Elden Ring's Dodge Roll Deserves Praise
For those who have experienced this acclaimed title, or just about any third-person combat game, chances are you're well-versed in the glorious mechanic referred to as the “dodge roll.” This evasion technique allows your character to carry out a front, lateral, or rearward ground roll to evade all incoming damage and move away from foes. Seems useful, doesn't it?
The dodge roll, though, has attracted significant backlash, and not just as a result of the somersault; it's been called dumb, a easy way out, and an unrealistic move — and sometimes, I concur. Picture me somersaulting past nearby enemy groups in a well-known fantasy game — can't touch this Geralt! But Elden Ring's dodge roll is the dodge roll to outdo all previous dodge rolls, and let me explain.
Regarding this title, the designers identified a great way to counter all sentiments claiming the maneuver is too easy: merely bestow each opponent unreasonable strength, increase it further, and every Tarnished who ventures close them will appreciate deeply for their dodge-roll ability, me included. Given the intense difficulty, pulling off a perfect dodge seems like an accomplishment, rather than a cheap trick.
No alternative avoidance technique in this RPG comes close to this feeling of accomplishment and consistency, because swift moves provide minimal movement and blocking attempts are readily overcome by strong enemies. Someone once recommended leaping as the primary game dodging technique, but aside from not providing optimal placement, I couldn't understand how taking a crushing hit might boost my prospects of overcoming challenges (lack of skill, maybe).
Learning the Move
While this evasion move grants reprieve in an incredibly challenging experience, it requires practice. To begin with, Elden Ring's evasion move only triggers a window of invulnerability once you stop pressing the roll control, which prevents a hasty, frantic retreat from perilous circumstances. Additionally, although it may transport you away from opponents, it's significantly more useful to employ it as a chance to move nearer, preferably behind the opponent, and strike blows. Lastly, it remains necessary to understand and anticipate foe assaults, since evading too early of a long charging animation may end your invincibility before the blow lands… which will seriously hurt.
A Balanced Mechanic
Although evasion-rolling in fast repetition could appear somewhat silly (kudos to the Witcher anew), this isn't really an option in the game. Of course, that doesn't render it a believable battle technique — the very cause why it would be dreadful to see it in a game like Kingdom Come: Deliverance — but this is a spectacular magical game being considered, so who cares?
Comparable to any well-executed rolling dodge, Elden Ring's dodge motion is improved by a brief tumbling leap at the commencement, offering a lively impression rather than placing the avatar on the floor. Based on your equipment, the maneuver might appear super agile or relatively slow, but it remains quicker and smoother than the evasion moves used in the earlier games. Admittedly, you will stick your large weapon in the dirt if you're carrying one, but that's your own fault for not just playing ranged weapons (I'm joking — don't play the game using ranged options).
The Perfect Balance
Elden Ring's dodging mechanic forms an optimal harmony between difficulty and chance, offering hope of victory while threatening to take that hope away at the tiniest misstep. Perfect this move, and you'll gain more than triumph, but fulfillment.
