Summary
A series of new items under the umbrella of Hefty Cracked Pots brought intoElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreehelps to add a new layer to the crafting system of the base game. Not only does this give new methods for players to deal damage, but the availability of materials for some Hefty Pots also helps to make the passivelypowerful Scarlet Rot buildseven more accessible.
This expansion to the builds inElden Ringcomes from the Hefty Cracked Pots and the ability to make them into various types of throwable items that can deal large amounts of damage or inflict status effects. However, most important is the fact that the Hefty Rot Pots are made with materials that are relatively easy to farm, and some can even be purchased infinitely, which stands in stark opposition to the original pots of the same effect.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s New Pots Enhance Elden Ring’s Old Tricks
Farming for Rot Pots, Regular and Hefty
In the baseElden Ring, there are two different types of pot items, the Cracked Pots and the Ritual Pots. Between these two pot types, players can then craft several different consumable items that use up the materials required to create them but replenish the vessels once the contents have been used up. This includes the Rot Pot, which can be crafted with a combination of Ritual Pots, Toxic Mushrooms, Faded Erdleaf Flowers, and Aeonian Butterflies. Most important among these materials, however, are the Aeonian Butterflies, which can be found acrossthe region of Caelidand the Lake of Rot in limited supply. It’s the limited supply specifically that restricts any builds making use of these consumables since the only way to infinitely farm the Aeonian Butterflies is to hunt Basilisks in the Lake of Rot, which only have an eight percent drop rate.
To contrast the limited supply of materials for the Rot Pots, Hefty Rot Pots can be made with a combination of Fly Mold and the infinitely respawning Scarlet Buds found in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh combined. This means that while replenishing a full stock of Hefty Rot Pots can still require some farming, it is a faster and less involved farm that doesn’t have the potential of costing hours between attempting bosses with a build that leans heavily on rot. Beyond the time save, this also means that gathering the materials required for Hefty Rot Pots over the standard versions saves the player from having tobraveElden Ring’s Lake of Rotevery few hours in order to keep the build running strong.
The Power of a Scarlet Rot Build
While it can be difficult and costly to base a character on dealing Scarlet Rot damage, a focus on this specific status effect can potentially be one of thestrongest builds inElden Ring. Relying on Scarlet Rot for most of the player’s damage leans towards passive gameplay as opposed to something more aggressive like powerstancing curved swords. Still, Scarlet Rot can be a more consistent way to deal damage to bosses as they string together fifteen-hit combos back-to-back. Additionally, adding Scarlet Rot as a component to a build can help to bring down even the biggest bosses with the most health without having to hack away for twenty minutes at a time.
Even in the base game, weapons likeElden Ring’s Antspur Rapiercan be used as the base of a Scarlet Rot build and can be empowered with additional ashes of war to double up on other status effects or damage types. This includes a Poison affinity in order to double the damage over time effects on susceptible bosses, or a bleed effect that can quickly drain the health of some of the toughest bosses. So, naturally, having a way to bolster a Scarlet Rot build with items like the Hefty Rot Pots can be a major part of making the player character incredibly powerful.
Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
