After being a long-time PvE and co-op enjoyer throughtout the entire souls franchise, from the OG DeS to ER, I've decided I now want to focus solely on PvP and learn to fight others. Why now? It looks like fun, and I'm finally bored of PvE so I'm moving on to PvP.

Now, I dabbled in PvP when DS3 was like a year old, but even then I would lose 90٪ of the time because I went in with my PvE build and wasn't used to fighting others, also me not even considering the fact people had meta builds made specifically for PvP.

These days I'm even more intimidated by the sheer amount of tools, buffs, and weapons at your disposal in ER. The potential for build variety excites, but I don't know where to begin.

What's helpful to know? What's a good way to learn the current meta? Is knowing the meta worth it if I want to use specific weapons? I've been watching ChaseTheBro on youtube because he seems really knowledgeable on the series PvP, is there anyone else that you might recommend? Should I just jump into the Coliseum and experiment? That sounds like a good way to get my ass kicked though lol.

Me and my 2 buddies just got this game. We are aware it is not too convenient. What is the best way to play coop, yet progress semi-evenly?

I stopped playing Elden Ring PvP around 4 months ago.
Main reason? All the issues with the clunky multiplayer system (yeah, I know Elden Ring wasn’t made with PvP as the main focus). It just didn’t feel rewarding anymore.

I tried doing co-op, experimenting with new builds, focusing on PvE, doing lots of duels... but invasions, at least in this game, always kind of put me off. And honestly, the game just wasn’t hitting the same anymore.

After a break of almost 5 months (which is the longest I’ve ever gone without playing Elden Ring), I’m back—mainly because of the spike in players from nightreign. And now I really want to fall back in love with PvP. I used to enjoy it a lot—despite everything, I found it fun and challenging.

I want to invade again and just have a good time.

So… what advice would you give to a hesitant invader coming back after months away?
I usually play at meta level (135–150) to find people in the DLC and for duels, but maybe I should try lower levels again? Not sure. What do you guys think?

This review is going to be a little different than my normal ones. There's been plenty of reviews about Elden Ring itself. Usually of the "It's amazing but not for me" variety.

I decided to do something a bit different with my playthrough. My co-op partner and I had been looking for a new RPG to play. While ER doesn't natively support full Co-op, a 3rd party mod does allow it.

I'm going to focus less on the game itself and instead on how co-op impacted my experience. While we've both played plenty of Fromsoft games, we went into ER mostly blind, other than bits and pieces from memes on Reddit.

So without further ado...

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The Good

Death was slapstick comedy. I often had to walk away to catch my breath from giggling too much. For example, we were in the rafters of a cathedral and my partner said something about being 'glad he was using a piercing weapon so he wouldn't fall'. Then a rat came up behind him and pushed him. All I heard was "Fuck..." as he went flailing to his death.

I appreciated that it allowed me to play less optimally. I was interested in playing as a mage but 90% of mage clips I've seen are one of three spells. Because my partner could tank for me, I was able to use long wind up or inefficient spells that looked cool. I knew there was no way I'd get away with using those spells normally.

Exploration always stayed fresh. There's a lot to be said for "Oh...another tomb..." when you're playing solo but as a duo every discovery was met with wonder and joy. Though this is mostly just an extension of the generic 'everything is more fun with a friend' principal. Still, there was always a tinge of joy when I'd hear him go, "What have we here?"

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The Bad

I knew I was robbing myself of the authentic FromSoftware experience. Nothing was much of a threat. Even the 'hardest boss in the game' took us only about 4 tries. You never get that "FINALLY. FUCK YOU, YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH." cathartic release from beating an otherwise bullshit encounter. It almost felt like playing with cheat codes on.

I imagine my sacrilege will not go unnoticed by the powers that be.

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The Ugly

Because it is a hack there are some issues. Desyncing would force us to restart the game at least once a session. Whoever was last to use a site of grace was the only one able to talk to NPCs. Sometimes bosses wouldn't register for one of us forcing us to restart. A little anti-climatic to ride up on a dragon only to hear your partner go, "No health bar, let's reset."

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Final Thoughts

I'm reasonably certain I enjoyed it way more than I would have solo. None of the melancholy issues that tend to plague other PatientGaming reviewers seemed to come into play for us. Being able to switch up builds, share in the thrill of discovery and laugh at death was worth giving up being constantly mad at the game. I'd gladly recommend giving this a try if you have the opportunity.

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Interesting Game Facts

The host protects their session by putting a passcode into a config file. In order for your partner to join you, they use an item and type in that code. Turns out multiple people can use the same code.

So if you're reading this and about a month ago you had some random join your group despite your clever terrapin-themed password, we apologize.

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Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear about your thoughts and experiences!

My other reviews on patient gaming

I would really like to know how to get good. I love boss fights and I feel like I perform better against bosses in other games than many npcs. For me it feels impossible to fight these soldiers without dying. I attack one and dodge his attack to only being surrounded of 3 different enemy types which don't even let me attack.

I want to learn how to fight. I am decent in parrying and perfect dodging in other games. Is there any good guide on yt or any other thing to improve my skill?

I am playing samurai and using an xbox elite controller with one paddle for dodging

I’m playing solo, haven’t really played ps5 in a while, waiting till next paycheck to grab ps plus, not sure if it’s my play style, or the fact in my head I’m treating it like regular elden ring; but I’m dying way more than I think I should, are the enemies harder and the game is designed to be played with 3 people? Or do I just suck, lol, I make it to the end of the first night boss and I can’t do it, I want to like the game, again, maybe once I get online all the attention won’t be all on me, are there specific locations I should be looking for? And I’m also new to “rougelikes” any help or advice would be appreciated, thank you

With the hype this game has gotten, I image it'll be bringing in quite a few people new to the Fromsoft series. As someone with a ton of experience with this series who still somehow sucks at these games, I think I'm in a pretty good position to offer advice since I'm still able to finish and enjoy these games without being able to "git gud". I'm currently about halfway through this game (i would assume) and have put at least a few hours into 4 different characters, so this may get updated as I discover more. This post will be directed people with little/no experience with previous games, but I encourage series vets to read through in case they disagree or have something to add! I'm using Fextralife as my main source for links. It's a bit sparse on info since the game is brand new but will fill out quickly. There are tons of other resources (see the pinned post on this sub). This will also focus mainly on getting through the first area, since, by then, players will be more familiar with the mechanics and the world.

Getting Started: Picking a class/build/playstyle

Most advice for fromsoft games is to "play the way that's right for you." While that's absolutely true, there are some builds that are much easier to pick up than others, and watching experienced players looking for ways to play might be misleading. For example: you might see a highlight of someone cartwheeling up to a boss buck naked, carrying a 2-ton club and wrecking house in 3 hits. This is an extremely difficult way to play and is not recommended for beginners. There are two builds/archetypes that have typically been the go-to for new players, and are my personal recommendations. That said, these are just recommendations. Now more so than ever before, there are a million different ways to play, and all of them are viable enough to beat the game with enough skill and leveling.

(As a side note: your starting class absolutely doesn't lock you into one type of playstyle. If you've sunk some time into a Strength melee character and want to try magic but don't want to start all over, you can absolutely do so, it'll just be a bit hard until you unlock the respec that's available after the second area is completed)

1.) Quality build

Summary: "Quality" is the name for a Strength/Dex balanced build. This offers the most choice in weapon types and combat approaches and is what comes closest to the "standard" way to play. Mostly a melee playthrough with some ranged potential through Bows and Crossbows.

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• Starting class(es) recommended: Vagabond, for the early 100-def shield. Hero, warrior, and samurai are all also good for this build if any one in particular jumps out at you.
• Weapons: Most of what will be available early on will be Straight Swords, Curved Swords, Greatswords, Glaives, and Axes. But as you level Str and Dex, you'll be able to use just about anything except for Seals and Staves. You can absolutely get through at least the first area with just upgrading your starting weapon, but here are a few solid weapons in the first area if you want to try them out:
  • Lordsworn's Straight Sword can be looted off of an enemy in the first ruins area
  • Flail might feel a bit wonky, but it causes lots of bleed buildup (inflicts huge damage if it lands enough hits in a certain timeframe). Good for bosses if you're struggling.
  • Great Epee is a thrusting weapon which means you can attack while keeping your shield up
• Loadout: Again, plenty of options with for what you want to be carrying at any given time with this build. IMO for beginners the good ol' sword & board (one-handing your weapon with shield in offhand) is best. Look for a shield with a 100 physical guard (ie. Heater Shield). Among those, look for the highest numbers in Shield Boost, which determines how much stamina it costs to block. You can also throw in a Bow as the secondary weapon/offhand for ranged combat if you want to cheese anyone you find particularly frustrating.
  • Armor: There are basically 3 categories here, determined by armor weight and your own carry capacity: Light load, Med load, Heavy load. For this build I'd recommend Medium load. You still have a useful dodge roll (which you don't with heavy load) but you can still tank a few hits and come out ok. Armor is basically mix-and-match as long as you stay within the constraints of the category. Make it look good though. Not for any gameplay reasons but just because fashion is important.
  • Talismans: Green Turtle Talisman is incredibly useful and can be found very early. As is Assassin's Crimson Dagger. Arsenal Charm is also great but doesn't come until after the first boss (and make sure you talk to a certain NPC before taking on the boss). Other early-game talismans focus on boosting one particular type of attack, so if you find that you're using charge attacks/jump attacks/etc. a lot, equipping the corresponding talisman might be a good idea.
  • Ashes of War: Feel free to play around with whichever suits your fancy. Stick to ones with Standard or Quality scaling for your main weapon though. Notably, having "None" as your ash of war for your shield allows you to use you weapon art without 2-handing the weapon, which can be VERY useful if you don't mind losing the ability to parry.
• Leveling Up: As you Level, you'll want to focus on 4 main stats: Vigor, Endurance, Strength, and Dexterity. If leveling works the way it has in previous games (which I believe it does), you'll start seeing diminishing returns for a stat once you hit 40 in that particular stat, so don't go all out in any one stat. You might also want to drop a few points into Mind. This will allow you to use summons and weapon skills more frequently, which you'll want to do.
• Gameplay and combat tips for this class
  • Blocking will be your best friend. Learn to shieldstrafe (lock on and circle around the enemy in the direction away from their weapon with your guard raised). This will be your go-to tool if you don't know their moves and don't have a good guess. However if you lean too hard on blocking, you'll get stunned when your stamina hits 0 and punished hard.
  • The new block counter is amazing. Use it liberally.
  • Dodge roll is your other best friend. Use it whenever you know what attack is coming (or have a good guess) and whenever you're in a jam. As you play you'll pick up on when and where to roll (ie. if they're trying to stab you, roll to the side. if they're spinning, roll away).
  • Always an eye on stamina. If it's low, back off a little and let yourself recover.
  • As you get more comfortable with how your character moves, try and incorporate 2-handing your weapon and weapon arts. They're excellent tools that can help you absolutely steamroll your enemies when used correctly, but aren't necessary to learn right off the bat.
  • If you pick up a weapon that fits your stats, test it out either at the Gatehouse Ruins or the starting area. You might find something you love.
  • You're probably best off allocating most of your flasks towards health. For the early game, I'd say sticking to only one or two Cerulean Flasks is fine.

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2.) Sorcery (Pure Int) build

Summary: The premiere range build for fromsoft games. If you don't want to get too up close and personal and/or think that magic in this game looks really cool (it does), this is the class for you. Weapons and loadouts will be pretty linear, but you will see a lot of gameplay variety in different spells. And boy howdy are there plenty to choose from.

(Note: I chose INT/Sorcery over FTH/Incantation because they are a bit more straightforward in terms of how they're used and gameplay. I may add a faith build to this guide as I play more with my faith character)

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• Starting class(es) recommended: Astrologer is the given starting class for this build you start with a great staff and two spells. Prisoner is also fine. It gives you slightly more rounded stats but only starts with one spell (albeit a very good one).
• Weapons: Your starting staff is just fine, regardless of class, and can easily carry you to the endgame if you just want to focus on leveling that. You'll find several good staves in the second area (northwest of your starting point, but no need to rush to get them. Eventually someone will do the math on which staff is best at which level for maximizing damage, but that won't be me. If you're impatient (or just mean), you can kill a certain NPC to get their staff early, but you'll get it anyways by finishing their quest, without the guilt of killing an NPC.
  • You'll probably want a backup weapon for if/when you run out of FP. Again, your starting weapon is fine, but any that you use without needing to level Strength or Dex works.
• Spells: These, you'll want to pick up as many as you can early on, as different ones will be viable at different times. Glintsone Pebble is your go-to for most enemies. Magic Glintblade is great for far away enemies and bosses with its increased range and delayed cast. Glintstone Arc for crowds. There are also a few melee spells, such as Carian Slicer, but these can be a bit tricky for newcomers. It's pretty apparent what spells are good for after a few uses, so try out as many as you can. The best place to learn the basic spells is through this NPC. They'll have a handfull of spells at the start and can expand their inventory when given key items, two of which can be found before the first boss: (1) (2).
• Loadout: In most cases you'll want a staff in your main hand and a shield in your offhand, with your backup weapon also in your main hand. Having your staff in your offhand allows you to buff your main hand weapon, but that's mostly useful in hybrid builds.
  • Armor: Stick to light or medium load for this build. Ideally you won't be taking many hits anyways but you will have to roll away from enemies, as many will have ranged attacks and bosses are able to close long distances very fast. You'll eventually find armor that gives bonuses to certain sorceries. Equip these when applicable.
  • Talismans: You actually won't find many talismans that help with sorcery until decently far into the game, so for starters I'd stick with the Green Turtle Talisman.
  • Ashes of War: Not really necessary on your staff, but for your backup weapon, I'd give it any of the three sold by this NPC. They link your damage to your INT stat, which means your weapon damage will increase without having to level STR or DEX.
• Leveling Up: As you Level, you'll want to focus on Intelligence first and foremost (obviously) this not only strengthens your attacks, but all the cool spells are unlocked by leveling INT. You'll also want levels in Mind, Vigor, and Endurance, in that order of importance. Mind for more spells and Vigor for bulk (since your armor will be on the lighter side) and Endurance because spellcasting costs stamina as well. Lastly you'll want just a few levels in Dexterity since it lowers casting time.
• Gameplay and combat tips for this class
  • This class is all about spacing. Keep only close enough that your spells will reach. Otherwise keep your distance.
  • This class has a huge damage output vs bosses, but be careful, as you'll die to just a hit or two if you get caught mid-cast.
  • Dodge roll is still your friend, but you'll mostly use it to back up and/or get to a good position
  • Don't feel like you need to ration out spell use too much. Flasks regenerate when you clear enemy groups and there is almost always a rest site or a respawn site near bosses, so you'll very rarely run out
  • Find Memory Stones as quickly as you can. One is for sale as soon as you reach the haven area in the early game, but the more the merrier.

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Open World Tips

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• Explore as much as you can! Almost every interesting-looking area has at least something there to find
• If you see an orange glowing flower, grab it. It's a very useful item component early on.
• Don't be too worried about being "underleveled" for an area in the open world. Your horse can get you out of most situations (as long as he's available).
• Most Ruins areas have an passage leading underground or a portal of some sort. Check for these as you explore
• Weird gargoyle statue on a hilltop? Activate it and it'll point you somewhere cool.
• If there's an open world boss you're having trouble with, try fighting it on horseback! Many of the bosses become much more manageable that way
• If you really want to make sure you're getting everything and don't mind minor spoilers, there's an interactive map that's constantly being added to

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Boss Tips

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• LEARN THEIR MOVES I cannot stress this enough. You probably won't clear a boss on the first try, or the second, and maybe not even the 10th. But the biggest thing is to watch them constantly and learn their attacks. Every attack will have a "tell" of some sort and finding that will be the key to winning.
• For a lot of bosses, their “big” attack will have them pause for just a moment before they bring their weapon down. If you are consistently getting wrecked by a particular move, try to wait just a bit longer than your instincts tell you
• Use summons! Don't be afraid to ask for help, since the helper gets their fair share of rewards for giving you a hand.
  • If you are using summons, keep an eye on who the boss is targeting. If he's currently swinging at you, your main goal is to stay safe while everyone else unloads. Likewise if his attention is elsewhere, your job is to dish out damage until he decides you're his next punching bag.
  • NPC summons are available for some fights (usually major/unskippable bosses). What they lack in common sense, they make up for with massive HP pools. They'll tank hits like it's nothing
  • PC summons are available using the craftable item Furlcalling Finger Remedy. It's hit or miss on how helpful a player will be, but cooperation is half the fun in these games.
• For tips on individual bosses, such as elemental weaknesses, unique items, and tips on their attacks, check wikis (such as fextralife) and this sub, someone will have advice no matter where you look.

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Online Tips

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• You can only be invaded by another player if someone is already in your world for co-op. If you're solo and you're getting invaded, that's an NPC.
• Summon people whenever/wherever you want! Don't feel obligated to run straight to the boss. People enjoy helping. It takes about 0.001 seconds to get summoned in this game so if they don't want to explore with you they'll just leave and put down another sign.
• If you want someone specific to join your world, you can do that using a password.
• Invaders may not always be trying to kill you. They gain souls by killing enemies and other invaders as well. Duelists (red summon signs) on the other hand are always trying to kill you/your cooperators.
• Invaders are dismissed when you enter a boss area.
• Putting down a co-op sign (gold sign) is a great way to farm runes, since there's 0 penalty for dying.

General Tips

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• If you feel like you're banging your head against the wall, leave the area and try somewhere new. The open world is great in that it lets you try things in any order you please. So, even if the story is pointing you one way, you might find it helpful to do something completely unrelated to level up and get materials.
• This game doesn't punish you nearly as hard as previous ones for dying, so if you want to just rush an area to pick up items/unlock shortcuts with no regard for your life, go right ahead (as long as you don't have too many runes on hand).
• Use Ash summons whenever you can. Splitting the enemy's attention to multiple people may be more helpful than you realize.
• If you’re using a controller, put your two flasks in the your pouch so you have them on shortcuts (Y/Triangle + d-pad) Do this by going to the menu and scrolling to the right, then hit Y/Triangle to add an item and select your crimson/cerulean flask
• Buy cracked pots from whoever will sell them. These are reusable and can be made to create elemental thrown weapons which can be extremely useful

Edits:

• As /u/Autistic_Brony666 recommends, early levels in Vigor are a blessing for any build if you’re struggling. So if you’re ever not sure what you should level, go vigor

Conclusion

Like i said I'll likely update this with more builds and info as I continue to play. Leave a comment if there's anything you need to know that I didn't cover! Veterans to the series are welcome to comment with corrections and things I left out as well!