I might hop back on Elden Ring if we find the time to do so. We are still in that Northwest area of the DLC (still no clue what it’s called) and killed that butterfly boss. Next thing on the agenda is probably Messmer since that seems to be the next necessary step. Probably a little more exploration along the way to grab some more Scadutree Fragments.
As iconic as bosses are by themselves, they’re only as good as the boss arena is. What’s your favourite one?
Maliketh’s arena. Such a gorgeous place. You get immediately teleported out after the fight to the capitol. But it’s really worth it to travel back. There is so much detail, and this is probably the coolest-looking place in Farum Azula.
The statues, the different Elden Ring symbol, the corpses in the pillars, and the place that best showcases Alexander’s words: “The city hanging in the air is slowly crumbling. What an incredible place we find ourselves.”
I don’t really have time to play this weekend (traveling, lots of chores, etc.), but I had lots of free time during the week.
I’m now at the end of my Elden Ring Randomizer RL1 playthrough. But, I must admit, I had feared that the ending might be anticlimactic.
This couldn’t be further from the truth: Godfrey/Loux got replaced with Curcible Duo and Godskin Duo. That arena is not made for Duo fights and Crucible Duo one-shots. I did eventually manage it: a perfect parry fight followed by Sleep Pot Noble and Sleep Arrow Apostle.
Oh, but it gets worse: Radagon and Elden Beast → Valiant Gargoyles and Dancing Lion. The Gargoyles shouldn’t have that much HP and attack power. Even with Ritual Shield, I got one-shot by everything. I eventually used Watchdog’s Staff for the Gargoyle and Pulley Crossbow with bleed bolts for Dancing Lion.
And you thought that was the the hardest? Consort Radahn phases 1 and 2 got replaced with Placidusax and Metyr. Placidusax gets quite glitchy in this arena, and Metyr should not be phase 2 to anything… How did I beat this? I didn’t… This is the last fight that’s missing. Currently I’m trying Rusted Anchor + Crossbows.
We are still in that Northwest area of the DLC (still no clue what it’s called)
Ancient Ruins of Rauh
Nice area with lots of hidden stuff. It’s like an open-world dungeon.
Beating the valiant gargoyles at RL1 sounds like an utterly miserable experience, credit to you for prevailing. It’s a shame about Placi not working well in that arena, they definitely have that final boss spectacle going on even if they’re nowhere near as difficult to actually take on as PCR. It’s even kinda fun lore-wise, like they finally accepted that their god is never returning and so they must become one themselves
Gargoyles
Normal Gargoyles aren’t that bad at RL1 you come back with a +25 weapon and blast them. Usually the first dies before the second one spawns much less makes it to you. Ice Spear or Halo Scythe are really good, because of the powerful projectiles. A Strike Weapon also works, but – especially with the Star Fists – the spindly legs are hard to hit.
In my Randomizer I had an unoptimized setup and them being the replacement for Radagon buffed them severely. I could get one Gargoyle barely below 50% before the other spawns. Protracted hitless fights with Gargoyles are pretty problematic. Oh, and also Radagons oval platform is pretty feature less and I didn’t know where Gargoyel #2 was going to land; more than once he simply landed on my head one-shotting me. My Watchdog’s Staff was a decent solution: nice projectile and a long strike weapon.
Placidusax
Oh, that is a pretty fun lore perspective! I always found their background interesting and to view it through this lense…
Placi also looks pretty cool in the arena; color scheme and lighting work quite well. Metyr on the other hand looks bad in the arena.
If you are interested what’s glitchy about Placi here: In phase 2 they crash lands on the railing on the side of the arena or entirely on the other side of the walls and then does their 30 second long AOE attacks. They even once nuked the site of grace. He doesn’t truly get stuck, since he can teleport, but it’s still annoying.PS: I now eventually overcame the fight. Rusted Anchor + Pulley Bow prevailed. I put so many bolts in Metyr that I actually stance broke her with just the crossbow.
Yea I probably would have called it quits right when I saw the Godskin Duo ngl :D It was a fun fight with a Mimic Tear plus the summon you get there for that brawl feeling but fuck trying to 1v2 them - they were not made for that to work as From intended it to do.
Yes, Rauh! I got that same vibe so far. Well-designed area
I would love to be playing mortal shell 2 if I didn’t have work and bills to pay.
Hear that. Once I find the time, I’ll pirate it to try it out
Not my favorite boss fight, but Micolash has a pretty cool arena.
If you’re fighting butterfly lady in the DLC, you’ve been in Rauh! I adore the visuals of that place, just a shame it doesn’t get much in the way of unique enemies. It’s not really a boss arena, so to speak, but that lower area of Rauh you can get to via one of the teleporter gates to fight a divine bird warrior is just gorgeous
I am actually somewhat tempted to offer Capra Demon as my favourite arena, specifically because of how essential it is to the fight. That was the one that taught me, very forcefully, to play fast and aggressive. Lady Maria and her astral clocktower also come to mind though, solely for how cool the light spilling through the clockwork is as a backdrop
