You know it’s going to be a polarizing day when FromSoftware drops an Elden Ring balance patch. The latest 1.14 update addresses several aspects of the game players criticized, including the final boss battle and certain underutilized spells introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Fair warning to players who haven’t beaten the DLC yet: There will be spoilers about the final boss below.
At first glance, the patch notes are quite extensive, but the major changes you will want to know are the adjustments made to the Promised Consort Radahn boss battle. If you have already fought the final Shadow of the Erdtree boss and are struggling to defeat him, now is the best time to try again because you should see some notable changes to the boss fight and his attack animations.
As of Patch 1.14, every one of Radahn’s attacks has greater visibility, allowing you to dodge his attacks more effectively. Radahn’s recovery and attack speed have also been reduced, granting longer attack windows to take down the boss.
If you end up blocking or taking Radahn’s attacks head-on, you will also notice he doesn’t hit as hard as he used to. This is because of another nerf to his attack and stamina damage, allowing you to block more effectively. With these changes, there is no better time to tackle Radahn than now.
Apart from the boss battle, FromSoftware made a few changes to certain DLC spells to make them more viable in battle. These are the notable spells that were buffed.
- Aspects of the Crucible: Bloom – Increased hitbox size and attack speed with a shorter recovery time between follow-up attacks.
- Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns – Increased damage output and stamina attack power against guarding enemies.
- Bayle’s Flame Lightning – Increased damage output.
- Divine Bird Feathers – Increased attack range and reduced delay between consecutive hits.
- Furious Blade of Ansbach – Increased poise damage and knockback distance on attack.
- Midra’s Flame of Frenzy – Increased attack speed and Frenzy buildup on enemies while reducing self Frenzy buildup.
- Rellana’s Twin Moons – Increased attack range while reducing the knockback effect of the second moon attack.
Apart from the spells, a few weapon arts were balanced better for PvP. These weapon arts include the Rakshasa’s Great Katana’s Weed Cutter, the Smithscript Shield’s Discus Hurl, and the Ash of War: Scattershot Throw.
Patch 1.14 also addresses several notable bugs that have plagued the game since the DLC was released. For the full patch notes, check out the Bandai Namco website’s update page.
