As Elden Ring continues to be a trending star among the world of video games, I figure this article ought to reach a lot of new eyes. I have played through several Soulsborne games and some of those were not even published by "From Software" and I figure I have had enough time with the game to point out some common hangups newcomers may have with this particular iteration of the genre.
Tip #1: Archery and Hunting Are Connected
Whether you were sold on using a ranged weapon from the start or just want a distance option because you started as a samurai, you need arrows. Despite this interest, you may have noticed that arrows are few and far between; this is because you need to craft most of your arrows, rather than hoping for them to drop from enemies. Since most arrows at least require beast bones and feathers to construct, in addition to you buying the relevant books of crafting recipes, that means you need to make peace with killing the inoffensive livestock and eagles that call the Lands Between their home.
Tip #2: Jumping is More Than an Exploratory Tool
This tip is intended more for people who have played most of FromSoft's other Soulsborne titles; jumping, especially standing jumps, is novel to most players save those who got into "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" or whom have never played a Soulsborne game at all. Jumping is an excellent piece of your combat toolkit for two reasons.
- Jump attacks wreck Poise. Landing a jump attack on most early enemies either outright leaves them open to a visceral attack or sets them up for one after one follow-up attack.
- Most people know that rolling has "I frames," frames of animation where you are completely invincible, but jumping also has I frames. While jumping is a sensible counter to sweeping attacks there are a few moments when you first lift off the ground that leave you invulnerable to any attack.
Tip #3: Parrying vs Countering
While these two mechanics may seem similar, there is more to it than just getting in a powerful reactive attack. Countering is relatively easy to perform-simply make an attack within a short window of time after blocking an enemy's strike-and parrying requires having a good feel for timing. The biggest difference between these two countermeasures is that while more attack forms can be countered, parrying will completely short-circuit an attack string while a counter might come too early and be ruined by an enemy's swift follow-up attack. In short, get familiar with countering until you feel confident in your ability to parry.
