Elden Ring's Dodge Roll Deserves Praise
If you've played the popular action RPG, or nearly any action-adventure title, chances are you're familiar with the wonderful mechanic referred to as the “rolling dodge.” This defensive move allows your character to perform a front, lateral, or rearward somersault to evade incoming harm and gain space from the bad guy. Seems useful, wouldn't you say?
The dodge roll, though, has attracted plenty of criticism, and not just because of the rolling; some have dubbed it dumb, a easy way out, and an implausible action — and sometimes, I concur. You should see me rolling around local Doppler gangs in The Witcher 3 — can't touch this Geralt! But Elden Ring's dodge roll stands as the roll to outdo all previous evasion moves, and here's the reason.
Regarding this title, the designers identified a great way to address all opinions claiming the maneuver is not challenging enough: simply give each opponent excessive power, triple that, and every Tarnished who dares come near them will appreciate deeply for their dodge-roll ability, myself included. When the stakes are this high, successfully rolling to victory seems like an accomplishment, instead of an unfair advantage.
No other evasion method in Elden Ring approaches this feeling of accomplishment and dependability, as quick dashes don't cover much ground and defensive postures are readily overcome by strong enemies. Someone once recommended hopping as the main Elden Ring evasion method, but in addition to lacking perfect repositioning, I didn't see how getting my skull smashed in could enhance my odds of overcoming challenges (skill issue, perhaps).
Mastering the Technique
But even though the rolling dodge offers respite in a famously difficult title, it requires practice. To begin with, Elden Ring's dodge roll only triggers a window of invulnerability following you release the evasion key, which prevents a hasty, frantic retreat from dire situations. Moreover, although it may move you aside from foes, it's much better to employ it as a chance to advance, ideally to their rear, and deliver attacks. Lastly, it remains necessary to comprehend and predict enemy attacks, since evading too early of an extended wind-up could conclude your immunity prior to the hit connecting… resulting in severe damage.
A Harmonious System
Even though rolling-dodging in fast repetition might seem rather absurd (kudos to the Witcher anew), this isn't practically possible in the game. Certainly, that fails to transform it into a believable battle technique — exactly the reason it would be pure horror to witness it in a title like a historical simulation — yet we're discussing a dazzling imaginative experience being considered, thus why worry?
Comparable to any well-executed evasion move, the game's rolling animation is improved by a brief tumbling leap at the commencement, offering a lively impression as opposed to dropping the character downward. According to your loadout, the move can feel incredibly quick or moderately cumbersome, however, it's consistently faster and more fluid than the dodge rolls found in the earlier games. True, you may embed your large weapon in the dirt while equipped with it, but that's on you for failing to use ranged weapons (Just kidding — avoid using the game using ranged options).
The Perfect Balance
Elden Ring's evasion system establishes an ideal equilibrium between difficulty and chance, providing prospects of success while endangering that very prospect at the smallest error. Perfect this move, and you'll be rewarded with more than triumph, but gratification.
