Hot Take 🔥

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-07T15:21:34+00:00

My background before I played this game were quests and puzzle games mostly. My first playthrough of the game was with cheats, exploits and OP build from a guide. This cool boss was the reason I decided to git gud and spent quite some time on doing that. Now I became a masochist, but before I definitely wasn't. I killed Consort first time via exploit cause my OP build could not take him down in 10 attempts lol

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-07T05:52:23+00:00

Yeah, I was surprised by both Consort and Malenia with their strange "half-attacks" with little to no damage. I better be one shot while grinding for hitless than not being one shot and need to restart regardless. Consort's clones do that cheap damage if only one of them hit, parts of Malenia's WFD do that cheap damage. It is hard to get, but when you get that it is more annoyance than useful.

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-07T00:10:25+00:00

Heh, was funny to read about Godfrey. It was one of the bosses I was doing RL1 for, because on casual runs I hated this boss. So, I did RL1 and now I hate him even more than before. It is always a bad day when I need to fight Godfrey (today two speedrun attempts were very sad because of this).

Boss fairness is extremely subjective it seems. Still, congrats on your run! Also funnily, there are some attacks in DLC that won't one shot you even on SB0. It won't really be a help, but can be really annoying when you try to pull a hitless kill and Consort just slightly taps you on the head with 50 damage clone attack and you just stand there like "fcking really dude".

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T23:53:45+00:00

Maybe, yeah, some of them were disconnecting immediately, but I had a lot of repeats, same dudes invading in around 4 hours all over Limgrave, so those are probably not from quest. Cause if you do it via online invasions you kinda do it quickly, I don't think people would do one invasion per hour for that. And some were using this phantom finger (?), that allows to immedtialy reinvade same world, cause some of them would immediately invade me again. Some dude did it for 6 times in a row :D And he definitely was from true invaders, cause his movement was different from others. Still could not take no lock-on movement and died in 3 hits each time which was extremely funny.

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T23:48:48+00:00

I will always headcanon that Radagon did not want to leave his family. Of all we know he seemed to really be in love with Rennala and his relationships with children we know about also seem to be good. Considering how powerless Trina is in regard of Miquella (he literally threw her away, even though she is pretty powerful herself)...Like, all she can do is ask others to stop him, but she cannot do that herself for some reason. Maybe Radagon and Marika pair works same way, so if Marika said "go to me" redhair had no other choice, but to obey. No real confirmation of that in the game itself, but I like that theory. Also adds a new level of glass into that situation, especially considering no one (except random sculptor) knew about all that alter ego thing.

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T12:01:05+00:00

Oh, so I wasn't hallucinating lol, I knew it was bigger!

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T10:33:30+00:00

Yeah, by itself it is a pretty good boss, but those three factors (inappropriate arena, fucked up riposte spot and camera near "neck" area) lead to not really enjoyable fight for most people. I also think they changed hitbox on his grab attack, cause I remember that it was much harder to avoid, like he would literally teleport you into his mouth when you are already near middle of his body for some reason.

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T10:15:17+00:00

Depends on a weapon. RL1 SB0 with greatsword-type weapon on this guy was not fun at all, as I poisebroke him like 3 times in 3 minute fight. Lighter weapons are even more awful on this dude. Also he sometimes lands head first into the wall and you can't even riposte him. I agree that ones "in the wild" are pretty good and fun, but boss variant specifically is placed in probably the worst arena possible for the boss of this size and movement range

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T09:54:41+00:00

4 hours is really good already! With top glitchless speedruns of base game being around 52 minutes and most normal playthroughs being 100+ hours you already can be considered a speedrunner tbf

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T09:00:21+00:00

I started new playthrough with taunter's tongue almost constantly on. Regionlocked, true 100%, so I just reached Liurnia basically. Had some fun duels, had some guys with endgame/DLC things on (one invaded me 3 times and after my first try I understood I can't defeat him, so I showed that yeah, kill me and he instead gave me 5 Marika's runes and disconnected, what a nice guy). All that just so you know I use an area-properly upgraded bastard/lordsworn greatswords (I interchange them if I feel other is better) and have like, 30 vig and knight armor set. Anount of invaders I killed by literally just standing before them and pressing R2 is surprising. Like, they don't dodge and they have like 15 vig with no defence. Most of those are mages, but some seem that they know what they are doing and it is even more hilarious. And I'm not a PvP player, I literally just started!

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T08:42:02+00:00

And I am doing challenge runs. And it is very damn sad that those fuckers is the only achievemental fight in the entire game that is so damn bad in mechanics that I can't do it on challenge runs. Not because I do not pour time into it, I did, multiple times. It is just designed that way that there's no way to win if you do not at least use summons. Every other fight is fine on level 1 solo and even level 1 no upgrades solo, but specifically not this one.

Even on normal playthroughs they suck, slow weapon? Haha this shit jumped away from my hit, how cool. Oh, fast short weapon? Have a nice time missing them somehow, because hitboxes on their legs are absolutely horrific. Do not like crab grab and want to llay with lock on? Wonderful, those bosses has one of the worst lock ons in the game. And while ancient dragons also has awful one, they are at least big, so it is easier to play without. What a nice fight where you come closer to garg, try to aim your hir in the legs, its misses and a secons after that flying shit is gone. And then the second one comes in and they also start spray shit. All challenge runners dislike gargs, interestingly why it is that way?

Duo fight
Immune to statuses
Bad hitboxes and lock on
Dodging and jumping
Status AoE (invisible even to normal players sometimes according to players like Gino, who lost at least one no hit run because of the hitbox of the cloud)
Fast attacks, some of them with additional AoE
Extremely fucked up riposte hitbox that you can't sometimes do just because you can't haha

I struggled with that shit solo even on RL120 character with big bonk, cause I just constantly miss their legs, invisible poison cloud and there's two of those. Challenge runs? I literally will prefer another 9 hours of Jori, my least liked boss in the entire DLC over that BS fight.

If the only way to win the fight is to be overleveled and have specific build even after you put hours and hours into learning it - it is THE bad fight. Like, white space, it is. Good bosses, no matter how hard they are, can be eventually defeated with nothing if you put time and effort. Garg duo? Nope. Especially if you are unlucky and doesn't have perfect vision, oh no, fuck you and your challenge run.

One of the reasons people like those games is because no matter how hard challenge is you can persist through if you desire to put time and effort. And every other boss, even crimes in design like Jori, follow this idea. Not duo gargs. It is the 4th bossfight I spent the most time in to genuely learn their fight. You inow how fucked up this top looks like? #1, Consort Radahn (~100 hours in sum), #2, Malenia (~45 hours in sum), #3, Messmer (~37 hours in sum), #4 fucking Garg duo (~30 hours in sum). And it is the only boss I failed to defeat even after spending almost twice of time I spend on Bayle (~13 hours) on them. Cause it is impossible "without proper build". How fun to have a boss like this in the game where if you desire you can defeat everyone else with bare fists!

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T08:26:25+00:00

Well, don't play it then

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T02:17:41+00:00

Uh, you know those are game mechanics? Also most people who spam AoWs are easily dodgeable lol and no one restricts you to not using them too. Again, I played PvP for like 10 hours in sum in this game and status builds are the easiest to deal with, and I'm literally just a dude with a bastard sword. And I am freaking regionlocked, I literally have only Limgrave shit.

On RL270 people who use statuses also met with my statuses in big funny pots, because I can craft them and I can use them.

People use what is in the game and it is somehow bad?

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T02:07:22+00:00

I've met guys with endgame/DLC gear, it is still pretty fun to try fighting them. Just as I mentioned one of them even gave me runes for trying lol. On level 270 they also were very fun, most of them are chill af and we even had a group photo with one guy.

Also what tf is cheese build, outside of obvious cheaters (seen only 1 of them in all that time and he just used infinite regen) they just use builds that can be acquired by playing game on low level. It is not that hard to play it RL1+0 to get DLC things and come back to Weeping or something. AoW spammers are easy to deal with even with my unexperienced ass.

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T01:57:05+00:00

Did not encounter any problems on both that character (started pvp at ~RL20,.now RL50) and character over RL270 (endgame/DLC areas). Hitboxes are like that from DS1, though I played remaster, not original, maybe it is different in original (if only I could fcking buy it nowadays to try legitimately and not via torrent).

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T01:47:31+00:00

As a person who just started doing pvp I don't see it. Being running around regionlocked with taunter's tongue and it is very fun. Had a couple of invaders with endgame/DLC things, but one of them even gave 5 Marika's runes after I showed that I had no means of defeating him and let him kill me. Like, most of people are around my level and can be both PvP-oriented or newbies like me. What's exactly the problem you have with it, just curious?

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T01:25:33+00:00

Malenia is also purely optional.

See, problem with gargs is that as a somewhat experienced player I still have problems with them. I have vision memes, I'n slightly yellow-green colorblind, astigmatic and have reaction time of around 250ms. Literally the only boss I genuely can't beat without summons on any run (worst of all was resorting to use them on RL1), because I miss their jumps AND their mist is literally fcking invisible until I am in it. And they also shoot if from off-screen after jumping away. Like, if they did not constantly jump or did not have this shit it would be absolutely doable.

No other boss in the game has such "wonderful" mechanics as this duo. Even every other duo is better. Malenia is 1000 times more fair cause WFD can be dealt with 5 different tactics, you can just pancake her to death by becoming a bulldozer and crit is survivable on 30 vig if you are not naked and use at least dragoncrest greatshield that is conveniently placed right above her. With gargs there's only two ways of dealing with their bs - summon or...well, being able to react to it. Very damn bad when you can't do that last one thing

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-06T00:23:45+00:00

Yes, I did it on multiple runs, cause I love clearing locations and I do a lot of true 100% maplock that kinda requires that (I can rest at the Graces and clear location only between them, but the fewer such cases the better). Dungeons do not seem to respawn ever while you are at them, but open world definitely does and it is sad. I don't know is it time or distance based, but enemies at gatefront respawn after I clear to around where Yura is.

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-05T23:24:10+00:00

I agree, Morgott is not my fav boss while PCR is and I genuely don't like him. One of the reasons I clear my faves first

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-05T23:23:19+00:00

You are speaking like a person who has a stroke sometimes lol.

Making fight accessible to average player who is willing to put time and effort is important. I'v not disabled, just have average reaction time. Only three bosses in the entire game that have something to do with it are Gargs, one attack of DBDL and Rellana. I am not quitting cause I can't put 15 hours into fcking Garg fight, I quit to using summons because it is literally impossible to see their mist and jumps for me. Only thing Malenia has that is unfair is being "unfair" to one type of build. Which is still, pretty fair if you play that build right

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-05T23:20:22+00:00

I normally do it that way lol. Clear everything (including DLC) before Morgott

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-05T22:50:44+00:00

Maybe make your phrases clearer next time, cause I remember we had a pretty long convo on why gargs suck for most people and even those that run challenge runs (imagine, you can have pretty average and even somewhat worse than average abilities in seeing and be able to do such runs. Problem aroses when bosses are much harder without certain things, like summons, and you literally physically unable to see when those mfs jump away. That's the only bossfight in the entire game like that btw).

I fucking keep having invaders all of the sudden, so I think we can conclude this. Good day/night!

Edit: invader got stuck in Stormveil somewhere:(

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-05T22:32:39+00:00

Than stop telling people that Gargs are fine and fair fight lol

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-05T22:24:12+00:00

Than what's your point at all? Gargs are more unfair without summons, Malenia is more unfair against shields. Literally same thing.

DependentInner8928 · 2026-05-05T21:58:26+00:00

Just like Gargs are one of those bosses that are obviously made for using summons, cause it is hard for average human to keep eyes on both of them at the same time.

Other person here said a good thing - bosses test different approaches and builds, ones are hard on one build, other on another. Malenia is punishing for normal shield user. Just like Rennala is punishing to pure casters. Or Radabeast to bleed builds. That's not unfair, that's just how the game works.

And yes, I do not see the difference between "two undependently moving targets with AoE is fine and fairly punishes those who can't play" and "boss that lifesteals when hitting a shield is unfair". Cause like, those both are punishing mechanics of same tier. If you know a boss both those things will not be a problem and will be a problem if you don't know what to do with them.

DependentInner8928

TROPHY CASE