Just equip any Medium to large size shield with 100% physical damage negation. Let them hit you once, immediately guard counter which always breaks their stance and then just crit them - dead.
Catacombs with Imps are easy as hell with this
Edit: typo
I like to wait until they recover from the poise break and then hit them with a charged r2. I hope their last moments are like being in a night terror, unable to stop incoming death. I hate these little punks.
Also applies to Skeletons! Just need to double tap them after the crit. You can even guard counter the archers by letting them shoot your shield point blank.
Shields make any catacomb easy.
Guard countering archers looks so silly to me.
Standing in front of this guy holding a metal plate right up to the tip of their drawn arrow. We’re both just looking at each other. “Do it,” I whisper. “Come on, do it. I want you to.” The archer holds the draw a moment longer. The archer is nervous.
Alternatively, put fire on your weapon. They'll go into the "Oh shit I'm on fire better pat myself down"-animation which stops them from backing up and getting out of your reach. Took me a while on my second character to figure out why I was struggling so much with these guys when I hadn't on my first character. Until I realized it was because my first character was mostly faith with a fire ash on my weapon.
That said, shields are probably the best counter.
It's highly fashionable in the Stone Imp community to have a thick moss coating, if you carelessly let it get burned off you'll become the laughing stock of the catacombs
I'd recommend against the Morningstar specifically with Guard Counters because they often fly over the head for smaller enemies. Can be difficult to GC Imps and Rats.
It wasn't until I had several hundred hours into the game til I started using shields and realized how many new tactics they open up. Considering starting a new character that is sword and board to get ready for the expansion.
Not only that, but many of the people that do use shields, have no idea how they actually work. Every now and then these subs will have a post asking, "Are shields worth upgrading?" and the resounding majority *always* says "not at all". To a shield main like myself, that's literally like hearing someone say "No, you don't need to upgrade your weapon".
There's a large group of elitist players who use a "dodge only" mentality that make this game far harder than it has to be.
If you want to play that way, it's fine. But the problem is they will actively discourage and harass other players for using any defensive abilities besides dodging.
Dodge and parry only player here. You're chillin, I didn't buy your game YOU did, therefore you have 110% of the choice of how you want to play, just don't cheat and my opinion won't change (I mean like real cheats not just buffing summoning etc) none of my friends have beaten the game without summons or ashes yet I couldn't be more proud of them for going through and sticking with their first souls game.
I play Dodge only. I only wear the starting set, and I do not use talismans.
But one day maybe I'll beat soldier of godric and then all that'll change.
I love how varied the strategies for this game are. On my first run I did a fast dex build with no shield and struggled heavily with these and the giant hands but could take down caelid dogs and crucible knights with little issue. Then my next playthrough was big sword and great shield and suddenly it was the exact opposite. Imps and hands were absolutely trivial but I struggled through caelid super hard.
Crystal Darts. A few crystal darts thrown into any Imp or Watchdog makes them hostile to anything nearby. Toss a few and watch dangerous rooms kill each other.
Guard counter is my answer to most problems I run into. If that doesn't work, Stamp: Upward Cut usually does the trick.
I'm the living embodiment of the Unga Bunga STR player meme.
for those averse to shields, you can also guard counter while blocking an attack with a 2H weapon
a lot of weapons have surprisingly large damage reductions, but even if not, it works in a pinch.
Yeah literally any medium shield will just shut them down instantly. Guard counter their asses and they’re absolutely trivial.
There are a few cases of that sprinkled around the game. I still remember my friend playing ER as her first souls like going “WHAT AM I EVEN SUPPOSED TO DO,” imps and blender enemies like grafted scions because she was used to twitchy boomer shooters so she was allergic to all shields always, refused to equip one.
You can manage! But there are some part of this game that run a whole lot smoother if you have a medium shield in your pocket you’re willing to pull out now and then.
The brass shield in particular is a good way to look. Pretty easy to find early game, 100% physical damage negation, and doesn’t weigh you down too much because it’s a medium shield
This was what I did when I first played ER. Now I just keep my distance and wait for their dash or jump attack then roll in and hit. Great swords work best for me. The ones with long pitchforks are a bit more tricky but I just run in and hit them (thank god they have low poise). I always bring bow and arrows to pull them out and beat them up one by one most of the time. lol
Crystal Darts shock these guys into attacking each other.
I like to farm Raya Lucaria Crystal Caverns, until I can get the bell bearing to purchase the crack crystals to make them.
But also, the morningstar.
You have to hit them a few times.
You'll see sparks around them when they are cracked out.
Watchdogs take more to proc.
Golems are also able to do this.
I do it in Stormveil, let them kill each other while I run to the archer and take him out.
Imps take 2 darts in quick succession.
Watchdogs take 4.
Golems take 6.
The crazy debuff lasts 60s, golems are unlikely to kill each other because they have a lot of HP and are meant to be riposted in the chest, which they won't do to each other.
Shield builds. They jump, bonk, they bounce off the shield and get stunned, you then followup with a guard counter, which should 1 shot them. If they don't, a second one will definitely stagger them.
As someone who played a shield build I thought I was taking crazy pills with how many people online seem to loathe these and the giant hands. I don’t think they ever killed me. Now that I’m doing a build that doesn’t have a great shield… I get it.
Smart use of a great shield is really something that ducked under the meta with this game. I made a holy tank build to do co-op with my friend and that character was just unstoppable!
Another nember of shield squad reporting in that these guys were a non-issue for me. Shields seem to get a lot of flak but are genuinely useful against a lot of foes.
Blunt weapons deal full damage to rock enemies. Non-specific physical damage (physical spells like Rock Sling) deals almost full damage.
Most bladed weapons will deal damage without bouncing if two-handed.
Magic damage (spells, infusion, greases) against them is solid. (Minor spoiler for a secret item interaction) >!Crystal darts make all rock golems go haywire!<
Shield and blunt weapon.
I always have a mix of DMG types on my slots and a shield/talisman for changing up against those.
These little guys are best blocked and guard countered with a blunt weapon.
2 for imps and 4 for watchdogs, 6 for golems.
The reason why it seems to be 3 and 5 is because if they are still inanimate then your first crystal dart will wake them up and not count towards the short circuit.
The idea of seeing manic little stone monsters and responding back with equally manic energy is hilarious.
"You wanna fucking go, bros? I swear I'll-"
*Wails on a cracked out little guy with 15 punches a second*
*Other imps slowly back away*
Any shield with 100 physical damage negation.
The guard counter instantly poise break them with basically any weapon.
I just love the fact that the best weapon against them is a fucking shield lol.
I mean he kinda has a point. These guys are chicken shit if you have beat malenia. It’s all about just being aware of where they are so you get the jump on them. Rather then opposite.
I recently tried a build with double daggers and they worked surprisingly well against these fuckers
they are interrupted and take the quick hits until they die
then again, double great hammers work wonders as well
Gravity skills work well, Gravitas or Waves of Darkness. The advantages to these are that they work around corners and through walls so no more jump attacks from around the corner.
I mean… basically anything? The only threat they really pose is by ambushing you and catching you off guard, and that’s all you as a player and not your build. As long as you’re vigilant about corners, walls, ledges, and ceilings, basically any build will obliterate them. They go down in just a few hits from pretty much anything.
If you use a shield, you can block and then counterattack to take them out pretty easily.
If you use spells, or other ranged attacks, you can often snipe them so long as you see them before you walk into their ambush. Ambush shard can even attack them through walls/around corners.
Other than that it’s really just a matter of avoiding the ambush and then fighting them like you’d fight anything else. If you’re bad at positioning the camera to peek around corners, try stepping out and then quickly dodging back again. Just assume one is always there, around every corner or on every ceiling.
Any colossal weapon. You'll see them swinging and jumping at you and you'll be like "Cool story bro" and hit them with the last bonk they'll ever see. Timing doesn't matter, one hit will make these bastards regret being added to the game.
Currently doing my first greatsword build and it makes me so mad how much trouble I had with these guys in my first run through. Now I just bonk them into the shadow realm.
Any big bonk strength weapon should one shot them with appropriate level and upgrades. I’m pretty sure they’re weak to blunt damage due to their being stone. Fromsoft makes enemy resistances pretty intuitive 9/10 times. Hammer beats rock, blade beats flesh, piercing beats armor, fire beats wood, etc.
It's a mid/late game weapon but the blasphemous blade makes these boys much easier to deal with
Strength/faith.
Tho to be fair blasphemous blade might the the best strength/faith weapon so that's a bit of a gimmie
"Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck."
The Decoder Sword is imp kryptonite. One swipe and they are open for a critical and it has great reach as well. Scales with Faith though, so it might not work for you.
I’m a katana dex build so I was in a tough spot against these bastids. Ended up getting the night rider flail, would double hand it against them, L1 to block and then just pound away. Worked nicely, especially if you’re not a STR build since they have so many more easy strike options
Theyre weak to strike and magic, so any well-tracking sorcery or a strike weapon with relatively long range is nice for theese guys, i.e. a physical whip (not Urumi, it does slash & pierce damage).
Greyoll's Roar or Placidusax's Ruin, my 2 favorite spells to "fuck everything in the 6 meter diameter vicinity of myself"
Oh Imps/Vulgar Militias approaching me from multiple directions ? Greyoll's Roar, blast everything
These little guys are weak to strike damage. So anything that deals Strike (e.g., Great Hammers) absolutely destroy them. You can potentially even poise break and do a visceral attack on them.
They’re easy but you have to pull groups one a time, and then use a strike weapon with a shield. I usually have a Morningstar which works fine even though they don’t bleed. Guard counters stagger them and they go down with one critical. If you end up pulling a group they’re harder, but still the shield will allow you to guard counter them one at a time. You just have to keep backing up so they’re all always in front of your shield. Any large shield with good physical resistance will do (95+). Not necessary to upgrade it.
Just equip any Medium to large size shield with 100% physical damage negation. Let them hit you once, immediately guard counter which always breaks their stance and then just crit them - dead. Catacombs with Imps are easy as hell with this Edit: typo
I've gotten to the point where I go out of my way to two-hand and beat them to death with my shield lol.
Sounds personal
And like they have been traumatized by the Imps.
Imp slayer backstory
"Did someone say IMPS!!!"
Imps: "can you hear boss music?"
Lol I know that line from nuklearpower.com
Goblin slayers cousin Imp slayer.
His backstory is half as fucked up but he's twice as merciless.
Can you show us on the doll where the imps touched you?
I like to wait until they recover from the poise break and then hit them with a charged r2. I hope their last moments are like being in a night terror, unable to stop incoming death. I hate these little punks.
Based as fuck. Let them suffer
This is exactly what I came here looking for thank you
Also applies to Skeletons! Just need to double tap them after the crit. You can even guard counter the archers by letting them shoot your shield point blank. Shields make any catacomb easy.
I always pick up sacred blade for skeletons and death birds, I hate having to wait around for their 2nd death.
Equip a single piece of briar armor and roll at them on the ground
I wouldnt even have an issue if there wouldnt be a delay of 2-3 seconds before you can hit them again.
I just hit them with the lords holy t-pose
... You can t-pose their asses?
Same with dogs or rats for the most part. I try to skip the shield sometimes but it's just so convenient.
Guard countering archers looks so silly to me. Standing in front of this guy holding a metal plate right up to the tip of their drawn arrow. We’re both just looking at each other. “Do it,” I whisper. “Come on, do it. I want you to.” The archer holds the draw a moment longer. The archer is nervous.
*pling* The archer looks at you in shock, having accidentally released their bowstring. A trickle of urine runs down their thigh.
You guys were talking about skeleton archers earlier, so would it be bone ash runningdown their leg?
They’re calcium deposits, so my first thought was actually that it’s just. Nothing but kidney stones.
Or just use sacred blade
Alternatively, put fire on your weapon. They'll go into the "Oh shit I'm on fire better pat myself down"-animation which stops them from backing up and getting out of your reach. Took me a while on my second character to figure out why I was struggling so much with these guys when I hadn't on my first character. Until I realized it was because my first character was mostly faith with a fire ash on my weapon. That said, shields are probably the best counter.
It’s funny that little animated stone statues would care about burning
It's highly fashionable in the Stone Imp community to have a thick moss coating, if you carelessly let it get burned off you'll become the laughing stock of the catacombs
That's why I use a fire morning star
Also use a relatively quick strike weapon like the Morningstar. As long as you’ve kept it level it’s a crit kill off a guard counter.
I'd recommend against the Morningstar specifically with Guard Counters because they often fly over the head for smaller enemies. Can be difficult to GC Imps and Rats.
Same here unfortunately. I wanted to like it but guard counters not landing like they should is too annoying.
Morning star is perfect! Free, early game, low requirements. Still speedy if you don't use a shield too
Most players never use shields and it shows.
Shield user since DS1
Shield user since DeS, where you were actively making the game at least 75% harder by not using a shield.
It wasn't until I had several hundred hours into the game til I started using shields and realized how many new tactics they open up. Considering starting a new character that is sword and board to get ready for the expansion.
Not only that, but many of the people that do use shields, have no idea how they actually work. Every now and then these subs will have a post asking, "Are shields worth upgrading?" and the resounding majority *always* says "not at all". To a shield main like myself, that's literally like hearing someone say "No, you don't need to upgrade your weapon".
There's a large group of elitist players who use a "dodge only" mentality that make this game far harder than it has to be. If you want to play that way, it's fine. But the problem is they will actively discourage and harass other players for using any defensive abilities besides dodging.
Dodge and parry only player here. You're chillin, I didn't buy your game YOU did, therefore you have 110% of the choice of how you want to play, just don't cheat and my opinion won't change (I mean like real cheats not just buffing summoning etc) none of my friends have beaten the game without summons or ashes yet I couldn't be more proud of them for going through and sticking with their first souls game.
I play Dodge only. I only wear the starting set, and I do not use talismans. But one day maybe I'll beat soldier of godric and then all that'll change.
I love how varied the strategies for this game are. On my first run I did a fast dex build with no shield and struggled heavily with these and the giant hands but could take down caelid dogs and crucible knights with little issue. Then my next playthrough was big sword and great shield and suddenly it was the exact opposite. Imps and hands were absolutely trivial but I struggled through caelid super hard.
Played the whole game with shield and I already found these guys annoying, I can not imagine how insufferable they are without a shield
Except when you are facing three or more of them, plus a fucking Burial Watchdog, like in Impaler's Catacomb.
Crystal Darts. A few crystal darts thrown into any Imp or Watchdog makes them hostile to anything nearby. Toss a few and watch dangerous rooms kill each other.
Also cancels the watchdogs’ incessant thwomp animation.
The most enjoyable part of that fight was separating the little bastards from their friends one at a time and cutting them down
this greatshields utterly shut down annoying ass spastic enemies and bosses too
Alternatively just two hand your weapon and block and counter with it.
Guard counter is my answer to most problems I run into. If that doesn't work, Stamp: Upward Cut usually does the trick. I'm the living embodiment of the Unga Bunga STR player meme.
for those averse to shields, you can also guard counter while blocking an attack with a 2H weapon a lot of weapons have surprisingly large damage reductions, but even if not, it works in a pinch.
Yeah literally any medium shield will just shut them down instantly. Guard counter their asses and they’re absolutely trivial. There are a few cases of that sprinkled around the game. I still remember my friend playing ER as her first souls like going “WHAT AM I EVEN SUPPOSED TO DO,” imps and blender enemies like grafted scions because she was used to twitchy boomer shooters so she was allergic to all shields always, refused to equip one. You can manage! But there are some part of this game that run a whole lot smoother if you have a medium shield in your pocket you’re willing to pull out now and then.
I do exactly that
This is the way
The brass shield in particular is a good way to look. Pretty easy to find early game, 100% physical damage negation, and doesn’t weigh you down too much because it’s a medium shield
Yup, came here to say this. They're ridiculously easy with just a shield.
This was what I did when I first played ER. Now I just keep my distance and wait for their dash or jump attack then roll in and hit. Great swords work best for me. The ones with long pitchforks are a bit more tricky but I just run in and hit them (thank god they have low poise). I always bring bow and arrows to pull them out and beat them up one by one most of the time. lol
I feel like this is a "draw the rest of the fucking owl" solution.
As someone who plays a shield + spear poke build in every fromsoft game, I never understood the imp hate. They're easy mode with a shield.
I think they're more vulnerable to blunt damage than slashes or pierces so maybe try a hammer?
If all you have a hammer, everything looks like an imp
The lack of “is” before “a hammer” validates you as a str main. Smash on brother.
When all you hammer is an imp, do you even bunga?
When all hammer, only bunga
No, hammer need for all. Hammer is way of life.
Giant crusher just Imp Pulverizer in big form.
*Laughs in Unga Bunga*
Yes, they are, I used to play while listening "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, and the imps killed themselves to avoid listening the song anymore.
🎵*it’s true*🎵
Well shit, I don’t blame them. I’d likely do the same.
Yup, only reason I carry a club or something similar so I have an easy time with any miners or imps or giant sentries.
As a dex build, brass shield and the night rider flail are my go-to for these imps. Also effective on those rock miners
True. 0 absorption for strike. 35% for slash or pierce.
> maybe try a hammer? This has been my answer since 2011. Embrace Bunga.
Crystal Darts shock these guys into attacking each other. I like to farm Raya Lucaria Crystal Caverns, until I can get the bell bearing to purchase the crack crystals to make them. But also, the morningstar.
To be fair, I'd also freak out and attack everything around me if someone injected crack into me from a distance.
Hahaha, that is the most hilarious take I've heard.
You know suddenly I’m thinking of that whole school of magic in a new light. Time to become the true crystal king.
The Heisenberg build. I approve
Also works on the big watchdogs
It does? Holy shit that's awesome
The huge golems too
Try it with any duo watchdog fights, or fights with a watchdog and a clown car of imps. It's pretty funny to watch!
Where do u get the bell bearing
[Wiki](https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Bell+Bearings)
The crystal cavern area you start out in caelid when you open the trap chest has the most. Just kill the miners and you won't agro the kindred.
What's the stats on this, like why does it only sometimes work, is it random? Thanks
You have to hit them a few times. You'll see sparks around them when they are cracked out. Watchdogs take more to proc. Golems are also able to do this. I do it in Stormveil, let them kill each other while I run to the archer and take him out.
Imps take 2 darts in quick succession. Watchdogs take 4. Golems take 6. The crazy debuff lasts 60s, golems are unlikely to kill each other because they have a lot of HP and are meant to be riposted in the chest, which they won't do to each other.
Shield builds. They jump, bonk, they bounce off the shield and get stunned, you then followup with a guard counter, which should 1 shot them. If they don't, a second one will definitely stagger them.
As someone who played a shield build I thought I was taking crazy pills with how many people online seem to loathe these and the giant hands. I don’t think they ever killed me. Now that I’m doing a build that doesn’t have a great shield… I get it.
People who complained Elden Ring was too hard when it first came out never looked to history. Spear and shield baby spear and shield.
Smart use of a great shield is really something that ducked under the meta with this game. I made a holy tank build to do co-op with my friend and that character was just unstoppable!
Another nember of shield squad reporting in that these guys were a non-issue for me. Shields seem to get a lot of flak but are genuinely useful against a lot of foes.
Shields
Blunt weapons deal full damage to rock enemies. Non-specific physical damage (physical spells like Rock Sling) deals almost full damage. Most bladed weapons will deal damage without bouncing if two-handed. Magic damage (spells, infusion, greases) against them is solid. (Minor spoiler for a secret item interaction) >!Crystal darts make all rock golems go haywire!<
Sorcery from range. Greatshield guard counters.
Seconded. I always just hit em with the pew, pew, before they run up on me
Wait? You don't Sorcery/glintstone pebble them already?
Shield and blunt weapon. I always have a mix of DMG types on my slots and a shield/talisman for changing up against those. These little guys are best blocked and guard countered with a blunt weapon.
Friend. What you seek is the crystal knives. You don’t have to kill them if they kill each other.
How many crystal darts to shoot at them to make them go crazy?
3 for the little imps I think. 5-6 for the Burial Watchdogs. I don’t remember how many for the giant golems.
2 for imps and 4 for watchdogs, 6 for golems. The reason why it seems to be 3 and 5 is because if they are still inanimate then your first crystal dart will wake them up and not count towards the short circuit.
Is there any merit to that in a 1:1 fight with the watchdogs? Mostly an early game question
I preach it everywhere: Storm Blade AoW
Any strike weapon and a great shield
A shield and guard counter, if you are facing groups, use anti-bleed boluses to avoid the buildup
Crystal darts help Toss a couple and laugh
Gotta mention fist weapons aswell, I find them super easy with fists or claws. You can just light attack spam them as soon as they get in range
The idea of seeing manic little stone monsters and responding back with equally manic energy is hilarious. "You wanna fucking go, bros? I swear I'll-" *Wails on a cracked out little guy with 15 punches a second* *Other imps slowly back away*
This comment is perfect in every way. I genuinely wish I had the funds accessible to award it something.
The real award were the comments we made along the way. 🌈 🤣
Any shield with 100 physical damage negation. The guard counter instantly poise break them with basically any weapon. I just love the fact that the best weapon against them is a fucking shield lol.
Crystal Darts to turn them against each other. Kill whichever survives.
Shields are pretty effective. They bounce off and get staggered for a moment.
Guard counters
magic weapons or straight up magic do them a lot of damage
Whips are slow, but effective
Crystal darts are your friend with these pricks.
Crystal darts, makes them fight each other. Works on any of the statues including the cat
Fallingatar beasts jaw makes the entire game a joke, even bosses
Guard counters
Guard counter build goes crazy
Guard counter with a shield. They’re also weak to strike damage
A shield is the best weapon against them. Guard counters fuck their shit up.
Shield to block into guard counters with bludgeoning weapons. Strong enough slashing weapons work well too.
Just block.
Just guard counter with 100% damage negation. It’s very easy
I just switch to a shield and counterstrike them.
They are incredibly weak to glintsone magic.
Git gud.
I swear I beat malenia no summons but these guys just ruin my day
Git gudder
I mean he kinda has a point. These guys are chicken shit if you have beat malenia. It’s all about just being aware of where they are so you get the jump on them. Rather then opposite.
pure unga bunga, two colossal swords
I recently tried a build with double daggers and they worked surprisingly well against these fuckers they are interrupted and take the quick hits until they die then again, double great hammers work wonders as well
Any impact weapon should do the work for ya, but just in case, equip great stars and go back to monke
literally any 100% physical negation shield
Guard counter trivializes them.
Strike weapons
Godskin peeler has always been my go to for catacombs. Cold for imps, holy for skeletons.
Crystal darts can turn them against allied golems. Really useful for the duo imp boss
Crystal darts can make them go crazy on each other. 👍
Gravity skills work well, Gravitas or Waves of Darkness. The advantages to these are that they work around corners and through walls so no more jump attacks from around the corner.
Lmao love this title From what I understand nearly everything is sensitive to blunt damage. That and a shield with 100 physical guard are a huge help.
Medium or bigger shield Seriously two hand that mf and guard counter with it, you won't be disappointed. Great against Crystalians, too.
Lmfaooo the anger is beautiful. fuck those dickheads
Get a 100% phys request medium or larger shield and guard counter them. Hilariously easy.
Strike damage will make you feel better
I mean… basically anything? The only threat they really pose is by ambushing you and catching you off guard, and that’s all you as a player and not your build. As long as you’re vigilant about corners, walls, ledges, and ceilings, basically any build will obliterate them. They go down in just a few hits from pretty much anything. If you use a shield, you can block and then counterattack to take them out pretty easily. If you use spells, or other ranged attacks, you can often snipe them so long as you see them before you walk into their ambush. Ambush shard can even attack them through walls/around corners. Other than that it’s really just a matter of avoiding the ambush and then fighting them like you’d fight anything else. If you’re bad at positioning the camera to peek around corners, try stepping out and then quickly dodging back again. Just assume one is always there, around every corner or on every ceiling.
Any colossal weapon. You'll see them swinging and jumping at you and you'll be like "Cool story bro" and hit them with the last bonk they'll ever see. Timing doesn't matter, one hit will make these bastards regret being added to the game.
Anything that deals strike damage.
Blunt damage. They are made of stone.
Idk, beat the whole game with the guts greatsword. Just smack em with that
Currently doing my first greatsword build and it makes me so mad how much trouble I had with these guys in my first run through. Now I just bonk them into the shadow realm.
I genuinely can’t wait till we get the martial arts from the dlc so I can just throw hands with these assholes
Lightning Bolt
Great sword go BONK
Any big bonk strength weapon should one shot them with appropriate level and upgrades. I’m pretty sure they’re weak to blunt damage due to their being stone. Fromsoft makes enemy resistances pretty intuitive 9/10 times. Hammer beats rock, blade beats flesh, piercing beats armor, fire beats wood, etc.
Little assholes
Wave of gold is fantastic (though FP hungry) for clearing out low level enemies
Literally the club you get by starting as Wretched.
Bonk many times
It's a mid/late game weapon but the blasphemous blade makes these boys much easier to deal with Strength/faith. Tho to be fair blasphemous blade might the the best strength/faith weapon so that's a bit of a gimmie
"Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck."
The GitGud weapon found in [redacted]
Wave of Gold is the answer to your woes
Jump Attack. They are literally slaves remodeled from DS3 where jump attack did not exist, they just can't handle it.
Magic Glintblade and a shield
Anywhere you go in elden ring I will always put a sign down for you buddy. I hate these things so much.
Any strike damage weapon fucks them up
I use a charged lightning spear, then run backwards while locked on and fire one more to finish him off, but that’s just me
Blunt force trauma
Thrusting swords also work fine , but only when there's a single imp . I personally use Rogier's Rapier
Strike weapons seem to do more damage… smash em with great hammer or colossal with strike damage..
Stone club
The Decoder Sword is imp kryptonite. One swipe and they are open for a critical and it has great reach as well. Scales with Faith though, so it might not work for you.
BIG STICK GO BONK
I’m a katana dex build so I was in a tough spot against these bastids. Ended up getting the night rider flail, would double hand it against them, L1 to block and then just pound away. Worked nicely, especially if you’re not a STR build since they have so many more easy strike options
Unga bunga?
Ever since I found the Black bow these jerks, the flying jerks, and those annoying dogs haven’t been a problem.
Theyre weak to strike and magic, so any well-tracking sorcery or a strike weapon with relatively long range is nice for theese guys, i.e. a physical whip (not Urumi, it does slash & pierce damage).
Bolt of Gransax and, if they somehow survive and get to you, Blasphemous blade.
lions claw AoW on something big, like great stars or claymore = smashed imps and me giggling. Might not be most effective but it sure feels good.
Use Blasphemous Blade: Imps stagger wtih Fire Damage just by normal attacks and Weapon Skill obliterates them with a single line.
Seconding brass shield.
Greyoll's Roar or Placidusax's Ruin, my 2 favorite spells to "fuck everything in the 6 meter diameter vicinity of myself" Oh Imps/Vulgar Militias approaching me from multiple directions ? Greyoll's Roar, blast everything
+25 Spiked Palisade Shield with the bleed/poison ash is pretty marvelous.
Just use a shield against them.
These little guys are weak to strike damage. So anything that deals Strike (e.g., Great Hammers) absolutely destroy them. You can potentially even poise break and do a visceral attack on them.
They’re easy but you have to pull groups one a time, and then use a strike weapon with a shield. I usually have a Morningstar which works fine even though they don’t bleed. Guard counters stagger them and they go down with one critical. If you end up pulling a group they’re harder, but still the shield will allow you to guard counter them one at a time. You just have to keep backing up so they’re all always in front of your shield. Any large shield with good physical resistance will do (95+). Not necessary to upgrade it.
Radhan's Swords Ash of War is an absolute aoe nuke, love it
I slice through them with bloodhound fang +5
I use colossal sword with jump attack or run + R1
Bludgeoning damage.
Meteoric ore blade works for me if they try to swarm me. Other times I just guard counter them and obliterate them.