Elden Ring nerfs two of its most popular boss cheese strategies just in time for Shadow of the Erdtree
A time for celebration and mourning
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Elden Ring’sShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion is almost upon us (check theElden Ring DLC release timehere for your region and platform). Today should be a time of celebration for ye Tarnished - eager for more lashings, boss-induced self-doubt, and decaying beasts - but a new Elden Ring patch has slightly dulled my buzz with a nerf to two of the game’s best boss-cheesing strategies, including my beloved bubbles.
Make sure youbeat Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden RingandStarscourge Radahnif you want to start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
DeveloperFromSoftwaredropped a patch on the eve of the Elden Ring DLC, and the majority of the changes are welcome bug fixes, new hairstyles, anda rideable Torrent for the last boss fight. The downside? Both the Cerulean Hidden Tear and the Bubble Shower unique skill have been nerfed.
For the untarnished, Bubble Shower is an ability exclusive to the Envoy’s Long Horn weapon - you essentially blow magical bubbles towards enemies in an attack that quickly eviscerates boss health pools (and guided me to the credits.) Both its base damage and poise damage have been nerfed, according to the1.12 patch notes. The severity of the nerf remains unclear at the time of writing, but still, I say again:my beloved bubbles.
On the other hand, Cerulean Hidden Tear, the Physick item that temporarily eliminates all FP (mana) consumption and unshackles players to endlessly cast spells, also received a nerf in the form of decreased effect duration. A sad day for cheesers, for sure. Horror of horrors, your Comet Azur may be slightly shorter now.
It’s especially distressing news consideringElden Ring’s director Hidetaka Miyazaki, in some of his scariest comments yet, explained that Shadow of the Erdtree has “pushed the envelope in terms of what we think can be withstood by the player.” Yet here I stand with weaker bubbles. At least he admitsthe base game’s poison swamps “went a little too far.”
Check outthe Elden Ring scholar that made a dictionary for every name in the RPG, somehow already including Shadow of the Erdtree.
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
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