First horse boss - fight before any leveling up?

[World Cup]

Are we supposed to take him out before we've done any leveling up? Or are we supposed to avoid him, explore other areas, level up and then come back and kick his butt?

I know there's a rhythm to the timing on the dodging and the attacks for that horse boss, but with the game chugging on top of it all, it's proving to be a real b#tch and having to do trial and error to figure out the timing and weakness like 30 times is getting really old, really fast.

[Boutus]

Not recommended at all, only because if you have just started and came face to face with the Tree Senitel (which I think is the one you are talking about), you won't have the skill yet to fight him, not necessarily the levels, but certainly the skill, as this game will require some skill.

Just creep around him and do the dungeon to the north of him.

Edit - yes, use controller if you have one, much better for this game and I am a keyboard and mouse type of guy, but I use my controller for this game as it just works better.

[Kraehe]

I have yet to kill him, but I´m also not all that great at soulslike games and because of technical issues I can´t really continue playing right now.

And yea, controller. Its probably possible with mouse and keyboard, but for me games like this are definetly better with a controller.

[Sin]

I just came back later, his weapon drop required 30 Strength to use so it's unusable until you level anyway. (Note: You can equip it 2 handed at 15 Str, but it's pretty damn slow and not worth it imo, unless you really like super slugging).

[Agoraphobic Meep]

Depends. If you like the challenge I’d say go for it, he’s definitely a fun boss to take on early. I play with KBM because it’s just what feels natural for me. I’d say just use whatever control scheme feels like the best for you.

On the other hand, the weapon he drops isn’t usable at sl1, at least it wasn’t for me, and the souls he drops aren’t really worth the hassle.

As for the frame drops, I have no idea. For some reason closing discord always makes it run smoothly (don’t ask I don’t know either) but I’m sure that’s just a me thing.

[xiaomifeng]

This is not a boss

[Agoraphobic Meep]

Originally posted by 蔡鼬滩:

This is not a boss

It’s a mini boss, and one of the harder ones at that. I’d say the question is perfectly reasonable.

[AzureTheGamerKobold]

he's possible to defeat, but it's not really intended. He's more of a challenge at that point. Your really i think intended to come back later when you've gotten some gear, and levels under your belt. On my paladin (str/faith) i came back after getting my mount and a couple of levels and beat him but he was still a challenge. My friend though as a samarai beat him first thing, after many many tries.

Case in point yes you can beat him... but he is optional.

[Ragingfirefrog]

I took him out about 15 hours into the game because I wasn't aware he was a boss. It is possible to take him out but you are probably better off coming back later.

[ressenmacher]

Originally posted by 蔡鼬滩:

This is not a boss

Then why TF does a boss healthbar appear when you fight it lmao?

Originally posted by World Cup:

Are we supposed to take him out before we've done any leveling up? Or are we supposed to avoid him, explore other areas, level up and then come back and kick his butt?

The fight is balanced for a character who has leveled up themselves and their weapon a bit; this is very clear when you compare their damage to the other boss close by who IS supposed to be pretty doable with starter gear.

That said, you can kill them now if you're good enough. They don't drop anything mindblowing, but it's possible if you just want to do it. The fight boils down to waiting for the swipe -> swipe -> slam combo, dodging the first two hits, and strafing to the horse's rear to punish as they miss the big slam. The horse-tackle, swiping charge, and weapon reset (when they put the halberd back on their shoulder) are good openings for smaller hits. Once in phase two, you can roll the jumping AoE and punish with a charged heavy attack, as well as jump the AoE of the big shield slam. Remember to stick like glue to the horse; a lot of stuff will go over your head if you do.

It's a serious commitment, but I think the fight is good enough that it's worthwhile to do if you like challenging yourself. It took me about 3 hours on Deprived; probably easier with any of the classes that can't get oneshot by certain attacks.

[Malthar]

Originally posted by ressenmacher:

Originally posted by 蔡鼬滩:

This is not a boss

Then why TF does a boss healthbar appear when you fight it lmao?

there is still a difference between a BOSS and a MINI BOSS regardless of health bars, Tree ♥♥♥♥♥♥ is the latter

[Zappieroth]

When and how you kill bosses and other enemies is completely up to you.
Elden Ring gives a lot of player choice by letting players level and gear up before ever taking on any real challenging foes.

And for this the game is a lot more acceptable toward a bigger audience in terms of Fromsoft games.
I personally love how they approuched this simply becuase it leaves a lot of stress out of the occassion.

Since I got the gear I wanted I have been steadily making progress.
Sometimes a boss takes 30 minutes to an hour but that really isn't a big deal as it keeps you occupied and engaged with the game.

[XGear]

Originally posted by World Cup:

Are we supposed to take him out before we've done any leveling up? Or are we supposed to avoid him, explore other areas, level up and then come back and kick his butt?

I know there's a rhythm to the timing on the dodging and the attacks for that horse boss, but with the game chugging on top of it all, it's proving to be a real b#tch and having to do trial and error to figure out the timing and weakness like 30 times is getting really old, really fast.

And are you all using controller to play this?

If you are a mage, just run to church and make the horseman follow you, climb the left wall of stone (Left, facing the seller cam ) to the highest place you can, and be there waiting the boss breaking the wall of stone with you above it. After he do this, lock on the boss and spam magic atacks. Cheeze Cheeze izi pizi. Do not forget to put all your Flasks as mana, to be enough to take all his HP. This tatic can kill the golden Horseman of the begining of the game without a single level or armor. Just you and your cheap magic.

[TwinChops]

Fight him when you get your ride, its so freaking easy when you use it that it is sad lol

[ressenmacher]

Originally posted by Malthar:

there is still a difference between a BOSS and a MINI BOSS regardless of health bars, Tree ♥♥♥♥♥♥ is the latter

A mini boss is generally regarded as a powerful enemy fought alone which does not respawn, but which does not trigger fog walls or have a boss health bar. The titanite demons of DS1 and demons of DS3 are good examples.

Tree Sentinel has a boss health bar and drops a weapon upgraded exactly like other boss weapons. What differences exist between them and the nearby Agheel? Is it difficulty? Because I assure you, that AoE spamming ass killed me way more than every dragon and wyrm i've fought thus far put together.

[Professor Hugedix]

He is a check to see if you have played souls games before. If you have, you can beat him. If not, you skirt around him and come back later.