Bonfireside Chat 322: Endgame Roundtable
Added 2025-02-23 17:03:28 +0000 UTCThis week is the final episode of Bonfireside Chat until we start covering Nightreign, but we think it’s a good one! We interview the AV Club’s Will Hughes to talk about how he felt about Shadow of the Erdtree, and then we read your responses to the DLC’s endgame.
Comments
Finally catching up to the end of this series. I’m in the same boat as Will where I enjoyed phase 1 very much and thought that it was a very fun boss up until it wasn’t. I was able to get phase 1 to a point where I was taking 0 or 1 sip going into phase 2 with my build focused on dodging and two handing the Blacksteel Great Hammer. Then phase 2 hit and I just couldn’t make ANY progress no matter how hard I tried. I ended up having to respec and going ALL into faith with the Blacksteel Great Hammer and the Car Door Shield with a faith infusion on both and the talisman that increased elemental resistances when blocking with a shield. That brought the Car Door Shield’s faith blocking to 100% at the cost of some physical chip damage. I didn’t want to fully commit to the shield poke method because I wanted to remain true to my Blacksteel Great Hammer. I was ecstatic when I finally beat the boss but because of relief, not that I enjoyed it. I always enjoy hearing both of your takes even though I have slightly different views for what I do and don’t like about these games. Sad to see the season end but excited to see what’s next and finally catch up on RLH!!
toomy
2025-04-18 18:45:39 +0000 UTCIt's me. I'm the one who really liked the Promised Consort Radahn fight. BUT, there's a big caveat: I had maybe the absolute perfect build going in (STR/FTH). If I had had to respec going in, I would have probably hated it. So, I get it. I also agree that all of the bosses in the DLC are pretty great, with my favorite probably being Bael the Dread if only because Igon made it never not fun to get my ass kicked. I think it's their best dragon fight other than the one in Sekiro (yes, I'm also one of those people that really loves Sekiro). Thinking back over the years of Bonfireside Chat, I think the issue for me is that my enjoyment of From games is based on: 70% difficulty, 20% bulid variety, 10% story, which I think is maybe the opposite of you guys. So the things you disliked about Sekiro are what I love about it and the things you disliked about Shadow of the Erdtree are things that I don't really care about that much. Thanks for another great season. Bonfireside Chat is what made me get into the whole Duckfeediverse in the first place. I look forward to whatever comes next.
KerooSeta
2025-03-19 17:01:57 +0000 UTCI never got caught up enough to contribute anything to the roundtable, but wanted to say thanks for doing this. This podcast is equivalent to a talisman in my real life. My favorite thing to do is listen to you guys throughout my work day. And then go play the area that you so thoroughly detailed for me. I love the shit so much. Thank you. I'm just now finishing your gravesite episodes and realized yall were finished with this season already. Anyway. 🙏 🙏 🙏 yall was a gigantic help and genuinely appreciated and damn near required. ✌️
DigitalDusto
2025-03-18 17:22:43 +0000 UTCyou might be interested in a little podcast called Everything to Guppy
sleepysmiles
2025-02-28 19:38:26 +0000 UTCI am on record (as of now) saying that Will is fantastic, really enjoyed him as the guest
thosewholeft
2025-02-28 05:16:33 +0000 UTCWas very nice to have a guest kinda throw a little back at Gary. Very refreshing
Kevin Sullivan
2025-02-26 18:10:39 +0000 UTCHey gents, first time commentator here. I have been listening to the BSC episodes for years and want to tell you you’re doing a fantastic job covering From. I heard your comments re not having too many guests coming on your show but I think it adds tremendous value to the episodes. Regardless, keep up the good work!
mttlnz
2025-02-26 12:18:55 +0000 UTCGoing to be that guy. Demonbrandt is the sword you get from Old King Doran. Soulbrandt you get from Allant. Together they form the Northern Regalia. Keep up the great work.
Valhalla After-party68
2025-02-25 08:33:35 +0000 UTCHave you guys taken a peek at Dark Souls: Archthrones? They have a really robust demo and it’s really pushing alot of boundaries between “mod” and “new game”. (It goes without saying, but I’m very excited to see that game when it’s done.) Aside: I like to do some Souls modding myself, and I kinda got inspired by your take on promised consort. I think i know how to do every step required to make a Miquella’s 7th Ending mod. (I’ve done enough work on my own ds3 mod to know how to sort all this out in the scripting files.) The idea would be: 1) have your heart taken by miquella in phase 2, blocking you from re-entering the boss fog unless the charm is broken (miquella’s great rune needed for that) 2) take miquella’s great rune to the ending with this charm flag active on your character 3) mend the elden ring for miquella’s age of absolute compassion (other options removed while charmed) … I’ve heard a theory that marika was reaching into Metyr’s wound to take the elden ring from within it. (And that Metry is the star that fell to the lands between carrying the elden ring) i like this one alot and it squares alot of circles in the narrative for me.
JackelZXA
2025-02-25 04:28:21 +0000 UTCApologies in advance for a long comment but what else are season finales for? I just want to share a meaningful story about your podcast! I started playing Dark Souls for real in 2022. I had tried it years before but could never get past the damn Bull in the Parish. I really wanted to play Elden Ring but told myself I couldn’t justify a $60 purchase if I was just going to quit again, so I decided I had to actually beat Dark Souls before I’d let myself buy Elden Ring. So I went back to Lordran. And it was not much better. Then, I found your podcast. You both explained mechanics that I had never understood, offered tips to help manage the challenges, and generally served the function most everyone who plays these games needs: a reminder that someone else has faced these challenges and came out the other side. With your help, I vanquished the Gargoyles, then that nasty duo up in Anor Londo. I felled Manus, and even Lord Gwyn. I did what I set out to do. But somewhere along the way something had changed. I wasn’t just doing this to prove I could, or to justify a purchase, I was going this because I loved it. I put Elden Ring on hold, and bought Dark Souls 2. For three years I played through nothing but the Fromsoft Catalog. I discovered the secrets of the First Sin, survived the Hunt in Yarnham, met the pygmy lords at the end of the world, and severed my lord’s immortality. Then I did it all a second time. All of it with you both as my guides. Somewhere in there I even but the bullet and made Duckfeed the first Patreon I’ve ever subscribed to. At long last I could finally begin the adventure that this whole journey was supposedly in the name of, and I ventured into the Lands Between. I became Elden Lord, and then became Elden Lord again in preparation for the DLC. It was as I was downloading all your DLC episodes that I realized something incredible. I had almost caught up to you. After three years of listening to your decades long catalog of these games, I was now only a few dozen hours of gameplay behind your release schedule. I started the DLC right after your put out the response call for Midra’s Manse. I didn’t know how many episodes you had left in the season, but however many it was I made it my goal to get there before your final episode. I raced through the Shadowlands, watching the map slowly unravel all its secrets as I got closer and closer to the end of your available episodes. As the unexplored areas of the map dwindled I realized we were both very close to the end. And then, I did it. I felled Consort Radahn and 12 hours later your put out the call and response for the endgame. After listening to countless appendix episodes and roundtable roundups, I could finally leave a response of my own. 3 years after your podcast helped me begin my journey into these games, I got to hear my name and my comment read allowed on a real episode of Bonfire Side Chat. Truly it was a dream come true. Thank you both for the work you have done. I never would have made it through the Parish without you, and whatever challenges came along after that I knew I had you both by my side. For the timing to work out the way it did just felt too perfect. Can’t wait for what’s next. Umbasa, Mat
Mat Benson
2025-02-24 21:33:47 +0000 UTCA guest appearance by Will has never once gotten me to listen to Guppy and this interview did not change that at all. Good grief.
MIKEISTKRIEG
2025-02-23 23:53:47 +0000 UTCP should tell the damn truth
Richard Cochnar
2025-02-23 22:31:37 +0000 UTCYet another amazing season! Can't wait to see what you guys have up next!
Eric
2025-02-23 21:18:35 +0000 UTC
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