When you play Elden Ring, you'll inevitably
run up against bosses or areas that will humble you. While it's certainly possible that you've
stumbled into an encounter you're not strong enough to face yet, it's important to remember
that a lot of these obstacles are often there by design. They do not block the path - they are the
path. Through skill, or creativity..or just by coming
back later - you can overcome any obstacle in this game, and this video will give you
all the tools you need to do so. Before you do anything else, you should try
to master the basics of combat. At the core of combat is your stamina bar,
the green bar under your red health bar. This resource is depleted when you perform
the actions necessary for fighting. For example, sprinting ... dodging ... blocking
attacks ... attacking ... all of these things, and more, require stamina. As for the proper flow of combat - While locked
on with R3, keep your shield raised with L1. This will prevent damage from any attacks
that are too fast for you to react to. As you block them, your stamina bar will be
depleted, so make sure to drop your shield in-between attacks in order to regain that
stamina faster. Now, fast attacks often don't deplete too
much of your stamina - but slow attacks are a different story, and can easily break your
guard, leaving you wide open. Thus, if you think you can anticipate a slow
attack, it's often better to roll through it instead. Rolls have invincibility frames that nullify
all damage if you roll around the instant where you would have been hit, and while more
difficult to do, avoiding damage in this way is much more stamina-efficient. You should try to wear the heaviest, most
defensive armour you can - but make sure you stay below 70% equipment load so that your
rolls stay fast and effective. As you fight an enemy, pay special attention
to their animations and try to memorise their moveset. Over time, you will learn the best way to
avoid certain attacks, and where the openings are. But learn to fight with a mixture of both
blocks, and rolls. As a general rule, you should block fast attacks,
and roll through slow attacks. By fighting efficiently in this way, you'll
avoid damage AND still have stamina left over to deal damage while the boss is left open. A new way to deal damage in Elden Ring is
with Guard Counters, which are a core part of Elden Ring's combat. Shortly after successfully blocking an attack,
you can retaliate by tapping R2 and performing a Guard Counter attack. These counters are extremely powerful. If you recognise an opportunity to safely
perform one, you should. They deal great damage, and many lesser enemies
will immediately have their Super Armor broken, opening them up for a critical attack with
R1. But what is Super Armor? Well, it's an invisible meter that enemies
and bosses have. It depletes when they take damage, and when
you fully deplete it and break their Super Armor, you can perform a critical attack by
tapping R1. As a rule of thumb, any R2 attack will do
more Super Armor damage. Jumping R2 attacks do a lot ... Running R2
attacks are great too ... but fully charged R2 attacks seem to do the most. Also worth noting is that Super Armor regenerates
over time. Therefore, it's important that you continually
deal damage to your enemies. If you sense a boss is close to breaking point,
go on the offensive with your R2 attacks. Often, you'll be rewarded. On the other hand, if you're simply just looking
to do consistent damage - well, tapping R1 is the probably the way to go. R1 attacks generally come out much faster,
and aren't as risky to perform. If you really want to prioritise damage over
defense, then you can two-hand your weapon. The input for this is to hold Triangle or
Y, and tap R1 or L1 to two-hand your right-hand item, or left-hand item, respectively. In addition to granting you a new moveset,
you will have more strength, more damage, more super armor damage, and you can also
often avoid recoil when striking an enemy's shield. So if your shield isn't helping much with
an encounter, consider two-handing for damage instead. While you'll mostly be dodging for defense
in this state, it's worth noting that you can still block while two-handing, and while
you'll take some chip damage - it's still a good idea to block in many situations, especially
if you want to utilise guard counters. Another offensive alternative to two-handing
is powerstancing, which can be achieved by equipping two weapons of the same class, one
in each hand. With this, you'll get access to a special
L1 attack that utilises both weapons. Just like your R1 attacks, your L1 attacks
do a combo of attacks, and can be utilised in jumping attacks as well. Speaking of jumping attacks, they are incredible
gap closers, allowing you to cover distance and queue an attack simultaneously. If an enemy is left open, but you're far away
- close the distance with a jumping attack to see how effective they can be. Jumping R1 attacks are generally better for
flying or mounted enemies... and jumping R2 attacks are generally better if you want to
inflict damage and posture damage upon grounded enemies. Damage can be healed with your Flask of Crimson
Tears, which will always replenish when you warp, or sit at a grace checkpoint. Additionally, you can get extra flask charges
by clearing out a group of enemies ... or by defeating these small red creatures. At grace checkpoints, you can upgrade your
flask with Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears. Golden seeds are found at minor erdtrees,
and increase the amount of flasks you can carry. Sacred Tears are found at Churches of Marika,
and increase the amount healed by your flasks. Furthermore, you can balance the allotment
of crimson flasks and cerulean flasks you carry at a site of grace, to better suit your
needs. To quickly access your crimson healing flask
at any time, consider making it the first item on your quick-select bar. This way, if you hold down on the d-pad, you'll
always shortcut to it instantly. At the top of the d-pad, you'll be able to
cycle through your current selection of spells. New spells can be memorized at a site of grace. These spells will either be incantations,
which must be cast with an equipped seal...or sorceries, which must be cast with an equipped
staff. Cycle through your equipped armaments by pressing
left or right on the d-pad. If you die, then you'll drop all your runes
at your point of death. If you don't pick them up during your next
life, then they'll be gone forever. Make sure to seek them out using your compass,
whenever you can. When you do die, you can choose to resurrect
at a site of grace, or sometimes at a Stake of Marika. If you see this statue ... or this icon, then
it's probably an indication that you're in a difficult area, or near a boss, as a Stake
of Marika is nearby. Respawning at a Stake of Marika will usually
make your run back to your runes less severe, so it's often best to choose that option,
unless you'd prefer to move on from what killed you. If you're out in the open world, one way to
overcome difficulty is by choosing the right scenarios to fight on your mount. You'll receive your mount after visiting your
third site of lost grace. Against large or mounted enemies that struggle
against hit and run tactics, the mount is definitely the way to go. While mounted, R1 and R2 give you light and
heavy attacks on the right side, and L1 and L2 give light and heavy attacks on your left
side. If you hold your heavy attacks, you can charge
them up, dealing continuous damage while you charge, culminating in a strong attack at
the end. While mounted, you automatically wield the
armament in your right hand. If you would prefer to wield the armament
in your left hand, use a two-handing input - so hold triangle or Y, and tap L1 or R1. Torrent can take damage separately from the
player, but his damage can be healed by your crimson flasks, as well as craftable rowa
raisins. If he does somehow die before you, then you'll
have to sacrifice a crimson flask to revive him. As you get hit on your mount, you run the
risk of losing your posture and getting knocked down for an extended period of time. If this happens, you are extremely vulnerable. If you're taking damage, then at a certain
point, no matter what you're fighting, it's probably wise to dismount and fight them on
foot for a while. Jumping attacks off your horse are a great
way to transition into melee combat. Dismount with L3, and slam them with L1, R1,
or R2. The distance you cover with this is absurd,
and initiating a fight in this way gives you an immediate advantage. As the fight goes on, consider if mounting
up again for a burst of speed would be to your benefit. Against Flying Dragon Agheel, for example,
certain attacks are better off being outpaced on a mount. For a reliable way to mount up quickly, I
would recommend binding your Spectral Steed Whistle to your pouch - a secondary D-pad
menu that can be edited in the menu screen. You can quickly access these all four of these
bindings by holding down triangle or Y, then tapping the appropriate d-pad button. This way, you'll have a consistent input for
mounting up, instead of toggling rapidly through your items looking for your Spectral Steed
Whistle. This same logic applies to any other item
you want quick, reliable access to. In addition to your double jump for extra
height, be on the lookout for Spirit Springs, which take you to incredible heights. Conversely, you can safely jump into a spirit
spring to negate all fall damage. While on your mount, L3 dismounts you...but
when on foot, L3 will be used for stealth. In this crouched state, enemy aggro range
is reduced, and you'll have an easier time getting R1 backstabs. Enemy aggro range is also reduced at night,
so consider passing time at a site of grace to better suit your needs. At night, however, you might also find different
enemies spawning in the world, so be aware of that. Another thing to get in the habit of is crafting,
which you can do as soon as you buy the crafting kit from Kale at the Church of Elleh. After this, the crafting tab in your menu
screen will unlock for use. After a few hours of play, you should have
accumulated a few recipe books to expand your crafting options, and if you've been hunting
and foraging between bosses, then you'll be able to make a lot of great items. Pay attention to which material drops you
find in the world: It'll make it that tiny bit easier to gather more of it when you realise
you need it to craft something specific. The crafting page gives you hints at where
to find specific materials, and most world materials respawn instantly upon resting at
a grace, making them fairly easy to farm. Oh, and while you're at Kale - grab a torch
to help you see in dark caves. When you find one of his fellow merchants
on a beach southwest of the Church of Elleh- grab a bow, as well. Ranged weapons are excellent utility tools,
allowing you to lure, poison, or sleep enemies from afar. There are two types of bow weapons - bows,
and crossbows, which use arrows or bolts respectively. Enter Precision Aiming mode with L1 while
two-handing the bow, and press r1 to fire the projectile in the first slot, and R2 to
fire the projectile in the second slot. If you feel your damage is too low, then the
easiest way to deal more is to reinforce your weapon, which can be done at the Church of
Elleh at the smithing table. Here, you'll be able to get most armaments
to +3 here with smithing stone shards found around the world. That said, special armaments require other,
special shards...and to go beyond +3, you'll need to find an actual blacksmith. Alternatively, if you aren't happy with your
shield - take a look at its stats. The most reliable shields are those that block
100% physical damage, but you can consider switching shields to suit specific encounters. The other stat you're looking at, is stability. Higher stability means you'll take less of
a stamina hit when you block. To raise this, choose a different shield,
or reinforce it, just like you did your weapons. Upgrading an armamentn is bit of a commitment. You can always find more smithing stone shards
in caves, and around the world ... but these are fairly rare, so make sure you really enjoy
swinging your weapon, before upgrading it. Of course, a weapon also has to suit your
build. Your build is determined by what stats you
level at Grace checkpoints by summoning Melina, and investing your runes with her. When you start the game, you'll have to choose
a starting character. Some use magic, some have ranged weapons,
and some excel in melee - but it's important to remember that your starting class doesn't
dictate your build. You do. While each characters starting stats give
them different strengths and weaknesses, you are free to build your character in a different
direction. If you haven't settled on a build yet, then
you can't go too wrong by levelling Vigor for HP and resistance...Endurance for Stamina
and equipment load...or Mind to increase your FP - but it's the other stats that make a
real impact on your character archetype. Strength, for example, mostly affects your
ability to wield heavy armaments, as well as your defense. Strength weapons are often slow, so being
a bit more tanky will come in handy. Another stat to look out for is poise, which
will raise as you put on heavier armour. Having high poise will often prevent you getting
interrupted mid-attack. Dexterity is the counterpart to strength,
and raises your ability to wield a lot of lighter armaments, boosting their attack power. It also softens fall damage, makes it harder
to be knocked off your horse, and reduces the cast-time of spells. Spells usually scale in damage with Intelligence
or Faith. Intelligence generally boosts the damage of
sorceries, while Faith generally boosts the damage and healing of incantations. Arcane is a new attribute in Elden Ring, and
it governs your discovery stat, which increases enemy item drop rate. It's also a stat that increases the damage
of certain sorceries and incantations, and can play into the stat scaling of certain
weapons. Every weapon comes with a default scaling,
which you can view here. However, applying an Ash of War to your weapon
often allows you to choose a more beneficial damage type and scaling option for that weapon. Beyond their scaling options, Ashes of War
can be used to apply skills to your armaments. Once applied, L2 will unleash their effects
- and you can always see which Skill you will perform with L2, here. To apply an Ash of War, be sure to pick up
the Whetstone Knife in a cellar at the Gatefront Ruins. After this, sit at a grace checkpoint, and
experiment with your options. Often, these skills will default to your shields'
applied Ash of War, unless you two-hand your weapon, or use a shield without a special
skill. These attacks are very powerful, and require
a small amount of Focus Points to use. Your FP is represented here, in this blue
bar. This is a valuable resource - especially for
magic builds, which also rely on it to cast spells. That said, ALL builds can, and should, find
a use for FP, and if you're having trouble in Elden Ring, you should always be thinking
of an effective way to make use of this resource. Another powerful way to make use of FP is
by summoning spirits. Once you acquire the summoning bell early
in the game, you'll be able to equip spirits on your quick-select bar and summon them for
difficult encounters. As long as you have enough FP, and as long
as this "rebirth monument" symbol marks the encounter as difficult, then your spirits
will fight alongside you until death. Some are ranged attackers, some are tanky,
and some are a combination of both. Decide what works best for your build, and
the encounter. Only one type of spirit can be summoned at
a time, and spirits cannot be summoned during multiplayer. Speaking of multiplayer - if you're truly
having trouble, be on the lookout for Furlcalling Finger Remedies, which you can find throughout
the world. Once consumed, these allow you to see other
players' summon signs and summon help for major encounters. That said, you'll always be able to see NPC
summon signs, so feel free to make good use of them. Alternatively, other players' signs can be
accessed in summoning pools located at summoning effigies that are placed in key areas. If you want to learn more about engaging in
multiplayer, read the items on your multiplayer tab in the menu screen. Last, but not least, your map. Revealing the map for an area will make it
much easier to progress through the game. Map fragments can be collected at these glowing
Guide Stele's. If you're having trouble finding one in an
unfamiliar area, try to stick to the main path - or, failing that, try to look for this
shape on your undiscovered map. With the map open, you can mark points of
interest with markers, or beacons that show up in the overworld. You can also fast-travel between sites of
lost Grace, and get a clearer idea of the direction that the main story requires. Rays of light will guide you on that path,
and often lead you towards your next logical checkpoint. Of course, it's up to you whether you want
to trust the guidance of grace. If you're having trouble with the main path
- go in the opposite direction. Explore. Get stronger. Learn how to master your build. The guidance of grace can often be spurned,
to great effect. Thank you for listening. If you'd like to learn more, you can find
me on YouTube at youtube.com/vaatividya, and I wish you all the best in overcoming difficulty
in Elden Ring.
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