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I’m steamrolling bosses, but I miss dying all the time.
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In Dark Souls, I almost always make a sad armoured boy perpetually hidden behind his shield. It’s the only way I feel safe, and it saves me from constantly rolling around like a hyperactive tumbler. But, apparently like a lot of you, I’ve been seduced by Elden Ring’s spells, and I now find myself playing with my first magic build.
A lot more people seem to be giving up their sword and board lifestyle for the esoteric charms of spell-slinging this time around. And it’s understandable—building a magic character in Elden Ring is heaps of fun. Faith-based incantations that let you summon dragon fire or pummel enemies with magical claws are very cool, but I’m a sorcery lad. Sorcery is more about the direct damage than incantations, which have more of a support vibe, despite some flashy offensive spells.
It’s been a while since I had to do that. These days, I just throw rocks and watch bosses melt. See, I got myself the meteorite staff and the rock sling spell, and the two go together like insomnia and Elden Ring: they’re made for each other. Not only is the staff by far the most powerful one you’ll encounter until you can upgrade other staves beyond it (probably quite late into the game), it also enhances spells like rock sling and meteorite, which are already impressive damage dealers.
Combined with my high intelligence stat, this makes me a living weapon. And for the most part, it’s been a blast. I just saunter through the boss gate, summon my skeletal militia pals—any skeletal Ashes you summon will keep being resurrected unless they’re killed again during the resurrection process, making them very handy—and then I start throwing rocks. It’s rare for me to get through even half of my magic flasks before the boss is down.
Until now, I’d viewed the difficulty of FromSoftware games as something I had to put up with to enjoy all the stuff I love about them, but at some point I must have caught the masochism bug, because it feels wrong to get through so many bosses with only the odd scrape or bruise. I miss feeling that awesome vulnerability that tough bosses evoke. I miss slamming my head against the keyboard after three hours and zero progress.
It’s not just that sorcery is so effective—it’s also a symptom of the open world. There’s so much to do in each area, and so many opportunities to shoot off to a new location and get infinitely more powerful, that anyone who’s trying to do everything is inevitably going to end up so much stronger than what they’re fighting. I spent so long mopping up the map after completing Raya Lucaria Academy that they really should have just named me the Elden Lord there and then. When I finally started moving forwards again, I’d already outgrown what the game was throwing at me.
I’ve spent the last couple of days searching for a boss who’ll cut me down to size, but I’m just leaving a trail of bodies behind me. I’ve still got a lot more to find, of course. While the game is very much pushing me towards a climactic confrontation, I know that actually I’m probably only half-way done. But I’m only getting stronger and more competent as I go, and at this point can anything stop me?
If you’re just starting out, then, and you’re looking for a classic Dark Souls challenge, consider saving magic for another playthrough. It’ll make you awesome, but sometimes you just want to be shit.
Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he’s been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He’s also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he’s not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long. He thinks labradoodles are the best dogs but doesn’t get to write about them much.
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