I don't think this video really captures how intimidating the second phase really is and this attempt went by so smoothly it was over before I knew it. I wouldn't say this is the most practical way to fight him at this level, but I decided early on I wanted to learn to beat this guy with fist weapons and it ends up being a lot of fun. The setup involves stacking a lot of damage boosting items to push hyper mode as high as possible. While utilizing the Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear would have provided the highest bonus possible, it only lasts 90 seconds, so instead I opted to use the Strength and Intelligence-Knot Crystal Tears together to get a longer lasting damage boost for 3 minutes. Thorny Cracked might have got some mileage here (and it also lasts 3 minutes), but sometimes boss behaviour can make it a little unreliable. Oh right, Raptor of the Mists. Usually the massive AoE he does after a roar is your cue to get away, but by using this Ash of War you make it a reliable window to rack up some damage. It can also be used as a contingency measure if you're too close to him when he roars. And yes, I did have a cheeky grin when I got to finish him with the critical strike.
Hell yeah, I've spent hours upon hours as a summon for this dude using fist weapons and its a blast every time. I really wanted to try what you were doing with raptor of the mist but I missed out on it in my playthrough, its good to see it works well. The Punch King approves.
I disregarded Raptor of the Mists for a long time since it whiffs so often if you try to use it as a general purpose "counter", but it really shows its value if you're packing it for the express purpose of handling specific attacks.
I've been subbed to you since Dark Souls 1, and I'm not usually one to comment, but I just wanna say it's such a great feeling to see someone I subbed to so long ago come back with fresh content. It makes me remember all the great content you put out before and makes me appreciate Elden Ring even more for bringing back older content creators. Great to see you putting out these terrifying new challenges, man. My asshole remains clenched throughout each video!
Gonna add on to this and say that I too love your content and actually grew up with it technically, it's inspiring and really gave me new love for the souls series. I hope it spurs on even more content and not just in souls-likes!
I love seeing all the different ways people do SL1 in elden ring, with all the stat boosting items and the ash of war system it's more flexible than ever. I mostly went with the cold blacksmith hammer (not cold for the final boss) or dual straight swords, either both cold or 1 cold 1 bleed depending on the boss.
I've not been a big fan of Elden Ring compared to past titles unfortunately, having said that when I beat Malenia with a critical hit I was jumping out of my seat. I could feel that critical hit at the end resonate through the air.
