Elden Ring players are already tearing through the game without leveling up
Next-level reflexes or maximizing every resource at hand are a must.
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FromSoftware’s Souls games have a reputation for difficulty, but they are also fair and mechanically consistent (except forwhen it’s funny.) Which is why these games that usually see players finishing a playthrough at level 90–120canbe beaten without seeing the level-up screen once, and the “soul level one” run and its equivalents are a vaunted tradition in the Souls speed and challenge run community.
Two Soulsborne challenge runners,OngbalandLobosJr, have progressed deep into Elden Ring at rune level one, defeating some of its toughest bosses likeMaleniaor theGodskin Duowith minimal health, endurance, and damage.
Ongbal uploads exclusively to YouTube and came into their own with some truly off-the-wallSekiro challenges. Their build centers on the Wretch (the only class that starts at level one) and their default club, altered with the “cold” infusion for bonus frostbite damage.
Lobos has been a staple in the Souls challenge run community for years—I was introduced to him through hisDark Souls 2 all-bosses speedruns, but hisno-weapon, no-HUD run of Bloodborneis a standout achievement for me. Lobos has experimented with numerous weapons in his level one run, but the Misericorde thrusting sword served him well against the mega-hard hidden boss, Malenia, and he seems to also be getting good mileage out of the extremely nastyRinged Fingerclub. Both Lobos and Ongbal make extensive use of the Buckler shield’s generous parry window to set up critical strikes for most of their damage-dealing, as opposed to the typical Souls series dodge-and-attack rhythm.
Elden Ring guide:Conquer the Lands BetweenElden Ring bosses:How to beat themElden Ring map fragments:Reveal the worldElden Ring weapons:Arm yourselfElden Ring armor:The best setsElden Ring Smithing Stone:Upgrade your gearElden Ring Ashes of War:Where to find themElden Ring classes:Which to choose
In a different take on the level one run, long-time Souls and For Honor YouTuberIron Pineapplehas released a sort of"everyman’s guide" to the level one run, relying as much as possible on whatever strategies, advantages, and cheese available, no matter how ridiculous, to roll credits on Elden Ring.
Unfortunately, Iron Pineapple’s run relied on many of the same speedrunning strategies that werewiped out by the 1.03 patch. While other average joes won’t be able to replicate Iron Pineapple’s strategies exactly, he at least was able to make it to the end before the nerfs came through.
My favorite of the now-extinct exploits Iron Pineapple used was a technique involving the Erdtree Greatshield’s Golden Retaliation weapon skill. Iron Pineapple used an incantation with a self-damage effect to proc the Erdtree Greatshield’s magic reflecting ability at will, turning the shield into a veritable semi-auto magic cannon.
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It’s only been a month, and players are already pushing Elden Ring’s combat system to its very limits and discovering themost ludicrous secretsburied in the Lands Between. This is likely only the tip of the iceberg for Elden Ring hijinks.
Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister’s copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he’s not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.
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