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I think so. I tried to duplicate Malenia's sword and couldn't. I think the duplicating Rembrance is just for getting both items.
FWIW, Malenia's sword has cool weapon art, but it's not all that great. Baseline Katana Unsheath is better.
The only way we can ever solve anything is to look in the mirror and find no enemy
Yep, you can only ever get one of each boss weapon, although that may not include from NG+. The main purpose is to make it a bit easier for achievement hunters, I think.
I've found the fame is remarkably unstable on PC. Not unplayable so, but enough that you'll suffer stuttering, crashes, and hang-ups with a degree of frequency. While the Souls games weren't the best ports, they did run a bit better.
LordofHats wrote: Mimic Tear nerf unsurprising. That thing was absurd. You could let it solo some bosses for you.
Oh yeah, it was completely broken.
Apparently Moonveil, Hoarfrost Stomp, Sword of Night and Flame (never used), Bloody Slash are bad now.
I love how devs balance singleplayer games.
The only way we can ever solve anything is to look in the mirror and find no enemy
Moonveil isn't on the list. I wouldn't be surprised, though I'd question it. I'd say the weapon is easier to use and more popular because of it than OP.
I never used Hoarfrost but I'd seen videos and it was definitely OP. Bloody Slash looks like it got an unnecessary nerf IMO because it didn't seem that good. I suspect Sword of Night and Flame's nerf was mostly about it being an easy way to access the Comet spell that could be spammed to kill nearly every boss.
There's a few things I'd consider OP they didn't nerf it seems (jump heavy spam) but these nerfs seem focused on the PVP side and the obviously broken nature of Mimic Tear and being easily able to spam comet in early game rather than the PvE side.
Hoarfrost was absolutely busted in certain situations.
As AoE it could 1-shot equal level mobs or at least 2-shot.
Very strong against bosses.
However, it was worthless against flying mobs, not good against Gargoyles at all, only OKAY against Erdtree Watch Dogs, and hit or miss against rapidly moving mobs i.e. mounted enemies, Leonine Misbegotten, Malekith. Also, very buggy in corridors and unlevel surfaces.
I liked Bloody Slash early-mid game, but Moonveil was stronger. Not sure why they nerfed it, it was very good, but not completely busted.
ASFAIK, Rotten Breath didn't get touched and it's stronger than any of the above against non-immune bosses. Like...it literally does at least 50% of a boss's HP in damage with a garbage seal for me.
The only way we can ever solve anything is to look in the mirror and find no enemy
It could be spammed fast enough to stun lock, which might be why it got nerfed when Moonveil didn't. Getting too aggressive with Transient Moonlight tends to get you killed while the range and arc of Bloody Slash was much much more flexible (plus moonveil bounces off shields, bloody slash goes through them). Add in that Bleed is crazy powerful and putting the weapon art on a bleed weapon will eat boss bars like crazy, and I guess I can kind of see why it got nerfed. If you went all in on it Bloody Slash would trivialize the game in the same way Night and Flame or Hoarfrost spam would.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/03/17 04:34:04
LordofHats wrote: Mimic Tear nerf unsurprising. That thing was absurd. You could let it solo some bosses for you.
Aww, I haven't gotten far enough to get that ash yet to try it out for myself. At least my Headless Lhutel is doing just fine for me so far.
Currently playing an Enchanted Knight using the Carian sword sorceries, so I'll see how the reduced cost of the greatsword pans out.
"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me." - Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks
LordofHats wrote: Mimic Tear nerf unsurprising. That thing was absurd. You could let it solo some bosses for you.
Aww, I haven't gotten far enough to get that ash yet to try it out for myself. At least my Headless Lhutel is doing just fine for me so far.
Currently playing an Enchanted Knight using the Carian sword sorceries, so I'll see how the reduced cost of the greatsword pans out.
It could actually solo Malenia with the right equipment. It was probably the most broken of all.
I never used Sword of Night and Flame so IDK how bad that was before the nerf.
Caria Manor Tips:
On my replay I discovered that the Hands do not like fire. Fire weapon arts and fire pots make them freak out.
If you do Caria Manor and speak to Ranni after you killed Radahn, her dialogue changes and she directs you straight to Nokron.
The only way we can ever solve anything is to look in the mirror and find no enemy
LordofHats wrote: Mimic Tear nerf unsurprising. That thing was absurd. You could let it solo some bosses for you.
Aww, I haven't gotten far enough to get that ash yet to try it out for myself. At least my Headless Lhutel is doing just fine for me so far.
Currently playing an Enchanted Knight using the Carian sword sorceries, so I'll see how the reduced cost of the greatsword pans out.
I wouldn't worry.
Fully upgraded most of the 'named' Ashes seem OP and from what I'm seeing the nerf was inconsequential. The Tear can still tear through weaker bosses if you're overleveled.
The cost reductions I'm very excited for. So many spells in-game but all felt overcosted for the damage they did while the cheaper early game spells never really lose their cheap reliability.
I find that true of most of the Souls esque games.
From brutalizes the gak out of you in the early game until you learn to play with more calculation and by the time you're reaching the end even brutal bosses feel more manageable because you're in a better headspace. I've cruised through later parts of the game far more fluidly than the earlier parts. Some of that is cause I'm overlevel but it's also that I've got my strategies to deal with things new and am unashamed to say I look for ways to abuse terrain and line of sight to my advantage XD
They really outdid themselves with the mystery and lore in this one too. Much as I love mocking GRRM, the underlying conflicts and family drama at the core of Elden Ring's lore is very interesting and exciting with just enough clues scattered about that you can feel like you have an image of what's going on but no real certainty that the image is correct. Trying to figure out how Ranni and Melina are connected is a mindfuck because they're very clearly connected in some way but the foremost details on how are withheld from us so there's a couple of different theories that seem plausible. Most of the named characters have a bit more character to them than the norm but they've maintained that bits and pieces style of storytelling that I like which I think works really well here.
I actually want DLC. The base game has more than enough content. I've not be cheated. I want more and I'll pay for it.
And the build variety is a cut above previous games. Not that DSIII was a slouch but there were definitely a few set ups there that were too good not to use, while even the most mediocre weapons with the right set up can become game-breakers in Elden Ring.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2022/03/17 20:47:10
LordofHats wrote: I find that true of most of the Souls esque games.
From brutalizes the gak out of you in the early game until you learn to play with more calculation and by the time you're reaching the end even brutal bosses feel more manageable because you're in a better headspace. I've cruised through later parts of the game far more fluidly than the earlier parts. Some of that is cause I'm overlevel but it's also that I've got my strategies to deal with things new and am unashamed to say I look for ways to abuse terrain and line of sight to my advantage XD
They really outdid themselves with the mystery and lore in this one too. Much as I love mocking GRRM, the underlying conflicts and family drama at the core of Elden Ring's lore is very interesting and exciting with just enough clues scattered about that you can feel like you have an image of what's going on but no real certainty that the image is correct. Trying to figure out how Ranni and Melina are connected is a mindfuck because they're very clearly connected in some way but the foremost details on how are withheld from us so there's a couple of different theories that seem plausible. Most of the named characters have a bit more character to them than the norm but they've maintained that bits and pieces style of storytelling that I like which I think works really well here.
I actually want DLC. The base game has more than enough content. I've not be cheated. I want more and I'll pay for it.
And the build variety is a cut above previous games. Not that DSIII was a slouch but there were definitely a few set ups there that were too good not to use, while even the most mediocre weapons with the right set up can become game-breakers in Elden Ring.
I agree with all of this. I'm still working my way through the game, but I'm already hungry for some DLC, because I know it' sgoing to come to an end eventually.
I've actually read GRRM didn't have as huge of an impact on the lore as most people though. He just sort of came up with the overarching ideas. That being said, it's very clear they put much more effort into the lore and story in this game (Really needed to though, since it's an open world) and I am always figuring things out, watching lore videos. There is so much to unpack. in this game.
I don't know if I can put a percentage on it, but GRRM's hand is very evident in the main plot. The family drama at the core of the Shattering is very GRRM, as is a lot of the naming conventions and complex characterizations. From definitely had a hand too. Lots of Lovecraftian beings lingering in the background, multiple competing organizations, that's all very them. But the particular way their woven together feels like GRRM's handwriting in the game.
The Black Knives and the massive mystery around them is a good show I think. GRRM loves his complicated and double-crossing political intrigue, something that has never really been a thing in From's games before. But in the story of the Black Knives is a very murky and unclear series of political and religious allegiences that are vague but can only be explained by multiple groups pretending to work together while simultaneously pursuing their own interests and eventually engaging in a conga line of double crosses with the Shattering as an end result.
Example with spoiler bits;
Spoiler:
Take the Black Knives. Early on we're led to believe they were created by Ranni to escape the control of the Greater Will by killing her body and this somehow led to Godwyn's death and the Shattering.
However the Black Knives clearly don't work for Ranni anymore. She open admits to imbuing their daggers with Destined Death, but they spend much of the game seemingly in service to the Two Fingers and are against Ranni and what she's trying to do.
Later we find out that the Black Knives only answered to Marika before the Shattering, making it completely unclear who caused the Shattering and why. Malekith says Marika betrayed him, not Ranni and by the end of the game it's getting questionable that Ranni's admission was straightforward. Looking back it feels more like she was taking the blame for setting events into motion, not that she directly orchestrated them.
And then there's Melina, whose weapon is an unmodified Black Knives dagger without Destined Death imbued into it. Her move set is also very similar to that of the Black Knives you fight in-game but with magic thrown in. She's very clearly connected to Ranni (Torrent, their eyes, neither of them have a real body anymore) but how and what it means is a cluster not helped by how little Melina actually appears in-game and she never comments on or interacts with Ranni. All we really know about her is that her mother is in the Eldtree, suggesting she might be a daughter of Marika but why she parallels Ranni so much has almost no clues provided in-game.
I think Ranni wanted to kill her body to free her sole and created a Black Knife to that end. Then the Two Fingers, looking to replace Marika with someone more pliable to their interests, used the tools Ranni created to kill Godwyn, sparking the Shattering. Marikia,knew all of this was happening but let it presumably because she herself was sick of the order of the world and wanted it to end but maybe didn't fully realize the implications of what she allowed to happen.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/03/17 22:10:11
LordofHats wrote: I don't know if I can put a percentage on it, but GRRM's hand is very evident in the main plot. The family drama at the core of the Shattering is very GRRM, as is a lot of the naming conventions and complex characterizations. From definitely had a hand too. Lots of Lovecraftian beings lingering in the background, multiple competing organizations, that's all very them. But the particular way their woven together feels like GRRM's handwriting in the game.
The Black Knives and the massive mystery around them is a good show I think. GRRM loves his complicated and double-crossing political intrigue, something that has never really been a thing in From's games before. But in the story of the Black Knives is a very murky and unclear series of political and religious allegiences that are vague but can only be explained by multiple groups pretending to work together while simultaneously pursuing their own interests and eventually engaging in a conga line of double crosses with the Shattering as an end result.
Example with spoiler bits;
Spoiler:
Take the Black Knives. Early on we're led to believe they were created by Ranni to escape the control of the Greater Will by killing her body and this somehow led to Godwyn's death and the Shattering.
However the Black Knives clearly don't work for Ranni anymore. She open admits to imbuing their daggers with Destined Death, but they spend much of the game seemingly in service to the Two Fingers and are against Ranni and what she's trying to do.
Later we find out that the Black Knives only answered to Marika before the Shattering, making it completely unclear who caused the Shattering and why. Malekith says Marika betrayed him, not Ranni and by the end of the game it's getting questionable that Ranni's admission was straightforward. Looking back it feels more like she was taking the blame for setting events into motion, not that she directly orchestrated them.
And then there's Melina, whose weapon is an unmodified Black Knives dagger without Destined Death imbued into it. Her move set is also very similar to that of the Black Knives you fight in-game but with magic thrown in. She's very clearly connected to Ranni (Torrent, their eyes, neither of them have a real body anymore) but how and what it means is a cluster not helped by how little Melina actually appears in-game and she never comments on or interacts with Ranni. All we really know about her is that her mother is in the Eldtree, suggesting she might be a daughter of Marika but why she parallels Ranni so much has almost no clues provided in-game.
I think Ranni wanted to kill her body to free her sole and created a Black Knife to that end. Then the Two Fingers, looking to replace Marika with someone more pliable to their interests, used the tools Ranni created to kill Godwyn, sparking the Shattering. Marikia,knew all of this was happening but let it presumably because she herself was sick of the order of the world and wanted it to end but maybe didn't fully realize the implications of what she allowed to happen.
Well, form this article:https://www.ign.com/articles/miyazaki-george-rr-martin-elden-ring-speaking-with-an-old-friend
It sounds like GRRM just built the backbone of the world and the history of some of it's characters. All the plot, quests, text in the game as done by Fromsoft. I imagine he just sort of left a bit of a framework and they created the details from that framework. At least that is my interpretation of the article. This would lead me to believe stuff like the
Spoiler:
Ranni Black Knives quest
was developed by fromsoft, but there was probably some kind of a bullet point that they may have pulled from and expounded. Really, it's just sort of expanding on what they've done in the other Souls games. It's just now on a larger scope and more effort was put into it.
I feel like most of the in-game elements are From Software. Stuff like Rahdan learning gravity magic to keep riding his favorite horse? That's something From Software would put in there. Stuff like Rahdan being a peerless general with a favorite horse? That's GRRM.
Most of the characters feel like GRRM's work yeah. I doubt he wrote much dialogue or any of the in-game flavor text though, or any of the dialogue. Some of the core material, especially once it starts getting weird, feels more like From than Martin.
If I had to guess GRRM created most of the characters, the world, and the politics, then From 'Dark Souls'd' it up to fit with their brand. Basically, added gak tons of fire, lots of esotric confusion and uncertainty, and cut out many of the core details that would make fitting the pieces together easy.
EDIT: Some DLC theories;
-Something focused on the history and origin of the Eternal Cities and the underground areas. There's a lot left to explore there I think. Maybe some old force wants to reassert itself now that the Golden Order is waning and it's implied those underground cities were created by people who rejected Marika's consolidation of the Lands Between.
-The Stars are an illdefined by seemingly nefarious force we encounter as bosses mostly but it's also implied glintstone is basically some kind of eldritch horror that is spreading.
-Something relating to the Omens who we don't see that much of in game.
-Mequilla is never dealt with and is the only demigod who presumably still has his great rune by the end of the game.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/03/18 02:05:47
I'm nearing the end of my playthrough and I have to say this is definitely one of the best games I've ever played. Later areas getting to smacking you hard again with how much enemies can chunk you for but after cruising through Lyndell I don't really mind. The vistas of the games last few areas are fantastic.
feth the invisible enemies though.
Just feth that XD
Started carrying a seal around with heal slotted just in case I run into any centipede men. Seriously. feth those guys too XD
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/03/19 23:04:44
Yeah I have to be nearing the end of my first play through as well. I THINK I found "everything" so far. Which probably means I am missing a bunch cause feth this game is huge.
I just killed the Godskin Duo in Crumbling Farrum Azula.
Was not expecting their special trick. My Mimic Tear died about half way through the fight and the rest went pretty slow as I back peddled around the room getting in my little shots where I could.
These are my opinions. This is how I feel. Others may feel differently. This needs to be stated for some reason.
I killed it on the first run so I didn't have experimental runs. It was at about half health when one was dead then I killed the other thinking "And the second half of the HP bar will go at once". Then the first came back and almost immediately he resummoned the second.
"Great!"
Mimic Tear died holding them off while I killed the first one so it just became me running around the room for the second half of the fight getting in little opportunity nicks here and there. And then right at the end charging in in a flurry knowing that I could just end it with a few more blows.
These are my opinions. This is how I feel. Others may feel differently. This needs to be stated for some reason.
I did Altus Tunnel on my first playthrough, but I avoid the nasty hooded worm guys because I hate deathblight and they creep me out.
Killed them all this time around and imagine my surprise when I whack one and a boss bar shows up. I'm running Bloodhound's Step so the Deathblight is easy to avoid, but damn did Wormface spook me.
Edit: It was kind of like the Tibia Mariner in Altus. I had killed two other ones before and they are the easiest fights in the game. I see the one up in Altus and think it's going to be a Rune pinata.
Spoiler:
It wasn't hard, but that giant skeleton spewing magic was a nice twist.
I wonder if it was supposed to be a Dragokin skeleton...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/03/20 15:32:33
The only way we can ever solve anything is to look in the mirror and find no enemy
So, the final fight of the game just sucks. Not because it's hard. It's easy as feth.
Mostly it sucks because it's so damn tedious. You spend 90% of the fight chasing the stupid boss around the arena because it keeps going to the opposite side.
LordofHats wrote: So, the final fight of the game just sucks. Not because it's hard. It's easy as feth.
Mostly it sucks because it's so damn tedious. You spend 90% of the fight chasing the stupid boss around the arena because it keeps going to the opposite side.
Bloodhound Step would probably help, but yeah it feels like it should've been a mounted fight.
Lore: What's the deal with Rya and Tanith and Volcano Manor in general?
Spoiler:
Are the Abductors VM constructs? What are their arms? One looked like snakes but they fade as soon as they die. Every place I've seen them they've been largely out of the way or in Mt. Gelmnir they're fighting Leyndell forces.
Tanith isn't Rya's mother, she states this plainly. Why does she attempt to eat Rykard? Is she just insane at this point? That guy had to have been several tons of flesh.
Is Rya the daughter of Rykard or just a random Man-Serpent?
Where did the Man-Serpents and "blasphemous" Great Serpent come from? They're unique to that area and I haven't even really seen snakes anywhere else at all.
The only way we can ever solve anything is to look in the mirror and find no enemy
I'll go ahead and throw my theory into what the DLC will entail
Spoiler:
I'm almost sure it's going to be something to do with Miquella at this point. He's the only Demigod we don't fight and the Dialogue with Gideon after you beat Mogh seems to heavily imply he needs to be dealt with now, or the consequences could be dire if he awakens.
We also know that besides the greater will there is at least 2 more outsider entities in the game. The Frenzy Flame one and the one that Mogh was dealing with.
Finally, there is a spot ont he map where you can can connect all the Divine towers and it's covered by a cloud in the middle of the water. I suspect there is a good chance that opens up to be something.
Though honestly there is a billion diffrent ways they could take this, but those are my theories at least.
4000+
6000+ Order. Unity. Obedience.
Thousand Sons 4000+