So go in as a Samurai, then forsake my honor and take the knee.
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The annual Steam Winter Sale started so picked up the deluxe version of Elden Ring to play this weekend. My favorites so far in the series have been Demon Souls and Sekiro but I also enjoyed the original Dark Souls game quite a bit. Hoping that Sony ports Bloodbourne to PC in the future.
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Mage all the way!
I did my first playthrough as Vagabond but leaned heavy into magic by the end because what I was doing with sword + shield wasnāt doing it. Started from scratch for my second playthrough as a Samurai and he absolutely shreds.
The uchigatana can get you through the entire game. Armor is overrated, just try not to get hit. That sounds pretentious but youāre going to get fucked up if you get hit no matter what. Then again Iām no expert, only got into these games this year, but I save blocking and parrying for Sekiro. I just do constant somersaults in Dark Souls and Elden Ring 
Really though, you can respec for a single fight then go back to samurai mode with no issue. Thereās no wrong choice, itās more about how you want to role play.
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I played as a melee mage and it was the best decision because you have an arsenal of spells for every situation incl. melee spells and if you also invest in some strength/dex you can aim to wield the f**** Moonlight Greatsword. To get this thing you will have to do one if not the best questlines in the game and it crushes everything. Case closed.
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Yea so far Iām playing as a female mage and have not died much since I dodge and roll a lot and use backstab riposte sneak attacks that work well against stronger enemies. I got my horse and found the merchant and really fun game so far.
Iām finding magic quite weak in this game and have to use melee combat a lot. So far, Iāve beaten the first two major game bosses and really enjoying it quite a bit! Itās definitely challenging. I find summon helpers with spirit ashes gets me past the tougher boss battles. Just completed Stormvail Castle area as a battle mage build and upgraded my weapons and armor. Found this guide helpful
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OMG! I JUST BEAT RADAHN!
(yay)
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I started out with a mage and discovered (via youtube) that gravity magic is OP. Get the Meteorite Staff, which starts out powered up and canāt be upgraded and then find Rock Sling and the other gravity sorceries. Spamming Rock Sling is surprisingly effective at killing just about anything.
I ended up switching to Samurai and have been playing mostly melee since, and find that much more satisfying. It is more difficult, but I found that I learned how From wants me to fight along the way.
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That has been my route, except I kept the mage build going and love it. Magic can def melt through a lot of enemies. No regerts!
I do want to start ANOTHER character and do an arcane/faith build since I know what I am doing now (or at least, more so than my first pseudo-faith/arcane/dex buildā¦).
I love this game. Unabashedly.
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I built a battle mage and love it. Hereās a useful online map for finding your way around the massive world of Elden Ring
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I enjoy this game. Its no Phoenix Wright Trilogy, but its pretty darn good. Iāve put in over a hundred hours in the game and I suck at it, so that must mean something.
Its the only From Software game where Iāve beaten a boss past the intro boss, so thats saying something.
The other games might be of higher quality as I read fans say, but its the only game I have the patience for
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After I finished my first play-through of Elden Ring I tried Dark Souls (OG, crispy). It was fun, EXCEPT, if something was hard, you could go somewhere else and try something different. You were kind of stuck.
The ability to go elsewhere is huge for me in Elden Ring. I love exploration, but it also provides opportunities for players beyond āgit gud.ā 
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Lol. When I first got Elden Ring I ended up buying DS3, Sekiro and DS1.
Iām not accustomed to Open World games. I like a steady progression. But I also knew that from Software games are difficult. So combine my confusion with my ignorance of how gud Iām supposed to git I had to do a little research to determine what level of unreasonableness I should expect from the game.
I enjoy the games, I just canāt play them.
There are games that I love that Iāve Uninstalled, but the From Software games remain on my system because I like the ability to take another stab at them from time to time
Edit: what I like about Elden Ring is that progression is generally up to the player. āScrew this boss, im going to fill in the mapā the bar for actual progression is so high, that finding maps actually feels like an accompaniment(despite being bad at the game)
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Isnāt Sekiro the best game ever? I mean I love all the FromSoftware titles and Elden Ring was / is an absolute masterpiece ā it sounds silly, but I feel privileged to have been around when Elden Ring was released ā but man, something about Sekiro, its world, its game mechanics and controls make it so so good to me, Iāve played through it three or four times already and still want to go back to it.
FromSoftware is an inspiration.
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Iām a bit complicated when it comes to games. I like chess, World of Warcraft and Iāve been looking for a video game that would immerse me in their world.
The game that dies this best is Elden Ring. Although I canāt do many of the battles yet, I love moving through the world. maybe itās like an instrument, ā¦youāre far from perfect at first, but you like to spend your time with it.
Elden Rings is a masterpiece. I played all the Souls games except for Bloodbourne and thus far the Elden Ring is best greatest hits in one with open world and fun spectral horse to cruise. I do wish that there were ships and boats in the game to cross oceans with like in the Witcher and AC games.
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I flip and flop on Sekiro vs Elden Ring. As much as Iām all over Elden Ring, deep down I think Sekiro is their epitome of excellence.
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I like Sekiro. I appreciate that its a matter of skill vs level and I also appreciate that thereās an actual training area(not that its done me any good)
The mechanics are super fun.
For people that enjoy the medieval Japanese setting of Sekiro, but want something both easier and more beautiful, and donāt mind a bit of copaganda, Ghost of Tsushima is excellent.
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