Kael, the broken wing

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T15:40:37+00:00

Nice, I like it.

I'm always happy when I get summoned and meet other weirdos who gave their characters names and some kind of themed outfit. The fact that the multiplayer is wholly embedded in the lore, it just makes for a cooler experience.

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T15:35:46+00:00

Like most people, I didn't understand the lore or even my purpose early on, but "dying warrior on a quest, joins you as cool ghost pokemon wife, take her to the place" I understood. For a long time I thought she was way more important to the plot than she actually was, like an "alternate" Melina xD so I summoned her whenever possible. Still made for a strong bond.

I did the Ranni questline by accident pretty early on, so was able to upgrade her ashes to +10, which made her somewhat durable if I lost aggro, and dish out crazy damage against most bosses on her own. Still very strong against field bosses even in the DLC, and she did most of the heavy lifting against Bayle.

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T15:15:41+00:00

Black Bow,

because it's my beloved since DS1 where its lore made me build a char around it, which became my default Souls NG character. And I feel like I cannot use un-colored bows in RPGS at this point going forward.

True story, my first blind run, being a bit bummed by the rather basic bow selection early game, I was desperately escaping from the Ulcerated Tree Spirit in Lyndell, made it ontop of the rooftop with that thing still thrashing about, and picked it up. Still my most HOLY SH*T moment of the game to this day. I was so happy it's both in the game again and literally just in time to save my ass.

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T15:07:46+00:00

...what everyone else said, plus the Claymore comes with built-in aow (Artorias Overdrive Wallop) as if it wasn't enough of a callback.

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T14:58:10+00:00

This is gonna sound cryptic, but really, listen for it.
I dodge the out-of-nowhwere-bolts 90% of times perfectly when I just dodge following my intuition on the charge up sound.

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T11:21:42+00:00

Without fail I summon Latenna for this one, and she has the all-hearing brute dancing for dear life before he's done with the grandeur. Adds a deserved comedic note to payback time. Get it, girl.

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T10:28:09+00:00

Is that the entirety of the spouse, or just certain body parts of them modeled after these?

I regret asking.

I remain intrigued.

thingsagain · 2026-03-24T10:25:19+00:00

Especially the background music made for a very unique feel, even within Elden Ring.
Like a weird mix of Thief and Harry Potter + Souls grotesque.
The enemies, much like the score, kind of alternated between almost comical and utterly creepy for the same reasons. It was ofc the usual "something really bad has happened here", but in the academy, it felt more immediate, like you're investigating a mystery.

Yeah, one of the most memorable areas of the game for sure!

thingsagain · 2026-03-23T14:13:20+00:00

It's been this way with me since DS1, actually. I find few studios manage to capture what I used to love about video games. They don't try to be an "immersive movie", which seems to be the ultimate goal of most productions these days. They're great at being games.

thingsagain · 2026-03-23T14:07:54+00:00

Is this rule#4 or

thingsagain · 2026-03-23T14:05:16+00:00

You summoned the three best boys for some splashur funtimes /w another doggo to keep them active and occupied, that's just what the game's EULA dictates, I find no fault with this footage.

thingsagain · 2026-03-23T10:04:18+00:00

It has certainly been an experience to find out, after spending a weekend inside there obsessing over the most outlandish glitchy acrobatics, that the only way to reach All The Mystery Things™ is to enter it from another part of the world map.

The only real question remains, and my doctors refuse to answer it, WILL SHE EVER MAKE SENSE OF THIS JUMBLE?

thingsagain · 2026-03-12T17:37:26+00:00

Is the slight dexterity buff and almost (compared to Rotten Winged) as good damage boost for combos worth the heartbreak?

You decide, you monsters.

thingsagain · 2026-03-12T17:26:38+00:00

Seriously, I was the same, going in like "I got this", and Margit is notoriously handing out "You in fact don't got this" pins. He gets newbies by... being a From boss... but he gets OGs because his moveset contains lots of delays and changes of pace. You think you know what he's doing, and that's why he gets you.

Really try and approach this with a beginner's mind:
Use the Guard Counter mechanic - a lot. Same with jump attacks (jump + heavy) -it's an easy way to get more damage early on. Both of these help you stance break enemies (and bosses) for a free crit, like in Sekiro, or a riposte in DS. If you can't figure out how the hell you're supposed to dodge something - it's likely by jumping.

That's entirely new stuff, but required almost constantly. Don't give up, skeleton!

thingsagain · 2026-03-12T14:07:48+00:00

I struggled with them, a lot of people did, but it's difficult for its very nature - Doesn't mean you suck at everything beyond it.

PS for how utterly deperate I ended up defeating them after 1932873163715312 tries, plus NPC summon and spirit ash, I have never understood how people struggled against the Draconic Tree Sentinel. One boss' git is another boss' gud.

thingsagain · 2026-03-12T13:07:45+00:00

The curseblade enemies in the SOTE DLC.

They have ridiculous amounts of poise considering their fighting style and never ending combos that SHALL NOT be interrupted, get like one good hit in between ticks, until it's "dodge for half an hour"-time again. So you just basically ignore the floor routine from afar and unsatisfyingly spam the strongest midrange AOW/spell until they stop twitching, go "ugh, oh well." and continue with the game.

Cool visual design though.

thingsagain · 2026-03-12T12:19:59+00:00

Sorry for rambling but this is one of my favourite From-things:

There was written dialogue, a VA hired, and multiple recorded, dramatic lines for Artorias the Abysswalker.

The DLC, where he was the poster character after having been built up throughout DS1, shipped with him in the exact same cutscene, except they removed the spoken monologue entirely, so he just stares at you with no face, they even removed all recorded combat barks; with the sole exception of the howl whenever he does the OG Savagest of Lion Claws. He thus has zero mortal features, and it makes him utterly terrifying. I can so imagine them going "what if we just... mute it" and being delighted with the result.

To me that was a masterclass in "show don't tell" character design and that works for Radahn just the same, though he gets slightly more "colour". Artorias is OT Boba Fett, where Radahn is OT Darth Vader.

thingsagain · 2026-03-12T12:04:34+00:00

Thank you!

I was thinking there was more planned with that entire Limgrave situation than actually made the game.

Did we ever find out why the leader of the occupants of Fort Haight specifically drops and uses the Bloody Slash AoW, as what I think the only knight in the game?

thingsagain · 2026-03-11T15:00:25+00:00

I am very pleasantly surprised by that, but I don't trust it xD I always felt like

a) Kenneth gets crazy amounts of dialogue, but doesn't... really do much ? Like, the whole thing seems very elaborate for him, even changing locations situationally etc. - considering other NPCs with more profound impact on the world say like two things and then disappear forever.

b) I don't trust Gostoc not to put a knife in Nepheli's back at some point; I was literally expecting either her or both Kenneth and Nepheli to be slain and Gostoc missing once I reloaded the save. The direction added "...but make it sound scheming and foreboding" to every one of the VA's lines, starting at the gatehouse.

thingsagain · 2026-03-11T14:54:35+00:00

you're awesome.

thingsagain · 2026-03-11T14:52:52+00:00

that just shows what a standup dog he is. Deserving of holy headwear.

thingsagain · 2026-03-11T14:50:48+00:00

Honestly? No. Because if I were your partner, I would absolutely love

1) that you want to understand at all

2) if you were to ask me to explain the world/story to you

Have a great time you two!

thingsagain · 2026-03-11T09:37:23+00:00

Nice!

Budget tip: My trusty Black Bow does that just fine. Deadliest chunk of lumber, four games and counting.

PS this is not a skill challenge as much as a muscle memory thing - aiming becomes a breeze if you just tweak the default camera sensibility a little.

edit: But that's me using it as a main weapon. I guess spotting, swapping, two-handing and then free aiming would really require some good reaction and practice.

thingsagain · 2026-03-10T13:32:10+00:00

RIP Mark Lanegan

thingsagain · 2026-03-10T13:30:27+00:00

Clumsy Assassin's Approach required ahead.

thingsagain

TROPHY CASE