pfp by @mostlikelydead |She/Her| 21 | Invader in From Software games | Inspiring People by Being Unashamedly Unhinged | The CEO of Monster Fucking | Kickasso | I hate generative AI with no exceptions
You. Me. Elden Ring colosseum. I've had 9 hours of sleep. We're doing 10 duels. You can use any tricks to win that are within Elden Ring's community guidelines.
how many are you winning
not a single one
1-3
4-7
8-10
no idea/see results
Remaining time: 6 days 17 hours
If you answer anything above zero you have to tell me which weapons and tricks you're gonna use
oh hey! i have an invasion question if u dont mind answering!
this ended up INSANELY long im so sorry djdjdjfjdhdhd
context for question
as someone whos kind of mediocre at fromsoft games, i usually rely on my partner (whos much better) to help me get through the games. we do a lot of co op together and explore areas, and generally focus exclusively on PvE, but because of that we get a LOT of invaders whenever we play together, especially because i tend to overlevel to help compensate for my lower skill
and my question is, whats the fun in invading for you? asking genuinely because theres a real dedicated community, who seems to genuinely desire to invade while avoiding the more toxic playstyle tendencies a LOT of invaders tend to fall into
from my perspective, PvP has its own draw, but duels exist separately from invasions, and my thought is that the community interested in PvP would focus on that opt-in system dedicated to it, where people are constantly honing themselves against each other and you can assume that everyone there is ready and willing to participate in PvP
whereas invasion in my experience sends PvP focused players against PvE focused ones and there ends up being a huge skill gap. In my experience, someone invades and as soon as we see each other, the fight is over in a few moments just because we arent prepared for PvP like that. it doesnt seem fun to fight players so below your skill level that you just crush them, and while in ds3 there were several invasion-focused grinding methods, elden ring gives you next to nothing for it
as someone who hasnt stepped that far into PvP beyond double checking common etiquette, whos main experience is being corpse piled to death without even being able to swing back, im really interested and curious to hear what part of the invading experience im missing from my limited perspective that rly draws you and other people to it
sjdushshdhd thank u for even reading this massive fuckin ask and even if u dont wanna respond, i hope you have a fantastic week and that you have a lot of fun in pvp!!!
Thank you for this ask, I love getting those, especially if they're invasions-related. Your ask is pretty long so it's only fair if my response is also as thorough as possible :)
"What's the fun in invading for you?"
Short answer: invasions make me horny.
Long answer:
I love Elden Ring, and I love From Software games. I enjoy just being present in those worlds they create, but there isn't really much you can do when you have already maxed out your 10 character slots and created a second account with 5 more characters on that. That's where I the invasions come in: it's a fresh, new experience that is unique every time you use that bloody finger. Invasions are chaotic and intense, and thanks to Fromsoft's uniquely satisfying combat, they're basically a dopamine factory. They require a skillset that consists of character building and optimization, preparation, problem-solving, muscle memory, quick reaction time, game sense, thinking outside of the box, sometimes even influencing your opponents psychologically. You don't get that in any other videogame.
And those aren't just options for having fun in an invasion, those are requirements! Because invasions vary in difficulty from "pretty easy" to, and i mean this literally, "impossible". Sometimes this game puts you in a situation where you can't win an invasion. And so you push yourself to your limits just to see how far away I can move that ceiling of winnable invasions. It's the thrill of knowing that the only way I'm getting out alive is surpassing my limits. It keeps me going, keeps me coming back for more.
That's basically the essence of it. Here's a quick list of the little things to like about invasions:
Invasions are anecdote generators, they're basically little stories that you can share with your friends. I do just that on this blog sometimes :)
The PvP community is amazing. It's very chill, mature and enthusiastic. It's full of friendly old-timers and really interesting people who are always helpful to the newcomers. Despite being pretty intimidating in-game, invaders tend to be significantly less toxic in real life. Also, invasion content on YouTube is one of my favourites. It's just satisfying to watch good players dispatch a group of people and make good plays.
Invasions are amazing spaces for role-playing! I care a lot about the characters I'm creating, and so taking a certain role during an invasion is super immersive and fun. Be it committing to a certain build or a playstyle, or even cosplays. All of my characters have lore, and although I lean more on the comedy side of things (see Marie who's just a wizard slut) it makes invasions themselves much more fun.
Invasions feel great to win and don't feel all that bad to lose because the odds are stacked against you anyway. Although that doesn't save me from occasional Gamer™ moments.
Invasions are just... Hot. I don't know how to describe it, but when things go your way in an invasion, it's kinda thrilling for me in a way that is kinda.. Idk weirdly horny??? Idk.
Now I would like to address the context of your entire ask, because I can clearly see where you're coming from. Fighting someone with a huge skill gap is not fun to you. But the skill gap is supposed to be there by design. In an invasion there are two sides: the host and their phantoms and the red(s). In a hypothetical scenario with perfect play from both sides, the invader always loses. This is due to numerous advantages the host's team has over the invader. The host has more healing (the invader's flasks are always halved), can use the Great Runes, re-summon phantoms, call Hunters for help, and has more ways to win the encounter (aside from killing the invader, the host can also run to the fogwall or defeat a boss in the open world) not to mention the ability to summon overlevelled phantoms, that are not scaled down properly, which makes them immensely overpowered. The invader has to make up for all of that with their skill and preparation, the fight there is fundamentally asymmetrical. And hey, even with those conditions, some invaders still go around doing silly shit and trying dumb builds!
All I'm saying is, invasions are a lot of things to me, and I'm pretty proud to call them a hobby of mine, and I hope more people join me in this unique multiplayer experience.
You. Me. Elden Ring colosseum. I've had 9 hours of sleep. We're doing 10 duels. You can use any tricks to win that are within Elden Ring's community guidelines.
how many are you winning
not a single one
1-3
4-7
8-10
no idea/see results
Remaining time: 6 days 17 hours
If you answer anything above zero you have to tell me which weapons and tricks you're gonna use
Ranni: I have an idea
Blaidd: Oh no
Iji: Oh no
Rykard: Oh no
Radahn: Oh no
Miquella: Oh no
Malenia: Oh no
Finlay: Oh no
Godwyn: Oh no
Meli: Oh no
Tiche: Oh no
My friend and I have a headcanon that Nightingale has a pet bird and she overfeed her pet. The bird is so fat, Chief almost thought that it was a stress ball to squeeze when she first met the bird
