I’ve been playing Elden Ring (as I do) as a dex build. In my decade+ years of playing FromSoft games, I have never played a dex build or even a hybrid dex build. The reason is pretty prosaic: I’m shit at them. I have tried, mind you. Oh, I have tried. It ends with me either abandonning the run or adding other aspects (usually magicks) until the build could not be considered a dex build.
I will be controversial about it. I don’t like the katanas in the games. At all. One amendment. The great katanas in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC were cool, but they’re more greatswords than katanas. I don’t know why I’m not more enamored of them, but I have tried them in almost every game. I have used Rivern of Blood in Elden Ring, but that’s more for the Skill (Corpse Piler) than the weapon itself.
I have tried to do a dex build in Elden Ring, starting as a samurai. I abandonned that because it got frustrating. This time, I started as a vagabond with two scimitars. I have said many times that one of the reasons I don’t do dex is beacuse you’re expected to play without a shield. Then again, most people seem to play caster without a shield as welll. One reason I don’t like Bloodborne is because there are no shields in it. Well, there is one, but it’s a joke shield.
I have tried. I really have. Playing without a shield, I mean. I’m so glued to my shield, it’s embarrassing. I hold it up way too much. There are times when I realize that I haven’t lowered it in literal minutes. I decided with the vagabond to see how long I could go without using a shield. I struggled from the get-go, but I managed to limp along. You probably won’t be surprised to find out that hitting fast and furious does a sick amount of damage. I power-stanced two daggers (including the blood-letting reduvia) for a bit, which was fun. But I never really got the hang of it.
Then I switched to the halberd+8 that Edgar gives you (after he invades you), infusing it with either Hoarfrost Stomp or Sacred Blade, depending on the situation. For the first time, I’m actually using holy on the undead so they don’t come back–and to deal massive damage to the undead who don’t revive. I will say, it makes a huge difference. I may keep upgrading this weapon specifically for this purpose.
Then I got the Bloodhound’s Fang, which is the classic dex weapon in the base game of this game. Many YouTubers use it for the whole game whereas other YouTubers declare it cheese/pussying out/making it too easy. You know how I feel about this by now. It’s in the fucking game. It’s legit. Period. End of.
Someone in the RKG Discord (on the way FromSoft keeps nerfing anything considered too OP): Who cares if a weapon/incantation/spell is too OP? Why not let people be OP if they want?