argument works for password summons. The real problem is that nerfing phantoms was designed badly as in nerfing doesn't really nerf effectively. I have a feeling you have no idea just how bad most players are. Even in groups they are not doing well. They get maybe a little benefit from summoning, but they are truly terrible at playing the game. Maybe they get lucky, and summon me. I am very good. I doubt you would win in a 1v1 fight against me. Based on your bellyaching I wouldn't guess you are that good. Maybe you are above average. But with random summons there are likely mostly players who would be much worse than you.

[@jakinbandw]

I have never survived an invasion in any souls game. Even when I play Co-Op with my wife who is at the same level, I have never won once. I'm not sure you understand the skill difference between players looking to have fun playing with a friend, and those that are out there to invade and ruin other peoples day. I am a fan of Invaders having the most miserable time possible. It means fewer invaders, and that means that my wife and I don't get killed all the time.

[@spacedoohicky]

@@jakinbandw I understand.

[@breaker5026]

Blue Summons serve as a free estus refill for us overworked Invaders

[@thecommentguy9380]

i had to wait half an hour to have someone in need of help, then finds out he's either a maidenless little shit afk farming (whom i refused to aid) or the fight is over so far i only had 3 chances to square up with the invader in honorable duel

[@bossraptor3578]

Another thing is the notification of blues entering the world for Elden Ring. As in ds3 you got a siren noise and a visual cue in the direction the blue was summon. In Elden Ring you just get a notification box that is easy to not notice especially mid fight. You would think with a world as big as Elden Ring this system would have been implemented. As least blues make some hosts get cocky, leading to fun and cheeky kills.

[@vaporsouls6752]

I just wanted to cosplay as bloody finger hunter yura :( he would've been so much cooler if he has a covenant where if you join you hunt bloody finger players

[@kayas7574]

the few times I used the ring to be a blue summon I was summoned into someone being afk in a spot that noone could reach without torrent, so we just messed around in the world and waited for more ppl to chill with ... it just is not worth playing blue summon when this is what you are getting most of the time

[@sasaki999pro]

I remember getting summoned as a blue hunter in Liurnia, only to find out I was catfished by an AFK farmer, who was tucked up high on a cliff side out of reach I was so pissed and after (Frantically) managing to establish a truce with the Red Man, I was able to point out the hosts location and dropped him some rotbone arrows to take him out. If you're out there Sir Invader and you remember an interaction like this, I just want to say GG! that was awesome 😂

[@DarkHypernova]

There was a way though to temporily block invaders in DS2 (at least in SotFS) by burning an effigy at a bonfire (or beating an area boss). This would give a cooldown that could also be prematurely deactivated. Maye rune arcs should have given a similar extra purpose, would certainly give the pile of rune arcs some more use. There were also the giant seeds that could really turn the tables in sticky situations (or even make the invader into an unlikely ally). Elden Ring really does cries out for some special areas with covenants where you could get invaded regardless of status, something like "Tomb wardens", "hunters of the forest/swamp" or "Miquella's faitfull".

[@TrainingMacro]

The difference between a dedicated blue phantom and a yellow one is that a blue phantom has a pvp build and a yellow one generally has a pve build. The whole squad can die to a single invader when none of them have the capability to fight said invader. Blue phantoms however are designed to dispatch said invader. It doesn't mean blues can solo the invader, since the invader can hide under a fieldboss' balls or pull other shenanigans and punish everyone for attempting to cleave through the mobs. Or in some cases the invader just shows up with double bleed spears, which generally just requires multiple players to deal with. The biggest problem with blues is that they don't get summoned. I can have a blue ring active for hours and simply not get called upon. And then the times I do the host dies before I finish my spawning animation.

[@gensaikuroki1793]

In DS2, you could temporarily block invasions for 30mins at a time by burning a human effigy at the Majula bonfire.

[@CS_Mango]

Gankers can get bent. They might as well use their taunters tongue in the process. Usually i nope out of these situations. But it gets really annoying when on some days only one out of 15 invasions is actually a genuine co-op. Not a bunch of dudes waiting to stomp me. What makes this even worse is the fact that you go in with half the flasks you usually have. Which is fine in a 1v1 against a guy with a pve build. But makes ganking even worse.

[@lukaogadze5071]

i have like 1200 hours in pvp(mostly invasions) and tried lvl 30 co op to help hosts. man i did not knew how difficult is to keep host alive.

[@kitsune9076]

A method I've used against gankers as an invader is using the conceiling veil to wait for another invader to come help as it hides your location and you can dual team with them, the phantom fingers can be used to re-locate if youre spotted

[@fabrizioesposito9390]

I have a strongest move against the Red Man than the blue ring: turning-off the router xD

[@VorxDargo]

I still use the ring to be summoned as a Blue from time to time, but as i said before i will not, or rather refuse to, gang up on someone. If i see the host has a summoned ally and they are trying to gang up on an invader i'll stay back or just leave. Honor is hard to come by in the game, but i do what i can.

[@steihadenough]

One time, a very annoying invader killed all my co op party, so I got hope when a hunter appeared that they would help me but instead they kept chasing me and throwing pots at me lol

[@calebgoodman3028]

Oh. Didn’t expect the Silent Hill music at the start. Nice!

[@parleyeon7951]

I kind of disagree on the co-op point. Sure they have help... but the red is still a pest. And having additional help to get rid of that pest is nice. But yeah the covenants would be a good return to form, allowing reds (among other things) to choose whether they invade those who want to be invaded or if they want to ruin some group's fun.

[@timgrant9021]

There are at least three things I would like to mention about the hunter mechanic in Elden Ring from my experience. 1) Most recently, I was summoned as a hunter to another player’s world when I was immediately sent back to my own. Turns out from what I observed, the host set up a “duel” and there was no way of me knowing it. 2) Hunters often are spawned very far away from the host so it is literally impossible for me to save the host if I was trying to reach the confrontation on foot. 3) One time I actually summoned as a hunter in an area in the Altus Plateau where there was absolutely no way for me to reach the host or the invader on foot. The area was a ruined church (in the Altus Plateau) where you find Bloody finger hunter Yura and Eleonora.

[@qwormuli77]

There is a use for the blue peenring: occasional, organic pvp that you didn't specifically select and wait for. It's not the intended use, nor should it be needed for that with better game design, but it's the band-aid we got. The only thing between "only constant PVP" and "no PVP at all, ever".

[@DiguiDiMoki]

Amazing job in your video man! Props to you and please never stop making videos. You are one of them gems innit 💎

[@Marinthees]

These videos are all very well thought out and offer great insights into the game, but Idk what it says about me that those dumb ass fart sound effects make me cry laughing. The reversed fart at 3:55 is killing me right now

[@boney-gumbodavis8020]

I'm an offline pve player and everything you said was valid. I don't understand why online co-op Mt. Dew barrels complain about what boils down to a skill issue.

[@Gallant_Tuba_Knight]

When people that literally started playing the game suddenly gets invaded by a red asshole with equipment FAR too advanced and starts abusing new players. "skill isue" isn't really what the problem is here. Now, when you and your friend (and the convenient blue boy that just joined) have far more experience AND equipment inevitably end up destroying that red cancer person is considered unfair? Well there is literally a coliseum dedicated for pvp so red invaders deserve to be ganged.

[@13JackDiamond]

Bad design? You can't say those forbidden words. You'll anger those that won't hear anything about Elden Ring being anything other than perfect. I can already hear them now.... "...You just want another Dark Souls 1. Hissss..."

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

Do I want current games to be more like universally praised goat games in their categories? Well yes, I would like another DS1, actually pls 😂🖕Dude, whoever says ER is 10/10 is a faken NPC

[@13JackDiamond]

@@justaquietpeacefuldance Honestly, a lot of people I've chatted with that praise ER are those who have played it as their first Souls game. It makes more sense to me why they think it's a completely different game than any of the Dark Souls and don't notice that its just DS with Sekiro bosses on a map that's stretched a bit to thin for content. I just wish they more open for discussion. I see more ER players complaining about Soulsborne elitists than actual elitists in comments.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

"DS with Sekiro bosses on a big map with no markers" 👌@@13JackDiamond

[@Mulch_Muncher.]

Blue summons serve ZERO purpose. YOU SHOULD SEVER YOUR FINGER NOW !

[@prins-henrik1530]

Instructions unclear I am bleeding out

[@Allan5889]

PvP at this point is just to see who can stop the others from having fun the fastest

[@morzorkatvfm]

Don't forget, Elden Ring is not a co-op game it's a multiplayer game, and there's a difference. Reddit Hosts take note.

[@rikkabilly]

Elden ring was made for the filthy causals and they are L2 spamming away on the pvp gravestone.

[@Pinyaps]

I tried to use reddit for the first time and made a post talking about the state of invasions/pvp and before you knew it, the thread turned into a massive circlejerk about why Invaders are bad and the equivalent of actual burglars or something and that's the first and last time I've used reddit lol.

[@TheRandomMuffinMan]

@@Pinyaps Yeah, Redditors are weird.

[@nathannavarro1177]

yep love to gank the multiplayers that invite themselves

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

@nathannavarro1177 You got it all wrong... 🤦‍♂️

[@Mr._Galaxywide]

I am extra irritated because they LITERALLY HAD A EASY SOLUTION for how to balance summoning and invasion make it so once someone uses a rune arch they are in the multi-player pool (Invasion, hunters, summons, etc...). They could also give the great runes an actual fucking purpose and potentially separate recusants from bloody fingers in some way.

[@Dioliolio]

It’s actually hilarious how terrible and totally inept blues always are. They truly are estus delivery. 😂

[@eyasu.]

In ds2, if you burn an effigy at a bonfire or kill a boss it prevents invaders temporarily in the area (it also prevents summoning)

[@OskarVanBruce]

Invaders are unwanted, it's as simple as that. Doesn't matter if it is unfair for the red, doesn't matter if the red gets curb stomped the first 20 seconds, what is unwanted is unwanted and as such reds deserve every shit that comes to them. it's really simple. If you want PvP go play in the Arena where people go to actually do PvP.

[@lukaogadze5071]

arena/duels are boring. same place, same people, same meta setups. i don't want to fight rapier + halberd all day.

[@anirudhv5940]

y'all scrubs for whom "reds are unwanted" are being destroyed in a 1v3 anyways.Its the people who are actively ganking with TT where the blu mechanic becomes cancer

[@Bread-able]

I used to be a blue hunter 90% of the time in the older games, Elden Ring, however, there really is no justification for them being there. The most truly useful they can be is turning 2 noobs vs 1 invader into a 3v1…and imma be honest…even if you’re a noob, losing a 2v1 is a skill issue.

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

0:50 waiting for host to gank and running with an L1 block - say what u will but buddy clearly knows his PvP 😂😂

[@ThatGuy-en2nn]

I'm a pve player so i don't really have investment in the system. Forced would be annoying for me but i can appreciate wanting a more balanced system.

[@unclaimedusername6608]

Usually if I find myself being summoned as part of a gank squad, I'll wait until the invader is losing and kill myself so that he gets some extra heals.

[@Soul_Biscuit]

I wish I still have the footage but I’ve been invaded when un-embered in DS3. Super Rare to happen.

[@puchimausu]

Honestly if the system was with great tunes instead everything would fall into place. Co op scrubs can explore the open world while opting out of invasions by having the host get rid of the great rune. Invaders can’t invade at low levels where the host haven’t even acquired necessary gear upgrades to fight people who smuggle end game items early and finally gives blue a purpose because hosts who use great runes would be solo invaded too.

[@Mad_Peasant_King]

Their purpose is to protect the host, whether it be a pve host who is already long dead or a ganking host, in which you'll join in where either the host or the invader is dead.

[@Thestudiousstud]

As a devoted blue hunter of faith and strength I’ve carried over 160 other players to surviving invasions and appreciate the bit at the end of the video 7:53

[@D-Havoc]

The lack of covenants to better justify the multiplayer mechanics in-universe does suck, but DS3 pretty much was guiding us towards this direction with how arbitrary covenants became in that game too because summoning an overleveled phantom was usually better than chancing it on a blue who dies to the pve before making it to you or they too, sucking at combat. Cracked red eye orb also became redundant with how early and easier it was to acquire the full red eye orb. And that red eye orb no longer required a covenant to use. The next title of these series of games might drop the charade altogether split the online and offline features to different game modes.

[@gerharddamm5933]

I get what you’re saying. And I definitely miss covenants. But I feel like you have this impression that invasions are supposed to be this fair 1v1 or even be weighted in favor of the invader when Miyazaki himself said he wasn’t happy with how invasions worked in souls games (I think you even mention it in a past video). Invaders are supposed to be this surprising extra hard enemy. They were supposed to be more about roleplay and using human intelligence to amp up the level’s difficulty here and there with invaders winning only occasionally and not the majority of the time. Instead it became pvp dueling and griefing. I think they definitely went heavy handed against invasions but not by that much. The fact that invaders can and do spec specifically for pvp while the host is likely on a pve build is advantage enough. Anyway, I wonder why they didn’t simply opt for being able to control some of the stronger NPCs instead. Probably would have been closer to the original vision that way.

[@BrolyCulo121]

I remember getting invaded while making my way to the Ulcerated Tree Spirit boss in Mt. Gelmir. The invader died before the hunter could get to him because he kept on fat rolling.

[@JordanMikes-bs5it]

I learned the other day that summoning a npc before a boss activates invasions if you take too long to challenge the boss.

[@seppeljordan]

Saying that coop invasions are consensual because you can have overleveled phantoms is a very flawed argument. it's comparable to saying getting run over by a car is your fault since you could drive pickup truck instead of walking. You know some people just want to play with their friends...

[@weskertambemjoga8261]

Please correct me if im wrong, in dark souls 2 you could just burn an effigie on the bonfire to not get invaded right?

[@cedricparsons2399]

On blue phantoms specifically, ooh boy, yeah. They were poorly implemented in ER, but then PvP feels like it got shafted in general. The only practical use I can see to blue phantoms in ER (and this is why my other comment was relevant, but I also feel it's its own thing) is for player groups who plainly do not want to deal with PvP and so need an actual PvP player to save them. Here's an idea, what if the way blue phantoms worked somehow hardlocked themself and the invading player(s) into a duel scenario?

[@xdragonhunterxd2640]

Never guessed id watch an 8 minute video of ranni explaining how PvP works in elden ring. Happy either way

[@talkingmudcrab718]

@2:37 "Summoned into battle against the Evil Red Man." _General Custer has entered the chat._

[@DracoTheBlack]

As someone who doesn't coop and who liked using blue-eye orbs I hated the changes in Elden ring. I liked occasionally getting invaded in Souls games, fucking around with an item to get invaded and ending up fighting against 2 reds often enough is tedious bullshit. All because the casual babies couldn't handle eating the occasional death to an invader every now and then in a series of games that is notorious for how often you die playing it...

[@leonardocarrion1875]

SH3 music hits and suddenly brings me back to the good old days

[@thomasdevlin5825]

I think this is the reason why covenants don't exist in elden ring, the way PvP is designed kinda makes them redundant. They could still exist if they wanted them too, but I think they specifically wanted players that don't like PvP to be able to play without ever seeing an invader, so having a covenant that specifically revolves around invading people wouldn't have as much of a home in elden ring

[@KinaIchi]

Still love jumping on my raptor talon lvl 460 build as a blue boy. Never gets old

[@ainulvr9808]

I greatly mourne covenants in Elden Ring, especially since there are SO MANY factions one could choose from. Golden Order Fundamentalism, Golden Order, Children of the Formless Mother (Mohg´s Outer God of blood), Stars Of Darkness (the cosmic menace crashing to earth in form of Astel and Fallingstar Beasts), Erdtree Servants, Dragon Cult, Dragon Eaters, Nokron and Nokstella, Prince Of Death, The Grafted, Cleanrot, Redmanes, Darkmoon, and that´s not even all of them!

[@sovereignflame]

blue summons could be knights of the roundtable who swore to protect tarnished from recusants/bloody fingers. the world building in this game really feels like it was designed with covenants in mind and they just didn’t add them or cut it last minute, doesn’t really make sense

[@LyllianaTV]

appreciate the shoutout Waifu :D

[@prins-henrik1530]

I have used blues to get 2v2 invasions (because the sighned up for pvp unlike yellows, who often leave if tt turns on), but its a really annoying process in which you have to turn off the ring after one blue is summoned.

[@MelodusDethicus]

Yeah, I think the reduced player limit really screwed things up and put everything in favor of the host where now people have to force the point if they want an even matchup with the 4-player limit.

[@fernandomalpica1870]

Wow! Is like Pepsi vs Coke all over again but both sending their other soda brands to the fight.

[@brandonwaller94]

Just to add a little bit extra to this there's also the issue that, usually as a Blue Phantom if someone does want to go through that stuff, most of the time you get spawned so many bloody miles away from whoever's hosting that half the time a blue doesn't even get to see the invader or the host until one of them has already killed the other. Had this happen so many times it's not even remotely funny.

[@OmniGman]

The problem with your logic is, if someone wants to play the game co-op, the primary reason to do so is to make the game easier. A Red invading makes it harder, sometimes even harder than playing solo would be, depending on the Red's skill level and resources (how many PVE enemies are left). Imagine you're a newbie to Elden Ring, and you've summoned two random buddies to help you deal with this area/boss that's consistently demolishing you. They aren't great and can't coordinate to save your life, but sheer numbers makes up for a lot. A Red invades. You either race for the Fog Wall (meaning the invasion was pointless), or you're forced to confront the Red. Now, you're either dealing with some random scrub, or an intelligent enemy capable of using the remaining PVE against you. They can be anywhere in terms of skill from some rando troll, who spams hatemail after getting trashed 3v1, to a professional PVP streamer, who can hotswap weapons in the blink of the eye to adapt to the situation, or who just has a build for dedicated PVP while you're packing a PVE build or a "just for fun" cosplay build. If the Red slaughters one of your buddies, a Blue could spawn in to help you fend them off. That's their purpose in Elden Ring. They're an emergency "just in case". Which is admittedly lame. The problem isn't a flaw in how Blues are implemented (though you are right that it is flawed), its a fundamental flaw in how PVP is implemented (and how regular players vs invaders think it should be implemented). Notice nobody talks about, or makes videos about, The Arena any more. Even though its made to facilitate 'fair' PVP and has a wide variety of different options not available in the main game to make the battles more interesting. That's because Reds don't want 'fair' PVP, no matter how much they whine about ganking/magic/busted AoWs/whatever. They want to ruin someone's day. That's the point of being a Red. To invade some other guy's game and wreck his sh*t. They are, unironically, the Bad Red Man you jokingly referred to them as in your video. If they wanted 'fair' PVP, that's what Arena is for. They would be complaining that Arena needs greater variety, not that its too difficult for them to solo a three-man team (which is what most of their complaints boil down to; either them complaining that they can't crush a 'fake gank', three players doing co-op, or a real gank). Reds want to wreck the regular player's day. There is no two ways about it. They don't want fair 1v1s against dedicated PVPers (again, that's what Arena is for), they want to 'crush noobs' or troll anyone who isn't good enough to solo the game, even if they don't realize it themselves, and hide behind any number of excuses. There's no easy answer either. If regular players could play co-op with no invasions, they'd do so, and then the number of invasions would plummet, with the remainders being a few regular players looking to challenge themselves by adding randomized difficulty spikes to their PVE experience… or actual dedicted ganks. It would be the death knell of the game. Adding more content to Arena won't help either. Reds don't care about Arena. They want to invade. Its an eternal war between what PVE players want, and what Reds want (not what PVP players, but Reds specifically; remember, PVP is what Arena is for).

[@Camohflage]

i really want covenants in the expansion but i actually dont think we will get that. i wouldnt be surprised if fromsoft will just keep the current system. maybe theyll make some adjustments but im not getting my hopes up for covenants even though i really want them back

[@mihaghoraprime6263]

TL;DR, high level password summons are not properly scaled down (still), the convenience of the taunter's tongue is being exploited by dishonorable or malicious blues, and Akira remains a brilliant composer. Invasions, while especially unique (and for good reason), is cursed design, or in other words design that contradicts itself and cannot be redeemed no matter your efforts (though that does not mean they cannot be enjoyed, obviously). While the efforts to deepen the system are not cursed in of themselves (covenants, for example, or in this case the blues), they're as perfect as the abominations at the bottom of Shulva. Perhaps with the coming DLC there could be a zone or area that accommodates invaders "properly", or as I should say, how they used to be in other titles. Where rules and exceptions are made to create a scenario and opportunity for PvP unique to Elden Ring, even. What I would like to see is your opinion on the symmetrical combat of PvP in Elden Ring, and compared to other titles (Dark Souls 1-3, and Bloodborne), how it contrasts and differs from the PvE (asymmetrical), and which you prefer the most.

[@Jard357]

Ranni: "You know who ELSE likes to spam blue projectiles??... MY MOM!"

[@TarzanSuplex]

Thank you for this, I am new(ish) to souls, my only other experience is Bloodborne. The other experience I run into is when I get summoned as fodder(?) where everyone watches as I get killed and then they go back to their duel? Its hard to explain but this has happened way too much to me. I will be turning my ring off after this.

[@bjarnivalur6330]

I tried going blue a few times in ER, I somehow always spawned so far away that the invader already killed the host before I could get to him.

[@FatRaccoon-eh9ig]

I think its funny using taunters toungue and winding up sweaty invaders. Wasting their time is very fun to do sometimes.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

true, but dried fingers in an auto-summon invasion area were funnier than the tongue imo

[@FatRaccoon-eh9ig]

@tekla4871 oh even in ds3, I'd waste invaders time. A game of hide and seek in pontiff was fun at times.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

ye, I had some unsolved cases where I couldn't find the f^cker anywhere 😅 Might have been you 😁

[@FatRaccoon-eh9ig]

@tekla4871 haha if it was on xbox, likely. I hide in the grass with the stretch out emote so I blend in, no glitches 😅

[@ynotds6205]

I miss the days where invasions meant something, for both the host and the invader. It wasn’t just for pvp. The menacing feeling of invading and getting invading is something that got lost with dark souls 3 and made worse with elden ring. Unfortunately, with all due respect for Miyazaki and everything he did. I think he got invasions wrong. There is a reason it peaked in DS2.

[@Neumonics429]

I play PVE and in DS2 there was nothing like getting invaded knowing I had no chance of surviving only for some mad lad to run in and start swinging while I try my best to not get hit and take a few potshots when I could. There was something so cool about the covenants of DS2 that I wish they would recreate.

[@JackDanmer]

Died from "blue balled" blue joke on 6:51

[@du5k.17]

Invading in DS3 was so much fun, I remember spending hours in gank city excited to either hunt down a lone host, engage in an all out war with the host and their summons with an Aldritch's Faithful and a crackhead Mound-Maker or even stumbling upon a fight club and seeing how many rounds I could go through. None of this is in Elden Ring and that's my biggest gripe with it, I just wanna cut out people's tongues for Mother Rosaria again

[@komit66]

Description literally: Lures invaders😮

[@TheLuc224]

In Ds 3 the blue summons (covenants) are explained by the lore and its soo good. We have the blue sentinals that are against Rosarias Fingers because they are good bois/girls and we have the Darkmoon Blades that don't have to be good bois/girls but want the fire to be linked so they see it as their duty to protect an Ashen One from being hindered linking the flame. They don't care about that you might want to be invaded or not. They want you to potentially link the fire; thats just their goal.

[@Dracoboss98]

I, for one, love that the cops aren’t on my ass every single invasion like in DS3 😂

[@aggersoul23]

Man, i missed my daily dose of terror and despair! Good to have ya back, waifu.

[@Ephringael]

I always thought the purpose of the fun police was to be an estus refill for the invader.

[@M.A.R.S.]

I never minded the lack of blues in Elden Ring since my history with them in DS3 made them out to be bloodthirsty players who dont allow fun in pvp, only death.

[@conn0rized292]

I love Co op-ing. Being a yellow boi has been my favorite thing to do in the series. I've tried being a blue in DS3, but it's only ever fun if it was a solo host. Never tried being a hunter in ER because the host already having summons is a given and ganking is for homos.

[@DJAlphaOmega]

In Dark Souls 1 you had the Darkmoon blade covenant as well.

[@patrickpeyton7433]

I loved the Silent Hill 3 music, that's my favorite game

[@ivercingetorix1367]

FFX soundtrack in the background is always appreciated 🥲