FromSoftware's enemy designs are infamous for their difficulty. But this difficulty does not inherently come from awkward AI. Instead, the player must typically have the patience to learn proper parry or roll windows between strikes of their own, as well as take advantage of all other resources available to them to even the odds. This is no different in Elden Ring.
There are a few standout bosses in Elden Ring that have given players a great deal of trouble since launch. Margit, the Fell Omen, for example, is certainly up there in terms of the difficulty players have expressed within Limgrave's Stormveil Castle. But it seems that there is a trick to some of Elden Ring's bosses and enemies that players have found rather tricky or deceptive, especially because it subverts a common attack animation that players can usually detect and telegraph in other FromSoftware titles.
Redditor WeeziMonkey has offered a stick-figure diagram to represent the considerable attack animation delay that many Elden Ring enemies possess. First, WeeziMonkey illustrates that when "normal bosses" raise their arms, an attack is likely to follow and players are supposed to react to those animation frames with an evasive roll or some other tactic. However, they then illustrate that when Elden Ring's bosses raise their arms, a prolonged delay follows where the enemy tracks the player and does not drop their arm or attack, which incites players' panic and paranoia.
Players may then roll or behave as if an attack would follow, and are punished with a delayed attack as a result. Of course, players instinctively want to react or predict movements in order to avoid taking an unnecessary hit because enemy attacks in Elden Ring are lethal, particularly when up against bosses. But if players are steadfast and resist reacting to these fake-out animations, they may see that some enemies wait for the player's predicted reaction and punish them accordingly.
It can be hard to initially track these move-sets and learn proper frame-windows when enemies deliberately delay and follow-up on a whim. That, or the boss may enter into a multi-hit combo that seems endless. Whether true or not, fans do seem to agree that Elden Ring's bosses react to the player's actions more than in previous FromSoftware games; for example, some fans argue that enemies will quickly launch themselves at players if they drink from a Flask of Crimson Tears.
This proves that patience and practice reward players who are able to properly time these delayed and sometimes canceled animations. Fortunately, players also have access to Spirit Ash summons, incantations, Wondrous Physick, and many other resources to help them in combat aside from melee hit-and-run tactics.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.