Elden Ring has only been commercially available for a short while, but fans are already hard at work discovering the limitations of the game. Part of this appears to involve figuring out what the strongest builds are for both regular gameplay and the game's PvP Invasion feature. One Elden Ring player recently shared a short clip of themselves easily repelling an invader to show the current status of the so-called PvP meta.
There are a number of ways Elden Ring players can interact with each other in-game, from leaving messages to touching the bloodstains left behind by another player's death. Invasions allow players to enter the worlds of other gamers and attack them. Invaders appear as red spirits in the game so they can be easily identified by their would-be victims.
Redditor aloofbit shared a 22-second-long video showcasing their hilarious but brutally effective counter to an invasion attempt. The video begins by showing aloofbit's character watching an invader from a distance, seemingly taking advantage of Elden Ring's stealth mechanics. After a loud shout from another player appears to give away their position, they stand up and prepare to attack. The invader manages to land just one blow on them before their Ash of War derails the whole conflict.
In the video, aloofbit uses Ash of War: Lightning Ram, one of the many Ash of War items players can gather in Elden Ring, to completely destroy the invader. This Ash of War allows players to tumble forwards wreathed in a cocoon of lightning. The tumble can be repeated, which aloofbit uses to devastating effect. The invader doesn't get in any more hits before being bowled over, forced to stumble backward, and finally killed. It would appear that aloofbit is using this video to argue that Ash of War: Lightning Ram should occupy a high place in the game's PvP meta.
As of writing, it appears that other Elden Ring fans are impressed and amused by aloofbit's PvP tactic. Several users expressed interest in learning which Ash of War was used in the video and where it could be found. One user immediately recognized it as the roll that Lightning Rams, the scarier cousin to Elden Ring's rolling sheep, use. A second group of users began comparing the lightning roll to Sonic the Hedgehog's spin attacks. There is a certain resemblance between the two moves, although Sonic is frequently portrayed with homing attacks the Ash of War lacks.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.