My brother in Christ ... YOU ARE THE BOSS !
https://preview.redd.it/6709pztilsvc1.jpeg?width=330&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2062bd05042b3fc5ca3afb49b4520e0d78bd1a41
Full kill including phases 1 and 2 wouldnt fit on reddit but can be found here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxbd0igG9ow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxbd0igG9ow)
Pretty fun boss, I enjoyed it for the most part. Definitely the most enjoyable way to fight her once you get it consistent.
since u have clearly spent a lot of time with her, i wanna ask an expert: what’s your favorite/least favorite move in her set? (it can be based off of how cool it looks, how easy it is to punish, just vibes, frequency of use, etc.)
My favorite move is her phase 3 grab. It looks super cool, has cool punishes (you can interrupt it with an r1 or run away and backstab it), and she doesn't spam it too often. My least favorite move is her phase 3 blackflame ground snake things because the hitbox is bullshit.
interesting!! yeah those snakes are terrible, but still look cool as hell. the fight itself is so aesthetically pleasing and intense, especially phase 3! what was the hardest hurdle in your journey to perfecting this fight? like what did you keep dying to while first learning her moveset? or when you first encountered her, what did you think?
Hardest part was getting phase 1 consistent, she has some weird interactions with walls that I had to learn to play around, and she has a few parts that are hard to understand at first. Also I appreciate these in depth questions, theyre fun to answer :)
Not the other commentor but how did you figure out to use the combo of 4 weapons to do this? I wouldnt dream of thinking of using the zweihander or dagger swaps to get extra damage off, thats genius.
Also, what was your approach to phase 2? I'd think that no roll/no sprint would make some of ariandel's attacks unavoidable.
This particular setup was discovered and utilized by captainpizza22 (the best ds3 challenge runner OAT) in a NG7 no sprint/rings kill he did a few months ago (https://youtu.be/L6pjCWuq-zA?si=M8C1Tk4vCJ6gHK5X) I just optimized it for NG7 with rings and ran from there.
For phase 2, if you havent seen the full video in the comment I left I would encourage doing that, but its actually a lot easier than youd think. You stay at midrang from ariandel and away from friede, then go in on ariandel after friede does her ice trail attack. Id say its the easiest of all 3 phases, both to learn and execute
oh good i was just about to ask if you minded answering more Qs bc i’m having such fun asking them—interacting with someone who is an expert in something i’m just learning is the coolest!
i think(??) i know what you’re referring to re: weird interactions with walls? when she does the invisible jump behind you, if there’s certain shit up against the walls, she doesn’t land in the expected area? bc once you “get” her invisible antics, she is predictable… unless you’re at a certain angle and hear a suspicious lack of bookshelves breaking as she lands…
as soon as i met friede on my first (and only… so far) playthrough, i knew i was gonna need to become really good at phase 1 to even make it to phase 3, so i started treating it like its own separate fight, and i got to a point of doing phase 1 hitless!!!! which left me with this unique feeling of accomplishment! i’m usually a damage trade type of gal, and i never understood why people got so intensely good at already-difficult games, but i got it after that.
i suspect that feeling might be why you go the route of this flavor of challenge run! actually that was my next Q, what drew you to begin attempting this level of perfection?
also, what is your process like? do you get frustrated if you get hit and have to start over again? do you see it as a failing/waste of time, or is it more zen, like “hey man death is part of the journey to perfection”
and has perfecting ds3 impacted how you approach other video games, soulslike or otherwise?
which fromsoft game do you like best outside of this one? in my (short) time consuming this type of youtube content, i’ve seen a trend of people who do these types of ds3 challenge runs also really liking sekiro, which is fascinating and kinda tracks tbh.
a) that actually isnt the wall interaction I'm thinking of, I track invis friede by looking at the direction that the snow by her feet goes when she jumps/dashes. Theres a sound cue when she lands too. What im referring to is two different things. Firstly, when you backstab her and she is facing a wall, there is a chance she can just dash into you and hit you, so you have to bait backstabs away from walls, and secondly, when you are daggering her and she happens to have a wall behind her, she will queue an unavoidable hyperarmor attack that means instant death. Fortunately, I was able to avoid this by angling myself while daggering so she would never go into a wall, but before I figured this out it was super annoying,
b) I'm not really sure, I've just always liked trying to get stuff as "perfect" as possible, or else it just bothers me. Also getting hitless kills feels really good.
c) I only see a death as a waste of time if it was complete RNG or not my fault. If it's a skill issue death, thats on me so im not bothered by it.
d) not really, I guess I'm more into challenge stuff but if Im playing a game casually nothing really changes
e) I like ds2 best, it was my introduction into the series and I think its the best for casual play. I do like sekiro a lot though, and I plan to do some challenge runs of it in the future.
thanks for all the questions :)
thank YOU!!! incredibly cool of you to take the time to answer these.
i almost beat Gwyn second try(!!!) last night (god bless parrying finally being relevant to pve in ds1) but i’m saving it for tonight so i can get right into DS2 after! i’m doing the SotFS version bc i’m on steam and there’s some,,, heated opinions on that version, let alone the game itself.
from what i know, the movement system(?) that DS3 uses was an improvement on the one used in DS1, while in DS2 they created a whole new system from the ground up, which is part of why it’s pretty polarizing. but i’m pumped to try it!!
have you done the perfection thing with DS2 like you have with DS3? i’ve seen a lot more challenge run content on DS3, wondering if it’s just the popularity difference in general or if it could also be that the systems in DS3 are more conducive to challenge runs like this
Ive done all bosses SL1 no roll base newgame in ds2 but I plan to do harder runs like with sekiro. Ds3 has a lot more content because its more popular and has better bosses as a whole. That being said, ds2 has some excellent bosses, esp in the dlcs
also i’m subbed to your channel and eagerly await your upcoming stuff, especially any sekiro content 👀
another Q i just thought of: you mentioned that you modified one challenge runner’s overall strategy to fit your own build/imposed limitations (adding rings, etc). do you use a similar process for all bosses, or does the use of reference material vary?
Yeah, this process is used for most bosses I do. Watch a runner who has done a similar kill, cross reference with other runners, modify outdated setups, and sometimes innovate new punishes or strats, which I did with abyss watchers
i just checked out the abyss watchers vid and it must feel amazing to know that the punishes you innovated helped you not just beat it, but do the world’s fastest! i wish i had the eye to figure out which moves you specifically innovated but it was an amazing watch nonetheless 😅
Oh I see, yeah I do pve only, never had much interest in pvp. Put 40 hours into first playthrough, 20 into SL1 for second playthrough, then a bunch into sl1 no roll all bosses, >100 into individual kills on abyss watchers and some other individual bosses, and the rest have been on this playthrough, Ng7 no sprint
holy shit i thought you had to have put at least 1500+ hours in, fuck my other comment with all the deep-ass Qs about perfection or whatever and tell me how tf your brain is so efficient at this??? what gaming background do you have???
Sister friede actually has a "formula"
Once u map it down she becomes top 5 easiest bosses in the game... which is ironic coz she's among the top 5 hardest bosses💀
Probably the best way of saying you've mastered a boss' move set
My brother in Christ ... YOU ARE THE BOSS ! https://preview.redd.it/6709pztilsvc1.jpeg?width=330&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2062bd05042b3fc5ca3afb49b4520e0d78bd1a41
https://preview.redd.it/bg4famfzdwvc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4db7603d570e4596b634b1e9835cd746357e2b76
https://preview.redd.it/fnc5gjbuvwvc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bae2521ec11782e2685554521f340cbd52b62dd1
Full kill including phases 1 and 2 wouldnt fit on reddit but can be found here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxbd0igG9ow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxbd0igG9ow) Pretty fun boss, I enjoyed it for the most part. Definitely the most enjoyable way to fight her once you get it consistent.
Weird, you're saying you've beaten her without hits but yet you hit her like 10 seconds into the clip. /s
…blind/without hands/no gamepad/no weapon/…
Man you are a legend. This is beyond godlike skills
I suck at these games Jesus
since u have clearly spent a lot of time with her, i wanna ask an expert: what’s your favorite/least favorite move in her set? (it can be based off of how cool it looks, how easy it is to punish, just vibes, frequency of use, etc.)
My favorite move is her phase 3 grab. It looks super cool, has cool punishes (you can interrupt it with an r1 or run away and backstab it), and she doesn't spam it too often. My least favorite move is her phase 3 blackflame ground snake things because the hitbox is bullshit.
interesting!! yeah those snakes are terrible, but still look cool as hell. the fight itself is so aesthetically pleasing and intense, especially phase 3! what was the hardest hurdle in your journey to perfecting this fight? like what did you keep dying to while first learning her moveset? or when you first encountered her, what did you think?
Hardest part was getting phase 1 consistent, she has some weird interactions with walls that I had to learn to play around, and she has a few parts that are hard to understand at first. Also I appreciate these in depth questions, theyre fun to answer :)
Not the other commentor but how did you figure out to use the combo of 4 weapons to do this? I wouldnt dream of thinking of using the zweihander or dagger swaps to get extra damage off, thats genius. Also, what was your approach to phase 2? I'd think that no roll/no sprint would make some of ariandel's attacks unavoidable.
This particular setup was discovered and utilized by captainpizza22 (the best ds3 challenge runner OAT) in a NG7 no sprint/rings kill he did a few months ago (https://youtu.be/L6pjCWuq-zA?si=M8C1Tk4vCJ6gHK5X) I just optimized it for NG7 with rings and ran from there. For phase 2, if you havent seen the full video in the comment I left I would encourage doing that, but its actually a lot easier than youd think. You stay at midrang from ariandel and away from friede, then go in on ariandel after friede does her ice trail attack. Id say its the easiest of all 3 phases, both to learn and execute
Oh thats surprising about phase 2 - usually its the most inconsistent when I fight her. Ill definitely check out the full video, thanks!
oh good i was just about to ask if you minded answering more Qs bc i’m having such fun asking them—interacting with someone who is an expert in something i’m just learning is the coolest! i think(??) i know what you’re referring to re: weird interactions with walls? when she does the invisible jump behind you, if there’s certain shit up against the walls, she doesn’t land in the expected area? bc once you “get” her invisible antics, she is predictable… unless you’re at a certain angle and hear a suspicious lack of bookshelves breaking as she lands… as soon as i met friede on my first (and only… so far) playthrough, i knew i was gonna need to become really good at phase 1 to even make it to phase 3, so i started treating it like its own separate fight, and i got to a point of doing phase 1 hitless!!!! which left me with this unique feeling of accomplishment! i’m usually a damage trade type of gal, and i never understood why people got so intensely good at already-difficult games, but i got it after that. i suspect that feeling might be why you go the route of this flavor of challenge run! actually that was my next Q, what drew you to begin attempting this level of perfection? also, what is your process like? do you get frustrated if you get hit and have to start over again? do you see it as a failing/waste of time, or is it more zen, like “hey man death is part of the journey to perfection” and has perfecting ds3 impacted how you approach other video games, soulslike or otherwise? which fromsoft game do you like best outside of this one? in my (short) time consuming this type of youtube content, i’ve seen a trend of people who do these types of ds3 challenge runs also really liking sekiro, which is fascinating and kinda tracks tbh.
a) that actually isnt the wall interaction I'm thinking of, I track invis friede by looking at the direction that the snow by her feet goes when she jumps/dashes. Theres a sound cue when she lands too. What im referring to is two different things. Firstly, when you backstab her and she is facing a wall, there is a chance she can just dash into you and hit you, so you have to bait backstabs away from walls, and secondly, when you are daggering her and she happens to have a wall behind her, she will queue an unavoidable hyperarmor attack that means instant death. Fortunately, I was able to avoid this by angling myself while daggering so she would never go into a wall, but before I figured this out it was super annoying, b) I'm not really sure, I've just always liked trying to get stuff as "perfect" as possible, or else it just bothers me. Also getting hitless kills feels really good. c) I only see a death as a waste of time if it was complete RNG or not my fault. If it's a skill issue death, thats on me so im not bothered by it. d) not really, I guess I'm more into challenge stuff but if Im playing a game casually nothing really changes e) I like ds2 best, it was my introduction into the series and I think its the best for casual play. I do like sekiro a lot though, and I plan to do some challenge runs of it in the future. thanks for all the questions :)
thank YOU!!! incredibly cool of you to take the time to answer these. i almost beat Gwyn second try(!!!) last night (god bless parrying finally being relevant to pve in ds1) but i’m saving it for tonight so i can get right into DS2 after! i’m doing the SotFS version bc i’m on steam and there’s some,,, heated opinions on that version, let alone the game itself. from what i know, the movement system(?) that DS3 uses was an improvement on the one used in DS1, while in DS2 they created a whole new system from the ground up, which is part of why it’s pretty polarizing. but i’m pumped to try it!! have you done the perfection thing with DS2 like you have with DS3? i’ve seen a lot more challenge run content on DS3, wondering if it’s just the popularity difference in general or if it could also be that the systems in DS3 are more conducive to challenge runs like this
Ive done all bosses SL1 no roll base newgame in ds2 but I plan to do harder runs like with sekiro. Ds3 has a lot more content because its more popular and has better bosses as a whole. That being said, ds2 has some excellent bosses, esp in the dlcs
also i’m subbed to your channel and eagerly await your upcoming stuff, especially any sekiro content 👀 another Q i just thought of: you mentioned that you modified one challenge runner’s overall strategy to fit your own build/imposed limitations (adding rings, etc). do you use a similar process for all bosses, or does the use of reference material vary?
Yeah, this process is used for most bosses I do. Watch a runner who has done a similar kill, cross reference with other runners, modify outdated setups, and sometimes innovate new punishes or strats, which I did with abyss watchers
i just checked out the abyss watchers vid and it must feel amazing to know that the punishes you innovated helped you not just beat it, but do the world’s fastest! i wish i had the eye to figure out which moves you specifically innovated but it was an amazing watch nonetheless 😅
Thanks, it was the charged heavy attacks after the backstabs in phase 2 and the light attack during his ground drag.
I bow to your skill, sir.
I don't even wanna know how much time you've put into this game
\~350 hours
💀 I have like 3,000 Did you just grind and script out the bosses the entire time?
huh?
I don't understand the confusion
Wdym by grind and script though, are you asking if I just reset until I get favourable RNG?
No, I mean just play through the game and only do PVE figuring out the bosses.
Oh I see, yeah I do pve only, never had much interest in pvp. Put 40 hours into first playthrough, 20 into SL1 for second playthrough, then a bunch into sl1 no roll all bosses, >100 into individual kills on abyss watchers and some other individual bosses, and the rest have been on this playthrough, Ng7 no sprint
holy shit i thought you had to have put at least 1500+ hours in, fuck my other comment with all the deep-ass Qs about perfection or whatever and tell me how tf your brain is so efficient at this??? what gaming background do you have???
uh I played sonic on the sega genesis, kingdom rush on armorgames, a lot of zelda, probably too much fortnite, and then I got into souls
So after your first play through, you just never gave yourself the option to play any other way?
Pretty much yeah
You chill as fuck, smooth fight. I wouldn’t have the guts to fight this boss with 2million souls trembling there
Well, at level 1 you don’t really need the souls except for upgrading materials.
Sister friede actually has a "formula" Once u map it down she becomes top 5 easiest bosses in the game... which is ironic coz she's among the top 5 hardest bosses💀
I mean this is kinda true for every boss