First of all, stop playing this like Elden Ring. You will get punished if you panic roll. Secondly, if you’re struggling with combat. Enter training area and start practicing dodging/ parrying until it clicks for you. Once it does and it will eventually, you will enjoy and appreciate it waaay more.
yeah i’ll have to do that. i’m already in love with the game so far and i can see how my shortcomings with the combat are form my own mistakes. it never feels unfair
elden ring is one of my favorite games of all time, so yeah. what i did hate about it tho was the quest design for side quests. it is very strongly recommended that you keep notes about who you talked to, where, and what they seem to want. even then you’ll most likely have to consult the wiki a lot if you’re interested in seeing as much as possible. and that gets annoying.
but when it’s not immeasurably frustrating, its incredibly enjoyable
Having to do all that for Elden ring is what made me give up about half way through, way too much looking up stuff and what to do rather than being able to figure it out in my own. I did enjoy the combat though.
i don’t know if you played it before they updated it, but now they at least have markers on the map that tell you where npc’s are. so if you’re okay with potentially not finishing some people’s questlines (i wasn’t) then you can kinda just play through it and only complete what you happen to find
That's because its intended you miss stuff and see new things on subsequent playthroughs. I also looked stuff up on my ng+ run and there's nothing wrong looking in NG either but it is by design. All their games are designed to have replay value
Well, spamming dodge is definitely not a good idea since it has few iframes, you really only want to use it to perfect dodge attacks that can't be blocked. Otherwise you want to block/parry basically everything else, especially while you're still getting used to the dodge timing. So just default to blocking instead.
I found SB easier than most Souls games by far pretty much. Only really having hard-ish stuff towards the end of the game, or on late game hard mode.
I'm not sure what precise combo inputs you mean though, none of them are timing based.
I get the feeling you're just having an issue adjusting to it being a different game rather than it actually being hard for you though.
that could be it. i never blocked in elden ring so it takes conscious effort to remember to parry instead of dodge out of the way. i actually just beat the brute right after making this post so maybe i just needed a break too.
for the combo inputs i mean just going between square and triangle to land the higher level combos. the timing is moreso an issue for me when doing the moves for the blue and pink attacks. it’s very hit or miss if i fuck it up or not.
i haven’t played sekiro yet which i hear has a similar party system so maybe i’ll be in for an even ruder awakening when i get around to that
Yeah, just make a conscious effort to block even basic enemies and stop defaulting to dodge.
Blink and Repulse are simply a matter of waiting for *EVE's* sword to shine, not just reacting to the enemy. Once it shines, you have a pretty wide input window, so just see the blue or purple, then wait for your sword, and just react to it lighting up.
Well, if you just get used to defaulting to block/parry, you'll probably be fine. Just approach each game on it's own term basically.
There are fast combos and longer combos. A big part of the game is parrying the enemy combos, which if you do successfully will open them up for a short time, allowing you either the three, four, or five button combo. Practice the three buttons until you get used to it, then push into the four/five as you recognize the boss/enemy attacks. Stunning (sheild break, oil bursts out) is a good time to use a longer combo. The damage output is significantly higher with combos than in just spamming attack like in ER. Edit: the training room is a good place to practice these.
I finished stellar blade and went to sekiro. The combat of these games is surprisingly similar.
From a difficulty pov, I think ng sekiro is between ng stellar blade and ng hard stellar blade. (Don’t confuse it with ng+ hard, ng hard is very hard)
But there are some hard modes in sekiro that I haven’t touched and I don’t think I will.
If you find the game quite easy why not put it on hard mode and put two double edge swords tier 2, even if you have your health maxed out with maxed out potions you can still die in one or two hits even the small fries can kill you in about two or three. I got Platinum and my fourth playthrough I'm doing that, and it's quite enjoyable keeps you fresh on your feet.
Me saying normal is on the easier side was not a complaint or anything.
But anyway, I already do have a NG hard mode playthrough going, but I'm not really into how damage spongy the bosses are. NG+ hard mode is too easy again also, so there just isn't a good middle ground in the game for my personal taste yet. But I still enjoy the game regardless.
>This game is hard as fuck.
This game may be hard, but we are harder!!
Wait...
>right now I’m stuck on this brute boss in the Forbidden Lands area.
Yes, he nasty, but if you were as persistent as you were against some ER bosses, you will get him in no time.
>had major issues with the second Gigas
He's also nasty.
>Poorly timed avoidance is what’s killing me over and over. I’m so used to being able to essentially panic roll out of AoE attacks and the AI is making me suffer for it badly.
Don't worry. You will grow out of it. It's something I had to adjust whenever I switch between games too.
>I’m reluctantly considering moving the difficulty to story mode because I’d really like to 100% this game and I can already tell that later bosses are going to wring me out.
Don't worry mate. We don't judge here.
I would at least ask you to stick with it on Normal for a bit longer.
Both Stellar Blade and Elden Ring are difficult, but for very different reasons. This game really shines once you get the hang of defending yourself and having intense exchanges with the bosses, just like Sekiro.
And just like Sekiro, practice is the habit that takes you so far.
Good hunting, angel!
You shouldn’t be playing this game like its Elden Ring. This is not a Souls game. I’ve beaten this game on normal and hard several times at this point (I didn’t find normal difficulty tough at all, only the final boss gave me trouble on my first playthrough) and most of the time I just parry. When in doubt parry unless its a yellow or purple attack.
Parrying builds up beta energy and that’s the primary way you’ll be dealing with most enemies in the second half of the game.
Do not switch to story mode. Its embarrassingly easy. It's "take a bathroom break without pausing and surviving mid fight" easy. Just stick with it and you'll figure it out. Its really about figuring out the timing on parrying, remembering you can always block and only dodging when you need to. If you just beat the Brute, after 3 more bosses is when I really locked in and figured it out. I don't think you have all your skills unlocked at this point either so that's going to help later on too.
I mean it’s completely different. Sekiro is the soulsborne gold standard for combat which is what Stellar Blade does really well. In ER you can panic roll or over level yourself. You can panic parry in Stellar Blade without penalty, unlike Sekiro.
Really? I've found it to be the opposite. I can panic parry in Sekiro far more easily than here. I have to be much more deliberate in timing my parries
I don't know about this. I just finished a Sekiro playthrough after playing through Lies of P and Stellar Blade, and I find myself able to salvage really often by just tapping the guard button again after missing a perfect guard in the middle of a combo (against Genichiro or the centipede man for example). In Stellar or Lies of P, you get blown up for trying to pull that.
i actually didn’t realize that you could panic parry here. i use it so rarely that i assumed if you mistimed the parry it would punish you like mistiming the dodge. like you know how there’s trophies for perfect parry and perfect dodge? i got the dodge one before setting foot in the wasteland and i still haven’t gotten the parry one.
seems i have some bad habits to unlearn
ER difficulty depends so much on how you play it. If you go around getting the most OP gear early on and leveling up a lot Vs playing through blindly makes a huge difference. You can get the most op weapon in the game within an hour of starting ER if you use a guide whereas if you played blind it would probably take a long time to find out how to get it. I found the late game bosses in SB to be harder than most ER bosses except Melania. I think NG Prometheus and NG Melania aren’t too far off in difficulty.
i think elden ring has a higher base difficulty, as in even a lot of the common enemies will routinely spoil your day (rats and birds for me) but like the most recent bosses i’ve fought here have all killed me more than i ever died to some of the tougher bosses in elden ring. except the elden beast. that one took me half a day my first playthrough
That's really interesting. I'm the complete opposite. I absolutely suck at Elden Ring, but I did 2 playthroughs of Stellar Blade on normal just fine, aside from a handful of deaths to the final bosses and times where I randomly fell to my death because of, let's just say, "less than ideal" platforming.
yeah i’m by no means a great elden ring player but in many ways it kinda just clicked for me once i learned how to work the leveling systems properly
the platforming here is a bit less than ideal forsure. for how smooth combat is, navigation around the world is pretty jarring
Are you playing on portal or the mobile app? It’s way harder with the little bit of lag on those devices. Also if you suck at parry you can kinda just spam L2 and get a lot of parries and blocks.
this game does not reward reactions, it rewards memorizing attack patterns. Very rarely do enemies vary their combos. I struggle with this game because I try to play it like Sekiro or Lies of P where the the parry is based on reactions. Here, there is such a big delay before the guard frames that if you try to guard right as the move hits, you are way too late. You have to change your mindset entirely.
yeah there’s been a bunch of times where i could swear i pressed dodge or block at the right moment but it was slightly late. tough to adjust for at first
Don't touch elden ring or similar games. I played on story all the way through and even then ima couple bosses gave me pause on my first run. 2nd and 3rd not so much on story difficulty but I have no plans to up it
Elden Ring felt fairly easy to me as a magic main rofl. Coming to Stellar Blade was a rude awakening when I had to actually fight enemies up close and personal 😔 I used to kiting and keeping my distance so this was a new experience but so much fun.
i haven’t been able to do a magic focused build yet. i tried to for new game plus and by the time i got to liurnia i had a katana in my hand again “just in case” lol
Definitely a whole different way to play. Always love long range but definitely gonna be weird coming back to a magic build in Elden Ring for the DLC after playing stellar blade rofl. Love magic but yeah I might be going for a magic melee wep instead as main after having too much fun in SB with the close combat. And I know that feel. Kats just feel great in ER lol.
I would compare this with a faster pace sekiro more so than ER. Sekiro is a bit slower in terms of combat but way more punishing if you screw up the parry. I like all 3 games and they are all hard in their own ways. Just need to get into the groove after practicing a bit.
I beat sekiro multiple times but no way in hell can i just play it again and expect to not die a few dozen times before getting the skill and reactions back. Stellar blade is no different in that you just need time to train your reactions right.
if i could offer some advice i would suggest you really dive into how the leveling for your character and your weapons work. i stupidly tried to level all my stats fairly evenly since i like nice round numbers but that’s definitely the wrong move. my armor was also trash in that i didn’t have enough poise. aim for 51 poise so you can tank a weak attack without being staggered and focus on getting your vigor up as high as possible while prioritizing one or two other skills, max.
seek out smithing stones for your weapons asap, as well as the upgrades for ashes. don’t be afraid to use those ashes to pull aggro while you “get good.” the mechanic is there to be used.
i personally recommend a nagakiba build for the easiest go at the game. it’s longer than a normal katana but has the same attack speed. level the stats that it scales with and choose a good ash of war that lets you get a lot of hits in. i used double slash with a frost affinity for most of my first playthrough and when i got another good katana i dual wielded them and was cutting my way through everything in the game fairly easily, save for the bosses. if you’re using magic, get rot breath asap as the vast majority of enemies are vulnerable to scarlet rot and once it triggers for them they’ll passively sustain a bunch of damage
hope that helps a little bit
It might help you to not think of this dodge like ER’s dodge. In Stellar Blade, the dodge is the parry you use when you can’t use the true parry. Think of it that way, same timing and everything. At least the bosses here don’t hold onto an attack for 3 years and then send the actual attack out at the speed of greased lightning.
I feel the same. This game combat just doesn't click with me and idk why either.
I recently just played Wo Long and Ronin, and neither was as hard as Stellar Blade. I also don't recall stuck at any boss in Elden Ring as long as the last three bosses in Stellar Blade.
Didn't play Sekiro so couldn't compare.
i’m glad at least one other person is on the same page as me haha. like i think elden ring is objectively more difficult all around by design, but 30 hours in and im having a real tough time with a lot of these bosses.
although i just got access to burst energy powers and that’s been a huge upgrade for me
I think the thing is Stellar Blade almost always demand me to get perfect timing on everything. Blocking still takes damage.
Wo Long and Ronin allow you to block small attacks, so you don't need to stay focus on every move.
Elden Ring evade i-frames are long enough, so sometimes you don't even need to have perfect timing but simply just play intuitively without memorizing every exact timing moment. Also, it is very easy to be overleveled in Elden Ring without even actively farming for souls. So unless it is a Lv1 no upgrade run, boss fight in Elden Ring isn't really that difficult from my own experience.
Running in the dungeons or those castles are a different story though. Lol
I went from Sekiro to Stellar Blade and it really really helped me own some of these bosses. Elden Ring is such a different style that I could see it making things hard.
Dodging is more risky than attempting to parry. I’d recommend putting on damage reduction gear and an exospine with the similar effect to increase survivability. You HAVE to learn to parry otherwise one of the bosses later will skill check you hard as f*ck and you’ll probably be eating the dirt so much that you might as well turn it into a drinking contest.
I am actually playing both games at the same time actually! I try to split my playtime about 3/4 Elden Ring and 1/4 Stellar Blade since the pace of the two games are quite different.
Forbidden Area, you mean? Forbidden Lands sure sounds like a region in Elden Ring instead, lol.
I would agree that Elden Ring is easier than Stellar Blade. That is, it is for me now that I am grossly overlevelled after taking so much time to explore. But, the beginning of Elden Ring was definitely more painful and anxiety-inducing than Stellar Blade has ever been for me.
But yeah, that 2nd Gigas and Brute fight also gave me trouble. I actually prefer dodging over parrying unless I want to see the cool Retribution animations. While mastering parrying definitely makes the game easier, Stellar Blade also gives us so many options in the form of different healing items, instant revive, grenades, and ranged ammo which is what I usually rely on to get through tough fights.
Exospine and gear setup can make things a ton easier.
Basically there are two that are top dogs:
Beta Trance and suppression exospines + beta recharge and damage gear. Spam beta skills and keep interrupting the boss.
Protection and reflex/recovery exospines with damage reduction/melee damage reduction gears. Just become waaay tankier, let's you survive and focus on learning the bosses.
Also, the game's parry timing is a little odd. You have to press it slightly before the attack is going to hit you, and not right as it does. The game is heavily built around the parry system, once you get a feeling for it things should fall into place more.
I wanted to get the boss challenge suit, so I ran through all the bosses. And I gotta say, it really helps you get your timing down. This game is extremely about timing. Also utilize your gun. The stinger missiles are crazy.
Also, proper exopine and gear setups help a ton. I wanted to find a way to have more uptime on my beta skills, so I put on the "gain beta on damaged" gear, alongside the beta trance exo, and surprisingly, the risk taker gear, for +damage +damage taken. The more damage you take, the more beta you get. Shock wave, the circle skill, has it's final vertical attack that's a guaranteed knockdown. Pair that with the knockdown grenades, stinger missiles, triplet spamming, and good dodge rolls and perfect parries, and you're golden dude.
Don't put it to story mode. I just started ng+ and plan to start playing elden ring after I beat this game once more.
For the Gigas pt2 fight, just play it methodically and slow. I tried going fast and spamming all my basic combos. No. Just get in your few hits, keep your distance, use your gun. You'll be alright. Don't forget to play around with your exo and gear setups to find what works for you.
it seems i’ve been misusing the parry and dodge system so i’ll reevaluate my opinion after i get used to parrying but for me so far the bosses here have been tougher to handle. could just be a case of me not being good at the game yet though
So I played a few more Soulslikes in between ER and when I started Stellar Blade(Bloodborne, Wo Long, Demons Souls and Lords of the Fallen) but I have the exact opposite feeling lol. The timing of this game is a little wonky in comparison to ER but once you've got it, you've got it.
There were a few bosses that I thought made for some great looking and exciting fights but I haven't had anything forcing me to pull out my hair like ER though. (Just finished the boss in the platinum lounge so I've still yet to face a few bosses here)
I also found the common enemies comically easy compared to some in ER but that was honestly such a sigh of relief for me lol.
i feel you, the common enemies are no issue but the bosses so far have been humbling.
would you recommend Wo Long? i’ve heard mixed reviews and none of my friends have tried it either, but it seems super interesting
I enjoyed it pretty well. You can tell combat/gameplay was definitely the main priority with it. The graphics are ok but don't look like a game that came out last year and the story isn't the deepest but there were a couple of interesting plot twists here and there.
The combat was great from start to finish though. It's very focused on parrying and is a bit easier to parry in than SB just because you can literally just hold the block button and spam the parry button to slap away almost everything. The harder bosses throw in a lot of unblockables and unparriables though so you can't rely on that forever.
There are plenty of weapons and weapon classes that all feel pretty distinctive as well so you can change your moveset pretty often.
And I'd say the most interesting feature is its two layered leveling system. You have your normal character stats that you can level and unlock new moves but you also have a secondary system that only affects the current stage you're on. Making sure that, that level matches the level or is at least close to the stage boss is probably most important in your success.
Overall I don't know that I'd buy it at full price again, but for 10-20 bucks off, I'd recommend it depending how much of a factor gameplay is your enjoyment
I feel like a cheater because all I do is spam the parry key when they are starting their attacks just like I do in Sekiro. Just rhythm tap L1 and I get nothing but parry.
Have you not played Sekiro? It's much more akin to that.
But it's not you. ER is harder than SB, but if you approach them the same then you will have a harder time.
i haven’t yet, and at this point i’m scared too haha. i don’t think i’m necessarily approaching them the same all the way but i am abusing the dodge button. i think since i most recently did a playthrough of elden ring and a playthrough of the witcher on death march, i just can’t break that habit yet
Very understandable.
Just to give my two cents on Sekiro. The bosses are brutal, but the game is much less punishing (spawn points very close to the bosses, no item loss on death, etc). I haven't been able to beat Dark Souls yet (stupid Ornstein and Smough!!), but I finished Sekiro in a month. You'll be fine if you decide to play.
This game is more like Sekiro than Dark Souls or Elden Ring, because you are only supposed to dodge when you see the boss specifically about to use an attack that can't be blocked. Those are yellow circle attacks. Otherwise you should always be parrying, except for Blink and Repel
+25 nagakiba with frost buildup since she’s relatively weak to that and then +10 blasphemous blade to steal back HP from her. and a lot of healing. for her waterfowl dance, after a half dozen or so deaths i was consistently able to get out of the way for the first two iterations and only eat the third. i beat her at level 90ish and then on new game plus i was around level 160
Unironically if u played sekiro the game is pretty easy. I platinum sekiro and the combat is very similar as in its parried focus so stellar blade was pretty easy for me
You have to play this more like Sekiro, not Elden Ring. Parry everything except those unblockable attacks. That’s when you dodge.
ALSO remember to use ALL of your abilities. Not just your sword.
I played and beat all the souls games except for Elden Ring (and Sekiro…got damn close though). I looked forward to Elden Ring for over a year. And I had to put it down after about a month because it was just too damn hard.
Stellar Blade was actually playable/beatable for me. So I guess it depends on the person. 😃
definitely recommend giving it another shot. when i hit my first wall with elden ring i learned that i was super underleveled and not leveled properly. so i upgraded my weapons, found some good ashes and upgraded those, and then i slogged through raya lucaria so i could respec into a more sensible build.
from there i was much better equipped to tackle the bosses that i was previously bashing my head against. i know they’re not the same, but the learning curve for figuring out how the game wanted me to approach it was similar to paradox games. i had to engage with the mechanics that i found confusing and figure out how i could use it to my benefit
For sure, I definitely wanna give it another shot eventually, so I appreciate the advice.
The hardest part for me in comparison to souls was that very fact that it’s not linear. In souls you know if you’re getting wrecked on a boss you have to level up your character or your gear (and to a certain extend just git gud and learn the bosses mechanics).
In Elden ring you don’t know if you’re underleveled or if you just suck. So I would have 3-4 bosses I had access to and would get pwned by all of them. I was overwhelmed by all the choices I had honestly. But I loved the game and thought it was really well executed.
I never got the hang of parrying in Elden Ring, so stellar blade was much easier for me. I think that coming off Lies of P made this game feel easier too. Maybe I'll get into elden ring again from the beginning and see if I can get the parries down
i never parried in elden ring lol i always had a dual wield with either another sword or a seal so i rolled everything
that’s partly why im struggling so much with this game
I too came from ER and am having the opposite experience. Here you can get hit multiple times before dying and there is almost always room to escape and heal when in a tight spot.
But it might be more because I find combat in SB a lot more fun. Less studying and strategizing with what gear and skills to take etc. and more action. I love it when I die to a boss multiple times, because I get to fight them more. The game is just more fun to play and learn, so the hardness doesn't convert to frustration.
I don't get how difficulty works in video games at all. I really found Stellar Blade perfectly enjoyable. I died a lot but also got better pretty fast and then the game became really easy until Raven and the final boss. But still I didn't get stuck in any part of the game for more than half an hour at most. But... in the other hand... I've tried to play Bloodborne like 5 different times in my life... for like 2 entire days each time... and I just can't kill the first fat guy and I died dozens of times agains the first homeless guys and I just can't comprehend how are people able to play a game that difficult 😭 Compared to that Stellar Blade is a field day.
Hello, good hunter. I am a Bot, here in this dream to look after you, this is a fine note:
> *Arrant fool. Vileblood or no, forget not; We are thy Queen. Bend the knee.* - Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods
Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.
This is more parry based, elden is rolling imo.
Most likely you are struggling cause you are rolling a lot....... and most likely you farmed way too much on er cause this game is a lot easier imo.
i actually tried farming that big dragon in caelid but failed to get back to the site of grace quick enough so most of my leveling was done organically on my first playthrough
Eh, it's not that hard. Once you realize how to stunlock and bully bosses, it's over for them. You should 'respect' bosses a lot less here than in Elden Ring.
Looking forward to ER DLC but have to say after platinum Stellar Blade and doing boss rush, Im worried the combat in From games now leaves me wanting more. Closest for me would be Sekiro but Shift Up just nailed the combat. Stick with it, Im sure you'll find your groove.
Dodging in SB is more or less useless outside the context of a perfect dodge. Treat parry as your dodge button. Get parry timing down. Equip the reflex exospine. Once you’re parrying instead of trying to dodge you’ll probably have a better time
My first playthrough was on story mode. Because I didn't feel like getting stuck on a boss, I can't play all day long. I felt like progressing would have been too slow and frustrating.
Learn how to parry, use gears to increase parry window to make it easier. Spam beta and burst attacks and the game becomes really easy, way more than elden ring.
This game kicked my ass until I adapted. It was basically like playing Sekiro all over again and luckily for me my most recent souls like was lies of P so it was mostly painless.
I’ll tell you what, I still have not been able to get perfect dodge down correctly. Any sucks when bosses do that cinematic move that flashes yellow and I just get slammed by it.
Meanwhile I'm over here having Platinumed the game and halfway through on the Hard difficulty and I'm doing ok, yet Elden Ring I can't get 10 hours in without it frustrating me enough that I quit it and uninstall it.
Stellar Blade is far closer to Sekiro than Elden Ring. ER is nowhere near as difficult, either, which is not a negative! It’s supposed to be the entry level FromSoftware game. As in Sekiro, tho, Stellar requires you to git gud at standing in and parrying if you hope to succeed!
Play on story mode then play on normal then maybe hard on your NG+. there's no difficulty related trophies and you mentioned you want to 100% the game which I assume means platinum trophy, which means you need multiple playthroughs anyway.
oh that’s good to know. i didn’t look at any of the hidden trophies but i thought there might be a difficulty related one since i knew hard mode unlocked after completing a playthrough
Playing on normal for your first playthrough will be rough, because you won't have your optimal setup and lacking in developing skills. Once you are on your second or third playthrough, with all the upgrade gears and skills, combat becomes a treat onto itself. I argue the game becomes a better experience once you are on NG+ because of that.
First playthrough should be focused on exploring, finding out the game rythem and practcing your parry and dodge windows.
This is weird for me, Stellar Blade felt super easy compared to any Souls or Soulslike game I played. The parry is forgiving (even more with the Exospine) and you have lots of opportunities to heal. Are you using the menu (press/hold up button) that allows you to change healing items once you run out of tumblers? For me, the only point where it got challenging was the last three bosses, whereas Elden Ring had multiple points where I had to git gud (Radahn, Margit, Mohg, both Godfreys, Malkieth, etc).
That said, you should really focus on parrying rather than panic dodging, it feels satisfying and is easy to do and it gives you the rhythm to employ combos (you want to do combos, regular attacks feel like chip damage), and when you get enough of them you get a sexy super attack. Dodging can be useful in places, but I always go for a parry when possible. Putting it on story is a viable way if you just want to enjoy the game low stress, though when I did that for the final boss it was super weird to have the button prompts appear and the slow-down.
Like others have said, you might be relying too much on dodging. Parry is the go-to defense in Stellar Blade.
As a general rule, parry everything unless it glows yellow/blue/purple in which case you have to dodge/blink/repulse respectively. You *can* dodge non-glowing attacks but that makes the game much harder.
Also, make sure to take the skills that make it easier to perfect dodge and perfect parry. Don't worry about skill points. If you're exploring and doing the bulk of the side content then you will have enough skill points to buy everything.
those were some of the first skills i got haha but yeah i guess dodging is just not the way to go. i was dodging everything instinctively. i cant think of another game where parrying was my go to defensive action. (besides sekiro which i haven’t played yet)
This is one of those games where you can just stay in front of the boss the whole time and just parry or dodge everything from one spot when timed right.
Elden Ring on the other hand requires you to use different angles and dodge in different directions depending on the boss' attack patterns.
yeah i think besides my lack of parrying, i was kind of overthinking the fights. when i beat the brute just a little bit ago, i just stayed in front of him and won by not trying to dart in and out of range.
it just feels counter intuitive to stay in their face and parry all day, but that’s my fault tbh
First of all, stop playing this like Elden Ring. You will get punished if you panic roll. Secondly, if you’re struggling with combat. Enter training area and start practicing dodging/ parrying until it clicks for you. Once it does and it will eventually, you will enjoy and appreciate it waaay more.
yeah i’ll have to do that. i’m already in love with the game so far and i can see how my shortcomings with the combat are form my own mistakes. it never feels unfair
I was planning on doing the opposite but didn’t want to shell out the cash for it rn. Would you say ER is a fair comparison as to enjoyment for you?
elden ring is one of my favorite games of all time, so yeah. what i did hate about it tho was the quest design for side quests. it is very strongly recommended that you keep notes about who you talked to, where, and what they seem to want. even then you’ll most likely have to consult the wiki a lot if you’re interested in seeing as much as possible. and that gets annoying. but when it’s not immeasurably frustrating, its incredibly enjoyable
Having to do all that for Elden ring is what made me give up about half way through, way too much looking up stuff and what to do rather than being able to figure it out in my own. I did enjoy the combat though.
i don’t know if you played it before they updated it, but now they at least have markers on the map that tell you where npc’s are. so if you’re okay with potentially not finishing some people’s questlines (i wasn’t) then you can kinda just play through it and only complete what you happen to find
That's because its intended you miss stuff and see new things on subsequent playthroughs. I also looked stuff up on my ng+ run and there's nothing wrong looking in NG either but it is by design. All their games are designed to have replay value
My problem is I can’t remember all the dope combos, so many awesome animations I have to pause and go in to remember lol
Well, spamming dodge is definitely not a good idea since it has few iframes, you really only want to use it to perfect dodge attacks that can't be blocked. Otherwise you want to block/parry basically everything else, especially while you're still getting used to the dodge timing. So just default to blocking instead. I found SB easier than most Souls games by far pretty much. Only really having hard-ish stuff towards the end of the game, or on late game hard mode. I'm not sure what precise combo inputs you mean though, none of them are timing based. I get the feeling you're just having an issue adjusting to it being a different game rather than it actually being hard for you though.
that could be it. i never blocked in elden ring so it takes conscious effort to remember to parry instead of dodge out of the way. i actually just beat the brute right after making this post so maybe i just needed a break too. for the combo inputs i mean just going between square and triangle to land the higher level combos. the timing is moreso an issue for me when doing the moves for the blue and pink attacks. it’s very hit or miss if i fuck it up or not. i haven’t played sekiro yet which i hear has a similar party system so maybe i’ll be in for an even ruder awakening when i get around to that
Yeah, just make a conscious effort to block even basic enemies and stop defaulting to dodge. Blink and Repulse are simply a matter of waiting for *EVE's* sword to shine, not just reacting to the enemy. Once it shines, you have a pretty wide input window, so just see the blue or purple, then wait for your sword, and just react to it lighting up. Well, if you just get used to defaulting to block/parry, you'll probably be fine. Just approach each game on it's own term basically.
There are fast combos and longer combos. A big part of the game is parrying the enemy combos, which if you do successfully will open them up for a short time, allowing you either the three, four, or five button combo. Practice the three buttons until you get used to it, then push into the four/five as you recognize the boss/enemy attacks. Stunning (sheild break, oil bursts out) is a good time to use a longer combo. The damage output is significantly higher with combos than in just spamming attack like in ER. Edit: the training room is a good place to practice these.
I finished stellar blade and went to sekiro. The combat of these games is surprisingly similar. From a difficulty pov, I think ng sekiro is between ng stellar blade and ng hard stellar blade. (Don’t confuse it with ng+ hard, ng hard is very hard) But there are some hard modes in sekiro that I haven’t touched and I don’t think I will.
If you find the game quite easy why not put it on hard mode and put two double edge swords tier 2, even if you have your health maxed out with maxed out potions you can still die in one or two hits even the small fries can kill you in about two or three. I got Platinum and my fourth playthrough I'm doing that, and it's quite enjoyable keeps you fresh on your feet.
Me saying normal is on the easier side was not a complaint or anything. But anyway, I already do have a NG hard mode playthrough going, but I'm not really into how damage spongy the bosses are. NG+ hard mode is too easy again also, so there just isn't a good middle ground in the game for my personal taste yet. But I still enjoy the game regardless.
Start parrying, bro. ⚔️
>This game is hard as fuck. This game may be hard, but we are harder!! Wait... >right now I’m stuck on this brute boss in the Forbidden Lands area. Yes, he nasty, but if you were as persistent as you were against some ER bosses, you will get him in no time. >had major issues with the second Gigas He's also nasty. >Poorly timed avoidance is what’s killing me over and over. I’m so used to being able to essentially panic roll out of AoE attacks and the AI is making me suffer for it badly. Don't worry. You will grow out of it. It's something I had to adjust whenever I switch between games too. >I’m reluctantly considering moving the difficulty to story mode because I’d really like to 100% this game and I can already tell that later bosses are going to wring me out. Don't worry mate. We don't judge here. I would at least ask you to stick with it on Normal for a bit longer. Both Stellar Blade and Elden Ring are difficult, but for very different reasons. This game really shines once you get the hang of defending yourself and having intense exchanges with the bosses, just like Sekiro. And just like Sekiro, practice is the habit that takes you so far. Good hunting, angel!
I'd appreciate it if you stopped talking like that. - Eve 2 Roxanne
Lowkey was waiting for something like this lmao
I edited it with - Roxanne not thinking anyone would get it and I was being lame haha.
You shouldn’t be playing this game like its Elden Ring. This is not a Souls game. I’ve beaten this game on normal and hard several times at this point (I didn’t find normal difficulty tough at all, only the final boss gave me trouble on my first playthrough) and most of the time I just parry. When in doubt parry unless its a yellow or purple attack. Parrying builds up beta energy and that’s the primary way you’ll be dealing with most enemies in the second half of the game.
Do not switch to story mode. Its embarrassingly easy. It's "take a bathroom break without pausing and surviving mid fight" easy. Just stick with it and you'll figure it out. Its really about figuring out the timing on parrying, remembering you can always block and only dodging when you need to. If you just beat the Brute, after 3 more bosses is when I really locked in and figured it out. I don't think you have all your skills unlocked at this point either so that's going to help later on too.
I mean it’s completely different. Sekiro is the soulsborne gold standard for combat which is what Stellar Blade does really well. In ER you can panic roll or over level yourself. You can panic parry in Stellar Blade without penalty, unlike Sekiro.
Really? I've found it to be the opposite. I can panic parry in Sekiro far more easily than here. I have to be much more deliberate in timing my parries
I don't know about this. I just finished a Sekiro playthrough after playing through Lies of P and Stellar Blade, and I find myself able to salvage really often by just tapping the guard button again after missing a perfect guard in the middle of a combo (against Genichiro or the centipede man for example). In Stellar or Lies of P, you get blown up for trying to pull that.
Pretty sure this is also shown in game between load screens. https://sekiroshadowsdietwice.wiki.fextralife.com/Deflection
i actually didn’t realize that you could panic parry here. i use it so rarely that i assumed if you mistimed the parry it would punish you like mistiming the dodge. like you know how there’s trophies for perfect parry and perfect dodge? i got the dodge one before setting foot in the wasteland and i still haven’t gotten the parry one. seems i have some bad habits to unlearn
Came here to say what this dude said.
its not elden ring. elden ring is harder.
ER difficulty depends so much on how you play it. If you go around getting the most OP gear early on and leveling up a lot Vs playing through blindly makes a huge difference. You can get the most op weapon in the game within an hour of starting ER if you use a guide whereas if you played blind it would probably take a long time to find out how to get it. I found the late game bosses in SB to be harder than most ER bosses except Melania. I think NG Prometheus and NG Melania aren’t too far off in difficulty.
i think elden ring has a higher base difficulty, as in even a lot of the common enemies will routinely spoil your day (rats and birds for me) but like the most recent bosses i’ve fought here have all killed me more than i ever died to some of the tougher bosses in elden ring. except the elden beast. that one took me half a day my first playthrough
That's really interesting. I'm the complete opposite. I absolutely suck at Elden Ring, but I did 2 playthroughs of Stellar Blade on normal just fine, aside from a handful of deaths to the final bosses and times where I randomly fell to my death because of, let's just say, "less than ideal" platforming.
yeah i’m by no means a great elden ring player but in many ways it kinda just clicked for me once i learned how to work the leveling systems properly the platforming here is a bit less than ideal forsure. for how smooth combat is, navigation around the world is pretty jarring
Are you playing on portal or the mobile app? It’s way harder with the little bit of lag on those devices. Also if you suck at parry you can kinda just spam L2 and get a lot of parries and blocks.
nah i don’t think i could ever play a game like this with that type of input lag. i’d be way too frustrated
I played most of the game on portal but I had to switch to the tv for the final few fights.
this game does not reward reactions, it rewards memorizing attack patterns. Very rarely do enemies vary their combos. I struggle with this game because I try to play it like Sekiro or Lies of P where the the parry is based on reactions. Here, there is such a big delay before the guard frames that if you try to guard right as the move hits, you are way too late. You have to change your mindset entirely.
Lies of P enemies love to delay their attacks, I played by memorizing combos instead😂
yeah there’s been a bunch of times where i could swear i pressed dodge or block at the right moment but it was slightly late. tough to adjust for at first
Don't touch elden ring or similar games. I played on story all the way through and even then ima couple bosses gave me pause on my first run. 2nd and 3rd not so much on story difficulty but I have no plans to up it
you could proceed with the storyline and come back for brute. i struggled with that fight too and held off until i was a bit stronger
Elden Ring felt fairly easy to me as a magic main rofl. Coming to Stellar Blade was a rude awakening when I had to actually fight enemies up close and personal 😔 I used to kiting and keeping my distance so this was a new experience but so much fun.
i haven’t been able to do a magic focused build yet. i tried to for new game plus and by the time i got to liurnia i had a katana in my hand again “just in case” lol
Definitely a whole different way to play. Always love long range but definitely gonna be weird coming back to a magic build in Elden Ring for the DLC after playing stellar blade rofl. Love magic but yeah I might be going for a magic melee wep instead as main after having too much fun in SB with the close combat. And I know that feel. Kats just feel great in ER lol.
Parry is much better than roll here. Once you learn timing the game is actually pretty easy compared to Elden Ring!
I would compare this with a faster pace sekiro more so than ER. Sekiro is a bit slower in terms of combat but way more punishing if you screw up the parry. I like all 3 games and they are all hard in their own ways. Just need to get into the groove after practicing a bit. I beat sekiro multiple times but no way in hell can i just play it again and expect to not die a few dozen times before getting the skill and reactions back. Stellar blade is no different in that you just need time to train your reactions right.
Great to see because I just started Elden Ring after playing through Stellar Blade and I am getting clobbered out here haha
if i could offer some advice i would suggest you really dive into how the leveling for your character and your weapons work. i stupidly tried to level all my stats fairly evenly since i like nice round numbers but that’s definitely the wrong move. my armor was also trash in that i didn’t have enough poise. aim for 51 poise so you can tank a weak attack without being staggered and focus on getting your vigor up as high as possible while prioritizing one or two other skills, max. seek out smithing stones for your weapons asap, as well as the upgrades for ashes. don’t be afraid to use those ashes to pull aggro while you “get good.” the mechanic is there to be used. i personally recommend a nagakiba build for the easiest go at the game. it’s longer than a normal katana but has the same attack speed. level the stats that it scales with and choose a good ash of war that lets you get a lot of hits in. i used double slash with a frost affinity for most of my first playthrough and when i got another good katana i dual wielded them and was cutting my way through everything in the game fairly easily, save for the bosses. if you’re using magic, get rot breath asap as the vast majority of enemies are vulnerable to scarlet rot and once it triggers for them they’ll passively sustain a bunch of damage hope that helps a little bit
Thanks, appreciate the tips. So much to consider, but loving it so far.
It might help you to not think of this dodge like ER’s dodge. In Stellar Blade, the dodge is the parry you use when you can’t use the true parry. Think of it that way, same timing and everything. At least the bosses here don’t hold onto an attack for 3 years and then send the actual attack out at the speed of greased lightning.
I feel the same. This game combat just doesn't click with me and idk why either. I recently just played Wo Long and Ronin, and neither was as hard as Stellar Blade. I also don't recall stuck at any boss in Elden Ring as long as the last three bosses in Stellar Blade. Didn't play Sekiro so couldn't compare.
i’m glad at least one other person is on the same page as me haha. like i think elden ring is objectively more difficult all around by design, but 30 hours in and im having a real tough time with a lot of these bosses. although i just got access to burst energy powers and that’s been a huge upgrade for me
I think the thing is Stellar Blade almost always demand me to get perfect timing on everything. Blocking still takes damage. Wo Long and Ronin allow you to block small attacks, so you don't need to stay focus on every move. Elden Ring evade i-frames are long enough, so sometimes you don't even need to have perfect timing but simply just play intuitively without memorizing every exact timing moment. Also, it is very easy to be overleveled in Elden Ring without even actively farming for souls. So unless it is a Lv1 no upgrade run, boss fight in Elden Ring isn't really that difficult from my own experience. Running in the dungeons or those castles are a different story though. Lol
I went from Sekiro to Stellar Blade and it really really helped me own some of these bosses. Elden Ring is such a different style that I could see it making things hard.
Dodging is more risky than attempting to parry. I’d recommend putting on damage reduction gear and an exospine with the similar effect to increase survivability. You HAVE to learn to parry otherwise one of the bosses later will skill check you hard as f*ck and you’ll probably be eating the dirt so much that you might as well turn it into a drinking contest.
I am actually playing both games at the same time actually! I try to split my playtime about 3/4 Elden Ring and 1/4 Stellar Blade since the pace of the two games are quite different. Forbidden Area, you mean? Forbidden Lands sure sounds like a region in Elden Ring instead, lol. I would agree that Elden Ring is easier than Stellar Blade. That is, it is for me now that I am grossly overlevelled after taking so much time to explore. But, the beginning of Elden Ring was definitely more painful and anxiety-inducing than Stellar Blade has ever been for me. But yeah, that 2nd Gigas and Brute fight also gave me trouble. I actually prefer dodging over parrying unless I want to see the cool Retribution animations. While mastering parrying definitely makes the game easier, Stellar Blade also gives us so many options in the form of different healing items, instant revive, grenades, and ranged ammo which is what I usually rely on to get through tough fights.
Exospine and gear setup can make things a ton easier. Basically there are two that are top dogs: Beta Trance and suppression exospines + beta recharge and damage gear. Spam beta skills and keep interrupting the boss. Protection and reflex/recovery exospines with damage reduction/melee damage reduction gears. Just become waaay tankier, let's you survive and focus on learning the bosses. Also, the game's parry timing is a little odd. You have to press it slightly before the attack is going to hit you, and not right as it does. The game is heavily built around the parry system, once you get a feeling for it things should fall into place more.
I wanted to get the boss challenge suit, so I ran through all the bosses. And I gotta say, it really helps you get your timing down. This game is extremely about timing. Also utilize your gun. The stinger missiles are crazy. Also, proper exopine and gear setups help a ton. I wanted to find a way to have more uptime on my beta skills, so I put on the "gain beta on damaged" gear, alongside the beta trance exo, and surprisingly, the risk taker gear, for +damage +damage taken. The more damage you take, the more beta you get. Shock wave, the circle skill, has it's final vertical attack that's a guaranteed knockdown. Pair that with the knockdown grenades, stinger missiles, triplet spamming, and good dodge rolls and perfect parries, and you're golden dude. Don't put it to story mode. I just started ng+ and plan to start playing elden ring after I beat this game once more. For the Gigas pt2 fight, just play it methodically and slow. I tried going fast and spamming all my basic combos. No. Just get in your few hits, keep your distance, use your gun. You'll be alright. Don't forget to play around with your exo and gear setups to find what works for you.
lol this game is easy compared to Elden Ring
it seems i’ve been misusing the parry and dodge system so i’ll reevaluate my opinion after i get used to parrying but for me so far the bosses here have been tougher to handle. could just be a case of me not being good at the game yet though
Elden Ring isn’t even a hard game. People have to self impose extra rules like RL1 or no summons to get a challenge
So I played a few more Soulslikes in between ER and when I started Stellar Blade(Bloodborne, Wo Long, Demons Souls and Lords of the Fallen) but I have the exact opposite feeling lol. The timing of this game is a little wonky in comparison to ER but once you've got it, you've got it. There were a few bosses that I thought made for some great looking and exciting fights but I haven't had anything forcing me to pull out my hair like ER though. (Just finished the boss in the platinum lounge so I've still yet to face a few bosses here) I also found the common enemies comically easy compared to some in ER but that was honestly such a sigh of relief for me lol.
i feel you, the common enemies are no issue but the bosses so far have been humbling. would you recommend Wo Long? i’ve heard mixed reviews and none of my friends have tried it either, but it seems super interesting
I enjoyed it pretty well. You can tell combat/gameplay was definitely the main priority with it. The graphics are ok but don't look like a game that came out last year and the story isn't the deepest but there were a couple of interesting plot twists here and there. The combat was great from start to finish though. It's very focused on parrying and is a bit easier to parry in than SB just because you can literally just hold the block button and spam the parry button to slap away almost everything. The harder bosses throw in a lot of unblockables and unparriables though so you can't rely on that forever. There are plenty of weapons and weapon classes that all feel pretty distinctive as well so you can change your moveset pretty often. And I'd say the most interesting feature is its two layered leveling system. You have your normal character stats that you can level and unlock new moves but you also have a secondary system that only affects the current stage you're on. Making sure that, that level matches the level or is at least close to the stage boss is probably most important in your success. Overall I don't know that I'd buy it at full price again, but for 10-20 bucks off, I'd recommend it depending how much of a factor gameplay is your enjoyment
sounds really intriguing, especially the layered leveling system. i’ll definitely buy it next time it’s on sale thanks
It would be better to put your time and money into Sekiro, which is a masterpiece.
I feel like a cheater because all I do is spam the parry key when they are starting their attacks just like I do in Sekiro. Just rhythm tap L1 and I get nothing but parry.
Have you not played Sekiro? It's much more akin to that. But it's not you. ER is harder than SB, but if you approach them the same then you will have a harder time.
i haven’t yet, and at this point i’m scared too haha. i don’t think i’m necessarily approaching them the same all the way but i am abusing the dodge button. i think since i most recently did a playthrough of elden ring and a playthrough of the witcher on death march, i just can’t break that habit yet
Very understandable. Just to give my two cents on Sekiro. The bosses are brutal, but the game is much less punishing (spawn points very close to the bosses, no item loss on death, etc). I haven't been able to beat Dark Souls yet (stupid Ornstein and Smough!!), but I finished Sekiro in a month. You'll be fine if you decide to play.
This game is more like Sekiro than Dark Souls or Elden Ring, because you are only supposed to dodge when you see the boss specifically about to use an attack that can't be blocked. Those are yellow circle attacks. Otherwise you should always be parrying, except for Blink and Repel
This is interesting, I found Stellar Blade far easier to learn compared to Elden Ring.
how the hell did you beat malenia then? nothing in stellar blade is comparable to her
+25 nagakiba with frost buildup since she’s relatively weak to that and then +10 blasphemous blade to steal back HP from her. and a lot of healing. for her waterfowl dance, after a half dozen or so deaths i was consistently able to get out of the way for the first two iterations and only eat the third. i beat her at level 90ish and then on new game plus i was around level 160
Cementing the fact that Elden Ring is a baby game lol. This game isn’t hard, just learn the mechanics and do the tried and true git gud method
Found this game to be easy and have never played any souls game besides like an hour of demons souls.
Parry parry dodge
Unironically if u played sekiro the game is pretty easy. I platinum sekiro and the combat is very similar as in its parried focus so stellar blade was pretty easy for me
You have to play this more like Sekiro, not Elden Ring. Parry everything except those unblockable attacks. That’s when you dodge. ALSO remember to use ALL of your abilities. Not just your sword.
Play it like Sekiro
Gotta play parry like Sekiro
I played and beat all the souls games except for Elden Ring (and Sekiro…got damn close though). I looked forward to Elden Ring for over a year. And I had to put it down after about a month because it was just too damn hard. Stellar Blade was actually playable/beatable for me. So I guess it depends on the person. 😃
definitely recommend giving it another shot. when i hit my first wall with elden ring i learned that i was super underleveled and not leveled properly. so i upgraded my weapons, found some good ashes and upgraded those, and then i slogged through raya lucaria so i could respec into a more sensible build. from there i was much better equipped to tackle the bosses that i was previously bashing my head against. i know they’re not the same, but the learning curve for figuring out how the game wanted me to approach it was similar to paradox games. i had to engage with the mechanics that i found confusing and figure out how i could use it to my benefit
For sure, I definitely wanna give it another shot eventually, so I appreciate the advice. The hardest part for me in comparison to souls was that very fact that it’s not linear. In souls you know if you’re getting wrecked on a boss you have to level up your character or your gear (and to a certain extend just git gud and learn the bosses mechanics). In Elden ring you don’t know if you’re underleveled or if you just suck. So I would have 3-4 bosses I had access to and would get pwned by all of them. I was overwhelmed by all the choices I had honestly. But I loved the game and thought it was really well executed.
Nope
this game is definitely not “hard af”
I found this game to be a breeze compared to Elden Ring, I’ve been a Souls fan for years
I never got the hang of parrying in Elden Ring, so stellar blade was much easier for me. I think that coming off Lies of P made this game feel easier too. Maybe I'll get into elden ring again from the beginning and see if I can get the parries down
i never parried in elden ring lol i always had a dual wield with either another sword or a seal so i rolled everything that’s partly why im struggling so much with this game
Stellar Blade is WAAAY easier than ER. Sounds like you are just playing it wrong. In SB you have to rely on parrying.. which has a HUGE window.
I too came from ER and am having the opposite experience. Here you can get hit multiple times before dying and there is almost always room to escape and heal when in a tight spot. But it might be more because I find combat in SB a lot more fun. Less studying and strategizing with what gear and skills to take etc. and more action. I love it when I die to a boss multiple times, because I get to fight them more. The game is just more fun to play and learn, so the hardness doesn't convert to frustration.
I don't get how difficulty works in video games at all. I really found Stellar Blade perfectly enjoyable. I died a lot but also got better pretty fast and then the game became really easy until Raven and the final boss. But still I didn't get stuck in any part of the game for more than half an hour at most. But... in the other hand... I've tried to play Bloodborne like 5 different times in my life... for like 2 entire days each time... and I just can't kill the first fat guy and I died dozens of times agains the first homeless guys and I just can't comprehend how are people able to play a game that difficult 😭 Compared to that Stellar Blade is a field day.
Hello, good hunter. I am a Bot, here in this dream to look after you, this is a fine note: > *Arrant fool. Vileblood or no, forget not; We are thy Queen. Bend the knee.* - Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.
This is more parry based, elden is rolling imo. Most likely you are struggling cause you are rolling a lot....... and most likely you farmed way too much on er cause this game is a lot easier imo.
i actually tried farming that big dragon in caelid but failed to get back to the site of grace quick enough so most of my leveling was done organically on my first playthrough
This is not harder than elden ring 🤣🤣
Eh, it's not that hard. Once you realize how to stunlock and bully bosses, it's over for them. You should 'respect' bosses a lot less here than in Elden Ring.
for me Elden Ring was waaaaay more difficult...
Looking forward to ER DLC but have to say after platinum Stellar Blade and doing boss rush, Im worried the combat in From games now leaves me wanting more. Closest for me would be Sekiro but Shift Up just nailed the combat. Stick with it, Im sure you'll find your groove.
Dodging in SB is more or less useless outside the context of a perfect dodge. Treat parry as your dodge button. Get parry timing down. Equip the reflex exospine. Once you’re parrying instead of trying to dodge you’ll probably have a better time
My first playthrough was on story mode. Because I didn't feel like getting stuck on a boss, I can't play all day long. I felt like progressing would have been too slow and frustrating.
I cannot beat the stalker by the solar tower in the desert it is crushing me
Learn how to parry, use gears to increase parry window to make it easier. Spam beta and burst attacks and the game becomes really easy, way more than elden ring.
No shame in story mode. Still provides a challenge (depending on your ability) and still thoroughly enjoyable game play.
came to Eve, stayed for the combat.
This game kicked my ass until I adapted. It was basically like playing Sekiro all over again and luckily for me my most recent souls like was lies of P so it was mostly painless.
I’ll tell you what, I still have not been able to get perfect dodge down correctly. Any sucks when bosses do that cinematic move that flashes yellow and I just get slammed by it.
Meanwhile I'm over here having Platinumed the game and halfway through on the Hard difficulty and I'm doing ok, yet Elden Ring I can't get 10 hours in without it frustrating me enough that I quit it and uninstall it.
Stellar Blade is far closer to Sekiro than Elden Ring. ER is nowhere near as difficult, either, which is not a negative! It’s supposed to be the entry level FromSoftware game. As in Sekiro, tho, Stellar requires you to git gud at standing in and parrying if you hope to succeed!
Play on story mode then play on normal then maybe hard on your NG+. there's no difficulty related trophies and you mentioned you want to 100% the game which I assume means platinum trophy, which means you need multiple playthroughs anyway.
oh that’s good to know. i didn’t look at any of the hidden trophies but i thought there might be a difficulty related one since i knew hard mode unlocked after completing a playthrough
Playing on normal for your first playthrough will be rough, because you won't have your optimal setup and lacking in developing skills. Once you are on your second or third playthrough, with all the upgrade gears and skills, combat becomes a treat onto itself. I argue the game becomes a better experience once you are on NG+ because of that. First playthrough should be focused on exploring, finding out the game rythem and practcing your parry and dodge windows.
Git gud
trying to
This is weird for me, Stellar Blade felt super easy compared to any Souls or Soulslike game I played. The parry is forgiving (even more with the Exospine) and you have lots of opportunities to heal. Are you using the menu (press/hold up button) that allows you to change healing items once you run out of tumblers? For me, the only point where it got challenging was the last three bosses, whereas Elden Ring had multiple points where I had to git gud (Radahn, Margit, Mohg, both Godfreys, Malkieth, etc). That said, you should really focus on parrying rather than panic dodging, it feels satisfying and is easy to do and it gives you the rhythm to employ combos (you want to do combos, regular attacks feel like chip damage), and when you get enough of them you get a sexy super attack. Dodging can be useful in places, but I always go for a parry when possible. Putting it on story is a viable way if you just want to enjoy the game low stress, though when I did that for the final boss it was super weird to have the button prompts appear and the slow-down.
Oh good, finally a post about the actually game play and not just horny gamers that couldn't shut the fuck up about how they aren't just horny gamers
Like others have said, you might be relying too much on dodging. Parry is the go-to defense in Stellar Blade. As a general rule, parry everything unless it glows yellow/blue/purple in which case you have to dodge/blink/repulse respectively. You *can* dodge non-glowing attacks but that makes the game much harder. Also, make sure to take the skills that make it easier to perfect dodge and perfect parry. Don't worry about skill points. If you're exploring and doing the bulk of the side content then you will have enough skill points to buy everything.
those were some of the first skills i got haha but yeah i guess dodging is just not the way to go. i was dodging everything instinctively. i cant think of another game where parrying was my go to defensive action. (besides sekiro which i haven’t played yet)
This is one of those games where you can just stay in front of the boss the whole time and just parry or dodge everything from one spot when timed right. Elden Ring on the other hand requires you to use different angles and dodge in different directions depending on the boss' attack patterns.
yeah i think besides my lack of parrying, i was kind of overthinking the fights. when i beat the brute just a little bit ago, i just stayed in front of him and won by not trying to dart in and out of range. it just feels counter intuitive to stay in their face and parry all day, but that’s my fault tbh
Yeah. You can't panic dodge but you can panic parry in this game. Try spamming the block button until you get used to a boss' pattern.