A triumphant Elden Ring invader was awarded a number of Runes so astronomically large that it would be able to level a newly made Deprived character 314 times. Although some skilled players have managed to complete Elden Ring without the strength of Runes, the majority find them to be an invaluable resource.
Elden Ring PvP does not offer much of an incentive outside the potential for unbridled, disorganized, and messy fun. Albeit the best method of farming Rune Arcs, a consumable required to activate the Great Runes that can be acquired after defeating Shardbearers, the inability to make use of them as an invader or summoned ally turn them into a negligible reward. Runes, Elden Ring's currency, are another way in which successful invaders are rewarded for their efforts. The reward is typically a fixed amount, calculated as a percentage of the most recent leveling cost associated with the player that was just killed. In theory, this acts as a consistent means of recompense for the victors of Elden Ring's online multiplayer, but in practice grants an amount of Runes so minuscule that it is both quicker and easier to defeat NPC enemies in single-player.
However, a video uploaded to Reddit by MemoryLostInDarkness shows a phantom accidentally doing their best to compensate for the pitiful standard offerings of Runes. Battling inside the ruined Church of Elleh, an invader is seen equipped with a respectable consumable build, wearing the Jar Helm for increased damage dealt by items crafted with the Cracked Pot and Ritual Pot. The fight shown is brief, with the invader's Spark Aromatics producing a wide arc of sparks that easily take care of the host and their accompanying Furled Finger.
Given that the host dies first, their Rune reward of 31 displays before anything else, but the accumulative total for the invader becomes 86,155,735. It means the Furled Finger dropped approximately 86 million Runes, which is an impossible number. Invaders are given 4% of their victim's most recent leveling cost, which means the highest possible amount from a maximum-level player is just under 355,000. Any value above this is a strong indication that they are cheating.
Most would assume that this occurred on PC, a platform that is known for hackers and cheaters plaguing FromSoftware releases, but MemoryLostInDarkness noted that it was in fact on a PlayStation 4. Comments deduced that the Furled Finger was likely using a hex editor to boost their level past the natural limit. Unfortunately for them, summoned NPCs are capped to prevent unfair play, which is why their health was considerably under 1000 and saw them subsequently defeated easily by a low-level character.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
