Elden Ring is the latest fantasy RPG developed by famous game studio FromSoftware. As is expected by the developers of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Elden Ring features rich lore, a multitude of classes and builds to choose from, and of course, difficult combat and bosses. Elden Ring does mark many new things for FromSoftware games as well, such as the new open world in Elden Ring and its setting, which was designed in part by fantasy author George R.R. Martin.
Given the previous reputation and popularity of FromSoftware titles, many were eager to see the release of Elden Ring last month. The game proved incredibly popular with both critics and fans alike, making Elden Ring one of the highest rated games of all time. FromSoftware saw that improvements and tweaks could be made to the game, though, and have recently released the first major patch for Elden Ring, changing some key gameplay elements.
Unlike the smaller hotfixes and other patches that have dropped for Elden Ring since its release, Patch 1.03 is a huge balance patch, looking to nerf some exploits players have found, as well as buffing other less utilized builds. There's also a new NPC added to the game and the update adds quality of life changes to quests through additional quest phases. Despite the changes bringing greater balance to Elden Ring, the game's speedrunners are not happy with the latest update.
As was the case with previous FromSoftware titles, Elden Ring is popular with speedrunners, who now believe that their current meta has been demolished, after the changes that were made to Ash of War and Hoarfrost Stomp. With Elden Ring speedrun records constantly getting broken, it seemed that players were still settling into the most efficient ways to play the game, though many had agreed the Hoarfrost Stomp nerf was necessary, such as Elden Ring YouTuber Syrobe. Hoarfrost Stomp was seen by many as overpowered in Elden Ring's PvP modes.
Despite some players saying "RIP" to Elden Ring speedruns, speedrunning in the game is unlikely to die off entirely. As with most games that are consistently receiving updates, the meta will constantly be shifting as new builds become overpowered while stronger ones get nerfed. For now though, Elden Ring speedrunners are still in mourning of their Remembrance runs, though streamer Elajjaz did tweet out that it was "time to find a new route," as is the case for all Elden Ring speedrunners now.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
