The debate over the difficulty ofSoulsgames rages on whenever titles releases, butElden Ringintroduced a new wrinkle. FromSoftware’s titles have always had some sort of challenge-mitigating factor, whether that’s the player’s equipment or summoning a co-op partner. Traditionally, this takes the form of either an NPC or another player, and increases the health of bosses to keep up with the extra damage coming their way. Just having a second body to distract enemies makes fights a lot easier, andElden Ringallows players to pursue a playstyle based around this concept.
The Spirit Ashes andSpirit Calling Bellare introduced to players early inElden Ring. These helpful tools allow for the summoning of Spirits while near certain monuments, mostly around bosses and enemy encampments. These Spirits are often based on enemies using abilities that the player can’t use or may not be built for, widening the player’s options. With their variety, they can supplement any build by fulfilling different roles.Debates regarding the strongest Spirit Ashhave been ongoing sinceElden Ring’s launch, with a few powerful Ashes like Lhutel the Headless in the running. Even so, theMimic Tearand Black Knife Tiche are often the pair that rise to the top.
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The Mimic Tear Offers Unparalleled Versatility
ManyElden Ringfans have already heard about or encountered the Mimic Tear. Serving as both a boss and a Spirit Ash, this doppelganger copies the player’s current loadout of weapons, equipment, spells, talismans, and even consumable items. Whatever a player has equipped when they trigger the Mimic’s transformation is what they will be fighting with or against. The only exceptions are Great Runes, pouch items, Torrent’s whistle, and the player’s own Flasks of Crimson and Cerulean Tears. Notably, the Mimic Tear has its own limitedFlask of Crimson Tears, unlimited FP, and the ability touse the Flask of Wondrous Physick.
It doesn’t take long to realize the Mimic’s applications, as long as one is alright with paying a large chunk of health to summon it. While a consequence is that its boss fight can be trivialized by unequipping everything, theMimic Tear can use any build inElden Ring. It is potentially the best tank and offensive summon if set up right, and players can switch back to their own build after summoning. As long as players familiarize themselves with the AI’s rules, the Mimic Tear can be directed as a melee fighter, a spellcaster or archer, a buff-wielding support character, a status effect generator, or any combination of the above. The only weakness of the Mimic Tear is that it isn’t a human, and will thus have difficulty dodging and using optimal strategies.
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Black Knife Tiche Places a Boss in the Players' Corner
Elden Ringis thelatest in FromSoftware’s iterations on Souls combat, pulling elements from all titles that came before it. Enemies are fast and unpredictable, often designed to punish mistakes with branching attack paths. As players and enemies are both able to put more pressure on each other than ever before, it would be nice if the player could tip the scales. By putting in the time and effort to get Black Knife Tiche’s Ashes, players will get the chance to give bosses a taste of their own medicine. The Black Knives are spread throughout the Lands Between, and all of them are either boss fights or powerful minibosses. While many Spirit Ashes are allied versions of various enemies, few can claim to descend from a line of optional bosses like Tiche can.
As is fitting for a party member likely gained late inElden Ring, Black Knife Tiche is monstrously strong. Boasting the highest FP cost out of all Spirit Ashes, she is capable of taking on late-game bosses by herself. A lot of this has to do with her distinct moveset; while she’s humanoid like most Spirits, Tiche fights with leaps and dashes that allow her to incidentally dodge attacks. Tiche’s greatest strength lies within herBlack Flame-infused Black Knife, which can emit a fast-moving projectile that temporarily reduces max enemy HP and continues draining their health for a while. This works on basically everything, and delving intoElden Ring’s tough-as-nails endgame becomes safer with Tiche around.
How Mimic Tear and Tiche Stack Up Against Each Other
It’s plain to see that Black Knife Tiche and Mimic Tear are two of the most powerful Spirit summons in the game. By default, they appear as the last two Renowned Spirit Ashes in the player’s inventory before any puppet Spirits. Yet ranking the two of them is difficult, as they technically occupy different niches. The Mimic Tear serves as general DPS and tank, filling the same role as ahuman or NPC summon. Tiche, on the other hand, can rush down single enemies and soften them up significantly while also avoiding attacks. Generally speaking, Tiche would beat most Mimic Tears in a fight, but a savvy player could devise a build that increases the Mimic’s chances of winning.
That skill barrier, as well as stat and equipment requirements, makes the Mimic Tear harder to use than Tiche, but potentially more rewarding. Tiche is easy to deploy at any skill level, while Mimic Tear allows players to press their advantage more. In addition,the Mimic Tear can be obtainedshortly after defeating Radahn, while Tiche requires players to progress to the final steps of Ranni’s quest line - which requires Radahn to be defeated early on. If the player is willing to learn how to use Mimic Tear and their own character in tandem, there should be very little inElden Ringthat stands in their way. Regardless, players who obtain either one should experiment with them to see which matches their playstyle better.
Elden Ringis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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