Yes, so do I. But I've been working in healthcare for the last 20 years, so I have an excuse. Oh, wait. ER == Elden Ring ... *does what Homer does below*
Sure, I'll probably be gaming a bit on Saturday and I'll snap a pic of my map and my stats. Will be interested to see yours as well. Bloodborne really blew my mind. It's very difficult, especially at the beginning. I like going into games blind without knowing much about them, but this one frankly pissed me off in the beginning a bit. I wasted many hours stuck at the start and never progressing. I finally googled it and was like, ohhhhhh okay. What the hell? So you might want to do the same. It's the creepiest game I've ever played, though I don't really play any horror games. Elden Ring is pretty damned creepy itself, so I'm sure you'd dig it just fine.
Welp, there goes any plans I might've had to play Elden Ring. Sure, I've played LOTR: War in the North, which can get pretty danged/damned/pick whichever one you like ( ) creepy. (The Mirkwood chapter is creepy, with so ... many ... spiders ... uuuggghh!) But that doesn't mean I enjoyed it. I gritted my teeth and damn well got on with it. I also played Skyrim, which has extremely creepy (but also wimpy) giant spiders. The first time one of those decided to jump at my head, I freaked out. (Arachnophobia, even as mild as it is in my case, is a hell of a thing. I know giant spiders don't exist, I know normal-sized spiders won't jump at me -- usually ... -- but even so, I can't help it. Skyrim is an excuse for me to kill those spiders, and thus "appease" the phobia. It's like, I see a giant Skyrim spider -- ahhh!!! Kill it! KILL IT WITH FIRE! It's dead. Phew). So I probably wouldn't enjoy Dark Souls, either. It looks like an extremely frustrating game, especially the boss fights.
Yeah, you don't want to go anywhere near Elden Ring. The hand-spiders alone would give you a conniption.
Been playing Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. It is similar to 1, but with improvements. I'm running around with a mace and shield, bashing peoples heads in. Had to use console commands to save whenever I wanted. It's good fun. But it also makes me want to write about some good close quarter fighting with blades.
Beg pardon? What's a hand-spider? (Or do I not want to know?) I tried KCD 1, but I found it very tough. (I gave up after it switched to me playing the woman - I forget her name - who has to creep around with a dagger all the freakin' time, no idea why ... the game had me creep into a mine for some reason and avoid guards, and then it had me creep around with only a dagger and try to avoid freakin' horse archers. Yeah, right. As if the horse archers wouldn't see you). Is there a way to avoid them? Or fight back? I can't see how, since I only have a dagger. Way to give me a chance, KCD.
When the first hand spider jumped up from under the ground and grabbed me, I nearly shit my pants. On another note, early access for Civilization VII has begun, and so far the reviews aren't so great. Apparently it's an unfinished, buggy mess with a bad UI. I was really looking forward to this one, but I suppose (once again) that I will skip launch day and wait for a sale a few months from now when they've fixed everything.
I learned that lesson after Windows 95. (Yes, I'm old. What of it?) Never use software right out of the box. Wait at least a year until bug fixes are in. For bonus points, wait until it goes on sale. Unfortunately, KCD 1 didn't let me skip that part. And since Dark Souls has come up, this DS-lite-style game is now on sale at GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/lords_of_the_fallen_game_of_the_year_edition It's also 90% off. And looks like goofy fun.
Almost forgot to post some terrible pictures I took of my TV screen. Today I killed a couple of dragon bosses, as well as the very tough Radahn. I wandered into Dragonbarrow but I don't think I'm strong enough for this area yet. Maybe I will go back to Altus next session. Anyway here's my current map and stats.
Sounds like you had an awesome adventure!! Congratulations on beat Rhadan!! That’s amazing! i forgot to get pics, but I will try to remember next time I play.
The Dark Souls 1 DLC is something else. I am getting my ass kicked and I'm level 68. I guess I gotta really learn the boss moves. I have a +14 claymore, but I'm not rolling fast enough. There IS time to heal, but barely. So, do I go get the ninja flip ring or become a Havel Tank?
@Set2Stun You're right. Elden ring is getting easier and easier as I play. Margit was the hardest boss I have had to face so far. Which makes me kind of annoyed, but happy? I hear it might get harder later on but I am doubting it? But in terms of difficulty level vs. other Souls Games, it's much easier. Currently level 58. 22 Str/Dex 10 Arcane 12 Faith the rest into Vit/End. Weapon +10. Ds1 and 3 felt harder. Most likely because one could not explore, change builds easily if at all and bosses were brick walls. (I still need to beat one in DS3. But because I messed up NPC Quests, NO Summons for me. Yay??) Spoiler: The Journey So Far - With Spoilers I did accidentally steamroll the second boss of Stormveil with 2 Summons and a Zweihander. Then, went to Raya Lucaria, switching to a Nagakiba. (Went to Altus Platau to finish Yura's Questline- spent too long fighting Eleanora. So I cheesed her.) Then, upgraded the Nagakiba to +5, I think, beat up the red wolf on try 5? It wasn't actually too may attempts, although I did read guides. Because I don't have the luxury of playing whenever I want. The PS4 is not something I own and so I don't want to hit my head against a wall too hard when I have limited time. So, I beat Renalla next after getting a +10 Nagakiba? I think? I got some of the bell bearings and I kind of steamrolled here, too. But I DID fight both Renalla and the Red Wolf solo. Anyway, I really liked the second half of Renalla's fight. I respected to a Strength/Arcane Bleed Build and really love it. I am in love with the Nagakiba now. But I can't wait until I get a PS4 of my own and can actually spend time fighting bosses the proper way. I am sure Godrick the Grafted is just as hard as Margit if I gave him the chance. Also, forgot I did Caria Manor (read, ran through screaming), beat Loretta solo and started Ranni's quest. Now I am in the Sofia River Well trying to light all the lamps. I marvel and the magic of I-frames. Anyway, I love Elden Ring.
Oh man, Renalla was a tough fight for me. The most Souls thing was making me go through the first phase over and over and then dying quickly in the second phase. I was very jubilant when I finally beat her. I've run into a few challenging bosses since then, though when I visit earlier game areas that I missed, yeah, easy peasy for the most part. I love this game, too. Always looking forward to my next gaming session. I think I'm at level 113 now or so. Think I might be 2/3s of the way through the game now.
Yeah, she was. I got to the second phase. Walked right into her laser beam of doom and died. It took me a few more tries. Like at least 8. I just really hate the bosses where they make you run around. (Thanks for being easy, Pinwheel. I hate the Crystal Sage for this, though.) Also, another thing I had to get used to is that I had unlimited space. I am SO used to boss arenas having walls. (Capra Demon, I guess I should thank you?) But I was very happy when I killed her. And I really wish I had a PS4 at my house. My sister has one and so when I am cat sitting, I use it. That's why I don't have unlimited time. But I really hope to eventually get a chance to do a more difficult run. (For me, I learned I like to play like normal, then make it slowly more difficult when I come back to the game.) And I also got one of the Tree Avatar and the dragon in Limgrave. I realized I was finally getting a hang of the game when the Tree didn't kill me instantly. Because I was acting stupid and I died to that dumb thing WAY too many times. Also, got THE Tree Sentinel. Finally. Hardest Boss So Far. Also, weird thing, I ACTUALLY like and USE the crafting system in this game. Which is a first! Usually, in any game with a crafting system, I just horde all of it and forget it exists. But no, in Elden Ring, I am finally using all the stuff. Because damn, there are some very useful items. Are you using Bloodhound Fang, still? What are your thoughts on it?
I like having more space to fight bosses, especially the dragons, where using the horse helps a ton. I think the toughest fight I've had so far was against these two gargoyle dudes. One would've been difficult enough, but there's two, and they also spray poison at you. It was driving me mad, but again, victory was just that much sweeter. Tree Sentinel wasn't too bad for me using horsey. The Erdtree Avatars can be a pain in the ass, though - there's one in Caelid that I still can't beat, the Putrid one. I tried fighting it probably 15 game hours earlier and gave up thinking I will just beat it later. But I tried again my last session and it's still beating the shit out of me. Have to give up yet again. Edit before posting - just remembered that Fallingstar Beast at the top of Mt. Gelnir is also one of the worst bosses. I can barely get him to half health, seems impossible. So that's another one on my "try again later" list. I've recently started using some of the crafting stuff and sometimes use the weapon grease since they don't use up too many resources. Fire grease is a good one if you need a little boost. I fall into the same DS habit of saving everything for later and never using anything, but I did use 5 rune arcs trying to defeat the gargoyle pair. I'll use em again against other tough bosses, and I'll try to use more consumables since I have collected so many resources. Bloodhound Fang is indeed still my primary weapon; I've improved it to +8 and it is deadly. But - my most common setup now is BHF in my right hand, and the GRAFTED DRAGON in my left. Its fire attack only costs 20 mana but damn, it can be super effective when timed right, and especially against big groups of enemies. The only time I might switch back to BHF two-handed is against bosses, or certain ridiculously fast enemies. Ahhh I can't wait to play again this weekend !
I need to do a bit of gaming this weekend - to help my brother out. Back in the day, 3,000 years' ago as a half-elf might say, I was quite active with Everquest. I drifted off around '02, but my brother has stayed moderately involved during the whole intervening period. He never liked Everquest 2 (which is itself ancient now), and further 'true' sequels have, despite some initial promises, never actually happened. There is now, finally (at a beta stage, at least), a spiritual successor in 'Pantheon' - created by some on the original EQ team, and years (decades?) in the making. Apparently it has some of the charm and frustration of 90's EQ. So I'm being roped in to be a mule / bank / alt for my brother. I might even get playing it casually, although I haven't got the time anymore for raids or for grinding!
Oh, I have heard of the gargoyles. I am not looking forward to them. But anyway, congratulations on beating them! And oh, I am SO bad at driving cars/riding horses in video games, I don't bother. I just did the tried and true method of: Hit the dragon's toes and try to not get roasted strat. It worked. As for the Tree Sentinel, I did the 'backup-boogie' and kept moving backwards and casting Bloody Slash. And yeah! Those trees are real pesky. I ran around back and hit it with Bloodflame blade and then did some dancing until it was dead. I found the Erdtree Avatar deaths I had embarrassing, because they have the SAME move set as the Asylum Demon and other demons in Ds1. I kept rolling into his stick slam and got sat on a few times. The magic was a new edition, but after fighting Rennalla, I figured out how to avoid most of the attack. Anyway, don't worry about the Calid one. I am sure it's much harder and I am so happy you have a running list, too. Because I do as well. I still need to get that Knight Cavalry in Liurnia, and that secret boss in Stormvale. What's on your running list? Ugh, I am so sorry! He sounds like a pain! I googled him and know who you are talking about. Oh, yes. Fire grease is always good. I just don't use greases much, because I got my ash of war + bloodflame incantation. It can set stuff on fire if used in combo, I learned. (It's always weird to see a hand flailing because it's on fire.) Anyway, I should make more things for sure. And do you happen to use a bow? Because I keep finding good arrow recipes and feel like I am missing out on a good time. YEAH! That's awesome. The thing I struggled with was finding a weapon I LIKED to use. I am glad the bloodhound works well for you. And oh, I have heard things about the Grafted Dragon being good. Let me know what else you add to this build.
Yes, I used the generic "longbow" for a long time before discovering the Pulley Bow. I just found the Pulley Crossbow during my last session. It's good to have both in case you run out of one type of ammo. I have some good greatbows too, but I rarely find a need to use them. So far, anyway. Bows definitely come in handy in some sections; for example there was a place where I was on a cliff, and below there were over a dozen giant ants. If I jumped in there and tried to melee them all, I would've just died, but instead I just picked them off with the bow until their numbers had thinned enough. I also use it to cheese some very difficult and frustrating enemies, like the Abductor Virgins. I hate them so much! And the giant flowers that shoot massive clouds of poison. I'd recommend having a bow around just in case, unless you already have sufficient ranged spells. I don't use spells other than cure poison.
Finally gotten around to watching a playthrough of Calisto Protocol and they had me in their pocket, nay, the entire backend of their jeans like a baby opossum, and then the credits rolled and I shouted "That's it??" Cut the story in half, in my opinion, and left me wanting answers. Found a dlc but that's not been promising at all. I am disgruntled, but loved it to this point.
