Is Elden Ring Still Worth Playing In 2025?

Since the launch of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, it has been rated as the most difficult DLC in history by many players: some extremely difficult bosses and dazzling combat mechanisms make them feel that this game is too challenging. But there is a solution. You need to learn some combat skills and item selection skills. In combat, the most important thing is to ensure that your health is always within a safe range, and the safest thing is to increase your maximum health. Usually, the higher your maximum health, the stronger your ability to survive enemy attack spells and projectiles, and you also have a lot of room for error. In Shadow of the Erdtree, you are provided with a lot of items that can increase your maximum health, such as armor and talismans. This guide will introduce you to several best options. You can choose one or more to combine according to your usage habits or game style. Come and take a look! Crimson Amber Medallion +3 You can find 4 Crimson Amber Medallions in the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. The default version can increase your maximum health by 6%, followed by 7% and 8%, and the most powerful +3 version can directly increase it by 10%. This is far beyond the reach of many armors, and this talisman, unlike Great Runes, has no drawbacks or caveats, making it the best choice for your build when facing enemies that can be hard hit you. But it should be noted that Crimson Amber Medallion +3 can only be found in the DLC. You can go to Fog Rift Catacombs and defeat Death Knight boss and then find it in its loot. If you just want this talisman as a supplement to your build, you can look for Crimson Amber Medallion +2 in Ashen Capital Leyndell in the base game, which is enough. Morgott’s Great Rune Of all Elden Ring Items that increase your maximum health, Morgott’s Great Rune is the clear winner, as it increases your health by 25%. This means that when you’re fighting a long battle with an enemy, your high health will give you more chances to defeat them, and it will also make it more likely that you’ll get the final Elden Ring Runes bonus. But it should be noted that this bonus is ideal when you have other health-increasing buffs, equipment, and spells in your build. If you focus your entire build on health before a fight, you’ll be invincible. Also, like the other Great Runes, Morgott’s Great Rune requires a Rune Arc before each activation, which can be a bit cumbersome, but if you think about the benefits that Morgott’s Great Rune brings to you, I believe you’ll understand its importance. Erdtree’s Favor +2 Although Erdtree’s Favor +2 only provides you with a 4% increase in maximum health, it doesn’t seem to be outstanding, but that’s not the point. This talisman also grants you an extra 10% Stamina and 8% Equip Load. These bonuses make it a versatile and valuable talisman for a wide range of builds. You can combine Erdtree’s Favor +2 with Radahn’s Great Rune to get a significant boost to both Health and Stamina. Best of all, it weighs only 1.5, making it lighter than regular armor, making it very easy to equip. You’ll find a large courtyard in Ashen Capital Leyndell, and within it is a tree guarded by three Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirits. The Erdtree’s Favor +2 is in that tree. If you don’t want to fight the little monsters, you can just run up to this talisman and run away immediately. If you want to farm some Elden Ring Runes here, you can do so as the Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirits will also drop these rewards. Radahn’s Great Rune Among Runes can be equipped, Radahn’s Great Rune is the most powerful and a favorite among high-level players - not only does it increase your health by 15%, it also increases your Stamina by 15%. This is why you can use it in conjunction with Erdtree’s Favor +2 talisman, which together will significantly increase these key attributes. Like Morgott’s Great Rune, you need to use a Rune Arc before using Radahn’s Great Rune. Radahn’s Great Rune is one trophy you get from the battle against Starscourge Radahn in Caelid, which is also one of the most challenging missions in the DLC, as you need to navigate a very dangerous platform to reach the top of the arena. Fire Knight Helm Fire Knight Helm first appeared in Elden Ring DLC, and is one of the few armor pieces in the base game and DLC that directly increases your total health. It gives you 2% more max health, plus 5% more Stamina and 4% more Equip Load, making it a versatile Elden Ring Item. Compared to the previous talismans, Fire Knight Helm also provides you with a solid protection - strong resistance to physical and fire damage. If you want an item that can both protect you and increase key attributes, Fire Knight Helm is the best. And compared to the previous items, Fire Knight Helm is a little more difficult to obtain, requiring you to challenge Fire Knights in Shadow Keep repeatedly until one of them drops it. But you can also get other parts of Fire Knight Armor Set from it, which is also very useful. The above are the items in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that can increase your maximum health and enhance your survivability. If you have better options, you are welcome to share them with many players in iGMeet Discord. I wish you a merry game in this interesting game!

Like any Soulsborne game, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree requires some investigation from the player in order to unravel some mysteries of the game’s story and lore. However, with the DLC, there are still a lot of unanswered questions left unanswered. This is not surprising to many players, as developer FromSoftware is known for leaving many aspects of its world up to the player’s interpretation. Back to this expansion, it does a good job of explaining many aspects of the base game, including telling a lot about Miquella, Dragon Communion cult, Two Fingers and Greater Will, and more. While many players agree that Shadow of the Erdtree is huge, there are still many unanswered questions within it, and these mysteries mentioned in this guide can only be answered through theories. Who Is Demigod Family? Before Shadow of the Erdtree was released, Marika’s family was complicated, but reasonable. Before Messmer was included in the family, the ages of Marika and Radagon’s children were known: Godwyn was the oldest, Miquella and Malenia were the youngest. But in the DLC, it’s not so clear. Messmer is considered as being the eldest son of Marika and Radagon, because Messmer calls Marika mother and has red hair like Radagon. After he joins the family, the family becomes confusing. In addition, Messmer is not the only demigod to complicate things, because there is no simple answer to whether Messmer is a demigod or not, and whether he is a member of the family. In the previous base game, Radagon was married to Rennala, so his family is even more complicated, especially when Shadowbound Beasts are added. Who Is Melina? Melina is arguably the most confusing point in Shadow of the Erdtree. Although she is one of the most well-known characters in the game, there is no large description of her in the game. Is she a demigod or Gloam-Eyed Queen? There is absolutely no clue, but evidence of both identities appears in the game. Due to the fact that Melina’s appearance time in the game and the lack of additional scenes about her, especially in Shadow of the Erdtree, it is difficult to determine her identity. However, she is also the most important character in Shadow of the Erdtree, because she gives the player Torrent, so she met Miquella at some point. In previous trailers and teaser images for Shadow of the Erdtree, it was hinted that Miquella was Torrent’s former owner, but it is unclear how the horse ended up with Melina. The fundamental problem with Melina is that she doesn’t have much to do in the game’s story. She is not constantly calculating like Ranni, nor does she have a place in the history of Lands Between like other major characters. All she does is serve as a temporary Finger Maiden for Tarnished, and then casually fights Morgott in Leyndell and sets fire to Erdtree. From these events, we can feel that Melina must know a lot about this world and its history. If Elden Ring can answer them in subsequent game content, it will definitely attract many players! What Is Kaiden Like? In the base game, Kaiden was only a minor character in the world of Elden Ring, but that doesn’t mean his presence is not important. You can see Kaiden mercenaries in various places in Lands Between, and according to some item descriptions, they are from their homeland in the northern mountaintops. I believe that some old players must have felt the difficulty of fighting them. Many players joked that it would be difficult to persist in this battle if they did not want to obtain Elden Ring Runes in the ultimate reward. But after Tarnished went to Mountaintops of Giants, Kaiden was never seen. So it’s completely unclear where Kaiden is, but no one has ever found him in Shadow of the Erdtree, and it’s likely not in Lands Between. But in the DLC, you can see Kaiden mercenaries sitting on the beach next to countless shipwrecks, which may mean that Kaiden is just across the sea, but this is all just speculation. Since they are mercenaries, it can be speculated that these Kaiden warriors are hired here, but what is their relationship with Lands Between? Do they have a history of being hired before Shattering? It’s unknown. Does Radahn Want To Be Miquella’s Spouse? When many players are ready to complete this DLC, they will be surprised to find that Radahn is the ultimate boss they have to face, because he has become a cannibalistic zombie in the previous storyline and was killed during Radahn Festival. So when players see him again, they will be very surprised. However, many players also feel sorry for him, because it was very refreshing to fight Radahn in the arena when he was at his peak. Although Radahn is no longer at his peak now, he is very close. So you still get a certain amount of satisfaction from this fight and get some Elden Ring Runes as a reward. After Tarnished killed him, his soul was placed in the body of his half-brother Mohg. This is a clear storyline, but it is not clear whether he is willing to become Miquella’s spouse. Why Is Godwyn Was Killed? Godwyn is a strange character and the only demigod that Tarnished does not fight, unless Melina is considered one of them. He is also known as Godwyn Golden and was considered a favorite of Marika before Night of Black Knives and his partial death. Tarnished can see Godwyn as a strange, fish-like creature entangled in Deathroot. But a common question surrounding him is why was he killed? Was he the original target? The undead in the game all worship Godwyn and call him Prince of Death. So when his body was buried under Erdtree, the undead corrupted it, which is how Deathroot appeared. Most players think this may be for convenience, as many demigods may have been elsewhere at the time, such as Malenia and Miquella may have lived in Haligtree. It may also be because Godwyn was the most important to Marika, and Black Knife Assassins were Numen women who had connections with Marika. All that is known so far is that Ranni is behind this, although it is unknown if Godwyn had to die to get rid of Greater Will. There are even theories that Marika was involved in the conspiracy, but these are just theories. The above are some unanswered questions in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. If you have any questions about this DLC, you can come to iGMeet Discord to express your confusion. Maybe in this community, other players will solve your problems. In addition, if there are any questions that you can't figure out, come and participate in the welfare activities in the community!

While Elden Ring isn’t really a game that allows for full player expression and creativity, it does allow you to customize your builds to your liking, giving you a great deal of freedom. The game world and boss fights may play out in much the same way, but you can use different play styles and builds to handle different situations. There are a lot of options for a variety of playability in this game. After the release of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, things got even better, as the new DLC provides players with a ton of new weapons and amulets that work perfectly with items in the base game, allowing you to achieve extraordinary builds. But if you’ve already tried a lot of ordinary builds, check out this guide to get some new build ideas. It should be noted that these builds may only be suitable for the DLC at the moment, and we will continue to follow up on the builds in the base game later! Perfumer Build Perfumer Build seems to have been nerfed in the latest patch, but this build based on the new DLC can easily reduce the health of the boss. In this build, you can combine the fully upgraded Lightning Perfume Bottle and Rolling Sparks Ash of War to give you huge lightning damage. And add Lightning Shrouding Cracked Tear and Lightning Scorpion Charm to deal even more damage to enemies! Perfumer Build is actually an Arcane spellcaster build, so you don’t need to invest in intelligence and arcane here. In addition, the weapons based on this build do not rely on Ash of War or Spells, so you don’t need a lot of FP. Rakshasa Bleed Build If you want to face the final boss of the DLC and be able to defeat it easily, then you can definitely try Rakshasa Bleed Build. This is a high risk but high reward build that relies heavily on your high mobility. Your rewards will be a large number of Elden Ring Runes and special weapons and armor. In this build, you can use Rakshsha’s Set and Bloodsucking Cracked Tear, trading lower defense for more damage. Secondly, Rakshaha’s Great Katana will also use its own bleed build up to help you end the battle quickly. In combat, if you are used to ranged attacks, you may not be suitable for this build, but if you enjoy the excitement of close combat, you will definitely like Rakshasa Bleed Build. Bloodfiend Bonk Stick Build Next up is a bleed build, and even if you’ve tried many bleed options, Bloodfiend Bonk Stick Build will definitely give you a fresh feel. In this build, Bloodfiend’s Arm is a weapon that can provide you with huge physical damage, and it also bursts out arcane-driven bleed damage when charging attacks. In addition, you equip Two-Handed Sword Talisman and Axe Talisman, plus Viridian Hidden Tear, and you can participate in almost every battle in DLC. As the battle progresses, your bleed effects will also begin, and the enemy’s health will be reduced unknowingly. Ancient Meteoric Build If you use this build during Ruined Forge Starfall Past, it is equivalent to finding a very powerful weapon in the entire DLC. This not only can cause a lot of damage, but it can also extend to your strength and arcane attributes. In addition to this, you can use Solitude Set and Verdigis Discus to give you a little more defense and make you more tanky. Secondly, you can also use White Light Charge Ash of War to give yourself the icing on the cake, which is very useful when you face large enemies. Backhand Blade Dex Build Although you need to start searching for Scorched Ruins as soon as you enter the DLC. Backhand Blade in this area may not look so outstanding, but if you dare to take the risk, you will find that Ash of War of this weapon-Blind Spot, which makes Backhand Blade Dex Build a very interesting build. It should be reminded that in order to avoid excessive use of Blind Spot and over-consume your own stamina, you can use Greenburst Tear or Two-Headed Turtle Talisman to protect your own health. You can also apply some blood fat on the weapon to increase these weapons, and you will have a very fast-paced but smooth build that makes it impossible for the enemy to catch you. Iron Dancer Build Iron Dancer Build is somewhat similar to Backhand Blade Build, in that both builds are meant to hit as many enemies as possible. Unlike Backhand Blade Build, however, this build relies more heavily on the strength and defense provided by Ironjar Aromatic. It may make you heavier overall when you equip these consumables, but you’ll have a delicate balance. You don’t have to worry about your movement speed, though, because Ash of War Unending Dance of this weapon lets you dish out rapid, continuous damage to your enemies. Often you’re only able to whittle down their health bit by bit before they can do the same to you. Sure, it removes any nuance or challenge from combat, but there’s no denying that it’s a satisfying, cathartic structure, save for the novelty of melting away an enemy’s health bar. After reading this guide, open the game and enter the DLC to try out some of these new builds! I believe it will definitely give you a surprise, and I wish you a happy exploration!

Elden Ring is a vast open world game that rewards players for their adventurous spirit by giving them different materials or upgrades. However, if you don’t handle it properly, it is easy to cause underutilization of resources and insufficient storage space. However, you can also get the most out of excess crafting materials and some unusable weapons by selling them, which will earn you a certain number of Elden Ring Runes. In the game, you can prioritize trading some duplicate equipment or unused memories to merchants. In Shadow of the Erdtree, which was released last month, there are also many items added to the game, including some armor sets, weapons and amulets. These items are scattered all over Realm of Shadow, waiting for players to explore. These items can also be traded with merchants. This guide will introduce some items you can trade with merchants in Shadow Of the Erdtree and the base game to make the most of them. Crafting Materials In DLC The crafting system in Elden Ring allows players to use a variety of crafting materials to create items that players need or that help them explore. These crafting materials can be found everywhere in Realm of Shadow, and can be picked up on the ground or obtained by killing enemies. With the addition of some Bell-Bearings, you can sell some crafting materials that you don’t need at the moment. You can get them back through those methods when you need them. For example, after defeating Furnace Golems or exploring the area where the dead Furnace Golems are located, you will find crafting materials similar to Furnace Visage. These materials can be used to make Hefty Furnace Pot, but if you don’t need the crafted items, you can trade these crafting materials with merchants in exchange for some Elden Ring Runes. Redundant Armor Sets And Weapons In DLC In addition to the weapons and armor sets you can get from chests for Remembrances, you can also get them by defeating enemies in the DLC. Some enemies in Realm of Shadow, such as Fire Knights and Messmer Soldiers, have a chance to drop their armor pieces and the weapons they carry when you defeat them. When defeating an excessive number of such enemies, whether your goal is to obtain these equipments or to make your way forward smoother, you will get a lot of duplicate armor and weapons. However, these are very space-consuming in your inventory, so the best way to deal with them is to sell them to merchants. Otherwise, it is also a good idea to just discard them, but it is a bit of a waste compared to the small amount of Elden Ring Runes you can get from selling them. Rowa Raisin In Base Game In Elden Ring, Rowa Raisin is not a consumable item for you, but a consumable item for your most trusted mount, Torrent. It is a very good healing item for Torrent, which can restore a lot of Torrent’s health. However, in actual combat, in most cases, players will not be hit by enemies while on Torrent, so Rowa Raisin is not very useful. The raw material for making Rowa Raisin is Rowa Fruit, which can be found in various places in Lands Between, so there is no need to worry about the amount you can get. Although the price given by merchants for Rowa Raisin is not high, it can still contribute greatly to your upgrade path. Duplicate Gear In Base Game Like the redundant weapons and armor sets mentioned above, duplicates are useless, but can be used to earn some Elden Ring Runes. For some dual-wielded weapons, such as Katanas and Whips, which require you to equip a duplicate weapon of the same type on the other hand, this is not a big deal. However, it should be noted that some paired weapons, such as Claws and Starscourge Greatsword, will automatically equip a duplicate weapon when you press the ability button. Here, the duplicate weapon is useless and can be safely handed over to merchants, which will not weaken your ability. Similarly, except for the mission-specific armor sets, most unnecessary duplicate armor can also be sold to merchants. Remembrances In Base Game Every time you defeat a boss or enemy, you will receive some Remembrances, which are special souls. You can take these Remembrances and trade them with Finger Reader Enia for abilities that match the boss, either weapon abilities or magic abilities. In addition, you can trade them with merchants for about 20,000 to 50,000 Elden Ring Runes each. Another way to get a lot of Remembrances is to copy previously acquired Remembrances of Wandering Mausoleums. This way, whether you use them to gain abilities or runes, you will get the most out of them. Excess Ashes Of War In Base Game There are 91 Ashes of War abilities in the base game, which is amazing! Each piece of equipment, whether it is a weapon or a shield, has its own slot for Ashes of War, and special equipment also has unique slots. This means that at any point in the game, you will have more Ash of War abilities than you need. In the game, you need to learn to switch your Ash of War abilities constantly according to different scenarios and situations. After you use some Ash of War abilities, you can keep some of them frequently and sell the unused or useless Ash of War abilities directly to merchants. Now that you know how to reuse these items, check your warehouse to see if you have any. Don't let these heavy items hinder your exploration!