Elden Ring's Dodge Roll Deserves Recognition

If you've played Elden Ring, or nearly any action-adventure title, chances are you're acquainted with the glorious feature known as the “rolling dodge.” This defensive move enables your hero to carry out a forward, sideways, or backward tumble to evade all incoming damage and move away from opponents. Appears practical, right?

The evasion roll, nevertheless, has attracted a lot of flak, not simply as a result of the somersault; it's been labeled foolish, a cheap tactic, and an implausible action — and occasionally, I concur. Picture me tumbling about nearby enemy groups in a well-known fantasy game — they can't hit me! But this game's dodge roll is the dodge roll to top all dodge rolls rolling dodges, and here's the reason.

In Elden Ring's case, the creators discovered a great way to respond to all views suggesting the technique is not challenging enough: simply give every enemy unreasonable strength, triple that, and every Tarnished who dares come near them will appreciate deeply thanks to their rolling skill, me included. When the stakes are this high, pulling off a perfect dodge feels like an achievement, rather than a cheap trick.

No different defensive move in Elden Ring comes close to this feeling of accomplishment and reliability, since rapid sprints provide minimal movement and blocking attempts get quickly shattered by strong enemies. A person once suggested leaping as the primary game avoidance strategy, but in addition to lacking optimal placement, I couldn't understand how taking a crushing hit might boost my prospects of beating enemies (inexperience, possibly).

Mastering the Technique

While the rolling dodge offers respite in a famously difficult title, it demands ability. Firstly, Elden Ring's evasion move just activates a frame of protection after you release the dodge button, which stops a hasty, frantic retreat from dire situations. Additionally, although it may transport you away from opponents, it's significantly more useful to utilize it as a moment to move nearer, ideally to their rear, and deliver attacks. Lastly, you must still understand and anticipate enemy attacks, as dodging at the start of a prolonged preparation might terminate your protection ahead of the attack striking… which will seriously hurt.

A Harmonious System

While dodge-rolling in fast repetition could appear somewhat silly (give it up for Geralt again), this isn't really an option in Elden Ring. Naturally, that fails to transform it into a realistic battle technique — the very cause why it would be terrifying to witness it in a title like a historical simulation — however, this is a flashy fantasy title we're talking about, therefore, it doesn't matter?

Like any proper rolling dodge, this title's evasion sequence is spruced up with a small acrobatic jump at the commencement, giving it an energetic feel rather than dropping the character on the floor. Based on your equipment, the maneuver might appear extremely nimble or relatively slow, but it remains quicker and smoother than the dodge rolls used in Dark Souls. Admittedly, you may embed your big blade into the ground while equipped with it, but that's on you for failing to use a crossbow (In jest — avoid using Elden Ring using ranged options).

Optimal Harmony

The game's evasion system forms an optimal harmony between obstacle and possibility, providing prospects of success while threatening to take that hope away at the smallest error. Learn this skill, and you'll be rewarded with not just victory, but fulfillment.

Logan Morgan
Logan Morgan

Sports betting analyst with 10 years of experience in odds analysis and strategy development.