Summary
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeintroduces many new weapons to the already impressive arsenal in the base game. What makes these weapons special are their Ashes of War, an expansion onDark Souls 3’s Weapon Arts, and those with unique, unchangeable Ashes of War can have some amazing and overpowered effects. These tend to be Remembrance or Legendary Weapons and are often the center of some of the most powerful builds for the Tarnished.
In the base game,one of the most powerful and unique weapons was the Sword of Night and Flame, a Legendary Weapon that can befound in a chest in Caria Manor. The sword was made famous by its Ash of War, called Night-and-Flame Stance. This allows players to use one of two abilities. One will castComet Azur, a powerful sorcery beam that will melt enemies in seconds, and the other will conjure a burst of flames. Although this is a powerful combo,Shadow of the Erdtreeintroduced something even better.
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Rellana’s Twin Blades Improve On The Sword Of Night & Flame
They Take The Same Concepts & Expand Them
The Sword of Night and Flame was unique with its Ash of War in the base game. Although plenty of weapons had Ashes of War with two abilities, such as Moonveil and its two different types of beam slashes, they tend to be related and very similar.The Sword of Night and Flame’s two abilities are completely different, one being a sorcery spell and the other a fire ability. Rellana’s Twin Blades takes this concept, and does something similar, having one sorcery and fire type skill, warranting many comparisons.
Moonveil is another weapon thatElden Ringplayers noted was overtuned, although largely from a PvP perspective. It can be found in the Gael Tunnel in Caelid, and is dropped by the Magma Wyrm boss there.
Unlike the Sword of Night and Flame,Rellana’s Twin Blades are a Remembrance Weapon and can be obtained afterdefeating Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, one of themandatory bosses inShadow of the Erdtree.This weapon also has a stance style Ash of War, allowing the Tarnished to either fire a volley of magic waves or surround themselves with a tornado of fire. Both of these are powerful abilities and benefit from reasonably low FP costs.
What Makes Rellana’s Twin Blades Better
Weapons In Shadow Of The Erdtree Are Over The Top
Although casting Comet Azur with the Sword of Night and Flame deals a game-breaking amount of damage, the FP cost to maintain the spell is immense. This can be alleviated with the Cerulean Hidden Tear, but this can only be done once per rest at a Grace, making the skill less useful outside boss fights. That being said, if the Tarnished wants to breeze through most bosses, and can get said bosses to stand still for long enough, the Sword of Night and Flame is practically unmatched.
Comet Azur can also be cast as a spell using a Glintstone staff and is acquired from Primeval Sorcerer Azur at the Hermit Village in Mt. Gelmir.
Where Rellana’s Twin Blades shines is its better balance. It takes the concept of the Sword of Night and Flame and makes it more useful in non-boss situations with its lower FP cost, while also making it less game breaking and fair. Both skills are powerful, and need to be in the Land of Shadow, thanks to theexpansion’s brutal difficulty. The base moveset outside the Ashes of War is effective too, using quick strikes that are perfect for pairing with talismans that buff successive attacks, like the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia.
The Sword Of Night & Flame Is Still Amazing
But Rellana’s Twin Blades Are Better Designed
There’s no denying the immense power of the Sword of Night and Flame. It carried plenty of players,along with the Mimic Tear, butits game-breaking power did take some of the intensity and challenge out of the game. This is somewhat offset by the stat requirements, since it spreads across four skills, like Rellana’s Twin Blades, but the weapons in general have proven difficult to properly balance in PvE situations. The concept of two entirely different abilities through a stance is an amazing one, however.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s introduction of Rellana’s Twin Blades shows that FromSoftware is taking concepts from the base game and is evolving them. These Twin Blades are better designed from a balance point of view and their aesthetic design, including the animation of their stance, is superior to the Sword of Night and Flame. The moveset apart from the Ash of War is better too, and the FP cost means that the weapon can be used by more builds with a lower Mind stat, making it more versatile too.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of “The Shattering.” “The Shattering” occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
