Elden Ring: Try Some New Builds Ideas In Shadow Of The Erdtree!

Elden Ring was first released in 2022, and it was the first time that Souls series were truly brought from a niche to the masses. Perhaps some people would say that Sekiro is also a work by Hidetaka Miyazaki, and even the game of the year. Doesn’t it count as bringing Souls games to the masses? Let’s be a little more fundamentalist here. Although Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is also full of Souls, the operation method of this game is very different from Souls series, so it is temporarily expelled from Souls series. Elden Ring is undoubtedly a game that inherits the traditional Souls series. From Demon’s Souls to Dark Souls trilogy, our protagonist is a knight wearing Western armor, fighting demons or dragons on a land full of death. In Elden Ring, there doesn’t seem to be much change. So this game has been released for nearly three years, and most of the content has been completely analyzed by strategy on the Internet. So is it still worth playing? My answer is, yes. The Best Soul-like Game After the release of Elden Ring, many Souls-like works have been released one after another, such as Lords of the Fallen, Lies of P, and even Another Crab’s Treasure. These works are all excellent, and some of them are even better than Elden Ring, but they had various problems when they were released. These problems are basically concentrated on the stiff operation feel and unreasonable number of enemies. In addition to the strange rebound feel of Lies of P, another point is that the process is too short. Elden Ring has been excellent in all aspects so far. The only feeling of many players after completing the first round is: I really want to lose my memory and play Elden Ring again. For players, the best Souls series game at present is Elden Ring. Whether it is a new player or an old player, if you want to have the best Souls series game experience, then Elden Ring is his best choice. Graphics From Souls 1 to Souls 3, the picture quality of Souls series games has never been the best, but the art design of Souls Tour has always been the most fantastic. Due to the traditional fragmented narrative method of Souls series, they put all the information of the whole story in every corner of the game. This gives players the intuitive feeling that they seem to have really come to a different world full of heavy history. When the player walks out of Stormveil Castle and rides on a spirit horse to look at Caria Manor Magic Academy hidden in the lake and mist, the shock brought to the player is even greater than when the players of Souls III walked out of the underground cemetery and saw the moonlit Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. And Elden Ring adopts the design of developing a large world map, which allows Hidetaka Miyazaki to let go of his fists and feet. In the game, every time you come to a new area, you will be shocked by the spectacular scenery here. In short, if you are a player who loves scenery, then don’t miss Elden Ring. Combat Tarnished, the protagonist of Elden Ring, has a very powerful performance in Souls series. Because he has knees, he can jump! This has brought many revolutionary changes to Elden Ring in both combat and map design. However, this is a bit lacking compared to other games. As an action game, Tarnished does not have the ability to go to the sky and into the earth like the protagonists of Devil May Cry and God of War series. In fact, Tarnished is more rigid, and often after launching an attack, you have to wait for the enemy’s attack to end before attacking again. Therefore, some players jokingly call this a “round-based” attack. This fighting method is actually quite challenging. Even if the player has defeated the final BOSS, they still have to be vigilant when facing the monsters, otherwise you may be robbed of all your Elden Ring Runes by three dogs that pop out at any time. The battle of Elden Ring is mainly divided into PVP and PVE parts. Most people will only experience the PVE part, which is enough. Because just playing PVE content is enough for you to play for a long time. First of all, Elden Ring has the most content in all soul series, which is the advantage of the open world. You can spend a whole week in Elden Ring, and you may still not be able to pass it. Secondly, after you clear Elden Ring, you have new weapons and new equipment. Don’t you want to go back and take revenge on those elite monsters and bosses who bullied you? Then start the second round. Even if you are an old player, after putting down Elden Ring, you still want to take it back and play it again. Maybe try a new weapon, or change to a new style of playing. Suitable For Playing With Friends The most important thing about playing games is happiness, and Elden Ring can bring happiness to people, whether it is played alone or online. Elden Ring has an online mode. You can explore the castle or dungeon with your friends. If you are an old player, you can get the satisfaction of being a sun knight. If you are a new player, you can feel the joy of growth by getting runes to upgrade or getting new equipment during the game. If you are looking for a game to play with friends, then in addition to It Takes Two, you can also try Elden Ring.  If you are worried that Elden Ring is too difficult, you might as well participate in the giveaway of iGMeet Discord to get some runes to make your pioneering journey easier. Elden Ring will still be relevant in 2025, and it deserves to be the Game of the Year in 2022. It also received a DLC in 2024, which added a lot of new content, such as spells, equipment, and even new types of weapons. Perhaps the only person who can beat Hidetaka Miyazaki is himself. Until his new game is released, Elden Ring will always be the most fun Soul-like game.

In Elden Ring Patch 1.13 released some time ago, Golem Fist has become a new favorite among players because the heavy attack of this weapon has a second hit box! Now, at the right range, your heavy attack will attack twice instead of once. This allows you to deal with more damage at close range. But you can’t just use it. You will find that when preparing a build around Golem Fist, you also need to consider the weaknesses and some failures of this weapon. Don’t panic, this guide will list the items you need to prepare and some information you need to know before building a build for it. Golem Fist Pros And Cons First, let’s introduce Golem Fist, which is a new weapon added in Shadow of the Erdtree. You can find it in Ruined Forge of Taylew. Although it has normal boxing-oriented attacks, its unique feature is that it can stand up and fire projectiles. It can be used whether you are charging or not charging, and it does not use your FP. However, it is important to remind you that the damage that Golem Fist can deal is relatively small, but you can use it to hit some large enemies that are not too far away from you. But you can disrupt their rhythm in front of enemies using spells, or add more status effects. As for the low damage just mentioned, after Patch 1.13, Golem Fist can now deal enough damage to allow you to fight some medium-difficulty bosses. Although it will be challenging to use it in PVP because the projectile’s ability to track enemies is poor, the high damage of the heavy attack can still use Golem Fist to fight some enemies that are very close. When used on a boss, as long as you can complete the charge of the heavy attack, you can easily defeat it and pick up Elden Ring Runes. Or, if you don’t have time for a heavy attack, the light attack and dash attack speed of this weapon are fast enough to catch enemies in PVP and PVE well. Although Golem Fist has many advantages, its biggest weakness is that there are a lot of bugs in the game that drag down its overall performance. Although some of them have been fixed in Patch 1.13, there are still some problems left - Golem Fist cannot get pleasant benefits from Smithing Talisman and Axe Talisman. So you may need to pay attention when choosing amulets in the future. In addition, the benefits of Spiked Cracked Tear on weapons cannot be reflected on Golem Fist. Best Ashes Of War Given the pros and cons above, you should consider three things when choosing Ashes of War: increased damage, making it difficult for enemies to interrupt your attacks, and being able to teleport into the effective range of Golem Fist in time. So based on these three points, Ashes of War you can choose from are as follows: Ash of War: Endure Ash of War: Quickstep Ash of War: Bloodhound’s Step Ash of War: Shriek of Sorrow Ash of War: Poison Flower Blooms Twice Best Infusions For Infusions, pay more attention to status build-up. If you like the feeling of a melee in combat, you can also increase the power of attack from Golem Fist a little. Although the first power attack of this weapon is currently buggy and does not apply any status effects, the second blow and the projectile itself still apply status accumulation. So you can learn how to increase it first, and you can get started as soon as possible after the fix is ​​fixed. Since its heavy attacks hit so fast but its light attacks combo so quickly, Golem Fist can still accumulate status effects at a very fast rate. Based on this condition, you can choose Blood infusion or Frost infusion. The former is the best choice of the two, because you can combine White Mask and Lord of Blood’s Exultation with it, so that your punch damage will be greatly increased. Besides those two, Poison is also a superb choice, and you can combine it with Kindred of Rot’s Exultation talisman and Mushroom Crown helmet, which will give you an unexpected effect. Optimal Stats Distribution For Golem Fist, there are two builds you can choose: one that focuses on Faith and Strength, and the other that focuses on Strength and Arcane. If you want your status effects to be stronger, you can put 70-80 skill points into Strength, and then put 40-50 points into Arcane, so that you can get the strongest attack in the light and heavy attack combination. Because of the high Arcane attribute, you can build up status effects very quickly. Alternatively, if your focus is on increasing heavy attacks, you can put 70-80 into Faith and only 40 into Strength. This will allow you to cast buffs and get extremely high damage values ​​from Flame Art infusion. Best Talisman Millicent’s Prosthesis/Rotten Winged Talisman These two Talismans are seen in some common builds and are a must-have. They increase your damage with each consecutive hit, which is very useful for Golem Fist. This damage buff caps out at three consecutive hits, which is the same as four hits with your full-strength heavy attack. Or you can choose to achieve the same effect with a series of fast and frequent light attacks. It’s up to you. Bull-Goat’s Talisman You need to build up your Poise before using Golem Fist to ensure that your light and heavy attacks are not interrupted by enemies. Then equip Bull-Goat’s Talisman, which increases your Poise by 33%. If you want to get your Poise above 75, you can use this Talisman with some heavier armor. Used together, it may have a remarkable effect. Two-Headed Turtle Talisman Whether you focus on Golem Fist’s light or heavy attacks, you should always focus on your stamina. If you don’t want to keep an eye on these stats, you can equip Two-Headed Turtle Talisman, which can help you recover stamina faster and make stamina management easier to handle. If you encounter any problems in Elden Ring DLC, you are welcome to come to iGMeet Discord to tell your problem. I believe that many players in it will definitely give you a perfect answer. You may even have a chance to get some runes as a bonus! After learning some information about Golem Fist, are you eager to open the game and start modifying your own build? I hope this guide can help you in your exploration process, and I wish you a happy game!

Iris of Grace and Iris of Occultation are two twin consumables in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree that are easily overlooked and not very clear in-game for their purpose. However, these two Elden Ring Items can be collected as weapons or Spirit Ashes from one of two very powerful NPCs. If you obtain the Irises, try not to use them yourself. You should turn one Iris in to Swordhand of Night Jolán and Fire Knight Queelign. Iris of Grace will give you a new Spirit Ashes, while Iris of Occultation will give you a new weapon. If you are not sure which one to turn in, you can read this guide. This guide will go into detail about their locations and usages. Location Of Irises Of Grace Both Iris of Grace can be found in Shadow Keep, which is also the dark castle where players fight Impaler Messmer in Elden Ring. Iris of Grace is tied to Spirit Ashes, so both Spirit Ashes unlocked by using it are higher level, and one of them unlocks Spirit Ashe for the entire game. While you can only choose between Jolán or Queelign for Iris, you can find two copies of Iris. So don’t play favorites, and if you prefer Spirit Ashes over weapons, you can focus on two Irises of Grace instead of Irises of Occultation. You can hold up to 99 Iris of Grace, but can store up to 600 Iris of Grace. Here are the locations of the two Irises of Grace: Location #1: On The First Floor Of Warehouse Take the elevator to the lower floor, defeat Flesh Pot Monster nearby, then collect Irises of Grace nearby. Location #2: In Tree-Worship Sanctum After draining Church district, you can find Iris of Grace next to Statue of Marika south of Scadutree Avatar boss fight in Elden Ring. Location Of Irises Of Occultation There are two Irises of Occultation at opposite ends of Scadu Altus. The first is in the basement of Fort of Reprimand, and the other is in Shadow Keep’s Church District. Before you head to Tree-Worship Sanctum Site of Grace to get the second Iris of Grace, you can stop by to find Shadow Keep Iris. Like Iris of Grace, you can hold up to 99 Irises of Occultation, but you can store up to 600 Irises of Occultation. Here are the locations of the two Irises of Occultation: Location #1: Church District Entrance Once you’ve cleared Church District, take the elevator to Blessing Point at the entrance to Church District and defeat Cankered Tree Spirit. You will receive Iris of Occultation and some Elden Ring Runes as a reward. Location #2: Fort Of Reprimand Located at the southern end of Skadu Altas, it forms part of a secret route to this area if you want to skip Ensis Castle and its final boss battle with Twin Moon Knights, Lelana, at Graveyard Plains. Go underground through the hole in the main arena and defeat the Lesser Omenkiller to get the Iris of Occultation. Give Irises To Swordhand Of Night Jolán Jolan is a knight in black armor and a spiked helmet who will be waiting for you between two cliffs in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree with a sword in hand. Swordhand of Night Jolán will appear during Count Ymir’s quest. Ymir will ask you to ring three different Finger Ruins, which will culminate in a battle with Metyr, Mother of Fingers, Jolán herself, and then Count Ymir. When you talk to Jolán, you can give her either the Iris of Grace or Iris of Occultation. If you give her Iris of Occultation, you will receive a Dexterity Katana, Sword of Night. Similarly, giving her Iris of Grace will give you Swordhand of Night Jolan Ash. This Ash is one of the very important necessities mentioned above in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. Give Irises To Fire Knight Queelign Fire Knight Queelign is Marika’s knight. He is not so friendly and will try to kill you, but this is your best chance to get close to him. You can first encounter Queelign as an Invader in Tower Settlement in Belurat. After defeating him there, you will be rewarded with a Crusade Talisman. Afterwards, he will prepare to ambush you in Church of Crusade. During this battle, Prayer Room Key and Ash of War can be dropped. After this, when you reach Shadow Keep and Church District, you will find the true body of Fire Knight Queelign in Prayer Room. After you give Iris of Grace to Fire Knight Queelign, he will give you Fire Knight Queelign Spirit Ash. This Spirit Ash is very aggressive and can cast fire spells. Similarly, after giving him Iris of Grace, he will drop Queelign’s Greatsword. Queelign’s Greatsword is a Heavy Thrusting Sword, and like Sword Lance, it is one of the lesser-known weapons in the game. In Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, no matter which path you choose, you can enjoy exploring the Land of Shadow and get corresponding rewards. I wish you an auspicious time in DLC!

Golden Hippopotamus is one of the easier bosses to find in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and has a relatively small set of attacks compared to bosses like Divine Beast Dancing Lion and Rellana. But having a few moves doesn’t mean it’s easy to defeat. During the battle, one slight mistake on your part could put you in trouble. This guide will introduce the steps to defeat Golden Hippopotamus and its location, so that you are prepared for this battle. Locations Of Golden Hippopotamus Golden Hippopotamus is located in the courtyard in the center of Shadow Keep, and you will collide with him head-on if you enter from the southern entrance of Scadu Altus. Technically, this boss is an optional boss, but defeating him will give you two Scadutree Fragments as a reward, so it’s worth fighting him. If you don’t have an NPC ally to help you, you can summon your Spirit Ash companion. Preparation Before The Battle As far as we know, this monster is weak in slashing damage and also has a poor balance. So you can break its balance by using gravity magic or strong attacks. In terms of skills, Rock Sling is recommended. Even if you miss the hitbox that provides you with a critical hit during the fight with it, you can still cause serious damage by attacking its head. In terms of weapons, swords, greatswords, and daggers are all very reliable helpers. Backhand Blade may not have such high scaling, but it provides fast strikes and unique Ash of War that allows you to dodge around the target, so you may also consider bringing it. In addition, Blackgaol Knight’s sword is also a good choice. If you are using a magic build, any Elden Ring Items that can increase Faith or Intelligence can be used for you. If you only want assists, then you need to start Hornsent’s questline first, because they can become your combat allies in this battle. In addition, you can also let your Spirit Ash summon do the work, especially if you have a Mimic Tear. With Mimic Tear at level 6 and above, and Revered Spirit Ash at level 4 and above, Golden Hippopotamus can be defeated entirely with Spirit Ash companions. Besides this, Black Knife Tiche, Nightmaiden and Swordmistress Puppets, and Swordmaster Yosh, can all make you a cup of tea in battle. It is important to note that you must make sure to upgrade your Elden Ring Items. If you run out of Smithing Stones or Glovewort, you need to return to Lands Between and get some Bell Bearings for Maiden Husks for them. Steps To Fight Golden Hippopotamus behaves similarly to Ulcerated Tree Spirits, with most of its lethal damage coming from its head and mouth. It has a long body and neck that stretches far out to prevent you from running away. On the plus side, Golden Hippopotamus is afraid of direct damage because of its enormous size, which means you have more safe attack points to fight it than other bosses, especially since you have Spirit Ash to distract it. Phase 1 Golden Hippopotamus will only attack you a few times in the initial stage, which may sound difficult to deal with, and it is, as these attacks are linked together. Golden Hippopotamus also moves faster than you think, so it is easy to be grabbed and knocked down before you can react. After you fall, it will greet you with its mouth wide open and rush towards you. This attack will knock you to the ground again, leaving you vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Even if your armor is strong, you should try to dodge forward or sideways. You can also avoid its head attacks this way. For example, if it’s running towards you with its mouth open, you can roll forward; when it’s about to bite you, you can dodge sideways. Phase 2 When you get Golden Hippopotamus down to half its health, it will stop for a moment and golden branch-like thorns will grow on its back. You can use this time to perform some additional attacks from time to time, but be careful not to stay too long. At this time, Golden Hippopotamus will send a burst of holy water spikes around, and it will occasionally repeat this attack if you stay close to it for a long time. It will signal this by shaking its body, so you need to be prepared in advance. This attack has a range of about two dodge rolls, so you don’t need to retreat too far. Avoiding the spikes is mainly based on luck, because all the spikes are strewn with sizeable gaps between each spike. Rolling sideways at this time will put you in danger, so the best way to deal with it is to dodge forward. The most dangerous attack is when Golden Hippopotamus jumps into the air and stays there for a few seconds before falling and rolling forward. This move is very powerful and can kill you if you are not at full health. Given the size of Golden Hippopotamus, your best bet for surviving is to dodge forward as it falls, or, if you are far from the impact point, dodge forward as it rolls towards you. At this stage, Golden Hippopotamus will replace the previous head swing with a powerful bite. It will lunge forward to bite, then turn its head to the side, so you need to stay away from its face. In addition, its major method - charging is also used at the same time. Both attacks give you the opportunity to get close to the side or back of Golden Hippopotamus and quickly reduce its health with your melee attacks. If you want to deal more damage, you can use string or charged attacks and powerful weapon skills to break Golden Hippopotamus’ balance. When you defeat Golden Hippopotamus, you will get: Aspect of Crucible: Thorns incantation Inspired form Hippo’s spines Two Scadutree Fragments Hopefully, you can easily defeat Golden Hippopotamus according to the steps in this guide, and have fun exploring Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC!