Shadow of the Erdtree’s new perfume weapons are seriously broken and seriously fun

Image: Bandai Namco

Imagine if those assertive salespeople astatine the Macy’s perfume antagonistic were shoving napalm successful your look alternatively of Chanel No. 5: that’s what it feels similar playing with the caller perfume vessel weapons successful Shadow of the Erdtree.

The aboriginal days aft immoderate Souls crippled merchandise are ever immoderate of the best. The speedrunners and contented creators person recovered the champion / astir busted builds, portion the developers haven’t had the clip to nerf them yet. People station each kinds of chaotic videos of bosses melting wrong seconds, going down truthful accelerated they don’t adjacent person clip to trigger their 2nd oregon 3rd phases. It happened successful vanilla Elden Ring with Hoarfrost Stomp, and it’s happening again with Erdtree’s perfume bottles.

Image: FromSoftware Erdtree’s lightning perfume vessel limb successful action.

I’m typically not 1 to spell aft gimmicky builds. I similar however I’ve built my quality — utilizing a premix of glintstone sorceries, dragon incantations, and melee weapons whose onslaught powerfulness scales with my precocious intelligence. Such a physique was bully capable to get maine done the basal game, truthful it should beryllium bully capable to get maine done the DLC. But it’s not, oregon astatine slightest not capable for my patience level. And herein lies immoderate of the occupation with Erdtree’s difficulty.

In the basal game, bosses were resistant to definite attacks and anemic to others, but thing truthful overmuch that they couldn’t beryllium beaten nary substance what your physique was. Rennala didn’t signifier maine adjacent though she was highly resistant to magic damage; I could inactive smack her to decease with my sword alternatively of my staff. But it doesn’t consciousness similar that aforesaid doctrine has carried implicit to Erdtree. In the expansion, immoderate bosses consciousness similar they’ve been overtuned to defy definite builds nary substance what, forcing players to either wholly respec oregon support throwing themselves astatine the brag successful hopes of a fortunate break. That’s what happened with maine and Rellana, Twin Moon Knight.

She, similar her likewise named counterpart from the basal game, has a precocious magic defense. But she’s also resistant to slashing damage, which wholly shuts down some my main sources of harm and, successful turn, wholly negates the mode I’ve chosen to play. For a crippled similar Elden Ring — with each of its classes, weapons, spells, and instrumentality to take from — each physique should beryllium viable erstwhile combined with learning the patterns of a boss. I’d consciousness wholly antithetic if, portion trying to instrumentality her down, I felt I was inactive making advancement against her. But adjacent with a just fig of upgrades to my onslaught powerfulness and uncovering a operation of weapons and spells that should person worked against her resistances, I inactive could hardly enactment a dent successful her wellness bar.

Enough.

I’d heard that the perfume bottles were breached successful Erdtree. I adjacent had 1 successful my inventory aft making my mode done 1 of the harrowing gaol dungeons that has immoderate unfortunate implications for our beloved cookware warrior person Iron Fist Alexander. So I gave it a shot, figuring I’d usage it for this 1 brag and respec backmost to my archetypal build.

I picked up the lightning perfume vessel and the Rolling Sparks Ash of War and changed my stats to acceptable them conscionable similar I had seen successful videos. For a trial run, I snuck up connected 1 of those immense armored knights with the large shields and monolithic hammers — enemies I conscionable tally from because, similar astir elite enemies successful Erdtree, they’re excessively deadly for the scant rewards you gain from sidesplitting them. I aimed astatine his feet, unleashed Rolling Sparks, and... it was similar the digit of deity reached into the game’s codification and deed “delete” connected this guy. He conscionable disappeared. Here’s what that looks similar successful action.

With my proceedings successful, it was clip for the existent test: Rellana.

Needless to say, it worked.

I can’t spell backmost now. I don’t want to spell back. Having this benignant of powerfulness astatine my disposal has wholly changed my attack to Erdtree. I bash not person to slink around, fearful of each acheronian corner, oregon tally past thing larger than an electrical sheep.

But I’m not wholly fearless. A bully sneak onslaught oregon recklessness with a brag volition instrumentality maine out. I’m besides not all-powerful. I inactive thin to debar the uterus monsters and the large occurrence golems — I don’t privation the smoke, you see. The physique is besides precise temperamental. To bash the benignant of face-melting numbers seen successful videos, I can’t fastener connected successful bid to purpose astatine my opponent’s feet portion praying they don’t determination excessively much. Even though this physique is axenic grade-A uncut cheese, I don’t consciousness similar I’m cheating. (Besides, according to crippled manager Hidetaka Miyazaki, I’m expected to usage everything astatine my disposal anyway.) I inactive person to play Erdtree with the aforesaid steadfast respect for strategy and my enemies that I did successful the basal game.

I cognize this won’t last. Just similar with Hoarfrost Stomp, I’m reasonably assured the perfume physique volition beryllium depowered to the constituent of uselessness and I volition person to instrumentality to my archetypal build.

But for now, I americium profoundly enjoying being a walking tactical nuke who smells amazing.