🔗 Share this article

For those who have experienced Elden Ring, or most other third-person combat game, you're likely well-versed in the glorious feature called the “dodge roll.” This avoidance maneuver enables your hero to perform a front, lateral, or rearward somersault to dodge incoming harm and gain space from the bad guy. Seems useful, right?

The evasion roll, nevertheless, has gotten significant backlash, and not just due to the tumbling; it's been called foolish, a cheap tactic, and an unrealistic move — and in some cases, I concur. Just imagine me tumbling about hostile mobs in another popular RPG — they can't hit me! But Elden Ring's evasion move is the dodge roll to top all dodge rolls rolling dodges, and here's the reason.

For this particular game, the creators discovered a clever approach to respond to all views claiming the maneuver is not challenging enough: just grant all foes unreasonable strength, increase it further, and all heroes who approaches them will feel immensely thankful 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 alternative avoidance technique in the game matches this feeling of accomplishment and consistency, as quick dashes provide minimal movement and defensive postures get quickly shattered by strong enemies. One player advised leaping as the primary Elden Ring evasion method, but in addition to lacking optimal placement, It wasn't clear to me receiving a fatal blow might boost my prospects of beating enemies (lack of skill, maybe).

Perfecting the Skill

While the rolling dodge offers respite in a famously difficult title, it demands ability. First of all, this title's evasion move just activates a window of invulnerability after you let go of the evasion key, which prevents a hasty, frantic retreat from perilous circumstances. Furthermore, although it may transport you away from enemies, it's significantly more useful to use it as an opportunity to advance, ideally to their rear, and land some hits. In conclusion, you still need grasp and foresee opponent moves, since evading too early of an extended wind-up might terminate your protection before the blow lands… resulting in severe damage.

A Well-Designed Feature

Even though rolling-dodging in rapid sequence could appear somewhat silly (kudos to the Witcher anew), this isn't practically possible in this title. Certainly, that still doesn't make it a believable fighting maneuver — exactly the reason it would be pure horror to witness it in a title like a historical simulation — however, this is a spectacular magical game under discussion, so who cares?

Comparable to any well-executed rolling dodge, this title's rolling animation is spruced up with a brief tumbling leap at the start, giving it an energetic feel as opposed to plopping the player on the floor. Based on your equipment, the technique may seem incredibly quick or relatively slow, however, it's consistently faster and more fluid than the evasion moves used in Dark Souls. Admittedly, you could plant your big blade into the ground while equipped with it, but that's your responsibility for failing to use ranged weapons (In jest — steer clear of the game with a crossbow).

Optimal Harmony

Elden Ring's dodging mechanic creates the perfect balance between challenge and opportunity, offering hope of victory while endangering that very prospect at the tiniest misstep. Perfect this move, and you'll obtain not just victory, but fulfillment.