In From Software they are sadistic. They are also misunderstood comedians. And incredible designers. When you combine these things with a community that takes itself too seriously, you get what has happened with the Elden Ring DLC: people who have not wanted to use all the tools that the game offers to complete balanced content, thinking that you will use everything. This has led to a lot of frustration. And several patches. Including the one they just released.
With patch 1.13, not only have they fixed different bugs that the game had. They haven’t just made several balance changes for the game’s PvP either. They have decided to take the bull by the horns and accept that maybe, it’s true, the difficulty of Shadow of the Erdtree sometimes borders on the insane. But they haven’t done it without leaving a little sting. Because maybe the improvements are not what the public expected.
All the spirits that we can summon throughout the game, except the Mimetic Tear, have seen an increase in their attack and their ability to negate damage as we upgrade them. Similarly, all the NPCs that can help us fight the final boss of the game have improved both their stats and their condition, making them more useful to summon in combat. From Software is sending a very clear message: summon. If you want to kill the final boss of the game, summon people. That’s what the mechanism is for. Summon. They even ask you to do it through patches.
Are there changes in the weapons? Yes, there are. All strength-based weapons, as well as dual weapons, have significantly improved their damage. Additionally, there are also a handful of spells. In PvP. As for PvE, the only thing that has changed is the damage increase for some crossbows and cannons, making them more efficient. So, when it comes to balancing the difficulty of the DLC, From Software is still sending a very clear message. Summon. For the love of God. Summon.
All of this does not take away from the fact that, indeed, the difficulty of this DLC may have been a bit excessive. Particularly, for those players who insist on not interacting with all the game’s tools. Although we are of the opinion that it is not such a difficult DLC, From Software is doing everything to accommodate players without deviating from their original intention. Something we respect and that’s why we like this patch so much. Because it teaches us valuable life lessons. Such as the importance of asking for help when you need it.
