Elden Ring’s new patch, version 1.03, made a handful of overpowered weapons and summons in FromSoftware’s new game less effective, much to the frustration of players who relied on certain swords, ashes, and character builds. But the new patch also fixed Elden Ring’s most game-breaking build of all by fixing a bug with a problematic spell — and if you’ve played or watched any Elden Ring PvP, you’ve probably seen players get instantly wrecked by it.
That build is, of course, the combination of the Fire’s Deadly Sin incantation paired with the Eclipse Shotel curved sword. Using those two items in tandem pre-patch let invaders win games without any semblance of skill; Fire’s Deadly Sin amplified the Eclipse Shotel’s unique skill, Death Flare, in such dramatic fashion that users of that setup never needed to actually touch their opponent. Simply being near them sent opponents into a death-blighted state — aka instant death.
FromSoftware’s patch notes say the team fixed a bug which caused Fire’s Deadly Sin to have a different effect.
That bug fix may also address an extremely overpowered spell and shield combo. Pairing Fire’s Deadly Sin with the Erdtree Greatshield — and its Golden Retaliation skill — was also immensely overpowered in PvE situations. Here’s a video from YouTuber DragooX, with examples of just how broken Fire’s Deadly Sin was.
Amusingly, some players are still going into PvP situations using the Fire’s Deadly Sin/Eclipse Shotel recipe unaware that they’re no longer the death-blighting machines they once were. (The below video from the Elden Ring subeddit shows that the Rivers of Blood katana and its Corpse Piler skill are still a force to be reckoned with in PvP, in case you need a new build.)
Elsewhere, Elden Ring players are lamenting the loss of a couple other overpowered items. FromSoftware has seen fit to decrease the damage of the Sword of Night and Flame (and its weapon skill) and the damage of the Mimic Tear Ash summon (even though it is still quite effective at drawing aggro from enemies).
Suffice it to say, Elden Ring players who rely solely on specific builds or techniques to achieve peak power in the game might want to explore other opportunities. FromSoftware has a history of rebalancing weapons, spells, and other offensive abilities in its games, and patch 1.03 is likely just the start of its work.