So. I’ve accepted I cannot save-scum for the two endings I need for the Elden Ring plat. It’s actually freeing to let go of the unrealistic hope and just move on. I’m going to be playing this game forever, anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. Ian was telling me about his adventures in Raya Lucaria and finding his way up to where the ball is plunked down (the old FromSoft staple of hurling a boulder at you). He found a bunch of stuff that he could kill so of course I’m going to do that next.
In addition, there was a patch that nerfed Swarm of Flies, my boss-killing incantation. I understand From wants to balance things, but let me have my one crutch! They did buff many sorceries/incantations, mostly by decreasing cast time, which is much appreciated. Some of them take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to cast.
The patch added a Patches event (heh) so you could get the signature Patches crouch emoji (used to be called the Patches squat). I had written earlier about *SPOILERS* Patches dying, and while I’m glad he’s back, it takes the emotions out of him dying a bit. But you can’t let Patches be dead–you just cannot.
I’m feeling a bit aimless today because for the past two months, I’ve been focused on exploring the hell out of Elden Ring. There is more to find, of course, but for the most part, I am done with that journey. I could go into NG+, but I…don’t want to. At least not with this character. And it’s for both good and bad reasons. Good reasons such as wanting to find everything in one playthrough and having a character ready to go for the inevitable DLC. Bad reasons such as I don’t want to lose the entire map and have to find the pieces again. I told you it was a bad reason!
Elden Ring continued to blow past my expectations with ease. There was something amazing or incredible at every turn. Yes, that included many frustrating moments as well, but that’s just part of the game. There are plenty of videos about how to become OP fast, how to build the optimal _____ build, how to farm a million Runes in ten minutes, etc. I haven’t watched any of them because at least for my first playthrough, I wanted to play it as organically as possible. At least until I was in the last quarter and wanted to make sure I did all the NPC questlines. And I still fucked some up because I hadn’t done them in a timely fashion. Fucked up as in couldn’t do them any longer (Seluvius) or fucked up as in missed several steps along the way (Patches).
To that end, I’m thinking about my next playthrough. I want to do a strengthcaster build, which means maybe actually watching videos about maxing out a build. It would include starting as the Prisoner because they have relatively high Intelligence and Strength. Then, focusing on those stats rather than spreading them all over. This is one of my biggest weaknesses. I tell myself sternly to focus on a few stats and before I know it, I’m spreading them all over the damn place. In this case, I ended up at 162 with levels now costing me nearly 200,000 Runes. Which isn’t bad, really. Everything seems scaled higher so I can farm relatively easily. There’s a farming spot that is standing on a ledge and shooting a giant chicken down below, making it run off its ledge. With a certain talisman, it nets me 13,000 Runes a pop. So it’s not too hard to top off my Runes to get that level, even if I’m only halfway there.
Here’s the thing. I’m glad that I played the game mostly the way I wanted, with the exception of making sure I finished up NPC questlines. Yes, it meant that my character was sloppy and all over the place. Yes, it meant that I didn’t maximize or optimize my character. Yes, it meant that I made the game harder for myself. But, it also meant that I had a more authentic experience. I explored where I wanted, and, yeah I missed some shit. But I also got to see the wonders in my own time. I came across things that made my jaw drop, which wouldn’t have happened if I’d known to expect them.
I think I had a good blend of finding things on my own and using wikis/videos to pinpoint find specific things. I’ll admit that with both Millicent’s questline and Ranni’s, I looked shit up because I wanted to get it right. I’ll do the same with Blaidd’s questline for the next NG because I want to do the early steps I missed before. I am still sad that I had to kill him. Hey, look. He came at me–I had no choice. I mean, I could have run away, but it was really a mercy-killing as he had lost his true self.
Even though I finished my first playthrough, I can’t stop thinking about the game. I’m planning my next character. I’m thinking about the things I’ve missed. I’m watching videos I had skipped about the game because
I wanted to go in relatively pure. I talk about the game with Ian, up to as far as he’s gotten–which is Raya Lucaria. I’m surprised that he’s up to 50 hours, but the hours can creep up on you.
I’m hoping that with experience, my next playthrough will be smoother. Plus, with me focusing on a build, rather than just doing my usual haphazard thing. I mean, just knowing most of what’s going to happen is half the battle. The biggest thing about a new From game is the unexpected. How the hell are you supposed to deal with something if you don’t know what’s about to hit you in the face? It could be a giant land octopus/squid ball, a giant skeleton that is an apparition and not real, a beleaguered NPC who is definitely looking for a special kind of grapes that are not eyeballs, or a snake with a human face.
I told myself I’d take a break before starting a new character, but I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my Elden Ring addiction. It’s gotten thoroughly under my skin in the best way possible.
Oh. Another reason I don’t want to go into NG+ yet. I want to do everything possible in one playthrough. I’m not sure that’s a good reason or a bad one, but I can’t deny it’s a prevalent one.