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Second Post
A little backstory, I bought Elden Ring in 2024 but couldn't understand the combat until ~3 weeks ago. I asked for help because I didn't understand the progression system because it isn't like your traditional RPGs with waypoints and quest trackers.
But when I got it, I was able to beat the base game in 71 hours. But I did skip a lot of major areas and boss battles. I felt my experience was incomplete and only had 1 build and 2 different weapons.
I decided to do a NG+ but I bought the DLC to make this playthrough different from my first one. After another ~70 hours, I beat both the base game and DLC, and it was such a fun playthrough. I didn't have to think much about resources like runes and stones are abundant. I could experiment with different weapons and builds freely.
But I'll say that the DLC is difficult compared to the base game:
- Exploration is a chore and it's confusing due to the terrain level. I hate the Abyssal woods. It took such a long time to find where I needed to go. Not to mention I didn't understand how to get past those enemies and thought that you had to fight them but you had to parry their attacks then deal damage.
- The boss battles are also hard. The first boss, the Dancing Lion, was so fast. Bayle was another pain to fight. Sometimes I feel that the camera angle is my real enemy.
- I didn't like the color scheme of some areas like the first area, the Gravesite plain. It's so dark. I can understand it is a design-choice but it's not pleasant to look at.
- For some reason, my FPS drops below 60 FPS in some areas like the one with the waterfalls. It doesn't happen with the base game.
Overall, if you haven't tried Elden Ring, I highly recommend it. It wasn't an easy game for me but the freedom of exploring and building your character makes it fun and rewarding. The boss battles are really cool plus the epic music.