Elden Ring is an incredibly large game. With massive regions that could encompass their own open-world game, a huge amount of lore to dive into around various characters, places, and the world as a whole, and dozens of potential ways to play, FromSoftware's latest action-RPG was praised heavily upon its release for its scope. Even now, fans are discovering interesting details about Elden Ring. But, with it being six months since release, some fans are looking toward extra content in order to keep the Lands Between feeling fresh.
There has been a lot of speculation around the possibility of Elden Ring getting DLC at some point in the future. Initially, fans were mostly theorizing what that additional content would look like from potential hints given in the base game. However, as time has passed, and some dataminers have dug deep into files added in recent Elden Ring patches, it seems that DLC for the game is now more a matter of when, rather than if. While a lot of fans are going to be excited about the prospect of more content coming to Elden Ring, there are some features FromSoftware is going to have to get right for it to be another triumph from the company.
Elden Ring's Weapon Balancing Woes
Balancing weapons in a game as vast as Elden Ring is a tough task. There are over 300 weapons that players can choose from, with a range of categories such as Colossal Weapons, Katanas, Bows, and even Claws. With so much variety in Elden Ring's weapons and builds, it is the case that some swords are going to be stronger than others. This is an intended part of the game design, as it would be quite disappointing if the Dark Moon Greatsword were as powerful as a starting straight sword, for example.
However, while it does make sense that rarer weapons should be slightly stronger than those dropped on the ground normally, there have been some cases in Elden Ring of weapons being terribly over or underpowered. The Rivers of Blood katana, for example, was arguably the most powerful weapon in both PvE and PvP in Elden Ring's early versions, as its weapon skill would not only deal massive amounts of damage on its own, but it would also inflict the Blood Loss condition, which causes a target to lose a percentage of their health. While Rivers of Blood has since been nerfed, a lot of fans didn't like how strong it was because it emphasized using a certain style of play compared to others.
There are other ways in which an Elden Ring player can become overpowered, but a lot of these methods come down to circumstance more than just using one weapon to demolish every enemy in the game. The Comet Azur spell, for example, might be able to completely destroy Mohg, Lord of Blood, but this is due to his idling throughout the first phase of his fight, meaning he won't dodge out of the way as a giant laser beam hits him head-on. While a certain spell or weapon might look overpowered against a specific enemy, the goal is to not have that weapon be as strong against every foe in the game, and instead the focus be on the player to ensure their build is as powerful as it can be.
How Elden Ring's Weapons Should be Balanced in Its DLC
To avoid another Rivers of Blood scenario in Elden Ring then, the game's upcoming DLC should seek to steer clear from adding in weapons that appear to display a certain way of playing as better than another. This doesn't mean that there shouldn't be weapons worth making a build around, as some players do like to create their character around eventually wielding Radahn's Greatswords or the aforementioned Dark Moon Greatsword. However, no weapon in Elden Ring should be seen as the optimal way to play, as this then creates a sense of division within the game's community between those who want to use the most powerful weapon and those who see it as a lower form of cheating.
It is highly likely that no matter what FromSoftware does to try and prevent it, the new gear brought about in Elden Ring's DLC will change up the ecosystem that players are accustomed to. This could be jarring for many fans, but so long as no weapon stands tall as the most overpowered and there are just a few new ways to play with more swords, spells, and incantations, players will grow accustomed to the additional content over time. If anything, it might be preferable for FromSoftware to look into adding more strong weapons into Elden Ring's DLC, rather than risk underpowered items coming to the game.
Already, there has been plenty of criticism online about some of Elden Ring's weapons feeling underwhelming, despite their flashy weapon skills and appearances. Over time, some of these rarely used weapons have seen more play, with a few even making for some powerful builds. The Ordovis Greatsword and Envoy's Long Horn have been used to great effect in cheesing Malenia, for example, showing that there's no harm in having more than a few powerful weapons for players to choose from.
Should Elden Ring's DLC follow the pattern of FromSoftware's previous titles, it is highly likely that the game will see some big changes from more than just additional weapons. It's possible that a new area could be brought to Elden Ring alongside extra bosses for the player to fight. Where PvP is concerned as well, it seems players might be getting access to the coliseums dotted around the Lands Between. With all of this extra content potentially coming to Elden Ring then, making sure the new weapons are balanced might not be at the top of FromSoftware's priority list. However, for the sake of the game's meta, ensuring that weapons are strong but balanced against foes new and old will allow players to enjoy everything in Elden Ring's DLC without feeling like that have to wield a certain sword.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.