Let's talk out buffs in this game, which can be quite confusing π π
The most fundamental "buff" is when players level up and invest in the stats they need. So for me -- who is rocking the Sword of Night and Flame -- the min stats required to wield that weapon is 12 STR/ 12 DEX/ 24 INT / 24 FTH.
In order to make a "faith build@ stronger, I have to continue to invest runes into the FTH stats (as well as VIG, MIND and INT).
From there, I need to then level up the weapon itself to +10 (currently my SoNaF is +9 after acquiring the +9 Somber Smithing Stone).
Then -- I think -- in order to boost the damage output of the sword further, esp in its two inherent weapon skills -- Comet Azur (INT) and a fire attack (FTH) -- I need to equip an appropriate sacred seal, and the best one is Golden Order Seal, which scales with both Intelligence & Faith. Which also means I will need to level THAT up to +10 (currently it is +5).
After that, then I can further buff damage output by a couple of incantations/ ashes of war -- Flame Grant Me Strength and Golden Vow -- AND equip, say, the Fire Scorpion Charm (right now I have the Faithful's Canvas Talisman, which slightly increases damages of all incantation).
How do all that translate into real damages statistically? That I will need to test out.
Have made some good progress in the game. Quite surprisingly, I managed to beat that horrible blob Godskin Noble last night after many attempts (probably as many as Rennala) ... each of these boss fights are like solving a puzzle. At first they look completely impossible, then you start to really think the resources you have and the answer can be found there -- somewhere. After all, my character's stats and build are not bad and it Should work (!!!)
With Rennala, it became quite apparent the only way to defeat her (what a troll!) was to keep whacking her with a sword since she was immune to spells/ incantations. She wouldn't give players enough time to spam those. Thankfully, those Demi-Humans helped too.
With Godskin Noble, it was more tricky and it took me longer to work out the solution. He was super aggressive -- always homing in onto me from the word go even though I already have those Demi-Humans in berserk /night mode -- he kinda ignored them π‘π‘and I tried different summons and none of them seem to survive long enough to see me through his second phase.
I even tried those sleep pots (I had enough materials to craft 7 ... and I had to look for the recipe) and that recommended strategy didn't work either. I think cos my +7 sword wasn't strong enough). But through trial and error -- and tbh I think this is what Elden Ring is all about, trial and error -- I realised something: Godskin Noble's health bar would continue to deplete long after I hit him with rotten breath right from the start of the fight.
So, here is the solution: Summon (berserk) Demi-Humans to block his first attack, then hit him with a LONG bout of rotten breath behind the spirits (sometimes he is super aggressive and a full administration is not possible). Then when the Demi-Humans are still alive (and, hopefully, getting the blob's attention), spam comet azur (this is why I'm keeping the Sword of Night & Flame!) and should take us to his second phase. Now, just have enough health potion to keep self alive and run around the room -- yup, just keep going around in circles (luckily the serpent church is very big) -- and since the blob is slow, you can avoid many of his mid-range attacks -- and WATCH HIS HP BAR GOES DOWN ππ when he has little health left then just hit him with one more comet azur.
VICTORY !!!
After the win, I was able to access the elusive Somber Smithing Stone 7 and it was time to upgrade my SoNaF to +10 π₯π₯ (the 8 and 9 stones are super easy to obtain in comparison). In the meantime, I also stumbled across a knight that drops the Golden Vow ashes of war (which I put on the Fire Monk Firemace) and together with the Flame, Grant Me Strength incantation (both very good buffs) I am now able to hit A LOT harder !!!
I have thought about respecc-ing but I still like my FTH/INT build ... simply cos my character becomes very versatile and can deal with many different situations -- the frenzied burst and slinging rocks are still great for sniping and you need to be a hybrid build to use those. But it does mean it take a lot longer to become strong cos I am really spreading the skill points thin.
Right now, I have at least 40 VIG, which is great but I still need 60 FTH, maybe 30 INT and at least 30 MIND and 30 END to be solid (so I am looking at level 190 to be solid π²π² (and I am only level 86 now) ... so let's see if I will last THAT long LOL.. (but I already been on the game for a lot longer than I'd expected ...)
Next, Volcano Manor, which seems to offer some interesting quests ...
Well, the chest piece of the Fire Monk armour set finally dropped ππ but it took such a long time, and from a fire monk on the road (not in the camp) π π I'd swapped out the hood cos Roderika's red hood (found in Stormveil Castle) actually gives +1 to vigor, which is a great health boost; and it doesn't look out of place with the rest of the set.
Have also found the amazing Frenzied Burst incantation, which has AMAZING range -- maybe even better than Rock Sling but costs more FP (24) apparently it can inflict madness status but I don't think that works with in-game enemies (only on fellow tarnished/ invaders). Was wondering if I should go through the trouble to get the Flame, Grant Me Strength spell (in Caelid, yikes) to boost fire damage but it eats up another 28 FP and too wasteful for casual enemies, so maybe not. The Scorpion Charm talisman that boosts fire attacks also quite troublesome to get (in Volcano Manor) and it also reduces defence against physical damages, so will also give it a miss (especially I already have the Radagon's Soreseal on, which also increases damage taken ... but at least the boost in vigor/strength helps compensate that). May consider the Flame-Shrouding Cracked Tear though since it is a Erdtree Avator drop and that is not too hard to get. But it is just a one-use potion so ... maybe the FGMS spell might be better?
Oh, I had another Staff of the Guilty drop but a bleed build is not viable cos it requires high Arcane stat, and I am not about to grind for that now.
So, since last blog entry, I am tweaking the four spell/incantation "memory slots": will keep Rock Sling cos it still does decent damages and has range; Frenzied Burst also has superb range and can snipe annoying enemies (I'm looking at you, nasty prawn miners!); Heal, which actually can heal self and the summon; and one of the following: Flame of Frenzy, AoE spell for crowd control (but inflicts Madness status on self); Flame, Cleanse Me; Rotten Breath; Darkness/Rejection; Catch Flame/ Flame Sling.
Time to upgrade the Sword of Night and Flame to +6 !
Currently farming the Fire Monk Armor set off a ... fire monk! It's a good thing the farming locations and conditions are forgiving cos the chest piece is just NOT dropping π‘π‘ (I have the rest of the set ... and even the rare drop Staff of the Guilty!)
I quite like the fire-theme cos the Prophet class comes with fire incantations from the word go and, of course, it goes very well with the Sword of Night and Flame π₯π₯π₯ But have also started to think about a semi-bleed build too (more of which later).
Research (Reddit!) suggests that the best fire spells are Catch Flame -- which surprisingly I haven't been using -- and Flame of Frenzy are very strong. Just like any other spells, they are a bit situational but will try to test them out in Stormveil Castle, which is quite a good training ground. I think I will spend some time there before venturing into the Academy of Raya Lucaria, which looks like a giant maze.
So, am gonna tweak the left hand setup a bit. I think the Rock Sling spell is great for farming enemies (it has superb range!) but too hard to use in battle cos of its very slow casting time. Will switch the Meteorite Staff out for now and use the Staff of the Guilty instead ... let's see if the AOE Briars of Sin blood spell works for killing mobs (just for experimenting). In the longer run I may drop spells altogether and just rely on the "night" spell on the right hand sword.
The other three "memory slots" will go to incantations and I will probably switch between Heal, Rejection, Darkness (for buffing) and Catch Flame, Flame of Frenzy, Flame Sling and Rotten Breath (for damages).
Meanwhile, since I now have quite a few bleed inducing weapons -- Bloodhound's Fang and Hookclaws -- as well as a blood spell, I may start thinking of doing a bleed build ... just for experimenting since my DEX stat is pretty low ...
Part of the fun of Elden Ring, for me, is being able to play around with my character's build, which can be whatever you want it to be. Of course, you need the stats to support that (see last blog entry) but that is probably the only "limitation" (but that makes perfect sense).
I've now made some progress in the game -- had no issues beating Godrick the Grafted -- and have his great rune as well as the interesting Rogier's Rapier +8 (YES!) Next I really need to work on the controls (always an issue for me cos my brain-hand coordination is REALLY poor) and, therefore, need to also practise on how to execute attacks correctly -- yes, even at level 71, I can still die from, like, getting mauled by a pack of wild dogs if not careful π΅π΅
SO what to put in my right and left hands???
Since the Sword of Night and Flame is indispensable I have placed that in the right hand. I have also include the Rapier cos it comes with the amazing Greatblade Phalanx spell /Art of War, which apparently can stagger enemies. Both swords require a trigger-free left hand so I took out the beast heater shield (with shield barrier AoW). On the left hand, I have the sacred seal for incantations (depending on situations I switch between fire spells, Rotten Breath, Darkness and Heal) and the Meteorite Staff for spells, including the rock sling, which also can stagger enemies (apparently). Also have the shield (on standby) for the left hand and bow for the right hand.
The next challenge is learn to switch between all these options while in a fight !!!
Depends on who you ask really (just check out reddit!) Some find the game horribly hard while others say this is the easiest Souls title. What do I think?
At the beginning, when I didn't know what I was doing (which is normal), it was darn hard. I was killed by even the lowest life forms in Between Lands (like, wild dogs?!) Then I realised the game offers players ways to cheese their way up! So, since my last blog entry, I have been grinding runes at this spot to level up my stats (yes, I am quite a grinder) so that I can, mainly, wield this super duper Sword of Night and Flame (it is much better than the staff!!) Sure, it has been nerfed since but it is still a decent weapon for early game. And that has basically changed the way I spec my character.
And allowed me to kill bosses, one after another.
Instead of putting points in DEX and END, I have been investing in VIG for more HP, MIND for more FP, INT for more powerful spells and FTH for stronger incantations. Being a mage was fun for awhile but with this new sword, I find incantation + melee works far better in killing enemies. Have also picked up talismans to further boost survivability. There are also some quirky incantations that are just fun to play around (like Darkness)...
As said in my last blog entry, if you just rush into the story without investing time in building your character, you will just spend hours looking at the You Die screen. Instead, do a bit of cheesing, run around the open world and pick up high level gear/items so by the time you are better equipped (I am now at level 66) then you can take on the early game bosses with no problem. The game becomes bearably easy!
So, I am about to go into this dungeon (quite challenging but manageable to look for items to further power up the sword) ... then it is time to take on the game's second boss. Can't wait to few-hit-KO it. LOL
Here is a video game that'd generated so much hype it was hard for me not to get it (downloaded it off PlayStation the weekend it was released). Which is also a kinda rash decision, given I have not played any of the previous "Souls" games produced by the same developer, FromSoftware. And what's so special about these Souls games? They are notoriously unforgiving and, therefore, difficult.
Elden Ring boasts of a HUGE map (truly!!) and, like, at every turn, there is something that wants to kill you. And I really am not exaggerating. So, how to survive?
First of all, forget about following the overall story progression like you would with any other RPGs because your character will just ... die. (Oh, and there seems to be fewer missions or side quests, which I like). So I've spent a good part of the week just farming gear/weapons/items/ experience to better survivability.
There are quite a few classes/jobs to choose from at the start of the game -- but since I quite fancy being a caster (read they are quite strong in this game) -- I went with "Prophet", which is, like, a cleric who can cast incantations as well as spells but has stats that also make a Paladin/ melee build viable. Right now my character can cast one really strong spell but I need to work on the melee attacks, especially with a spear.
Rage-smashed console control a few times already because 1) my brain-fingers coordination is still very poor (and the slightly complicated D-Pad menu doesn't help); 2) keep hitting triangle when I should be pressing circle (stupid brain); 3) couldn't move when being attacked cos I was wearing a heavy armor (doh! read the instructions!) Honestly, there are no bad games, only bad players LOL
The Godrick Knight set isn't that great ...
Have gotten myself a nice staff, a decent "Traveler set", a very good spear and shield, now I need to look for an enchantment that can strengthen my shield (which is crucial to enhance survivability).
Took me awhile to get this weapon drop
Stats-wise I think I will need more Vigor, Endurance and Dexterity to make my Paladin is less squishy ... casting spells from a distance is fine and great, but when the enemies come closer ... that is when an enchanted shield can save my character from dying yet another horrible death πππ
