Is Mimic Tear Ash Still Good in Elden Ring? Absolutely! A Comprehensive Guide
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The short answer is a resounding YES, the Mimic Tear Ash remains one of the best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring, even after various patches and rebalancing efforts. Its unparalleled versatility, ability to mimic your build, and sheer survivability make it an invaluable tool for tackling challenging bosses and exploring dangerous areas of the Lands Between. While some nerfs have tempered its power, it still reigns supreme among many players.
Why the Mimic Tear Ash Remains a Top Choice
The Mimic Tear’s enduring popularity stems from several key advantages:
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Mimicking Your Build: The Mimic Tear spawns a clone of your character, equipped with your current weapons, armor, talismans, and spells. This allows it to perfectly complement your playstyle, whether you’re a melee powerhouse, a spell-slinging sorcerer, or a faith-based incantation user.
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Unmatched Versatility: Unlike specialized Spirit Ashes that excel in specific situations, the Mimic Tear is effective against a wide range of enemies and bosses. Its adaptability makes it a reliable companion throughout your Elden Ring journey.
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Significant Health Pool: Even with its post-launch health reduction, the Mimic Tear still boasts a considerable health pool, allowing it to withstand substantial damage and serve as a valuable distraction for enemies.
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Aggro Management: The Mimic Tear is excellent at drawing enemy aggro, giving you precious breathing room to heal, cast spells, or unleash powerful attacks.
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Ease of Acquisition: Located in Nokron, Eternal City, the Mimic Tear Ash is relatively easy to obtain compared to some other high-tier Spirit Ashes. You simply need to defeat the Mimic Tear boss at night, accessible from the Ancestral Woods site of grace and then proceed until you reach a cathedral-like structure with the boss arena.
What Has Changed? The Nerfs Explained
While the Mimic Tear Ash remains powerful, it’s important to acknowledge the nerfs it has received:
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Health Reduction: One of the most significant changes was a reduction in the Mimic Tear’s overall health. This makes it somewhat less tanky than it was in the initial release.
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AI Adjustments: The AI of the Mimic Tear has been tweaked to make it slightly less aggressive and more prone to making mistakes. This prevents it from completely dominating encounters.
Maximizing the Mimic Tear’s Potential
To get the most out of your Mimic Tear Ash, consider these tips:
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Equip Your Best Gear: The Mimic Tear will mirror your current loadout, so ensure you have your strongest weapons, armor, and talismans equipped when summoning it. Experimenting with different weapon arts and spells also gives a wider set of abilities that the Mimic Tear can utilize.
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Consider Your Talisman Choices: Talismans that benefit your overall build will also benefit the Mimic Tear. Focus on talismans that boost attack power, defense, or survivability.
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Manage FP: While the Mimic Tear doesn’t consume your FP to stay active, it does use FP when casting spells or using weapon arts. If you are low on FP, make sure you are not summoning the Mimic Tear. This ensures that the summon uses the full FP bar for longer periods of time.
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Upgrade the Ash: Upgrading the Mimic Tear Ash to +10 at Roderika is crucial for maximizing its health, damage output, and overall effectiveness. This should be a priority for any player relying on spirit ashes for difficult fights.
Who Should Use the Mimic Tear Ash?
The Mimic Tear Ash is beneficial for almost any Elden Ring build, but it’s particularly effective for:
- Hybrid Builds: Builds that combine melee combat with magic or faith benefit greatly from the Mimic Tear’s versatility.
- Solo Players: The Mimic Tear provides valuable support and companionship for players who prefer to tackle the game solo.
- Players Struggling with Bosses: If you’re having trouble defeating a particular boss, the Mimic Tear can provide the extra edge you need to succeed.
Alternatives to the Mimic Tear Ash
While the Mimic Tear is a top-tier choice, some other excellent Spirit Ashes can be more suitable for certain situations:
- Black Knife Tiche: Deals high damage and has good mobility.
- Lhutel the Headless: Highly durable and provides excellent crowd control.
- Cleanrot Knight Finlay: High damage output with Scarlet Rot build up.
- Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff: Tanky and can draw aggro effectively with lightning attacks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Mimic Tear Ash
1. How do I get the Mimic Tear Ash?
The Mimic Tear Ash is located in Nokron, Eternal City. After defeating Radahn, Starscourge, a crater will open up in the Limgrave region. Head to the crater and navigate through Nokron until you reach the Ancestral Woods site of grace. From there, head towards the large, cathedral-like structure. You will fight a Mimic Tear boss which looks exactly like your character, upon beating this boss you get the Mimic Tear Ash.
2. Is the Mimic Tear Ash worth upgrading?
Yes! Absolutely! Upgrading the Mimic Tear Ash to +10 significantly increases its health, damage, and overall effectiveness, making it a much more reliable companion.
3. How does the Mimic Tear Ash decide what to do in combat?
The Mimic Tear Ash mirrors your equipped weapons, armor, talismans, and spells, and utilizes them similarly to how you would. Its AI is programmed to mimic your actions and adapt to the combat situation.
4. Does the Mimic Tear Ash use my consumables?
No, the Mimic Tear Ash does not use your consumables like flasks or throwing knives. It only utilizes weapons, spells, and weapon arts.
5. Can the Mimic Tear Ash be summoned in all areas?
No, the Mimic Tear Ash cannot be summoned in all areas. You can only summon it in areas where the summoning bell icon appears on the left side of the screen.
6. How much FP does it cost to summon the Mimic Tear Ash?
The Mimic Tear Ash costs 66 FP to summon.
7. Does the Mimic Tear Ash benefit from my buffs?
Yes, the Mimic Tear Ash benefits from most buffs that you apply to yourself, such as weapon buffs, incantations, and sorceries.
8. What armor should I wear when summoning the Mimic Tear Ash?
Wear your best armor or the armor that provides the best balance of protection and mobility for your build. The Mimic Tear Ash will mimic whatever armor you are wearing.
9. Does the Mimic Tear Ash use my weapon arts?
Yes, the Mimic Tear Ash will use your weapon arts. It will typically use them strategically to deal damage or stagger enemies.
10. Is the Mimic Tear Ash better than other Spirit Ashes?
It depends on the situation and your build. While the Mimic Tear Ash is generally considered one of the best, other Spirit Ashes like Black Knife Tiche or Lhutel the Headless may be more effective in certain scenarios.
11. How does the Mimic Tear Ash scale?
The Mimic Tear Ash scales with your character’s attributes. The higher your stats, the more effective the Mimic Tear Ash will be.
12. Can the Mimic Tear Ash be healed?
No, you cannot directly heal the Mimic Tear Ash. However, it can be passively healed by certain incantations or skills.
13. Does the Mimic Tear Ash take damage from friendly fire?
Yes, the Mimic Tear Ash can take damage from friendly fire, so be careful when using area-of-effect spells or attacks.
14. What’s the best weapon to equip when summoning the Mimic Tear Ash?
Equip your strongest weapon or the weapon that best suits the enemy you are facing. Experiment to see which weapon works best for the Mimic Tear’s AI.
15. Why does my Mimic Tear sometimes do nothing?
This can happen if your FP is too low when summoning it, or if the AI is having trouble navigating the environment. Make sure you have sufficient FP and try summoning it in a more open area. It can also occur if you are overburdened as the Mimic Tear will also be overburdened if the player is when summoned.
In conclusion, even after the nerfs, the Mimic Tear Ash remains an incredibly powerful and versatile tool in Elden Ring. Its ability to mimic your build, draw aggro, and deal substantial damage makes it an invaluable asset for tackling challenging bosses and exploring the vast world of the Lands Between. By understanding its strengths and weaknesses, and by following the tips outlined in this guide, you can maximize the Mimic Tear Ash’s potential and conquer any obstacle that stands in your way.