In anticipation of the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, I got really into Elden Ring once again this year. I ended my original playthrough with a powerful magic sword build (except when I had to defeat Malenia, where I overpowered her with a bleeding guy), but for NG+ I wanted to try something different; after all, I had barely touched my treasure. larva tears Specifically, I wanted something unstoppable. Something that would make all bosses collapse instantly. Basically the opposite of the usual FromSoftware experience.
Naturally, I joined the ranks of the Blasphemous Blade club. For the uninitiated, this foul greatsword can be obtained by defeating Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, the boss of Volcano Manor. Like many of Elden Ring’s optional bosses, he’s a bit of a tricky bastard, but sweating during this fight is a small price to pay for Elden Ring’s most OP weapon.
You really can’t go wrong with a greatsword in Elden Ring, but what makes Blasphemous Blade special is its unique ability: Taker’s Flames. Oh boy. Greatswords already have incredible range, but thanks to Taker’s Flames, Blasphemous Blade becomes an unstoppable mid-range weapon. The ability allows you to raise the sword, charge it, and then lower it, where it fires a blast of fire that annihilates everything in its path. It is apocalyptically powerful.
Taker’s Flames scales with faith and spits out fire damage, so if you have a decent faith stat and aren’t fighting anything with much fire resistance, you’re done. Everything that is not a boss will fall in one hit. Most bosses don’t fare much better, especially if you’ve paired them with the right talismans. When I danced with Radahn again, which initially took many, many attempts, it fell in a few strokes. Glorious.
Taker’s Flames isn’t just about the damage, however. It also heals 150 HP, in addition to 10% of your maximum HP. And it deals stance damage, so if a boss survives, there’s a good chance they’ll fall on their back, giving you enough time to use the ability again, or just come in with something so-so, but still very powerful. attacks. Even when you’re not using Taker’s Flames, you’ll be healed every time an enemy dies while holding the sword.
There are many ways to build a character around Blasphemous Blade. You can go tanky and wield a shield in your left hand, combine it with the Sword of Milos so you can recover FP with each kill (very useful, given how much FP you’ll be using thanks to Taker’s Flames), or focus. on fire damage with a variety of fire-based enchantments. It’s good to have some reinforcements for when you need to fight someone like Mohg, Lord of Blood, who doesn’t give a shit about fire.
I started to miss that feeling you get at the beginning of a new FromSoftware game.
Speaking of Mohg, when I fought him right before jumping to Erdree (defeating him is the last step you need to complete before starting the DLC) I thought “Okay, maybe he’s not too overpowered.” But the moment I entered the Shadowlands, I went back to my nonsense. Now, it’s worth noting that Erdtree is still changing pace. Enemies seem more agile and aggressive, and also more reactive. Most of them won’t just stand there and let you set them on fire. Rude, I know! But ultimately the sheer power of my build, even without having to hunt down many scdutree shards, which is how you power up in the DLC, along with spending runes, overwhelmed most of my enemies. .
Things were certainly not as simple as my encounters in Elden Ring; I had to work harder to kill, and the further I progressed, the more bosses could ignore my cheesy tactics. But outside of boss fights, I was just jumping around the Shadowlands, pressing L2. On the plus side, this means you probably won’t have to worry about Erdtree being too difficult just because you’re in an NG+ save, but I’ve started to miss that feeling you get at the start of a new FromSoftware game. when you’re still learning how everything works, how different enemies attack, and knowing that literally anything here could kill you if you take your eyes off the ball.
New beginning
So I decided to make a change. He had collected quite a few of the new Erdtree weapons, but what he really wanted was to try Dryleaf Arts, the new martial arts weapon, which isn’t actually a weapon at all. You are completely disarmed. It seemed like the polar opposite of my cheesy Blasphemous Blade strength/faith build. No healing safety net, no range, no instant kill button.
Friends, they massacred me. The enemies that once disintegrated at the mere sight of me were giving me an outrageous beating when I found myself in the middle of a fight furiously punching them. He was. Marvelous. Joy! I absolutely stunk again!
Dryleaf Arts scales proficiently, so I completely overhauled my build, so it wasn’t just a new weapon I had to deal with. After many, many hours of Erdtree, I finally began my journey of self-discovery as I tried to learn how to play the game again, while being bullied by every grotesque creature in the Shadowlands.
I should point out that Dryleaf Arts is actually very, very good. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever used not only in Elden Ring but in any FromSoftware game. Honestly, jumping over a crowd of enemies with a flying kick is the best way to start a fight, and the attack animations for all your punches are simply sublime. Since I had a lot of points to spend, my very high dexterity stat meant that I was also dealing a very respectable amount of damage. After being this slow monster for so long, playing as a blisteringly fast, acrobatic character was a real breath of fresh air, allowing me to zip through said air with the fatal speed of lightning.
It’s very easy to get overwhelmed when you need to be within walking distance of your enemies at all times.
But God, was I vulnerable? It’s very easy to get overwhelmed when you need to be within walking distance of your enemies at all times. Especially when you’re not encased in heavy armor. I initially went with the Ronin set from the base game, mainly because of the dripping, but I switched to the Dryleaf set, which means I’ve lost a lot of pounds. Now I’m living that scary light life, baby. Slippery like a frog and just as easy to crush. So yes, I am dying a lot more. Often the most pathetic enemies in the DLC. All it takes is one silly mistake. It’s like exploring Limgrave again for the first time: petrifying and exciting in equal measure.
Because Dryleaf Arts is a new weapon, there are no build ideas. And while that will change shortly after launch, trying something new will still force you to experiment. What talismans combine best? What enchantments help to make the most of it? Should you go for intelligence or faith, or focus exclusively on skill? Sharing ideas like this is part of the experience, but at the same time there’s something wonderful about simply discovering things for yourself, and the release of this DLC is a unique opportunity to be able to do this without the temptation of simply following a bunch of guides.
I went with a combination of skill and faith, because I’m pretty comfortable with the latter and it plays into the fantasy of being a murderous monk. However, I’m starting to suspect that I should have invested everything in dexterity, since I only really use Golden Vow. I also added the new infinite throwing dagger to the mix, although I’m less sure about that. The range isn’t great and I prefer to start every fight with my flying kick.
So I’m still getting familiar with my build, and I confess that I still pull out a Nagakiba with Bloodflame when things get too complicated, especially in boss fights. I’ll probably burn another larva tear before the week is out. But at least I feel like I’m interacting with Erdtree in a way I didn’t before. My NG+ build was a safety net. And I have a feeling that many of you will start your Erdtree adventure with even more powerful builds. I mean, most of my Blasphemous Blade build can be created in your first playthrough. I felt that using two weapons was too extra.
With that in mind, I’m not just saying that you should get rid of your NG+ setup; If you’re still on your first playthrough but have found your groove with a god-killing loadout, drop that too. FromSoftware games are journeys, and you must begin the journey as a pathetic, maidenless loser. And you’ll probably start with a ton of perks you wouldn’t get from starting a normal FromSoftware adventure anyway, since the prerequisites for entering the DLC will require all but the very skilled to be at a fairly high level. level and most likely at the end of the game. Improved flasks, piles of smithing stones, more consumables than you’ll ever need… you have to find some way to reintroduce a little discomfort.
Or maybe not! There is certainly no rule that says you can’t enter the Shadowlands wearing sunglasses and throwing cigarettes in the eyes of the gods. It’s a novelty, to be sure, and there’s something to be said about embarking on a new FromSoftware challenge as an unstoppable titan. And you will still find challenges. Like I said, even my stalwart Blasphemous Blade was starting to falter a bit right before I mixed things up. The team is definitely trying to get us out of our comfort zone.
There’s a batch However, there are plenty of cool new weapons and potential builds to discover in the Shadowlands, and if you don’t try at least some of them, I think you’ll end up kicking yourself. When you really should be kicking bosses. As he jumps through the air.
