Only after 3 weeks from launch, Bandai Namco Entertainment has already released a large patch for Elden Ring: Version 1.03. The patch applies to every device capable of playing Elden Ring, and must be applied by players in order to access online play. Version 1.03 mainly adds fixes to numerous bugs; however, some popular objects among players were affected by several balance changes.
The main items that were nerfed are Mimic Tear and Hoarfrost Stomp. Mimic tear is a Spirit Ash summon that creates an exact replica of the player that fights alongside the player. However, due to the nature of the summon, players would apply their strongest equipment for the summon, and then let the summon do most of the work for harder boss fights. To counter this strategy, the summon’s damage has been reduced around 50% and does not use as many powerful attacks as before.
Hoarfrost Stomp is a melee skill that not only applies frost damage, but was very high in damage and area of attack. The nerf to this ability was an increase in casting time and performs about 50% less damage than before. Before, this ability was great for farming runes and PvP battles online.
While Bandai Namco Entertainment nerfed some items considered very powerful among the Elden Ring community, the patch was mainly used to improve players’ experiences with the game. Not only were a lot of spells buffed for less FP consumption, but some were also buffed for damage. The patch also added “a function to record an icon and the name of an NPC on the map when you encounter that NPC.” This is the biggest change to the game, probably added due to frustration from fans who were struggling to remember quests. Lastly, the patch includes a new NPC, Jar-Bairn, and added new quest phases to the following NPCS: Diallos, Nepheli Loux, Kenneth Haight, Gatekeeper Gostoc.