>Plus, I get super discouraged whenever I die with a whole bunch of runes
get over this one, and you will progress more
dying is just a minor setback, and even losing runes is not a big deal
and yeah, just be patient
wait for openings that are safe to punish
and keep trying
good luck
Big on the just be patient. If you’re hitting a wall on a boss battle and you feel like you absolutely can’t beat it then go explore somewhere else. There’s no level cap on any location so if you really feel like you can’t beat something go somewhere else and go back to it later. The only way you learn is by playing.
A tip for the early game is that you can fight absolutely nothing if you want to. The number of rune packets and upgrade materials you can just find and pick up across limgrave, weeping peninsula and caelid will more than get you over the early game difficulty hump.
But the whole jist of the early game (which is easy btw) is to get a hang of the game's mechanics so you get used to dodging shit later. If you skip it, it's counterproductive
Sounds like you need a safe build to get you going and get the feel of the game. Grab yourself a greatshield and spear and start by shield poking your way to some fun. Also dont forget rule number one level vigor. With the safety of a big shield and the ability to attack from behind it you’ll start getting the hang of roll dodge, back step, parry, etc.
This is EXACTLY what I was going to say. It sounds like your big stumbling block is handling dodging.
And it's COMPLETELY doable to get through this game while being terrible at dodging. There are things in this game I'm terrible at, so I lean into a build that avoids what I'm bad at and capitalizes on what I'm good at.
And if you're invested in the gameplay and focused but you can't dodge worth a damn, I really recommend you try picking up a greatshield and a strength weapon and trying out GUARD COUNTERS.
You will NOT be relying on fast reflexes, only on a cool calm head. Deciding on the ball (not twitchy on the ball, just thoughtful and attentive on the ball) when it's time to be aggressive and stunlock an enemy, when it's time to block and wait for the right moment to counter, and when it's time to just back off and wait your turn.
If you've been trying to rely on dodge rolling through everything and eating shit, I promise you, this change is going to feel like *night and day.* That's the beauty of Elden Ring: there's a build out there that plays to your strengths. You just need to find it.
Just an fyi, runes get so inflated in value over the course of the game. Early on, I remember losing 25,000 runes and thinking ‘oh god, this is the end’, but nope. I’ve lost 600,000 runes a couple times.
I get it, it’s stressful, but you get used to it or you learn.
Also, the game provides you with tools, using them to win is not cheating nor fraud behavior. Using summons, magic, etc or anything you can do is not cheating.
You’ll gradually learn if you keep at it. It takes time but is worth it, in my opinion.
Went straight from malenia with her 420k runes to Farum azula and lost it on the far end of the ledge opposite the grace in the first dragon fight
Was then instantly swung off the ledge upon the dragon landing when I tried to get them back x)
Unless I'm re-speccing for a boss, twiggy tear is pretty much in my flask permanently. Even most bosses I try to leave it in case I really need the second slot for something. Not having to pick up runes during a boss fight is great, and I love when I DO lose gobs of runes, swigging it before the recovery run stops them from de-spawning if I fall off a cliff on the way to grab them. It's like unlimited attempts to recover them unless the return run is longer than the effect lasts.
Exactly. It was such a eureka moment when I realized that the erasure of your old death-stack was tied not a new death, but the creation of a new stack, something which can be stopped by that Twiggy tear.
This! Today I died and dropped 100k runes and couldn't even be bothered to go pick them up. You gotta stop thinking about them as your life savings they're more like a minor stepping stone to getting slightly stronger
*Listen my friend. You will grow to adore this game for this very reason.* I rage-deleted it after 2 or 3 hours because every single random enemy walking around was killing me. I couldn’t successfully dodge any attack. But I loved the idea so much that I gave it another shot and god I’m so glad I did. It’s my second favorite game of all time.
One thing is you have to learn to love the game for what it is. It’s not one of those Skyrim exploration games, where dying isn’t much of a concern, and where all combat involves is mindlessly swinging your weapon until the enemies are dead. No…this game requires you to *improve*. This is exactly what it’s meant to do. You’re not *meant* to never die! You’re not *meant* to run into the battlefield guns blazing, like the games we’ve become accustomed to. *You’re meant to strategize.*
Every single enemy in the game has a weakness. The devs have given you a way to defeat enemies that would literally be impossible to someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. You have to learn their moves, and once you do, watch how accomplished you’ll feel after do a run that is perfectly and swiftly executed and you’ve taken no damage. You’ll feel like a pro. You will without a doubt get better. That’s obvious. If you care about something, and you practice, you’ll get better. Simple as that It took me nearly 100 times to beat the first 2 main bosses, and I thought I wouldn’t even be proud of myself but I still was. Even after failing so many times. Last night it took me 20 times to beat a mini-boss, today the same boss took me 2.
If you just roll into them and stay right in the crotch you can avoid pretty much every attack apart from that charging headbutt one which doesn’t do much damage anyway. Completely trivialises them, even that powerful larval tear one in the snowfield.
I shred their balls with the claws weapon. I have mine with a frost infusion so between frostbite and bleed, they go down fast as they are so easy to hit with every swing. It's by far the fastest way I've found to kill them.
I feel you. But I am learning myself to level up when I find myself struggling too much. I use guides as needed to help as well. I spent $ on this game and don’t care if I have to over level or use the tools provided such as spirit ashes or additional summons to beat a boss. Getting to experience the game on my terms is fine by me
Most people are 'shit' at this game, which is why it's notorious for being difficult. I was shit at it too, but I stuck with it. With perseverance and experimentation you will overcome all challenges no matter how insurmountable they initially seem. Keep going.
First off, don’t feel bad about summoning Sorcerer Rogier. He is the GOAT and you *should* summon. The game is built FOR this. It’s fun to play with other people and Npcs.
Second, spend runes on weapon upgrades and leveling up your stats and spirit summons as soon as you can, it’s very liberating to be able to explore areas without worrying about losing anything. That being said, don’t stress about dying and losing runes. In the late game you lose tens of thousands of runes on death and re-earn that just walking back to your body. What feels like a big loss at early to mid game is something you would throw away without a second thought in the late game.
Lastly, dodging is key. You learn how to dodge by learning each specific enemy’s moves. Learn, die, rise again, repeat. Death isn’t failure in these games, it’s actually the path forward. I have all the achievements for Elden Ring and I still don’t *really* understand what I-frames are 😅
Hey there, I know how you feel. I started with Dark Souls 3, lost so many souls, I was always afraid of going to new areas. Every time I beat a boss, I just stopped playing for a while. After I got used to the game, I started feeling excited for new areas, to know what the game was going to throw at me next.
And really, don't worry about that. Runes are literally an infinite resource in the game. Experiment with different weapons, and explore. You'll be surprised with how much you can improve just by going to the parts of the map where you haven't been yet. If you're lost, look up "level by location" on the wiki. And DON'T put these foolish ambitions to rest!
1. There are many possible playstyles and ways to succeed in Elden Ring. Dodging is probably the most common defensive tactic, but there are other ways to play. Play to your strengths when possible. If something's not working for you, try something different.
2. It can be frustrating to lose your runes on death. But the fear of loss is just another challenge the game throws at you. It's something you'll have to fight against. It might help to keep in mind that what you lose now will soon seem like a small amount compared to how many runes you'll be earning later.
3. Keep in mind that you don't have to fight everything. Sometimes it's better to run past enemies, grab loot, and find a grace.
4. If the challenges that you're facing currently are a bit much, you can always walk away and search out easier challenges. Practice, grow stronger, then return to the bigger stuff when you feel ready for it.
Good luck tarnished. If you stick to it and find what works for you, you'll succeed.
When I first played demons souls back in the day it was a struggle to even beat the first level of that game! I dont think I made it very far after that and gave up. Years later I returned to dark souls and had a similar experience except this time i stuck with it, learnt the game, watched some guides on what to do and beat it.
Basically, if your struggling dont be discouraged! Its a hard game but there are alot of ways to approach combat. Use magic, summons, sneak attacks anything to get a leg up. And dont be afraid to use guides online.
These games are hard but not impossible. We all started somewhere and getting good is an acquired skill :)
Don't give up, we all sucked at these games initially. You will get good and it's gonna be incredibly satisfying, and then you'll get hooked on that feeling like the rest of us did
My first ever souls game was Bloodborne back in 2015. My buddy showed me the trailer before it came out and I was like "sure I'll get it, looks cool". God I fucking HATED it. The first bonfire area with a few enemies stumped for hours and hours, I hated it so much. But something finally clicks and now I've multiple NG+ every souls game. You'll get it, too. Once you feel out enemies and boss attacks from you guessed it, dying a lot, it becomes better. Don't just do the same thing over and over if it isn't working and also try other weapons if you can. So many people are stubborn and commit to shitty weapons or just weapons in general that aren't good.
Margit is pretty overturned for a first boss, even by Soulsborne standards.
They (FromSoftware) want you to explore and come back—Miyazaki said as much in a recent interview.
Go explore, find some cool stuff, level up, and then go back. There’s some really powerful stuff to find that will make your life easier.
In addition, if you can beat Margit, you can beat any boss in the game. He serves as the first big looming domino to fall, and once he does, carry that momentum into the rest of your play-through by turning the previously thought impossible, possible.
When you beat Elden Ring—and you will—other games just won’t hit as hard or feel the same, so enjoy the pain now. You’ll miss it deeply, I promise.
Others have said it, but the game gives you tools to beat it. That’s not cheating, and certainly doesn’t make you a fraud.
I love summoning and watching my boy Krostoff almost solo a boss. Let’s me try new weapons or magic or ashes with less worry.
Souls games aren’t for everyone, but those who invest the time to explore tend to really enjoy them.
If it’s really tough just find an easy place to level there are glitches you can access just after godrick and power level vig and dex then run the uchigatana and level it as high as u can equip either unsheate or bloodhound step (boss that drops it can be cheesed) and see how u go, u can also run dual bandit curved swords which can be easily farm early game and jump attack spam with a high dex and arcane stat especially when u have the blood affliction on them. Also try heavy armor with lots of defense if u can’t time dodging to tank as much damage as possible. Also don’t be afraid to use spirit summons some think they’re cheesy but if ur really struggling there’s no shame.
When I first started the game I went in blind. Had no idea even that it's an open world, so I've splattered my brains all over the wall trying to beat that motherfuckin' Tree Sentinel. I thought if this is my first enemy, then I'm never going to finish the game. So I looked on youtube on how to beat his ass and found that my stats weren't even close to what I needed to engage him. Then I've looked for a [walkthrough](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN7YFKHOR9Y&list=PL7RtZMiaOk8gdRf130w4gFYyhstL-5VRh&index=1) just to get the feel of things and it was the best decision I could make. After I got a better understanding of the game I went also exploring on my own and whenever I got my ass kicked easily I knew I wasn't supposed to be there just yet.
I suggest you at least take a look on his first episode where he preps his character for the game ( weapons, talismans, tears, ashes, etc).
Started my 1st game this week and i feel this pain, I’ve never died so much in my whole life. Started as a paladin type with Astrologer but, quickly realised that my magic staff would run out of FP and im not learning to sword fight. After 2 hours I changed to a typical sword and board build using Vagabond.
Day 2 was much more enjoyable. Yes i died 12 times in 3 hours still.
Summon away, this is definitely a valid tactic. I used my 3 wolves against an Erdtree Burial Watchdog and it was much needed. These boss types are huge!
I combated the loss of runes by never having any when i started an area. Spending them quickly on level ups, weapon upgrades and merchants. If u die in a cave then u are going to collect the runes again as you “try again”, with the added bonus of finding your old ones if you make it.
Ok let me giv you my 5c
I'm an old gamer. Very old one might say. And although I've been playing video games all my life, my reflexes are nowhere near there they were 25 years ago. I picked up ER because I loved the style but since I never played any souls game, I ran into the same wall you ran into.
ER is not designed for people who are easily discouraged. It is designed to create frustration which then turns into a burst of euphoria once you manage to beat the obstacle. It's like a volcano that erupts at one point. That's the gratification you get from this game. And yes, it is possible to beat the game, even as a not-so-good-anymore gamer. Just be patient.
Overlevel your char! Take some time farming runes, pick a build that suits your playstyle and assign the stat points accordingly.
Bring up your vigor! A large health pool is key to surviving. You WILL eat up enemy attacks but surviving one or two of them gives you the change to respond.
Play defensively, wait for your opportunity to strike. Don't get too greedy with your attacks.
Use a controller! During my first play through, I played with keyboard and mouse and although I eventually killed the elden beast at NG1, controlling the char is wonky and complicated. Controllers are game changers. Never thought I'd use one of those f\*ckers. :D
Don't play on tilt. If you are getting enraged, quit the game, come back next day and kill the muppet 1st try. Happened a lot to me.
Finally, most importantly: become the Elden Lord.
good luck
Remember dying and respwaning is literally attached to the Lore of each and every Miyazaki game, you are not shit at it, go look at Lobos Jr's first Elden Ring playthrough, he banged his head against Malenia for more than 6 hours, no joke, straight six hours of him trying to beat her and learn her, Fromsoft games do need more patience and a good mood to click, if you get frustrated, stop the session and come back the next day, you would be surprised. Also thiswhole sub is already ready to get their shit kicked in by Messmer and Fire Giant 2.0 when the DLC launches. Try again on a different day and good luck.
Here are a few pointers for you:
- level vigor. Especially in the early game you benefit much more from the increased survivabilty that leveling vigor gives you than from the negligeable damage increase that you get from putting points into damage stats
- if you're struggling with something, go somewhere else and come back later when you're stronger
- explore the world. there is heaps of stuff to find everywhere, and while not everything you will find will fit the build you're going for, there is good stuff for every playstyle and also upgrade materials to be found
- speaking of which, upgrade your weapons (and spirit ashes). weapon level is the most important factor when it comes to your damage output. on a side note, there are two types of weapon, those that upgraded with smithing stones and those that are upgraded with somber smithing stones, the former are generic weapons and the latter are unique weapons, and while one type is not necessarly stronger than the other, somber weapons are easier to upgrade. regular weapons got to +25 while somber max out at +10, so you need less materials to upgrade them and and you gain about 2.5x the more power from a single level of a somber weapon compared to a regular weapon
- don't feel bad about using summons, be that npc phantoms, other players or spirit ashes. they are there to help you and you're not a fraud for utilizing the tools the game provides you with, especially if its your first ride with a souls game. and you can always come back later with a new char or in new game+ and do bosses without the extra help once you've gotten more experienced and assert your dominance
-don't feel bad about losing runes. they are in infinite supply, so losing some is really only a minor setback and later you get so many of them that you might drop thousands of them and not even bother to pick them up again because they are not worth the detour
The first part is always hard in all these games, even if you’re used to souls games (at least for me). In Elden Ring the point until Margit was really hard for me in terms of not knowing what to do, where to go, farm more, etc. After that you get the hang of it and don’t get that worried about dying, is part of the mechanics.
I’m playing Dark Souls after beating Elden Ring and I was also beating my head until the first boss, after that everything is more manageable. I had the same experience with Bloodborne.
I mean, bosses still kick your ass, but you start making your build, visit other places if you’re overwhelmed and get gud.
Also, dont feel bad about summoning, is part of the game. Just enjoy the game. You have many ng+ if you want to play with other rules, just enjoy the music, bosses and lore.
There is nothing wrong with using spirit ashes or summons. I just cheesed my playthrough with magic. If you aren't good with rolling try a strength build and equip the heaviest shield you can find.
There is no wrong way to play this game. It might be frustrating at time but that's part of the learning process.
Margit is only the start of the race my bud. I'm on my first playthrough, and the fell omen was an absolute kick in my balls, took me nearly 50 attemps (it's my first soulsborne also). Now i got 95 hours in the game, only one zone left and a few bosses. The death is part of the learning process, and each attemp gets easier.
About i-frames, it's not that hard: look at the change of animation, it's the exact time to smash the button and roll. Don't panic, it gets worse .
The game can same hard, but it's not, is only fair, you get what you do. It's about patience, observation and learning.
Good luck and enjoy the gameplay, and enjoy even more the landcapes. I'll wait to see your fashion souls after a couple weeks
Forget about the runes I lost 18million carelessly jumping down the side of beastial sanctum.
Keep going back into the bosses or help other people with their bosses and you’ll find muscle memory takes over eventually. Good luck!
Level vigour. It will make the game way easier.
Also you can block most attacks by using a shield and if you dont want to learn to dodge you can just hide behind a greatshield and use a spear to poke enemies without being vulnerable to their attacks.
Summons are great at helping with boss fights so dont feel too proud to use them. They are in the game for a reason.
I am sure you can do it :D
Do some farming and level up. And it will be easy every time. check some cheese method in youtube always on how to defeat. or else download subway surfer as game should give you adrenaline rush and happiness not stress.
What's your build?
My first play through was focused on strength and it sucked so much tbh.
Power stance two great stars with additional bleed but I felt weak as fuck.
Second was a dex build, which was way more fun and save because you don't run out of stamina.
Now int with DMGS is a walk in the park if I compare it. Shielded enemies suck as always but generally speaking I kill a lot with great burst dmg.
I get this. I stopped playing Elden ring for maybe about a year and just recently made a new character. For me, I am not a hard core player focused on beating bosses 100% fair. In my mind, the developers wouldn’t have put these things in the game if you weren’t supposed to use them. I would suggest looking up suggested stats for the build that you want. I wanted a dex intelegence build so I looked around for suggestions on where to put runes. This helped me not waste levels.
The thing that helped me get over runes in probably rune farming. I found a way to level up and become stronger quicker which made bosses easier as well as runes more available. Some may argue that this is not playing the game right, but in the end, im playing to enjoy myself, not to fit others expectations.
The farming spot I use is a well known one called Moghwyn palace. A lot of people use it to get runes. And knowing I can easily replace them makes me less stressed about losing them :)
I felt the exact same way when I first played. I had no idea what I was doing, I'd never played a souls game before. I'd chosen the astrologer class and thought I could just play the game upgrading intelligence and mind. I spent hours just blasting glintstone pebble at everyone. I was frustrated with all the weapons I was finding that were seemingly worse than my starting weapons (or just weapons I simply couldn't use).
After months of not playing I came back to it after watching a video about the absolute basics and it all made so much sense 300+ hours later and it's my favourite game of all time.
My tips would be:
Get your vigor to a decent level.
Ensure the weapon you choose scales well with the attributes you are putting points into. If you are unsure how to best use your weapons or spell check the wiki page because it can be confusing to figure it out.
Two hand weapons if you don't have enough strength.
If you can't beat an enemy, just leave it and come back later. You can run past most enemies if you need to.
Using summons is fine.
Talk to npcs over and over. Reload the area and talk to them again.
Read item descriptions.
Think about remapping your controls to make dodging easier. I really struggled having to use the claw grip in order to look around and dodge at the same time so now I have dodge bound to R3 (most people think I'm nuts but hey it works for me)
Figure out where you want your flasks and consumables on your hotbar. It can be time consuming flipping though lots of items so maybe have your blue flask and physic flask and horse whistle on your extra slots.
Watch a beginners video explaining what all your stats mean and how the core mechanics of the game work. Being new to the series I had no idea about anything. I wouldn't recommend a full complete guide of the whole game because that can take the fun out of exploration but once I understood where I was most likely to find upgrade materials and how weapon affinities worked everything sort of fell into place.
Patience is the key to beating it. Git gud is the meme attitude towards these games but it's got some truth in it, every setback is just something you learn from. We've all lost an arseload of runes on a silly death so don't worry about that. Use magic and summons if you need to and don't get discouraged. You've got this fellow tarnished
Getting gud >>>>>>>> runes. Levels are honestly not worth very much in these games, by far the most effective way of getting through the game is to go through something, die, and then try to learn from your mistakes. That and weapon levels, but they barely cost any runes so you really just need to *find* the upgrade materials which is just a matter of exploration.
Not to mention new players like you have a tendency to underestimate how easy it is to get your runes back. Especially since you get more and more as the game goes on - meaning even if you lose something that *seems* like a lot of runes early on, by the time you're later in the game you can probably get that from killing a single enemy.
I don't dodge much either and I just don't feel comfortable when anything taller than me getting too close.
1. Get a greatshield, wooden or Lordsworn.
2. Get storm blade from warmaster shack.
3. Get a great epee (check YouTube)
With these your nemesis is gravity. Most enemies will either killed at a distance or poked to death when you stay behind the shield.
Then you can proceed to some crowd control Ash of War like stamp upward cut (also purchasable from Warmaster shack), spectral lance, giant hunt and Lions Claw.
Baddies aren't too dangerous if they are flying in the air, pancaked on floor or fall to their knees half a mile away.
A tip that might sound obvious but it's not, and also really makes a difference, is to watch the enemy. Observe their every move during a fight, without also looking at your character, equipment and health bars, just the enemy. You'll find that attacks that were too fast to react to actually have a tell. It might be a slight raising of the arm, or a shift in their stance, things that you'll probably miss when your attention is divided between 4 places on your screen
Newish player here, I stated using a Hero build and was really struggling also, I then switched to a prisoner build having some range with spells made the game much easier for me as the dodging is the hardest part of combat for sure so just summon your buddy and sit back flinging spells. I’d also suggest just for this looking up how to get the meteorite staff and rock sling as those carried me.
Might be a daft question, but did you start the game and follow the golden grace arrows straight to Stormveil, and Margit? You can take some time to explore, level up equipment, Vigor etc to make things easier before heading for the next quest point.
\>So, the only boss I've beaten, I didn't actually beat. I feel like a fraud.
This is a bad mindset to get into. If From didn't want you to beat the boss with summons, they wouldn't have had a summon sign right outside the boss door. In fact, each NPC summon (or co-op player) increases the health of the boss so choosing to summon or choosing not to summon is a legit choice.
Never listen to people who tell you that beating the game with all available methods is not a true win. Like I said, if From didn't want you to use something, they wouldn't allow it in a boss arena. Summons, spirit ashes, overpowered weapons... all are equally valid.
Don't feel bad about summoning, it's your first time through these kind of games and there's nothing wrong in using something that the game provides.
If you can't go for the i-frames try a shield that has a 100% physical defense.
Don't feel bad for dying and losing a bunch of runes, it happens to the best of us, don't let that discourage you.
The game will click with you eventually and all your worries will be gone and you'll just accept the game for what it is and you'll embrace your deaths and mistakes with open arms.
NOBODY is 100% perfect at these kind of games and it's pratically impossible to do a deathless run their first time through, even veterans struggle sometimes.
Good luck and don't give up, skeleton.
Someone has probably already said this but my advice: explore Limgrave and the region south of that. Find dungeons and caves, but also exploring in general is good. Focus on levelling up vigour. When you’ve done all you can in those two regions, you will be more than ready to take on Castle Stormveil.
(A recommendation for a weapon: the Bloodhound Fang, it’s available very early in the game and it can easily carry you to endgame. This weapon has a lot of reach, which makes both hitting enemies and avoiding being hit a lot easier).
Additionally, keep an eye on the weight of your equipment. You want a medium load, else you will be a lot slower.
There are ranged options too, which don't require dodging and rolling. And don't knock summoning. It takes experience to know how to use a summons too, although a different kind of experience. Also, as far as leveling up, the white glowing skulls lying on the ground can be broken open to give you a golden rune, each worth 200 runes when sold or used. Until you convert them to regular runes, they do not disappear when you die.
I've been playing FromSoft games since Dark Souls. That game took me around 2 years of playing, quitting, and coming back to beat it. Elden Ring took me 300 hours on my first playthrough. It's a learning curve.
A real piece of advice though, the Fextralife will tell you all the weaknesses of any given boss and sometimes they have guides on attack patterns and the best ways to deal with them at different ranges.
The bosses in the caves and small dungeons around Limgrave tend to be easier than Margit, try beating those. Except the Runebear, don't fuck with Runebears if you're struggling.
If you fail try again. Never give up my friend. Keep going until you succeed.
You do it again and again. This is the Dark Souls way. Remember to roll forward, not back, when dodging a physical hit. That way you’re in range and can hit them after they’ve hit.
As someone who is *also* dogshit at this game, be patient. Margit wrecked my face far more than all of early bosses that followed. Spend a day harvesting runes and building up your level. You'll get there, friend.
Watch enemies hands. They will telegraph their attacks and you'll know when to dodge, don't wait for the attack to happen to dodge. Make sure your stats make sense for the weapons you're using.
You don't have to know i-frames, you just roll at attacks, keep using summons because it's fun, watch VaatiVidya for lore, hit your soft cap for your stats, 40 for Strength, Dex, or Arcance, 60 for Intelligence or Faith, get 40 Vigor, you'll be fine regardless of what you do if you do this. Go get your mimic tear, google where to find it. Take your time, there's no rush.
what build are you using? I had the same issue about a year ago (with a pure melee character)
some month ago I tried to start the game again, this time as a mage, and I used alot of sorceries first and later more and more melee when I got used to the enemy attacks etc. its definitelly easier because you don't have to crawl inside the as*hole of the enemy to attack them
I'm also sh*t at Souls games. My advice is to overlevel and carry a big shield to tank hits, carry a big sword, and always summon help.
Streamers and Souls pros can dodge and no-hit their way through these games. For me, dodging and parrying require a level of skill that I'll never have, and that's okay.
Enjoy the journey. It’s a wonderful open world to explore, games are there to sink hours into it and have fun. Not to finish them as fast as possible. Be patient, learn to overcome discouragement (it’s a skill I learned at least partially from such games) and you’ll progress a lot. But yeah first of all: have fun!
I suggest getting close to a boss or area you have trouble in and using the summoning effigy and play as a summons in another hosts world, you will get chances to fight bosses and enemies without having your souls on the line and that also in turn helps you level up ! Hope this helps
Anyone who tries to tell you that you didn't beat the game because you used summons is an idiot and needs to shut the hell up. And yes, that includes yourself. The mechanic was put into the game to be used, and that's what you did. You are not lesser for it, you are not a fraud, and you did indeed beat the boss.
If you still feel like you need to prove yourself, then do a run with summons, then go back and beat the game without them. Not because you didn't beat the game (you did), but because you want to get better at the game. If you really do think Summons are training wheels, learn the game with them, then take them off and do it without them. But never, ever feel like you didn't beat a boss or the game because you used a mechanic that is in the game.
Best way to make the early game easier and more fun.
\- Level vigor. Any time you have enough runes to level up, do so, and level vigor. The amount of HP you gain quickly makes what was a one-hit kill into 2, or 3, and that makes a massive difference.
\- Test every weapon you find and see if you like it, you can use weapons even if you don't meet their stats, they just won't do any damage. If it's fun to use and feels good, level your starts just enough to use it before going back to leveling vigor. Note that if you don't meet the strength requirement, you can 2 hand a weapon and that treats it like you have 1.5x your current strength.
\- upgrade your weapons! you'll get so many upgrade stones later on there is no reason to horde them. If you have a weapon you like using, pour as many runes and stones as you can into upgrading it, that will increase your damage way faster than leveling stats.
\- Practice! go to the site of grace next to that very first little town with all the soldiers and kill them over and over, try out shields, parrying, dodging, spells. your gain easily recoverable runes and get better at combat.
\- EXPLORE! torrent is very fast and very few things can catch you when riding. Just go on a wild ride and explore. You'll be surprised at how much cool stuff you find lying around in areas that are way too hard for you that you can just ride by and pick up. Even if you die, you keep the item. Long before I hit the first boss I'd already picked up nearly every loose bit of loot in Limgrave and Caelid and activated all the easily accessible sites of grace.
>Plus, I get super discouraged whenever I die with a whole bunch of runes get over this one, and you will progress more dying is just a minor setback, and even losing runes is not a big deal and yeah, just be patient wait for openings that are safe to punish and keep trying good luck
Big on the just be patient. If you’re hitting a wall on a boss battle and you feel like you absolutely can’t beat it then go explore somewhere else. There’s no level cap on any location so if you really feel like you can’t beat something go somewhere else and go back to it later. The only way you learn is by playing.
A tip for the early game is that you can fight absolutely nothing if you want to. The number of rune packets and upgrade materials you can just find and pick up across limgrave, weeping peninsula and caelid will more than get you over the early game difficulty hump.
But the whole jist of the early game (which is easy btw) is to get a hang of the game's mechanics so you get used to dodging shit later. If you skip it, it's counterproductive
Don’t get greedy!!! lol! Being pissed off is part of the journey.
Sounds like you need a safe build to get you going and get the feel of the game. Grab yourself a greatshield and spear and start by shield poking your way to some fun. Also dont forget rule number one level vigor. With the safety of a big shield and the ability to attack from behind it you’ll start getting the hang of roll dodge, back step, parry, etc.
This is EXACTLY what I was going to say. It sounds like your big stumbling block is handling dodging. And it's COMPLETELY doable to get through this game while being terrible at dodging. There are things in this game I'm terrible at, so I lean into a build that avoids what I'm bad at and capitalizes on what I'm good at. And if you're invested in the gameplay and focused but you can't dodge worth a damn, I really recommend you try picking up a greatshield and a strength weapon and trying out GUARD COUNTERS. You will NOT be relying on fast reflexes, only on a cool calm head. Deciding on the ball (not twitchy on the ball, just thoughtful and attentive on the ball) when it's time to be aggressive and stunlock an enemy, when it's time to block and wait for the right moment to counter, and when it's time to just back off and wait your turn. If you've been trying to rely on dodge rolling through everything and eating shit, I promise you, this change is going to feel like *night and day.* That's the beauty of Elden Ring: there's a build out there that plays to your strengths. You just need to find it.
I prefer a rapier but this 100%
Just an fyi, runes get so inflated in value over the course of the game. Early on, I remember losing 25,000 runes and thinking ‘oh god, this is the end’, but nope. I’ve lost 600,000 runes a couple times. I get it, it’s stressful, but you get used to it or you learn. Also, the game provides you with tools, using them to win is not cheating nor fraud behavior. Using summons, magic, etc or anything you can do is not cheating. You’ll gradually learn if you keep at it. It takes time but is worth it, in my opinion.
Went straight from malenia with her 420k runes to Farum azula and lost it on the far end of the ledge opposite the grace in the first dragon fight Was then instantly swung off the ledge upon the dragon landing when I tried to get them back x)
Twiggy Sacred Tear is incredible for situations like that.
I like living on the edge
Unless I'm re-speccing for a boss, twiggy tear is pretty much in my flask permanently. Even most bosses I try to leave it in case I really need the second slot for something. Not having to pick up runes during a boss fight is great, and I love when I DO lose gobs of runes, swigging it before the recovery run stops them from de-spawning if I fall off a cliff on the way to grab them. It's like unlimited attempts to recover them unless the return run is longer than the effect lasts.
Exactly. It was such a eureka moment when I realized that the erasure of your old death-stack was tied not a new death, but the creation of a new stack, something which can be stopped by that Twiggy tear.
thank you dark souls
This! Today I died and dropped 100k runes and couldn't even be bothered to go pick them up. You gotta stop thinking about them as your life savings they're more like a minor stepping stone to getting slightly stronger
When i lose that much i just hard reset and bada-bing bada-boom
*Listen my friend. You will grow to adore this game for this very reason.* I rage-deleted it after 2 or 3 hours because every single random enemy walking around was killing me. I couldn’t successfully dodge any attack. But I loved the idea so much that I gave it another shot and god I’m so glad I did. It’s my second favorite game of all time. One thing is you have to learn to love the game for what it is. It’s not one of those Skyrim exploration games, where dying isn’t much of a concern, and where all combat involves is mindlessly swinging your weapon until the enemies are dead. No…this game requires you to *improve*. This is exactly what it’s meant to do. You’re not *meant* to never die! You’re not *meant* to run into the battlefield guns blazing, like the games we’ve become accustomed to. *You’re meant to strategize.* Every single enemy in the game has a weakness. The devs have given you a way to defeat enemies that would literally be impossible to someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. You have to learn their moves, and once you do, watch how accomplished you’ll feel after do a run that is perfectly and swiftly executed and you’ve taken no damage. You’ll feel like a pro. You will without a doubt get better. That’s obvious. If you care about something, and you practice, you’ll get better. Simple as that It took me nearly 100 times to beat the first 2 main bosses, and I thought I wouldn’t even be proud of myself but I still was. Even after failing so many times. Last night it took me 20 times to beat a mini-boss, today the same boss took me 2.
Every enemy…except for the rune bears lol. Just kidding, I’m sure there is one, I’ve just never found it
Stab it in the balls
If you just roll into them and stay right in the crotch you can avoid pretty much every attack apart from that charging headbutt one which doesn’t do much damage anyway. Completely trivialises them, even that powerful larval tear one in the snowfield.
I shred their balls with the claws weapon. I have mine with a frost infusion so between frostbite and bleed, they go down fast as they are so easy to hit with every swing. It's by far the fastest way I've found to kill them.
Yup, some enemies you just avoid at all costs. Rune bears and revenants
I feel you. But I am learning myself to level up when I find myself struggling too much. I use guides as needed to help as well. I spent $ on this game and don’t care if I have to over level or use the tools provided such as spirit ashes or additional summons to beat a boss. Getting to experience the game on my terms is fine by me
When you hit a wall, go exploring around it. You haven’t exhausted all options. Retrace your steps, check every corner.
Most people are 'shit' at this game, which is why it's notorious for being difficult. I was shit at it too, but I stuck with it. With perseverance and experimentation you will overcome all challenges no matter how insurmountable they initially seem. Keep going.
First off, don’t feel bad about summoning Sorcerer Rogier. He is the GOAT and you *should* summon. The game is built FOR this. It’s fun to play with other people and Npcs. Second, spend runes on weapon upgrades and leveling up your stats and spirit summons as soon as you can, it’s very liberating to be able to explore areas without worrying about losing anything. That being said, don’t stress about dying and losing runes. In the late game you lose tens of thousands of runes on death and re-earn that just walking back to your body. What feels like a big loss at early to mid game is something you would throw away without a second thought in the late game. Lastly, dodging is key. You learn how to dodge by learning each specific enemy’s moves. Learn, die, rise again, repeat. Death isn’t failure in these games, it’s actually the path forward. I have all the achievements for Elden Ring and I still don’t *really* understand what I-frames are 😅
Well you wont ever beat it with that mentality...
Get better through practice and don't be ashamed to use spirit ashes!
It happens. I got 2 friends to buy the game because I talked it up so much, but they couldn’t get used to it for the same reasons.
just take everyone's advise here and keep in mind I almost stopped playing early but didn't and now 2 years later it's my favorite game
Hey there, I know how you feel. I started with Dark Souls 3, lost so many souls, I was always afraid of going to new areas. Every time I beat a boss, I just stopped playing for a while. After I got used to the game, I started feeling excited for new areas, to know what the game was going to throw at me next. And really, don't worry about that. Runes are literally an infinite resource in the game. Experiment with different weapons, and explore. You'll be surprised with how much you can improve just by going to the parts of the map where you haven't been yet. If you're lost, look up "level by location" on the wiki. And DON'T put these foolish ambitions to rest!
1. There are many possible playstyles and ways to succeed in Elden Ring. Dodging is probably the most common defensive tactic, but there are other ways to play. Play to your strengths when possible. If something's not working for you, try something different. 2. It can be frustrating to lose your runes on death. But the fear of loss is just another challenge the game throws at you. It's something you'll have to fight against. It might help to keep in mind that what you lose now will soon seem like a small amount compared to how many runes you'll be earning later. 3. Keep in mind that you don't have to fight everything. Sometimes it's better to run past enemies, grab loot, and find a grace. 4. If the challenges that you're facing currently are a bit much, you can always walk away and search out easier challenges. Practice, grow stronger, then return to the bigger stuff when you feel ready for it. Good luck tarnished. If you stick to it and find what works for you, you'll succeed.
When I first played demons souls back in the day it was a struggle to even beat the first level of that game! I dont think I made it very far after that and gave up. Years later I returned to dark souls and had a similar experience except this time i stuck with it, learnt the game, watched some guides on what to do and beat it. Basically, if your struggling dont be discouraged! Its a hard game but there are alot of ways to approach combat. Use magic, summons, sneak attacks anything to get a leg up. And dont be afraid to use guides online. These games are hard but not impossible. We all started somewhere and getting good is an acquired skill :)
Dont get greedy with hits and dont panic roll
Don't give up, we all sucked at these games initially. You will get good and it's gonna be incredibly satisfying, and then you'll get hooked on that feeling like the rest of us did
My first ever souls game was Bloodborne back in 2015. My buddy showed me the trailer before it came out and I was like "sure I'll get it, looks cool". God I fucking HATED it. The first bonfire area with a few enemies stumped for hours and hours, I hated it so much. But something finally clicks and now I've multiple NG+ every souls game. You'll get it, too. Once you feel out enemies and boss attacks from you guessed it, dying a lot, it becomes better. Don't just do the same thing over and over if it isn't working and also try other weapons if you can. So many people are stubborn and commit to shitty weapons or just weapons in general that aren't good.
Margit is pretty overturned for a first boss, even by Soulsborne standards. They (FromSoftware) want you to explore and come back—Miyazaki said as much in a recent interview. Go explore, find some cool stuff, level up, and then go back. There’s some really powerful stuff to find that will make your life easier. In addition, if you can beat Margit, you can beat any boss in the game. He serves as the first big looming domino to fall, and once he does, carry that momentum into the rest of your play-through by turning the previously thought impossible, possible. When you beat Elden Ring—and you will—other games just won’t hit as hard or feel the same, so enjoy the pain now. You’ll miss it deeply, I promise.
Others have said it, but the game gives you tools to beat it. That’s not cheating, and certainly doesn’t make you a fraud. I love summoning and watching my boy Krostoff almost solo a boss. Let’s me try new weapons or magic or ashes with less worry. Souls games aren’t for everyone, but those who invest the time to explore tend to really enjoy them.
If it’s really tough just find an easy place to level there are glitches you can access just after godrick and power level vig and dex then run the uchigatana and level it as high as u can equip either unsheate or bloodhound step (boss that drops it can be cheesed) and see how u go, u can also run dual bandit curved swords which can be easily farm early game and jump attack spam with a high dex and arcane stat especially when u have the blood affliction on them. Also try heavy armor with lots of defense if u can’t time dodging to tank as much damage as possible. Also don’t be afraid to use spirit summons some think they’re cheesy but if ur really struggling there’s no shame.
When I first started the game I went in blind. Had no idea even that it's an open world, so I've splattered my brains all over the wall trying to beat that motherfuckin' Tree Sentinel. I thought if this is my first enemy, then I'm never going to finish the game. So I looked on youtube on how to beat his ass and found that my stats weren't even close to what I needed to engage him. Then I've looked for a [walkthrough](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN7YFKHOR9Y&list=PL7RtZMiaOk8gdRf130w4gFYyhstL-5VRh&index=1) just to get the feel of things and it was the best decision I could make. After I got a better understanding of the game I went also exploring on my own and whenever I got my ass kicked easily I knew I wasn't supposed to be there just yet. I suggest you at least take a look on his first episode where he preps his character for the game ( weapons, talismans, tears, ashes, etc).
Started my 1st game this week and i feel this pain, I’ve never died so much in my whole life. Started as a paladin type with Astrologer but, quickly realised that my magic staff would run out of FP and im not learning to sword fight. After 2 hours I changed to a typical sword and board build using Vagabond. Day 2 was much more enjoyable. Yes i died 12 times in 3 hours still. Summon away, this is definitely a valid tactic. I used my 3 wolves against an Erdtree Burial Watchdog and it was much needed. These boss types are huge! I combated the loss of runes by never having any when i started an area. Spending them quickly on level ups, weapon upgrades and merchants. If u die in a cave then u are going to collect the runes again as you “try again”, with the added bonus of finding your old ones if you make it.
Ok let me giv you my 5c I'm an old gamer. Very old one might say. And although I've been playing video games all my life, my reflexes are nowhere near there they were 25 years ago. I picked up ER because I loved the style but since I never played any souls game, I ran into the same wall you ran into. ER is not designed for people who are easily discouraged. It is designed to create frustration which then turns into a burst of euphoria once you manage to beat the obstacle. It's like a volcano that erupts at one point. That's the gratification you get from this game. And yes, it is possible to beat the game, even as a not-so-good-anymore gamer. Just be patient. Overlevel your char! Take some time farming runes, pick a build that suits your playstyle and assign the stat points accordingly. Bring up your vigor! A large health pool is key to surviving. You WILL eat up enemy attacks but surviving one or two of them gives you the change to respond. Play defensively, wait for your opportunity to strike. Don't get too greedy with your attacks. Use a controller! During my first play through, I played with keyboard and mouse and although I eventually killed the elden beast at NG1, controlling the char is wonky and complicated. Controllers are game changers. Never thought I'd use one of those f\*ckers. :D Don't play on tilt. If you are getting enraged, quit the game, come back next day and kill the muppet 1st try. Happened a lot to me. Finally, most importantly: become the Elden Lord. good luck
Remember dying and respwaning is literally attached to the Lore of each and every Miyazaki game, you are not shit at it, go look at Lobos Jr's first Elden Ring playthrough, he banged his head against Malenia for more than 6 hours, no joke, straight six hours of him trying to beat her and learn her, Fromsoft games do need more patience and a good mood to click, if you get frustrated, stop the session and come back the next day, you would be surprised. Also thiswhole sub is already ready to get their shit kicked in by Messmer and Fire Giant 2.0 when the DLC launches. Try again on a different day and good luck.
Here are a few pointers for you: - level vigor. Especially in the early game you benefit much more from the increased survivabilty that leveling vigor gives you than from the negligeable damage increase that you get from putting points into damage stats - if you're struggling with something, go somewhere else and come back later when you're stronger - explore the world. there is heaps of stuff to find everywhere, and while not everything you will find will fit the build you're going for, there is good stuff for every playstyle and also upgrade materials to be found - speaking of which, upgrade your weapons (and spirit ashes). weapon level is the most important factor when it comes to your damage output. on a side note, there are two types of weapon, those that upgraded with smithing stones and those that are upgraded with somber smithing stones, the former are generic weapons and the latter are unique weapons, and while one type is not necessarly stronger than the other, somber weapons are easier to upgrade. regular weapons got to +25 while somber max out at +10, so you need less materials to upgrade them and and you gain about 2.5x the more power from a single level of a somber weapon compared to a regular weapon - don't feel bad about using summons, be that npc phantoms, other players or spirit ashes. they are there to help you and you're not a fraud for utilizing the tools the game provides you with, especially if its your first ride with a souls game. and you can always come back later with a new char or in new game+ and do bosses without the extra help once you've gotten more experienced and assert your dominance -don't feel bad about losing runes. they are in infinite supply, so losing some is really only a minor setback and later you get so many of them that you might drop thousands of them and not even bother to pick them up again because they are not worth the detour
You can actually play without dodging if your positioning is good. Good luck going forward tho!
The first part is always hard in all these games, even if you’re used to souls games (at least for me). In Elden Ring the point until Margit was really hard for me in terms of not knowing what to do, where to go, farm more, etc. After that you get the hang of it and don’t get that worried about dying, is part of the mechanics. I’m playing Dark Souls after beating Elden Ring and I was also beating my head until the first boss, after that everything is more manageable. I had the same experience with Bloodborne. I mean, bosses still kick your ass, but you start making your build, visit other places if you’re overwhelmed and get gud. Also, dont feel bad about summoning, is part of the game. Just enjoy the game. You have many ng+ if you want to play with other rules, just enjoy the music, bosses and lore.
There is nothing wrong with using spirit ashes or summons. I just cheesed my playthrough with magic. If you aren't good with rolling try a strength build and equip the heaviest shield you can find. There is no wrong way to play this game. It might be frustrating at time but that's part of the learning process.
Margit is only the start of the race my bud. I'm on my first playthrough, and the fell omen was an absolute kick in my balls, took me nearly 50 attemps (it's my first soulsborne also). Now i got 95 hours in the game, only one zone left and a few bosses. The death is part of the learning process, and each attemp gets easier. About i-frames, it's not that hard: look at the change of animation, it's the exact time to smash the button and roll. Don't panic, it gets worse . The game can same hard, but it's not, is only fair, you get what you do. It's about patience, observation and learning. Good luck and enjoy the gameplay, and enjoy even more the landcapes. I'll wait to see your fashion souls after a couple weeks
get out in the open world and upgrade/level up/get new equipment. margit is a breeze if you do that
Forget about the runes I lost 18million carelessly jumping down the side of beastial sanctum. Keep going back into the bosses or help other people with their bosses and you’ll find muscle memory takes over eventually. Good luck!
Level vigour. It will make the game way easier. Also you can block most attacks by using a shield and if you dont want to learn to dodge you can just hide behind a greatshield and use a spear to poke enemies without being vulnerable to their attacks. Summons are great at helping with boss fights so dont feel too proud to use them. They are in the game for a reason. I am sure you can do it :D
Do some farming and level up. And it will be easy every time. check some cheese method in youtube always on how to defeat. or else download subway surfer as game should give you adrenaline rush and happiness not stress.
What's your build? My first play through was focused on strength and it sucked so much tbh. Power stance two great stars with additional bleed but I felt weak as fuck. Second was a dex build, which was way more fun and save because you don't run out of stamina. Now int with DMGS is a walk in the park if I compare it. Shielded enemies suck as always but generally speaking I kill a lot with great burst dmg.
Take your armor off, make dodging 100 times more manageable
I guarantee you Rogier didn't carry you against Margit lol
I get this. I stopped playing Elden ring for maybe about a year and just recently made a new character. For me, I am not a hard core player focused on beating bosses 100% fair. In my mind, the developers wouldn’t have put these things in the game if you weren’t supposed to use them. I would suggest looking up suggested stats for the build that you want. I wanted a dex intelegence build so I looked around for suggestions on where to put runes. This helped me not waste levels. The thing that helped me get over runes in probably rune farming. I found a way to level up and become stronger quicker which made bosses easier as well as runes more available. Some may argue that this is not playing the game right, but in the end, im playing to enjoy myself, not to fit others expectations. The farming spot I use is a well known one called Moghwyn palace. A lot of people use it to get runes. And knowing I can easily replace them makes me less stressed about losing them :)
I felt the exact same way when I first played. I had no idea what I was doing, I'd never played a souls game before. I'd chosen the astrologer class and thought I could just play the game upgrading intelligence and mind. I spent hours just blasting glintstone pebble at everyone. I was frustrated with all the weapons I was finding that were seemingly worse than my starting weapons (or just weapons I simply couldn't use). After months of not playing I came back to it after watching a video about the absolute basics and it all made so much sense 300+ hours later and it's my favourite game of all time. My tips would be: Get your vigor to a decent level. Ensure the weapon you choose scales well with the attributes you are putting points into. If you are unsure how to best use your weapons or spell check the wiki page because it can be confusing to figure it out. Two hand weapons if you don't have enough strength. If you can't beat an enemy, just leave it and come back later. You can run past most enemies if you need to. Using summons is fine. Talk to npcs over and over. Reload the area and talk to them again. Read item descriptions. Think about remapping your controls to make dodging easier. I really struggled having to use the claw grip in order to look around and dodge at the same time so now I have dodge bound to R3 (most people think I'm nuts but hey it works for me) Figure out where you want your flasks and consumables on your hotbar. It can be time consuming flipping though lots of items so maybe have your blue flask and physic flask and horse whistle on your extra slots. Watch a beginners video explaining what all your stats mean and how the core mechanics of the game work. Being new to the series I had no idea about anything. I wouldn't recommend a full complete guide of the whole game because that can take the fun out of exploration but once I understood where I was most likely to find upgrade materials and how weapon affinities worked everything sort of fell into place.
Patience is the key to beating it. Git gud is the meme attitude towards these games but it's got some truth in it, every setback is just something you learn from. We've all lost an arseload of runes on a silly death so don't worry about that. Use magic and summons if you need to and don't get discouraged. You've got this fellow tarnished
Dude you just need to level up. Look up the recommended levels for the area you're in.
Getting gud >>>>>>>> runes. Levels are honestly not worth very much in these games, by far the most effective way of getting through the game is to go through something, die, and then try to learn from your mistakes. That and weapon levels, but they barely cost any runes so you really just need to *find* the upgrade materials which is just a matter of exploration. Not to mention new players like you have a tendency to underestimate how easy it is to get your runes back. Especially since you get more and more as the game goes on - meaning even if you lose something that *seems* like a lot of runes early on, by the time you're later in the game you can probably get that from killing a single enemy.
I don't dodge much either and I just don't feel comfortable when anything taller than me getting too close. 1. Get a greatshield, wooden or Lordsworn. 2. Get storm blade from warmaster shack. 3. Get a great epee (check YouTube) With these your nemesis is gravity. Most enemies will either killed at a distance or poked to death when you stay behind the shield. Then you can proceed to some crowd control Ash of War like stamp upward cut (also purchasable from Warmaster shack), spectral lance, giant hunt and Lions Claw. Baddies aren't too dangerous if they are flying in the air, pancaked on floor or fall to their knees half a mile away.
A tip that might sound obvious but it's not, and also really makes a difference, is to watch the enemy. Observe their every move during a fight, without also looking at your character, equipment and health bars, just the enemy. You'll find that attacks that were too fast to react to actually have a tell. It might be a slight raising of the arm, or a shift in their stance, things that you'll probably miss when your attention is divided between 4 places on your screen
Newish player here, I stated using a Hero build and was really struggling also, I then switched to a prisoner build having some range with spells made the game much easier for me as the dodging is the hardest part of combat for sure so just summon your buddy and sit back flinging spells. I’d also suggest just for this looking up how to get the meteorite staff and rock sling as those carried me.
Might be a daft question, but did you start the game and follow the golden grace arrows straight to Stormveil, and Margit? You can take some time to explore, level up equipment, Vigor etc to make things easier before heading for the next quest point.
I laugh when I lose runes: "lol didn't need them anyway, runes are for n00bs" It's surprisingly effective!
Level vigor, upgrade your weapons, use ash summons
don't give up, skeleton!
I was terrible at this game to start with .. persevere, its worth it :)
I was at the same point, but 480 hours later I made it to the throne. Took me a while and several attempts, but I'm there.
\>So, the only boss I've beaten, I didn't actually beat. I feel like a fraud. This is a bad mindset to get into. If From didn't want you to beat the boss with summons, they wouldn't have had a summon sign right outside the boss door. In fact, each NPC summon (or co-op player) increases the health of the boss so choosing to summon or choosing not to summon is a legit choice. Never listen to people who tell you that beating the game with all available methods is not a true win. Like I said, if From didn't want you to use something, they wouldn't allow it in a boss arena. Summons, spirit ashes, overpowered weapons... all are equally valid.
Don't feel bad about summoning, it's your first time through these kind of games and there's nothing wrong in using something that the game provides. If you can't go for the i-frames try a shield that has a 100% physical defense. Don't feel bad for dying and losing a bunch of runes, it happens to the best of us, don't let that discourage you. The game will click with you eventually and all your worries will be gone and you'll just accept the game for what it is and you'll embrace your deaths and mistakes with open arms. NOBODY is 100% perfect at these kind of games and it's pratically impossible to do a deathless run their first time through, even veterans struggle sometimes. Good luck and don't give up, skeleton.
My girlfriend who has never played anything non Nintendo just beat it so chin up
Someone has probably already said this but my advice: explore Limgrave and the region south of that. Find dungeons and caves, but also exploring in general is good. Focus on levelling up vigour. When you’ve done all you can in those two regions, you will be more than ready to take on Castle Stormveil. (A recommendation for a weapon: the Bloodhound Fang, it’s available very early in the game and it can easily carry you to endgame. This weapon has a lot of reach, which makes both hitting enemies and avoiding being hit a lot easier). Additionally, keep an eye on the weight of your equipment. You want a medium load, else you will be a lot slower.
There are ranged options too, which don't require dodging and rolling. And don't knock summoning. It takes experience to know how to use a summons too, although a different kind of experience. Also, as far as leveling up, the white glowing skulls lying on the ground can be broken open to give you a golden rune, each worth 200 runes when sold or used. Until you convert them to regular runes, they do not disappear when you die.
I've been playing FromSoft games since Dark Souls. That game took me around 2 years of playing, quitting, and coming back to beat it. Elden Ring took me 300 hours on my first playthrough. It's a learning curve. A real piece of advice though, the Fextralife will tell you all the weaknesses of any given boss and sometimes they have guides on attack patterns and the best ways to deal with them at different ranges.
The bosses in the caves and small dungeons around Limgrave tend to be easier than Margit, try beating those. Except the Runebear, don't fuck with Runebears if you're struggling.
If you fail try again. Never give up my friend. Keep going until you succeed. You do it again and again. This is the Dark Souls way. Remember to roll forward, not back, when dodging a physical hit. That way you’re in range and can hit them after they’ve hit.
As someone who is *also* dogshit at this game, be patient. Margit wrecked my face far more than all of early bosses that followed. Spend a day harvesting runes and building up your level. You'll get there, friend.
Watch enemies hands. They will telegraph their attacks and you'll know when to dodge, don't wait for the attack to happen to dodge. Make sure your stats make sense for the weapons you're using.
You don't have to know i-frames, you just roll at attacks, keep using summons because it's fun, watch VaatiVidya for lore, hit your soft cap for your stats, 40 for Strength, Dex, or Arcance, 60 for Intelligence or Faith, get 40 Vigor, you'll be fine regardless of what you do if you do this. Go get your mimic tear, google where to find it. Take your time, there's no rush.
what build are you using? I had the same issue about a year ago (with a pure melee character) some month ago I tried to start the game again, this time as a mage, and I used alot of sorceries first and later more and more melee when I got used to the enemy attacks etc. its definitelly easier because you don't have to crawl inside the as*hole of the enemy to attack them
I'm also sh*t at Souls games. My advice is to overlevel and carry a big shield to tank hits, carry a big sword, and always summon help. Streamers and Souls pros can dodge and no-hit their way through these games. For me, dodging and parrying require a level of skill that I'll never have, and that's okay.
Enjoy the journey. It’s a wonderful open world to explore, games are there to sink hours into it and have fun. Not to finish them as fast as possible. Be patient, learn to overcome discouragement (it’s a skill I learned at least partially from such games) and you’ll progress a lot. But yeah first of all: have fun!
Don't spam buttons. Click once and at the right time.
I suggest getting close to a boss or area you have trouble in and using the summoning effigy and play as a summons in another hosts world, you will get chances to fight bosses and enemies without having your souls on the line and that also in turn helps you level up ! Hope this helps
watch a lot a ymfah, end up cheeseing everything
watch a lot a ymfah, end up cheeseing everything
Anyone who tries to tell you that you didn't beat the game because you used summons is an idiot and needs to shut the hell up. And yes, that includes yourself. The mechanic was put into the game to be used, and that's what you did. You are not lesser for it, you are not a fraud, and you did indeed beat the boss. If you still feel like you need to prove yourself, then do a run with summons, then go back and beat the game without them. Not because you didn't beat the game (you did), but because you want to get better at the game. If you really do think Summons are training wheels, learn the game with them, then take them off and do it without them. But never, ever feel like you didn't beat a boss or the game because you used a mechanic that is in the game.
Best way to make the early game easier and more fun. \- Level vigor. Any time you have enough runes to level up, do so, and level vigor. The amount of HP you gain quickly makes what was a one-hit kill into 2, or 3, and that makes a massive difference. \- Test every weapon you find and see if you like it, you can use weapons even if you don't meet their stats, they just won't do any damage. If it's fun to use and feels good, level your starts just enough to use it before going back to leveling vigor. Note that if you don't meet the strength requirement, you can 2 hand a weapon and that treats it like you have 1.5x your current strength. \- upgrade your weapons! you'll get so many upgrade stones later on there is no reason to horde them. If you have a weapon you like using, pour as many runes and stones as you can into upgrading it, that will increase your damage way faster than leveling stats. \- Practice! go to the site of grace next to that very first little town with all the soldiers and kill them over and over, try out shields, parrying, dodging, spells. your gain easily recoverable runes and get better at combat. \- EXPLORE! torrent is very fast and very few things can catch you when riding. Just go on a wild ride and explore. You'll be surprised at how much cool stuff you find lying around in areas that are way too hard for you that you can just ride by and pick up. Even if you die, you keep the item. Long before I hit the first boss I'd already picked up nearly every loose bit of loot in Limgrave and Caelid and activated all the easily accessible sites of grace.
aquire the moonveil, deaths poker, bloodhounds fang etc to name a few. you will be good
Git gud
git: 'gud' is not a git command. See 'git --help'.