Call and Response: BSC: Endgame
Added 2025-02-08 17:37:15 +0000 UTCHey folks! It's time to write in with your responses on the Endgame areas in Shadow of the Erdtree. The relevant areas are Jagged Peak, Ancient Ruins of Rauh and Enir-Ilim. Submit your response as a comment on this post! As always, keep some guidelines in mind.
Keep your responses and stories specific to the endgame
Please keep your responses brief. Think two short paragraphs, or around 200 words.
Specificity is preferred over generalities.
We tend to get a lot of responses, so please don't feel bad if we omit your response, or edit it for length.
The deadline is the end of the day, Sunday, February 9th.
Comments
Honestly, I’m one of the people who thinks you harp on difficulty way to much. I even quit listening because I got tired of difficulty being such a huge narrative. It switched when I finally played bloodbornes dlc and almost left Laurence unbeaten. Second, was black flame friede. PCR is the first time I knew we’d be on the same page about a boss from the get. PCR is the most overturned boss they’ve ever created. I’ve beaten him twice solo, and I softened a tiny bit. The nerf for the undodgeable triple strike helps, but it remains a ridiculous boss. It’s so apparent that you are constantly making decisions and going lengths of dodge time where you can’t attack or heal based on rng.
TheGrizz
2025-02-19 18:31:47 +0000 UTCSomehow Romina is my favorite boss not only in the DLC but in the entire Elden Ring. Where most of the bosses are based on some sort of gimmick or are a bad case of "settle doww Beavis", teh fight with Romina clicked with me, to the point where I saw the pattern and opening of her moves clearly and felt just the way I felt when I played Bloodborne and DS3 (my first Form Soft titles) for the first time. None of the other bosses provided me with that feeling all beeing to shock and awe for my taste. It is just a shame that Romina doesn't really matter lore wise and messes up the cool lore of the Rot Goddes and Blind Swordsman from the vanilla game by being a redundant religion coded rot bug lady.
Mateusz Swietoslawski
2025-02-10 14:48:12 +0000 UTCThis is the first souls/from game that I played upon release. Getting to experience everything without any guidance from online sources was a new and awesome experience. A huge sense of accomplishment came from finding secrets and hidden areas all.on my own and beating bosses without any guides or strategies. I have never been on the side of the "I beat the boss pre patch" glory and for the first time I got to have that feeling, not that I think bearing him.post patch matter, but for once being on that side was neat.
Dustin Marcukaitis
2025-02-10 12:04:12 +0000 UTCWhen I think about my favorite difficult bosses in souls, they typically fall into one of two categories. One: the fight that I master so thoroughly that my winning run is near-hitless and I almost pity the boss as they go through their elaborate and futile animations. (Sir Alonne, Gael, Genichiro.) Two: the breathless heavyweight slugfest that I will never be able to do cleanly, but just once my healthbar somehow manages to just barely outlast theirs. (Manus, Midir.) PCR, and to some extent many of the superbosses in Elden Ring, created a third, far less satisfying win condition, thanks to their moveset variety: the RNG victory. Radahn has so many moves that I reached a point where I realized I was more likely to get a run where he never pulled out his Promised Consort Slash combo or Lightspeed Dash Combo than I was to actually master the dodging on those moves. At that point I felt like I was playing a slot machine. I knew I could beat him with good RNG, which I knew was possible thanks to the enormous variety of his moveset. Compare that to Fume Knight, who I knew would use his signature delayed swipe 5-6 times in a victory-length attempt, and thus I had to master them. With Radahn, I learned enough of the Phase 2 moves that I could just reroll until I got a run where he mostly stuck to those that I knew, and I won. I didn’t hate the fight, but the victory felt a little hollow compared to past foes. Now once again I can proudly say the only Fromsoft boss I’ve never beaten is the only one who politely asked me to just leave: Crossbreed Priscilla.
Mat Benson
2025-02-10 04:18:55 +0000 UTCOh! This could also solve the timeline issues if we assume he reincarnates like Link ;p
Luke Summerhayes
2025-02-10 02:41:10 +0000 UTCI had this thought when I played the main game, but I'm listening to the Rauh episode now and this feels like my last chance to express it: The blue dancer who received a magic sword from a fairy and sealer away the evil- that's a reference to Link, right? Even the blind swordsman thing could be a cute reference to the name Link referring to him being a "link" between the game and the player, who sees for him.
Luke Summerhayes
2025-02-10 02:29:26 +0000 UTCJagged Peak is an interesting contrast with the Abyssal Woods, in that they are primarily vibes-based open spaces that are the highest and lowest locations, respectively. While the woods masterfully evoke a sense of primal horror with the disquieting stillness, the peak slowly builds dread via the howling winds, crackling thunderbolts and dizzying verticality. The Manse held a sense of mystery, with even the relatively small space holding new surprises around most every corner; The Peak held little uncertainty of what lay in wait for you at its endpoint. I enjoyed both the most out of the DLC locations, simply because they weren't afraid to be about atmosphere first and foremost, without compromising the mood with roving patrols and ambushes choking the suspense out of the space. Enir-Ilim, to me, was trying to be everything all at once(breathtaking, difficult, complex)and certainly wasn't a failure, but after the free for all companion showdown From had to From and give another finale in the spirit of sustained-perfection dreck with Smashulon Radahn.
Colt
2025-02-09 23:48:36 +0000 UTCIt's time I tell you of the "Bayle incident". There was one night me and my friends were on call, just chatting while playing different games. One of my friends was playing Elden Ring, and fighting Bayle. He was home alone and had a very dumb idea. Thid idea was to mimic Igon. So every attempt he made, he would summon Igon and scream along side him. This went on for like an hour. A similar thing happened with me and Radhan. I was in call with the same group of friends, trying to beat Radhan (this was prepatch). This was like the 4th day straight of my attempts. Then, I finally did it. I popped off so hard and screamed so loud, I killed my voice for the next few days. I peaked my mic too, so all my friends heard was "YE---------------------HH!!" I also want to point out how toxic the community is around Radhan. If you beat og Radhan post-patch, you didn't have any skill and not fighting him "the right way." Now if you beat new Radhan pre-patch you "cheesed the fight" and didn't have any skill. I love the internet.
Brady Nodolf
2025-02-09 23:33:55 +0000 UTCI remember reading a thread in Reddit (sorry, can’t provide a link or credit) that Radahn and Mohg are the only two shardbearers who leave no bodily remains behind. It made me wonder if this was real foresight at Fromsoft when releasing the game about some of the narrative arcs left for the DLC, or just shoehorning what seems a quickly put together rehash of a boss. Also, as a sidenote, it’s the only time in a Fromsoft game since Demon’s Souls that you die with an alternate text other than YOU DIED. It made me chuckle.
Alfonso
2025-02-09 21:29:10 +0000 UTCMaybe it’s just me, but Radahn as the final boss almost reads like fan fiction to me. Fromsoft is pretty imaginative with their bosses, this DLC included, but “Radahn but this time with feet” doesn’t do it for me. I’m pretty sure most people would have preferred the most obvious alternatives, Godwyn, or Miquella/Trina themselves. A disappointing end to an amazing DLC, but at least the fight itself is improved now!
Lucas West
2025-02-09 20:28:01 +0000 UTCHi, I know this is for base game but i was struck with the thought that it's very "video-gamey" in a programmer way that changing the great rune can change the rules for the world, just like the programmers change code
Matthew Allen
2025-02-09 19:45:32 +0000 UTC
