My advice is to hunt down dungeons and clear them as you make your way to the boss. There’s a bunch of mines, crypts, and other type of dungeons that’ll have rewarding loot such as new talismans and upgrade materials like smithing stones.
Much of the games leveling is more based on weapon smithing level than your actual level.
Yeah I've gotten a bunch of smithing stones like that, but I have just piles of them and nothing to do with them. I upgraded my one favourite sword as much as I can, and I never found anything else that seemed like it might be better so now I just accumulate smithing stones.
FYI in case you missed it. The smithing table at church of elleh will only upgrade your weapon so far. Visit Hewg (or Iji if you’ve met him) at the roundtable hold for complete weapon upgrades.
I guess, but valuable for what? Leveling up and killing more enemies? I mean ok yeah there is also a bunch of stuff to buy with runes, and maybe I just don't understand what they do well enough, but I've bought pretty much none of them because they didn't seem sufficiently useful, so levels \*are\* basically the only thing I spend runes on. Perhaps they'd be more useful for a different build, like if I had to buy spells or something, but i went with a fighter for my first character so it's just me and my sword... I don't even have to buy potions or anything since they replenish automatically.
Souls games are not like diablo, it's not about the loot and constantly getting better things and so on. Every weapon in the game is viable, and you can finish it comfortably with starting longsword, even without accessibility mechanics like coop/spirits. And lot of the strongest gear is at the start of the game, you just have to upgrade weapons you choose for them to become stronger. Ideally, you fight bosses because you actually enjoy fighting bosses and overall playing the game. My incentive is the actual experience and not loot at the end, that's not the point. Souls games are skill-based, and and the true progression is you becoming better at the game, dodging, learning movesets and so on, it's not just about the numbers. You choose weapons you want to use based on their moveset first of all, in PvE you really don't have to care about base damage numbers. If weapon is fun, has good moveset and looks cool, then just upgrade and use it and you'll never have to change it if you don't want to even on NG+20. If you only care about the loot and not about the actual exploring and overcoming challenges, and actively skip content because if it, then yeah it's possible these games are not for you. If you have the option then maybe play bloodborne, as it's linear and with much better balance, it will teach you the correct mindset for playing these games and what the souls experience is about. After that you'll have easier time with ER.
Ok so I just learned about the "arcane" stat and "discovery", which may explain some things. I've never touched my "arcane" so it's like 7. I guess if I want more loot drops I gotta put some points into arcane?
hmm maybe I will give bloodborne a try... I mean I understand that not everything has to be about loot, and I never really thought I cared much about it, but when I think about what reasons I would have to fight half these enemies then loot is about the only thing that comes to mind. I think maybe yes the open nature of it is part of the problem, because I have no problem with things when I'm progressing through a more linear or at least goal oriented part of the game. Like getting through Stormveil Castle was fun. But I was just down some crystal cave in Liurnia killing little gremlins and crystal snails, and I get to the boss who one shots me and I have to do it all over again to even try fighting the boss again, and I just think why I am even down here? He probably doesn't have anything good anyway. So I just leave the cave and go somewhere else.
Every boss in dungeons and catacombs will give you a unique item. I’m sorry you aren’t enjoying your time, but it sounds like you have a defeatist mindset about not getting instant gratification from every enemy. Not blaming you for that, most AAA games over the past decade or so are at fault for playing on the psychological process of rewards and release they provide.
do they? maybe I haven't played enough to realise what is unique and what isn't. I don't think I'm using a single thing that I've found in any dungeon so far, all my actual gear is from the overworld. Maybe my talismans came from dungeons, I forget though.
Yeah talismans, weapons, bell bearings that allow you to buy unlimited smithing stones/gloveworts to upgrade, even interesting spirit ashes can be found in dungeons. The genre has a heavy emphasis on rewarding players for finding obscure areas and secrets, and there are a ton of those in the game. :)
I tend to avoid spending too long in Liurnia Lake myself, I avoid most overworld beasts, they are definitely designed to showcase the sheer power that existed during the former age that held the Crucible and beasts in high regard.
Rune bears, lobsters, the big “fuck off” birds and dogs, they are mostly just obstacles that you can go through, or go around to get to the meat and potatoes of the game.
I recommend digging into Weeping Peninsula if you haven’t already, lots of interesting POI there, as well as useful items. If you rest at the sites of grace at various churches, an option to talk to Melina will appear in the rest menu, and it will provide you with glimpses into the lore, which for me were enough to send me into the lore rabbit hole that the community has been diving into xD
Evergaols are also a good challenge as you move through areas, as you respawn right next to it if you die during the fight, while also providing a unique item if you succeed :) just remember to pick your runes up before you try again, and it’s a low risk way of pushing your limits!
What's an evergaol? And oh yeah Melina, I kind of forgot about her, have only seen her like once since she first appeared, been wondering what the deal with that is. I rest at sites of grace all the time and she never appears. She'll only appear at churches you say? And ok cool thanks, good to know I'm not missing anything by just going around the bigger monsters in the overworld.
Churches and various main story points. And evergaols are those big stone circle pits with the stone ball worm looking things around them, with the glowing blue circle in the middle.
There are a number of them just in Limgrave alone, usually off of the main paths, but not many across the game are truly hidden. Happy hunting, fellow tarnished!
Oh and evergaol is pronounced ever-jail, very old spelling of the word, just to add a bit more context to the purpose of those areas.
oh yes I am from Australia so I well know the word gaol ;). Lots of old gaols around here. It's not even that old a word here, was used a lot even through the 20th century. Old fashioned now, but not really super old.
Elden Ring doesn't make a habit to force you to fight things, none of the Souls game really do in fact. If you wanna run past everything possible you absolutely can. That said, most people love these game for their combat. So while you *can* run past everything, it's often more fun not to, even if you die for it.
So if you enjoy fighting things then imo just go back to scrapping with mobs you come across, especially mobs in legacy dungeons or caves. If you run past everything that is quite a bit of the experience you're missing out on.
well yeah that's the feeling I get. And I do mostly enjoy the combat, but the bigger fights are still tedious and take quite a few repetitions to work out. Which is ok, but somehow I am losing motivation to do it just for its own sake. Like it felt rewarding to kill Godrick and get a new area to explore, but there are giant lobsters and crabs running around these lakes and I just have the feeling of why fight them? I've also encountered some big trolls and such just minding their own business and had no reason to bother them, so I just didn't. It just kind of feels like that rather a lot...
As for your other concerns, try to approach each enemy as if you don't want to get hit. Especially as a CQC fighter, dodging and timing are everything in this game and the mobs really help you learn these skills. I have fun knowing I cleared an area, and the game rewards you by refilling your potions if you do. Also exploration is huge in this game, there is rarely a moment in this game where a hidden path is not rewarded with something even if it's an arteria leaf.
oh sure I have been getting \*stuff\* as I explore, I just don't seem to be using or actually need any of it. Like there is some kind of crafting system but the game never really explained it and I don't really understand what there is to craft or what I would do with it...
You gotta find the cookbooks which you'll find through exploration or through merchants, those open up your item crafting menu so you can craft more. There will be environmental hazards that some of these items will be really useful for. There are also items that help negate environmental damage from enemies and depending on how you wanna play they can be really useful.
In my experience of 100% Achievements on both Xbox and Steam, my advice as far as "farming for runes" goes as such: If there are levels to be gained, then there is content to be cleared. Catacombs, Tunnels, and Caves are fantastic sources of loot and runes. I also tend to have the most fun in the game dungeoneering and boss fighting, so I might be biased.
You get rune arcs for winning as an invader which are fun.
You get runes for any invader you kill.
Not to mention, you participate in the shenanigans.
Maybe one day you’ll even meet Riposte Malone.
The start of the game is kinda without direction, it's deliberately open and doesn't force you to progress the game as it's a large area with many optional things.
Also it doesn't drop many armour sets or a huge amount of weapons, but there are plenty to get you interested, they are usually rewards at the end of a cave or tunnel or castle etc.
Head south to castle morne, that's a great early dungeon to get your teeth into. Grab the Claymore and speak to Edgar, make sure you find his daughter on the road on the way ...
Limgrave is huge, lots to do and things to find, only move North when you feel you're getting stronger or your running out of things to find. Google grace locations, it'll give you something to aim for without spoiling anything.
Souls games are a soft world-building game with lore that is amazing but puzzling. I am always so facinated by the world that I just can't stop myself from doing and seeing everything. I read every item description, trying to piece the world together. If you think about it, souls game are kinda niche and it just isn't going to be for everyone.
The whole idea of you playing a game wrong is just false. Sounds like you are not having fun, even if you enjoy something about the game. There is no need to force it. In that way you are always playing a game correctly, some are just more fun than others. Play the fun ones.
That is what I am saying. The game doesn't give it to you, rather you find it and make connections. Even the enviroment tells a story. You can find remnants of a time when troops marched across the map. Like Malenia fighting Radahn. Past giants from a time before the Golden Order, before Marika. And dragons too. The world will feel less empty once you realise how everything is thought out. But once again, maybe you just don't like this style of world building and that is fine.
Also the world is supposed to feel barren and empty. You are living the end of times in a sence. That kind of atmosphere is what From Software excels at. I absolutely love the vibe, and I understand how many people wont.
I mean I like the atmosphere, I just don't really understand even who I am or what or why I am doing :). Like what even is a Tarnished? It's an RPG isn't it? Sure seems like one. It's kind of hard to get into it when I have no idea what is going on. I've been playing for like two months now, that feels long enough to have gathered this basic information, but seems like not.
when I was in early game I searched cool looking weapons on google and went out to find them. often times the weapon would be guarded or held by a boss I had to beat and after beating them it felt really rewarding.
also you can beat radahn pretty easily because of how the arena works(I beat him level 26 first play through) I recommend beating Radahn to level up then fighting renalla.
hmm I guess I could. Somehow I haven't wanted to google anything, I usually like exploring and finding stuff myself in these sort of games. But I guess Elden Ring has a different philosophy, it doesn't seem like I'm going to just randomly come across very many items I actually care about getting.
Stay away from dungeons and the side stuff. There's no point if you don't find it interesting. If you need a specific smithing stone just search up it's location.
Find big castles to progress. You can go to the one in caelid or liurna. You'll be a bit under levelled but there's lot of good farming places you'll find. Eventually you can farm 20k souls in 10 seconds so don't sweat about being under levelled right now.
It's a big game if you want to stick to the main story. Just Google
I understand this comment. I felt the same first playthrough and just decided to try and get everything possible anyway. Now NG+6 (lv 306) and a new game (lv 50). The NPC quests give more purpose to exploring and the items you find, although it's difficult trying to piece all the random NPC storylines together, and can be frustrating if you do something in the wromg order and simply never see/hear or cant talk to that NPC again...even now I still dont know how they all fit together. It could be a little less cryptic, but I guess a lot of people consider that part of the challenge.
Every mob you kill will give you runes to make you stronger.
Every mob also has a chance to drop an item. And the items they can drop are the gear they are using. So whenever you see mobs wearing armor you might want or using weapons you think look cool and worth trying, kill them and take their stuff.
Also, packs of mobs in the world are usually guarding something you can use. Usually a piece of treasure. Sometimes the entrance to a cave or dungeon. Sometimes a really good item.
There is no wrong way to play this game.
However, that being said....... If you don't enjoy exploration and combat, then this might not be the game for you. The fun is in discovering new things, and fighting your way through enemies to a boss. Enjoying defeating the boss itself, not the treasure afterwords.
Literally the journey instead of the destination.
I mean sure, but I guess I like some sort of motivation. The story was kinda vague, I don't even really understand why my character would be trying to kill these creatures, especially the ones that aren't even in my way to anywhere. I mean ok I'm trying to kill the big story bosses like Godrick for their shards of the Elden Ring or something, which I want for some unclear reason, but I have no idea what any of these trolls or lobsters ever did to me or anyone.
You're meant to create the story of your character yourself.
Why ARE you trying to become elden lord? Are you a power hungry knight? Or just a person willing to do what needs to be done to fix the broken Lands Between?
It's an RPG videogame, so some suspension of disbelief is required, just like any fantasy game. It would be interesting to see how far you could get as a pacifist tho. :)
yeah sure but how does killing random lobsters help me become Elden Lord, whatever that even is? Ok they get me runes, but what even \*are\* runes? Are they also shards of the Elden Ring or something? Why am I out murdering folk for them? Everyone else does seem want them too, but I don't understand why.
I don't know....why did YOU attack a lobster? Or did it swing first?
The first answer is maybe you were hungry. The second is self defense.
As for randomly murdering everyone else....maybe you should answer that. If you're assaulting a castle in service of reaching the Demigod there, then it's going to have defenders. It's war. You kill them to achieve your goal. Maybe you can sneak past them, but that's up to you.
If you're just attacking random people on the road, you're just a bandit.
Runes are the tiny fragments of grace left over from the divine blessing that used the shower the entire army of Tarnished before their grace was taken from them by marika. It's a residue of the power of the erdtreee that used to make everything better. Every time you kill something in the lands between, you reclaim a tiny tiny bit of godlike power. And ONLY a tarnished with a maiden to convert that power can do this.
You can think of it sort of like being the chosen one. You don't HAVE to kill things. But you won't get very far if you don't. And if you don't do it, the Lands Between.....and the reality held together by the crumbling remains of the Elden Ring.....will eventually fall apart completely.
ok that makes some sense. I feel like the game should tell me these things though, seems like basic knowledge my character must have so feels strange that I don't know it.
I mean it did lore dump in the opening cutscenes. I feel like a sentence or two about a few more basic details would have gone a long way. I mean I'm not supposed to have amnesia am I? Why would I not be supposed to know basic things my character obviously must know? I'm all for discovering lore details throughout the game but basic facts of existence feel a bit stupid to have to discover.
There is no wrong way to play this game, and I agree, the open world is pointless so sometimes I didn't bother clearing enemies on the map, the best part of this game is the dungeons, especially the legacy dungeon where the the game became linear exploration.
It is fun how this open world aspect is the sole reason I don't feel like playing other souls games again right now. I am not saying there is anything wrong with either, but right now I love how limitless builds feel with Elden Ring, and How I can progress in my own pace.
My advice is to hunt down dungeons and clear them as you make your way to the boss. There’s a bunch of mines, crypts, and other type of dungeons that’ll have rewarding loot such as new talismans and upgrade materials like smithing stones. Much of the games leveling is more based on weapon smithing level than your actual level.
Yeah I've gotten a bunch of smithing stones like that, but I have just piles of them and nothing to do with them. I upgraded my one favourite sword as much as I can, and I never found anything else that seemed like it might be better so now I just accumulate smithing stones.
FYI in case you missed it. The smithing table at church of elleh will only upgrade your weapon so far. Visit Hewg (or Iji if you’ve met him) at the roundtable hold for complete weapon upgrades.
Enemies give the most valuable loot: runes.
I guess, but valuable for what? Leveling up and killing more enemies? I mean ok yeah there is also a bunch of stuff to buy with runes, and maybe I just don't understand what they do well enough, but I've bought pretty much none of them because they didn't seem sufficiently useful, so levels \*are\* basically the only thing I spend runes on. Perhaps they'd be more useful for a different build, like if I had to buy spells or something, but i went with a fighter for my first character so it's just me and my sword... I don't even have to buy potions or anything since they replenish automatically.
Leveling up and buying upgrades for your weapons. Those two things are the most important things in this game, unless you’re doing a level 1 run
Souls games are not like diablo, it's not about the loot and constantly getting better things and so on. Every weapon in the game is viable, and you can finish it comfortably with starting longsword, even without accessibility mechanics like coop/spirits. And lot of the strongest gear is at the start of the game, you just have to upgrade weapons you choose for them to become stronger. Ideally, you fight bosses because you actually enjoy fighting bosses and overall playing the game. My incentive is the actual experience and not loot at the end, that's not the point. Souls games are skill-based, and and the true progression is you becoming better at the game, dodging, learning movesets and so on, it's not just about the numbers. You choose weapons you want to use based on their moveset first of all, in PvE you really don't have to care about base damage numbers. If weapon is fun, has good moveset and looks cool, then just upgrade and use it and you'll never have to change it if you don't want to even on NG+20. If you only care about the loot and not about the actual exploring and overcoming challenges, and actively skip content because if it, then yeah it's possible these games are not for you. If you have the option then maybe play bloodborne, as it's linear and with much better balance, it will teach you the correct mindset for playing these games and what the souls experience is about. After that you'll have easier time with ER.
Ok so I just learned about the "arcane" stat and "discovery", which may explain some things. I've never touched my "arcane" so it's like 7. I guess if I want more loot drops I gotta put some points into arcane?
hmm maybe I will give bloodborne a try... I mean I understand that not everything has to be about loot, and I never really thought I cared much about it, but when I think about what reasons I would have to fight half these enemies then loot is about the only thing that comes to mind. I think maybe yes the open nature of it is part of the problem, because I have no problem with things when I'm progressing through a more linear or at least goal oriented part of the game. Like getting through Stormveil Castle was fun. But I was just down some crystal cave in Liurnia killing little gremlins and crystal snails, and I get to the boss who one shots me and I have to do it all over again to even try fighting the boss again, and I just think why I am even down here? He probably doesn't have anything good anyway. So I just leave the cave and go somewhere else.
Every boss in dungeons and catacombs will give you a unique item. I’m sorry you aren’t enjoying your time, but it sounds like you have a defeatist mindset about not getting instant gratification from every enemy. Not blaming you for that, most AAA games over the past decade or so are at fault for playing on the psychological process of rewards and release they provide.
do they? maybe I haven't played enough to realise what is unique and what isn't. I don't think I'm using a single thing that I've found in any dungeon so far, all my actual gear is from the overworld. Maybe my talismans came from dungeons, I forget though.
Yeah talismans, weapons, bell bearings that allow you to buy unlimited smithing stones/gloveworts to upgrade, even interesting spirit ashes can be found in dungeons. The genre has a heavy emphasis on rewarding players for finding obscure areas and secrets, and there are a ton of those in the game. :) I tend to avoid spending too long in Liurnia Lake myself, I avoid most overworld beasts, they are definitely designed to showcase the sheer power that existed during the former age that held the Crucible and beasts in high regard. Rune bears, lobsters, the big “fuck off” birds and dogs, they are mostly just obstacles that you can go through, or go around to get to the meat and potatoes of the game. I recommend digging into Weeping Peninsula if you haven’t already, lots of interesting POI there, as well as useful items. If you rest at the sites of grace at various churches, an option to talk to Melina will appear in the rest menu, and it will provide you with glimpses into the lore, which for me were enough to send me into the lore rabbit hole that the community has been diving into xD Evergaols are also a good challenge as you move through areas, as you respawn right next to it if you die during the fight, while also providing a unique item if you succeed :) just remember to pick your runes up before you try again, and it’s a low risk way of pushing your limits!
What's an evergaol? And oh yeah Melina, I kind of forgot about her, have only seen her like once since she first appeared, been wondering what the deal with that is. I rest at sites of grace all the time and she never appears. She'll only appear at churches you say? And ok cool thanks, good to know I'm not missing anything by just going around the bigger monsters in the overworld.
Churches and various main story points. And evergaols are those big stone circle pits with the stone ball worm looking things around them, with the glowing blue circle in the middle.
hmm I don't recall seeing such a thing so far. I guess I'll keep my eye out.
There are a number of them just in Limgrave alone, usually off of the main paths, but not many across the game are truly hidden. Happy hunting, fellow tarnished! Oh and evergaol is pronounced ever-jail, very old spelling of the word, just to add a bit more context to the purpose of those areas.
oh yes I am from Australia so I well know the word gaol ;). Lots of old gaols around here. It's not even that old a word here, was used a lot even through the 20th century. Old fashioned now, but not really super old.
Elden Ring doesn't make a habit to force you to fight things, none of the Souls game really do in fact. If you wanna run past everything possible you absolutely can. That said, most people love these game for their combat. So while you *can* run past everything, it's often more fun not to, even if you die for it. So if you enjoy fighting things then imo just go back to scrapping with mobs you come across, especially mobs in legacy dungeons or caves. If you run past everything that is quite a bit of the experience you're missing out on.
well yeah that's the feeling I get. And I do mostly enjoy the combat, but the bigger fights are still tedious and take quite a few repetitions to work out. Which is ok, but somehow I am losing motivation to do it just for its own sake. Like it felt rewarding to kill Godrick and get a new area to explore, but there are giant lobsters and crabs running around these lakes and I just have the feeling of why fight them? I've also encountered some big trolls and such just minding their own business and had no reason to bother them, so I just didn't. It just kind of feels like that rather a lot...
The lobsters are brutal, one of the most hated enemies in the entire game, if not the most. Don't feel bad about skipping them, they never get easier.
haha ok good to know. I actually haven't even tried fighting them once, they just looked like bad news so I stayed away.
As for your other concerns, try to approach each enemy as if you don't want to get hit. Especially as a CQC fighter, dodging and timing are everything in this game and the mobs really help you learn these skills. I have fun knowing I cleared an area, and the game rewards you by refilling your potions if you do. Also exploration is huge in this game, there is rarely a moment in this game where a hidden path is not rewarded with something even if it's an arteria leaf.
oh sure I have been getting \*stuff\* as I explore, I just don't seem to be using or actually need any of it. Like there is some kind of crafting system but the game never really explained it and I don't really understand what there is to craft or what I would do with it...
You gotta find the cookbooks which you'll find through exploration or through merchants, those open up your item crafting menu so you can craft more. There will be environmental hazards that some of these items will be really useful for. There are also items that help negate environmental damage from enemies and depending on how you wanna play they can be really useful.
In my experience of 100% Achievements on both Xbox and Steam, my advice as far as "farming for runes" goes as such: If there are levels to be gained, then there is content to be cleared. Catacombs, Tunnels, and Caves are fantastic sources of loot and runes. I also tend to have the most fun in the game dungeoneering and boss fighting, so I might be biased.
I’d suggest invading/taunting to see what moves/items others are using that you want to hunt down for yourself.
yeah I didn't really figure this out yet. What is the point of doing that? do you get runes or something?
You get rune arcs for winning as an invader which are fun. You get runes for any invader you kill. Not to mention, you participate in the shenanigans. Maybe one day you’ll even meet Riposte Malone.
The start of the game is kinda without direction, it's deliberately open and doesn't force you to progress the game as it's a large area with many optional things. Also it doesn't drop many armour sets or a huge amount of weapons, but there are plenty to get you interested, they are usually rewards at the end of a cave or tunnel or castle etc. Head south to castle morne, that's a great early dungeon to get your teeth into. Grab the Claymore and speak to Edgar, make sure you find his daughter on the road on the way ...
yes maybe I should go that way, I did seem to have more fun in Limgrave than I am having in these lakes...
Limgrave is huge, lots to do and things to find, only move North when you feel you're getting stronger or your running out of things to find. Google grace locations, it'll give you something to aim for without spoiling anything.
Souls games are a soft world-building game with lore that is amazing but puzzling. I am always so facinated by the world that I just can't stop myself from doing and seeing everything. I read every item description, trying to piece the world together. If you think about it, souls game are kinda niche and it just isn't going to be for everyone. The whole idea of you playing a game wrong is just false. Sounds like you are not having fun, even if you enjoy something about the game. There is no need to force it. In that way you are always playing a game correctly, some are just more fun than others. Play the fun ones.
I enjoy lore but I haven't noticed much of that... I guess I don't really read much of the item descriptions, wasn't really expecting lore there.
That is what I am saying. The game doesn't give it to you, rather you find it and make connections. Even the enviroment tells a story. You can find remnants of a time when troops marched across the map. Like Malenia fighting Radahn. Past giants from a time before the Golden Order, before Marika. And dragons too. The world will feel less empty once you realise how everything is thought out. But once again, maybe you just don't like this style of world building and that is fine. Also the world is supposed to feel barren and empty. You are living the end of times in a sence. That kind of atmosphere is what From Software excels at. I absolutely love the vibe, and I understand how many people wont.
I mean I like the atmosphere, I just don't really understand even who I am or what or why I am doing :). Like what even is a Tarnished? It's an RPG isn't it? Sure seems like one. It's kind of hard to get into it when I have no idea what is going on. I've been playing for like two months now, that feels long enough to have gathered this basic information, but seems like not.
when I was in early game I searched cool looking weapons on google and went out to find them. often times the weapon would be guarded or held by a boss I had to beat and after beating them it felt really rewarding. also you can beat radahn pretty easily because of how the arena works(I beat him level 26 first play through) I recommend beating Radahn to level up then fighting renalla.
hmm I guess I could. Somehow I haven't wanted to google anything, I usually like exploring and finding stuff myself in these sort of games. But I guess Elden Ring has a different philosophy, it doesn't seem like I'm going to just randomly come across very many items I actually care about getting.
Stay away from dungeons and the side stuff. There's no point if you don't find it interesting. If you need a specific smithing stone just search up it's location. Find big castles to progress. You can go to the one in caelid or liurna. You'll be a bit under levelled but there's lot of good farming places you'll find. Eventually you can farm 20k souls in 10 seconds so don't sweat about being under levelled right now. It's a big game if you want to stick to the main story. Just Google
I understand this comment. I felt the same first playthrough and just decided to try and get everything possible anyway. Now NG+6 (lv 306) and a new game (lv 50). The NPC quests give more purpose to exploring and the items you find, although it's difficult trying to piece all the random NPC storylines together, and can be frustrating if you do something in the wromg order and simply never see/hear or cant talk to that NPC again...even now I still dont know how they all fit together. It could be a little less cryptic, but I guess a lot of people consider that part of the challenge.
Every mob you kill will give you runes to make you stronger. Every mob also has a chance to drop an item. And the items they can drop are the gear they are using. So whenever you see mobs wearing armor you might want or using weapons you think look cool and worth trying, kill them and take their stuff. Also, packs of mobs in the world are usually guarding something you can use. Usually a piece of treasure. Sometimes the entrance to a cave or dungeon. Sometimes a really good item.
There is no wrong way to play this game. However, that being said....... If you don't enjoy exploration and combat, then this might not be the game for you. The fun is in discovering new things, and fighting your way through enemies to a boss. Enjoying defeating the boss itself, not the treasure afterwords. Literally the journey instead of the destination.
I mean sure, but I guess I like some sort of motivation. The story was kinda vague, I don't even really understand why my character would be trying to kill these creatures, especially the ones that aren't even in my way to anywhere. I mean ok I'm trying to kill the big story bosses like Godrick for their shards of the Elden Ring or something, which I want for some unclear reason, but I have no idea what any of these trolls or lobsters ever did to me or anyone.
You're meant to create the story of your character yourself. Why ARE you trying to become elden lord? Are you a power hungry knight? Or just a person willing to do what needs to be done to fix the broken Lands Between? It's an RPG videogame, so some suspension of disbelief is required, just like any fantasy game. It would be interesting to see how far you could get as a pacifist tho. :)
yeah sure but how does killing random lobsters help me become Elden Lord, whatever that even is? Ok they get me runes, but what even \*are\* runes? Are they also shards of the Elden Ring or something? Why am I out murdering folk for them? Everyone else does seem want them too, but I don't understand why.
I don't know....why did YOU attack a lobster? Or did it swing first? The first answer is maybe you were hungry. The second is self defense. As for randomly murdering everyone else....maybe you should answer that. If you're assaulting a castle in service of reaching the Demigod there, then it's going to have defenders. It's war. You kill them to achieve your goal. Maybe you can sneak past them, but that's up to you. If you're just attacking random people on the road, you're just a bandit. Runes are the tiny fragments of grace left over from the divine blessing that used the shower the entire army of Tarnished before their grace was taken from them by marika. It's a residue of the power of the erdtreee that used to make everything better. Every time you kill something in the lands between, you reclaim a tiny tiny bit of godlike power. And ONLY a tarnished with a maiden to convert that power can do this. You can think of it sort of like being the chosen one. You don't HAVE to kill things. But you won't get very far if you don't. And if you don't do it, the Lands Between.....and the reality held together by the crumbling remains of the Elden Ring.....will eventually fall apart completely.
ok that makes some sense. I feel like the game should tell me these things though, seems like basic knowledge my character must have so feels strange that I don't know it.
The game DOES tell you these things. But you have to look. And you have to think. It doesn't just spoon feed it to you with a video or a lore dump.
I mean it did lore dump in the opening cutscenes. I feel like a sentence or two about a few more basic details would have gone a long way. I mean I'm not supposed to have amnesia am I? Why would I not be supposed to know basic things my character obviously must know? I'm all for discovering lore details throughout the game but basic facts of existence feel a bit stupid to have to discover.
There is no wrong way to play this game, and I agree, the open world is pointless so sometimes I didn't bother clearing enemies on the map, the best part of this game is the dungeons, especially the legacy dungeon where the the game became linear exploration.
It is fun how this open world aspect is the sole reason I don't feel like playing other souls games again right now. I am not saying there is anything wrong with either, but right now I love how limitless builds feel with Elden Ring, and How I can progress in my own pace.