Best PvP Duel Etiquette Practices In Elden Ring

There are no rules in Elden Ring's PvP. But if one wants to act like a rabid dog, then they should also expect to be treated as such. Even the game's self-proclaimed disrespectful invader covenant — the Recusants of Volcano Manor, consider themselves as deplorable people, after all. So depending on one's intentions for PvP, it's best to observe etiquette.

Because not all those who involve themselves in Elden Ring's PvP are chaotic invaders. Some are merely up for an honorable and chivalric 1v1 duel. Such is the tradition of fight clubs in Souls games. And with the influx of new players to the franchise, a brush-up on Soulsborne's civilized sparring culture is in order. Do the community a favor and observe the unwritten ethics in PvP duels in Elden Ring. Now in written form.

Updated May 22, 2022 by Sid Natividad: By now, a lot of people have already finished Elden Ring and have nothing left to do but play PvP. That very well means more players are joining the chaotic and many-faceted Elden Ring PvP. Thus, some updates on the Elden Ring PvP etiquette are in order.

Because without the Elden Ring duel etiquette, most of the time, the red phantoms or players will usually lose because of the lopsided distribution of flasks. These are also not just Elden Ring duel etiquette practices but can also be treated as a 'how to duel in Elden Ring' instruction set. Turns out there are some significant Elden Ring duel rules to follow. Here's more help on how to duel in Elden Ring.

10 Thou Shall Distinguish The Thin Line Between Invasions & Duels

Elden-Ring-Game-Online-Multiplayer-PvP-Invasion-Summoning

First things first, players will have to determine what kind of PvP they got themselves into. In Elden Ring (and all Souls games), there are two modes of PvP. The first is getting invaded randomly by other players. The second is touching a red sign on the ground and entering that host's world as an invader.

The second is considered consensual so that's generally where the duels happen. In the first one, random invasions, usually, anything goes. No need for rules or respect for random invasions. However, there might be exceptions to either case. That's where gestures and in-game "communication" play their part.

9 Thou Shall Bow Or Wave To Signal Thy Intentions Or Not & Be Treated As An Invader

Now, for gestures, the most respectful way to start a 1v1 duel is with a Bow. It's accessible through the gesture menu. In any case, a bow is typically a universal sign of respect and honor. The Wave gesture can also count, as long as the gesture is friendly. So in the off-chance that a random invader bows, the host can safely assume that it's a duel and all the other PvP etiquette practices below will be observed.

Those who were invited as red phantoms for PvP would also do well to habitually bow to the host before poking each other's guts out. So what if there's no bow? What if the red phantom suddenly attacks or beelines straight for the host? Well, then Occam's razor; that brash act can and should be taken as a sign that they don't want a fair fight and only want to invade.

As always, there might be exceptions. Some players who are new to the franchise might have trouble accessing the gesture menu. In that case, standing still or not attacking immediately while the opponent bows can still be accepted as a sign of respect.

8 Thou Should Allow Thy Enemy To Buff Before The Fight

Duels in Souls games (Elden Ring not exempt) aren't only a measure of gaming skills or a fun fight. They can also sometimes be a way for players to check some character builds in practice. After all, Elden Ring allows for a dizzying number of builds both for PvE and PvP.

Some builds require their buffs from Incantations or Sorceries. Weapon buffs also count here. Those should be allowed before any smacking or attack happens. In the middle of the fight, however, attacking a dueling opponent while they're buffing isn't considered a dirty move, generally. Some exceptions might apply depending on the specific fight club.

7 Thou. Shall. Not. Heal.

This is the hard rule in duels in Souls games. Such a rule has been observed for a decade now and it's not about to change just because some new players think the game allows everything. That rule was put in place for duels because the red phantoms always enter a host's world with significantly fewer Flasks. For random invasions, healing is fine; but for duels, healing is not only viewed as cowardly but also indicates ineptitude (noob).

In a 1v1 PvP duel, one must own their actions even if those result in mistakes. That's also one of the reasons why generally, healing in any form isn't allowed. So no Flask of Crimson Tears, no healing modifiers in the Physick Flask, and certainly no healing Incantations are allowed in a duel. This should be understood and followed by all parties who have bowed or accepted a bow (or another respectful gesture).

The only time healing is allowed is if another duelist is waiting to hop in after a clean 1v1. In that case, the wounded winner of the previous fight has an obligation to bring their HP back to full before the next fight begins.

6 Thou Shall Allow FP Flasks & Buff Physick Flasks

So what kind of Flasks are allowed? The Flask of Cerulean Tears for recovering FP and also Physick Flasks that replenish FP or buff the drinker is usually accepted in a duel. Some builds simply won't work without their required FP amount or buff.

With that said, viewing this FP replenishment as an opening for an attack may or may not be condoned. It's a bit of a gray area and sometimes depends on the fight club or what the participants allow for their opponents. But as long as that red HP bar doesn't increase, then the duel is still valid.

5 Thou Shall Remove Unwelcome Participants

Most duels in Elden Ring & other Souls games are often 1v1 where other participants await their turn. There might be cases where a 2v2 fight is allowed but as long as the fight isn't lopsided or unfair, then all is well and it can proceed.

There might be instances where some random troglodyte — er, sorry, Recusant, will interrupt a fight club or a visibly honorable 1v1 duel and start attacking everyone. In this case, the fight will have to stop while everyone deals with the unwelcome participant. After that, the original duel participants can reset their match by healing. Obviously, don't be the unwelcome participant.

4 Thou Shall End The Fight With A Respectful Gesture

It's not really required in a 1v1 duel for a winner to bow after the fight but it's considered a courtesy for a duel well-fought. If the opponent is honorable and observed the dueling etiquette then they at least deserve some recognition or respect even if they might have lost.

A Bow, a Wave, or even some friendly or celebratory gestures should suffice. It's Elden Ring's way of allowing players to say "GG" after a good multiplayer match. Everybody wins here, even the person who died. Now, for random invaders who just start attacking, ganking, and healing after a mistake, then any pleasantries go out the window. No gestures of goodwill are needed.

3 Thou Shall Not Cheat

Cheating comes in many forms. The most accessible ones are through mods while others are more intricate hack programs. Some are exploits of unintended interactions between spells and items (which will later be patched out anyway). Regardless of which, cheating not only hurts the fair players but the PvP community as a whole.

A lot fewer PvP players will be incentivized to participate in duels if there's a chance they might run into cheaters. Moreover, cheating also hurts the cheater in a way since Elden Ring is a game of skill and they're not really honing anything by cheating. Of course, the good thing about people who play Elden Ring is that most of them supposedly shouldn't cheat as games in this genre are all about overcoming hardships through perseverance.

2 Thou Shall Finish The Duel, Win Or Lose

Something that can be slightly worse than cheating is forfeiting a match and denying a good player his well-earned victory. There are many cases of this in a duel and a lot of them were already uploaded online. Some duelists will either jump off a balcony when they realize that they're up against someone better or use the Finger Severer to cut a match short.

While in some cases, this might be warranted, doing this out of rage or spite (which is too common) is just bad sportsmanship. This can happen to duelists who just spam or abuse meta tactics and then get frustrated if they don't win right away or even start losing. That should be considered as more of a lesson for future duels and an incentive to use less-known tactics. In any case, denying a winner their victory is considered immature.

1 Thou Shall Recognize Community-Designate Duel Areas

Last but not least, in order for players to find some actual duels, it's best to interact with the Elden Ring community (usually through social media) to determine which spots in the game make for good arenas. These are usually flat and wide areas with no obstructions. This way, players can avoid their invader mentality upon visiting such areas as the majority of people use them for honorable duels.

But for starters, these areas are typically the community favorites for honorable duels: