My Elden Ring DLC hands-on preview session was a three-hour sampling of what Shadow of the Erdtree's Land of Shadow has to offer, and one weapon was glued to my hands for most of it. It's called Milady, one of the new light greatswords in the DLC, and I'm betting my Runes right now that it ends up being one of the most popular weapons in the whole thing, potentially rivaling the famously comfy Bloodhound's Fang curved greatsword from the base game.
The premade character I chose was kitted out with 80 Dexterity and a Keen-type Milady, and even on a simple physical build, this sword was taking names. The whole light greatsword archetype seems fantastic, but Milady was still a standout for me. It has excellent range as a greatsword, impressive mobility for its heft, and a unique stance Ash of War lets you weave in light rapid combos or heavy leaping thrusts. It's like Bloodhound's Fang spliced with the trusty Claymore, which is as good as it sounds.
Bloodhound's Fang has one big advantage over Milady in that it has innate bleed buildup, but that's nothing one of Elden Ring's whetblades can't fix and I'm pretty sure Milady is Blood-compatible. What really brought the famous Fang to my mind while using Milady was its agility and ease of use. It isn't unbelievably powerful and its special attack isn't one-shotting bosses or anything; it's just well-rounded and feels great in your hands.
This thing has incredible forward momentum thanks to gap-closing attacks, as well as respectable AoE thanks to sweeping swings. It also hits surprisingly quickly, almost like a heavy Estoc, to the point that it may work well with multi-hit Talismans. Speaking of which, a new Talisman that buffs attacks after you hold a new stance for a moment synergizes perfectly with Milady, and likely several other new and existing weapons like katanas. I remember finding this sword early on, too, and I'll be rushing to grab and upgrade it once the DLC is out.
Here's what to do before Shadow of the Erdtree to make sure you're totally prepared.
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