Topic: Elden Ring Hype Thread

There definitely seems to have been a patch today- version number on Home Screen updated to add .1 Helped with frame rate I think

@nessisonett I don't think I noticed any warning messages - but if I did, I probably would have just given it a tap to see if it was a Mimic, then assumed the messages were just lies (I'm assuming that teleportation traps don't respond to being whacked, I didn't try it myself)

@Mega-Gazz Yeah it downloaded for me when I turned on my PS5 this morning. Can't say I've noticed much difference though, but I wasn't experiencing any issues regarding the frame rate before.

The only issues I've been having so far is that for a split second the textures won't load properly in parts of the world at times.

I’ve been using the curved greatsword I got from Bloodhound Knight Darriwill and it’s seriously good. I do need to find better somber smithing stones to upgrade it more but it’s already better than my +2 greatsword.

I'm currently in one of the mines where I've picked up some smithing stones. The enemies are quite slow but pack quite a punch.

Has anyone spoken to the talking bush? You get a side quest out of it. Not made my way to it yet, as I came across the above mine.

@JohnnyShoulder I have - I was in the middle of massacring some nearby goats when it started talking, so I thought it was one of the goats at first!

@JohnnyShoulder "A bit WWE" is a good description. I think because I'm not using a shield, the fact that I had to go gung-ho helped. He's the only boss I've managed so far. I found it easier if I stayed to his right hand side as much as possible, that way he can't do that annoying side-shuffle move into you, which caught me out every time. Still can't use my spirit summons, it's beginning to do my head in. It's not just the wolves either, none of them are useable.

It's not detracting from my overall enjoyment of the game though. I went for a nice stroll on the beach before. Found a cave, but got too scared to go in, so I wandered along the sands and found some skeletons. I was hoping they'd build some sandcastles with me, but they murdered me instead.

@Gremio108 I'm currently two handing my weapon at the moment... only cos I've not found a shield I can use yet which has 100% physical damage reduction, so feels like I'm bringing a paper napkin to some fights.

So a quick search online, and it looks likes bloodstains aren't working for anyone?

Mentioned it above, there is a super easy to get 100% shield right near the start. The Goodrick soldiers in the gatefront ruins who are carrying a kite shield drop said kite shield. It does weigh 7 units but has good block stat (so less stam used).

Alternatively if you’ve gotten to round table hold there is a 100% shield sold there.

Does anyone actually know how Roundtable Hold unlocks? I got it by wandering around the sites of grace past the teleport chest but others have got it by progressing the main story.

Holy moly the red knight in stormveil castle is hard. The one beneath the elevator

@nessisonett I just unlocked it after defeating Margit and activating the site of grace there.

Who, by the way, was really hard. I was level 16 and hadn't upgraded my weapon at all, which probably had something to do with it. Only muscled through by staggering it continuously with jump attacks.

@Ralizah Hey! Glad to hear others are also struggling with Margit... but your surely deserve a medal for whooping him @ lv 16?!

I had to level up to arround 22-23 I think and upgrade my Uchigatana to +3.... I also coughed up and brought a 100% Heater Shield from the merchant at the round table.

It was a scrappy fight, and certainly not my finest work ha! What build are you running? And weapon etc?

I must say though, in a similar way to how I felt playing Metroid Dread, I am really enjoying the challenge. Nothing quite beats the sense of satisfaction from beating a difficult Souls boss. I would expect Margit might be a point where some people new to the series drop off....

Early enough I explored the south and found the chest at the top of that tower. Tower is called Tower of return.
Found some good stuff after Killing something
It was cool. Don’t miss it.

@JohnnyShoulder was going to ask this myself. Bloodstains don't seem to be working on Steam, wasn't sure if they were working on PlayStation but sounds like they're not

@CJD87 Yeah, I think, between being underleveled and having no upgraded gear, I made it harder on myself than it needed to be. But, as per usual with these games, once my lost souls are trapped in a boss room, I'll just throw myself at it until I get a good run. Which took the better part of an hour, in my case.

Too bad I can't parry worth a darn.

Since then, I've leveled up several times, and my Uchigatana is +2 now (where are people finding all of these smithing stones?! I found a mine with a few, but otherwise they're hard to come by). My current obsession is something called Night's Cavalry. I keep getting in horseback duels with it, but it disappears when the sun rises, so I've been unable to kill it as yet. Doesn't help I have to waste time clearing the area of mooks first so they don't interrupt our duel.

Also found some giant dude who was shooting enormous arrows at me. He's guarding some sort of dungeon, so I'll need to check that out as well.

@Ralizah I keep meaning to go back to that mine, to see if the smithing stones respawn. Other materials that you can gather do, but it might be a bit unrealistic to expect a limitless supply of smithing stones so early in the game

This is the weapon I'm using. I was using some rubbish sword - honestly, I don't know why either - and someone I know said I should go looking for that Bloodhound sword, which I'd already had in my inventory for the last five hours but never used. Still, got there in the end.

I don't have a clue what I'm doing any more in this game. After the first boss boss I don't know if I'm supposed to be following a certain path or if I can do the bosses in any order. I'm not sure what the little arrowy bits coming from the bonfires on the map are telling me. The map itself just doubled in size inexplicably when I visited a new place. I don't know what's happening. I'm not looking anything up in a guide or anything so unless I just happen to see a useful piece of information, I'm on my own.

I'm just walking the lands getting into adventures and seeing what happens and I am okay with this.

@Ralizah @danlk1ng

RE. Smithing Stones, particularly the (1) variant, I am also hoping they will respawn at the mines... but so far no luck!

In my early days wandering though, I did come across a good spot! I assume you guys have visited the grace site at 'Stormhill Shack'? If you fast travel there, then head directly East (not far) you'll come to a clearing with about 3-4 giants and a small glowing statue in the middle of them. Bait the giants into swinging you for you when you're near the statue.. this breaks it and you get about 3-4 Smithing stones (1) and I think also 1 x Smithing Stone (2)

I found this really early before I even knew what they did ha! I keep backtracking to see if the statue will respawn itself (for farming) but again, no luck. But hopefully this helps!

@Kyroki I thought there was a critical path and a load of side action and the arrow was leading you through the story and the rest was whatever but now I have three different arrowy bits so what you're saying makes sense. I don't know. I don't even really care. I'm perfectly content just wandering and seeing what happens and if I hit a difficulty wall I just walk somewhere else. It's quite impressive how well FROM's forumla being expanded into an open world just... works.