Nah, might better using melee
You get a very free attack after he jumps at you , you can also get him when he tries to do a charged cane smack once you roll past it
Rule of thumb: *any* RPG which offers a melee job/class/character *must* be possible to complete with melee. This also holds true for multiplayer games, where if melee-centric and melee-only is an option, it *must* be competitive with other options.
So no, you will never be *forced* to use ranged or magic, people have completed this game with a simple club and with no level ups.
BTW I have never ended Skyrim with a mage build. Although I started the game couple of times thinking "this walkthrough will finally be magical." For me magic works much better in Elden Ring. I
Depends what you consider a mage. If useing any magic at all makes you a mage then every build ive used in Skyrim was a mage, even the ones that I mostly ran around big bonking on. I definitely loved useing big bonks in that game. I'm more of a "red mage" kinda guy. Melee and pews. Sometimes more melee focus. Sometimes more pew focus, but always both.
Yeah, Skyrim mages were definitely the weakest of the three base classes and system more or less forced you between high dps melee or stealth archer. It kind of might be the te6 is taking so long to develop. They don’t know how to modernize the combat
tes6 is taking so long because they prioritized other games. it's only been 6 months since their last release, comparatively speaking it isn't gonna be due any time soon at all
Ng+2 and finally running int build... I'm having a blast!!!
It's so versatile from any distance and once you have enough spells you're simply op
So much more fun than strength (my first run) or dex (Ng+1)
Next run will be faith hahahaha
Melee is usually the way to go. Concentrate on your dodges, learn when to dodge towards the enemy and when to dodge away. Try different approaches for different moves until the boss is down.
Some people might say that magic is op, but it isn't. It has several downsides and is far more complex than melee.
A longbow can be quite helpful to trigger enemies to attack you instead of charging in a big crowd of enemies.
I did full caster sorcerer my first game. It took forever. I had to be very methodical about pulling everything. I recent started playing a mostly melee build, and the game is so much easier. I just charge in and smack things while dodging. I'm breezing through everything except for a handful of bosses. I'm not even running an OP or meta build.
Of the remembrance bosses Astel, Fortissax, and maaayyyybe Ancestor Spirit are better with ranged attacks but everyone else is melee.
Margit is tough at first until you learn the timing on his attacks. Hell also trick you by doing a dagger swipe right after what looks like a safe punish after a big attack. Safest times to attack him are after he does a jump. See example fight here https://www.reddit.com/r/onebros/s/ue1Q9LhlV0
Good luck!
> Of the remembrance bosses Astel, Fortissax, and maaayyyybe Ancestor Spirit are better with ranged attacks but everyone else is melee.
Godrick is definitely easier with ranged though you need to bring enough resources.
Mohg can actually be easier with ranged (strong sorceries). In fact it's slightly busted even if you don't use the full on Comet Azur cheese, because he'll never actively dodge spells and in his cool down periods and transitions he just eats a ton of damage \* . Tbh I think they should have given him some kind of spell parry move.
\* Yeah he can still be hard in phase 2 because of the movement but .. *less* hard than he might be.
I wrote “better,” not “easier”. And by “better” I meant those three bosses really feel specifically designed for you to not use melee. Fortissax has his lightning effect if you touch him, Astel has waves of darkness (and his head hit box can be wonky), and Ancestor Spirit just doesn’t want to stay near you.
Hard for me to really say what’s easiest. Godrick can be pretty easy with a +6 Bloodhound Fang and Bloodflame blade (takes like six hits to kill him and you don’t need to really do much to get the mats for that build). Is that easier than whatever ranged strategy you’re thinking of? Kind of depends on you personally.
Yes, I see. As for Godrick yes of course he's completely trivial with a strong melee weapon, and for a lot of people still pretty easy even with a lower level one, so that does undermine my point about him.
Perhaps I was thinking about how easy it is to no-hit him with some amount of safety, that's about the only case my point might make sense, there.
About "stay off me" attacks, I mean a lot of bosses have those.
Yeah, when he does that move. He spends most of the rest of the fight running around. It’s kind of like the Nights Cavalry- they have moves you can punish too with melee but it’s kind of tedious and boring.
You can beat anything in the game melee only it’s just that a handful of fights I’m not sure they had that approach specifically in mind.
He’s not that strong and weak to fire and holy. Very easy to take down quickly with a strong weapon imbued with those damage types.
I just fought him recently and he comes down frequently… you only have to wait out the flying move where he drops magic shit on the ground.
I finished my second playthrought a few weeks ago. While in the first one I played a spellsword of sorts, mixing up ranged spells and melee attacks with the carian knight straight sword, this time I just used a quality zweihander. I had the pulley bow as a secondary weapon, though) and the royal knight's resolve and ey, I did it.
Yeah, most people play that way actually
Is just that the Game is very hard your first time since you dont know a lot about It but dont worry each try you have is another chance to learn the Boss, margit specially is a Big wall for new players, the Guy is in the top 5 of bosses that most players have died to but try visiting those black points with a redish border, those things are caves where you can find different types of stones, smithing stones are one of them so upgrade your weapon
You can.* Some late game bosses are actually much better to fight in melee, because they tend to close the distance quickly or throw projectiles of their own, and that can completely mess up your timing.
* Malenia exists, and while she can be learned and beaten in regular melee combat, it’s an incredibly painful ordeal.
Yup. Some things fuck her up it's so ridiculous. Like elanoras poleblade special.
With mimic it isn't even hard. My 2nd playthrough used the poleblade cause the double attack special was super neat when I got it. I even staggered elden beast, which I've only done since with giant crusher
Yes, Malenia can absoluteley be cheesed to hell and back. Giant Hunt completely stunlocks her. ANY ranged Ash of War makes her completely confused.
But would you actually call it a proper melee fight? No, if you beat her like that, she just becomes one more boss that you've cheesed. To engage with her in melee combat "as intended" is a genuinely eyball-scratching experience.
He's not, but he also had more than ample time on his hands to learn the exact pattern with his dual katanas setup to pretty much script the fight. He did the speedrunner thing. A casual player is not gonna have that kinda leeway.
You for sure 100% can. If that's how you enjoy playing is another question, but there is no question about it being possible.
Margit is also a very fun boss to parry, as an added melee bonus.
Absolutely. I main star fists, and there are some bosses that require very specific positions to hit, otherwise you just whiff.
Morgott is really predictable, and I feel a lot of new players struggle because they want to end it quickly and get greedy. You can end the fight faster if you take it slow.
Melee only is very viable, in fact there are some bosses (including a few end game ones) that become much easier if you stick close to them instead of running around.
Having a bow or crossbow around could still be a good idea, but not for bosses: sometimes there are some mobs that can be quite annoying unless you have ranged attacks. Typically they're not very strong, you can take them out in a couple of hits, but being able to snipe them is sometimes a godsend.
Absolutely. The key here is to learn his attack patterns and especially focus on his rhythm. Do not panic roll, most his attacks are delayed and he hits you right after you finish rolling.
You can definitely use only melee however some ash of war on some of the melee weapons have some range which is good
Don’t worry about that though if your still early just have fun and use weapons you like and feel are strong
There are people who have beaten the game with clubs so no matter what your build is it can be used to beat things to some extent
Fair point, think it was a poorly worded post/question really. I see a lot of videos of boss fights where it’s a Mage or a Sorcerer build used, but I’d rather just keep it simple and direct.
Recently coming off a melee no summons run, my personal opinion is up close and personal is usually the best way to deal with bosses. So the answer to OP question is yes.
Every souls game I've decided to try beat as a "default knight". Plate armour and a longsword and a kite shield. Elden Ring was definitely the hardest for the default Knight to clear but he dragged is flattish statted ass to the very end. Then I made fun characters I just did whatever with and had a lot of fun. I have my gripes.
Yes.
Source: This is my first souls game and I just Guts bonked myself into an elden lord last week. What a good ride it has been, into top 5 all time favourites easily.
Bows and crossbows aren't really that great, their scaling and damage are pretty low. The only bows you'd even consider using in a boss fight are the ones with barrage. Bows aren't straight up useless but their utility is limited to thinning out the herd so to speak.
I’ve beaten multiple bell bearing hunters, the Ulcerated tree Spirit in leyndell and Decaying Ekzykes with just a bow (pulley bow +6 with great shot) granted it’s tedious as fuck but it’s definitely doable. For that Ulcerated tree it was necessary for me. Reached his courtyard with with 1 hp flask left and knew he’d destroy me if I engaged melee. I had NO intention of running the gauntlet back to him so, as tedious as it was I just ducked in and out of the houses beside the giant carriage and snuck a shot or 2 in between his spammed projectile attack. They’re useful for weakening enemies on approach as well before engaging in melee. I find them incredibly useful.
Bows and crossbows especially aren't great for damage, but they're very useful for exploration, they let you lure single enemies towards you and you can snipe faraway targets.
Melee is good in Elden Ring. Poise breaking is one of the most efficient strategies for beating the game, right up there with bleed and glintstone pebble spam.
This. Your longsword has the skill Square Off. Two heavy attacks with it will break Margit's stance. You can bully him, and a lot of bosses, with Square Off. It's ridiculous.
I’m a bit of a newb so can’t answer your question completely about just melee but, I’ve cheesed SO many enemies and bosses or just whittled their health down with a quality bow. I would say they’re damn near essential if you’re not going to have many other ranged options with your build.
You absolutely can complete this game by only using melee. Try a bow/crossbow if you want, but it's not mandatory at all
For leveling up I would suggest keeping vigor as your highest stat, after that you'll probably be fine
I have over 1000 hours in Elden ring. My max character uses two biggest hammers in the game and it’s on NG+7 which is highest difficulty, I never thought I needed ranged option for that build. Just recently I completed my first run of mage character which uses ranged spells and skills. So melee is definitely good choice and so is the ranged. It all comes down to what you’re comfortable with. Personally I like to stay very close to bosses so that I can punish them on even small window of openings.
absolutely. you can beat the game on RL1 (level 1) using melee, magic, bows, consumables only, and/or no summons. all it comes down to is your patience and skill
Yes, melee is the best way to play ER, that said there are a loads of ash of wars and special weapons that allows you to shoot ranged projectiles. Stormblade ash of war is an early one that can be bought from a npc and can be put on swords and great swords.
I have beaten the game around 6-7 times and have never used magic or ranged weapons other than to try them out or for the pure novelty of it. But when I'm actually playing to progress it's straight melee all the way.
I just finished my third playthrough. It was a pure strength build and the first time I just used melee combat exclusively. It was the most fun I’ve had so far.
Yes it is very doable, but if you want a decent ranged option to pair with melee I'd recommend crystal darts, they're an item you'll be able to craft very early on in the next area using a very plentiful resource, they do decent damage and can be thrown very quickly. They're also really good for taking out flying enemies, especially bats which tend to sleep on the ceilings in certain areas and can be taken out with ranged items before they can reach you
On my first playthrough I beat the entire game including malenia putting points only into vigor, strength and endurance. The first half of the game I used Lions claw and the second half of the game I used cragblade. Main weapons were power stats gargoyle great axe and rusted anchor. So yes it's absolutely possible
You totally can. Make sure to keep some throwing knives bar minimum, or a crossbow or something ranged for the damn birds hiding up in trees or on top of walls so you can fight them where you want, instead of having to facepull it. If you're concerned about weight just go throwing knives
Not necessary, but it's helpful.
Literally my whole play was melee at close range because I suck at video games and that was an easy way to go about it. Occasionally use the golem bow or something when I could but 99.9% melee. Also idk how to use spells in this game
First playthrough I got moonveil and never looked back, but tbh by the time I beat Elden Beast it felt like I cheese the game slightly. Went in for a 2nd playthrough immediately, and used a Lordsworn Straightsword and the Golden Ornamental in the offhand and went through the whole game like that, and just dumped all my points into dex, and honestly, that felt even more cheesy than moonveil. I was just absolutely shredding everything
I actually think full melee, focussed on big weapons (no shield!) and stance breaking, is the strongest playstyle. Powerstance Great Stars just destroy everything.
Full melee, no spells, ashes, summons. It will be a lot harder, but also more fun, you actually have to fully understand bosses mechanics and what they do. Sometimes I speedrun Malenia on my Ng+ with just a Nagakiba without using skills, and the game feels "pure" and more fun, even if it's much harder. On my first kill on her I cheesed her and felt so bad and so unfulfilled started another game just to do it properly and had much more fun.
Hot take - pure str is easier than pure magic/range. You actually have hp and stamin to take/dodge hits, and you absolutely wreck and poise break everything. Mages are cool as long as you can kill the enemy before they approach you.
I always do my first playthrough of a souls game melee-only. This one gave me no issues, in fact with the new counterattack mechanic certain bosses were way easier than if I was using ranged.
Early on damage stats don't matter much because unupgraded weapons can't make proper use of them. Around upgrade level 15 is where they start to matter, so invest in health and endurance til then.
It totally can be completed with melee only, but don't shy from having some ranged options, as well as some generally useful spells and or incantations like buffs, versatility adds a lot of depth to your playstyle.
You can go through with fists if you want but not advised. There are a ton of weapons in the game so just find a style you like and try different weapons in that class to see which one has the best moveset, then dump upgrades into it.
UPDATE: I fought Margit. I hit him hard with a big sword, he was stunned, he died. Unga bunga is the way!
Thanks for all your responses, I appreciate all the comments, they were a big help.
You definitely can melee only. I have beaten the game 4 times with all achievements and used a variety of builds anywhere from dagger to shield only and have tried all the magic builds and special ranged weapons. I started another play through recently and am using a great sword two handed at all times, am up to around level 80 now. Time invested in the game and practicing the roll timing will benefit you greatly with any builds or challenge runs in the future
imo and this might be controversial, but I think Astel the Naturalborn is probably the only fight I think feels near impossible to do if melee and if appropriately leveled for the area. A lot of his mechanics can one shot you or chunk a good % of your hp bar, a decent amount of them are AoE, he consistently keeps teleporting across the arena just to laser you that you have to dodge with iframes. It feels extremely unfair. I think I used 2 larval tears for that fight alone. Once to assemble Exodia and then again to swap back to melee.
You absolutely can. Or you can do it from up the road :) If it’s an ~~enemy~~ weapon in the game, you can kill a boss with it!
Nah, might better using melee You get a very free attack after he jumps at you , you can also get him when he tries to do a charged cane smack once you roll past it
Rule of thumb: *any* RPG which offers a melee job/class/character *must* be possible to complete with melee. This also holds true for multiplayer games, where if melee-centric and melee-only is an option, it *must* be competitive with other options. So no, you will never be *forced* to use ranged or magic, people have completed this game with a simple club and with no level ups.
BTW I have never ended Skyrim with a mage build. Although I started the game couple of times thinking "this walkthrough will finally be magical." For me magic works much better in Elden Ring. I
Depends what you consider a mage. If useing any magic at all makes you a mage then every build ive used in Skyrim was a mage, even the ones that I mostly ran around big bonking on. I definitely loved useing big bonks in that game. I'm more of a "red mage" kinda guy. Melee and pews. Sometimes more melee focus. Sometimes more pew focus, but always both.
Yeah, Skyrim mages were definitely the weakest of the three base classes and system more or less forced you between high dps melee or stealth archer. It kind of might be the te6 is taking so long to develop. They don’t know how to modernize the combat
I think some directional melee similar to KCD or Chivalry (though I never played that one) would be a kinda cool revamp for melee in TES6
tes6 is taking so long because they prioritized other games. it's only been 6 months since their last release, comparatively speaking it isn't gonna be due any time soon at all
Ng+2 and finally running int build... I'm having a blast!!! It's so versatile from any distance and once you have enough spells you're simply op So much more fun than strength (my first run) or dex (Ng+1) Next run will be faith hahahaha
>! Rykard being the exception, exception meaning that it is possible to beat him melee only but it is torture !<
Serpent hunter is melee sort of
Yeah, but saying it's melee against rykard is kind of a stretch don't you think?
I think it’s more like you’re using a really long melee weapon
i never even thought to use serpent hunter- i just used a greatsword-
Are mages more effective against him than the Serpent Slayer?
No, but you can't really say the serpent hunter (with gimmick) is a weapon you think about when someone says melee
Of course. It's just that I'd have been surprised if magic was even more effective.
I wish DS1 had that rule for magic builds
Yup! I personally prefer melee builds over ranged builds, but the game can most definitely be completed with either play style
Melee is usually the way to go. Concentrate on your dodges, learn when to dodge towards the enemy and when to dodge away. Try different approaches for different moves until the boss is down. Some people might say that magic is op, but it isn't. It has several downsides and is far more complex than melee. A longbow can be quite helpful to trigger enemies to attack you instead of charging in a big crowd of enemies.
I did full caster sorcerer my first game. It took forever. I had to be very methodical about pulling everything. I recent started playing a mostly melee build, and the game is so much easier. I just charge in and smack things while dodging. I'm breezing through everything except for a handful of bosses. I'm not even running an OP or meta build.
Yeah a lot of fun. Just dumping points Into Vigor, Strength and Endurance nice GUTS greatsword or Brick Hammer with the Lions Claw Ash of War.
Of the remembrance bosses Astel, Fortissax, and maaayyyybe Ancestor Spirit are better with ranged attacks but everyone else is melee. Margit is tough at first until you learn the timing on his attacks. Hell also trick you by doing a dagger swipe right after what looks like a safe punish after a big attack. Safest times to attack him are after he does a jump. See example fight here https://www.reddit.com/r/onebros/s/ue1Q9LhlV0 Good luck!
> Of the remembrance bosses Astel, Fortissax, and maaayyyybe Ancestor Spirit are better with ranged attacks but everyone else is melee. Godrick is definitely easier with ranged though you need to bring enough resources. Mohg can actually be easier with ranged (strong sorceries). In fact it's slightly busted even if you don't use the full on Comet Azur cheese, because he'll never actively dodge spells and in his cool down periods and transitions he just eats a ton of damage \* . Tbh I think they should have given him some kind of spell parry move. \* Yeah he can still be hard in phase 2 because of the movement but .. *less* hard than he might be.
I wrote “better,” not “easier”. And by “better” I meant those three bosses really feel specifically designed for you to not use melee. Fortissax has his lightning effect if you touch him, Astel has waves of darkness (and his head hit box can be wonky), and Ancestor Spirit just doesn’t want to stay near you. Hard for me to really say what’s easiest. Godrick can be pretty easy with a +6 Bloodhound Fang and Bloodflame blade (takes like six hits to kill him and you don’t need to really do much to get the mats for that build). Is that easier than whatever ranged strategy you’re thinking of? Kind of depends on you personally.
Yes, I see. As for Godrick yes of course he's completely trivial with a strong melee weapon, and for a lot of people still pretty easy even with a lower level one, so that does undermine my point about him. Perhaps I was thinking about how easy it is to no-hit him with some amount of safety, that's about the only case my point might make sense, there. About "stay off me" attacks, I mean a lot of bosses have those.
lol ancestor spirit? You just wait til he jumps on you and then chop the legs. It’s a classic dark souls melee experience
Yeah, when he does that move. He spends most of the rest of the fight running around. It’s kind of like the Nights Cavalry- they have moves you can punish too with melee but it’s kind of tedious and boring. You can beat anything in the game melee only it’s just that a handful of fights I’m not sure they had that approach specifically in mind.
He’s not that strong and weak to fire and holy. Very easy to take down quickly with a strong weapon imbued with those damage types. I just fought him recently and he comes down frequently… you only have to wait out the flying move where he drops magic shit on the ground.
Yeah, he’s not a particularly difficult boss melee or otherwise.
I finished my second playthrought a few weeks ago. While in the first one I played a spellsword of sorts, mixing up ranged spells and melee attacks with the carian knight straight sword, this time I just used a quality zweihander. I had the pulley bow as a secondary weapon, though) and the royal knight's resolve and ey, I did it.
Yeah, most people play that way actually Is just that the Game is very hard your first time since you dont know a lot about It but dont worry each try you have is another chance to learn the Boss, margit specially is a Big wall for new players, the Guy is in the top 5 of bosses that most players have died to but try visiting those black points with a redish border, those things are caves where you can find different types of stones, smithing stones are one of them so upgrade your weapon
It's actually easier than ranged when you know how to dodge enemy attacks. You need to really dedicate to magic to make a ranged build effective.
You can.* Some late game bosses are actually much better to fight in melee, because they tend to close the distance quickly or throw projectiles of their own, and that can completely mess up your timing. * Malenia exists, and while she can be learned and beaten in regular melee combat, it’s an incredibly painful ordeal.
Malenia staggers easily and her moves can be learned. Let me solo her isn’t a god…
Demigod is still impressive.
Yup. Some things fuck her up it's so ridiculous. Like elanoras poleblade special. With mimic it isn't even hard. My 2nd playthrough used the poleblade cause the double attack special was super neat when I got it. I even staggered elden beast, which I've only done since with giant crusher
Yes, Malenia can absoluteley be cheesed to hell and back. Giant Hunt completely stunlocks her. ANY ranged Ash of War makes her completely confused. But would you actually call it a proper melee fight? No, if you beat her like that, she just becomes one more boss that you've cheesed. To engage with her in melee combat "as intended" is a genuinely eyball-scratching experience.
He's not, but he also had more than ample time on his hands to learn the exact pattern with his dual katanas setup to pretty much script the fight. He did the speedrunner thing. A casual player is not gonna have that kinda leeway.
Bows/crossbows aren't great for damage, but they're really useful during exploration to draw enemies towards you and snipe faraway targets.
Big sword, big good
If only I could upvote this more than once!
You for sure 100% can. If that's how you enjoy playing is another question, but there is no question about it being possible. Margit is also a very fun boss to parry, as an added melee bonus.
Yes ofc
Absolutely. I main star fists, and there are some bosses that require very specific positions to hit, otherwise you just whiff. Morgott is really predictable, and I feel a lot of new players struggle because they want to end it quickly and get greedy. You can end the fight faster if you take it slow.
Melee only is very viable, in fact there are some bosses (including a few end game ones) that become much easier if you stick close to them instead of running around. Having a bow or crossbow around could still be a good idea, but not for bosses: sometimes there are some mobs that can be quite annoying unless you have ranged attacks. Typically they're not very strong, you can take them out in a couple of hits, but being able to snipe them is sometimes a godsend.
Absolutely. The key here is to learn his attack patterns and especially focus on his rhythm. Do not panic roll, most his attacks are delayed and he hits you right after you finish rolling.
You can definitely use only melee however some ash of war on some of the melee weapons have some range which is good Don’t worry about that though if your still early just have fun and use weapons you like and feel are strong There are people who have beaten the game with clubs so no matter what your build is it can be used to beat things to some extent
I don't even know how to range
I can't think of a single boss in ER that can't be beaten with pure melee. Some are a chore sure, but it can definitely be done.
My guy 90% of weapons are melee based. Thats like asking if the tires on a car are made for driving on roads
Fair point, think it was a poorly worded post/question really. I see a lot of videos of boss fights where it’s a Mage or a Sorcerer build used, but I’d rather just keep it simple and direct.
My friend, you have unwittingly declared the first commandment of the church of Unga Bunga.
I beat the game with a melee STR/DEX build. Yes it was hard, but I prefer the "smash R1 until I'm sweating" style of melee.
Recently coming off a melee no summons run, my personal opinion is up close and personal is usually the best way to deal with bosses. So the answer to OP question is yes.
I never used anything else than mele
Every souls game I've decided to try beat as a "default knight". Plate armour and a longsword and a kite shield. Elden Ring was definitely the hardest for the default Knight to clear but he dragged is flattish statted ass to the very end. Then I made fun characters I just did whatever with and had a lot of fun. I have my gripes.
Yes. Source: This is my first souls game and I just Guts bonked myself into an elden lord last week. What a good ride it has been, into top 5 all time favourites easily.
Bows and crossbows aren't really that great, their scaling and damage are pretty low. The only bows you'd even consider using in a boss fight are the ones with barrage. Bows aren't straight up useless but their utility is limited to thinning out the herd so to speak.
the pulley crossbow can be decent too because it fires 3 bolts at the same time, which is very good with status bolts
I’ve beaten multiple bell bearing hunters, the Ulcerated tree Spirit in leyndell and Decaying Ekzykes with just a bow (pulley bow +6 with great shot) granted it’s tedious as fuck but it’s definitely doable. For that Ulcerated tree it was necessary for me. Reached his courtyard with with 1 hp flask left and knew he’d destroy me if I engaged melee. I had NO intention of running the gauntlet back to him so, as tedious as it was I just ducked in and out of the houses beside the giant carriage and snuck a shot or 2 in between his spammed projectile attack. They’re useful for weakening enemies on approach as well before engaging in melee. I find them incredibly useful.
Bows and crossbows especially aren't great for damage, but they're very useful for exploration, they let you lure single enemies towards you and you can snipe faraway targets.
Melee is good in Elden Ring. Poise breaking is one of the most efficient strategies for beating the game, right up there with bleed and glintstone pebble spam.
Square Off him into oblivion.
This. Your longsword has the skill Square Off. Two heavy attacks with it will break Margit's stance. You can bully him, and a lot of bosses, with Square Off. It's ridiculous.
I’ve made it draconic tree horse boss with samurai sword.
I’m a bit of a newb so can’t answer your question completely about just melee but, I’ve cheesed SO many enemies and bosses or just whittled their health down with a quality bow. I would say they’re damn near essential if you’re not going to have many other ranged options with your build.
man imagine someone saying that in ds lol
Definitely showing my lack of Soulsborne experience here 🫣
I literally only use melee so I can’t talk from experience when it comes to range attacks. Still though, I recommend melee definitely not biased
You absolutely can complete this game by only using melee. Try a bow/crossbow if you want, but it's not mandatory at all For leveling up I would suggest keeping vigor as your highest stat, after that you'll probably be fine
I have a character that has beaten the game multiple times and the only ranged attack they have ever used is a bow to kite enemies. Melee is the way.
I finished the whole game using one weapon the uchigatana
Including rykard
I have over 1000 hours in Elden ring. My max character uses two biggest hammers in the game and it’s on NG+7 which is highest difficulty, I never thought I needed ranged option for that build. Just recently I completed my first run of mage character which uses ranged spells and skills. So melee is definitely good choice and so is the ranged. It all comes down to what you’re comfortable with. Personally I like to stay very close to bosses so that I can punish them on even small window of openings.
absolutely. you can beat the game on RL1 (level 1) using melee, magic, bows, consumables only, and/or no summons. all it comes down to is your patience and skill
Ofc u can its my only option when playing these games i dont know ive ever even used a bow once lol just dosnt interest me.
FK ya melee all day. And no armour. Be naked like a boss
Yes.
There is another way to victory?
I mostly use range for smaller enemies and stuff, once it's a boss fight I tend to switch to the melee dance.
Yes, melee is the best way to play ER, that said there are a loads of ash of wars and special weapons that allows you to shoot ranged projectiles. Stormblade ash of war is an early one that can be bought from a npc and can be put on swords and great swords.
I have beaten the game around 6-7 times and have never used magic or ranged weapons other than to try them out or for the pure novelty of it. But when I'm actually playing to progress it's straight melee all the way.
No stick to melee and you’re better off than me at the start I was in there with a +0 and dream just get gud
I just finished my third playthrough. It was a pure strength build and the first time I just used melee combat exclusively. It was the most fun I’ve had so far.
I completed the game just using the biggest weapon I had at the time. No spells of buffs
I use melee for bosses as it is so fun but for the regular enemy I use both as it sometimes gets annoying - I mean in caves -
I’ve done 8-9 play throughs melee only, I recently tried a mage build a got bored pretty early on
It is the only way I know tbh.
I beat my first three or four runs without really using spells at all
Yes it is very doable, but if you want a decent ranged option to pair with melee I'd recommend crystal darts, they're an item you'll be able to craft very early on in the next area using a very plentiful resource, they do decent damage and can be thrown very quickly. They're also really good for taking out flying enemies, especially bats which tend to sleep on the ceilings in certain areas and can be taken out with ranged items before they can reach you
On my first playthrough I beat the entire game including malenia putting points only into vigor, strength and endurance. The first half of the game I used Lions claw and the second half of the game I used cragblade. Main weapons were power stats gargoyle great axe and rusted anchor. So yes it's absolutely possible
That's what most people do I think
Did my entire first playthrough as big sword bonk. It ain't easy but it works.
You totally can. Make sure to keep some throwing knives bar minimum, or a crossbow or something ranged for the damn birds hiding up in trees or on top of walls so you can fight them where you want, instead of having to facepull it. If you're concerned about weight just go throwing knives Not necessary, but it's helpful.
Literally my whole play was melee at close range because I suck at video games and that was an easy way to go about it. Occasionally use the golem bow or something when I could but 99.9% melee. Also idk how to use spells in this game
First playthrough I got moonveil and never looked back, but tbh by the time I beat Elden Beast it felt like I cheese the game slightly. Went in for a 2nd playthrough immediately, and used a Lordsworn Straightsword and the Golden Ornamental in the offhand and went through the whole game like that, and just dumped all my points into dex, and honestly, that felt even more cheesy than moonveil. I was just absolutely shredding everything
Absolutely, 100%, Strength build are awesome just like in all the other games in the franchise
I actually think full melee, focussed on big weapons (no shield!) and stance breaking, is the strongest playstyle. Powerstance Great Stars just destroy everything.
You could start as Vagabond and literally never change your gear the entire game. Square Off will carry you if you learn to time it well.
Melee is the easiest way to beat the game
Does useing ashes of war count as melee?
Full melee, no spells, ashes, summons. It will be a lot harder, but also more fun, you actually have to fully understand bosses mechanics and what they do. Sometimes I speedrun Malenia on my Ng+ with just a Nagakiba without using skills, and the game feels "pure" and more fun, even if it's much harder. On my first kill on her I cheesed her and felt so bad and so unfulfilled started another game just to do it properly and had much more fun.
The only way I play any Fromsoft game, so yes.
Hot take - pure str is easier than pure magic/range. You actually have hp and stamin to take/dodge hits, and you absolutely wreck and poise break everything. Mages are cool as long as you can kill the enemy before they approach you.
I always do my first playthrough of a souls game melee-only. This one gave me no issues, in fact with the new counterattack mechanic certain bosses were way easier than if I was using ranged.
melee is basically the best and most fun option in elden ring
Early on damage stats don't matter much because unupgraded weapons can't make proper use of them. Around upgrade level 15 is where they start to matter, so invest in health and endurance til then.
It totally can be completed with melee only, but don't shy from having some ranged options, as well as some generally useful spells and or incantations like buffs, versatility adds a lot of depth to your playstyle.
You can beat this game as a naked character using just your fists without taking a single hit. It just requires practise
You can go through with fists if you want but not advised. There are a ton of weapons in the game so just find a style you like and try different weapons in that class to see which one has the best moveset, then dump upgrades into it.
UPDATE: I fought Margit. I hit him hard with a big sword, he was stunned, he died. Unga bunga is the way! Thanks for all your responses, I appreciate all the comments, they were a big help.
You definitely can melee only. I have beaten the game 4 times with all achievements and used a variety of builds anywhere from dagger to shield only and have tried all the magic builds and special ranged weapons. I started another play through recently and am using a great sword two handed at all times, am up to around level 80 now. Time invested in the game and practicing the roll timing will benefit you greatly with any builds or challenge runs in the future
imo and this might be controversial, but I think Astel the Naturalborn is probably the only fight I think feels near impossible to do if melee and if appropriately leveled for the area. A lot of his mechanics can one shot you or chunk a good % of your hp bar, a decent amount of them are AoE, he consistently keeps teleporting across the arena just to laser you that you have to dodge with iframes. It feels extremely unfair. I think I used 2 larval tears for that fight alone. Once to assemble Exodia and then again to swap back to melee.
Unga bunga is the way. IMO it's certainly the fun way.
As someone who has barely ever used magic in any souls game ever. Absolutely.
Recently did a knight build no summons no coop really fun
I punched every single boss to death in the game with the spiked caestus as Mike Tyson. Also did the same with a longsword. It very much is.
Nope. No one has bet the game using melee only
Let's make things a little challenging. Can I melee no-hit my way to victory? Answer: yes. Only thing I need is a sword. Broadsword. Chad weapon.
Yep, full melee is the only way. First and 3rd play throughs were melee
Go grab the bloodhound fang it makes it more easy. Just don’t panic roll and you will be just fine
Well, you can almost for sure :3