PinnedJun 22, 2024Ash ParrishEven Elden Rings game director knows Erdtree is too hardImage: Bandai NamcoAs I work my way through Shadow of the Erdtree, the new DLC for Elden Ring, I cant help but think that game director Hidetaka Miyazaki is trolling the shit outta me.Speaking with him at Summer Game Fest two weeks ago, Miyazaki said that Erdtree is by far the biggest in scale in volume than any other FromSoftware DLC before it. But he also said Erdtree is about the same volume as the Limgrave part of the base game, the starting area of Elden Ring, containing slightly more content. Read Article >Today, 20 minutes agoAsh ParrishElden Ring Nightreign takes a big swing at a bigger audienceImage: FromSoftwareIts inaccurate and reductive to call Elden Ring Nightreign a Dark Souls take on Fortnite. And yet, if pressed for an extremely brief elevator pitch say, the kind youd give to your friends who are curious about soulsborne games but are put off by all the discussions of their difficulty its about as best as you could do. In my hands-on time with the game, I was compelled to ask my team at the outset of our very first run, Well where we droppin boys? as we flew over the map in the claws of spectral birds. The similarity to Fortnite and other battle royale games was so striking, the reference simply had to be made. But once we got on the ground, Fortnite took a big ol backseat and Elden Ring reemerged as the foremost game Nightreign compares to.Nightreign strips out the combat and visual aesthetics of Elden Ring and lays them over gameplay that combines multiplayer battle royale action with roguelike live, die, repeat mechanics. Matches will take place over three days. During daylight, players will assault a Limgrave-like map (called Limveld), either solo or in teams of three, beating regular enemies and mini-bosses for powerful weapons, accessories, and runes to level up their characters. As daylight turns to night, a destructive, HP-draining storm called Nights Tide shrinks the map, forcing the players to a tiny arena where theyll face a major boss. Defeat the boss to begin the next day, when the cycle repeats and the match ends by defeating the final boss on the third night.Read Article >Nov 14, 2024Ash ParrishLo-fi beats to chill / Waterfowl Dance to.If video game soundtracks are what you use to get through the workday, then FromSoftware has a gift for you. The soundtrack for Shadow of the Erdtree is now streaming in all the regular (and not so regular) places including Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, something called Deezer, and more.ELDEN RING SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK[lnk.to]Sep 11, 2024Ash ParrishShadow of the Nerf-tree.Bandai Namco has released a new patch for Shadow of the Erdtree. The majority of the patch notes contains the usual bug fixes and weapon tweaks with one very notable exception: the DLCs final boss has been seriously nerfed. This is good news for all the players struggling with a fight thats generally perceived as the hardest in the game if not in all of FromSoftwares history.Elden Ring Patch Notes Version 1.14[Bandai Namco Europe]Jul 4, 2024Ash ParrishHow am I supposed to beat Messmer now?I knew this was coming, I just didnt expect it so soon. FromSoftware has released a patch for Shadow of the Erdtree. Among the casualties...I mean bug fixes is a nerf to super busted but super satisfying perfume bottle build that basically turned anyone who used it into a walking nuke. How dare you FromSoftware, over a long holiday weekend no less?!Jul 2, 2024Ash ParrishShadow of the Erdtrees new perfume weapons are seriously broken and seriously funImage: Bandai NamcoImagine if those aggressive salespeople at the Macys perfume counter were shoving napalm in your face instead of Chanel No. 5: thats what it feels like playing with the new perfume bottle weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree.The early days after any Souls game release are always some of the best. The speedrunners and content creators have found the best / most busted builds, while the developers havent had the time to nerf them yet. People post all kinds of wild videos of bosses melting within seconds, going down so fast they dont even have time to trigger their second or third phases. It happened in vanilla Elden Ring with Hoarfrost Stomp, and its happening again with Erdtrees perfume bottles.Read Article >Jul 1, 2024Jay PetersGeorge R.R. Martin on a potential Elden Ring adaptation:Oh, and about those rumors you may have heard about a feature film or television series based on ELDEN RING I have nothing to say. Not a word, nope, not a thing, I know nothing, you never heard a peep from me, mum mum mum. What rumor?Lose One, Win One[Not a Blog]Jun 26, 2024Ash ParrishErdtree gets a little easier with new Elden Ring updateImage: FromSoftwareShadow of the Erdtree is gonna get easier. Bandai Namco has seemingly heard the great hue and cry from reviewers and players alike that Erdtree is far too difficult. In response, the publisher is implementing a calibration update that will reduce the level of difficulty by making players stronger. According to the patch notes for this update:The key to understanding this update is the Scadutree Fragments. They are DLC-specific upgrade materials that increase a players attack and defense. The fragments are scattered throughout the map, requiring considerable exploration to find, but the increased power they grant makes them a high-priority resource.Read Article >Jun 21, 2024Andrew WebsterLive-action turtle pope.Its Shadow of the Erdtree day, and Bandai Namco has released a new live-action trailer for the Elden Ring expansion. Crucially, the short video shows what Miriel, Pastor of Vows would look like IRL. He, too, apologizes for the unseemly state of affairs.Jun 20, 2024Ash ParrishHere are some small but helpful tips for starting Shadow of the ErdtreeImage: FromSoftwareBefore Shadow of the Erdtree finally goes live, Bandai Namco has implemented a patch that adds a couple of small features and updates just in time for the DLCs launch in a few short hours. FromSoftware also shared a new launch trailer to herald the DLCs arrival, but its chockful of spoilers, so beware. The update isnt particularly earth-shattering, but it does include some things worth keeping in mind before all you Tarnished get your head beat in by the vicious monsters patrolling the Shadow Lands.Firstly, we get new hair options! I was pretty down on Elden Rings character creator for its lack of Black hairstyles. It just didnt make sense that the character creator was so robust and detailed but lacked hairstyles that represent a good chunk of the human population. There are five new styles to choose from, with two of them being dreadlocks. I chose the loose loc option so my Tarnished can finally get rid of her abhorrent pigtails. Im not sure if the white hairs option was present in the base game or a new addition with this patch, but I really like how it adds gray to my locs, reminding me of when I started picking out errant gray hairs when I had locs.Read Article >Jun 20, 2024Jay PetersElden Ring has an issue on Steam Deck right now.Leaving your Steam Deck inactive for more than 5 minutes may stop the game from accepting inputs, according to the Elden Ring X account. A hotfix is in the works. Some users are also unexpectedly seeing an inappropriate activity detected warning when they try to play.Not great timing given the new update and Shadow of the Erdtrees imminent launch!Jun 18, 2024Ash ParrishShadow of the Erdtree reintroduced me to Elden Ring by kicking my assImage: FromSoftwareIn my first moments with Shadow of the Erdtree, I found myself in a graveyard dotted with incorporeal gravestones and puddles of glowing blood. By the time I remembered what those bloodstains meant and the imminent danger I was in, I was ripped to shreds by a man I did not see or hear coming, leaving behind a new little blood puddle to mark the occasion.I have not stopped grinning since. Read Article >Jun 14, 2024Jay PetersGreat haircut, Tarnished.Elden Ring is getting an update on June 20th one day ahead of the release of Shadow of the Erdtree that adds five new hairstyles and a bunch of other handy new features. You can read more about whats coming on X.The Elden Ring X account also shared the global release schedule for the expansion and updated minimum and recommended PC specs.Jun 12, 2024Ash ParrishAnd most of em still havent beaten Mohg.To prepare us for Shadow of the Erdtree FromSoftware has released a The Journey So Far video. The company has also announced that Elden Ring itself has sold 25 million copies. But honestly, considering that in order to even access Shadow you need to beat Shardbearer Mohg a feat only 38% of Steam players have achieved FromSoftware would have been better off releasing a How to beat Mohg video.May 21, 2024Ash ParrishElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtrees new trailer is a dramatic call to armsWith only a month until release day, theres a new story trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree, and the Elden Ring lore hounds have their work cut out for them.FromSoftware has been slowly teasing Shadow of the Erdtree and its story beats ever since the gameplay trailer was released back in February. All we knew then was the DLC would take place in the Land of Shadow and feature a bunch of new horrors straight from the slightly warped imagination of game director Hidetaka Miyazaki.Read Article >May 21, 2024Ash ParrishThe Shadow of the Erdtree looms.Bandai Namco has announced that it will debut the story trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree today at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT. Theres exactly one month until the highly anticipated DLC to 2022s Game of the Year finally launches and there are a whole lot of messed up lil dudes FromSoftware has to show off between then and now.May 17, 2024Ash ParrishFromSoftware just debuted their bloodiest monster yet.FromSoftwares monster designs have really nailed the inherent horror of living in ambulatory sentient meat sacs and this new one from Shadow of the Erdtree is just...That is a uterus, yall and if it means Shadow of the Erdtree will tread the transformative horrors of childbirth like Bloodborne did, I am so on board. I cannot wait for June 21st, my uterus is ready.Image: Bandai NamcoApr 1, 2024Richard LawlerApril Fools 2024: Elden Ring expansion.They didnt say DLC (Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree wont be here until June 21st); they said expansion. And they delivered.Feb 21, 2024Ash ParrishWhile you were studying the Erdtree, I studied the blade.They got some Sekiro in my Elden Ring.Tamoor Hussain from GameSpot noticed that the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has incorporated elements from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In a part of the new trailer, it looks like a monster (or a Tarnished, cant tell) is doing some flippy-dippy martial arts nonsense. Turns out its a move taken from one of the mini-bosses in Sekiro. Every FromSoftware game incorporates elements from its siblings and its neat to see those influences proliferate throughout.I cant wait for this DLC to ruin me.Feb 21, 2024Ash ParrishElden Rings Shadow of the Erdtree trailer is full of new ways to dieWake up, Tarnished. Its time to visit the Shadow of the Erdtree.In Shadow, it looks like were going to a darker part of the Lands Between, and of course, there are all sorts of new lil freaks to fight. But the biggest news is that the DLCs main antagonist appears to be Miquella, the twin brother of Malenia, meaning Let me solo her might have to change his name soon.Read Article >Feb 21, 2024Ash ParrishIm at the combination Nintendo Direct / Elden Ring DLC trailer announcement.The first of todays big video game announcement events is the Nintendo Direct happening at 9 AM ET. Then, shortly after what Nintendo says will be a 25-minute presentation, FromSoftware will release the first trailer for Elden Rings first DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree at 10 AM ET.Its gonna be a big day.Feb 20, 2024Richard LawlerGet your first look at Elden Rings Shadow of the Erdtree expansion on Wednesday morning.Its been almost a year since FromSoftware announced it was working on DLC for the 2022 hit Elden Ring, and now we have a date and time for the first Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay reveal trailer: February 21st, 10 AM ET / 7AM PT / 4PM CET.The 3-minute presentation will be available on YouTube with subtitles in your preferred language.Image: FromSoftware (X)Jul 12, 2023Ash ParrishTarnished on Tour.Bandai Namco has announced that its launching an Elden Ring concert tour. Dubbed a symphonic adventure, the concert will feature a live orchestra and choir synced up to visuals and sound effects from the game. The tour starts in Paris with tickets to go on sale at 10 AM EST tomorrow.Oct 13, 2022Ash ParrishHuge Elden Ring update will seemingly make players a lot harder to killImage: FromSoftwareElden Ring, the game that feels like it was released several years ago but was in fact launched just this February, has announced a massive update. According to Bandai Namco on the games website, the patch intends to encourage more versatility in terms of gameplay if encourage also means make you a nigh unkillable god in single player. A lot of weapons and spells were buffed, very few things were nerfed, and it seems like its going to get a lot harder to kill your friends in PVP. The patch notes are indeed massive, but Ive picked out a few highlights.Glintstone Pebble / Shard Spiral: increased attack powerRead Article >Apr 4, 2022Adi RobertsonAll hail Elden Rings ever-growing mapOne of Elden Rings most polarizing features is its willingness to withhold information. While its less arcane than earlier FromSoftware titles like Dark Souls, the game constantly hands you items, quests, and mechanics with very little explanation. But after 130 hours and counting in the Lands Between, Im in love with how well it sometimes deploys that obscurity. And theres no better example than Elden Rings map, which has transcended a simple open-world convention to become one of my very favorite pieces of the game.If youre still in the early areas of Elden Ring, you might want to skip this post because Im going to talk about a mechanic that relies on mystery. But if youve played a bit of the game, you might know what Im talking about. Elden Rings map offers a constant give-and-take of showing players new spaces to explore, then pulling back a curtain to more places that they didnt even realize could exist. It withholds information only to reveal it in a way thats delightful, satisfying, and entirely in keeping with the worlds vast scope. Its not just an interface element its a meta-game in its own right.Read Article >Mar 15, 2022Ash ParrishElden Ring speedrunners race to the bottomImage: Bandai NamcoElden Ring is just so massive and its bosses are so tough that the average player will probably take over 60 hours to beat it. But speedrunners, assisted by some traditional speedrunning tricks and the games own open design, have somehow managed to beat the sprawling game in under 30 minutes.For a speedrunning enthusiast, the first days of a games release are extremely exciting. New techniques and optimizations are constantly being discovered, as boss behaviors and the runners own luck work with or against them, making almost every run a possible world record. While every runner is ostensibly competing against the clock, two runners have emerged in the Elden Ring speed community, each racing to post lower and lower times.Read Article >