FromSoftware has recently released a new patch for Elden Ring, their latest RPG, but while some gameplay updates in the patch are extremely obvious, others are less so. The nerfs of extremely powerful weapon skills such as Bloodhound Step and Corpse Piler, for instance, were long awaited by players, but other updates in Elden Ring‘s 1.06 patch are far more subtle and hard to notice if players aren’t actively looking for them. These include small buffs to certain weapon move-sets, the elimination of sequence-breaking glitches used by speed-runners, and even a new option for progressing a certain questline.
Ever since the game’s release back in late February 2022, Elden Ring‘s convention-breaking developers at FromSoftware have been responding to player feedback and compiling regular updates to fix perceived gameplay issues and improve the accessibility of the RPG as a whole. One major example of this is an update applied to the game menu that appears when Elden Ring player characters rest at a Sight of Lost Grace checkpoint; if players possess the materials needs to upgrade the number of charges or the restorative powers of their healing/magical energy flasks, a golden dot will appear next to the “Flasks” menu option. Updates like these aren’t quite as exciting as the buffing/nerfing of fantasy weapons/magic, but do massively improve Elden Ring‘s gameplay and story by ensuring players won’t lose track of when/if they can upgrade their primary restorative resources.
For the most part, members of the Elden Ring gaming community have vocally praised FromSoftware’s decision to reduce the potency of the Corpse Piler skill (a long-ranged blood splash ability iconic to the Rivers Of Blood katana) and the Bloodhound Step skill (a smoke-veiled dodge ability that carries players a long distance). In previous versions of Elden Ring, these two skills were seen by many players as overpowered, particularly in PvP. As of patch 10.6, the damage and Hemorrhage status build-up of Corpse Piler has been greatly reduced at long range, forcing Elden Ring Rivers Of Blood katana users to close with their PvP opponents to deal high amounts of damage. By the same token, the Bloodhound Step skill has been adjusted so that repeated uses of it become less effective over time, forcing Elden Ring players to use it more tactically. However, these weapon Skill revisions are just the tip of the iceburg that is patch 10.6; many other subtler changes have been made to the gameplay and interface of Elden Ring, bringing the game closer to FromSofware’s original intent for better or worse.
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Elden Ring’s Multiplayer Has New Co-op Summoning Options
Previous versions of Elden Ring had already revolutionized co-op gameplay mechanics first introduced in FromSoftware’s earlier Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls RPGs. Easily accessed items such as the Furlcalling Finger Remedy and the Tarnished’s Furled Finger let players quickly lay down and access summon signs right from the start of an Elden Ring playthrough, while the Small Golden Effigy item lets players send their summon signs to Stakes of Marika located outside nearby boss arenas. The 1.06 patch for Elden Ring expanded the utility of the Small Golden Effigy, adding a new menu where players can choose between sending their summon signs to Stakes in their current region or to distant regions entirely; this new quality-of-life feature will make it easier for players of Elden Ring to seamlessly summon co-op partners outside of peak playtimes while letting other players avoid spoilers by being summoned into places they haven’t visited yet.
Elden Ring’s Great Weapon Movesets Have Been Buffed
Ever since Demon’s Souls, FromSoftware developers of Soulslike RPGs have been trying to balance out the perks and downsides of wielding light and fast weapons vs. heavy but hard-hitting weapons. To this end, the recent Elden Ring 1.06 patch has adjusted the move-sets of weapons in the Greatsword, Curved Greatsword, and Great Hammer categories in order to make them more viable for players in PvP and PvE. The speed of heavy attacks and certain light attacks for these cool Elden Ring weapons has been increased and the recovery time for attack movements has been shortened, making it generally easier for players to strike a foe, then roll out of the way before the enemy can strike back. The speed of Guard Counters has been increased as well for heavy weapons, making it easier for Elden Ring players to use this proto-parry ability against boss enemies and fellow players.
Elden Ring’s Light Rolls Have Been Buffed
In Soulslike RPGs ranging from Demon’s Souls to Dark Souls 3, the total weight of a player character’s equipment affects how quickly they can roll, and Elden Ring’s armor and poise rules are no different. Heavy armor and weapons coupled with low Stamina will cause players to roll slowly and awkwardly, while lighter armor and weapons gives players access to swifter “medium” or “light” rolls with longer periods of invincibility.
The recent 1.06 update has increased the distance Elden Ring players can roll if lightly equipped or possessed of a high Endurance attribute score. Besides making “naked speedruns” more viable, the “light” encumbrance status also increases the travel distance of players using “Bloodhound Step” or “Quickstep,” partially canceling out the nerf FromSoftware applied to these weapon skills.
Elden Ring’s Bloody Finger Questline No Longer Mandates PvP Invasions
Elden Ring Patch NPC Invasion Magnus The Beast Claw
To progress through Elden Ring‘s White-Faced Varré and his questline (Varré being the NPC representative of the blood-obsessed in-game faction called The Bloody Fingers), Elden Ring players previously needed to accept the Bloody Finger PvP item from him, then invade players in other worlds with it at least three times. The 1.06 update, however, added a new NPC character players can invade in offline mode (his invasion sign can be found near the Writheblood Ruins in Altus Plateau). After defeating Magnus the Beast Claw, a Tarnished who wields a massive Great Stars mace and uses Bestial Incantations, Varré’s quest dialogue will progress as if the player had performed their requisite set of PvP duels/invasions in Elden Ring. Besides letting players with no interest in PvP complete a dark yet interesting questline, this new change also makes it easier for speed-runners to gain access to the Mohgwyn Palace region, a popular location for farming “Rune” experience points.