An Elden Ring player was incessantly pursued by a Crucible Knight as they attempted to heal, repeatedly thrust off their feet by the armored foe's Greatsword. Elden Ring's Crucible Knights have garnered a controversial reputation since release, with the community divided between those that adore the intense duels and others who believe them to be too punishing.

Volcano Manor sits atop Mount Gelmir, overlooking the western plains of the Altus Plateau and Liurnia's northern Caria Manor. Lady Tanith oversees the house and its inhabitants, those that have chosen to rise up against the dominion of the Erdtree. One of these individuals is the imposing figure that stands motionless to her left, a Crucible Knight who, unlike the others that players may come across in Elden Ring, is disinterested in the Tarnished. However, this indifference does not last, for if the player seeks to murder Tanith as she eats away at the remnants of Rykard, her guardian enters the arena, now glowing red.

RELATED: Elden Ring Player Sent Flying By An Arrow Reminds Others Of Anor Londo

In a video uploaded to Reddit by ohhsnoop, Tanith's Knight has just invaded, instantly charging forth at the player. The horizontal swipe lands squarely on the player, who likely stood directly in front of the attack with the intention to parry. Following a successful dodge, another parry attempt fails, this time cast too early, and a panicked retreat ensues. After gaining what they believed to be sufficient distance from the unnamed Crucible Knight, the player drinks from their Flask of Crimson Tears to heal, but the Greatsword-wielding steward immediately reacts to the animation.

The player's replenished health is abruptly diminished as the Knight closes in with a powerful thrust, which prompts another retreat. Rolling backwards once, the player tries to heal again, only to be punished in the exact same way. This series of events plays out fives times consecutively, finally concluding when the Crucible Knight arbitrarily decides not to follow up with the same attack.

However, it may not be arbitrary at all, as it was discovered that although Elden Ring does not literally read player inputs, NPCs can carry out certain actions as a response to specific animations, which in practice makes very little difference.

Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Elden Ring's Rune Bears Have More Lore Than Meets the Eye